Council Member Andrew Cohen Brings All Guide-A-Ride Bus Schedules Back to the North-West Bronx

Council Member Cohen Requested the MTA Bring Back Guide-A-Rides Schedules to the Bx7, Bx10, Bx20, BxM1, BxM2, BxM18 and Hudson Rail Link Bus Stops.

After receiving complaints from constituents concerning the lack of bus schedules posted at bus stops throughout District 11, Council Member Andrew Cohen requested the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) bring back Guide-A-Ride bus schedules to the Bx7, Bx10, Bx20, BxM1, BxM2, BxM18 and Hudson Rail Link stops.

Citywide, the MTA has approximately 16,000 Guide-A-Rides (GAR) serving both MTA Bus and New York City Transit buses. There are over 500 GARs at bus stops that serve more than four buses. In Riverdale, the bus stops share some combination of the Bx7, Bx10, Bx20, BxM1, BxM2, BxM18 and the Hudson Rail Link which operates to and from the Metro-North Stations at Spuyten Duyvil and Riverdale.

Not all of the bus routes in the Riverdale area were displayed on each Guide-A-Ride canister. As a result, many residents were unable to plan their bus routes before getting on. The Operations Planning and Scheduling units of the New York City Transit, MTA Bus Company and Metro-North (Hudson Rail Link) have come up with a solution: combine similar bus routes in one panel.

For example, in North Riverdale, the Bx7 and Bx10 will share a panel. In south Riverdale, the Bx10 and Bx20 will share a panel. Throughout the entire route, the BxM1 and BxM2 will share a panel; leaving one panel each for the Hudson Rail Link and the BxM18. With this new approach, the MTA will be able to provide more information for their customers on local and express buses. The new schedules have already been posted.

As always, customers may access bus schedules on the MTA website at www.mta.info. Customers with smartphones are encouraged to download the Bus Time app to track real-time location of buses.

“After I received a request from members of my constituency to bring back the bus schedules, I immediately began working with the MTA to make sure they were reinstalled throughout the bus lines in question. The MTA did great work coming up with a new design that will fit all bus schedules onto the four panels of the GARs and I want to thank them for having them installed quickly. These new schedules will help all commuters be able to plan their routes more efficiently,” said Council Member Andrew Cohen.

More on Skelos Probe - It Gets Deeper

  First it was the New York Times which reported about the federal probe of current State Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos and his son Adam Skelos. Now it is Capital New York that continues the information about the nitty gritty of the probe. 

  Capital New York names names  In its article which probes into Nassau County and its contract with Abtech, of which Capital says Adam Skelos is employed. While there is no connection detailed leading to Senator Skelos directly being involved, Capital writes that one of the county officials John Campbell now works closely with the senator as his counsel. 

  Capital writes that Campbell had been an election lawyer for the Senate Republican Majority before becoming the Nassau County attorney in 2010. He was rehired in 2013 as Senate Republican Counsel. The link to the entire Capital New York article is at the beginning of the second paragraph (in purple).

BCEQ's April ENewsletter, Happy Earth Day!

Bronx Council for Environmental Quality April 2015 Enewsletter

In honor of Earth Day, Bronx Council of Environmental Quality is launching a brand new monthly enewsletter to keep you up to  date on important environmental issues affecting the Bronx.   Whether you are planting a tree, going for a hike, cleaning up  your favorite green space this Earth Day please save some  time to read about BCEQ has been up to and other important  topics you should know about. BCEQ Water Conference 2015 The Bronx Council for Environmental Quality held its annual  membership meeting and water conference — Going  from Step 2 to Designating a Brownfield Opportunity Area:  Should BCEQ Harlem River BOA Step 2 project apply?” – on  Wednesday, March 18, 2015 at Manhattan College.  If you  missed this successful conference you can still check out the  various presentations here.   NYC’s Direct Discharge Pollution Plan Sometimes noted as MS4, the Direct Discharge Pollution  Plan is the way the city handles direct stormwater discharges  into our waterbodies. The Bronx Council for Environmental Quality  comments on the 2015 amended plan, which is still not good enough.  Read all about it. BCEQ is Hiring a Summer Associate BCEQ is currently looking to hire a Summer Associate through  the Conservation Legacy VISTA Program.  There are two projects  that the summer associate will be involved in: the annual  "Canoeing the Harlem" event, and the new local high school based  research project "Characterizing the Harlem" research project. There  is also a very large historic event – the opening of the High Bridge –  which the summer associate will have an opportunity to work on.   The dates of service are June 1st to August 3rd.  For more information  please email Phoebe Mankiewicz at psmankiewicz@gmail.com. This Summer the High Bridge is Reopening NYC Parks is currently planning to reopen the High Bridge on  July 25th, 2015!  They are looking for the community to get involved by planning events to Celebrate the High Bridge throughout the  year.  Please submit your event proposals by this Friday April 24th.  Emptying the Skies, Opens Earth Day Based on a widely republished New Yorker essay by best-selling  novelist Jonathan Franzen, Emptying the Skies exposes the rampant  poaching of migratory songbirds in southern Europe.

www.bceq.org

SENATOR JEFF KLEIN, CONGRESSMAN ELIOT ENGEL, ASSEMBLYMAN JEFFREY DINOWITZ, COUNCILMAN ANDREW COHEN, LOCAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS CELEBRATE & HONOR LIFE OF BESS MYERSON

  Dedication Ceremony at Sholem Aleichem Houses Honors Legendary Bronxite

State Senator Jeff Klein , joined by Congressman Eliot Engel, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Councilman Andrew Cohen, Community Board 8 Chair (and resident of the Sholem Aleichem Houses) Esther Nelson, and a bevy of local community members, friends and neighbors, celebrated and honored the life of legendary Bronxite Bess Myerson at the Sholem Aleichem Houses in Kingsbridge on Sunday, April 19th. Myerson, a historic figure in the Bronx, was named Miss America in 1945, served as New York City’s first commissioner of consumer affairs, and later as an adviser to presidents Lyndon B. Johnson, Gerald R. Ford and Jimmy Carter.

The dedication ceremony was held in the courtyard at the Sholem Aleichem houses where Senator Klein unveiled a Senate resolution commemorating Myerson’s life and work. Guests gathered together to both reflect on and pay tribute to Myerson’s legacy and leadership.

“Bess Myerson paved the way for countless women in New York and across the country, breaking down barriers and transcending government, politics, and pageantry by serving as not only the first Jewish Miss America, but the city’s first commissioner of consumer affairs.  Her life was a shining example of what one person can do to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others and she is sorely missed,” said Senator Jeff Klein. “Today, we celebrate Bess’ life and work -- acknowledging the immense contributions she has made to the Bronx and New York City.”

“Bess Myerson was a true trailblazer in everything she did.  From humble beginnings in the Bronx, Bess rose to incredible heights, and became among other things, a Miss America pageant winner and a political icon,” said Congressman Eliot Engel. “Bess’ life was a true Bronx success story, and she is most deserving of this honor and recognition.”   

Bess Myerson was born in 1924 in the Bronx. She grew up in the historic Sholem Aleichem Housing Cooperative, a working-class development in the northwest Bronx known for its Jewish roots and heavy population of artists, poets and musicians. Myerson attended the High School of Music and Art and then went on to study music at Hunter College, graduating with honors in 1945.

That same year, Myerson was named the first Jewish Miss America. Throughout her reign, she used her platform to combat anti-semitism and speak out against discrimination and prejudice. In 1969, Myerson was name New York City’s first commissioner of consumer affairs under Mayor John Lindsay. She later went on to serve as commissioner of cultural affairs, advise three presidents, and ran for U.S. Senate in 1980.

“Bess was a true friend and confidant. Her shining spirit, beauty, talent and intelligence  were an inspiration to us all and a constant reminder of how we could do better and make a difference in this world,” said Esther Nelson, long-time friend and neighbor of Bess Myerson. “Her grand presence, fiery spirit and authenticity are sorely missed.”

“I am proud to have grown up in the same apartment complex as Bess Myerson and her achievements offer inspiration to all from our community,” said Dan Padernacht, Chair of Community Board 8. “The close knit community in which Bess Myerson was raised still exists today.”

Above - Congressman Eliot Engel; Esther Nelson, Friend and Neighbor of Bess Myerson; Senator Jeff Klein; Councilman Andrew Cohen; Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz; Dan Padernacht, Chair of Community Board 8. (and resident of the Sholem Aleichem Houses).
Below - A close-up of the Bess Myerson plaque.

Back to Washington, DC on 117 Buses

What You Should Know 

By State Senator Rev. Rubén Díaz 

32nd Senatorial District 

  You should know that this coming Saturday, April 25th, 117 buses will take more than 6,000 people to Washington, D.C. These buses are being donated by the National Organization for Marriage, led by my friend, Brian Brown. 

The buses will leave from all parts of the New York metropolitan area - including Long Island where Apostle Carlos Luis Vargas, President of the International Freeport Bible Center is taking 20 buses, and New Jersey where Bishop Jose Lopez, President of the Evangelical Pastor’s Association of Hudson County is in charge of another 20.  The buses will arrive in Washington, D.C. at 12:00 noon where a prayer vigil will take place in front of the United States Supreme Court.  We will be joined by people of faith from all parts of the nation. 

The purpose of this prayer vigil is to praise our God and to pray for the very important decision about same-sex marriage that the Supreme Court will render this year. 

It is important for you to know that the United States Supreme Court is comprised of nine Justices, all nominated by the President, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.  Once confirmed and sworn in, they serve for life.  (The only way their position can be vacated is reason of death or voluntary resignation.)  Part of the important work of the Supreme Court is to interpret the U.S. Constitution that was written by our forefathers 228 years ago. 

It is also important for you to know that 37 out of 50 states in our nation have legalized same-sex marriage by way of legislation or by the decision of State Court judges – not by the popular vote. 

Some institutions have appealed these laws to the Supreme Court, claiming that what those 37 states have done by legalizing marriage of people of the same sex is not constitutional.  According to those who are appealing the states’ decisions, their interpretation of the Constitution is based on the claim that the U.S. Constitution does not approve marriage of the same sex – a man with a man or a woman with a woman – only marriage of different sex: one man and one woman. 

Know, my dear reader, that the nine Justices of the Supreme Court have accepted this appeal and they have decided to hear the Oral Arguments onApril 28th. They will hear arguments both pro and con and by June, they will render their decision. 

Right now, no one knows if the Supreme Court will determine that same-sex marriage is legal or illegal. The only thing we know is that at least five of them will be part of the majority to finalize the decision. 

It is important for you, my dear reader to know that the decision the Supreme Court renders – for or against same-sex marriage – will be one of the most important decisions this nation has ever seen. It will affect millions and millions, not only here in the U.S. but also in the Commonwealth Islands of Puerto Rico and Guam, and more than that: the whole world. 

Therefore, we have decided to travel to the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. where the Supreme Court is located, and there we will publicly praise our Lord and pray for His intercession so He could lead the minds of the Justices to make the right decision. 

You should know that our sole purpose traveling to Washington is to pray and praise our God. We are not traveling to Washington to insult or disrespect anyone. We are traveling to Washington to exercise our public right to assembly and freedom of expression. This is our right and it should be respected as any other right. 

In the end, our great and sovereign God, the Creator of heaven and earth, will be the One who will allow five or more of the Supreme Court Justices to decide if same-sex marriage is legal or not. 

Like it or not, and whatever the final decision will be, we shall always give glory and honor to God, knowing as Christians that the only thing we can do is to pray and put into God’s hands any and all decisions. 

Ladies and gentlemen, that is my call to all people of faith throughout the nation. That is why we are going to Washington, that is why we will pray in Washington – and that is why I will see you all in Washington on April 25th. 

I am Senator Reverend Rubén Díaz, and this is what you should know.

Raja Rajeswari Assumes Post as New York’s First Indian American Judge

  Chennai-born Raja Rajeswari, who came to the U.S. when she was 16 years old, has become the first Indian American to be seated as a criminal court judge in New York City.

Rajeswari, 43, most recently an assistant district attorney at the Richmond County District Attorney's office, was nominated to the bench by Mayor Bill de Blasio, as reported earlier by India-West. She assumed office April 14.

“It’s like a dream. It’s way beyond what I imagined," she previously toldsilive.com, a Staten Island Web site.

“For someone like me, an immigrant who comes from India, I’m beyond grateful," she said. “I told the mayor this is not only my American Dream, but it shows another girl from a far-away country that this is possible.”

Rajeswari, who has worked in the district attorney's office for 16 years, was also deputy chief of the special victims unit for more than four years.

She hopes to use her new position to improve the judicial system by encouraging interpreters to have more access to aid immigrants.

Rajeswari told a New York newspaper that she observed gender inequality even before coming to the U.S. when some of her “brilliant” girlfriends in India were married off at the age of 14 and 15. “That has always stayed with me.”

As a prosecutor in New York, she has observed numerous cases of spousal and child abuse in the South Asian community, Rajeswari said. “Many of the domestic violence victims have been South Asians, Sri Lankans."

Currently, there are two Indian American male judges in civil courts — Jaya Madhavan on the New York City Housing Court in Bronx County and Anil C. Singh of New York County Supreme Court’s 1st District, according to News India Times.

Rajeswari is also an accomplished Bharat Natyam and Kucchipudi dancer who continues to perform at Indian events and temples with her troupe, the Padmalaya Dance Academy, named after her mother, Padma Ramanathan

Community Board 7 Parks Meeting Wed. April 22 Agenda

THE CITY OF NEW YORK

BOROUGH OF THE BRONX

COMMUNITY BOARD 7

RUBEN DIAZ, JR., BOROUGH PRESIDENT                
ADALINE WALKER-SANTIAGO, CHAIRPERSON                  
DUSTIN ENGELKEN, DISTRICT MANAGER                                                     

PARKS & RECREATION COMMITTEE MEETING AGENDA

Wednesday, April 22, 2015 @ 6:30 PM

I. Oliver Place Property:

A. Options for Development

B. Cost

C. Funding

D. Next Steps

II. Follow-up Items:

A. Signage at World War I Monument

B. Pillar Repairs along the Parkway:

1. How Many?

C. Stump Removal in District

D. Tree Cutting and Replacement at the Oval

E. New Benches for Mosholu Parkway

III. Installation of “NO Barbecuing” Signs

IV. Master Plan for Mosholu Parkway:  

A. Town Hall Meeting on April 29th

V. Adjournment

New York Hispanic Clergy Organization's 27th Annual Banquet

  The New York Hispanic Clergy Organization’s honorees were  Rev. Jose Malave, Lic. Dallal Farid, Rev. Dr. Carlos Torres and  Min. Luis Rodriguez will be recognized for their dedicated efforts throughout 2014. Over 700 people were in attendance, including elected officials such as U.S. senator Chuck Schumer, New York State Comptroller Tom Di Napoli, NYC Public Advocate Letitia James, State Senator Rev. Ruben Diaz Sr., Bronx democratic County Leader Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, Assemblyman Michael Blake, Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda, and Assemblyman Jose Rivera. The photos below will tell the rest of the story.

  I was able to ask Senator Schumer his opinion of Mayor Bill deBlasio's actions towards the candidacy of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Schumer would not comment on it, only to say that I would have to ask the mayor himself, but Schumer insisted that candidate Clinton would be the next President of the United States.  

Above - Senator Rev. Ruben Diaz Sr. walks his wife Leslie down the isle.

Below - Elected officials State Senator Diaz Sr., U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, Bronx Democratic County Leader Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, Assemblyman Michael Blake, Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda, Assemblyman Jose Rivera. 

Left -  Senator Diaz and U.S. Senator Schumer congratulate Ms. Javielis Castillo on her wonderful singing of the national anthem. 

Right - Sen Diaz introduces N.Y. State Comptroller Tom Di Napoli.

Above - Public Advocate Letitia James speaks to the audience.

Right - the way is cleared so Pastor Amaurys Mella of the "Letting Christ Be Known" Church can get through the hundreds of his church followers. 

Above- Pastor Mella sits with co-Pastor (and Honoree) Pastor Jose Malave. Behind the pastors are Assembly members Crespo, Blake and Sepulveda.

Right - Pastor Mella holds up the arm of Honoree Pastor Malave, and in the next photos the 350 members of the church went wild with cheers.
Below - The cheering for Pastor Malave.

Above - Pastor Mella embraces Senator Diaz. Pastor Malave stands next to Pastor Mella.
Below - Members of the church stand up and cheer.

It got to a point that when Assemblyman Blake spoke after the honorees, he jumped up on a chair to announce that he was a pastor of a church himself, giving some spiritual words.