Governor Hochul Joins Mayor Adams to Provide Update on Apartment Fire in the Bronx

 

Governor Hochul: "When I prepare my budget this week, I'm going to establish a victims compensation fund for the individuals I just sat with and said I will not forget you. There'll be money to help them find new housing, for burial costs, for whatever they need. We'll take care of them because that's what we do here in the State of New York. We are here for the Bronx and we're here for anyone who needs us." 

 Thank you, Mayor. We are indeed a city in shock. It's impossible to go into that room where scores of families who are in such grief, who are in pain, to see it in a mother's eyes as I held her, who lost her entire family. It's hard to fathom what they're going through, but I went table to table, help children make their ramen noodles and eat their pizza and let them know one thing - and the Mayor and I are united in this - we will not forget you. We will not abandon you. We are here for you. So, your elected leaders from your Senator Schumer on down to our council members are united here to support this community to say tonight is the night of tragedy and pain and tomorrow we begin to rebuild. 

We rebuild their lives and give them hope, especially those who came all the way from Africa, Gambia, in search of a better life right here in this great borough, the borough of the Bronx. They're part of our family and when I prepare my budget this week, I'm going to establish a victims compensation fund for the individuals I just sat with and said I will not forget you. There'll be money to help them find new housing, for burial costs, for whatever they need. 

We'll take care of them because that's what we do here in the State of New York. We are here for the Bronx and we're here for anyone who needs us. And I thank the leadership of our mayor, our Fire Commissioner Nigro and all the men and women in uniform who went into a building, not knowing their own fate, and they still went in there and rescued people. 

And that's why I'm so proud to be the Governor of a state like this. You cannot keep us down ever. We are united together. Thank you. And may God bless the individuals who are suffering and the souls of those we lost, particularly the children. 

Five Alarm Fire in the Fordham Section Kills at Least Nineteen People

 

Sunday at least nineteen people of which nine were children have perished in a fire at 333 East 181st Street in the Fordham Section of the Bronx. Over two dozen other people were taken to several area hospitals, and it is not known at the time of the writing of this article if the death toll will rise. 

Fire Commissioner Dan Nigro said that the fire was contained to the second and third floors of the nineteen story building. He said the fire was most likely due to a space heater, but the arson team will investigate further. He added that as the family exited the apartment leaving they left the fire door open thus allowing the fire to spread. 

MS 391, the school around the corner from the fire is being used as a shelter overnight for the families of the building that will be checked by the Buildings Department to see if there is any structural damage that would prevent the families from going back into the building, other than the odor of smoke throughout the building. Elected officials from the Governor, Mayor, U.S. Senator, Bronx Borough President, City Council and state Assembly members and others said The community, the city, and the state stand with those who have perished, and those who have survived what happened at 333 East 188th Street. 

Governor Hochul speaks at the Press conference that was called for the evening of the fire. Mayor Adams, Senator Schumer, and Fire Commissioner Nigro also spoke and answered questions.

Senator Biaggi's Week in Review: 1/3/22-1/7/22

Dear Community,

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a safe, restful, and enjoyable holiday season. The new year also brings the start of the 2022 legislative session in Albany, when the New York State Legislature reconvenes for the next six months to pass new legislation and determine the future trajectory of our state. 

I am looking forward to working with my colleagues in the Legislature to pass progressive legislation that will invest in our communities and help New York tackle and recover from this pandemic. This session, I seek to prioritize a number of important issues such as:

• Pandemic response and recovery
• Passing a progressive budget that raises revenue in underserved communities
• Passing transformative housing legislation to ensure that every New Yorker has access to safe and affordable housing 
• Transforming our system of ethics and oversight to prioritize accountability and transparency
• Tackling our climate crisis head-on
• Prioritzing and ensurnig protections are in place for survivors of sexual assault, harassment, and discrimination
• Passing criminal justice reforms to deliver a racially just system that reduces sentencing and enhances public safety
• Protecting every New Yorker’s right to an abortion 
• Transforming the State Budget process to give the Legislature its fair share of bargaining power and center the needs of New Yorkers

I am committed to these goals for this session, and I look forward to and am honored to once again represent District 34 in Albany. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your State Senator– it is one that I am forever grateful for. 

I would also like to remind everyone to continue to get vaccinated, get your booster shot, get tested, wear a mask, and practice social distancing, especially given the recent surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across our state. I understand that given the recent COVID-19 surge, it has become extremely difficult to find and get tested. My office is well aware of this issue and we are actively working with NYC and Westchester to ensure that testing sites are well distributed. If you live in District 34 and your neighborhood lacks a testing site, please contact my office at biaggi@nysenate.gov or call 718-822-2049. Please see the COVID-19 updates section below for a list of COVID-19 testing sites in District 34 and additional information and resources.

With Gratitude,

State Senator Alessandra Biaggi

Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating COVID-19 - JANUARY 8, 202

 

108,077 Vaccine Doses Administered Over Last 24 Hours

154 COVID-19 Deaths Statewide Yesterday      

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

"There is an answer to this winter surge and it's simple: the vaccine and the booster," Governor Hochul said. "Our vaccination rate among children is still too low. parents and guardians don't delay in getting your children vaccinated and boosted, if eligible. It's safe and widely available. This is the one of the best ways to keep our numbers down, as well as wearing a mask and staying home if sick."

Today's data is summarized briefly below: 

• Test Results Reported - 425,782
• Total Positive - 90,132
• Percent Positive - 21.17%
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 22.15%
• Patient Hospitalization - 11,843 (+295)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 2,144
• Patients in ICU - 1483 (+34)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 720 (+16)
• Total Discharges - 241,729 (+1,726)
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 154
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 49,344

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 - 61,859

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 - 34,297,800
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 108,077
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 556,642
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 89.7% 
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 80.9%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 95.0%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 83.3% 
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 78.6% 
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 70.2% 
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 85.1% 
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 72.3%

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli - Read Fine Print on Your Holiday Gift Cards

 

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli is urging New Yorkers to spend the gift cards they received this holiday season in a timely fashion. If not, the money could eventually get turned over to the Office of Unclaimed Funds. In the last seven years, the amount returned to DiNapoli’s office in unused gift cards has risen sharply from $5.8 million in 2014 to $16 million in 2021.

Attorney General James Releases Footage From Investigation Into Death of Jason Jones

 

 New York Attorney General Letitia James today released videos from the Catskill Police Department that the Office of the Attorney General obtained as part of its ongoing investigation into the death of Jason Jones, who died on December 15, 2021, following an encounter with members of the Catskill Police Department on October 30, 2021.  

The release of this footage follows Attorney General James’ directive that videos obtained by her office in the course of investigations conducted by the Office of Special Investigation (OSI) be released to the public in order to increase transparency and strengthen public trust in these matters.

Pursuant to New York Executive Law Section 70-b, OSI assesses every incident reported to it where a police officer or a peace officer, including a corrections officer, may have caused the death of a person, by an act or omission. Under the law, the officer may be on-duty or off-duty, and the decedent may be armed or unarmed. Also, the decedent may or may not be in custody or incarcerated. If OSI’s assessment indicates an officer caused the death, OSI proceeds to conduct a full investigation of the incident.

The release of this footage is not an expression of any opinion as to the guilt or innocence of any party in a criminal matter or any opinion as to how or whether any individual may be charged with a crime.

Warning: These videos contain images viewers may find disturbing.

Investigation into the Death of Jason Jones

OSI is currently conducting an investigation into the death of Jason Jones, who died after an encounter with members of the Catskill Police Department in October of 2021. OSI released two videos of the police encounter with Mr. Jones.

Video 1

Video 2

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli - Read Fine Print on Your Holiday Gift Cards

 

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli is urging New Yorkers to spend the gift cards they received this holiday season in a timely fashion. If not, the money could eventually get turned over to the Office of Unclaimed Funds. In the last seven years, the amount returned to DiNapoli’s office in unused gift cards has risen sharply from $5.8 million in 2014 to $16 million in 2021.

NYPD Announces Increased Transit System Deployments

 

Integrated Approach to Surge NYPD Assets on Trains and Throughout the City’s Subway System

 Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell announced a set of innovative deployment strategies to reimagine the NYPD’s robust coverage of the city’s subway system across all of its portals, platforms and trains.

The new initiatives redefine the mission for officers and surge their ranks – beyond the additional layers of NYPD presence already in place throughout the transit system. The measures deploy officers to move cohesively through the entire system – particularly on subway cars, to engage with riders and to observe and document all they see to create timely, intelligence-driven responses.

“Safety throughout the subway system remains a top priority for the NYPD,” said Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell. “This comprehensive new approach is centered on having more police officers on train cars talking with riders and listening to them because NYPD officers do not just respond to crime in our city – they prevent it and deter it.”

Under the initiative being rolled out today, hundreds of additional NYPD officers from the Transit Bureau will work in tandem with Patrol Service Bureau officers and other personnel to be present across the subway system, from both their street-side and underground positions. Special units will continue to augment this coverage as well, in each sector, on each tour, every day.

These officers will focus on engaging directly with riders with the mission of driving down crime upticks and also improving the ridership experience.

Department commanders will wield overtime strategically, with an imperative to flood those zones most acutely in need or more uniformed presence. Those commanders will also be directing the patrols from the above-ground precincts to integrate the coverage of transit stations in their areas of responsibility. Officers in some administrative jobs will be flexibly shifted into underground deployments when necessary.

All told, the measures put riders at the forefront of the NYPD efforts and present a new vision of operating in the days and months ahead.