MAYOR ADAMS LAUNCHES “UR IN LUCK,” NEW EFFORT TO MAKE NYC PUBLIC RESTROOMS MORE ACCESSIBLE, EQUITABLE

 

82 New and Refurbished Restrooms Will Come Online Citywide in Next Five Years, City Will Site 14 Additional Automatic Public Toilets in Next Two Years

 

City Releases Google Maps Layer with Nearest Public Restrooms

 

Announcement Comes as NYC Parks Recently Completed Expansion of Changing Tables to All Feasible Public Restrooms, Three Years Ahead of Schedule

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today launched “Ur In Luck,” a new effort to expand New Yorkers’ access to public restrooms across all five boroughs, including in Flushing. Over the next five years, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (NYC Parks) will build 46 new restrooms and renovate 36 existing restrooms, adding to New York City’s nearly 1,000 existing public restrooms. Once all the restrooms are complete, 10 are slated to be placed in the Bronx, 23 in Brooklyn, 28 in Manhattan, 14 in Queens, and seven on Staten Island. The 36 existing restrooms being renovated will receive improvements ranging from additional stalls to accessibility upgrades, as well as energy efficient features. At the same time, the city is making wayfinding to the city’s public restrooms better in time for summer by introducing a new Google Maps layer that New Yorkers can activate on their phones to easily find the locations of every public restroom operated by a wide-range of agencies and civic institutions citywide.

 

“Part of making New York City a more livable city is tackling the little things — the things we don’t think about until we need them,” said Mayor Adams. “Access to public restrooms is high on that list, maybe even number one or two. We’ve already added changing tables to all NYC Parks public restrooms where it’s feasible — three years ahead of schedule. The new and renovated bathrooms we’ll deliver over the next five years will make it easier for New Yorkers to embrace the best parts of this city: our shared outdoors spaces. And our new Google Maps layer will make it easier to find relief when you’ve got to go. ‘Ur in’ luck, New York.”

 

“Need a bathroom, ‘ur in’ luck!” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi. “Everyone — seniors, parents with kids, anyone enjoying the day outdoors, needs access to a public bathroom without having to buy anything or beg for a code. Public bathrooms are critical infrastructure for New York City, where people are always out and about. We’re making New York City a little easier and more livable, one public restroom at a time.”  

 

“New Yorkers deserve accessible, well-maintained public restrooms — and we’re delivering. NYC Parks is leading the way with innovative initiatives and partnerships to build these vital public resources more quickly and efficiently,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “By creatively bringing new and improved bathrooms to New Yorkers throughout the five boroughs, we’re ensuring that visitors to our parks can access the amenities they need, when they need them. We’re grateful to the Adams administration for this innovative map and their vital investment in restroom access, just the latest step in our shared work of making New York City even more green, livable, and equitable for all.”

 

“The Adams administration is reimagining our streets through the creation of more public plazas than ever before, and expanding access to public restrooms makes these spaces more welcoming and creates a more hospitable environment for everyone that lives, works, and visits New York City,” said New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “We’re excited to participate in this new task force to site 14 new automatic public toilets as part of this broader effort to improve restroom access.”

 

“From ‘privately-owned public spaces’ to parks, bathrooms are an important part of New York’s public spaces, and this increased access will help New Yorkers across the city when nature calls,” said New York City Department of City Planning Director and City Planning Commission Chair Dan Garodnick. “‘Privately-owned public spaces’ continue to provide high-quality amenities and access to public restrooms, and they are a key part of our planning work to ensure New Yorkers can enjoy public space in some of the densest areas of the city.”

 

“As a mom of three kids, I understand all too well the struggles of trying to find an open public restroom in New York City. When kids gotta go, they gotta go,” said Chief Public Realm Officer Ya-Ting Liu. “Investing in new restrooms and in public information so that New Yorkers are able to quickly find them is one of the many ways this administration is making the public realm better for people who live, work, and travel in New York City.”

 

The Google Maps layer — which will be updated biannually— will include restrooms operated by NYC Parks, DOT, the Metropolitan Transit Authority, the city’s ‘privately-owned public spaces,’ and all three of the city’s library systems — the New York Public Library, the Brooklyn Public Library, and the Queens Public Library. The city has also created a series of advertisements, available online, which will run on LinkNYC kiosks and on Taxi TVs from June through September and help guide New Yorkers on how to access this resource. Data on the city’s public restrooms will be available on Open Data to enable the public to build their own tools leveraging this data and to conduct analysis around the city’s public restrooms, using one consistent, reliable, and updated data set of the city’s restrooms.

 

Finally, the city is establishing a joint taskforce — which will bring city departments together under the leadership of Chief Public Realm Officer Liu — to assist in siting and fast-tracking approvals for 14 new high-tech, self-cleaning automatic public toilets on city sidewalks and plazas in collaboration with DOT’s Coordinated Street Furniture franchisee JCDecaux.

 

Last month, NYC Parks completed its expansion of new baby changing tables to all public restrooms in city parks, where feasible — more than three years ahead of schedule. NYC Parks has opened seven new restrooms to the public in the past five months at:

 

• Bronx Point/Mill Pond Park, Bronx
• Starlight Park, Bronx
• Wyckoff House Park, Brooklyn
• Frederick Johnson Playground, Manhattan
• Highbridge Park Adventure Playground, Manhattan
• Maspeth Park, Queens
• Lopez Playground, Staten Island

Bronx River Public Input Meeting | Tuesday, June 4 | 6:30PM-8PM (Virtual

 

BRONX RIVER PUBLIC INPUT MEETING

DATE: Tuesday, June 4, 2024

TIME: 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m.

CONTACT: Victoria Toro (646) 408-3090

(718) 542-4124 ext.102; victoria.toro@bronxriver.org

LOCATION: Virtual meeting on Zoom

EVENT: On Tuesday, June 4th from 6:30pm to 8pm, the Bronx River Alliance will be hosting a virtual Public Input Meeting for the Bronx River Intermunicipal Watershed Management Plan (IWMP). Anyone who lives, works, or plays in the areas around the Bronx River is invited to attend and give their feedback and ideas for improvements over the next 10 years. The Plan will outline long term projects contributing towards the goal of making the Bronx River swimmable and fishable. New to this update of the Plan are climate resiliency recommendations that mitigate projected climate impacts over the next 10 years.

DETAILS: The Bronx River Intermunicipal Watershed Management Plan is the result of a coalition partnership including the Bronx River Alliance, the City of New York Department of Parks and Recreation Natural Resources Group, the New York State Department of State, and the Westchester County Department of Planning, and 100+ other stakeholders who have engaged in planning and resource management efforts throughout the watershed. 

The coalition began in 2006 and reconvened in 2022 to work together towards goals of improving water quality, protecting and improving aquatic and riparian habitat and riparian and ecosystem services, biodiversity and ecological values, and reducing overall environmental stress to the river system.

The recent updates to this plan will inform the next decade or more of priority projects to make the Bronx River, its neighboring parks, and waterfront communities more resilient in the face of climate change and environmental justice issues. Updates also include proposed strategies, project recommendations, and an all-new Climate Resiliency Plan. 

This public input meeting will facilitate discussion around priority projects as well as provide a platform for community members to voice their questions, concerns, and feedback regarding the Bronx River IWMP and environmental issues the community faces.

Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez Town Hall Meeting

 

Thursday May 30th 14th District Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez held a Town Hall meeting before a sparsely attended audience in Parkchester. The Town Hall meeting that was also online started a little over half an hour after the Donald Trump verdict came in, with the congresswoman saying that she couldn't have timed the opening of her Town Hall meeting better by giving an update of the guilty verdict by the jury.

Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortes then went into the agenda of the Town Hall of seven items, and first up was Community project funding, where she spoke about getting over twelve million dollars in funding for a violence prevention community center in Astoria Queens, a youth center in Coop-City, a warehouse for fresh local produce in Hunts Point, improvements to Westchester Square, and enhancements to public libraries and public housing. 

The second Item was twenty-three billion dollars over ten year for her New Green Deal for Public Housing. Third was the American Climate Corps to focus on creating new jobs to help stop climate change. Fourth was the Defiance Act against AI generated fake sexually explicit content about someone without their permission. Fifth was the IRS Direct File to save people money from having tax companies fill out taxes for a fee, whereas the IRS would file your taxes for free. Sixth was the congresswoman's call for a ceasefire between Palestine and Israel,  which she said she had called for after Israel struck back at Hamas. Seventh and last was the Student Debt Relief where up to $35,000.00 of a student loan have been forgiven totaling $4.75 million dollar so far, helping 160,000 people with their outstanding student loans. 

Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez said she has been in congress for six years now and we need to make it easier to become a U.S. citizen, and it is congress that writes the laws of becoming a citizen of the United States. While she was talking the congresswoman was heckled by one of the people in the audience about what he called illeagls. The congresswoman was asked why she was not debating her Democratic opponent in the June 25th primary, and she responded that he doesn't live in the district like she does. After mentioning that she would like to see better transportation between Queens and the Bronx, saying one has to go through Manhattan to go between the two boroughs she represents, and that she would like the proposed Brooklyn-Queens light rail to extend into the Bronx. The congresswoman was then heckled again on her immigration position, and left after only forty-five minutes. 

Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez waits to be introduced by one of her staffers.

Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez goes through the seven items she was going to speak about at the Town Hall meeting.

After the congresswoman spoke on all seven agenda items she took a couple of questions. 

When the congresswoman spoke on immigration she was heckled by this man who called the migrants illegals.

After being heckled again by the same man, and asked why she was not debating her Democratic primary opponent, the congresswoman said her opponent does not live in the district like she does, and then said good-bye. 

Justice Department Expands Efforts to Dismantle Human Smuggling Operations and Support Immigration Prosecutions

 

Ahead of the third anniversary of the establishment of Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Justice Department announced additional efforts to dismantle human smuggling operations and increase accountability for those who violate our immigration laws. Launched in June 2021 by Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas, JTFA represents a partnership between the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with a mandate to disrupt and dismantle human smuggling and trafficking organizations operating in and through Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Mexico. To build on the success of JTFA, including an increase of more than 25% in defendants charged with alien smuggling since 2020, the Justice Department is realigning resources, providing financial incentives, and proposing increased penalties for human smuggling offenses.   

The Justice Department also is coordinating with border U.S. Attorneys and their districts, as well as with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other law enforcement agencies, to evaluate current needs and resource allocations, and to identify available and potentially new opportunities to address immigration issues.

Prioritizing Prosecutions Involving Smugglers

The Justice Department will continue to prioritize the prosecution of cases involving human smuggling, working through JTFA — which is led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section — and the efforts of individual U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and their law enforcement partners. 

Felony prosecutions for smuggling have been on an upward trajectory, increasing by 27% since 2020. These cases are significant. -They include human smuggling of both vulnerable populations and individuals who pose security concerns, as well as unlawful transportation of assets and contraband, high-speed flight from law enforcement and possession of firearms by smuggling defendants. Focusing on felony smuggling prosecutions creates a deterrent effect, not only impacting the defendant but creating a ripple effect that discourages future smuggling. Additional smuggling prosecutions will target known routes utilized and controlled by cartels and other organized criminal groups.

JTFA will continue to focus on the highest-level human smugglers — the worst of the worst. Since its creation in June 2021, JTFA has achieved significant tangible results, including:

• Over 300 arrests, including of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators;
• Over 240 U.S. convictions;
• Over 170 U.S. defendants sentenced, with significant sentences of 30 years or more in prison; 
• Substantial seizures and forfeiture of assets and contraband including millions of dollars in cash, real property, vehicles, firearms and ammunition, and drugs; and 
• Multiple indictments and successful extradition requests against foreign leadership targets located in Guatemala, Mexico, and Honduras.

Just this week, the leader of a migrant smuggling organization was sentenced to 10 years in prison for her role in smuggling over 100 migrants from Honduras to the United States for profit. 

Using Financial Rewards to Dismantle the Leadership of Transnational Human Smuggling Networks

The Justice Department and Department of State are launching an Anti-Smuggling Rewards (ASR) Initiative designed to dismantle the leadership of human smuggling organizations that bring migrants through Central America and across the southern U.S. border. The ASR Initiative will use existing statutory authority — through the State Department’s Transnational Organized Crime Rewards Program — to offer financial rewards for information leading to the identification, location, arrest, or conviction of those most responsible for significant human smuggling activities in the region.

The ASR Initiative will target categories of high-priority human smuggling targets, such as:

• Leaders of certain identified cartels and other transnational organizations responsible for human smuggling through the Western Hemisphere and across the southern U.S. border;
• Leaders and organizers of human smuggling networks responsible for certain identified mass casualty events; and
• Certain identified high-priority international fugitives wanted for human smuggling offenses.

In addition, the Justice Department will offer the possibility of additional rewards to tipsters whose information results in the forfeiture of criminal proceeds of human smuggling activities. The Department of the Treasury, in coordination with the ASR Initiative, will continue to employ its authorities to disrupt high priority human smuggling operations.

Increasing Penalties for the Most Prolific and Dangerous Human Smugglers

Since at least 2016, the Justice Department and DHS have urged the U.S. Sentencing Commission to consider stiffening penalties for those who commit human smuggling offenses. The current sentencing guidelines fail to fully account for the severity or extent of defendants’ misconduct in human smuggling cases — resulting in perverse incentives and reduced ability for prosecutors to go after leaders of smuggling organizations. Despite renewed requests from the Justice Department and DHS as recently as last year the Commission has not significantly bolstered penalties for the most dangerous human smugglers.

Thus, the Justice Department and DHS are supporting prosecutors in their efforts to hold accountable individuals charged with dangerous human smuggling, and the Justice Department intends to seek new and increased penalties against human smugglers to properly account for the severity of their criminal conduct and the human misery that it causes. The proposal would make three important changes to U.S. Sentencing Guideline §2L1.1, which governs human smuggling offenses:

• Creating steeper penalty tiers based on the number of people smuggled by the defendant;
• Increasing penalties when the defendant’s conduct results in injury or death to more than one person; and
• Ensuring defendants are subject to sentencing enhancements for sexual assault and other types of prohibited sexual conduct committed during the smuggling offense, even if that conduct occurred outside U.S. jurisdiction.

Deploying Justice Department and DHS Resources for Targeted Enforcement Efforts

The Justice Department is partnering with DHS to direct additional prosecutors and support staff to increase federal immigration-related prosecutions in crucial border U.S. Attorneys’ Offices. This critical operational partnership is being done in spite of a fiscal year 2024 enacted budget that included the largest year-over-year funding decrease to U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in Justice Department history. Efforts include deploying additional DHS Special Assistant U.S. Attorneys to border U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, assigning support staff detailees to critical U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, seeking Justice Department attorneys to serve details in U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in border districts, and partnering with federal agencies to identify additional resources to target these crimes.

In addition to surging new resources to border districts, U.S. Attorneys’ Offices continue to deploy existing resources and strategies to target immigration crimes. 

About Joint Task Force Alpha

The Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section leads JTFA in partnership with the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and with dedicated support from the Office of International Affairs; Office of Prosecutorial Development, Assistance, and Training; Narcotic and Dangerous Drug Section; Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section; Office of Enforcement Operations; and Violent Crime and Racketeering Section. JTFA also relies on substantial law enforcement investment from the DHS, FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, and other partners. JTFA coordinates closely with foreign law enforcement partners on cross-border investigations, arrests of foreign targets, and extraditions. 

Former Senior Executive and Former Sales Manager Convicted of Selling Data on Millions of U.S. Consumers to Perpetrators of Mail Fraud Schemes

 

The Justice Department announced that a jury found a former senior executive and a former sales manager of Epsilon Data Management LLC (Epsilon) guilty of federal criminal charges related to the targeting of millions of U.S. consumers for mass-mailing fraud schemes. 

Robert Reger, 57, of Boulder, Colorado, and David Lytle, 64, of Leawood, Kansas, were found guilty of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and numerous counts of substantive mail and wire fraud. 

According to evidence presented at the two-week trial, the defendants were key participants in a scheme that knowingly sold targeted lists of consumers and their addresses to perpetrators of fraud schemes involving the sending of false and deceptive mail to consumers over the course of 10years. The defendants committed the crimes while working at data broker Epsilon which used transactional data collected from marketing clients to predict new “responsive buyers” using computer algorithms and a database of 100 million U.S. households. The jury found the defendants knew that their scheme was providing data to fraudster clients. Evidence at trial showed that the defendants used Epsilon’s algorithms to predict new lists of consumers most likely to respond to the frauds and that the defendants’ business unit worked with dozens of clients with scam letters promising large prizes or falsely personalized astrological mailings promising wealth.

As part of the scheme, the conspirators sold the names and address of millions of U.S. consumers to perpetrators of schemes engaged in fraud, knowing that their fraudster clients were targeting elderly and vulnerable people. Evidence at trial showed that the defendants sold nearly 100 lists to just one fraudster client, and that the defendants had many other fraudster clients with scam letters. At trial, elderly victims and their adult children testified about the scam letters victims received falsely promising cash prizes. Evidence showed that each of these victims were targeted for fraud by members of the conspiracy. A number of current and former Epsilon employees also testified, along with three witnesses who previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud: a list broker and two Epsilon clients who operated mail fraud schemes.

“This case serves as a warning that the Justice Department Consumer Branch and its law enforcement partners will hold corporate executives accountable for fraudulent use of consumer data,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “We will investigate and prosecute individuals who use sophisticated technology to defraud consumers.”

“Defrauding elderly and vulnerable consumers will not be tolerated in the State of Colorado,” said U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan for the District of Colorado. “This case is an example of the responsibility both executives and companies hold when it comes to gathering and selling personal data, and I hope other companies take note of the serious outcomes of this case.”

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) sees the conviction of these individuals as a significant victory in our ongoing efforts to protect older adults from fraud and exploitation,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of USPIS’ Criminal Investigations Group. “These criminals preyed on some of the most vulnerable members of our community, and today's verdict sends a clear message that such predatory behavior will not be tolerated. We will continue to work tirelessly to ensure justice is served and to prevent these crimes from happening in the future.”

Evidence at trial showed that Robert Reger worked at Epsilon from 2005 to 2017, where he led sales teams after building and leading the sales unit engaged in fraud, the Direct to Consumer Unit. When Reger left Epsilon, he was senior vice president overseeing the Direct to Consumer Unit. In convicting Reger, the jury found he intentionally joined in the conspiracy and had specific intent to defraud victims of the schemes.

David Lytle worked at Epsilon from 2012 to 2018 as a business development manager recruiting clients for the Direct to Consumer Unit and was responsible for signing up many of the clients engaged in fraud.

The jury found that Reger and Lytle were guilty of conspiracy to commit mail or wire fraud based on evidence that members of the conspiracy knew they were routinely selling consumer data to fraudsters.

The jury found both Reger and Lytle guilty of seven counts of mail fraud. Evidence at trial showed that the conspirators sold lists of consumers to fraudsters, which caused victims to send checks in response to letters promising large cash prizes. The jury found also Reger guilty of six counts of wire fraud and Lytle guilty of 12 counts of wire fraud in connection with electronic shipments of names and addresses and other emails that carried out the objectives of the scheme to defraud.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled on Sept. 30. Reger and Lytle both face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for each count.

In 2018, former Epsilon Vice President Steven Fritz Kessler pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud for his participation in the fraudulent scheme.

The defendants’ former employer, Epsilon resolved its criminal liability via a deferred prosecution agreement in 2021, paying $150 million in penalties and victim compensation. That victim compensation effort has returned $122 million to more than 200,000 victims of fraud schemes for which Epsilon provided data. 

USPIS’ Transnational Elder Fraud Strike Force investigated this matter. 

Senior Trial Attorney Alistair Reader and Assistant Director Rachael Doud of the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebecca Weber for the District of Colorado prosecuted the case. Senior Trial Attorney Ehren Reynolds and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Hetal Doshi for the District of Colorado also assisted in the case, along with outstanding support staff from the Civil Division’s Consumer Protection Branch and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado.

If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has experienced financial fraud, experienced professionals are standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Justice Department hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, can provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish and other languages are available.

More information about the department’s efforts to help American seniors is available at its Elder Justice Initiative webpage. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts, visit its website at www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Elder fraud complaints may be filed with the Federal Trade Commission at www.reportfraud.ftc.gov/ or at 877-FTC-HELP. The Justice Department provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, which can be reached at www.ovc.gov.

News from State Senator Gustavo Rivera

 

SENATOR RIVERA IN ALBANY

NEW YORK STATE SENATE PASSES

9 BILLS SPONSORED BY SENATOR RIVERA

The State Senate also passed Senator Rivera's bill requiring insurance plans to cap the annual cost of 2 EpiPens at $100. After capping insulin costs this year, it's clear that access to life-saving medication should not depend on income level. Bills like this reinforces Senator Rivera's commitment to pass the New York Health Act and make all healthcare accessible. To learn more about this bill, you can read coverage in Newsday.

Another important bill that passed the Senate will require insurance companies to cover additional asthma treatments. In the Bronx, 1 in 8 children are living with asthma and this bill could be of great help to communities with high asthma rates statewide.

Other highlights from Senator Rivera's bills that passed the Senate include his legislation that requires the Division of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR) to publish on its website a database of major capital improvements. Senator Rivera looks forward to seeing this bill, which has already passed the Assembly, to be signed by the Governor.

SENATOR RIVERA ATTENDS

MAKE THE ROAD PRESSER IN SUPPORT OF HIS #COVERAGE4ALL BILL

This week, Senator Rivera spoke at a press conference organized by the organization Make The Road in support of his #Coverage4All bill.

Senator Rivera continues to advocate for this bill, which recently passed the Senate, and urges the Assembly to pass it so that it saves our State hundreds of millions of dollars, makes our population healthier, and and helps our healthcare providers be more financially stable.

SENATOR RIVERA SPEAKS AT LEHMAN COLLEGE COMMENCEMENT

Senator Rivera joined other elected officials in celebrating Lehman College's graduating class during the school's 2024 commencement. Senator Rivera congratulates the Class of 2024 and wishes them the best in their future endeavors.

6/3 THROUGH 6/9: NYCHA TO RE-OPEN WAITLIST FOR SECTION 8 PROGRAM

After 15 years, NYCHA will reopen its waitlist for its Section 8 Housing Voucher Program. Interested New Yorkers can learn more about Section 8 eligibility here: www.nyc.gov/site/nycha/section-8/applicants.page and can apply to join the waitlist online starting June 3rd at apply.section8.nycha.info.

FRIDAY 6/14: SENATOR RIVERA HOSTS FREE HOUSING AND IMMIGRATION ASSISTANCE WITH NMIC!

SENATOR RIVERA'S OFFICE PROVIDING FREE LIFE-SAVING NALOXONE SPRAY AND TESTING KITS

STARTING SUNDAY 6/30: JOIN CONGESTION PRICING PUBLIC WEBINARS

Starting June 30, 2024, vehicles entering the Congestion Relief Zone in Manhattan—local streets and avenues at or below 60 St—will be charged a toll. The program will reduce traffic, improve air quality, and fund better public transit.

 

The MTA is hosting six public webinars during the first three weeks of June where people can learn about Congestion Relief Zone tolling. Webinars will explain why New York needs congestion pricing, how the Congestion Relief Zone works, what the toll rates are, who is entitled to discounts and exemptions, and other things people need to know before tolling begins on Sunday, June 30. The sessions will feature a brief presentation, followed by Q&A.

 

Learn more about the sessions and register to attend here. For more information, visit congestionreliefzone.mta.info.

HEAP Cooling Assistance helps eligible New Yorkers buy a fan or air conditioner for their home. Act fast to prepare for the hot summer. Benefits are available on a first-come first-served basis. Learn more about HEAP and if you qualify: otda.ny.gov/programs/heap

East Bronx History Forum 14th Annual Bronx Road Show June19th

 

Dear EBHF Member,

The East Bronx History Forum is pleased to announce it will hold its 186th meeting on Wednesday, June 19th at 7:30pm in Msgr. Joseph Raimondo Hall at St. Clare’s of Assisi parish, located at 1027 Rhinelander Avenue. This in-person meeting will be our 14th annual Bronx Road Show.

We are asking our East Bronx History Forum members to be historians and search their basements, attics and family collections for items from their Bronx collections or family history. They will be asked to make these items available to exhibit and to discuss how the item was acquired, its age and its connection to Bronx history. Examples include an object, documents, newspaper articles and photographs for display.

This will be our last meeting of the season, we will be returning on Wednesday, September 18th.

We are looking to a fun and interesting evening where our members are the presenters, displaying items that are part of their family which have a Bronx connection.

As always connect with us during the summer months at our website www.BronxNYC.com and especially at our social media pages on Facebook, Instagram and Vimeo for news, events or updates.

Dorothy A Krynicki 

Secretary m East Bronx History Forum

 

Governor Hochul Marches in JCRC-NY Israel Day on Fifth Parade

Governor Hochul: “Bring them home now… We stand together united as a state that says, ‘Let these families be in peace. Let them be with their loved ones. Let that happen not a day longer.’”

Hochul: “We will continue to fight the scourge of antisemitism, which has reared its ugly head in unspeakable ways, even in our home state. We’ll continue to pass tougher laws related to hate crimes. We’ll protect our institutions with more security grants. And we will make sure that Holocaust education is happening in our schools.” 

Bring them home now. These families have suffered every single night wondering the fate of their loved ones. It is cruel. It is inhumane. And we stand together united as a state that says, “Let these families be in peace. Let them be with their loved ones. Let that happen not a day longer.” We must stop this pain for these individuals. And I, as the Governor of a state that is so proud – so incredibly proud to be the home of the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, we will continue to stand with these families until their loved ones are brought home. That is our commitment to you.

And we will continue to fight the scourge of antisemitism, which has reared its ugly head in unspeakable ways, even in our home state. We’ll continue to pass tougher laws related to hate crimes. We’ll protect our institutions with more security grants. And we will make sure that Holocaust education is happening in our schools because so many people seem to be not aware of the history of what these individuals and their parents and grandparents have gone through.

Those are the values of New Yorkers. We stand together today to support Israel, to support the hostage families, and of course, Jewish people all over America are united.

Thank you very much. Let’s begin the march.