Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating COVID-19 - NOVEMBER 7, 2022

 

Governor Encourages New Yorkers to Keep Using the Tools to Protect Against and Treat COVID-19: Vaccines, Boosters, Testing and Treatment

21 Statewide Deaths Reported on November 4

 "I urge New Yorkers to remain vigilant this November and to use all available tools to keep themselves, their loved ones and their communities safe and healthy," Governor Hochul said. "Be sure to stay up to date on vaccine doses, and test before gatherings or travel. If you test positive, talk to your doctor about potential treatment options."

Last week, Governor Hochul launched a new public awareness campaign featuring New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett speaking directly to New Yorkers about three viruses - Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), flu and COVID-19 - now circulating in the state with similar symptoms and the potential to cause serious illness. Produced by the New York State Department of Health, the videos include a short clip and a longer version geared toward parents; and a version aimed specifically at health care providers.  

Governor Hochul continues to remind New Yorkers that children ages 5 and older may now receive the bivalent booster shots that are recommended to increase protection against COVID-19. 

The Governor also urges New Yorkers to get their bivalent COVID-19 vaccine boosters. To schedule an appointment for a booster, New Yorkers should contact their local pharmacy, county health department, or healthcare provider; visit vaccines.gov; text their ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find nearby locations.  

In addition, Governor Hochul encourages New Yorkers to get their annual flu vaccine as flu season is widespread across New York State. The flu virus and the virus that causes COVID-19 are both circulating, so getting vaccinated against both is the best way to stay healthy and to avoid added stress to the health care system.  

The State Department of Health is continuing its annual public education campaign, reminding adults and parents to get both flu and COVID-19 shots for themselves and children 6 months and older. Advertisements in both English and Spanish language began running last month. 

For information about flu vaccine clinics, contact the local health department or visit vaccines.gov/find-vaccines/.

Today's data is summarized briefly below:    

1. Cases Per 100k - 15.71
2. 7-Day Average Cases Per 100k - 20.53
3. Test Results Reported - 41,661
4. Total Positive - 3,070
5. Percent Positive - 6.57%**     
6. 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 5.88%**      
7. Patient Hospitalization - 2,804 (+0)*
8. Patients Newly Admitted - 453*
9. Patients in ICU - 288 (-15)*
10. Patients in ICU with Intubation - 87 (-15)*
11. Total Discharges - 358,728 (+412)*
12. New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 21*  
13. Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 58,924 *  

** Due to the test reporting policy change by the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and several other factors, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.       

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.      

Important Note: Effective Monday, April 4, the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is no longer requiring testing facilities that use COVID-19 rapid antigen tests to report negative results. As a result, New York State's percent positive metric will be computed using only lab-reported PCR results. Positive antigen tests will still be reported to New York State and reporting of new daily cases and cases per 100k will continue to include both PCR and antigen tests. Due to this change and other factors, including changes in testing practices, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.   

• Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC - 75,220

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.    

Each New York City borough's 7-day average percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows **:        

Borough	Friday,   November   4, 2022	Saturday,   November   5, 2022	Sunday,   November   6, 2022
Bronx	6.57%	6.54%	6.52%
Kings	4.27%	4.34%	4.43%
New York	6.01%	5.79%	5.78%
Queens	6.75%	6.82%	6.77%
Richmond	5.57%	5.48%	5.45%

Attorney General James Wins $5.1 Million from Notorious Buffalo Landlord To Fund Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention in Erie County

 

Angel Elliot Dalfin Persistently and Brazenly Violated Lead Protection Laws, Resulting in Dozens of Cases of Childhood Lead Poisoning

 New York Attorney General Letitia James today won her $5.1 million lawsuit against against Angel Elliot Dalfin, a Buffalo-area landlord whose flagrant and egregious violations of lead safety laws resulted in more than two dozen reported cases of childhood lead poisoning. Erie County Supreme Court Justice Catherine Nugent Panepinto ordered Dalfin to pay $5.1 million in restitution and penalties, which will fund ongoing childhood lead poisoning prevention programs administered by the City of Buffalo and Erie County, as well as efforts to eliminate lead hazards in homes.

Dalfin and his rental housing operation owned and managed more than 150 single- and two-family homes in predominantly low-income communities of color. Seven properties had multiple cases of childhood lead poisoning reported.

“Angel Dalfin’s disregard for the health and wellbeing of his tenants and their families is as shocking as it is depraved. As a result of his reckless negligence, more than two dozen children are suffering the effects of lead poisoning,” said Attorney General James. “While no amount of money can reverse the damage he’s wrought, today’s landmark decision will fund invaluable lead poisoning prevention and abatement efforts throughout Erie County. Let this be a warning to all other landlords who would try to shirk their responsibilities: if you put children in harm’s way, my office will hold you accountable.”

In 2020, Attorney General James filed a lawsuit against Dalfin and the rental housing operations he controlled, alleging that Dalfin persistently violated city, county, state, and federal laws by failing to address lead paint-related hazards in the rental properties he owned. The allegations included repeated housing code violations, such as chipping, peeling, and deteriorating paint and other conditions conducive to lead poisoning, and allowing paint to deteriorate to the point of being a lead hazard instead of taking preventive actions.

In April, Justice Panepinto sided with the Office of the Attorney General (OAG), finding Dalfin and his rental housing operation liable for the factual allegations made in the suit, including engaging in 126 instances of deceptive acts or practices, committing repeated fraud and illegality, and creating and contributing to a public nuisance. Dalfin and his affiliates were also permanently banned from renting or managing residential properties in New York state.

Today, in response to a request filed with the court by Attorney General James in July, Justice Panepinto awarded $5,094,018.45 in total penalties and restitution against Mr. Dalfin and his group. The award included:

• $630,000 total penalties for violations of state law requiring landlords to provide full and accurate information to tenants about known risk of lead exposure to children and known instances of lead paint and lead paint hazards. Attorney General James' July filing with the court stated that Dalfin and his affiliates “ignored their obligations and lied to tenants,” about lead risks in their properties.
• $3,101,900 in restitution for ongoing violations of the Erie County Sanitary Code involving conditions conducive to lead poisoning, such as chipping, peeling, and deteriorating paint. In her July filing, Attorney General James cited one property, where a child resided that had 16 different lead hazard violations that were left unremedied by Dalfin for over 620 days and another property where seven violations were ignored for almost 880 days.
• $1,263,478.45 as disgorgement of a portion of rents received by Dalfin and his affiliates on properties with city or county lead paint-related code violations, as a remedy to what Attorney General James in the July filing called the “wide-ranging persistent and repeated illegality through which [the group] conducted their rental operation in Buffalo.” Attorney General James noted that, between 2013 and 2020, at least 63 of the Dalfin properties were cited for conditions conducive to lead poisoning.

Dalfin has now either sold or abandoned all properties he once owned or managed in Buffalo.  To help ensure that any remaining lead hazards in these properties are identified and corrected, OAG has contacted all tenants of the properties to inform them of their rights to lead-safe housing, as well as all new owners to inform them of their lead-related obligations.  In addition, the Attorney General is working closely with Heart of the City Neighborhoods, Inc., a non-profit community redevelopment agency, to rehabilitate several former Dalfin houses and provide lead-safe housing to the former tenants in those houses and help improve the neighborhoods Dalfin poisoned for years.

The poisoning of children from lead paint in aging rental housing is an ongoing national public health crisis, but is of particular concern in New York state, especially in Buffalo and the surrounding area. According to a 2018 study, the city of Buffalo suffers from some of the highest rates of childhood lead exposure in the nation, citing “poor housing conditions in old homes with lead paint.” In the Buffalo region, children who live in communities of color are 12 times more likely than children who live in predominately white neighborhoods to be diagnosed with an elevated blood lead level. Elevated blood lead levels are also more prevalent in Buffalo’s low-income neighborhoods than high-income neighborhoods.

Attorney General James thanks Erie County and the City of Buffalo for their close collaboration and partnership on this matter. The OAG will continue to work with local partners statewide to combat childhood lead poisoning.

NYC Comptroller Statement on Mid-Year Enrollment Estimates And Budgets

 

Following the release of preliminary enrollment numbers for the 2022-23 school year and an announcement that schools that lost students would not be required to return funding mid-year, NYC Comptroller Brad Lander issued the following statement:

“Holding schools harmless for enrollment declines so that they can provide the instruction and support our students need after these hard pandemic years is exactly the purpose of COVID relief funds. I’m glad that the administration and the Chancellor have finally come to the same conclusion.

“My office warned back in June that enrollment projections were being made based on the unique pandemic years, resulting in larger than necessary cuts to our public schools. It’s good to learn today that enrollment declines were not as low as projected.

“But for many schools that had to excess teachers or couldn’t hire to meet existing needs, the mid-year budget adjustments will come too late to create new classes.

“We cannot afford to fuel the self-fulfilling prophesy of underfunding schools based on projected enrollment declines. Quality public education is essential to ensuring New York City remains a vibrant place to raise a family, grow a business, and invest in a community.”

An open letter to Michael Ryan Executive Director New York City Board of Elections

This is being written due to the fact that I Robert Press a reporter for several Newspapers and co-host of a weekly political television show, have covered elections in the Bronx for the past seven year with official NYC Board of Elections media identification, but have not had one election where a site coordinator did not know their job and that goes for both parties. This letter could not be emailed to you.

One time a coordinator said I couldn't survey the number of votes on the ballot scanning machine without a poll watchers certificate after showing the BOE media ID that states in the first paragraph I can observe, film (with restrictions on the second page), survey, record results, and or voter poll within a poll site (at least 100 feet from the entrance). One time a coordinator wanted to keep the BOE media ID. One time during a special election at the Bronx Science Early Voting poll site a person who said he was a technician said that the media ID was phoney, and I had to wait for the Democratic Bronx Borough director to clear the situation who apologized to me for what had happened. The second time I went to the poll site two days later the entrance door was locked. After banging on the door several times someone opened it, but the precinct was called because it was said I was making a disturbance. when the officers arrived they looked at the two pages of Media ID left, and I got another apology from the Democratic Bronx Borough Director. I would get a third apology two day later when I was told there is a bell on the door to ring which was down on the Handicap sign for people in wheelchairs to push for assistance. I was rudely treated again inside, and for the third time the Democratic Bronx Borough Board Director apologized to me. Last year one of the poll workers at a site I know began to speak to me and the coordinator yelled out don't talk to the poll workers. 

There are several other times things occurred with coordinators, but what last year when I went into the Morris Park poll site to vote, I had complained that there were poll workers sitting behind the voters booth, and I was told they are eating lunch. I said I wanted privacy they can eat their lunch somewhere else. After I voted I came back in and was given a hard time by one of the coordinators after signing in and showing the BOE media ID.

This year after voting at the Morris Park poll site I said hello to one of the poll workers I know.  When I returned after going outside to show the BOE media ID and sign in, I was given a look by one of the coordinators who was at the poll site last year and did not like that I came back in as a media person. The second day I came in I had a hard time with the female coordinator who said I was not wearing my NYC police issued ID which I had in my shirt pocket and immediately put on when I noticed it was not on. The female coordinator then asked the officer to remove me from the site. I showed him the BOE Media ID and he called his superior who came to the site in a few minutes. The Sergeant did not know about the media ID and in order not to make a scene inside the poll site I chose to walk out of the site. I went back the fourth day after hearing a male Democratic candidate filmed a female Republican candidate going into the bathroom at the Morris Park poll site the day before. I signed in and asked both coordinators about the incident. They said to call the Board of Elections who still hasn't called me back after Early Voting has ended. I returned the next day to the Morris Park poll site signed in did the survey of the amount of votes in the machines, used the bathroom, and left said good bye to my friend. I skipped one day to do the survey again after signing in, and had to wait this time as there were more poll voting booths this year with some in front of the bathroom doors. this time there was a voter in one of the booth so I waited until they finished to use the bathroom.  On the last day of early voting I came in towards the end of the day signed in showed the BOE media ID, and observed one of the poll workers giving a voter a ballot then giving the voter a second piece of paper that he had written on. I mentioned thi to the male coordinator who said not to worry about it. After ten minutes the female coordinator asked the police officer to remove me that I had spent enough time in the poll site as a poll watcher. I showed the officer the BOE media credentials which said I could record results which meant after the poll site closed, and there was no set time for me to stay inside to which this officer agreed and let me stay. I had gone outside for a minute before to see the female coordinator say to a voter you can not take that (a palm card) inside with you, put it in your pocket. The previous election August 23, 2022 I was in Riverdale with Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz the former Bronx Democratic County Committee Chair who gave a palm card to a voter saying that the voter could take it inside the poll site to find the candidate on the palm card. He reassured me that he knows New York State Election Law. 

Mr. Ryan I would like to know why I have these problems with the Bronx poll site coordinators as I know what to do and have been doing it for years.  I have been told they are not trained right, it's an open book test, and some other things you don't want me to mention. This year it seems to be a close race in the 80th Assembly District and certain experienced poll coordinators there on the Democratic side have been removed at the last minute so inexperienced poll coordinators or those loyal to the Democratic candidate in the 80th A.D. who were placed there by the Bronx Democratic Party at the last minute.

Robert Press 

Bronx Chronicle, and several other news outlets.

100percentbronxnews@gmail.com 

Repeat Armed Felon Sentenced to 102 Months in Federal Prison for Illegal Possession of Ammunition and a Firearm while on Supervised Release

 Nicholas Hines, 39, of Indianapolis, was sentenced to 102 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon.

According to court documents, on April 9, 2014, Hines was convicted of being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 92 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release by the U.S. Probation Office. Hines was released from prison in March of 2020 and began serving his supervised release sentence. As part of the conditions of Hines’ supervised release sentence, and because he is a convicted felon, under federal law Hines is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.

On December 15, 2020, federal probation officers visited Hines’ residence on Eastern Avenue in Indianapolis to conduct a compliance check. Hines met the officers at his front door but was reluctant to unlock the door and allow the officers inside his residence. Officers negotiated with Hines for several minutes before Hines unlocked the door. Hines was placed in handcuffs while the officers searched the residence.

The officers searched two upstairs bedrooms and found a box of live .38 caliber ammunition in one of the bedrooms. The box contained nineteen rounds of live ammunition, and officers estimated that five or six rounds of ammunition were missing from the box. Hines was interviewed by the officers, and he admitted that the ammunition was his, but he denied having a firearm.

U.S. Probation Officers tried to reach Hines after the December 15, 2020, visit, but they were unsuccessful, and Hines was no longer accepting phone calls. A warrant was issued to arrest Hines for violation of the terms of his release. On December 18, 2020, a federal criminal complaint was filed against Hines for unlawful possession of ammunition by a convicted felon and another warrant was issued for his arrest. Federal law enforcement officers organized a search to locate Hines to arrest him for his outstanding warrants.

On January 14, 2021, officers located Hines at a Red Roof Inn on Lynhurst Drive in Indianapolis. Hines and a woman were seen exiting the front door of the hotel and walking towards a vehicle. The officers attempted to arrest Hines, but he ran, and a foot pursuit ensued. Hines ran behind the hotel, jumped a fence, and entered an apartment complex before a pursuing officer deployed his taser, causing Hines to fall to the ground. Hines rolled over on his back revealing a revolver in his right hand. As another officer tried to approach Hines, Hines held the revolver to his own head. After a five-minute standoff, Hines dropped the revolver and was taken into custody. The revolver was loaded with five rounds of the same brand of .38 caliber ammunition found in Hines’ upstairs bedroom during the probation search.  

Zachary A. Myers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Indiana; Herbert J. Stapleton, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Indianapolis Field Office; and Joseph “Dan” McClain, U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Indiana; made the announcement.

The FBI investigated the case. The U.S. Marshals Service provided valuable assistance. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Chief Judge Tanya Walton Pratt. As part of the sentence, Judge Pratt ordered that Hines be supervised by the U.S. Probation Office for two years following his release from federal prison.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. 

Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association Community Meeting

 

Please join us as the Pelham Parkway Neighborhood Association is back  with their  monthly community  meeting  on Tuesday  November 15, 2022 at 7pm  at our new location 2134 Barnes Avenue on the corner of Barnes and Lydig Avenue.  Scheduled  to appear are  ALL   the local elected  officials  from our  community .  Please join us for this very important and  informative session .Get ready to learn all about the happenings in our  community .This is your opportunity to bring your community issues, questions and concerns and problems to this meeting. Involvement from the community  is essential  to having a safe, clean neighborhood.  Its time to get  involved in your community  and stay involved .Your  problems get addressed and action is taken. Show  up  and speak up! 

KRVC - Gallery 505 News - Save the Dates

Our current exhibit -- From Every Angle: Through the Female Gaze explores confidence, inner strength, and, of course, the female form, as seen through the eyes of artist Erika Shallcross  through November 11th Gallery 505 505 West 236th Street We had a terrific opening of Erika's show in September

 

(Linda Manning, our curator, and Erika) Erika Shallcross is a visual artist based in New York City. A photographer, painter, and collage technician, her pieces are both whimsical and evocative. Regularly experimenting with new techniques and touching on various themes, Shallcross believes these parameters simultaneously anchor, free, and guide her work. Shallcross is the owner of the Riverdale-based New York Portrait Company, which specializes in unique and innovative women’s portraiture. In addition, she teaches a variety of courses at Pelham Art Center in Westchester, New York. NewYorkPortraitCompany.com   More about Erika in the Bronx Times.

SAVE THE DATES Our next Gallery 505 opening is Thursday, November 17th, 7-9PM Featuring the work of Herb Kaplan “Beginning in the early 2000s, in addition to taking photos to record my travels with my wife Leah in the U.S. and abroad, I began to take pictures of nature, scenery and landscapes.   In recent years, I have become more conscious of taking photographs of flowers and plants very close up, both on vacations and close to home, especially at Wave Hill and New York Botanical Garden. And I have become more interested in the visual effect of the pictures I take, moving much closer in to capture the mystery, the intimacy, the sensuality in nature. In some cases, my intention is to take a photo of an object and crop it in such a way that the viewer might not immediately recognize what it is.”   Herb’s photographs have been exhibited at his synagogue in Manhattan (SAJ), Gallery 18 at Riverdale Y, Riverdale-Yonkers Society for Ethical Culture, and KRVC ‘s Art at Amalgamated annual exhibit.