PUBLIC ADVOCATE CALLS FOR REMOTE LEARNING OPTION AS SCHOOL REOPENING NEARS

 

 With under two weeks until the start of the school year, and as the Delta variant continues to spread, the city has yet to announce crucial safety plans or remote learning protocols. At a City Council hearing on the impending reopening today, Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams called for a remote learning option to be available to vulnerable students to start the school year, and lamented the fact that a lack of adequate transparency or planning has yet again created confusion and concern about the reopening process. 

"It's déjà vu all over again..." the Public Advocate said at the start of the Wednesday hearing of the Committee on Education, citing the administrative struggles of last year which he feels are repeating in the lead up to the reopening. "... The highly contagious Delta variant poses a new challenge to the vaccinated and the unvaccinated alike. It is imperative that the Department of Education have a clear, transparent plan for protecting students, educators, school staff, and their families before the school year begins. The DOE should also provide a remote learning option for students and educators who do not feel comfortable attending learning in-person; until students of all ages can be vaccinated against COVID-19 and the Delta variant is under control, students and educators are at risk in school buildings."

Public Advocate Williams focused on the failures of the city to provide a remote option, as well as ensure that proper precautions are in place in schools, saying "Thousands of classrooms have been cleared by the DOE as having adequate ventilation for safe, in-person instruction even though they do not meet the COVID-19 standards set by federal experts or recommended by building industry experts... and it is unacceptable with the amount of time the DOE has had to prepare for thousands of classrooms to be relying on open windows for clean air."

He also highlighted the risks posed with larger class sizes, saying "Many schools in New York City face a safety challenge the DOE has long been aware of: overcrowding... Mask mandates in school will undoubtedly help control the spread of COVID-19, but there are circumstances in which students and educators will have to remove their masks...There are also some students with disabilities, such as autism, who are unable to continuously wear a mask. With the Delta variant making removing masks even for a few moments a safety risk, the DOE must provide guidance to keep students and educators safe in crowded settings." 

In the highly likely event that there are COVID-19 cases in a classroom or school, the Public Advocate noted, there are inadequate procedures and guidances for quarantining and protecting fellow students and staff. This further points to the need for a well-developed remote learning process to begin the year. 

TESTIMONY OF PUBLIC ADVOCATE JUMAANE D. WILLIAMS

TO THE NEW YORK CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION

SEPTEMBER 1, 2021

Good morning,

My name is Jumaane D. Williams, and I am the Public Advocate for the City of New York. I would like to thank Chair Treyger, and members of the Committee on Education for holding this hearing today.

On September 13th, New York City is set to open all of its 1,800 public schools for full-time, in-person instruction five days a week. There will be far more seats filled than last year, when about 350,000 students opted into in-person learning at some point during hybrid schooling. While educators and school staff are required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and students ages twelve and older are eligible for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, all students younger than twelve are unable to be vaccinated. Further, the highly contagious Delta variant poses a new challenge to the vaccinated and the unvaccinated alike. It is imperative that the Department of Education (DOE) have a clear, transparent plan for protecting students, educators, school staff, and their families before the school year begins. The DOE should also provide a remote learning option for students and educators who do not feel comfortable attending learning in-person; until students of all ages can be vaccinated against COVID-19 and the Delta variant is under control, students and educators are at risk in school buildings.

Despite repeated requests from students and their families, there is no remote learning option for this school year. Because all students, regardless of their ability to get vaccinated, are required to attend in-person learning, it is extremely important that schools are transparent about their safety plans and that the DOE is monitoring these plans to ensure that all possible safety precautions are taken. However, there is no policy in place to ensure that this happens. Approximately 1,500 classrooms are still undergoing ventilation repairs with no publicly set deadline for completion. Thousands of classrooms have been cleared by the DOE as having adequate ventilation for safe, in-person instruction even though they do not meet the COVID-19 standards set by federal experts or recommended by building industry experts-and at least 4,000 of these classrooms rely exclusively on open windows for ventilation. Ventilation is a key mitigation measure for preventing the spread of COVID-19, and it is unacceptable with the amount of time the DOE has had to prepare for thousands of classrooms to be relying on open windows for clean air.

Many schools in New York City face a safety challenge the DOE has long been aware of: overcrowding. At least ten percent of classrooms are unable to adhere to even three feet of social distance, the standard recommended by the CDC in schools, although it is likely that far more space is actually required to remain safe from the Delta variant. Mask mandates in school will undoubtedly help control the spread of COVID-19, but there are circumstances in which students and educators will have to remove their masks for which there is no clear protocol, particularly at lunch. There are also some students with disabilities, such as autism, who are unable to continuously wear a mask. With the Delta variant making removing masks even for a few moments a safety risk, the DOE must provide guidance to keep students and educators safe in crowded settings.

The city is shrinking its school virus testing program, with ten percent of unvaccinated students expected to be tested every other week this year. With the size of New York City's student population, this plan may invite scrutiny; Los Angeles, the country's second-largest school district, is aiming to test every student and staff member each week. At a time when the extremely contagious Delta variant is the predominant strain in the city, testing more students more often will protect our students, educators, and their families. Additionally, when someone in a classroom tests positive for COVID-19, only unvaccinated "close contacts" will have to quarantine for ten days; in elementary schools, when one student tests positive, the entire class will temporarily switch to remote learning. However, the DOE has not provided guidance for how many positive cases would trigger a school-wide closing, which is important for schools to know prior to the start of school.

When students have to quarantine, they will need to utilize remote learning while they are at home. Remote learning was extremely challenging for students and their families over the past two school years, particularly for students with disabilities and English language learners. We do not know if remote learning has been improved in preparation for its inevitable use. Remote learning will have a greater impact on those who are unvaccinated, who are disproportionately Black and brown students. With no updates on how the DOE is working to make remote learning better, these students will be the ones to receive the least quality education. We must have a remote learning option, for at least the start of the school year, as the stakes are too high and our children's lives depend on it now more than ever.

All students deserve an environment where they can learn with as little risk to their health and safety as possible. Of course, it is unfortunately impossible to fully guarantee that no student or educator will get sick at their school, but there is so much more that the DOE can be doing to minimize the risk of COVID-19 infection. I hope that we can work together to protect our school communities and make this school year a success. Thank you.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Extradition Of British National For Participation In Online Film And TV Piracy Group

 

In August 2020, Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announced International Operation to Dismantle the Sparks Group, Which Allegedly Caused Tens of Millions of Dollars in Losses Resulting from Pirated Films and TV Shows

 Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that GEORGE BRIDI, a citizen of the United Kingdom, was extradited to the United States from Cyprus on August 31, 2021.  BRIDI was extradited on charges of conspiracy to commit copyright infringement, wire fraud conspiracy, and conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property, for his involvement in the Sparks Group, an international piracy group that illegally distributed movies and television shows on the Internet. 

BRIDI was arrested on August 23, 2020, in Paphos, Cyprus.  BRIDI will be presented and arraigned today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ona T. Wang.  Codefendant Jonatan Correa, a/k/a “Raid,” previously pled guilty to conspiracy to commit copyright infringement and was sentenced on May 19, 2021, to three years and three months of supervised release, with the first three months to be served in community confinement.  Codefendant Umar Ahmad, a citizen of Norway, remains at large.  The case is assigned to U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman. 

U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “As alleged, George Bridi was a member of an international video piracy ring that circumvented copyright protections on nearly every movie released by major production studios, as well as television shows, and distributed them worldwide on the Internet.  Thanks to the assistance of our law enforcement partners, the piracy ring has been busted and Bridi is now in U.S. custody.”

According to the allegations contained in the Indictments[[1]]:

Between 2011 and the present, Umar Ahmad, a/k/a “Artist,” GEORGE BRIDI, Jonatan Correa, a/k/a “Raid,” and others known and unknown were members of the Sparks Group, a criminal organization that disseminated on the Internet movies and television shows prior to their retail release date, including nearly every movie released by major production studios, after compromising the content’s copyright protections.

In furtherance of its scheme, the Sparks Group fraudulently obtained copyrighted DVDs and Blu-Ray discs from wholesale distributors in advance of their retail release date by, among other things, making various misrepresentations to the wholesale distributors concerning the reasons that they were obtaining the discs prior to the retail release date.   

Sparks Group members then used computers with specialized software to compromise the copyright protections on the discs, a process referred to as “cracking” or “ripping,” and to reproduce and encode the content in a format that could be easily copied and disseminated over the Internet.  They thereafter uploaded copies of the copyrighted content onto servers controlled by the Sparks Group, where other members further reproduced and disseminated the content on streaming websites, peer-to-peer networks, torrent networks, and other servers accessible to public.  The Sparks Group identified its reproductions by encoding the filenames of reproduced copyrighted content with distinctive tags, and also uploaded photographs of the discs in their original packaging to demonstrate that the reproduced content originated from authentic DVDs and Blu-Ray discs.

Ahmad and BRIDI arranged for discs to be picked up, mailed, or delivered from distributors located in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and New Jersey to other members of the Sparks Group, including Correa, prior to their official release date.  Ahmad, BRIDI, and Correa then reproduced, and aided and abetted the reproduction of, these discs by using computer software that circumvented copyright protections on the discs and reproducing the copyrighted content for further distribution on the Internet. 

The Sparks Group has caused tens of millions of dollars in losses to film production studios.

On August 26, 2020, in coordination with law enforcement authorities in 17 countries and supported by Eurojust and Europol, dozens of servers controlled by the Sparks Group were taken offline around the world, including in North America, Europe, and Asia.  The Sparks Group utilized these servers to store and disseminate copyrighted content illegally to members around the globe. 

BRIDI, 50, is charged with copyright infringement conspiracy, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison; wire fraud conspiracy, which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison; and conspiracy to transport stolen property interstate, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.    

The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

 Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding work of Homeland Security Investigations and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.  She also thanked Europol and Eurojust as well as law enforcement authorities in the following countries for their assistance in the investigation: Canada, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Republic of Korea, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. 

The case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Violent and Organized Crime Unit.  Assistant United States Attorneys Andrew K. Chan, Mollie Bracewell, and Christy Slavik are in charge of the prosecution.  The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs (OIA) of the Department’s Criminal Division provided significant and ongoing assistance with facilitating the execution of dozens of mutual legal assistance requests in 18 different countries necessary for taking down servers and gathering evidence.  OIA also provided critical support in working with Eurojust and Europol in planning the coordinated operation in August 2020 and provided critical assistance in securing the defendant’s extradition from Cyprus.

The charges contained in the Indictments are merely accusations, and BRIDI and Ahmad are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the texts of the Indictments and the description of the Indictments set forth herein constitute only allegations and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.

Attorney General James and DOI Commissioner Garnett Announce Arrest and Indictment of Group for $15 Million Bid-Rigging Scheme That Defrauded Public Benefits Programs

 

Defendants Submitted Thousands of False and Inflated Bids to Government Agencies for Services Intended to Help Domestic Violence Survivors and Other Victims of Crime

  New York Attorney General Letitia James and New York City Department of Investigation Commissioner Margaret Garnett today announced the indictment and arrest of 10 individuals and corporations for operating a two decades-long bid-rigging scheme. The 17-count indictment, which was unsealed today in the New York County State Supreme Court, before the Honorable Curtis Farber, charges the defendants with submitting thousands of false and inflated bids to the New York state Office of Victim Services (OVS) and the New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA) for moving and storage services intended to aid public benefits recipients, domestic violence survivors, and other crime victims urgently in need of relocation services.

The defendants collected more than $15 million from HRA and OVS for over 25,000 moving jobs, the vast majority of which are believed to have been rigged and fraudulently obtained. A joint investigation conducted by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) and the New York City Department of Investigation (DOI) revealed that as a result of the defendants’ bid-rigging, HRA and OVS were charged up to three times the fair market value for moving services.

“It is unconscionable that these individuals swindled programs that gave crime victims the chance to escape their dangerous situations,” said Attorney General James. “Victims of crimes deserve every opportunity to get the help they need, but with financial gain in mind, the defendants took advantage of a system created to help those who needed it most. I will continue to use the full powers of this office to root out corruption in every corner of this state, and I thank the DOI and our other government partners for their continued commitment to cracking down on corruption wherever it lies.”

“Corruption has a real and tangible impact on city government and this investigation demonstrates its costly toll: Defrauding the very government programs meant to assist some of the most vulnerable in our city, in this case survivors of domestic violence and other crimes, as well as public benefit recipients,” said DOI Commissioner Garnett. “DOI thanks HRA for reporting the initial allegations that prompted this investigation by DOI and the state attorney general. That kind of partnership is the best defense against corruption's scourge.”

The individuals charged today are:

•    Derek T. Barney, 56, of Carteret, New Jersey;
•    Avraham “Avi” Cohen, 60, of Great Neck, New York;
•    Frank Lopez, Jr., 53, of Queens, New York;
•    Cynthia Yeje Ramsaroop, 52, of Winter Haven, Florida; and
•    Gennovee Yeje, 48, of Land o’ Lakes, Florida.

The corporate entities charged today are:

•    Prime Moving & Storage Inc. of Queens, New York;
•    Prime Moving & Trucking LLC of the state of Delaware;
•    Avi Moving & Trucking Inc. (d/b/a “Avi Moving & Storage”) of Queens, New York;
•    Baya Inc. (d/b/a Baya Inc., “Moving & Storage”) of Queens, New York; and
•    Fastrac Processing LLC (d/b/a the “Office of Eviction Services”) of Queens, New York.

From 2001 through the present, the defendants allegedly operated a scheme to defraud OVS and HRA through programs that would fund moving and storage services for public benefit recipients and crime victims. Because the agencies required their clients to submit three competitive bids to ensure that the government paid the lowest price, the defendants used various fraudulent means to divide the market and inflate prices for the services by submitting rigged and false bids to OVS and HRA.

The United Movers Association

Barney, the co-owner of Prime Moving & Storage Inc. and Prime Moving & Trucking LLC; Cohen, the owner of Avi Moving & Trucking Inc.; and Lopez, the owner of Baya Inc., formed and operated a sham trade association called the “United Movers Association.” Each of the moving companies exchanged blank signed bids sheets and agreed that they would use them to submit false bids to HRA and OVS.

In order to seem legitimate, Lopez, Barney, and others submitted a false letter to HRA claiming they had formed the association to combat fraud because other moving companies “submit our estimates fraudulently, without approval.” In fact, the association existed solely as a means for the defendants to perpetuate fraud and submit false bids.

Each of the moving companies told HRA and OVS clients that they would obtain, on their behalf, all three bids through their trade association. Instead, the defendants would create two false, costlier bids and submit them, along with their lower bid and the United Movers Association coversheet, directly to HRA or OVS.

The Office of Eviction Services

The defendants also operated a fraudulent entity called the “Office of Eviction Services,” which targeted unwitting OVS and HRA clients by falsely identifying itself as a governmental or non-profit organization dedicated to assisting those in need with applying for emergency relocation assistance. To convey this false impression, Yeje and Ramsaroop used phony titles when interacting with public benefits recipients and their caseworkers, claiming that they were the “Program Director” and “Senior Case Manager,” respectively, of the Office of Eviction Services.

The Office of Eviction Services advertised directly to public benefits recipients and HRA caseworkers by distributing flyers outside of HRA job centers and operating a website for the sham entity. The HRA and OVS clients who called the Office of Eviction Services were told that it would assist them with the process of obtaining and submitting the three required bids. However, much like the United Movers Association, the Office of Eviction Services instead created and submitted false, rigged, and inflated bids for the same movers.

Originally, Yeje and Ramsaroop worked for Cohen and operated the Office of Eviction Services as a means of steering business to Avi Moving & Trucking Inc. They did so by creating a bid for Avi Moving and two costlier, false competitor bids. Several employees worked for both Avi Moving and the Office of Eviction Services, and to conceal their dual roles, those employees would use fake names and disguised voices when switching between answering the phones for the entities.

In 2016, Cohen sold the Office of Eviction Services to Yeje, and she, along with Ramsaroop, operated it remotely from Florida. Under their control, the Office of Eviction Services operated to divide HRA and OVS, moving business between Avi Moving, Prime Moving, and Baya, Inc. In exchange for a kickback of 25 percent or more, Yeje and Ramsaroop would create two false competitor bids and submit them, along with the selected company’s bid, directly to HRA or OVS under the coversheet of the Office of Eviction Services.     

That same year, Yeje incorporated another sham entity, Fastrac Processing LLC, which was designed to secretly collect undisclosed kickbacks from the moving companies for the rigged and inflated bids that they were awarded through the Office of Eviction Services. Yeje regularly emailed Barney, Cohen, and Lopez monthly invoices, detailing the jobs that they had been awarded and kickbacks owed to Fastrac Processing as a result of the false and rigged bids submitted on their behalf.

The charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law. 

Attorney General James would like to thank the DOI for its partnership during this investigation. The case was investigated by Inspector General John M. Bellanie, Deputy Inspector General Audrey Feldman, Assistant Inspector General Jeremy Reyes, and Confidential Investigator Gabriel Lipker, under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner and Chief of Investigations Dominick Zarrella and First Deputy Commissioner Daniel Cort.

Attorney General James would also like to thank the New York state Office of Victim Services and the New York City Department of Social Services and Human Resources Administration.

“OVS compensation funds are dedicated to helping victims recover from crime,” said New York state Office of Victim Services Director Elizabeth Cronin.”The fact that anyone would even consider targeting funds intended to help crime victims, including domestic violence survivors fleeing abuse, is an outrage. We thank Attorney General Letitia James and her staff for investigating this case and for their efforts to hold perpetrators believed to have preyed on crime victims to account and for sending a clear message that schemes like this will not be tolerated in New York state.”

Governor Hochul Announces Senior Administration Appointments

 

Kathryn Garcia to Serve as Director of State Operations

Neysa Alsina to Serve as Special Advisor on Pandemic Relief

 Governor Kathy Hochul today announced two senior appointments to her administration. Kathryn Garcia and Neysa Alsina will serve as Director of State Operations and Special Advisor on Pandemic Relief respectively.

"When I was officially sworn in last week, I outlined my top priorities to combat the Delta variant, get aid out the door to New Yorkers as quickly as possible, and to change the culture in Albany," Governor Hochul said. "Kathryn Garcia and Neysa Alsina are tremendously accomplished and dedicated public servants. They know how to run effective and professional operations, and they will be instrumental in making our State government work better for New Yorkers and restoring trust in government."

Kathryn Garcia has been appointed Director of State Operations. Previously, she served as the Commissioner of the New York City Department of Sanitation, leading its 9,700 uniformed and civilian employees. Over the course of more than six years at the helm, Ms. Garcia led the department through nearly 15 feet of snow, expanded environmental programs from e-waste collection to the largest curbside organics program and implemented innovative technology solutions to manage the both its personnel and fleet. In addition to her duties at the Department of Sanitation, she served as the City's Lead Czar, developing a plan to eliminate childhood elevated blood lead levels, and during the winter of 2019, she also stepped in as the interim Chair of the New York City Housing Authority to begin implementation of an agreement with the federal government. During the pandemic, Commissioner Garcia served as the COVID-19 Food Czar, delivering over 1 million meals a day to hungry New Yorkers. A lifelong New Yorker, Commissioner Garcia launched her career as an intern at the Department of Sanitation. Before returning to the Department as Commissioner, she served as Chief Operating Officer at the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, where she was responsible for the operation of the City's water supply, water and sewer system, and wastewater treatment plants. Prior to her service at DEP, Garcia was Vice President at Appleseed. Commissioner Garcia earned her B.A. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Neysa Alsina has been appointed Special Advisor on Pandemic Relief. Ms. Alsina previously served as chief counsel to the New York City Comptroller, overseeing the Office's legal affairs and representing its interests in safeguarding the fiscal health of the City and the assets of the City's five public pension systems. Ms. Alsina previously served as Senior Policy Advisor to Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez in Washington, D.C. Prior to that role, she was the Counsel to the New York City Bar Association where she provided legal advice on a broad range of matters. Ms. Alsina also previously counseled on a variety of legal matters at Municipal Credit Union. Ms. Alsina received a J.D. from Fordham University School of Law and a B.A. and B.S. from Rutgers University.

126 Days and Counting

 

Let's see how I can change the way my administration is failing the voters of the city. People in the Bronx are protesting at my police precincts again. Where is that councilman from the 15th council district? I played basketball with him, and had him on my morning briefing, even though I put him on last. Where is Felix the Cat?

I know, let me talk about the Texas law banning abortion after six weeks that the Supreme Court upheld. That way people here will forget about what is going on here in New York City. Well next week is Labor Day which means I get a four day weekend. 

DEC ADOPTS NEW RULES FOR DEER AND BEAR HUNTING

New State Regulations Create Special Antlerless Deer Season, Extend Hunting Hours, Improve Hunter Safety

 New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos announced today that DEC has adopted new rules for deer and bear hunting in New York. Rule changes include extending hunting hours and dress code requirements when afield to improve hunter safety. 

"New York has a long and proud tradition of deer and bear hunting and with these new rules, DEC is building on that tradition by expanding opportunities for hunters, increasing antlerless harvest where needed, and improving hunter safety,” Commissioner Seggos said. “I am confident that the rule changes announced today will provide hunters with a better all-around experience while ensuring their safety. In addition, these actions bring New York in line with the common practices of states and provinces across North America.” 

DEC announced the proposed changes in June 2021, after adopting the updated New York State Deer Management Plan. After careful review of the public comments received on the proposed changes, DEC adopted the rules as proposed. A summary of the public comments received and DEC’s response is available on the DEC website and in the latest issue of the New York State Register. 

The adopted changes: 

• Establish a nine-day season for antlerless deer in mid-September (Sept. 11 – 19, 2021) using firearms in Wildlife Management Units (WMUs) 3M, 3R, 8A, 8F, 8G, 8J, 8N, 9A and 9F, and using bowhunting equipment in WMUs 1C, 3S, 4J, and 8C. Management objectives in these units are either to decrease the deer population or maintain a stable population, and increased antlerless harvest is needed to achieve these objectives. Objectives are based on public input and assessments of deer impacts to forests. Hunters may only use Deer Management Permits (DMPs) and Deer Management Assistance Permit (DMAP) tags in this season;
• Restore antlerless harvest during the early muzzleloader season in Northern Zone WMUs 6A, 6F, and 6J. The management objective for these units is to maintain a stable population and the deer population in these units has grown aided by a series of mild winters and prior restrictions on antlerless harvest;
• Extend the hunting hours for deer and bear to include the full period of ambient light from 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset. All other states allow deer hunting beginning one-half hour before sunrise or earlier, or specify daylight hours, and 46 of 50 states allow deer hunting until some period (mostly one-half hour) after sunset. This change conforms to the national standard for big game hunting;
• Require anyone hunting big game with a firearm, or accompanying someone hunting big game with a firearm, to wear a solid or patterned fluorescent orange or fluorescent pink hat, vest, or jacket. Most two-party hunting-related shooting incidents in New York involve a hunter victim who was not wearing fluorescent orange or pink clothing. Similar fluorescent orange requirements exist in most states;
• Simplify bear hunting season in the Adirondack region by extending regular season to cover the entire hunting period; and
• Remove outdated language related to deer tag use during the September portion of the early bowhunting season. 

The full text of the adopted regulations is available at www.dec.ny.gov/regulations/34113.html#Parts_1_11. 

 

JETER STREET Proposal By the 161st Street BID

The Bronx is preparing to celebrate Derek Jeter's induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, next week.

Please join us for a press conference tomorrow, Thursday, September 2, @ 11 AM, on the corner of E. 161st Street & Gerard Avenue.

The 161 BID will detail the neighborhood festivities and announce its campaign to change the name of E. 161st Street to Jeter Street. 

In 2013 the BID led the successful effort to create Rivera Avenue. 

If the NYC Council agrees to the name change, the district would gain an iconic intersection: Rivera Avenue & Jeter Street, a new

"Crossroads of the Sportsworld." 

Dr. Cary Goodman

161 BID

Governor Hochul Directs State Agencies to Prepare Emergency Response Assets as Tropical Depression Ida Is Expected to Impact New York State with Heavy Rains and Possible Flooding

 

Areas in New York City, Long Island, Southern Tier, Mid-Hudson and Capital District May See Six or More Inches of Rain Through Thursday, Creating Potential for Hazardous Travel Conditions 

Strong Thunderstorms with Gusty Winds Forecast to Affect Downstate Through Early Thursday

 Governor Kathy Hochul today directed state agencies to prepare emergency response assets as the remnants of Hurricane Ida are expected to blanket downstate areas with six or more inches of rain starting today and continuing through Thursday, potentially causing flash flooding and dangerous travel conditions in several locations. New York City, Long Island, and areas in the Southern Tier, Mid-Hudson Valley and Capital District could see up to six inches of rain, with locally higher amounts, as Ida passes through the area. There is also the potential for strong thunderstorms with gusty winds through early Thursday, as well as the threat of an isolated tornado, especially for downstate areas. Ida is expected to move quickly to the northeast with rainfall ending across eastern portions of the state by late Thursday. Governor Hochul urged New Yorkers to closely monitor local forecasts for weather conditions and follow potential emergency orders issued before or during any storms.  New York State agencies and authorities have engaged local municipalities and partners and stand at the ready to respond as needed.   

"The remnants of Hurricane Ida are forecast to impact downstate and eastern parts of the state, including New York City, Long Island, and parts of the Southern Tier, Mid-Hudson Valley and Capital regions, with heavy rain and potential flash flooding through Thursday," Governor Hochul said. "Although we don't expect to receive the much heavier rains or tropical-force winds that impacted states like Louisiana and Mississippi, we may see close to six inches of rain in some parts of New York as Tropical Depression Ida continues to move northeast. I am urging people in areas forecast for heavy rains to prepare for flooding conditions and stay safe. If you need to travel, please use caution and check local weather conditions first."

According to the National Weather Service, the remnants of Ida as a post-Tropical low are expected to approach the state starting Wednesday, bringing heavy rainfall that will continue through Thursday afternoon. A widespread three to six inches of rain is forecast for downstate areas with locally higher amounts, which will likely lead to flash flooding, especially for areas near rivers and streams. Upstate areas could receive up to three inches of rain by Thursday.

Flash flood watches have been issued through Thursday afternoon for multiple locations across the state. For a complete listing of weather advisories, watches, and warnings in your area, visit the National Weather Service website.