Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez Host Halloween Festival in Pelham Bay Park

As she did last year, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez hosted a Halloween Festival in Pelham Bay Park by the Nature Center. Councilman Kevin Riley and soon to be Councilwoman Marjorie Velazquez were on hand, but State Senator Alessandra Biaggi was unable to attend, while she quaranteed herself after testing positive for the COVID virus. 

The congresswoman came dressed as one of the Ghostbusters, and put smiles on the faces of children, many of which she posed with. After a tour of the picnic area with organizations that were set up, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez stopped to be interviewed by the local media, and then she went back to being with the children. 

Staffers and volunteers waited at the booth for Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez to come.

Here is Ghostbuster Ocasio-Cortez holding Kace Riley, the daughter of Councilman Kevin Riley. Kace is either looking for her father or a ghost. 

Soon to be Councilwoman Velazquez and Councilman Riley and daughter Kace watch as the congresswoman listens to Kace's sister. 

Two crime fighters stop for a photo together.

Another young child feels at home in the arms of Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez. 

All the children, no matter how old they were, took a shining to the congresswoman. 

After greeting all the children and the adults, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez had time for an interview with local media.

Even Pelham Bay Park advisor Nika Martell wanted her photo with Congresswoman  Ocasio-Cortez.                                                        

Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State’s Progress Combating COVID-19 - OCTOBER 31, 2021

 

76,057 Vaccine Doses Administered Over Last 24 Hours   

26 COVID-19 Deaths Statewide Yesterday

 Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combating COVID-19.   

"I'm proud of New Yorkers' commitment to getting vaccinated and defeating this virus," Governor Hochul said. "The vaccine is our strongest weapon in this fight. Getting the shot is easy and accessible, so make the effort if you haven't already and let's enjoy a fun and COVID-safe Halloween.

Today's data is summarized briefly below: 

• Test Results Reported - 166,598
• Total Positive - 3,588 
• Percent Positive - 2.15% 
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 2.18% 
• Patient Hospitalization - 1,842 (-22)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 224 
• Patients in ICU - 448 (-7) 
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 253 (-1) 
• Total Discharges - 208,391 (+222)
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 26 
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 45,567 

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 - 57,913

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 - 27,209,232
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 76,057 
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 571,442 
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 84.3% 
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 76.6% 
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 87.5% 
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 78.7% 
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 71.4% 
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 64.8% 
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 74.2% 
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 66.6% 

New York Gang Member Pleads Guilty To Racketeering And Drug Trafficking Offenses, Including 2010 East Harlem Murder

 

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that JAMAL ADAMSON, a/k/a “J-Rock,” pled guilty today in Manhattan federal court for his participation in crimes with the Cash Money Boys gang, including the June 2010 murder of David Moore in East Harlem.  United States District Judge Gregory H. Woods accepted the defendant’s guilty plea.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said: “As a member of the violent Cash Money Boys street gang, Jamal Adamson caused the death of a 23-year-old man, attempted to kill another individual, and dealt dangerous drugs.  Now, Adamson faces significant prison time for his crimes and the harm he inflicted on his community.”

As alleged in the Indictment and other documents filed in federal court, and based on statements made in public court proceedings:

 The Cash Money Boys, or “CMB,” gang was a criminal enterprise involved in committing numerous acts of violence, including murder, attempted murder, robberies, and assaults in and around Manhattan.  Members and associates of CMB engaged in violence to retaliate against rival gangs, to promote the standing and reputation of CMB, and to protect the gang’s narcotics sales. 

From at least in or about 2006 to in or about 2017, members and associates of CMB regularly distributed crack cocaine and other drugs in the vicinity of Lexington Avenue between East 122nd Street and East 123rd Street.  CMB controlled drug sales within this area by prohibiting and preventing non-members, outsiders, and rival drug dealers from selling drugs in the area controlled by the gang.  This included gang members shooting at, assaulting, and/or robbing other drug dealers and members of rival gangs who entered CMB’s territory.  

On or about June 20, 2010, after members of CMB and a rival gang got into a physical altercation, ADAMSON shot and killed David Moore, 23, near the corner of East 122nd Street and Lexington Avenue. 

ADAMSON, 28, of New York, New York, pled guilty to a Superseding Information charging him with one count of racketeering conspiracy, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1962(d), which carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and one count of narcotics distribution conspiracy, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.    

The statutory maximum penalties are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by the judge.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding work of the New York City Police Department and the Special Agents of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York.

Attorney General James Announces 67 Guns Turned in at Community Gun Buyback in the Southern Tier

 

AG James Has Taken More Than 2,600 Firearms Out of Communities Since 2019

 New York Attorney General Letitia James announced that 67 firearms were turned in to law enforcement at a gun buyback event in the Southern Tier hosted by her office and the Elmira 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 2,600 firearms out of communities through gun buyback events and other efforts since taking office in 2019.

“Gun violence continues to endanger too many communities throughout New York,” said Attorney General James. “The first step to prevent this violence and stop any potential devastation is to get these dangerous weapons off our streets, and that’s exactly what we’re doing with these buyback events. The safety and wellbeing of New Yorkers is paramount, and I thank our partners in law enforcement for their invaluable support and collaboration on this vital program.”

Gun violence is a public health crisis that is plaguing communities throughout New York, and this 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 17 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 2,600 guns out of communities since 2019.

Allerton Avenue Fall Festival 'Boogie Down Bites'

In a tradition of a multi block long Fall International Food Festival held by the local Assembly member, the 2021 version was only one block, with a limited number of vendors. In fact there were only two food vendors, a Gyro Booth, and a grill which arrived late, and had to be fired up with several bags of Charcoal to cook chicken that was unrefrigerated. People were able to get vaccinated and even get a COVID test. 

A mural which was put up two weeks ago in honor of Hip Hop legend Dr. Jazzy Jay during the Allerton Avenue Hip Hop festival at the spot of where Dr. Jazzy Jay got his start producing Hip Hop already had two graffiti tags on it. 

The mural dedicated to Allerton Avenue Hip Hop legend Dr. Jazzy Jay already has two graffiti tags on it. One in the lower left corner, and the other in the lower right corner.

The Gyro Booth where meat is shaved off to make the Gyro's. 

There was dancing in the street by the new Councilwoman Marjorie Velazquez facing the camera.

Community Organizer and Activist Christian Amato gave out free Halloween Candy, free Hand Sanitizer, and free Face Masks.

Councilman Mark Gjonaj, a former assemblyman who put on previous Allerton International Food Festivals had a table that two of his staffers manned.

In case one wanted to make final resting arrangements, Woodlawn Cemetery had a table, which was right next to the booth that was doing COVID-10 testing.

There were however some empty booths due to the bad weather.

Councilman Mark Gjonaj's NYC Moving Forward Week in Review - 10/29/2021

 

Dear Friends,

I hope you and your families are continuing to do well as we are nearing the end of another month.

On October 28th the Albanian, Bosnian and Croatian Communities came together to denounce the unpunished Serbian war crimes and rape as a weapon of war in a Rally in NYC. Thank you to the survivors, elected officials, human rights groups as well as US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Congress-members Ritchie Torres, Adriano Espaillat, Lee Zeldin, Joe Morrelle, Dina Titus, Gregory Meeks and William Keating for listening to the survivors and committing to fight until justice is served.

As Chair of the Committee on Small Business, this morning I held an oversight hearing to explore the impact that the Key to NYC vaccine mandate has had on small businesses and how going forward the City must be more carefully attuned to our already-struggling small businesses.

Due to noise complaints in the community I was glad to join the NYPD 49th Precinct Community Council Meeting where we heard from constituents and the Precinct on what they have been doing and how to address this issue in the future. 

As every year I am humbled to sponsor the Veteran’s Breakfast kicking off the 37th Annual Bronx Veterans Day on November 14th 2021.

We are looking forward to celebrate Halloween in the District with many children and families in Morris Park, Westchester Square and City Island.

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

62 Days amnd Counting

 

All right, let's get today's media briefing underway. What's that today is Sunday, and I don't have a media briefing today. I am getting ready for tomorrows media briefing as you can see. I am trying to be ready for any question that those pesky reporters may ask me. 

Let's see there is a vaccination mandate for Fire, Police, Health and Hospitals, Department of Education, Department of Correction, is there any city agency that I may have left out? Board of Elections, Hmmm. Some pesky reporter is going to ask me why we have extended the deadline for Board of Elections employees and not for any other city agencies. We are in the middle of an election, and all those absentee ballots have to be counted. It's a good thing that Rank Choice Voting is not being used in the general election, or it would take us more than a month to determine who the winners are. Here we only have to extend the vaccination deadline for two weeks after the deadline, because all the votes should be counted, as if we don't already know who the winners are. 

Governor Hochul Marks East Side Access Milestone With LIRR Test Ride to Grand Central

East Side Access Officially Opens December 2022 Bringing Faster, Direct Service for Long Island & Queens commuters to the East Side of Manhattan  

Increased Rail Capacity Will Reduce Crowding on Trains, Subways and in Penn Station 

 Governor Kathy Hochul today joined the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to take a special Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) test train to Grand Central Terminal and gave the public one of the first-ever looks at the new 350,000-square-foot East Side Access passenger terminal there. This is the largest new train terminal to be built in the United States since the 1950s and the first expansion of the LIRR in more than 100 years. Together with the LIRR third track project, the new connection will add 50 percent to the LIRR's capacity into Manhattan with up to 24 trains per hour and cut travel time for Queens and Long Island commuters traveling to the east side by 40 minutes per day. It will also reduce crowding on commuter rail, at Penn Station and on the subway by dispersing commuters and allowing passengers to go directly to Grand Central Terminal from destinations across Queens and Long Island. The new commuter rail route and concourse officially open in December 2022. 

"The East Side Access concourse is a model for modern transportation systems as we look to the post-pandemic future," Governor Hochul said. "As the first modern train terminal to be built in more than a half century, the East Side Access concourse will expand rail service, cut down on travel times into East Manhattan from Queens and Long Island, and reduce crowding. This is yet another example of New York leading the way as we recover from the pandemic, and I look forward to the East Side Access concourse and route fully opening in December 2022."

The East Side Access concourse at Grand Central Terminal includes a 350,000-square-foot LIRR passenger concourse just below street level that will offer new entrances along Madison Avenue, 25 retail storefronts, WiFi and cell service, new art installations and digital signage with real-time train information. The entrance at 347 Madison Avenue being built at 45th Street as part of the redevelopment of the MTA's former headquarters alone is expected to serve 10,000 people a day.  

Seventeen high-rise escalators, 182 feet in length and the longest in the MTA system, will connect commuters between the new world-class concourse and mezzanine of the train terminal 140 feet below Park Avenue. The mezzanine in turn leads to an upper train level that has two platforms and four tracks, and a lower train level that similarly has two platforms and four tracks.  

Trains will enter the concourse from a newly activated tunnel that carries two tracks as it passes under the East River at 63rd Street. The two tracks then fan out to four, then eight on the two levels.   

In Queens, crews have built a new yard with space for up to 300 rail cars, and fully updated Harold Interlocking, the busiest passenger railroad intersection in North America, including the installation of 97 new track switches, 295 poles that carry overhead wires used by Amtrak, five new steel railroad bridges, and 8,445 feet of retaining walls. Overall, the project includes more than 40 miles of new track, nearly 13 miles of newly excavated tunnels, 44 ventilation fans, 550 miles of cable and 975 security cameras, 15 overhead gantries that display train control signals, and 14 huts alongside the tracks containing signal system components.  

Originally conceived of in the 1960s, the project was developed in the 1990s with work beginning in earnest in Queens and Manhattan in 2006. East Side Access contractors have accomplished several engineering feats over the years, including blasting under Grand Central Terminal with limited impact to rail operations, mining under both Northern Boulevard and the elevated and underground subways in Queens and expanding the capacity of Harold Interlocking. 

In addition to relieving congestion at Penn Station, East Side Access will enhance New York's competitive standing in the global economy by providing a new link to business centers on the East Side and supporting job growth around Grand Central Terminal. When the project is complete, operational efficiency through Harold Interlocking will be greatly improved, benefiting travelers all along the Northeast Corridor. For the first time, ADDRD tracks will make reverse commuting from New York City to Long Island a realistic option for the region and will allow East Midtown and Metro-North Railroad customers to be able to connect to JFK Airport via the Long Island Rail Road and the Jamaica AirTrain.