The Cove's 25th Birthday

Help celebrate The COVE’s 25th birthday!

Join the 

Knox Gates Neighborhood Association / The COVE,

CTM DREAMS, and your neighbors

in a

Block Party & Harmony Day

Saturday, August 9, 2014

(Rain Date: Sunday, August 10)

12 noon to 6:00pm

Gates Place

(between Gunhill & Mosholu Parkway)

FUN for all ages - DJ & music - Bounce House - Film screenings

Food available on first come, first serve basis

Family Friendly Alcohol-Free & Smoke-Free Event

Children 6 years and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

www.COVEbx.org for more info.

Is Fernando Cabrera off the Ballot in the 33rd State Senate District Race?

  Word that has come in to this blog is that sometime tomorrow the decision will come down in the court challenge to the petition of Fernando Cabrera for the 33rd State Senate race. Already one candidate Jose Padilla Jr. was knocked off the ballot in the hearings before the Board of Elections hearings that took place July 30th. Cabrera was left on the ballot by the Board of Elections with 1272 valid signatures, but the BOE did not rule on the charges of 152 signature forgeries, and similar handwriting in 501 signatures. The commissioners said that they do not rule on those two item, and the matter would have to go to a Court of law, then election lawyer 'King" Stanley Schlein slapped the BOE with a subpoena to appear in court.

  Odds are now that State Senator Gustavo Rivera will not face a primary challenge when Cabrera is dropped from the ballot by the courts. Senator Rivera said last night that he was still going 100 percent as if he has a primary, that is until the announcement that his challenger Fernando Cabrera has been removed from the 33rd state senate race comes on Thursday.



  

GOVERNOR CUOMO SIGNS LEGISLATION TO PROTECT NEW YORKERS FROM IMMIGRATION ASSISTANCE FRAUD

New law strengthens penalties for those who take advantage of immigrants and codifies the Office for New Americans, launched last year

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today signed legislation to better protect immigrants living in New York from potential fraud or wrongdoing as they seek immigration-related assistance. These new New Yorkers will now benefit from stricter assistance-provider requirements, including the addition of a new crime to discourage this type of fraud. This bill also designates the New York State Office for New Americans – which Governor Cuomo launched last year – as a permanent executive office of State government, whose primary purpose is to offer support to the immigrant population. Complementing the legislation signed today, a statewide multilingual public service campaign is in progress to warn newcomers against fraud and encourage them to seek assistance if they feel they are a victim of an immigration-related scam.

“New York has a long history of welcoming immigrants from around the world, and today we are continuing that heritage with a new law that protects new New Yorkers and solidifies the services we provide,” Governor Cuomo said. “This bill will support those who come seeking a better future for their families, and I am proud to sign it into law today.”

The legislation will strengthen protections by enhancing translation requirements, increasing civil penalties for violations of the law, and barring the use of job titles that aim to mislead an assistance-seeker into believing that a service provider is an attorney or otherwise specialized professional when the provider has no such credential. It creates two new crimes, felony and misdemeanor immigration assistance fraud.

Additionally, the bill codifies the Office for New Americans, launched by the Governor in March 2013, which provides a range of services to New York’s recent immigration population. Just last year, the office helped over 34,000 peoplethrough neighborhood-based opportunity centers and a toll-free multi-lingual hotline (800-566-7636) offering a variety of services. The Opportunity Centers teach New Americans English, assist them in the process of becoming naturalized U.S. citizens, provide free legal advice so they can start and grow businesses, as well as offer training to community based organizations so that they may offer immigration services. The Office for New Americans is the first state-level immigrant office created by statute in the country.

Senator Rubén Díaz said, "When immigrants seek assistance on their path to becoming citizens, they need to be assured that the organizations that are providing the help will not take advantage of them. This new law sets clear standards for providers of immigration assistance services and establishes strict penalties for those who violate the law. Immigrants who call New York State home finally will receive the protection they deserve as they seek to become citizens of our great country.”

Assemblyman Marcos A. Crespo, Chair of the Assembly Task Force on New Americans and author the Immigrant Assistance Service Enforcement Act, said, "Thanks to dedicated support of our Governor, it is no longer open season on immigrants in our State. This new law will help prevent immigrants from becoming victims of fraud, increases penalties on those that try to scam immigrants out of their life's savings, gives immigrants an opportunity to recover their stolen fees and for damages, meets federal criteria that allows recourse when the fraud has interfered with immigration matters, and permanently establishes the Office for New Americans with a clear mandate on the work it is to perform for years to come. Thanks to the support of Governor Cuomo, this is a major change in public policy that will positively impact over 4.3 million New Yorkers who are of recent foreign decent. Today, because of his commitment to improving the lives of all New Yorkers, countless hardships and crimes will be prevented for decades to come and even more opportunities to help immigrants integrate into our society will be created."

New York Secretary of State Cesar Perales said, “By empowering our communities through legitimate services, we not only provide needed assistance to a vulnerable population, we also create economic opportunities across the State that will eventually benefit every New Yorker. I congratulate the Governor for combatting immigration scams affecting our state’s newcomers.”

Steven Choi, Executive Director of the New York Immigration Coalition, said, "The New York Immigration Coalition applauds Governor Cuomo for signing into law the Immigrant Assistance Service Enforcement Act, a critical piece of legislation that empowers New York’s immigrant communities. We are proud to have worked closely with the Governor’s office and Assemblymember Crespo in crafting a bill that provides new protections against immigration fraud, punishes those who seek to take advantage of immigrant communities, and lays a foundation to expand reliable immigration services across the State. We look forward to working with the Governor and the Office for New Americans to build on this legislation and ensure that New York is invested in immigrant communities that will pay off in benefits for our entire State.”

This law passed both houses of the legislature as S.6732-A and A.8947B, respectively.

National Night Out in the 50th Precinct

  National Night out in the 50th Precinct may not of had the local elected officials that came out last year, but hundreds of people (mostly children) came out to enjoy the night out that took place on Marble Hill Avenue Between West 225th and West 230th Streets. On hand was State Senator Guistavo Rivera who is still expecting a tough primary as he said, but he also said we will know Thursday if the challenge against his opponent Councilman Fernando Cabrera has been successful in getting Cabrera knocked off the ballot. Senator Rivera mentioned that several dead bodies were believed to be on the Cabrera petition, and that with other questionable items may allow him not to have a primary, but he said we will have to wait until Thursday to find out. Senator Rivera also mentioned that a planned debate on Bronxtalk would be cancelled if he has no primary.  

  Staffers from Councilman Andrew Cohen, Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, Congressman Eliot Engel, and also on hand was former Councilman and candidate for the 34th State Senate Oliver Koppell as you will see in the photos below.

State Senator Gustavo Rivera with Tony Edwards of Councilman Rodriguez's office.

50th Precinct Commanding Officer Deputy Inspector Rasa and 50 PCT. Community Council President Paulette Schlomo.

Left - Staffers from Councilman Andrew Cohen and Congressman Eliot Engel were on hand.

Right - 34th State Senate candidate Oliver Koppell is stumping for votes.

Cuomo’s Anti-Corruption Panel Nixed 15 Probes:

  That was the headline of an article that ran in yesterday's New York Post, about the disbanded Mooreland Commission. The Post goes into detail on two of the 15 probes that were sent federal prosecutors before Governor Cuomo disbanded the commission. One involved Assemblyman Dov Hikind that was sent to Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Lorreta Lynch involving Maimonides Hospital and tens of thousands dollars spent on ads on Hikind's radio show that the Post said was not reported until Crain's New York raised the issue last year. 

  The second involved State Senator George Maziarz and $137,000 in unitemized 'Cash' Checks of which the Post writes $60,000 were never reported to the state Board of Elections, payments to his campaign manager's daughter, and $125,000 spent at Target, BJ's, and other retailers, again the Post says that half of which were not reported. 

  These were the only two cases in the New York Post article . 

 

Assemblyman Crespo launches his Quality of Life Initiative on August 6, 2014

  Assemblymember Marcos A. Crespo (D-Bronx) announced that on August 6, 2014 he will be hosting a district-wide quality of life initiative titled, “Take pride in where you reside”  with a group of volunteers who will walk around the 85^th Assembly District (consisting of: Bronx River, Soundview, Clason’s Point, Shorehaven, part of Castle Hill and part of Hunts Point) posting “Curb/clean up after your pet” signs, changing trash receptacles and registering business owners for New York City’s Graffiti-Free program.

     

“I feel with these signs being posted in various locations within my Assembly District will make pet owners more conscious about the law to lease and clean up after your pet. Also, cleaning up after your pet goes a long way with not just the appearance of the community but also health and respiratory concerns,”stated Assemblyman Crespo.

Visibility is very important when it comes to placement of these signs, which is why these signs will be placed locations where I may see dog waste and/or on the main street(s) which are most used by pedestrians with the consent of the property owner.

If you would like to know some of the locations where signs will be placed please call my District office at 718-893-0202 and speak to Matthew Shuffler who can give you some sites. 

New Speed Limit Enforcement on Broadway 59th - 220th Street

  This comes from City Council Transportation committee Chair Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez.

Office of Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez Dear Friends and Neighbors, Yesterday, I joined Senator Espaillat, Council Member Rosenthal and  NYPD Traffic Division Chief Chan to announce the NYPD's enforcement  of the new 25 MPH speed limit on Broadway's "Arterial Slow Zone."  This zone, announced in May of this year, will stretch from 220th Street to 59th Street. Police officers will now ticket drivers found speeding over 25 as opposed to 30 in this area. Since 2008, 22 people have been killed by cars in this stretch, a statistic we would like to limit to 0 for the future. Please help us save lives by driving at lower speeds and remaining conscious of all others who use our streets including cyclists and pedestrians. With your help, we can achieve Vision Zero. Thank you.  Sincerely, Ydanis Rodriguez,

Council Member Cohen and Department of Education to Hold Office Hours About Pre-Kindergarten Enrollment

  Council Member Andrew Cohen and the New York City Department of Education are holding office hours at the Council Member’s district office, 3636 Waldo Avenue, to inform parents about pre-K enrollment.  Parents will be able to meet with DOE representatives and the Council Member’s staff to learn more about the pre-Kindergarten options that are available for their families.

Who: Council Member Andrew Cohen, the Department of Education and members of the public.

What: Pre-Kindergarten Enrollment for Bronx families

Where: Council Member Cohen’s district office, 3636 Waldo Avenue, Bronx, NY 10463

When: Wednesday, August 6, 2014, 4:00-7:00pm