Permits Filed For 2895 Valentine Avenue In Jerome Park, The Bronx - 3 Story 3 Unit Building to Become 9 Story 62 Unit Building

 

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.

Attorney General James Takes 57 Guns Off the Streets at Westchester Gun Buyback

 

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

Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating Covid-19 - SEPTEMBER 19, 2021

 

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. 

"COVID-19 remains a threat to New Yorkers across the state, and it's critical that we take decisive action to vaccinate more people and slow the spread," Governor Hochul said. "We continue to implement important masking requirements to protect children and families, but getting shots in arms is the key to a safe and healthy future. Vaccines are available for free at convenient sites and millions of people have taken them, so I urge all New Yorkers who haven't to get vaccinated immediately."

 

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

 

• Test Results Reported - 207,697
• Total Positive - 5,275
• Percent Positive - 2.54%
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 2.99%
• Patient Hospitalization - 2,295 (-87)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 285
• Patients in ICU - 545 (-12)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 320 (+8)
• Total Discharges - 197,959 (+330)
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 31
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 44,165

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.

• Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC - 56,184

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.

• Total vaccine doses administered - 24,671,208
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 49,338
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 362,240
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 80.0%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 72.2%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 82.5%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 74.0%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 67.7%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 60.9%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 69.9%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 62.4%

Patient Recruiter and Physician Plead Guilty in Bribery and Kickback Scheme in Connection with Transvaginal Mesh Litigation

 

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.  

Councilman Mark Gjonaj's NYC Moving Forward Week in Review - 9/17/2021

 

Dear Friends,

As Fall just is just around the corner, schools are finally in and the City is fighting to return to normalcy, I hope you and your families are doing well.

September 15th kicked off the National Hispanic Heritage Month, a month long celebration to recognize and appreciate the contributions and influences of Hispanic Americans in all walks of life as well as a celebration of history, culture, and heritage.

As Chair of the Committee on Small Business this week I convened a hearing to receive administrative, private sector and community input on a set of important bills designed to provide our small businesses with relief. Stakeholders offered insight about the opportunities and challenges ahead for small businesses and what we can do to make recovery easier including my very own Intro 2000-2020, which would ensure that the borough-to-borough distribution of emergency business aid is equitable.

Our office has continued to help residents in our District who have been dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. If you still need help, please check theses links: The NYC Page, the FEMA page and the Comptroller Page.

This week I was humbled to co-sponsor an NYPD Appreciation Dinner Cruise with the NYPD 45th and 49th Community Councils and the Westchester Square BID. I want to extend thanks to all the officers who joined as well as the NYPD Explorers, Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.

As every year the City Island Clam Chowder Festival was a hit. I was glad to a be a Judge and co-host the Festival with the City Island Chamber of Commerce. Here were my top picks from this weekend: Best New England Chowder-Johnny’s Reef and Best Red Manhattan Chowder-Sammy’s Fish Box.

Please remember we are here for you, contact my office with issues or concerns at 718-931-1721 or email at MGjonaj@council.nyc.gov.

Sincerely,

NYC Councilman Mark Gjonaj

District 13, Bronx

FIRST TAXI MEDALLION OWNERS RECEIVE $700,00 IN DEBT RELIEF, AS $500 MILLION IN TOTAL RELIEF EXPECTED FOR MORE DRIVERS

 

 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.

“Medallion owners have worked tirelessly to keep New York City moving, and they deserve economic justice to make manageable payments and retire with dignity,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “This program is an innovative, powerful tool to connect debt forgiveness to New Yorkers who need it, and I’m excited to celebrate even more successes in the weeks and months to come.”

 

“Today, the Medallion Relief Program is delivering real debt forgiveness to economically distressed medallion owners,” said TLC Commissioner and Chair Aloysee Heredia Jarmoszuk. “Taxis provide essential transportation for both New Yorkers and the tens of millions of people who visit each year. The money provided by the MRP is critical to help medallion owners achieve significant debt reduction and to ensure a thriving taxi industry.”

 

“The Medallion Relief Program is a vital lifeline for the many taxi medallion owners who have been struggling to make ends meet because of their medallion loans and whose financial burden has only been exacerbated by the pandemic,” said Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) Commissioner Peter A. Hatch. “The Program, coupled with free, confidential, one-on-one financial counseling and legal services at the TLC Owner/Driver Resource Center, will be essential to helping drivers manage and reduce their debt.”

 

“Yellow medallion owners have served as a vital mode of transportation to the people of New York for decades and a lifeline for their families. In this moment, we recognize the risk to their livelihood and are encouraged by the expansion of Medallion Relief Program to assist them. NYLAG is privileged to represent these hard-working individuals and to work with them to become financially stable in this ever-changing environment. We truly hope we can continue to assist medallion owners to restructure or settle their medallion debt and encourage them to continue to seek out resources,” said Rose Marie Cantanno, Associate Director of the Consumer Protection Unit, New York, NYLAG.

 

About the Medallion Relief Program

 

The City of New York will provide $65 million in grants to economically distressed individual medallion owners. This includes $20,000 as a down payment to restructure loan principals and set lower monthly payments, as well as up to $9,000 for monthly debt relief payments.

 

Many medallion owners will have over $200,000 in debt forgiven, and loan payments reduced to about $1,500 or less per month. Some owners will achieve total debt erasure through settlements.

 

TLC's Owner-Driver Resource Center, which offers a range of free financial counseling and legal assistance for TLC Licensees, as well as connecting them with government benefits and health and wellness resources, has already served over 1,000 licensees. TLC Licensees in need of these services can call 311 or visit nyc.gov/taxi to make an appointment.

Espaillat Citizenship Day Statement: There shouldn’t be a price on the American Dream

 

Barriers to citizenship are un-American

"Each year, tens of thousands of people from around the world become American citizens. It’s a moment of great pride, the realization that the American dream is firmly within your grasp – and as a formerly undocumented immigrant myself, I know this feeling all too well.

 

It doesn’t matter if you became a United States citizen yesterday, or if your family have been United States citizens for centuries. This idea – that anyone can become an American – is at the heart of what makes our nation unique. As a nation we’re bound together not by race or creed, but by a shared principle – equality, freedom, and opportunity for all.

 

And any monetary barrier to achieve that dream is fundamentally un-American – full stop.

 

America is made stronger by those who willingly and freely chose to join it, often overcoming great obstacles of physical and cultural distance to become an American. With each swearing-in of a new citizen, the spirit of our nation grows, and our communities grow stronger and more resilient – and blocking opportunities for citizenship defies this very ideal and erodes at the nexus of our nation’s values.

 

Currently, the cost of applying for citizenship remains one of the biggest obstacles for immigrants seeking naturalization. Today, the Department of Homeland Security charges $725 to apply for naturalization – a nearly impossible-to-reach figure that for many immigrants amounts to weeks of wages. To put this in perspective, an employee earning the federal minimum wage would have to work for over two months to pay for a naturalization application for a family of four. This amount is so high that it literally prices hardworking immigrants out of their chance at the American dream – and it’s unacceptable.

 

Looking back to 1999, an application for citizenship cost $225 – a near-third of what it costs today. This fee increase has led to a sharp drop in applications for naturalization since, which only hurts us as a nation of immigrants. Without a doubt, the price on the American dream creates a blockade for nearly 9 million adults who are eligible for citizenship. This means there are 9 million individuals who contribute to our economy, livelihood, and community- yet remain in the shadows of our democracy.

 

It’s simple: you shouldn’t have to afford your chance at the American dream.

 

This barrier to citizenship is all the crueler amid a global pandemic – and as we’re working to create a real pathway to citizenship for our nations over 11.5 million undocumented immigrants, the moment is now for us to rebuild our country’s broken immigration system from the bottom up.

 

It is a tragic irony that even as immigrant essential workers have held the line in the fight against COVID-19, all while our immigration system is systemically making it more difficult for these immigrants to become Americans and find success in their communities – and we should be ashamed.

 

For the 13.6 million legal permanent residents living in the United States and the additional 11.5 million undocumented immigrants already on our soil, fixing our immigration system can't wait. Each day that we fail to act is another day that an immigrant father or mother – American in all but law – lives in fear of being separated from his or her American-born children.

 

Our nation cannot put a price on our values. The idea that anybody in the world can become an American is central to who we are – and it’s past time we lower application fees for immigrants applying for U.S. citizenship. It is simply un-American to extort ludicrous fees from those who wish to claim freedom as their own."

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli's - Over One Million New York Households Still Not Connected to Broadband

 

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli announced the release of the Broadband Report in the city of Hudson, NY, with Michael Hofmann, aide to the Mayor of Hudson, Congressman Antonio Delgado, State Senator Daphne Jordan and Assemblywoman Didi Barrett.

The State has made progress in making high-speed connections available to New Yorkers, but more than one million households do not have access or a subscription to home broadband services, according to a report released by State Comptroller DiNapoli.

Reliable, high-speed internet is a necessity to effectively work, communicate and learn in our society. This was made crystal clear during the COVID-19 pandemic when millions of New Yorkers turned their homes into schools and workplaces. There is still a digital divide in rural parts of the state and for low-income New Yorkers who don’t have access or are unable to afford a home subscription. One in three New York households earning less than $20,000 don’t have a home subscription.

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