"I am sickened that hateful, anti-Semitic graffiti was spray-painted along the FDR Drive, and I am directing the New York State Police Hate Crimes Task Force to offer the NYPD whatever assistance they need in the investigation of this vandalism.
"I want our Jewish neighbors to know that we have zero tolerance for these repugnant acts of hate that are meant to instill fear in our communities. Anti-Semitism in any form is not welcome in our state. We will always stand with the Jewish community."
Here’s what we’re reading this week:
Service)Urging the EPA to change its Trump-Era Drinking Water Policy for Lead and Copper
Adapting the City for Climate Change
With power outages and flooding across the city, Hurricane Ida’s impact highlights the need for New York City to strengthen its infrastructure, especially as climate change becomes a greater threat.
New York League of Conservation Voters
30 Broad Street, 30th Floor | New York, NY 1000
Permits have been filed for a nine-story residential building at 2895 Valentine Avenue in Jerome Park, The Bronx. Located between East 198th and East 199th Streets, the interior lot is closest to the Bedford Park subway station, serviced by the B and D trains. Ami Weinstock is listed as the owner behind the applications.
The proposed 84-foot-tall development will yield 38,413 square feet designated for residential space. The building will have 62 residences, most likely rentals based on the average unit scope of 619 square feet. The concrete-based structure will also have a cellar and a 30-foot-long rear yard, but no accessory parking.
Thomas Scibilia of NA Design Studio is listed as the architect of record.
Demolition permits have not been filed yet for the three-story, three-unit residential building on the site. An estimated completion date has not been announced.
AG James Has Taken More Than 2,100 Firearms Out of Communities Since 2019
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that 57 firearms were turned in to law enforcement at a gun buyback event hosted by her office, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, Westchester District Attorney Miriam Rocah, and the New Rochelle Police Department. The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) accepts — with no questions asked — working and non-working, unloaded firearms in exchange for compensation on site. To date, Attorney General James has taken more than 2,100 firearms out of communities through gun buyback events and other efforts since taking office in 2019.
“The threat of gun violence continues to loom over our neighborhoods and endanger our families and children,” said Attorney General James. “From taking down violent groups responsible for causing harm to hosting gun buybacks and working with organizations addressing this crisis — we are doing everything we can to eradicate gun violence and protect our communities in Westchester and throughout the state. My office is fully committed to preserving public safety, and we thank our partners for their invaluable support and shared commitment in this effort.”
“Thank you to Attorney General Letitia James for once again showing her commitment to keeping our streets safe,” said Westchester County Executive George Latimer. “Since 2017 in Westchester County, we have seen a decrease in index crimes by 11 percent and an increase in weapons secured by our county police by 370 percent. Programs like this gun buyback, coupled with the hard work of our men and women in law enforcement, result in fewer lives lost due to senseless gun violence. I look forward to future collaborations, like this one, to further ensure the safety of all Westchester residents.”
“Every gun that was brought in today will make our communities safer,” said Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah. “Allowing people to safely remove unwanted guns from their homes can help reduce many of the risks associated with having a firearm, including suicide, domestic violence, and unintentional deaths of children. It will also help prevent these guns from falling into the wrong hands and making our streets less safe. We thank New York Attorney General James, the County Executive, and the New Rochelle Police Department for partnering with us on this essential public safety initiative.”
“We are hopeful that the gun buyback program will have an impact on violent crime in New Rochelle,” said New Rochelle Police Commissioner Robert Gazzola. “We know that collecting unwanted guns will be beneficial to our community.”
Today’s community gun buyback resulted in 57 guns being collected, including 25 handguns, 29 shotguns and rifles, two assault rifles, and a non-working gun. Since 2013, OAG has hosted gun buyback events throughout New York state and has successfully collected nearly 4,100 firearms.
In exchange for the firearms, OAG also offered monetary compensation, in the form of prepaid gift cards, and Apple iPads when an unloaded gun was received and secured by an officer on site.
Gun violence is a public health crisis that is plaguing communities throughout New York, and today’s event is the latest action that Attorney General James has taken to combat this crisis and protect New Yorkers from harm. This year alone, Attorney General James has held 12 gun buybacks across the state, and has also secured dozens of dangerous firearms through takedowns of violent groups terrorizing New York. To date, Attorney General James has taken a total of more than 2,100 guns out of communities since 201
49,338 Vaccine Doses Administered Over Last 24 Hours
31 COVID-19 Deaths Statewide Yesterday
Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combating COVID-19.
The Health Electronic Response Data System is a NYS DOH data source that collects confirmed daily death data as reported by hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities only.
This daily COVID-19 provisional death certificate data reported by NYS DOH and NYC to the CDC includes those who died in any location, including hospitals, nursing homes, adult care facilities, at home, in hospice and other settings.
Defendants Corrupted the Physician-Patient Relationship through Bribes and Kickbacks for Patient Referrals
In federal court in Brooklyn, Christopher Walker, a licensed urogynecologist, pleaded guilty to participating in a scheme involving the payment of bribes and kickbacks to obtain referrals of female patients across the United States for surgeries to remove transvaginal mesh (TVM) implants. Wesley Blake Barber, an owner of Surgical Assistance Inc., pleaded guilty on September 14, 2021 to participating in the same scheme. Both proceedings took place before United States District Judge Raymond J. Dearie.
Jacquelyn M. Kasulis, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, and Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI) announced the guilty pleas.
“With these guilty pleas, both defendants have admitted to participating in a reprehensible bribery and kickback scheme to exploit women across the country in connection with costly transvaginal mesh removal surgeries,” stated Acting United States Attorney Kasulis. “This Office, the Department of Justice and the FBI are committed to investigating and prosecuting medical professionals and others who take advantage of vulnerable victims for their own illegal gain and personal profit.”
According to court filings and facts presented at the plea proceeding, Barber and Walker sought to profit in connection with lawsuits filed throughout the United States relating to alleged harm that TVM implants had caused female patients. The scheme sought to take advantage of the fact that female patients who had their TVM implants surgically removed were entitled to receive larger settlements than female patients whose inserts remained implanted. As part of the scheme, Walker and others paid kickbacks and bribes to Barber in exchange for the referral of female patients for these surgeries, including patients who traveled across the United States to undergo the surgeries.
When sentenced, Walker faces up to 10 years in prison and has agreed to forfeit approximately $800,000. Barber faces up to 5 years in prison and has agreed to forfeit approximately $1.1 million.
Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced New York City’s $65 million Medallion Relief Program (MRP), which could result in $500 million of debt forgiveness for thousands of drivers, has delivered nearly $700,000 in relief for the first three owners to fully restructure their loans. The Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) is poised to close deals with 13 more owners by the end of September, which would result in as much as $2.6 million in relief. Nearly 800 medallion owners are in stages of renegotiations, a significant portion of which will be completed by the end of 2021.
