Statement from Congressman Jamaal Bowman, State Senator Alessandra Biaggi, State Assemblymember Jeffrey Dinowitz, and Councilmember Eric Dinowitz Regarding Attacks against Synagogues in the Bronx

 

  In response to anti-Semetic vandalism and assault in the Riverdale section of the Northwest Bronx, Rep. Jamaal Bowman, State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, State Assembly member Jeffrey Dinowitz, and Councilmember Eric Dinowitz issued the following statement Sunday:  

“Over the weekend we received the horrific news of a string of hate crimes and vandalism at four local synagogues and places of worship in Riverdale. Our teams have been in close communication with community leaders and the NYPD in order to work towards the physical and psychological safety of the community. We are proud to represent Riverdale — a neighborhood that is inclusive, accepting, and loving. The rise in hate crimes towards Jewish people is alarming and deeply painful to see. Hate has no place here.

 

“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the hate crimes and vandalism that are occurring in Riverdale. No one should be attacked or living in fear because of their race, religion, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. The threat towards synagogues and other Jewish institutions is real and we must treat these issues head on. Jewish people have been the victims of hate crimes and persecution for centuries, and this week’s events are a somber reminder that we must all be vigilant in weeding out antisemitism. Our hearts go out to everyone in our district who has been impacted by these hate crimes.

 

“Our offices are closely monitoring this situation. We thank Captain Emilio Melendez, all the NYPD investigators, the NYS Hate Crime Task Force, our colleagues in government and all the rabbis and community leaders who are involved in ensuring that justice is served. This is a true demonstration of unity and is an example of the resilience of Riverdale. We urge that anyone with relevant information reach out to the 50th precinct. If you see a crime being committed, call 911 immediately. We will continue to unite as a community to make sure it is loud and clear that hate has no place here.”

Governor Cuomo Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress During COVID-19 Pandemic April 25, 2021

 

Statewide 7-Day Average Positivity Rate Drops to 2.19%—Lowest Since November 8

Hospitalizations Drop to 3,198—Lowest Since November 28

ICU Patients Drop to 742—Lowest Since December 1

Intubations Drop to 460—Lowest Since December 4

Statewide Positivity Rate is 1.88%

50 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

"New Yorkers are staying safe, getting vaccinated and following the public health guidance, and we're seeing a decrease in the numbers as a result of their efforts," Governor Cuomo said. "We're getting closer to the light at the end of the tunnel, but it's important that we don't lose any of our hard-earned progress. Washing hands, wearing masks and social distancing are important tools we can use to combat the virus as we work toward getting every New Yorker vaccinated. This has been a long battle, but I know as long as we stay united, we can get through it and defeat COVID once and for all."

Today's data is summarized briefly below: 

• Test Results Reported - 217,972
• Total Positive - 4,087
• Percent Positive - 1.88%
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 2.19%
• Patient Hospitalization - 3,198 (-96)
• Net Change Patient Hospitalization Past Week - -556
• Patients Newly Admitted - 411
• Hospital Counties - 52
• Number ICU - 742 (-25)
• Number ICU with Intubation - 460 (-22)
• Total Discharges - 173,775 (+464)
• Deaths - 50
• Total Deaths - 41,808

McDonalds at 1600 Bruckner Boulevard Grand Re-opening

Friday morning Friends and elected officials came together to celebrate the Grand Re-Opening of the McDonalds Restaurant located at 1600 Bruckner Boulevard in the Food Bazzaar Shopping Center. Mr. Tony Rodriguez is the owner of thirteen McDonalds in Manhattan and the Bronx with 1600 Bruckner Boulevard as one of his first McDonalds. 

On hand to help Mr. Rodriguez celebrate his success were City Council members Ruben Diaz Sr. (in whose council district the McDonalds is located), and Mark Gjonaj (the Chair of the Small Business Committee in the City Council). Assemblyman Kenny Burgos rounded out the current elected officials, but also on hand was Community Board 9 District Manager and City Council candidate William Rivera  (now being considered a favorite in the race to replace Councilman Diaz Sr. in the City Council). 

Also on hand were BOEDC President Marlene Cintron, Bronx Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lisa Sorin, 43rd Precinct commanding officer Deputy Inspector Keiyon Ramsey, and many local community leaders. 

Mr. Tony Rodriguez started as a worker in a Brooklyn McDonalds in 1973. after several years as an NYPD officer he returned to McDonalds as an owner and operator today of 13 McDonalds in Manhattan and the Bronx. 

Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr. said the one thing he loves most about Tony Rodriguez's McDonalds is the delicious French Fries, to which Tony replied, 'Get him an extra large order of fries'.

Councilman Mark Gjonaj thanked Tony Rodriguez for the huge amount of meat that Tony gave to be given out to people in need during the current pandemic with a citation from the City Council.

The newly renovated McDonalds at 1600 Bruckner Boulevard features new automated order locations.

The Newly redesigned front counter to take orders, and distribute the food to customers.

MAYOR DE BLASIO ANNOUNCES PAYBACK FOR 9,500 PREVIOUSLY FURLOUGHED CITY EMPLOYEES

 

Non-represented employees who took unpaid furlough days between October 2020-March 2021 due to the economic crisis will be able to get paid for days off

 Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced that non-represented city employees will be able to reclassify unpaid furlough days taken between October 2020 and March 2021 as paid vacation days. 

 

“Public servants have gone above and beyond to serve New Yorkers this past year,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We had to make difficult decisions as we faced a massive budget shortfall last year. Thanks to the federal stimulus, we are in a much better place and can pay these workers back for their sacrifice.”

 

In September, as the City faced an enormous budget challenge, the Mayor announced that all managerial and non-represented City employees must take five furlough days, saving the City $21 million. Beginning this coming June, these employees will be permitted to reclassify these furlough days as either annual leave days or comp time and get paid back for these days. 

 

This change will affect approximately 9,500 employees across city agencies, returning $21 million to workers in FY22. Employees can sign up to reclassify their time starting in June and will receive their reclassified time in July.

 

252 Day and Counting Thank you President Harris For All That Stimulus Money

 

I really fell bad for those city employees that we required to take unpaid furlough days between October 2020 and March 2021 as paid vacation days. We made about 9,500 managerial and non-represented city employees take five day off, and use their vacation days to cover that time off saving the city $21 million dollars. Maybe that is why some of my staff left?

Well that was back in September of 2020 when we had to make some hard decisions, but now we are flush with cash again, thanks to all that stimulus money we got from President Harris. Those 9,500 city employees will be permitted to reclassify those furlough days as either annual leave or comp time and get paid back for those day starting in June to be paid in July when the new fiscal year begins. Did you hear this Charlene? 

DISTRICT COUNCIL 37 CALLS ON MAYOR DE BLASIO AND CITY COUNCIL TO FUND 100,000 GOOD, GREEN JOBS OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS

 

DC 37 members held 15-mile bike ride through Manhattan and Brooklyn to highlight sustainability work union members are already undertaking

 

 District Council 37 (DC 37), New York City’s largest municipal labor union, today called on Mayor de Blasio and the City Council to fund 100,000 good, green jobs over the next three years. With a special focus on creating union jobs in low-income, communities of color, these jobs would address both the growing climate crisis and the economic crisis by bringing people back to work and creating stronger workplaces and healthier neighborhoods.

 

In partnership with the Climate Works for All (CW4A) coalition, the union specifically called on the City to create good, green union jobs through putting solar panels on schools, retrofitting school buildings, electrifying school buses, expanding ‌composting‌ ‌and‌ ‌launching‌ ‌the‌ ‌commercial‌ ‌waste‌ ‌zone‌ ‌program

 

“Our city has seen firsthand what happens when we’re not prepared for the growing climate crisis,” said Henry Garrido, Executive Director of District Council 37, AFSCME. “It’s critical the mayor funds projects that make our city more resilient and sustainable, while simultaneously ending the practice of contracting out these jobs to private consultants. DC 37 has the skilled labor and training programs within our union to fill these jobs. The City must create a pathway for good, green union jobs.”

 

As part of its request, DC 37 demanded the City fill these jobs with organized labor instead of outside contractors. Hundreds of millions of dollars are currently spent by the City on hiring outside consultants to do work that City employees could do far less expensively.

 

DC 37 recently announced a new training initiative to prepare workers for energy efficiency jobs related to addressing the impact of climate change. The DC 37 Green Jobs Training Initiative, which will launch next month, will provide technical training, environmental literacy, and hands-on experience to train a portion of its 150,000 members and the general public.

 

Building on DC 37’s existing education and workforce training programs that provide City workers with basic job skills, technical training, and leadership development, this new expanded partnership will provide city employees with the experience and confidence to be the next generation of green job workers. DC 37’s goal is to develop essential, sustainable training components and grow an energy efficiency economy, equipped to spearhead future demands of green jobs for a cleaner, more resilient New York City.

 

The DC 37 Education Fund (EdFund) manages training and workforce development on behalf of the union and has helped make it possible for thousands of DC 37 members to improve their foundational skills, technical competencies, and leadership capacity.   

 

“DC 37 members are already undertaking critical sustainability work, as illustrated in this Bicycle Tour, but as the climate crisis intensifies, so too must we intensify our workforce development efforts to train and prepare particularly public sector workers to meet the growing climate challenges, as they are the backbone of New York City,”  said Jon Forster, Co-Chair, DC 37 Climate Justice Committee.

 

"Our city is in the midst of crisis, and we must move through it towards an Equitable Recovery and a Just Transition.  Our climate solutions must be bold and visionary, and must also prioritize good, union job creation for communities most impacted by jobs loss. The Equitable Recovery plan, which will create 100,000 climate jobs for New Yorkers, is a result of collaboration between labor, community, and environmental justice organizations, and we're happy to be here with DC 37 demanding investment in these climate infrastructure and job creation strategies today,” said Phoebe Flaherty, Organizer, ALIGN.

 

Governor Cuomo Announces Statewide COVID-19 Positivity Rate Drops Below 2 Percent to the Lowest Rate Since November 3 April 24, 2021

 

Statewide Positivity Rate is 1.79%

Statewide 7-Day Average Positivity Rate Drops to 2.27%—Lowest Since November 9

Hospitalizations Drop to 3,294—Lowest Since November 27; Hospitalizations Down 540 in Past Week

767 Patients in the ICU; 482 Intubated

40 COVID-19 Deaths in New York State Yesterday

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced New York's statewide COVID-19 positivity rate dropped to 1.79 percent, the lowest since November 3.

Yesterday, Western New York's positivity rate was 2.84 percent, below 3 percent for the first time since March 27. The region's 7-day average positivity rate fell to 3.75 percent - every region's 7-day average positivity rate is below 4 percent for the first time since November 8, 2020.

"It's critical we continue practicing safe behaviors even as vaccinations climb, and while I know some may feel COVID fatigue setting in, we have to keep doing what we can to keep each other safe," Governor Cuomo said. "While the state continues to expand access to the vaccine, it's on all of us to wash our hands, wear masks and stay socially distanced to keep our momentum heading in the right direction. We're going to reach the light at the end of the tunnel and defeat the COVID beast, but we have a lot of work to do before we get there."

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

• Test Results Reported - 233,067
• Total Positive - 4,164
• Percent Positive - 1.79%
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 2.27%
• Patient Hospitalization - 3,294 (-93)
• Net Change Patient Hospitalization Past Week - -540
• Patients Newly Admitted - 394
• Hospital Counties - 52
• Number ICU - 767 (-19)
• Number ICU with Intubation - 482 (-1)
• Total Discharges - 173,311 (+438)
• Deaths - 40
• Total Deaths - 41,757

Governor Cuomo Updates New Yorkers on State Vaccination Program

 

189,254 Doses Administered in the Last 24 Hours        

Nearly 1.2 Million Doses Administered Over Past Seven Days       

Vaccine Dashboard Updated Daily on the State's Vaccine Program; Go to ny.gov/vaccinetracker 

 Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the state's vaccination program. 189,254 doses have been administered across the state's vast distribution network in the last 24 hours, and nearly 1.2 million doses have been administered over the past seven days.    

"The progress New Yorkers have made on vaccinations is something to take great pride in, but we are not out of the woods yet," Governor Cuomo said. "This virus is still out there and the footrace against the infection rate is still on. More than 30 percent of New Yorkers have been fully vaccinated, but if we slow down now we risk undoing our hard-earned progress. As we have done since day one, we will continue to work with local communities and providers to make sure the vaccine is accessible to every New Yorker, and to remind everyone that the vaccine is effective and necessary to defeat COVID once and for all." 

New Yorkers can schedule an appointment at a state-run mass vaccination site on the Am I Eligible App or by calling 1-833-NYS-4-VAX. People may also contact their local health department, pharmacy, doctor or hospital to schedule appointments where vaccines are available, or visit vaccinefinder.org to find information on vaccine appointments near you. New York's vast distribution network and large population of eligible individuals still far exceed the supply coming from the federal government. Due to limited supply, New Yorkers are encouraged to remain patient and are advised not to show up at vaccination sites without an appointment.  

STATEWIDE BREAKDOWN

Total doses administered - 14,295,610

Total doses administered over past 24 hours - 189,254

Total doses administered over past 7 days - 1,173,590

Percent of New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 43.8%

Percent of New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 30.7%