Van Cortlandt Park Alliance - Spend November in Your Favorite Park

 

WANNA VOLUNTEER?  

Look for our November Volunteer Events email! 

NOVEMBER PROGRAMS  

Caribbean Connections: Tying History and Music Together 

Saturday, November 1 - 1pm to 4pm 

Join VCPA and Van Cortlandt House Museum for an afternoon that brings together history, music, and flavor. This unique program highlights the significant ties between early New York and the Caribbean and Latin America. 

RSVP Now 

Van Cortlandt House Museum 

Veterans Day Ceremony

Sunday, November 2 - 12pm Sharp!

Honor the service of local veterans at this annual gathering hosted by Van Cortlandt Park Alliance and Bronx Community Board 8 Veterans Affairs Committee. 

At Memorial Grove

Autumn Hike in the Park

Saturday, November 8 at 10am

Explore the Northwest Woods with a VCPA staff member learning about the nature around you and the changes that are happening as winter approaches. Put on your best hiking shoes and join us for a fun 2-hour hike.

RSVP Now

Learning Garden

Van Cortlandt Nature Group Walks

Tuesday, November 11 at 2pm meets in Riverdale Stables parking lot

Sunday, November 16 at 10am meets in front of Nature Center

Take a slow walk in the park and learn about local flora and fauna with naturalist Debbi Dolan. Debbi has a wealth of knowledge about nature, plants, and wildlife that she enjoys sharing.

Register for 11/11 Walk

Register for 11/16 Walk

Crunch & Munch

Saturday, November 15 - 10am to 1pm

Crunch leaves, plant bulbs, create seasonal crafts, and munch on light snacks!

Join VCPA and our friends from NYBG Bronx Green-Up and New York Restoration Project for a fun fall day in the garden.

Learning Garden

REIMAGINING: Rewriting the Will: A Workshop with David Mill

Saturday, November 15 - 1pm to 3pm

Van Cortlandt Park Alliance presents a writing workshop led by poet and Bronx byproduct David Mills. Drawing inspiration from a historic Van Cortlandt family will, participants will engage in a powerful exercise: imagining and crafting their own “new will” from the perspective of an individual enslaved on the Van Cortlandt plantation.

RSVP Required

Van Cortlandt House Museum

REIMAGINING: Chalk Art & Live Music Gathering  is part of Van Cortlandt Park Alliance’s Reimagining initiative. In partnership with the Design Trust for Public Space and Immanuel Oni, Liminal Sp, VCPA invites the community to reimagine the park’s Enslaved African Burial Ground site as a memorial space that fosters long-term healing and restoration. This project is supported by the Mellon Foundation.

Rising NYRR
Sunday, November 16 at 10am
Kids head to the scenic trails for a fun cross country event with our friends at NYRR! Registration for this event is FREE and open to participants of all abilities and age 2 to 18.
Register Now

 

Birding with NYC Bird Alliance
Sunday, November 23 - meet at 9am
Explore Van Cortlandt Park’s ecologically diverse grounds and celebrate a long tradition of birding in the park. Each walk will be led by a NYC Bird Alliance guide.

RSVP Required

Van Cortlandt Nature Center

Support Our Work in Van Cortlandt Park

 

Make a Donation

The park is really big. Our staff is really small. Only with your help can we grow our capacity, hire more staff, and take on projects to improve Van Cortlandt Park… for YOU!  Please consider a gift to Van Cortlandt Park Alliance today.

Donate!

VCPA Merch Shop!

Show your love for Van Cortlandt Park while supporting the Alliance!

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Become a Member

Members get VCPA merch and invitations to member only hikes while supporting their favorite park!

Join Now!

Our Contact Information
Van Cortlandt Park Alliance
80 Van Cortlandt Park South, Ste. E1
Bronx, NY 10463
718-601-1460
http://vancortlandt.org

MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR 5,000 NEW NYPD OFFICERS IN NOVEMBER PLAN, BRINGING UNIFORM HEADCOUNT UP TO 40,000 BY FISCAL YEAR 2029

 

NYPD Uniform Headcount Will Be at Highest Level in 20 Years  

 

Additional Officers Will Build on Adams Administration’s Success in Driving Down Crime to Historic Lows, Achieving Mission to Make New York City Safer  

New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced a new investment in the upcoming November 2025 Financial Plan Update that will increase the uniformed headcount of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) by 5,000 officers, increasing the total number of officers to 40,000 by Fiscal Year (FY) 2029  — the highest level in 20 years. Mayor Adams is making an investment of $17.8 million in the upcoming fiscal year that will increase to $315.8 million by FY 2029 to support the phased-in hiring of the additional 5,000 officers by July 2028.     

 

The new phase-in will begin in July 2026 with 300 officers, growing to 2,500 in July 2027, and increasing to 5,000 annually in July 2028. At full strength, NYPD will be authorized to put approximately 40,000 officers on the street to protect New Yorkers. Mayor Adams previously  expanded eligibility requirements and continued funding that put the city on the path to 35,000 uniformed NYPD officers by the fall 2026. Additionally, this past August, Mayor Adams and NYPD Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch announced the hiring of nearly 1,100 police officer recruits, marking the largest class of officers sworn in by the NYPD since January 2016. Including the August class, already this year, the NYPD has hired 2,911 recruits — the highest number since 2006 — with another class still scheduled for this year. 

 

“Our administration has always been guided by the belief that public safety is the prerequisite to prosperity, and over the last four years — as we’ve driven crime down to record lows and presided over a resurgence in New York City from the COVID-19 pandemic — we’ve proven that the price for our safety is well worth it,” said Mayor Adams. “The vast majority of New Yorkers want more police officers on their streets and in their subways, and that is what we are delivering by adding these 5,000 new officers. With our administration’s investment, we are, once again, using our strong fiscal management to put investments where our values are. Now, New York City will be on a path to reach 40,000 police officers in the next three years — the highest number of police officers in 20 years. I am so proud of the work we have done to keep New Yorkers safe, and I am grateful to the brave men and women of the NYPD who help us get there each and every day.”  

 

Today’s investment builds on successful efforts by the Adams administration to drive down crime. Since day one, the Adams administration has prioritized public safety initiatives to stop the scourge of gun violence and keep 8.5 million New Yorkers safe. More than 24,300 illegal firearms have been removed from city streets since January 2022, including over 4,500 this year  alone. Shootings have decreased by 54 percent citywide since before Mayor Adams came into office, and in September 2025, major crimes dropped by 3.8 percent.   

 

Additionally, thanks to the Adams administration’s proactive public safety efforts, shooting incidents and shooting victims are at their lowest levels in the city’s recorded history. Citywide shooting incidents are down more than 20 percent in the first nine months of 2025, their lowest levels ever, shattering the previous record low set in 2018 by 20 fewer incidents; and they are down nearly 16 percent for the quarter, marking the fewest number of shootings in any third quarter in recorded history. Shooting victims are also down 19 percent this year, tied for their lowest levels ever. And they were down more than 11 percent last quarter, the second best third quarter in recorded history.   

   

Below ground, the NYPD is delivering on public safety, as well. The city recently celebrated the safest third quarter ever on subways this year, including all-time lows in transit for the months of July, August, and September, excluding the pandemic years. These record-low numbers helped drive the city’s seventh straight quarter of declines in major crime, which has consistently decreased every quarter since January 2024. Finally, to address the national increase in domestic violence incidents, Mayor Adams and Commissioner Tisch, earlier this month, announced the creation of the NYPD’s Domestic Violence Unit — the largest unit of its kind in the country that will allow the NYPD to enhance how it investigates domestic violence incidents and train officers while strengthening support for survivors.  

   

Today’s announcement follows Mayor Adams’ history of strong fiscal management, including the on-time, balanced, and fiscally responsible $115.9 billion Adopted Budget for FY 2026, which built on the FY 2026 Executive Budget, often called the “Best Budget Ever.” The Executive Budget doubled down on Mayor Adams’ commitment to make New York City the best place to raise a family by, among other things, investing in “After-School for All,” a $755-million plan to deliver universal after-school programming to families of children in kindergarten through eighth grade; baselining funding for 3-K citywide expansion and special education pre-K to build on the administration’s work to dramatically expand access to early childhood education; investing over $400 million to fully fund the transformation of Fifth Avenue in Manhattan into a world-class, pedestrian-centered boulevard; and revitalizing “The Arches,” the public space on the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge. The FY 2026 Adopted Budget was also the first to implement Mayor Adams’ landmark “Axe the Tax for the Working Class” plan, which abolishes and cuts New York City's personal income tax for filers with dependents living at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty line. Because of this plan, which the Adams administration successfully fought to pass in Albany this budget cycle, $63 million will go back into the pockets of over 582,000 low-income New York filers, including their dependents, helping make New York City more affordable for working-class families.  

Permits Filed for 2668 Marion Avenue in Fordham, The Bronx

 

Permits have been filed for an eight-story residential building at 2668 Marion Avenue in Fordham, The Bronx. Located between East 194th Street and East 195th Street, the lot is near the Fordham Road subway station, served by the B and D trains. Steven Westreich of Westorchard Management is listed as the owner behind the applications.

The proposed 74-foot-tall development will yield 70,660 square feet designated for residential space. The building will have 45 residences, most likely condos based on the average unit scope of 1,570 square feet. The steel-based structure will also have a cellar and a 46-foot-long rear yard.

Leandro Nils Dickson Architect, LLC is listed as the architect of record.

Demolition permits were filed in March for the three-story structure on the site. An estimated completion date has not been announced.

VCJC News & Notes 10/31/25

 

Van Cortlandt Jewish Center

News and Notes

Here's this week's edition of the VCJC News and Notes email. We hope you enjoy it and find it useful!

Reminders

1. Shabbos schedule
   
   
   Shabbos information is, as always, available on our website, both in the information sidebar and the events calendar.
   Here are the times you need:  
   Shabbos Candles Friday 10/31/25 @ 5:35 pm
   Shabbos morning services at 8:40 am.  Please join the services if you can do so safely. 
   Shabbos Ends Saturday 11/1/25 @ 6:30 pm

   If you require an aliyah or would like to lead services, read from the torah or haftorah please speak to one of the gabbaim.

   Charles Mantell is sponsoring a special kiddush in honor of his brother, Joel, who passed away this week.
   

2. Shabbos parsha

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   
   

   Parashat Lech-Lecha 5786 / פָּרָשַׁת לֶךְ־לְךָ

   1 November 2025 / 10 Cheshvan 5786

   Parashat Lech-Lecha is the 3rd weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading.

   Torah Portion: Genesis 12:1-17:27

   Lech Lecha (“Go Forth”) recounts Abraham’s (here known as Abram) first encounter with God, his journey to Canaan, the birth of his son Ishmael, the covenant between him, his descendants, and God, and God’s commandment to circumcise the males of his household. [1]

   
   

3. Yizkor donations

   It is customary to make a charitable donation in conjunction with Yizkor.  If you wish to donate to VCJC as part of your Yizkor observance, it can be done in person at the office, by check, or online through our website
   

4. Kristalnacht Observation and Lecture, 11/9/25
   We will be having a Kristalnacht event on Sunday, Nov. 9, 2025 starting at 10AM at the VCJC.
   Larry Hartstein will present a lecture starting at 10:30AM.
   Refreshments will be available. Admission is free.

5. Please help with information about buildings

   As part of rebuilding the membership and congregation, the Board of Trustees would like your help. There are a lot of either new or renovated buildings being put up in our catchment area. We would like to seek the cooperation of the owners / developers of those properties in publicizing these opportunities to live near an orthodox synagogue.  If you are aware of any of these buildings, please provide what information you can about them.  This could include the address, any contact information that might be posted, and any information about the building itself (size, type, etc.). Additionally, if you are aware of vacancies in existing buildings or of houses for sale, please let us know about that as well.

   
   

6. Clocks Change Sunday at 2AM
   Set your clocks back one hour at bedtime Saturday night.

Our mailing address is:
Van Cortlandt Jewish Center
3880 Sedgwick Ave
Bronx, NY 10463

NYS Office of the Comptroller DiNapoli: Local Sales Tax Collections Total $18.2 Billion Through September 2025, Up Over 4.3% Over Prior Year

 

Local government sales tax collections totaled $18.2 billion from January to September 2025, an increase of 4.3% ($747 million) compared to the same period last year, according to the quarterly sales tax report released today by State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. Growth so far this year is higher than the 3.8% average growth rate seen from January to September for the 2010 to 2019 period of recovery and expansion following the Great Recession.

“New York’s local sales tax revenues rose through September compared to last year, but federal policy actions create significant fiscal risk for municipalities amid signs of a slowing economy,” said DiNapoli. “Local officials who rely on these revenues should take advantage of the financial planning tools and guidance my office offers to help them bolster their fiscal resilience.”

Findings from DiNapoli’s report on sales tax collections from January to September 2025 include:

• Each of the 10 regions in the state, including New York City, had a year-over-year increase in collections.
• New York City’s sales tax collections totaled $8.1 billion, an increase of 5.7% ($441 million), year over year, while aggregate collections for the counties and cities in the rest of the state grew by 3% ($258 million).
• Outside of New York City, regional growth ranged from a low of 0.6% (Mohawk Valley) to a high of 4.3% (Western New York).
• Nearly 90% of counties experienced a year-over-year increase in collections, with close to one-third of counties seeing more than 5% growth.
• Hamilton County saw the highest growth at 12%, followed by the counties of Yates and Chenango (each at 10.4%), Delaware (10.3%) and Orleans (9.7%).
• Among the six counties that had decreases in collections, Sullivan had the steepest decline (-4.7%), followed by Schoharie (-4.4%), Livingston (-2.5%) and St. Lawrence (-2.1%)
• Over half of cities outside of New York City that impose their own sales tax experienced growth in collections. Norwich had the largest increase at 17.2%, followed by Salamanca (8.7%). Of the remaining eight cities that experienced decreases in collections, Utica had the steepest decline (-8.9%), followed by Gloversville (-7.2%) and Oneida (-5.3%).

A few of the more notable factors that can help explain local sales tax growth or decline are changes in the rate of inflation, personal consumption and employment and wages. Due to the federal government shutdown, however, national personal consumption data and federal-state cooperative labor market data for the month of September were not released in time to be included in this report.

Report

Local Sales Tax Collections from January to September 2025

Data

Regional Table with Detailed Sales Tax Collections by County and City