Assemblyman Dinowitz Calls on United States Postal Service to Replace Bronx Mailboxes!

USPS Refuses to Release Details or Timeline on Plan to Implement Replacements

   In an altogether unsurprising turn of events the United States Postal Service of the Bronx has yet to rectify the not-so-recent decision to remove a large number of mailboxes from the Bronx. The vast majority of removed mailboxes have yet to be replaced. These mailboxes were removed well over a month ago at the beginning of the 2016 holiday season in an effort by the USPS to address fishing problems that have been plaguing the area. Currently, only a few select locations have seen their mailboxes replaced and the office of Assemblyman Dinowitz, along with the offices of several other local elected officials, continue to receive regular calls from constituents unable to send mail.

“Removing the mailboxes without informing anyone was problem enough, but the USPS has compounded this problem by maintaining an attitude of indifference towards elected officials attempting to get more information and to the public as a whole. The USPS has refused to respond to basic questions, let alone a plan or timeline for the implementation of new or retrofitted mailboxes, and it has been over a month since this happened,” said Assemblyman Dinowitz. “This is a situation that could have been managed had my office and other elected officials been contacted and informed this would be happening. We could have worked together to make sure people could still get their mail out while these mailboxes were being replaced. Sadly, the USPS decided it was not important to keep us in the loop, nor do they seem to think this is important enough issue to address in a timely fashion.“

Suggestions made by local elected officials that the USPS implement temporary collection stations in areas with no mailboxes have gone unheeded.

In 2017, it can be easy to forget how heavily many of us still rely on mail just to function normally. Rent checks, money orders, and bills, are all still largely sent through the mail by many, particularly by seniors. While it can often be a simple matter for many of us to take the time to travel to the post office, the elderly, the disabled or the sick who have difficulty traveling cannot always do so.

News From Congressman Eliot Engel

Engel Highlights New Report: GOP’s ACA Repeal Would Cost New York 130,700 Jobs in 2019 Alone

  Congressman Eliot L. Engel, a top member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, announced that a new report finds Republicans’ repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would cause New York to lose 130,700 jobs in 2019 alone, while the U.S. overall would lose 2.6 million jobs.

The report details how the consequences of ACA repeal would reach far beyond the health care system, with considerable costs for state economies.

“This new report shows that ACA repeal wouldn’t just strip away affordable health coverage from millions of Americans. It would also kill jobs and hinder economic growth in New York and across the country,” Engel said. 

In addition to job loss, the report analyzes how ACA repeal would affect each state’s economic output. The report finds that repealing the ACA would shrink New York’s economy by more than $89 billion from 2019 to 2023.

“This report confirms that the people of New York simply cannot afford the disastrous GOP plot to repeal the ACA,” Engel said. “Democrats will not stand by and allow Republicans to dismantle the health and financial security of so many hard-working American families.”

The report, prepared by the nonpartisan Commonwealth Fund and George Washington University’s Milken Institute School of Public Health, analyzes the economic impact of the repeal of two specific provisions of the Affordable Care Act: the premium tax credits for individuals in the ACA Marketplaces and the Medicaid expansion. 

Engel Statement on House Passage of REINS Act and Midnight Rule Relief Act

Congressman Eliot L. Engel, a leading member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement in response to this week’s House passage of the REINS Act and the Midnight Rule Relief Act:

“To hear House Republicans tell it, clean air, safe consumer products, worker protections, and useful medicines have made America less competitive. All the REINS Act and the Midnight Rule Relief Act would do is destroy the progress we made under President Obama while making it impossible to keep our drinking water clean, or to protect our supermarkets from contaminated food, or to keep our worksites safe.

“The USDA, OSHA, and EPA are not ‘job killers.’ They’re life savers. That is why I will continue to oppose both of these bills, along with coming attacks on the Affordable Care Act, Social Security, Medicare, the Paris Climate Agreement, and the many other advances we’ve made in the last 8 years.”

Bronx Chamber of Commerce - BEST OF THE BRONX AWARDS MAY 22, 2017

  

Save The Date:

 

Monday, May 22, 2017 

Trump Links at Ferry Point

11:00 am - 8:00 pm

 

Best of the Bronx

2017 Golf Outing

 

Members and Friends of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce are requested to nominate companies or organizations to receive Special Recognition and Distinguished Awards at the Best of the Bronx 2017 Golf Outing in following categories:

 

• Bronx Business Man of the Year
• Bronx Business Woman of the Year
• Best of The Bronx Award of the Year

Please forward your nominations on or beforeFebruary 28, 2017 to Nunzio Del Greco, President and CEO via email: Nunzio@BronxChamber.org

The Bronx Chamber of Commerce is one of the most influential, professional and successful organizations and voice for businesses in Bronx County. Professionals and companies are drawn to the successful companies and active members affiliated with The Bronx Chamber of Commerce. Membership includes businesses ranging from large corporations, Cultural Institutions, Universities and Colleges, Hospitals and Medical Centers, non-profits, and mid-sized to small companies.

Nunzio Del Greco

President and CEO
Bronx Chamber of Commerce

"The Network For Business Success"
1200 Waters Place, Suite 106
Bronx, NY 10461
718-828-3900
Nunzio@bronxchamber.org

 

"You never know where your next big deal is going to come from"!

Bronx Chamber of Commerce - BRONX BUSINESS AWARDS MARCH 9, 2017

  

Save The Date:

 

Thursday, March 9, 2017 Marina del Rey Caterers

5:30 pm - 10:30 pm

 

Bronx Business Awards

2017 Gala Celebration

 

Members and Friends of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce are requested to nominate companies or organizations to receive Special Recognition and Distinguished Awards at the Bronx Business Awards 2017 Gala Celebration in following categories:

  

• Developer of the Year
• MWBE Company of the Year
• Non-Profit Organization of the Year
• Health Provider of the Year
• Educational Institution of the Year
• Made in The Bronx Award of the Year

 

Please forward your nominations on or before January 16, 2017 to Nunzio Del Greco, President and CEO via email: Nunzio@BronxChamber.org

Nunzio Del Greco

President and CEO
Bronx Chamber of Commerce

"The Network For Business Success"
1200 Waters Place, Suite 106
Bronx, NY 10461
718-828-3900
Nunzio@bronxchamber.org

 

"You never know where your next big deal is going to come from"!

Town Hall Meeting re: GWB Bus Station Project

Council Member  Ydanis Rodriguez

Dear Friends and Neighbors,   I would like to invite you to this town hall regarding the George Washington Bridge Bus Station. Please come to find out and ask questions about where the project stands and how it will benefit the community.  Sincerely, Ydanis Rodriguez Chair, Council Transportation Committee District 10: Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill

Comptroller Stringer Audit Finds Subway WiFi and Cell Service Fully Functioning at 150 Stations

Auditors tested WiFi and cell service at subway stations in Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx

   A new audit  released today by New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer showed that WiFi and cell service equipment installed in 150 underground subway stations by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and Transit Wireless is fully functioning. The stations tested, which had service installed as part of Phases 1, 2, 3, and 4 of Transit Wireless’ contract with the MTA, serve the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, A, B, C, D, E, F, G, J, L, M, N, Q, R, 42nd Street Shuttle, and Z lines in Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx.

The audit also found that the “Subway Reads” program – a partnership between the MTA, Transit Wireless, and Penguin Random House that allows subway riders to download short stories and book excerpts – was functioning in all 150 stations that auditors visited.

“This audit shows that New York City is moving into the future, that we can be underground but don’t have to disconnect from the world,” New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer said. “Bringing WiFi and cell service into our mass transit system will boost productivity, increase safety, and make commutes more enjoyable. Right now, the MTA’s program is on track, and that’s no doubt something to celebrate.”

Between June 28, 2016 and November 6, 2016 auditors visited 150 underground subway stations and tested internet access and cell service on laptops and cell phones. Tests included placing phone calls, sending text messages, visiting social media websites, streaming online video and audio content, sending emails, and downloading content from the “Subway Reads” program.

Under its contract, Transit Wireless has until the end of 2017 to install WiFi and cell service in the remaining underground subway stations. In its response to the audit, the MTA indicated, as well as recently announced publicly, that the agency was on schedule to bring wireless communication to the remaining stations by the end of December 2016 – a full year early. The Comptroller’s Office plans to test the entire system once final installation is verified.

To read the full audit – and see a list of subway stations that were tested – click here.

NYC DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION CAPTAIN AND TWO OFFICERS SENTENCED FOR COVERING UP BEATING OF INMATE

   Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a New York City Department of Correction captain and two officers have been sentenced to five years’ probation for covering up an assault on an inmate in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy. 

   District Attorney Clark said, “These Correction Officers concealed an assault on an inmate during the chaotic days after Superstorm Sandy, but were caught and prosecuted for a felony, and now they have lost their jobs. Correction Officers must realize that they will pay a steep price if they cover up brutality or corruption on Rikers Island.” 

  

   District Attorney Clark said the defendants, Moises Simancas, 40, Tyrone Wint, 31, and April Jackson, 36, were sentenced today by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Martin Marcus to five years’ probation, and waived their right to appeal. The defendants pleaded guilty to first-degree Falsifying Business Records on November 10, 2016.

  According to the investigation, on October 30, 2012, a day after Superstorm Sandy hit New York, inmates at the George R. Vierno Center on Rikers Island were confined in their cells for longer than usual. After a dispute with inmate Gabino Genao, Captain Simancas and COs Wint and Jackson handcuffed him and took him to a vestibule where they allegedly beat him. The officers falsified reports regarding the incident. 

   The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Newton Mendys, Supervisor of the Criminal Enterprise Bureau, and Meagan Powers of the Public Integrity Bureau, under the supervision of Stuart Levy, Deputy Chief of the Investigations Division, and Jean T. Walsh, Chief of the Investigations Division. 

  District Attorney Clark also thanked Investigator Alexandria Maldonado of the Department of Correction Investigations Division and Assistant Inspector General Carmelo Galarza and Inspector General Jennifer Sculco of the Department of Investigation.

MAN INDICTED FOR MURDER, MUTILATION OF ELDERLY BRONX MAN

   Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a man has been indicted for Murder and other crimes for bludgeoning and stabbing a 68-year-old man who had solicited an intimate relationship with him. 

  District Attorney Clark said, “The ferocity of the attack on this victim was shocking. The defendant now faces charges that could send him to prison for the rest of his life.” 

  

   District Attorney Clark said that Jerry Pagan, 32, address unknown, was charged with second-degree Murder, first-degree Manslaughter and fourth-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon. Pagan was arraigned today before Bronx Supreme Court Justice William Mogulescu. He was remanded and is due back in court on March 30, 2017.

  

  According to the investigation, on the evening of December 3, 2016, in the Sheridan Avenue home of the victim, Richard Reed, Pagan confronted Reed over a previous sexual encounter and struck him in the head with a hammer and stabbed him multiple times. Pagan then mutilated Reed’s body. 

  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Morgan Dolan of the Homicide Bureau, under the supervision of Christine Scaccia, Deputy Chief of the Homicide Bureau, and the overall supervision of Nicole Keary, Deputy Chief of the Trial Division and Jeremy Shockett, Chief of the Trial Division. 

  An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.