Thursday, December 19, 2019

Wave Hill events January 2‒January 9


Sat, January 4

No Family Art Project

The Family Art Project resumes on January 11.

Sun, January 5

No Family Art Project

The Family Art Project resumes on January 11.

Sun, January 5

Garden and Conservatory Highlights Walk

Join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for a public tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free with admission to the grounds.

Meet at Perkins Visitor Center, 2PM

Mon, January 6

Wave Hill is closed.

Tue, January 7

Wave Hill House closed for Renovations

Historic Wave Hill House is closed through Friday, January 10, for renovations.

Wave Hill House

Wed, January 8

Wave Hill House closed for Renovations

Historic Wave Hill House is closed through Friday, January 10, for renovations.

Wave Hill House

Thu, January 9

Wave Hill House closed for Renovations

Historic Wave Hill House is closed through Friday, January 10, for renovations.

Wave Hill House

                         
A 28-acre public garden and cultural center overlooking the Hudson River  and Palisades, Wave Hill’s mission is to celebrate the artistry and legacy of its gardens and landscape, to preserve its magnificent views, and to explore human connections to the natural world through programs in horticulture, education and the arts.

HOURS  Open all year, Tuesday through Sunday and many major holidays: 9AM–4:30PM, November 1–March 14. Closes 5:30PM, starting March 15.

ADMISSION – $10 adults, $6 students and seniors 65+, $4 children 6–18. Free Saturday and Tuesday mornings until noon. Free to Wave Hill Members and children under 6.

PROGRAM FEES – Programs are free with admission to the grounds unless otherwise noted.

Visitors to Wave Hill can take advantage of Metro-North’s one-day getaway offer. Purchase a discount round-trip rail far and discount admission to the gardens. More at http://mta.info/mnr/html/getaways/outbound_wavehill.htm


DIRECTIONS – Getting here is easy! Located only 30 minutes from midtown Manhattan, Wave Hill’s free shuttle van transports you to and from our front gate and Metro-North’s Riverdale station, as well as the W. 242nd Street stop on the #1 subway line. Free offsite parking is available nearby with continuous, complimentary shuttle service to and from the offsite lot and our front gate. Complete directions and shuttle bus schedule at www.wavehill.org/visit/.

Information at 718.549.3200. On the web at www.wavehill.org.


MAYOR DE BLASIO, UNIFORMED OFFICERS COALITION ANNOUNCE TENTATIVE CONTRACT AGREEMENT


City establishes uniformed pattern for 2017-2021 round of bargaining; almost 80 percent of workforce now under contract

  Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the City of New York has reached a tentative contract agreement with the Uniformed Officers Coalition (UOC). Today’s agreement means that the Administration has now reached agreements with nearly 80 percent of the City workforce. The UOC represents eight unions representing over 16,200 employees combined: the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association, Correction Captains Association, Assistant Deputy Wardens/Deputy Wardens Association, Lieutenants Benevolent Association, Captains Endowment Association, Uniformed Fire Officers Association, Sanitation Officers Association, and the Uniformed Sanitation Chiefs Association.

This 36-month contract contains annual raises of 2.25%, 2.50% and 3.00%. This represents compounded wage increases of 7.95% over 3 years, a term seven months shorter than the pattern agreements reached with civilian unions representing nearly 75 percent of the workforce.

“The work of these uniformed officers is crucial to the safety and security of our city,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “These employees put their safety on the line every single day, and we are tremendously grateful for their service and proud to pay them a fair wage.”

“After an extensive negotiations process, I’m pleased to report that COBA has reached the best possible economic deal for our over 10,000 members, who will be seeing close to an 8% raise over a 36 month term,” said Elias Husamudeen, President of the Correction Officers’ Benevolent Association. “New York City Correction Officers are the unsung heroes of law enforcement and ensuring they receive the wages and benefits they deserve is paramount to the COBA. We now look forward to negotiating the non-economic components of this contract in the weeks ahead. I thank the leaders of the other uniformed unions who stood shoulder to shoulder with us throughout this process and I thank Mayor Bill de Blasio and OLR Commissioner Renee Campion for their efforts to negotiate this deal as well.”

“This core economic agreement acknowledges the special contribution of our uniformed members and provides a roadmap to resolve open items left over from the last round of bargaining.  I want to commend Commissioner Campion and her entire team on their openness and resourcefulness in creating an overall economic agreement that I can rely upon and I look forward to full resolution in the coming days so I can deliver a contract that meets the approval of my members,” said Roy T. Richter, President of the NYPD Captains Endowment Association.

“Today the UFOA was one of eight uniformed unions that agreed to a fair and appropriate collective bargaining agreement for 36 months.  This agreement recognizes the important contribution of the members of the UFOA and other uniformed unions to the City. We look forward to further individual unit bargaining to address issues unique to the UFOA membership,” said Jake Lemonda, President of the Uniformed Fire Officers Association.

“The Sanitation Officers Association is proud to have signed this three-year economic agreement. We appreciate the efforts of Commissioner Campion and her team in reaching this fair deal, and also appreciate the leadership of Elias Husamudeen and Roy Richter in leading this coalition of 8 unions," said Joseph Mannion, President of the Sanitation Officers Association, Local 444.

“The agreement we reached today is a fair economic package. I believe working with the Coalition allowed us to reach the best deal we could have achieved," said Patrick Ferraiuolo, President  of the Correction Captains Association.

Fair Wages

Because the UOC covers eight separate unions whose contracts will expire at different intervals between 2021 and 2023, each contract will extend a period of three years from the end of the previous contract. Wage increases will constitute 7.95% over three years, on the following pattern:

2.25% on the first day of Year 1
2.50% on the first day of Year 2
3.00% on the first day of Year 3

As was the case in 2014, each individual union within the coalition will have an opportunity to bargain on issues specific to their bargaining unit, within the same overall economic framework.

The net cost of this settlement in the financial plan is approximately $152 million through Fiscal Year 2024. This settlement incorporates health savings from the agreement reached with the Municipal Labor Committee (MLC).

The terms of the agreement must be approved by each unions’ membership.


2019: 30 YEARS OF TRANSFORMING PARKS

As we close out our 30th anniversary, we celebrate another year of momentous work in communities across New York City. This year we helped 11,500 kids and over 1,000 seniors stay active through free sports programs; offered science-based environmental education programs to over 5,000 elementary and middle school students; reached 213,000 audiences through SummerStage, the PuppetMobile and the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre; and supported more than 24,000 neighborhood volunteers advocating for their local parks.

If you are inspired by our work, or are still looking for that perfect gift on your holiday shopping list, please consider donating today.  There are so many ways to support us!

  • Join today or give the gift of a SummerStage membership. Get the VIP experience to nearly 90 performances in our newly-renovated SummerStage venue in Central Par and in neighborhood parks across the city. 

  • Through Amazon Smile, you can select City Parks Foundation as your charity when shopping. Amazon will donate a portion of your purchase directly to us.

  • Patagonia will match all donations through the end of the year their Action Works Program. Just donate directly on our Action Works page to double your impact. 

  • Visit our online SummerShop to pick up a gift for that music fan in your life. At our store, you can purchase commemorative SummerStage 2019 season merchandise - tote bags, hats, shirts & more- while helping to support our free arts programs.

  • Looking to splurge on a unique gift this season? Become a part of SummerStage by naming a seat after the special SummerStage fan on your list. Pay tribute to a loved one or a major life event at our Central Park flagship venue. Be recognized by the festival you love with a custom plaque in our Stage Right Terrace seating area - the best seats in the house!

  • Ask friends to give back in lieu of gifts and create a fundraiser on Facebook benefiting City Parks Foundation. You can also have donations made in your name directly on our website.
Follow our 30 reasons to give social media campaign this holiday season to learn more about the work we do in local communities across New York City.
DONATE NOW

CATCH YETI, SET, SNOW! AT THE SWEDISH COTTAGE, FEATURING PUPPET MAKING WORKSHOPS 

Yeti, Set, Snow! – an original story and marionette show produced by City Parks Foundation – has been captivating audiences this winter at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre in Central Park. Bring family and friends together for the magical winter adventure of Yeti, Set, Snow! and join our puppet making workshops before select shows, too!
Yeti, Set, Snow! tells the story of a young girl named Widget, and her friend, Twig, who encounter a yeti named Pascetti and a cat, Tinsel Kitty, on the first snow day. Pascetti, who lives on a mountaintop nearby, dislikes the snow. Through songs and outdoor activities, Pascetti learns not only that snow can be fun, but also that friendship is important.

After select shows, kids can build felt hand and finger puppets of beloved characters from the show – Pascetti the Yeti and Tinsel Kitty. The workshop is $10 per participating child and includes instruction and materials to build one felt hand puppet and one felt finger puppet.  Upcoming workshop dates include 12/20, 1/4/20, 1/18, 2/1 and 2/15.
BUY TICKETS

IT'S MY PARK PHOTO CONTEST

As we gear up for Partnerships for Parks' 25th anniversary celebration in 2020, we're expanding our annual It’s My Park photo contest to highlight the transformation that occurs when communities care for their local parks. There are three categories to enter: Throwback, Beginnings, and Then & Now. One winner will be selected per category.

Review the guidelines and enter to win here or on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Winning photos will be displayed at the It’s My Park Awards Reception in February 2020, and winners will receive a special prize. The deadline has been extended to December 20. Enter today!

Generous support provided by
ENTER CONTEST

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

STATEMENT FROM MAYOR DE BLASIO ON THE IMPEACHMENT OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES




THE CITY OF NEW YORK
OFFICE OF THE MAYOR
NEW YORK, NY 10007 

   

“Donald Trump has time and time again put his personal interests above the needs of our country, sacrificing the integrity of our democracy, putting us at risk and damaging our relationships abroad. With today’s vote, the United States House of Representatives is performing their constitutional duty to ensure that no one, not even the President of the United States, is above the law. I especially want to thank Congressman Jerrold Nadler and other leaders from New York’s congressional delegation who have been unrelenting in seeking the truth and ensuring that justice prevailsToday is a solemn day in the history of the United States, but we can be proud that our democracy has prevailed.”

EDITOR'S NOTE:

 It is to bad the New York City Council can not Impeach Mayor Bill de Blasio. 

The Mayor may be removed from office by the Governor upon charges and after service upon him of a copy of the charges and an opportunity to be heard in his defense. Pending the preparation and disposition of charges, the governor may suspend the mayor for a period not exceeding thirty days. 

New York City Charter page 2- Chapter One -The Mayor S 9. Removal of Mayor.




MAYOR DE BLASIO RELEASES FIRST 14th STREET BUSWAY REPORT


Since pilot began in October, bus speeds and ridership have dramatically surged

  Mayor Bill de Blasio today released the first data analysis following the implementation of the Transit & Truck Priority (TTP) Pilot along Manhattan’s 14th Street in October 2019. The report shows that ridership and travel speeds along the M14 ‘busway” have increased dramatically, with minimal effect on area traffic.  Specifically, bus riders’ crosstown commutes along the M14 are now as much as nine minutes faster while trips in other vehicles along most adjacent streets are less than a minutes lower. Bicycling around the 14th street corridor, where DOT built new protected bike lanes in 2018 along 12th and 13th Streets, has also surged in popularity including on Citi Bikes.

“It’s a new day on 14th street. We are getting New Yorkers moving and saving them time for the things that matter,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “The early results show that this pilot is speeding up buses while allowing for the car drop-offs and deliveries the neighborhood requires. Under our Better Buses plan, we are making changes citywide to fight congestion and to give people faster and more reliable transit.”

“These initial results are very encouraging and promising, showing the positive impacts when New Yorkers are given reliable, affordable, and faster transit,” said Deputy Mayor Laura Anglin. “We will continue to monitor the data from this pilot and are excited to see the enthusiasm New Yorkers have expressed for this busway.”

“I want to thank the Mayor, whose leadership helped make the 14th St. Transit and Truck Priority Street a success, as we can see from this first independent status report,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “We at DOT are proud that we could help provide thousands of New Yorkers with a triple-win: safer, more sustainable, and faster transportation choices. And while we will continue to work with NYCT and NYPD to make traffic and operational adjustments in and around the pilot area as needed, we thank all the New Yorkers who have shared their enthusiasm for a new and improved 14th Street.” 

“We are serious about improving bus service and we need to take bold steps like this to do that,” said Andy Byford, President of MTA New York City Transit. "The 14th Street Busway is wildly popular with riders enjoying 30-40% faster trips, and that should be replicated throughout the city. The 14th Street experience proves that dedicated enforced bus priority makes buses the desired mode to get New Yorkers where they want to go — a major victory for our customers and the environment."

“After years of falling ridership, I'm thrilled that people are taking the M14 bus again in big numbers. I'm encouraged by the initial data and I look forward to working closely with DOT and all stakeholders during the course of this pilot program,” said Speaker Corey Johnson.

The TTP pilot limits crosstown traffic along 14th Street to buses and trucks, but does allow drop-offs from cars as long as drivers take the next available right turn.  The pilot took effect on October 3, following the start of M14A/D Select Bus Service on July 1, 2019. The analysis, conducted by Sam Schwartz Engineering and reviewed by DOT, compares data from May/October 2018 to October 2019, the first of several monitoring reports that will be prepared over the course of the pilot project.  The initial data, the first of regular quarterly reports, had the following major findings:

M14 A/D SBS bus speeds and ridership have significantly increased:
  • Using MTA data, the analysis found travel times along the corridor improved at a rate of 22 to 47%, highlighted by a travel time savings of as much as 9.7 minutes end-to-end for riders in the eastbound direction.
  • These speed gains exceed the goal of 25% improvement articulated in Mayor de Blasio’s Better Buses plan.
  • At the same time, MTA reports that ridership on the M14 A/D has surged by 24%, with greater gains (30%) on weekends. These changes reverse a five-year trend of declining ridership on this route.
Car traffic on adjacent streets slowed in some cases, but by small amounts:
  • DOT closely studied local side streets a particular emphasis of the study and the results showed that travel times on 12th through 19th Streets increased by 0-2 minutes during weekday peak hours, though 17th Street saw a 3.4 minute increase in travel time between 3rd and 9th Avenues. 
  • At the same time, the volume of vehicles on 12th Street saw very little change and decreased on 13th Streets.
  • Travel times on most nearby avenues have improved or have minor increases of less than 1 minute with the exception of 3rd Avenue (the east end of the busway), which saw a slightly longer travel time of 1.6 minutes.
Bike ridership, including on Citi Bike, has surged:
·         With no increase in capacity in the community, Citi Bike reported a one-year 17% increase in usage on 14th Street and surrounding streets during the weekday AM peak, outpacing its growth elsewhere in New York City.
·         Meanwhile, bike volumes along 12th and 13th Streets, where DOT installed protected bike lanes in late 2018, increased over one year by as much as 234%.


130311 SLAM Secrets 023010
 
EXHIBITIONS • EVENTS • VISIT • 

Come to Events

The Moth Logo4011





The Moth StorySLAM
Friday, December 20, 2019 | 7:00 - 10:00PM
The Moth StorySLAMs are open-mic storytelling 
competitions open to anyone with a five-minute story 
to share on the night’s theme, REGRETS. $15 tickets 
for the general public and a select amount of 
complimentary tickets for Bronx residents are available 
HERE on the Moth's website. Read more >

Bronx Gang Member Convicted Of 2011 Murder Of Bolivia Beck


  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that KAREEM DAVIS, a/k/a “Reem,” a member of a violent, Bronx-based street gang known as “Killbrook,” was convicted of the April 2011 murder of Bolivia Beck, as well as participating in a racketeering conspiracy.  DAVIS was convicted following a one-week trial before U.S. District Judge Lorna G. Schofield. 

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “A unanimous jury convicted Kareem Davis of killing Bolivia Beck as she was meeting her boyfriend’s grandparents, more than eight years ago.   We hope today’s verdict brings some solace to the victim’s family, while also taking a violent offender off the street.”
As reflected in the Indictment, documents previously filed in the case, and evidence introduced at trial:
From at least in or about 2007 through in or about October 2017, DAVIS was a member of Killbrook, a violent street gang based in the “Down the Block” section of the Mill Brook Houses.  Killbrook members were responsible for narcotics trafficking, shootings, robberies, and murder.  In or around 2007, a violent rivalry started between Killbrook and “MBG,” another gang based in the “Up the Block” section of the Mill Brook Houses.  This rivalry involved numerous shootings and acts of violence, including a shooting at a baby shower in the Mill Brook community center. 
On April 18, 2011, Bolivia Beck and her boyfriend, a member of MBG, were walking through the Mill Brook Houses.  As Beck and her boyfriend approached her boyfriend’s grandparents, DAVIS and a co-conspirator fired multiple times, aiming for the boyfriend but instead striking Beck in the head with a single bullet.  The shooting occurred in broad daylight.  Beck died two days later from the gunshot wound. 
DAVIS, 30, was found guilty of one count of racketeering conspiracy, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison; one count of murder in aid of racketeering, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison; and one count of murder through the use of a firearm, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.  DAVIS is scheduled to be sentenced on April 16, 2020.
Mr. Berman praised the outstanding investigative work of the New York City Police Department.  

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Files Lawsuit Against Omnicare, Country’s Largest Long-Term Care Pharmacy, And Parent Company CVS For Fraudulently Billing For Drugs


 Dispensed To Elderly And Disabled Individuals Without Valid Prescriptions 

Suit Alleges Omnicare Dispensed Hundreds of Thousands of Drugs without Valid Prescriptions to Individuals Living in Assisted Living and Other Non-Skilled Residential Long-Term Care Facilities

  Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Scott J. Lampert, Special Agent in Charge of the New York Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”), announced today that the United States has filed a civil healthcare fraud lawsuit against OMNICARE, INC., and its parent company, CVS HEALTH CORPORATION.  The Government’s Complaint seeks damages and civil penalties under the False Claims Act for fraudulently billing federal healthcare programs for hundreds of thousands of non-controlled prescription drugs dispensed based on stale, invalid prescriptions to elderly and disabled individuals.  These individuals lived in assisted living facilities, group homes, independent living communities, and other non-skilled residential long-term care facilities.  The illegally dispensed drugs include antipsychotics, anticonvulsants, and antidepressants.]

The lawsuit alleges that OMNICARE failed to obtain new prescriptions from patients’ doctors after the old ones had expired or run out of refills.  Instead, OMNCIARE just assigned a new number to the old prescription and kept on dispensing drugs for months, and sometimes years, after the prescriptions had expired.  OMNICARE internally referred to these as “rollover” prescriptions.  As set forth in the Complaint, OMNICARE submitted, or caused to be submitted, false claims for payment for these illegally dispensed drugs to Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  “As alleged, Omnicare put at risk the health of tens of thousands of elderly and disabled individuals living in assisted living and other residential long-term care facilities by dispensing drugs for months, and sometimes years, without obtaining current, valid prescriptions from doctors.  A pharmacy’s fundamental obligation is to ensure that drugs are dispensed only under the supervision of treating doctors who monitor patients’ drug therapies.  Omnicare blatantly ignored this obligation in favor of pushing drugs out the door as quickly as possible to make more money.  This Office will continue to hold accountable those who put at risk people’s health and safety just to turn a profit.” 
HHS-OIG Special Agent in Charge Scott J. Lampert said:  “Failing to consult doctors as to whether prescriptions should be refilled places patients’ health and medical care at serious risk.  These automatic rollover refills could have significant consequences for vulnerable people in long term-care facilities.  We will continue working with law enforcement partners to protect people depending on these taxpayer-funded government health programs.”     
The following allegations are based on the Complaint that was filed in Manhattan federal court today: 
OMNICARE is the country’s largest provider of pharmacy services to long-term care facilities, operating approximately 160 pharmacies in 47 states across the United States.  Every year, OMNICARE dispenses tens of millions of prescription drugs to long-term care facilities, including assisted living and other non-skilled residential facilities that serve elderly and disabled individuals.  CVS acquired Omnicare in May 2015, and shortly thereafter assumed an active role in overseeing OMNICARE’s operations, including pharmacy dispensing practices and systems.
From 2010 until 2018, OMNICARE and CVS allowed OMNICARE pharmacies to dispense non-controlled prescription drugs to tens of thousands of elderly and disabled individuals living in assisted living and other residential long-term care facilities across the country based on prescriptions that had expired, were out of refills, or were otherwise invalid.  OMNICARE repeatedly disregarded prescription refill limitations and expiration dates that would have triggered doctor visits to evaluate whether the drug should be renewed, choosing instead to push drugs out the door as fast as possible based on stale, invalid prescriptions.  OMNICARE managers exerted pressure on overwhelmed pharmacy staff to fill prescriptions quickly so that OMNICARE could submit claims and collect payments.  Many pharmacies had to process and dispense thousands of orders each day.
Instead of requesting new prescriptions when old ones expired, OMNICARE allowed prescriptions to “roll over.”  At OMNICARE, “rolling over” a prescription meant that when a prescription expired, OMNCIARE’s computer systems would assign the old prescription a new number and the pharmacy would continue to dispense the drug indefinitely without the need for a prescription renewal.  Depending on the computer system used, OMNICARE also sometimes assigned a fake number of authorized refills to a prescription – usually 99 allowable refills for Medicare patients – to allow for continuous refilling.  OMNICARE pharmacies “rolled over” prescriptions for elderly and disabled individuals living in more than 3,000 residential long-term care facilities, including assisted living facilities operated by the largest long-term care providers in the country, such as Brookdale Senior Living, Atria Senior Living, Sunrise Senior Living Services, and Five Star Senior Living.
Senior OMNICARE and CVS management knew that pharmacies were routinely dispensing drugs without valid prescriptions, but they failed to begin to address the problem until after they found out about this Office’s investigation.  Indeed, OMNICARE’s Compliance Department succinctly acknowledged the problem in an internal April 2015 email in which one Regional Compliance Officer stated:  “An issue that I am running into more and more in multiple states concerns the ability of our systems to allow prescriptions to continue to roll after a year to a new prescription number without any documentation or pharmacist intervention.”  A compliance officer then forwarded the email to the head of OMNICARE’s Third Party Audit group, who responded that she had a “potential solution (programmed last year) but no one is rolling it out now.”
OMNICARE’s practice of illegally dispensing drugs to elderly and disabled individuals living in residential facilities exposed these vulnerable individuals to a significant risk of harm.  In contrast to traditional skilled nursing homes, where residents have access to 24-hour medical care supervised by doctors, assisted living and other non-skilled residential facilities offer more limited medical care, or none at all.  In particular, these facilities generally do not have doctors on staff to oversee and monitor residents’ drug therapy.
Many of the prescription drugs dispensed by OMNICARE without valid prescriptions treat serious, chronic conditions, such as dementia, depression, and heart disease.  They include antipsychotics, anticonvulsants, cardiovascular medications, anti-depressants, and other drugs that can have dangerous side effects and need to be closely monitored by doctors, particularly when taken in combination with other drugs by elderly patients.  By repeatedly dispensing potent drugs without current and valid prescriptions, OMNICARE jeopardized the health and safety of tens of thousands of individuals who continued to take the same drugs for months, and sometimes years, without consulting their doctors to determine whether the medications were still clinically appropriate.
A large percentage of the long-term care residents served by OMNICARE are beneficiaries of federal healthcare programs.  By dispensing drugs without valid prescriptions, OMNICARE presented, or caused to be presented, hundreds of thousands of false claims to Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE.  These claims were ineligible for payment.  In addition, OMNICARE knowingly transmitted false information to these federal healthcare programs that made it appear that drug dispensations were supported by current, valid prescriptions from physicians when in fact they were not.
The Government intervened in two private whistleblower lawsuits before Chief Judge Colleen McMahon that had previously been filed under seal pursuant to the False Claims Act.
Mr. Berman thanked HHS-OIG for its assistance with the case.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Civil Frauds Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey K. Powell and Mónica P. Folch are in charge of the case.