GrowNYC Education - June Newsletter: End of school year, grants, and updates.

 

GrowNYC Education

Teacher Professional Development Workshops

The Teaching Garden on Governors Island is excited to announce three professional development opportunities for NYCPS teachers this summer! We will be partnering with New York Agriculture in the Classroom to host three in-person workshops where teachers can learn how to incorporate topics into their school garden or classroom. Workshops will be led by our team of educators who have extensive experience teaching these concepts in the garden. These professional development workshops are free and CTLE credit will be provided but space is limited so reserve your spot now!

Compost, Soil Health, Vermicompost

• When: Tuesday, July 9th · 9:00am - 12:45pm EDT

• Eventbrite: Sign up here

Cooking and 5 Senses in the Garden

• When: Tuesday, July 16th · 9:00am - 12:45pm EDT

• Eventbrite: Sign up here

Climate Change

• When: Tuesday, July 23rd · 9:00am - 12:45pm EDT

• Eventbrite: Sign up here

Public Programs at the Teaching Garden on Governors Island

The Teaching Garden is open to the public for the season every Saturdays & Sundays from 12 PM - 4 PM! Join us for special activities, and our regular scavenger hunts, self-guided tours, watering, and dig bed.

The donation-based farmstand is open both days! Pay what you wish or nothing at all.

Special activities and events will be posted on: https://www.grownyceducation.org/publicprograms

Recurring weekend programming includes:

• 1st Saturday - 2pm Urban Farm Tour with GrowNYC, Bee Conservancy, & Earth Matter

• 2nd Saturday - 2pm Teaching Garden Tour: Gardening for Climate Change and 3pm Story Time

• 3rd Saturday - 2pm Learn About Plants & Animals

• 4th Saturday - 2pm Art in the Garden

• 5th Saturday (June, August only) - 2pm Cooking Demo

All ferry passengers ride free on the Governor Island’s Ferry from Manhattan on Saturdays & Sundays before noon. See you at the Teaching Garden!

School Gardens Summer Update

• The school year is winding to a close this month, but school gardens will still be growing strong. June is the perfect month to create the maintenance, harvest, and watering plan for the summer months. If you need guidance on what else to tackle in the garden until school begins in September, look through our A Year In The Life of A School Garden for additional tasks and tips. Enjoy the bounty the summer brings to your garden!

• Staffing update: Laura Casaregola from our School Gardens team will be moving on from GrowNYC in July. She is grateful to have been part of the school gardens community for the past 5 years! If she was your main point of contact, you can email schoolgardens@grownyc.org at any time to be connected to another coordinator.

Grant Opportunities

• KidsGardening Lots of Compassion Grant Deadline June 30

• Quadratec Cares Energize the Environment Grant Deadline June 30

• Sprouts Foundation Sprouting School Gardens Grant Deadline July 15

• Wild Ones Seeds for Education Grant Open July 15 - Nov 15

• EcoRise Student Innovation Fund Always Open

• Food Justice for All Program Deadline: Ongoing

• Hudson Valley Seed Co Seed Donations Deadline: Rolling

From Our Partners

American Horticultural Society

Registration is now open for the American Horticultural Society’s National Children & Youth Garden Symposium, July 8-11, 2024, on Chicago’s North Shore. Register Here.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Pre-register for free community greening workshops at BBG! See classes and register here.

Children’s Environmental Literacy Foundation

Explore local farms and green spaces to find ways to incorporate place-based experiences into your curriculum during their 2024 NY Summer Institute: Exploring Sustainability through local Farms and Green Spaces.

EcoRise

Explore the important topics of climate change and environmental justice in Teaching Climate Justice, a 4-week online course from July 8 to August 4. Open for all K–12 educators. Register here.

Green Guerillas

Need access to tools and culturally relevant seeds? Visit Green Guerillas’ Tool Lending Library and Seed Library.

GreenThumb

Mark your calendars for the 44th Annual GreenThumb Harvest Fair on Saturday, September 28, 2024 from noon to 4:00 p.m. Stay tuned to their events website for more info.

Materials for the Arts (MFTA) and NYC Public Schools Office of Energy & Sustainability

Green your classroom by donating excess supplies to Materials for the Arts. More info here.

Food Fun Facts

Peas are in season in June.

Sugar snap peas are a hybrid between garden (green) peas and snow peas and won the 1979 AAS Gold Medal.

Peas are considered to be fruits, vegetables, legumes, and pulses.

All above ground parts of the pea plant (stems, leaves, tendrils, flowers, and peas) are edible.

Find some scrumptious peas in any one of our Greenmarkets across the five boroughs!

D.A. Bragg Announces Indictment Of Man For Slashing Man With Machete

 

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr. today announced the indictment of OVE WILLIAMS, 36, for slashing a 32-year-old man with a machete in Times Square in May 2024. WILLIAMS is charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with one count of Assault in the First Degree and one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree. [1] 

“As alleged, Ove Williams used a machete to slash a 32-year-old-man who was walking in Midtown. Pedestrians should feel safe when walking through the streets of New York, and my Office holds those accountable who harm others,” said District Attorney Bragg. “I hope the victim continues to recover from these extensive injuries.” 

On May 30, 2024, at approximately 1:00 p.m., at the intersection of West 45th Street and Seventh Avenue, WILLIAMS allegedly attacked a man with a machete, striking his lower body at least several times. Afterwards, he fled through Midtown. 

The victim was immediately transported to Bellevue Hospital where he underwent several hours of surgery for deep lacerations in both legs. His arteries, nerves and muscles in his left leg and shin were completely severed, and the muscle and tissue of his right leg was also cut. Additionally, he lost part of his left pinkie finger. 

Assistant D.A. Kieran Hall (Trial Bureau 80) is handling the prosecution of this case under the supervision of Assistant D.A.s Jesse Matthews (Acting Deputy Bureau Chief of Trial Bureau 80), Daniel Makofsky (Deputy Bureau Chief of Trial Bureau 80), and Siobhan Carty (Bureau Chief of Trial Bureau 80) and Executive Assistant D.A. Lisa DelPizzo (Chief of the Trial Division). 

D.A. Bragg thanked the NYPD, specifically Detectives Jay Poggi and Lawrence Russo of the Midtown North Precinct Detective Squad. 

Justice Department to Monitor Compliance with Federal Voting Rights Laws in New York

 

The Justice Department announced today that it will monitor compliance with federal voting rights laws in Queens, New York, for the June 25 primary election.

The Justice Department enforces the federal voting rights laws that protect the rights of all citizens to access the ballot. The department regularly deploys its staff to monitor for compliance with federal civil rights laws in elections in communities all across the country. In addition, the department deploys federal observers from the Office of Personnel Management, where authorized by federal court order. 

The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division’s Voting Section, working with U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, enforces the civil provisions of federal statutes that protect the right to vote, including the Voting Rights Act, National Voter Registration Act, Help America Vote Act, Civil Rights Act and Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act.

More information about voting and elections is available on the Justice Department’s website at www.justice.gov/voting. Learn more about the Voting Rights Act and other federal voting laws at www.justice.gov/crt/voting-section.

Complaints about possible violations of federal voting rights laws can be submitted through the Civil Rights Division’s website at civilrights.justice.gov or by telephone at 1-800-253-3931.  The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York will also be available to receive complaints on Tuesday, June 25, 2024 at the following number (718) 254-7000 for Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Pharmacy Owners Sentenced for $18M COVID-19 Health Care Fraud and Money Laundering Scheme

 

Two pharmacy owners were sentenced for using New York-area pharmacies to submit millions of dollars in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare and then laundering the proceeds, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Peter Khaim, 44, of Forest Hills, New York, was sentenced today to eight years and one month in prison, and his brother and co-defendant, Arkadiy Khaimov, 41, also of Forest Hills, was sentenced on April 3 to six years in prison.

According to court documents, Khaim and Khaimov engaged in a complex money laundering conspiracy to launder the proceeds of a fraudulent health care scheme involving 16 New York-area pharmacies that they and their co-conspirators owned and controlled. Khaim, Khaimov, and their co-conspirators exploited the COVID-19 emergency for their own financial gain by using COVID-19-related “emergency override” billing codes to submit fraudulent claims for expensive cancer medications Targretin Gel 1% and Panretin Gel 0.1% that were not prescribed by physicians or dispensed to patients, and that were purportedly dispensed during periods when certain pharmacies were closed.

To conceal over $18 million of their criminal proceeds, Khaim, Khaimov, and their co-conspirators funneled money through several shell companies, including sham pharmacy wholesale companies designed to look like legitimate wholesalers. Khaim and Khaimov typically sent the funds from the pharmacy bank accounts they controlled to the sham wholesale companies. The funds were then typically sent to companies in China for distribution to individuals in Uzbekistan. The defendants then received a corresponding amount of cash from a co-conspirator, minus a commission. At other times, the fraudulent proceeds were sent from the sham wholesale companies to Khaim, Khaimov, their relatives, or their designees, in the form of certified cashier’s checks and cash. Khaim and Khaimov used the proceeds of the scheme to purchase real estate and other luxury items. 

Khaim pleaded guilty on Nov. 3, 2022 to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.  Khaimov pleaded guilty on Nov. 16, 2022 to one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering. At sentencing, Khaim was ordered to pay more than $18 million in restitution and to forfeit more than $2.7 million. Khaimov was ordered to pay more than $18 million in restitution and to forfeit more than $9.6 million. 

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York; Assistant Director in Charge James Smith of the FBI New York Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Thomas M. Fattorusso of the IRS Criminal Investigation; Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); and Special Agent in Charge Patricia Tarasca of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG) made the announcement.

HHS-OIG, the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and FDIC-OIG investigated the case. 

Trial Attorney Arun Bodapati of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section’s Northeast Strike Force prosecuted the case, with assistance from Principal Assistant Chief Jacob Foster and Assistant Chief Patrick Mott of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in 27 federal districts, has charged more than 5,400 defendants who collectively have billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $27 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

Attorney General James Announces Guilty Plea of Former NYPD Officer for Manslaughter and Attempted Murder

 

Yvonne Wu was Off-Duty When She Shot and Killed Jamie Liang and Injured Jenny Li

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the guilty plea of former New York City Police Department (NYPD) Officer Yvonne Wu, 34, of Staten Island for the October 2021 killing of Jamie Liang and attempted murder of Jenny Li. Wu pleaded guilty before Acting Kings County Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun to one count of Manslaughter in the First Degree and one count of Attempted Murder in the Second Degree. 

On October 13, 2021, while off-duty, Wu went to the Brooklyn home of Ms. Li, whom she knew, and used her NYPD-issued service weapon to shoot and kill Ms. Liang and shoot and wound Ms. Li.

Wu will continue to be held without bail until she appears in court on August 28, 2024 for sentencing. As part of the plea, the parties have recommended a prison sentence of 22 years on the Manslaughter charge and five years on the Attempted Murder charge, to run consecutively, for a total of 27 years in prison, as well as five years of post-release supervision, a waiver of Wu’s right to appeal, and an order of protection for Ms. Li.

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

2024 NEW YORK CITY CHARTER REVISION COMMISSION RELEASES PRELIMINARY STAFF REPORT

 

Report Highlights Potential Reforms Related to Fiscal Responsibility, Public Safety, Minority- and Women-Owned Businesses, and Modernizing City Policies for Cleaner Streets, Waterfront Development, and Film Permitting

Preliminary Recommendations Follow Full Review of City’s Charter,

Expert and Elected Official Testimony, Public Feedback, and Staff Research

Public Invited to Comment on Preliminary Report at Upcoming Hearings in All Five Boroughs Before Commission Decides on Ballot Proposals for November’s General Election

Following hearings across all five boroughs and testimony from members of the public, experts, elected officials, good government groups, and academics, the 2024 New York City Charter Revision Commission (CRC) released its preliminary staff report today. The recommendations will serve as a guide for the CRC as it continues to review the entire charter to benefit working-class New Yorkers and develops final ballot proposals to be decided by voters in the November general election. Recommendations broadly fall into policy areas related to fiscal responsibility, public safety, minority- and women-owned businesses (M/WBE), and modernization of several city policies related to film permitting, waterfront development, cleaner streets, and combining duplicative advisory boards. CRC members have received testimony in-person and, for the first time, virtually, from more than 80 New Yorkers at public hearings. In addition, the CRC has received more than 1,400 written comments. Public hearings to date have been attended by more than 350 New Yorkers in-person and virtually.

Commission staff recommended that the CRC further consider and solicit feedback concerning measures for the following policies:

• Fiscal Responsibility: Improve assessment of the financial impact of legislation on the New York City budget, including by requiring an assessment of fiscal impacts earlier in the legislative process and by involving additional parties in the assessment process; harmonize the charter-mandated budget process with the New York City Council’s power to pass legislation with budget impacts outside the annual appropriations process; update provisions concerning capital plan inventory and maintenance estimates, including by adding an explicit statement of purpose linking the infrastructure assessment to the Ten-Year Capital Strategy, modifying the inventory to reflect additional pertinent details, and including additional criteria for identification of capital needs to be included in the Ten-Year Capital Strategy; and modernize deadlines and related technical requirements to promote efficiency in the budget process. 
• Public Safety: Enhance the deliberative process in legislation pertaining to public safety while preserving the city’s ability to take expedited action, when necessary, as well as increase opportunities for New Yorkers, public safety agencies, and key stakeholders, including unions, to have input into legislation affecting public safety.
• Minority- and Women-Owned Businesses: Exploring ways to improve and streamline services provided to, and promote the utilization of, M/WBEs.
• Modernization: As the city charter is more than a century old and has been amended over 100 times just between 1989 and 2010, inconsistencies and outdated policies are often identified that require attention. This report focuses on six specific areas for greater focus on modernization:

1. Film Permitting Authority – Granting employees of the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment the power to issue film permits by revising the Charter to give the New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (which houses the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment) the same powers and authorities for film and television permitting as are currently vested in the Department of Small Business Services.
2. Public Bonds – Eliminate outdated practice dating back to 1872 that required many elected or appointed public officials (including the New York City comptroller and New York City corporation counsel) to secure a bond in order to serve in public office.
3. Waterfront Permitting – Streamline the waterfront permitting process for the construction and alteration of all structures on waterfront property, including maritime structures, to the New York City Department of Buildings.
4. Keeping City Streets Clean – Expand the New York City Department of Sanitation’s responsibilities to facilitate cleaner streets, sidewalks, and city-owned property.
5. Duplicative Archive Review Boards – Combine the Archival Review Board and Archive, Reference, and Research Board into one body.
6. Resident Feedback – Periodically conduct and publish a statistically valid resident feedback survey, including findings at the community district level, and across major demographic categories, in order to improve the city’s understanding of quality-of-life concerns and views on local service delivery. These findings could inform decisions about municipal operations and the city budget. 

“Serving on my third New York City Charter Revision Commission — for my third different mayoral administration — is an incredible honor,” said CRC Chair Carlo Scissura. “Our esteemed and diverse group of commissioners has relished this opportunity to hear the passionate voices and unique perspectives of New Yorkers from across the city, and we are eager to dig in further on the issues presented in this report, hear from even more New Yorkers, and determine the best proposals for November’s ballot.” 

“No matter where you live or grew up, your race, religion, or creed, there is one unifying opinion all New Yorkers share: we all want better, more efficient, and a more transparent government,” said CRC Vice Chair Dr. Hazel N. Dukes. “Now, with the key recommendations in this report as a guide to continue this important work, my fellow commissioners and I will continue our public service for this commission and ensure the city’s charter better serves every New Yorker.”

“This report serves as both a summary of the extensive efforts of the commission and its staff so far, which has brought together New Yorkers from all walks of life, across all five boroughs, and serves as a critical guide for the commission to continue its important work,” said CRC Executive Director Diane Savino. “We know the ideas presented here will spark great discussion from our commissioners, elected officials, community groups, and working-class New Yorkers as we all work together to put forward questions to voters so they can flip their ballots and make the ultimate decisions this November.”

The public is invited to continue providing their ideas and comments regarding the charter and the preliminary report by testifying in-person or virtually at a series of upcoming public hearings in each of the five boroughs. Each meeting is held in the evening to accommodate as many New Yorkers as possible. Interested participants can attend any hearing or multiple hearings, even if the hearing is not in their home borough. The public can also submit testimony and comments by email to charterinfo@citycharter.nyc.gov.

The public hearing schedule is available below and on the CRC's Public Meetings and Hearings webpage:

• Staten Island
• Monday, June 24, 2024
• 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
• Curtis High School Auditorium 105 Hamilton Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10301
• Queens
• Wednesday, June 26, 2024
• 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
• New York City Department of Design and Construction Multipurpose Room 30-30 Thomson Avenue, Long Island City, NY 11101
• Brooklyn
• Thursday, June 27, 2024
• 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
• Medgar Evers College, 1650 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11225

• Manhattan
• Monday, July 8, 2024
• 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
• Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, 515 Malcolm X Boulevard (entrance on 135^th Street), New York, NY 10037
• Staten Island
• Tuesday, July 9, 2024
• 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
• Staten Island University Hospital, 475 Seaview Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10305

• Bronx
• Thursday, July 11, 2024
• 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
• Fordham University, McShane Center Great Hall 441 East Fordham Road, Bronx, NY 10458

All meetings are open to the public, live streamed, have language translation services and American Sign Language interpreters available, and are held at accessible spaces. The public was alerted to CRC public meetings already held through legal notices, media outreach, including through ethnic and community media, and by utilizing messages through organizations with large distribution lists, including community boards and elected officials. Public notices for each meeting were published in the city record and made available on the CRC website. All notices were translated into Bengali, simplified and traditional Chinese, and Spanish.

The recommendations within the preliminary report are not the final recommendations of the CRC or in any way binding on the CRC. The CRC may choose to add proposals for discussion or decline to pursue these recommendations. Further public feedback will shape the contours of these and other proposals and assist the CRC in its deliberations. Ultimately, it is for the commissioners to decide what proposals advance to the ballot for consideration by the people of the City of New York.

SENATOR JESSICA RAMOS AND NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR EDUCATE QUEENS COMMUNITY ON WORKER RIGHTS AND PROTECTIONS

 

In a concerted effort to educate and empower the Queens community, New York State Senator Jessica Ramos and Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon on Thursday engaged with community leaders and visited businesses on Roosevelt Avenue, an area known for its cultural diversity within Senator Ramos's district.

The visit focused on raising awareness about protections in place for workers, with Senator Ramos and Commissioner Reardon spreading the message to local businesses and workers. These efforts highlighted the Department of Labor's commitment to enforcing labor laws and safeguarding workers against exploitation.

New York State Senator Jessica Ramos, Co-Chair of the Senate Labor Committee, said, “Roosevelt Avenue has been and continues to be an immigrant worker’s first point of entry into the New York City workforce. Training new neighbors to find good jobs and thrive helps our communities and our economy. It’s important all of New York’s workers know their rights, including what to do when a bad boss is taking advantage of them. I am grateful to Commissioner Reardon for walking our streets to see and understand these needs firsthand.”

New York State Department of Labor Commissioner Roberta Reardon said, “Engaging directly with both workers and businesses along Roosevelt Avenue today has reinforced the importance of our joint efforts with Senator Ramos. This collaboration will allow us to develop tailored solutions that not only support workers but also help businesses thrive by understanding and implementing best labor practices.”

Following their visits, Commissioner Reardon and Senator Ramos met with representatives from the New Immigrant Community Empowerment (NICE), an organization vital to the empowerment of immigrants, who often face high rates of workplace violations, injuries, and fatalities. The discussions focused on the shared goals of highlighting worker protections and utilizing NYSDOL resources to bolster the community’s resilience.

New Immigrant Community Empowerment Executive Director, Nilbia Coyote, said, “Roosevelt Avenue is a place of hope and community for thousands of newly arrived and long-time immigrants.” She added, “NICE understands the challenging journey of entering the workforce, which is why we are pushing the Apprenticeship for Life and Work program. We want to continue welcoming thousands of immigrants and help them integrate into the workforce, prepared and dignified.”

Additionally, NYSDOL’s Worker Protection team disseminated vital information about minimum wage, workers' rights, child labor, and DOL career centers directly to individuals along Roosevelt Avenue. They also ensured businesses had posted necessary information and collected contact details to mail the materials if they hadn’t. Their presence highlighted the Department's proactive approach in educating and empowering workers on how to safeguard their rights and access necessary resources.

In 2023 alone, NYSDOL recovered nearly $24 million in wages for 21,927 workers, reflecting its dedication to combating labor violations vigorously. Efforts like the Protect Youth Workers Pledge, Child Labor Hub, and collaborations with the Child Labor Task Force further exemplify NYSDOL’s holistic approach to worker protection.

This partnership highlights an essential step forward in our collective mission to support the rights and well-being of workers throughout New York, ensuring that our labor force is safe, informed, and respected. For more information on NYSDOL’s efforts to enforce fair pay, including minimum and unpaid wages, and to access resources on labor standards, visit NYSDOL’s Division of Labor Standards’ webpage.