Assemblymember John Zaccaro, Jr. Invites You To A Night of Celebration and Italian Culture

 

Friends,

It is my great honor to invite you to the inaugural Italian American Heritage Dinner at the Bronx Zoo.

Please join me on Friday, October 24, 2025, at 5:30 PM at the Bronx Zoo’s Schiff Hall as we celebrate Italian culture and heritage in our community and honor the many great Italian Americans—past and present.

The Italian community has been at the heart of the Bronx for generations. From the South Bronx to the North Bronx, Italian families have left their mark on our neighborhoods, and we are proud that the traditions of yesterday continue to thrive today.

This event is FREE and open to the community, but RSVP is required as space is limited.

Please see the flyer below for RSVP details.

With Gratitude, 

John Zaccaro, Jr.

Governor Hochul Announces Completion of $17.7 Million Roadway Restoration Project on Long Island Expressway

Deteriorated Concrete Replaced Along Six-Mile Stretch of Highway Between Exits 67 & 69 in Suffolk County

Repaired Road Surface Enhances Safety and Resiliency of Vital Commuter Artery

Governor Kathy Hochul announced the completion of a $17.7 million project that restored a six-mile stretch of the Long Island Expressway (Interstate 495) between Exit 67 (Yaphank Avenue) and Exit 69 (Wading River Road) in the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County. The project, which began in the fall of 2023, removed and replaced deteriorated sections of the concrete road surface, enhancing safety and easing travel along one of Long Island’s busiest commuter arteries. Additional targeted repairs were made to the road surface to further improve rideability on this stretch of the roadway.

“The Long Island Expressway is vital to the flow of people and commerce on Long Island and we are committed to making the necessary investments to ensure that it continues to serve the needs of residents, visitors and commuters for many years to come,” Governor Hochul said. “These concrete repairs will give motorists a smoother ride along a key stretch of the highway while also making it better able to withstand the impacts of severe weather.”

The project replaced deteriorated sections of concrete — which were installed during the highway’s construction in the late 1960s and early 1970s — with new, high-strength concrete, designed to better withstand heavy daily traffic and seasonal temperature fluctuations. Crews also sealed cracks and pavement joints, restored the shoulders where needed, and installed new reflective pavement markings to extend the durability of the six-mile stretch of highway and to ensure a more comfortable driving experience. The repairs will also reduce future maintenance needs.

To minimize impacts to travelers, much of the work was staged during off-peak and overnight hours, consistent with New York’s Drivers First Initiative.

Lives are on the line; slow down and move over for highway workers!

For more information, find us on Facebook, follow us on X, the Long Island region on X, or Instagram, or visit our website. For up-to-date travel information, call 511, visit www.511NY.org or download the free 511NY mobile app.

CITY OF NEW YORK TAKES NEW ACTION OPPOSING FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S MILITARY DEPLOYMENT IN AMERICAN CITIES

New York City and Coalition Support Oregon’s Case Against Federal Administration  

Brief Highlights Harms to Local Public Safety and Economies  

The City of New York — as part of a coalition of 74 localities from around the nation — has filed a new amicus brief supporting Oregon’s ongoing case against the federal government’s unlawful deployment of the National Guard in Portland. In the brief, the coalition urges the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit to affirm a district court ruling in Oregon v. Trump, which enjoined the federal government from deploying federal troops in Portland. The coalition warns against the Trump administration’s plans to deploy the National Guard at “anytime, anywhere, for any reason — based on nothing more than sporadic incidents of conflict or being a disfavored jurisdiction.” The coalition highlights the harms to local sovereignty, to local peace and tranquility, and to local economies from the federal government’s deployment of the National Guard to American cities on pretextual and political grounds.  

  

“New York City is proud to — once again — partner with a multitude of localities to assert local control over our own domain: public safety,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “Our administration has been unrelenting in driving down crime, rooting out violent criminals, and protecting New Yorkers, and we have had record drops in crime thanks to our commitment to public safety and the precision policing of the NYPD. Collaboration with state and federal law enforcement has always been a key part of our public safety strategy, but we do not need a deployment of the National Guard to our city. Instead, we plan to continue to work with the federal government on areas where collaboration is warranted, such as stopping the flow of illegal guns to our city from the Iron Belt. We remain committed to keeping New Yorkers safe while upholding our constitutional rights.” 

  

“As highlighted in this brief, the president is continuing to treat American cities as military ‘training grounds’ based on pretext and misinformation that is contrary to the facts on the ground,” said New York City Corporation Counsel Muriel Goode-Trufant. “Federalizing and domestically deploying the National Guard can sow chaos in local communities and should be a last resort, not a primary tactic, reserved for exceedingly rare circumstances. The district court ruling enjoining the federal government should be upheld.” 

 

In September 2025, the Trump administration deployed members of the National Guard to Portland, citing protests of immigration enforcement operations. On October 4, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon ruled that the deployment likely violated federal law because plaintiffs submitted evidence that the cited protests were not significantly violent or disruptive in the days or weeks leading up to the president’s directive. The federal government filed an application in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit seeking an immediate stay of the district court’s temporary restraining order.   

 

In the amicus brief, the coalition argues that the federal government has overreached its authority and that the lower court’s injunction should remain in place, based on longstanding federal laws prohibiting the National Guard from engaging in domestic law enforcement. The brief asserts that the federal government has provided no factual basis or legal justification for deploying 200 federal troops in Portland over the objection of local officials. The coalition states that there was no invasion or rebellion directed toward the federal government that would have allowed it to lawfully deploy the National Guard under 10 U.S.C. 12406, and that this pretext dramatically increases the risk of irreparable injury by inflaming community tensions and interfering with local law enforcement personnel which is better trained to manage situations such as protests and crowd control.  

 

Further, the brief cites the chilling effect that National Guard deployments have on the local economy and taxpayers — as more customers stay inside and local businesses lose customers. Also, taxpayers are stuck paying the bill for these deployments: $134 million for Los Angeles alone and, potentially, at least $10 million for Oregon.  

 

Joining the City of New York and Portland, Oregon are the cities of Tucson, Arizona; Alameda, Anaheim, Berkeley, Culver, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego, San José, San Leandro, Santa Ana, Santa Monica, San Francisco, and West Hollywood, California; Denver and Ridgway, Colorado; New Haven, Connecticut; Tallahassee, Florida; Bloomington, Chicago, and Evanston, Illinois; Indianapolis, Indiana; Baltimore, Maryland; Boston, Cambridge, and Lawrence, Massachusetts; Ann Arbor, Bellevue, and Exeter, Michigan; Hopkins, Minneapolis, and St. Paul, Minnesota; Hoboken and Newark, New Jersey, Albuquerque, New Mexico; Hudson, Rochester, and Brighton, New York; Cleveland, Ohio; Pittsburgh and Norristown, Pennsylvania; Providence, Rhode Island; Knoxville and Nashville, Tennessee; Austin, El Paso, Iowa Colony, and San Marcos, Texas; Burlington, Vermont; Alexandria and Norfolk, Virginia; Tacoma, Washington; Madison and Exeter, Wisconsin; as well as the counties of Pima, Arizona; Alameda, Los Angeles, Monterey, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Sonoma, California; Denver and Ouray, Colorado; Montgomery, Maryland; Ingham and Bellevue, Michigan; Columbia, Cortland, and Monroe, New York; Multnomah, Oregon; Allegheny, Bucks, Clarion, Dauphin, and Montgomery, Pennsylvania; Davidson and Shelby, Tennessee; Harris and Travis, Texas; Kings and Pierce, Washington; Dan and Exeter, Wisconsin.   

BRONX MAN INDICTED FOR MURDER OF 1-YEAR-OLD GIRL

Defendant Allegedly Fatally Punched His Girlfriend’s Baby in the Head; Admitted He Used “Heavy Hand”

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Bronx man has been indicted for second-degree Murder and other related charges in the death of a one-year-old girl he allegedly punched in the head while she was left in his care by her mother. 

District Attorney Clark said, “Imani-Dior Monique Mitchell was an innocent child whose life ended in unthinkable violence. The defendant was entrusted with her care for less than an hour by her mother, who now must bear this horrible loss.” 

District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Jerome Thomas, 19, of Union Avenue, the Bronx, was arraigned today on second-degree Murder, first-degree Manslaughter, second-degree Manslaughter and Endangering the Welfare of a Child before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Alvin Yearwood. Remand was continued. He is due back in court on January 14, 2026. 

According to the investigation, on August 28, 2025, between 8:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m., inside a Union Avenue building in the Melrose section, Le’Nesha Mitchell, 26, placed her child, oneyear-old Imani-Dior Monique Mitchell, in the care of the defendant while she went to the supermarket. When she returned, she found her daughter in bed, struggling to breathe with bruising on her face. Mitchell called 911 and the child was taken to NYC Health+Hospitals Harlem. She was found to have extensive subdural hemorrhaging and cerebral edema, which was causing her brain to herniate. 

The baby was transferred to New York Presbyterian /Columbia University Irving Medical Center where she underwent surgery in an attempt to relieve the pressure on her brain and was placed on life support. Imani-Dior was pronounced dead on September 5, 2025. Her injury was determined to be consistent with a direct forceful impact to the right side her head. The defendant allegedly admitted in a video-recorded statement that he hit Imani-Dior twice in the head with a “heavy hand”. 

District Attorney Clark thanked NYPD Detective Arelis Collazo of the Bronx Homicide Squad, Detective Paolo Ruiz of the 40th Detective Squad and Officer Yuliana Comas of the 40th Precinct.

An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt. 

Attorney General James Announces Takedown of Central New York Fentanyl, Methamphetamine, and Cocaine Trafficking Network

17 People Charged with 125 Crimes for Drug Trafficking and Weapons Possession in Upstate New York 

Investigation Seized More Than 23 Pounds of Fentanyl, 12 Pounds of Methamphetamine, and Nearly Four Pounds of Cocaine, As Well As Guns and $880,000 in Cash

New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced the indictment of 17 people for their roles in a major drug trafficking network that distributed fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine in Onondaga, Oneida, Madison, Cortland, and Tompkins counties. An investigation led by the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) Organized Crime Task Force (OCTF) seized more than 23 pounds of fentanyl worth more than $625,000 - OCTF’s largest single seizure of fentanyl powder, nearly four pounds of cocaine worth more than $125,000, and more than 12 pounds of methamphetamine worth more than $32,000. 23 pounds of fentanyl is enough to kill one New Yorker every six seconds for an entire year. The investigation also seized more than $880,000 in cash tied to the drug trafficking, as well as three illegal firearms, and two vehicles used to transport and distribute the drugs. The indictment unsealed today in Onondaga County Court charges the 17 defendants with 125 crimes.  

“Traffickers who flood our communities with fentanyl and other drugs are threatening the important progress New York has made in reducing overdoses and fighting the opioid crisis,” said Attorney General James. “Thanks to the hard work of this investigation and our law enforcement partners, we took more than five million deadly doses of fentanyl off our streets. I will continue to use every resource at my disposal to put an end to these destructive drug trafficking rings and keep New Yorkers safe from dangerous narcotics.”

The investigation spanned September 2024 through May 2025 and uncovered a drug trafficking ring centered around Jaquan Jones, a/k/a “Flame,” that distributed fentanyl, heroin, cocaine, and methamphetamine to customers throughout Central New York. Jones bought significant quantities of fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine from Antonio Sanchez and others, and supplied drugs to a large network of dealers. These dealers included Etiem Berrios, Ronnie Evanciew, Tyler Forshee, Joshua Goyette, Gary Jordan, Cody Lane, Nicole Lighthall, Autumn Schneider, Heather Sharpsteen, Joshua Stimpson, Zachary Thornhill, and Amanda Valenti.

Jones would arrange sales over text message, telling his customers to meet at a common location where he would then arrive and sell to them all at once. The defendants used codewords to refer to the narcotics they were selling. “Soft” referred to cocaine, “fet” or “fetty” referred to fentanyl, and “ice” referred to methamphetamine. Jones’ customers then sold to their own customers throughout the region. Jones is charged with Operating as a Major Trafficker, which carries a mandatory life sentence in state prison.

The investigation recovered approximately 22 pounds of fentanyl and 12 ounces of cocaine that Jones was storing in a garage attached to a house in Syracuse. A search of an apartment rented by Sanchez in Onondaga County led to the seizure of fentanyl mixed with heroin and ketamine, along with scales, glassines, and cutting agents.

Fentanyl and heroin seized from Sanchez’s apartment

Joshua Stimpson, who is also charged with Operating as a Major Trafficker, worked in conjunction with his partner, Autumn Schneider, and others to sell the drugs they bought from Jones throughout Oneida and Madison Counties. The investigation recovered more than five ounces of fentanyl, more than two ounces of cocaine, and five pounds of methamphetamine from their home.

Methamphetamine and other narcotics seized from Stimpson and Schneider’s home

The investigation revealed that Berrios also bought drugs from Alexander Medina. A search of Berrios’ home led to the seizure of an assault weapon, five extended magazines, approximately half a pound of cocaine, half an ounce of methamphetamine, and hundreds of wax envelopes containing a mix of heroin and fentanyl packaged for street sale. A search of Medina’s apartment led to the seizure of an illegal handgun, an assault weapon, approximately one pound of methamphetamine, and four ounces of cocaine.

An assault weapon seized from Berrios’ residence

Methamphetamine and an assault weapon seized from Medina’s residence

The 17 individuals who were charged in relation to their involvement in the narcotics trafficking operation, including various counts of Criminal Sale and Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance (class A, B, and C felonies), and/or Conspiracy to commit those crimes, include:

• Etiem M. Berrios, 45 years old, of Syracuse, NY
• Chase Cahoon, 39 years old, of Rome, NY
• Cory M. Ching, 32 years old, of Poland, NY
• Ronnie R. Evanciew, 29 years old, of Taberg, NY
• Tyler J. Forshee, 30 years old, of Cortland, NY
• Joshua B. Goyette, 47 years old, of Freeville, NY
• Jaquan T. Jones, a/k/a “Flame”, 31 years old, of Syracuse, NY
• Gary M. Jordan, 53 years old, of Rome, NY
• Cody E. Lane, 29 years old, of Rome, NY
• Nicole E. Lighthall, 29 years old, of Forestport, NY
• Alexander Medina, 24 years old, of Syracuse, NY
• Antonio Sanchez, 37 years old, of New Rochelle, NY
• Autumn R. Schneider, 28 years old, of Bridgeport, NY
• Heather R. Sharpsteen, 39 years old, of Groton, NY
• Joshua J. Stimpson, 29 years old, of Bridgeport, NY
• Zachary M. Thornhill, 36 years old, of Liverpool, NY
• Amanda L. Valenti, 41 years old, of Genoa, NY

This takedown marks another major drug bust in OAG’s Suburban and Upstate Response to the Growing Epidemic (S.U.R.G.E.) Initiative, a law enforcement effort that brings together state and local law enforcement to target New York’s growing heroin, fentanyl, opioid, and narcotics trafficking networks. Since launching in 2017, SURGE has taken 1,008 alleged traffickers off the streets.

The charges against the defendants are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.

The investigation was led by OAG OCTF Detective Toby Lindfield, under the supervision of OCTF Assistant Chief Investigator John Monte and Deputy Chief Investigator Andrew Boss. The OAG’s Investigations Division is led by Chief Oliver Pu-Folkes.