Governor Hochul Announces State Surpasses 100 Certified 'Climate Smart' Communities

 

Locally-Driven Initiatives Continue to Support Nation-leading Goals in New York's Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act

Administrator Chosen for Climate Friendly Homes Fund to Help Increase Building Electrification and Reduce Carbon Emissions

Map of Certified Climate Smart Communities Available Here

 Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that more than 100 New York communities are now certified as Climate Smart Communities thanks to their work supporting local efforts to meet the economic, social, and environmental challenges posed by climate change. This municipal climate milestone, announced in celebration of Climate Week, was accompanied by good news for residential electrification and reducing carbon emissions as the Community Preservation Corporation was selected to administer Governor Hochul's $250 million Climate Friendly Homes Fund. Both of these initiatives are helping contribute to the state's successful implementation of the nation-leading Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act.

"This Climate Week, we're celebrating New York's remarkable progress toward creating sustainable homes and building climate-smart communities statewide," Governor Hochul said. "Thanks to initiatives like the Climate Smart Communities program and our Climate Friendly Homes Fund, communities across New York are taking action to protect the environment and tackling the climate crisis in their own backyards. My administration is fully committed to reducing the state's climate impact, and we will continue to leverage key investments and resources to secure a safe and sustainable future for New Yorkers."

100th Certified Climate Smart Community

Established in 2009, the interagency Climate Smart Communities program provides guidance and technical support to local governments to take locally driven climate action. The first step to becoming a Climate Smart Community is to register by pledging to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change. To date, 364 local governments representing more than 9.4 million New Yorkers adopted the Climate Smart Communities pledge. A certification program was launched in 2014 to document and celebrate the accomplishments of communities taking climate action and the addition of 11 new communities in this latest round brings New York's total number of certified Climate Smart Communities to 105 - nine silver and 96 bronze certified participating municipalities.

To achieve Climate Smart Community certification, communities accumulate points for planning and implementation actions that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve community resilience to the worsening impacts of climate change. Recently, 11 local governments successfully met the criteria to be newly recognized as leaders during the State's third quarter round of review:

Hudson Valley

• Village of Bronxville (Westchester County)
• Town of North Salem (Westchester County)
• Village of Pelham (Westchester County)
• Town of Pleasant Valley (Dutchess County)

Southern Tier

• Town of New Lisbon (Otsego County)
• Chemung County

North Country

• Village of Lake Placid (Essex County)

Finger Lakes

• Town of Geneva (Ontario County)
• Town of Pittsford (Monroe County)

Western New York

• Village of Lancaster (Erie County)
• City North Tonawanda (Niagara County)

In addition to the 11 new certified communities, four local governments continued their commitment to community climate action and re-certified by completing additional actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change: the city of Buffalo (first certified in 2019), Madison County (first certified in 2017), the town of Mamaroneck (first certified in 2016), and the town of Roseboom (first certified in March 2022).

Since its launch in 2014, the Climate Smart Communities Certification program provides the tools, technical assistance, and resources local governments need to build capacity for planning and implementing local climate action that engages the community and supports a growing green economy in New York State. The framework provided by the Climate Smart Communities program helps guide local governments in taking transformative action against climate change and built a network of communities working collectively towards common goals. The launch of the Climate Smart Communities Coordinator initiative earlier this year provides direct technical assistance and support to local governments in completing climate mitigation and adaptation actions in the pursuit of certification. DEC's Climate Smart Communities Grant program also supports municipalities by providing 50/50 competitive grant funding to help complete certification actions and implement projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and build resilience to extreme weather.

To see a full list of actions completed by all certified Climate Smart Communities, visit: https://climatesmart.ny.gov/actions-certification/participating-communities/

For more information on the Climate Smart Communities Certification Program, visit: https://climatesmart.ny.gov/actions-certification/why-become-certified/

To contact a Climate Smart Community Coordinator, visit: https://climatesmart.ny.gov/support/csc-coordinators/

For more information on the DEC-funded programs associated with the Climate Smart Communities Program, visit: https://www.dec.ny.gov/energy/109181.html

Climate Friendly Homes

The Climate Friendly Homes Fund is part of Governor Hochul's strategy to curb building emissions and establish two million climate-friendly, electrified, or electrification-ready homes by 2030. The Community Preservation Corporation, a leading New York-based nonprofit housing and community revitalization finance company, was selected to administer the program through a Notice of Funding Availability released earlier this year.

In order to maximize impact and the reach of the program, CPC is partnering with like-minded green lending institutions, Community Development Financial Institutions, and other community-based nonprofits to collaborate on the identification and screening of building retrofit opportunities across the State. Lending Partners will include Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), Enterprise Community Partners, and Inclusive Prosperity Capital. In addition, local community-based organizations from across the state will provide outreach and originations support to the program.

Through the CFHF, awards will be made to owners of multifamily rental properties to carry out an energy audit or Integrated Physical Needs Assessment. Developments containing between five and 50 apartments will be eligible and funding will help identify and pay for improvements that increase energy efficiency and decrease a building's greenhouse gas emissions. These improvements include the electrification of the building's heating and cooling systems, domestic hot water systems, ventilation systems, and upgrades to the building envelope.

Eligibility criteria and more information on the Climate Friendly Homes Fund is available on HCR's website as well as the CPC website, where owners can sign up to receive information on funding eligibility requirements, the application process and additional program updates.

Councilmember Rafael Salamanca - News, updates and more from NYC Council Member Rafael Salamanca, Jr.

 

HEALTHY EATING FOR OUR SENIORS Council Member Salamanca and Urban Health Plan team up to host their monthly fresh food giveaway for low-income seniors in the community.

WISHING YOU ALL A HAPPY HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH FROM TEAM SALAMANCA! UPCOMING EVENT

Comptroller Lander and Coalition of Investors File Shareholder Proposal at Starbucks on the Rights of Workers to Organize

 

Proposal calls for an independent assessment of the company’s labor practices including whether Starbucks is adhering to its stated commitment to workers’ freedom of association.

Today, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander announced that the New York City Pension Funds have filed a shareholder proposal that calls for an independent, third-party assessment of Starbucks’ (SBUX) adherence to workers’ freedom of association and collective bargaining rights. The proposal was filed along with PIRC on behalf of pension fund clients, SHARE on behalf of The Catherine Donnelly Foundation, and Trillium ESG Global Equity Fund.

The New York City Retirement Systems own 1.78 million shares in the company, valued at $155.06 million as of June 30, 2022. The investor coalition collectively owns more than $163 million in shares. This action follows a similar initiative by investors at Apple, as workers at both companies are organizing across the country.

Starbucks’ stated mission is to “inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.” Despite this goal, there is growing concern that the company is interfering with its employees’ freedom of association, which it claims to respect. Reports of retaliatory firings of workers leading unionization efforts have made national headlines multiple times in the last several months. In August, Starbucks was ordered by a judge to reinstate several employees in Memphis, TN who were reportedly fired for supporting organizing efforts.

The surge in reports of retaliation and interference with worker organizing are a serious human capital management concern for long-term shareholders. Starbucks’ workers are the faces of the company to customers. As Starbucks’ employees across the nation continue to lead unionization efforts, the company’s leadership must cease activities that may be viewed as union-busting. Workers at hundreds of stores have voted to unionize, yet Starbucks leadership has spoken publicly against unionization efforts, and regional offices of the NLRB have issued at least 20 complaints against Starbucks.

The shareholder proposal calls on the board of Starbucks to oversee an independent evaluation of the company’s adherence to its “stated commitment to workers’ freedom of association and collective bargaining rights as contained in the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Core Labor Standards and as explicitly referenced in the company’s Global Human Rights Statement.”

To read the proposal in full, click here.

“When companies blatantly disregard and oppose their employees’ fundamental right to organize, they put their reputation on the line. For a company as focused on the customer experience as Starbucks, continued interference with worker organizing undermines the brand, which is essential to its success. Workers have boldly stood up to company leadership and fought for real representation over the course of just two years, yet rather than treat them as partners — as the company calls its employees — Starbucks has taken actions inconsistent with its own stated values. A new standard is emerging across the U.S: any company that wants to be considered a responsible employer must genuinely remain neutral when workers organize,” said Comptroller Brad Lander.

“We were not impressed by management’s language at last week’s investor day on worker rights. Clearly, they need to re-commit to respecting worker rights to organize and collectively bargain which it made years ago in Starbucks’ Global Human Rights Statement. Given the hundreds of allegations of unfair labor practices, we continue to be deeply concerned about the negative impacts on Starbucks’s workers and the company’s reputation as a socially progressive company,” said Trillium Asset Management, LLC’s Chief Advocacy Officer Jonas D. Kron. “As recently covered by a Trillium whitepaper, there is strong evidence that respecting worker rights is good for investors, employers, and workers. But, beyond that, genuinely respecting labor rights is the right thing for Starbucks to do.”

“Corporations should refrain from interfering with employees’ right to organize and instead promote an environment in which the collective voices of workers are heard and respected,” said Department of Finance Commissioner Preston Niblack, Chair of the New York City Employees’ Retirement System Board. “I join my fellow trustees in urging Starbucks to listen to its workers as well as investor concerns and embrace its stated commitment to upholding collective bargaining rights for its employees.”

In addition to Comptroller Lander, the trustees of the aforementioned systems are as follows:

New York City Employees’ Retirement System (NYCERS): Mayor Eric Adams’ Representative Preston Niblack, Department of Finance Commissioner (Chair); New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams; Borough Presidents: Mark Levine (Manhattan), Donovan Richards (Queens), Antonio Reynoso (Brooklyn), Vito Fossella (Staten Island), and Vanessa L. Gibson (Bronx); Henry Garrido, Executive Director, District Council 37, AFSCME; Tony Utano, President Transport Workers Union Local 100; and Gregory Floyd, President, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 237.

Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS): Mayor Eric Adams’ Appointee Bryan Berge, Director, Mayor’s Office of Pension and Investments; Chancellor’s Representative, Benjamin Schanback, New York City Department of Education; and Debra Penny (Chair), Thomas Brown and David Kazansky, all of the United Federation of Teachers.

New York City Fire Pension Fund (Fire): Mayor Eric Adams’ Representative Bryan Berge, Director, Mayor’s Office of Pension and Investments; Acting New York City Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanagh (Chair); New York City Finance Commissioner Preston Niblack; Andrew Ansbro, President, Robert Eustace, Vice President, Edward Brown, Treasurer, and Eric Bischoff, Staten Island Representative and Chair, Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York; Liam Guilfoyle, Captains’ Rep.; Paul Mannix, Chiefs’ Rep., and Christopher Jensen, Lieutenants’ Rep., Uniformed Fire Officers Association; and Peter Devita, Marine Engineers Association.

New York City Police Pension Fund (PPF): Mayor Eric Adams’ Representative Bryan Berge, Director, Mayor’s Office of Pension and Investments; New York City Finance Commissioner Preston Niblack; New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell (Chair); Chris Monahan, Captains Endowment Association; Louis Turco, Lieutenants Benevolent Association; Vincent Vallelong, Sergeants Benevolent Association; Paul DiGiacomo, Detectives Endowment Association; and Patrick Lynch, John Puglissi, Joseph Alejandro, and Thomas Gilmore, all of the NYC Police Benevolent Association.

Board of Education Retirement System (BERS): Board of Education Retirement System (BERS): Schools Chancellor David C. Banks, Represented by Ben Schanback; New York City Comptroller Brad Lander’s Representative Alison Hirsh; Mayoral: Vasthi Acosta, Marjorie Dienstag, Gregory Faulkner, Dr. Angela Green, Kyle Kimball, Anthony Lopez, Alan Ong, Gladys Ward, Karina Taveras; Thomas Sheppard (CEC); Geneal Chacon (Bronx); Tazin Azad (Brooklyn); Kaliris Salas-Ramirez (Manhattan); Sheree Gibson (Queens); Aaron Bogad (Staten Island); and employee members John Maderich of the IUOE Local 891 and Donald Nesbit of District Council 37, Local 372.

NYS Office of Mental Health Hosts Annual Suicide Prevention Conference

Internationally recognized experts will discuss importance of social connection

To help raise awareness and share the latest developments, findings and techniques regarding suicide prevention, the NYS Office of Mental Health (OMH) is hosting the three-day 2022 Suicide Prevention Conference, beginning September 20. The free and virtual conference, titled "Fostering Connection Across the Lifespan" will bring together internationally recognized experts to summarize the latest prevention science.

Governor Kathy Hochul first announced the Suicide Prevention Conference, as well as other initiatives to raise awareness when she proclaimed September to be Suicide Prevention Month in New York State.

OMH Commissioner Dr. Ann Sullivan, said, “The theme for this year’s conference speaks to the importance of social connections and the experience of having a sense of belonging and feeling close to others.  Studies show this sense of connection – from childhood and throughout our entire lives - is one of the most important factors in not just mental health but also our physical health.”

The Director of OMH’s Suicide Prevention Center, Jay Carruthers, M.D. said “Our annual suicide prevention conference always serves as a great opportunity to bring leading suicide prevention experts together to discuss the latest science and important issues facing suicide prevention. Past attendees left the conference with new and valuable suicide prevention resources they brought back to their families, organizations, schools and communities to help make New Yorker safer and healthier.  This year we have a fantastic lineup of internationally recognized experts for what will be the largest-attended conference we’ve ever hosted. It’s clear that thousands of New Yorkers are interested in learning about social connectedness and its importance to our health.”

More than 20 subject experts, including clinicians, researchers and service providers will participate in this year’s conference. This year’s speakers include:

1. Jean Twenge is a social psychologist whose research has focused on the mental health impact of wide-spread use of smart phones and social media by Gen Z or as she refers to them, iGen. These individuals -- born after 1995 – are the first generation to spend their entire adolescence with smartphones. Perhaps as a result, they are fundamentally different from the generations before them. iGen is growing up more slowly as adolescents, taking longer to engage in adult activities such as working, driving, dating, having sex, and drinking alcohol. iGen spends more of their leisure time with digital media and less time seeing their friends face-to-face; they also spend less time sleeping. This pattern of time use is associated with compromised mental and physical health, which might explain why rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide suddenly increased after smartphones became common around 2012. 
2. Julianne Holt-Lundstad is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Brigham Young University. Her research is focused on the long-term health effects of social connection and her work has been seminal in the recognition of social isolation and loneliness as risk factors for early mortality. Her program of research takes an interdisciplinary and multi-level approach to understanding the associations between social relationships and long-term health outcomes, factors that may moderate the association, and the biological (autonomic, neuroendocrine, gene) pathways by which these associations occur. She has also recently begun work that examines how social relationships may be utilized in interventions to potentially reduce risk.
3. Cheryl King is a psychologist and professor in the Department of Psychiatry and the Director of the Youth Depression and Suicide Prevention Program at the University of Michigan. Her research focuses on the development of culturally tailored and evidence-based practices for youth suicide risk screening, assessment, and intervention. She will discuss the current crisis in adolescent mental health, including the upward trends in depression, anxiety, self-harmful behavior, and suicide, as well as recent “calls to action” to address this urgent public health concern. This information will provide the backdrop to an overview, based in scientific studies, of the importance of social and school connectedness to adolescent mental health.
4. Helen Kingston is general practitioner physician at the Frome Medical Practice in Frome, England where she has been caring for patients for over 20 years. Dr. Kingston and her team are internationally known for an initiative aimed at integrating healthy social connection into primary care. The Frome work has been featured prominently in the New York Times, the Guardian, and other major media outlets.
5. Sherry Molock is a psychologist and associate professor in the department of Psychological & Brain Sciences at George Washington University. She is the developer with her collaborators of the HAVEN Connect model, a novel upstream wellness program for youth in New York Black churches. HAVEN Connect is a suicide prevention program designed to help youth feel socially and emotionally connected to natural, cohesive, social networks and to enhance their adaptive coping skills to help prevent suicide among African American youth who attend predominantly Black churches.
6. Robert Waldinger is a psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, and Zen priest. He is Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and directs the Harvard Study of Adult Development, one of the longest-running studies of adult life ever done. The Study tracked the lives of 724 men for over 80 years and now studies their Baby Boomer children to understand how childhood experience reaches across decades to affect health and wellbeing in middle age. He writes about what science can teach us about healthy human development, and his book about the science of relationships, entitled The Good Life, will be published by Simon & Schuster in January of 2023.

More information on registering for the Conference is available on the SPCNY website.

 

MAYOR ADAMS, CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER FRASER ANNOUNCE NATION’S LARGEST FREE MUNICIPAL BROADBAND PROGRAM FOR NYCHA RESIDENTS

 

‘Big Apple Connect’ Provides Free, In-Home, High-Speed Internet and Basic Cable to More Than 100 NYCHA Developments, Will Increase to More Than 200 Developments by End of 2023

 New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Matthew Fraser today announced the citywide launch of ‘Big Apple Connect’ — a landmark digital equity program that will make free high-speed internet and basic cable TV available to approximately 300,000 New Yorkers living in more than 200 New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments by the end of 2023. Mayor Adams and CTO Fraser announced the program — initially piloted at eight public housing developments across the five boroughs, and which has now been expanded to more than 100 developments — at NYCHA’s Langston Hughes Houses in Brownsville, Brooklyn.

 

“A 21^st-century city like New York deserves 21^st-century infrastructure, and, today, we continue our quest to bridge the digital divide with the landmark rollout of ‘Big Apple Connect,’” said Mayor Adams. “For too long, lower-income communities, immigrant communities, and communities of color have been ignored when it comes to accessing the critical digital tools to help them succeed. Broadband is no longer a luxury, but a necessity that all New Yorkers should have access to. That’s why by the end of next year, more than 200 NYCHA developments will have access to the free high-speed internet and cable TV — giving approximately 300,000 New Yorkers access to the essential tools to live productive lives. Something as simple as providing free, accessible Wi-Fi can change the life of a New Yorker, and ‘Big Apple Connect’ will link our city to the future.”

 

“Big Apple Connect is an innovative program that will enhance the lives of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers living in public housing by providing them access to necessary broadband,” said First Deputy Mayor Lorraine Grillo. “I congratulate Chief Technology Officer Matt Fraser and all of our partners in the administration on achieving this milestone today to address the digital divide.”

 

“‘Big Apple Connect’ is a game-changer for today’s New Yorkers living in public housing on par with the advent of utilities like heat or hot water,” said CTO and Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI) Commissioner Matthew Fraser. “This citywide broadband initiative ensures that New Yorkers need not defer their dreams — or fail to meet basic needs — because they lack the resources to pay for internet or live in a pre-war building. Our city’s students, senior citizens, parents, and job seekers who need in-home, high-speed internet access the most will experience tangible day one benefits that enrich their lives for years to come. ‘Big Apple Connect’ stands as a testament to New York City’s national leadership in promoting digital equity under Mayor Adams.” 

 

“The launch of Big Apple Connect represents the most significant investment to date in modernizing the Authority’s broadband infrastructure for the 21^st century,” said Interim NYCHA CEO Lisa Bova-Hiatt. “The high-quality internet service enabled through this program will help ensure that young people have access to online educational instruction, working parents have access to vital career opportunities, and senior residents can continue to engage with their loved ones. We commend the mayor and the Office of Technology and Innovation for their continued investments in increasing digital equity for public housing residents and look forward to implementing this initiative across NYCHA campuses citywide.”

 

“In 2022, in the wealthiest city in the country, no one should go without access to the internet. It is vital to our daily lives, to succeeding in school and in work, and is how we stay connected as a society, which is why ‘Big Apple Connect’ is so exciting,” said Chief Housing Officer Jessica Katz. “Bridging the digital divide is at the heart of building a more equitable city, and I want to thank Chief Technology Officer Fraser for putting NYCHA residents at the heart of this effort.”

 

Big Apple Connect will provide residents of NYCHA developments a free bundle that consists of in-home, high-speed internet connection, including a modem and router; basic cable TV service, including a cable box and remote control; and common area Wi-Fi hotspots, selected in consultation with NYCHA.

 

After requesting proposals earlier this year from existing New York City cable TV franchisees, the city entered into three-year agreements with Altice (Optimum) and Charter (Spectrum), which will collectively cover the majority of developments owned and managed by NYCHA. The city is continuing to negotiate with Verizon as a possible third franchisee. OTI will be billed directly for all residents enrolled in ‘Big Apple Connect’ for the three-year term.

 

NYCHA residents will not be billed anything for these services. Existing customers of Optimum and Spectrum living in NYCHA developments where ‘Big Apple Connect’ is active will be automatically enrolled in the program and will only be billed for additional services they choose to purchase directly. Residents will receive email notifications and mailers explaining why their bills were lowered, as well as information on ‘Big Apple Connect.’ Residents without existing service will have the opportunity to sign up directly though Spectrum or Optimum or may attend on-site enrollment events conducted by the companies in partnership with OTI.

 

An estimated 30 to 40 percent of NYCHA residents lack broadband, according to cable service providers. Once its rollout is complete, ‘Big Apple Connect’ is projected to be the largest municipal program to cover the cost of internet for public housing residents in the nation. NYCHA residents enrolled in ‘Big Apple Connect’ will also be able to use the federal Affordable Connectivity Program benefit to save money on their cell phone bills. The Affordable Connectivity Program provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward internet or cellular data service for eligible households and is limited to one monthly service discount per month.

 

The site of Mayor Adams’ announcement today — Langston Hughes Houses — has served as one of eight select pilot sites, where best practices on community engagement and promotion were assessed. Since the pilot’s debut last month at Langston Hughes, more than 200 existing customers of Optimum have been automatically converted and 120 new subscribers have been added. Nearly 350 Langston Hughes units — or approximately two-thirds of households at the development — are already enrolled in Big Apple Connect.

 

In addition to the Langston Hughes Houses in Brooklyn, the other pilot sites in the five boroughs included:

• Bronx: Mott Haven Houses
• Bronx: Patterson Houses
• Brooklyn: Brownsville Houses
• Manhattan: Polo Grounds Towers
• Queens: Queensbridge Houses
• Queens: Woodside Houses
• Staten Island: Stapleton Houses

 

Information about current and future eligible NYCHA sites will be available on OTI’s 'Big Apple Connect' website.

 

“This program is wonderful,” said Ciprian Noel, tenant association president, Langston Hughes Houses. “As a single father of two kids in college, it helps me save money and provides essential internet service in my home. I encourage more NYCHA residents to sign up for Big Apple Connect because it helps us connect with people. I am grateful to Mayor Adams and CTO Fraser for thinking about the residents of Langston Hughes as they implemented this program.”

 

“Charter is pleased to join with Mayor Adams and his administration to deliver vitally needed broadband through ‘Big Apple Connect,’” said Camille Joseph-Goldman, vice president, Charter. “Mayor Adams’ commitment to creating this powerful public-private partnership will bring fast, reliable broadband, in-home WiFi ,and TV service to tens of thousands of families in Housing Authority properties across the city — enabling residents to participate fully in today’s digital world for work, learning, entertainment, and staying connected.”

 

“Optimum is proud to be a founding partner of ‘Big Apple Connect,’ and we thank Mayor Eric Adams and CTO Matthew Fraser for their leadership and vision in championing this program and sharing our collective commitment to digital equity,” said Matt Grover, executive vice president of consumer and business services, Optimum. “Bringing high-speed Optimum internet and TV service to NYCHA residents at no charge represents a huge step forward in helping to bridge the digital divide and ensuring that all of New York City is connected. Through ‘Big Apple Connect,’ we have already connected thousands of residents, bringing new households online for the first time and making services more affordable for all residents, and we look forward to Optimum’s expansion of ‘Big Apple Connect’ to more NYCHA developments.”

 

Bronx River Art Center (BRAC) - Convergence: Artists & Community at BRAC Gallery

 

Bronx River Art Center Presents: CONVERGENCE: Artists & Community A Celebration of BRAC’s 35th Anniversary September 22 - October 22, 2022 Opening Reception & Fundraiser Thursday, September 22nd / 6:30pm - 9:00pm Live Performance by Hector Canonge at 7:30pm

Click here to RVSP

35 years and a recent $14,000,000 renovation has brought the Bronx River Art Center (BRAC) into a new era securing a prominent place for this vital cultural institution in the future of the Bronx. To celebrate this milestone anniversary BRAC wishes to honor the many studio and teaching artists who are at the heart of what makes BRAC tick by presenting their works in this survey exhibition that includes paintings, drawings, printmaking, ceramics, mixed media, and performance art.   Graciously, the artists offering their works for sale will donate half the proceeds to BRAC to help keep our programs affordable or free for our surrounding communities. Please join us and discover the talent of BRAC's cohort of artists and take home an original artwork to adorn your home with the spirit of the Bronx! Participating Artists: Marta Blair, Tiffany Miller, Tammy Wofsey, Jennifer Tomaiolo, Hector Canonge, Gail Nathan, Anna Ruiz-Castillo, Jessica Lagunas, Blanka Amezkua, Jonathan Berry, Gregory Maldonado, KaN - Karine Duteil & Nadej Hocini, Daniel Aros, Ruth Marshall, Aurelio Del Muro, Kraig Blue, David Cavaliero, Lili Chin, and Michele Brody.

Click here to RSVP BRAC COVID 19 Protocols Proof of vaccination will be required upon entering building  for all persons over age 6. Use of masks is required.

New York Man Charged with Middlesex County Carjacking

 

 A New York man was charged for an armed carjacking committed in South Brunswick, New Jersey, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger announced today.

Jashawn Robinson, 21, of Queens, New York, is charged by complaint with one count of carjacking and one count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. He will appear for his initial appearance at a later date.

According to the documents filed in this case:

On Aug. 29, 2021, at approximately 11:15 a.m., as two victims approached their vehicle parked in a motel parking lot to leave, Robinson ran up behind one of them, pointed a gun directly at her, and forcefully pulled her away from the vehicle. Robinson fired one round of ammunition from his gun into the air. Robinson then pointed his gun at the second victim, who had his hands in the air and was backing away from the vehicle. Robinson then entered the vehicle and drove away. The carjacking, including Robinson’s discharge of the firearm, was captured on video surveillance.

On Sept. 27, 2021, law enforcement officers located the carjacked vehicle parked on a residential street in Queens, New York, and established surveillance. The officers observed Robinson approach and enter that vehicle. As law enforcement officers converged and surrounded the vehicle, Robinson repeatedly tried to get away, including hitting parked cars and almost hitting law enforcement personnel. Robinson was removed from the vehicle and arrested.

The count of carjacking carries a maximum potential penalty of 15 years in prison. The count of discharging a firearm during a crime of violence is punishable by a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison, which must run consecutively to any term of imprisonment imposed on any other charge. Both charges each carry a potential fine of up to $250,000.

U.S. Attorney Sellinger credited special agents of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Newark Field Division, Trenton Field Office, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey L. Matthews; and the South Brunswick Police Department, under the direction of Chief Raymond J. Hayducka, with the investigation leading to the charges. He also thanked the U.S. Marshals Service, the New York City Police Department,  the Queens County District Attorney’s Office, and the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office for their assistance with this case.

The charges and allegations contained in the complaint are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

DEC Announces Annual Arbor Day Poster Contest

 

Dec. 31 Deadline for Photo and Artwork Submissions

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Basil Seggos today announced the start of DEC's annual Arbor Day Poster contest. Each year, DEC's Urban and Community Forestry Program coordinates the contest to promote the value of trees in the environment and New Yorkers' lives. The winner of the contest will have their photo or artwork reproduced as the 2023 Arbor Day Poster to commemorate the holiday.

"Arbor Day reminds us to appreciate the immeasurable benefits trees provide to ecosystems, public health, and the fight against climate change,” said Commissioner Seggos. “I invite all New Yorkers to highlight the beauty and importance of New York's trees with their photography and artwork.”

The annual Arbor Day Poster contest is sponsored by the New York State Arbor Day Committee, which includes DEC, the Empire State Forestry Foundation, the New York State Arborist Association, State Department of Agriculture and Markets, and Sylvamo North America. DEC will accept original photograph and artwork submissions on behalf of the committee through Dec. 31, 2022. Entries must feature trees within New York State and should be sent to arborday@dec.ny.gov.

“In addition to their scenic beauty, trees provide useful wood products, help mitigate stormwater, and improve water quality,” State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball said. "The Arbor Day Poster Contest is a wonderful celebration of New York’s trees and their contributions to our lives.”

All participants are required to complete the poster contest submission form. Model consent forms are additionally required for any discernable persons in photos. To access these forms and more information about the contest, visit DEC's website or email arborday@dec.ny.gov.

To obtain past New York State Arbor Day posters, contact any local DEC forestry office or call 518-402-9428.