Governor Hochul Announces Partnership to Expand Solar Development Support for Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands

 

Effort Would Expand 2019 Program to Train and Place Workers in Solar-Plus-Storage, Construction, and Other Supportive Services

Reinforces New York State's Commitment to Growing a Clean Energy Workforce Pipeline and Ensuring an Equitable Clean Energy Transition

 During a tour of Concilio de Salud Integral de Loiza in Loiza, Puerto Rico, Governor Kathy Hochul today announced New York State will work with community partners to expand ongoing solar deployment and workforce development support in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The State will provide new curriculum and permitting and financing expertise that will support the development of solar industries on the Islands. This effort further strengthens New York's long-standing commitment to support Puerto Rico's reconstruction and recovery from Hurricanes Irma and Maria, and helps reinforce New York State's commitment to ensuring a growing clean energy workforce pipeline and an equitable clean energy transition. 

"Climate change is the crisis of our time, and it takes each and every one of us to pave the path for a cleaner, greener future," Governor Hochul said, "The number one obstacle we must overcome is our over reliance on fossil fuels and we must do so equitably so no community is left behind. New York and Puerto Rico have a historically close relationship and this partnership is an important step to creating more sustainable jobs and boosting green energy."

Today's announcement builds on the $4.5 million Puerto Rican Solar Business Accelerator, Workforce and Small Business Development Program established in 2019 with support from the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The Puerto Rican Solar Business Accelerator, Workforce and Small Business Development Program is a joint, public-private effort between the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, The Interstate Renewable Energy Council, and PathStone Corporation, Inc. to train and place workers in solar-plus-storage and construction, develop innovative solar financing options, and to provide technical assistance to solar businesses.

56 Days and Counting

 

I'm down here in Puerto Rico with my good friends from the Bronx for Somos. State Senator Jamaal Bailey, you are the Bronx Democratic Party Leader, can I count on the Bronx Democratic Party to endorse me in my bid for governor next year. The Bronx Democratic Party endorsed me in my re-election bid for mayor in 2017, and I am the best candidate for governor.

David Patterson, I mean Kathy Hochul forced her way onto the stage election night to congratulate my successor Mayor Elect Eric Adams. She said that she will work with the new mayor on matters important to the city. Well she didn't say that to me, and has been unfriendly to me and New York City just like her old boss Andrew Cuomo. Plus she picked Brian Benjamin over you Jamaal to be her Lieutenant Governor. 

RIKERS ISLAND INMATE INDICTED FOR ASSAULTING DOC OFFICER

 

Defendant Threatened DOC Officer With 8-Inch Metal Shank

 Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Rikers Island inmate has been indicted on second-degree Assault and additional charges for attacking a Department of Correction Officer in the jail. 

 District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant allegedly held a makeshift weapon to a DOC Officer’s neck. Thankfully other Officers intervened, and the victim was not seriously injured. With our partners at the Department of Correction, we are doing all we can to stop the relentless violence in Rikers Island and end these attacks against DOC staff who are simply doing their jobs.”

 New York City Department of Correction Commissioner Vincent Schiraldi said, “The details of this alleged assault on one of our correction officers are disturbing, and D.A. Clark has my deep gratitude for her efforts to hold this and other individuals who assault our officers as well as other incarcerated people accountable. I’d also like to thank our Correction Intelligence Bureau team, who work tirelessly and conducted the investigation that led to this arrest.” 

 District Attorney Clark said the defendant, James Hawkins, 30, an inmate in Rikers Island, was arraigned on two counts of second-degree Assault, first and second-degree Promoting Prison Contraband, first and second-degree Unlawful Imprisonment, fourth-degree Criminal Possession of a Weapon, second-degree Menacing and third-degree Assault on November 3, 2021 before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Efrain Alvarado. Bail was set at $75,000 cash/$75,000 bond and the defendant is due back in court on February 4, 2022.

 According to the investigation, on October 13, 2021, at approximately 1:12 p.m. in the George R. Vierno Center of Rikers Island, the defendant allegedly approached the victim brandishing a sharp metal object, several inches in length and held the weapon to the Officer’s neck. Correction Officers rushed to help the victim and deployed their pepper spray. The defendant removed the weapon from the victim’s neck but continued to hold the Corrections Officer by his neck and eventually released him when he left the area. Hawkins hid the weapon, and Officers searched and recovered the eight-inch sharpened metal shank that had a cloth handle. The victim received medical attention but did not sustain any serious injuries.

 District Attorney Clark thanked Lourdes Galindez, Community Coordinator in the Rikers Island Prosecution Bureau. District Attorney Clark also thanked the DOC Correction Intelligence Bureau, specifically CIB Investigators Daniel Monaco and Walter Holmes, for their assistance in the investigation.

 An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.

Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating COVID-19 - NOVEMBER 5, 2021

 

74,268 Vaccine Doses Administered Over Last 24 Hours  

32 COVID-19 Deaths Statewide Yesterday

New State Website Providing Helpful Info About Child Vaccination 

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

"With our newly released guidance today for medical professionals and website with resources for parents and guardians, we are not wasting any time in helping administer the vaccine to children five to 11 years old," Governor Hochul said. "We must work together to finally beat this pandemic by wearing our masks, washing our hands, and getting our shots, so that we can all enjoy a happy and healthy holiday season."

Today's data is summarized briefly below:

• Test Results Reported - 189,162
• Total Positive - 4,775
• Percent Positive - 2.52%
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 2.37%
• Patient Hospitalization - 1,861 (-27)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 225
• Patients in ICU - 396 (-17)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 230 (-11)
• Total Discharges - 209,373 (+222)
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 32
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 45,728

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 - 58,181

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 - 27,542,110
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 74,268
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 512,283
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 84.6%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 76.9%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 88.0%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 79.0%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 71.7%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 65.1%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 74.7%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 67.0%

MAYOR DE BLASIO UNVEILS FIRST MONTHLY UPDATE ON NEW BLUEPRINT TO COMABT EXTREME WEATHER IN NEW YORK CITY

 

In less than four weeks, New York City has put into action new strategies to guard against severe weather

 Mayor Bill de Blasio today released the first monthly update to “The New Normal: Combatting Storm-Related Extreme Weather in New York City,” a landmark report that provides New York City with a new blueprint to prepare for and respond to extreme weather. Based on report findings, New York City has already enhanced outreach to vulnerable areas, launched new emergency communications protocols, taken action to protect New Yorkers in basement apartments, and started key infrastructure improvements.  

A copy of the monthly update can be found here. 

 

“We know that climate change is happening now, and we have the blueprint we need to act,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “Since Hurricane Ida, we’ve made drastic improvements to infrastructure, data collection, emergency communications systems, and basement apartments. We are on the right path when it comes to responding to the climate crisis and keeping New Yorkers safe.” 

 

“We promised New Yorkers that we would protect them from the threat of severe weather and we’re delivering on that promise,” said Extreme Weather Coordinator, Deputy Mayor for Administration, and Chief of Staff Emma Wolfe. “Through targeted investments, better storm tracking, and new ways to get information to the public, we’re ensuring our residents are safe as we face this new reality and the impacts of climate change.” 

 

 The Report also highlights how these new improvements improved response on October 25/26^th to an instance of heavy rainfall in the city. 

 

Key progress in the month since Hurricane Ida include:

 

• New Emergency Communications plan

• Releasing RFP for “Rainboots on the Ground” program

• 100 warning signs installed on flood prone roadways for drivers 

• Finished fixing drainage on a community driveway in East Elmhurst, expanding to 40 total locations

• 13 Flood Net Sensors installed and expansion imminent

• Increasing frequency of cleaning catch basins

• Providing 10,000 sandbags to residents 

• New NYPD protocols for basement unit evacuations

• New working group for Basement Apartment Conversion Program

 

“While we can’t control the weather, we can be proactive and innovative in how we adapt and respond to it,” said Jainey Bavishi, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Climate Resiliency. “That’s exactly what we’re doing in New York City. By modernizing our buildings and infrastructure, utilizing green solutions, raising awareness around flood risk, and leveraging the latest science and technology, we can protect residents, businesses, and communities from the threat of extreme weather while continuing our ongoing fight against climate change.”

Senator Biaggi's Week in Review: 11/1/21-11/5/21

 

Dear Community,

I want to draw your attention to a powerful op-ed written by Shams DaBaron, aka “Da Homeless Hero,” this week regarding the lack of Wi-Fi accessibility in homeless shelters and the impact it had on him when he was homeless. Shams, a housing justice activist, recounts his experiences in the shelter system, where he consistently felt dehumanized and degraded, especially when denied access to basic necessities such as internet access in shelters. 

Currently, homeless shelters in New York are not required to provide Wi-Fi to their residents, resulting in these homeless individuals being denied access to all of the information and resources that the internet provides. This perpetuates a digital divide which shuts homeless individuals out of gaining access to important opportunities such as housing, employment, and education, further trapping them in a cycle of homelessness. 

As mentioned in the op-ed, I have a bill to change that. My bill, S9030A, would require all homeless shelters in New York to provide internet access to residents, ensuring that our homeless population has an equal opportunity to access housing, education, government services and all of the resources that having an internet connection provides. 

I am grateful to Shams for shining a light on this crucial issue, and am hopeful that we will be able to work together to ensure that my bill is passed in the following session. New York has a responsibility to end the cycles of homelessness, and it is only by providing access to basic necessities such as Wi-Fi that we can do so.

With Gratitude,

State Senator Alessandra Biaggi

Estonian Man Sentenced To 10 Years In Prison For Conspiring To Import Fentanyl Into The United States

 

 Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today that AMID MAGERRAMOV was sentenced to 10 years in prison for conspiring to import massive quantities of carfentanil and fentanyl into the United States.  MAGERRAMOV pled guilty on May 4, 2021, before U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken, who imposed today’s sentence.   

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams stated: “Amid Magerramov conspired to import into the U.S. large quantities of fentanyl and carfentanil – an opioid so potent that its legitimate use is as an elephant sedative.  Appropriately, he has now been sentenced to prison for conspiring to add fuel to the fire that is the opioid crisis in this country.”

According to the Complaint, Indictment, and other filings in the case:

Between approximately October 2017 and August 2018, MAGERRAMOV conspired to import large quantities of carfentanil and fentanyl into the United States.  Carfentanil is a fentanyl analogue approximately 1,000 times more potent than heroin, and is used commercially to sedate large animals such as elephants.  During that period, MAGERRAMOV participated in a series of recorded meetings and telephone communications with an individual he understood to be affiliated with an international drug trafficking organization, for the purpose of arranging to import narcotics into the United States.  That individual was, in fact, a confidential source (the “CS”) working with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”).  MAGERRAMOV and his co-conspirators prepared and distributed a total of over five kilograms of substances containing carfentanil for importation into the United States. 

In mid-October 2017, MAGERRAMOV met together with the CS in Estonia.  During the meeting, the CS informed MAGERRAMOV that the CS was a member of a Colombian drug cartel that distributed narcotics in the United States and laundered the resulting proceeds. 

Throughout late 2017 and early 2018, the CS also participated in a series of meetings with MAGERRAMOV and his co-conspirators to discuss narcotics transactions.  During the meetings, MAGERRAMOV agreed to provide the CS with fentanyl in Denmark, with the understanding that the fentanyl would be transported to the United States, mixed with heroin and other controlled substances, and sold to the cartel’s customers in New York City, among other places.

In May 2018, MAGERRAMOV coordinated the delivery of samples of carfentanil to the CS in Denmark.  On May 9, 2018, MAGERRAMOV and his co-conspirators delivered three samples of narcotics to an agreed-upon location in Denmark.  The three samples were seized by law enforcement, tested in a laboratory, and found to contain approximately 550 grams of mixtures and substances containing carfentanil.  The CS later informed MAGERRAMOV that the three samples had been transported to the United States, that the purported cartel was satisfied with the quality of the narcotics, and that the CS wanted to purchase additional carfentanil from MAGERRAMOV and his associates.

In late May 2018, MAGERRAMOV arranged to have additional carfentanil delivered to the CS for importation into the United States.  On May 30, 2018, one of MAGERRAMOV’s co-conspirators delivered a package of narcotics to an agreed-upon location in Denmark.  The package was seized by law enforcement, tested in a laboratory, and found to contain approximately 5.2 kilograms of mixtures and substances containing carfentanil.  The CS subsequently reported to MAGERRAMOV that the carfentanil had been transported to the United States.     

During June and July 2018, the CS continued to meet and communicate with MAGERRAMOV about arranging additional narcotics transactions in the future and payment for the carfentanil that had been delivered.

MAGERRAMOV, 40, of Estonia, pled guilty to one count of conspiring to import fentanyl and carfentanil into the United States.  In addition to the prison term, MAGERRAMOV was ordered to forfeit $38,500.

Mr. Williams praised the outstanding efforts of the DEA’s Special Operations Division, the DEA’s Country Office in Copenhagen, Denmark, the Estonia Central Criminal Police, the Estonia Office of the Prosecutor General, and the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of International Affairs.

Why is the $139 Million Dollar Pelham Parkway Reconstruction Project Being Hosted By a Small Community Group, and Not Community Board 11

 

Community Board 11 hosted the Pelham Parkway Task Force, a committee that was made up of board members and community members which oversaw the work that was going on with the reconstruction of Pelham Parkway and the installation of a new larger water supply system, and new storm sewers. That Task Force had the removal of one member in early 2021, and the Task Force was disbanded one month later with no explanation by the community board. 

As a former member of Community Board 8 who dealt with matters similar to this I was known to the Bronx Supervisor of the Department of Design and Construction, and was placed on the Task Force shortly after I moved to Morris Park one block from Pelham Parkway. While I questioned several things I thought were not being done exactly to protocol, I was not the person removed from the Task Force. I would later check the City Charter to find out that CB 11 had no authority to disband a task force it never authorized, that a board member had to run the meetings not the District Manager was done, and that the meetings had to be public not private as they were. 

 Several months later Jeremy Warneke the District Manager of CB 11 would ask Ms. Joanna Rojas the consultant on this project (who is getting paid by the city), If the Task Force should be reinstated by CB 11, since there were many questions about the work being done, and the fact that Con Edison had gone right through the reconstructed new Westbound roadbed with a thirty inch gas line leaving a six foot depression in the new now split roadbed. It was well known that Con Edison had to go through Pelham Parkway with its gas line, which like the new forty-eight inch water supply line, were for future development in CB 10 and CB 11. Ms. Rojas told DM Warneke there was no need for restarting the task force, that she would answer any questions anyone had. I asked several questions one about the section of the parkway between White Plains Road and Boston Road, which has been under construction for over a year, even after new larger water pipes were installed next to the existing ones, not getting answers. 

It seems that a small community organization outside of the construction area also had complaints as work was being done that was not on the original plans. Ms. Rojas has arranged to meet with this small group to discuss the project, and only a small part of the community board area has been invited. One might call this an illegal meeting, since such a meeting must be directed through the community board since the project runs from one end of Pelham Parkway to the other in CB 11, and not just in one small part of the board area. I have filed a complaint with the New York City Department of Investigation as to how a $139 Million Dollar project (before cost overruns) is being done with no community oversight. Why the parkway reconstruction was done knowing full well that Con Edison was going to go right through the roadway, thus now leaving a six foot section of the roadway that has no concrete foundation, just compacted sand which already has shifted causing a dip in that section from the heavy traffic and buses, along with several other items that are listed including the disbanding of the Task Force. 

This section (six feet across) of the westbound Pelham Parkway taken before the asphalt road was put on it has no concrete foundation, and a thirty inch gas line underneath in the sand which has already shifted.

The Westbound Pelham Parkway between White Plains Road and Boston Road has been reduced from five to three lanes as fire hydrants have come out on both former outer lanes. There is also an express bus stop in this area which will crowd the roadway to two lanes as the bus loads passengers.

This photo is from November 2020 when the forty-eight inch water pipes were installed below Pelham Parkway between White Plains Road and Boston Road. One year later this block is still under construction, why?