Sunday, August 30, 2026

Cox: Tish James Weaponized AG Office, Unfit to Serve

 NYGOP

NYGOP Chair Ed Cox released the following statement in response to a report that Attorney General Letitia James directed prosecutors to go after President Trump, and then tried to delete the evidence:

 

“Letitia James weaponized the Attorney General’s office into a political hit squad and then tried to cover up her tracks. She is utterly unfit to serve.

 

"New Yorkers deserve an Attorney General who prosecutes criminals, preserves public records and enforces the law without fear or favor. Saritha Komatireddy will be that Attorney General. She is a tough, experienced prosecutor who will restore integrity, accountability and the rule of law to an office that has lost its way.”


DEC ANNOUNCES SAFETY ADVISORY AT MOUNT LORETTO UNIQUE AREA IN STATEN ISLAND

 

Department of Environmental Conservation
Department of Environmental Conservation

Following Reported Fox Bite, Advisory in Effect Through at least August 31, 2026

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced a safety advisory is in effect for Mount Loretto Unique Area in Staten Island. Following a report that a visitor was bitten by a fox on the grounds yesterday, DEC is warning all visitors to be vigilant due to the presence of a fox that may be infected with rabies.

Visitors should exercise caution and are advised to avoid contact with any animal while recreating. DEC continues to closely monitor the area and look for the fox and requests visitors to report any sightings of foxes in the area demonstrating unusual behavior.

Individuals should never approach or feed any wildlife and should report unusual animal behavior to NYSDEC Dispatch at 1-844-DEC-ECOS (1-844-332-3267). In an emergency, call 911. 

For more information about rabies, visit Rabies: What to Know.

Partnerships for Parks - Celebrate Climate Week NYC with a Native Plant Workshop

 

Climate Week NYC — Beyond the Goldenrod: Sharing Stories of Native Plant Gardens


Native plants enhance biodiversity, mitigate the effects of climate change, and are essential for a resilient future for our city and world. Join us during Climate Week NYC for a conversation highlighting how parks and green space enthusiasts have incorporated native plants into their efforts.

Learn why urban gardeners decided to start or maintain a native plant garden and how they have been able to educate and engage their surrounding community through stewardship. Gain insight into the impact of native plant gardens on surrounding green spaces, members of grassroots groups, and the broader community. 

RSVP to academy@cityparksfoundation.org. You will receive a registration link after you RSVP. Registration for this session is required and will close the day before the event.

Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2026, 6:30-8 p.m. on Zoom


Photo by Cameron Blaylock; The Richmond Hill Arts Festival at Lt. Frank McConnell Park, a Local Center project by Chhaya, Studio Fōr and Hive Public Space.

Help Put Your Group on the Map


The Public Space Partners Survey is now open! If your group helps care for parks, gardens, plazas, open streets, schoolyards, waterfronts, greenways, trails, or other public spaces in the New York City Region, including the NY/NJ Harbor Estuary, please complete the survey so your work can be counted, mapped, and connected.

The survey takes about 15-30 minutes and your group will be recognized as part of a broader network of partners working to care for and manage public space in the New York City region. You can voluntarily opt in to having your group displayed on public maps and databases, which provides enhanced visibility of your group to potential partners, funders, and the public.

Fill out the survey and be entered into a raffle to win one of ten $100 gift cards. The survey is available in Spanish, Chinese, Russian, and Bengali. Questions? Contact Maho Sakuma: maho@urbandesignforum.org


Partnerships for Parks is a joint program of City Parks Foundation and NYC Parks that supports and champions a growing network of leaders caring and advocating for neighborhood parks and green spaces. We equip people and organizations with the skills and tools needed to ensure these spaces are dynamic community assets.

2026 VAN NEST NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE (VNNA)–WEDNESDAY SEPT 2–MONTHLY MEETING—7PM

 

STATE OF THE COMMUNITY ADDRESS: VAN NEST
VAN NEST NEIGHBORHOOD ALLIANCE (VNNA)
WEDNESDAY, SEPT 2, 2026
7:00 PM
MONSIGNOR FIORENTINO SENIOR APTS.

9.2.2026 VNNA flyer.jpg

Saturday, August 29, 2026

Russian National Living in Florida Convicted for Scheme to Illegally Export Aircraft Parts from the United States to Russia

 

A Florida resident and Russian national, Alexander Mamonov, 62, was convicted on all charges following a jury trial related to a scheme to illegally export aircraft parts from the United States to Russia and the state-owned Russian airline, PJSC Aeroflot. 

“This guilty verdict – on all counts – shows the United States government’s resolute commitment to upholding our export-control laws and to prosecuting those who violate them,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “The National Security Division and our U.S. Attorney’s Offices and law enforcement partners will continue to safeguard U.S.-controlled items from being exported unlawfully.”

“Mamonov illegally exported nearly one million dollars of aviation parts to Russia by lying to U.S. suppliers about their destination, and this conviction on all counts holds him accountable,” said Assistant Director Roman Rozhavsky of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division. “The FBI and its partners will continue to prioritize the enforcement of export laws and sanctions to defend the homeland. Let this verdict serve as a warning to anyone considering smuggling U.S. technology to our adversaries.”

“Russia cannot evade American sanctions and export controls by routing its purchases through South Florida,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “You cannot put a fake destination on a shipping label and make American export laws disappear. This defendant conspired to secretly funnel nearly $1 million in American aircraft parts to Russia and Aeroflot, then used false destinations and financial transactions to conceal what he was doing. A federal jury held him accountable on every count. We will continue to aggressively pursue those who use our district, our financial system, or American businesses to undermine U.S. national security.” 

Mamonov was convicted in the Southern District of Florida of 12 counts related to that scheme, including conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act (ECRA), illegal export of items subject to ECRA, conspiracy to commit smuggling, smuggling of goods, submitting false or misleading export information, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. U.S. District Court Judge Kathleen M. Williams scheduled sentencing for Nov. 20.

The defendant was charged by indictment in April 2025, alongside Ignat Vakorin of Russia. Vakorin remains a fugitive in wanted status.

Following Russia’s further invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, the U.S. Department of Commerce increased restrictions on exports to Russia and issued a temporary denial order barring Aeroflot from receiving U.S.-origin goods. According to court documents and testimony, Mamonov is a former Aeroflot employee who relocated from Russia to South Florida. After the U.S. Department of Commerce increased restrictions on Russian exports, Mamonov conspired with Vakorin to acquire and illegally ship over $900,000 in aircraft parts to Russia and to Aeroflot. Mamonov and Vakorin misled U.S. suppliers into believing the parts were being sent to other destinations, such as the United Arab Emirates and China.

This case was investigated by the FBI Miami Field Office with assistance from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security. 

Wave Hill Weekly Events (Aug 27 – Sep 3) | Take a Stroll Down Garden Paths

 

Stormy weather and a warm sunbeam contrast, showing us two sides of a summer in the city. Admire these fast-paced changes in the slow-growing gardens of the grounds. As you give yourself the time to study the seasonal shifts in nature, notice how they find a balance in creating a picturesque scene, with beaded jewels delicately sitting upon rich green leaves, and a splash of sunshine illuminating paths that guide us to the places we’re meant to be, here at Wave Hill.

Nature & Wellness


Garden Highlights Walk



Free with admission to the grounds    
Registration not required.


Join a knowledgeable Wave Hill Garden Guide for a leisurely stroll in the gardens. Topics vary by season and the expertise of the Guide; each walk varies with the Guide leading it.


Art


Tarik Jeremiah Brown: Hush Harbor


Free with admission to the grounds     
Registration not required.



In the site-responsive exhibition Hush Harbor, Tarik Jeremiah Brown transforms the Sunroom into a contemporary, antebellum hush harbor—a secret gathering place of refuge and worship rooted in Black American histories of survival and faith. The work engages the harbor as both a literal and symbolic site of arrival, protection, and possibilty.


Dots and Loops: Jen Chen-su Huang, Rita Maas, and Audra Wolowiec


Free with admission to the grounds     
Registration not required.



Dots and Loops brings together the work of multidisciplinary artists, Jen Chen-su Huang, Rita Maas, and Audra Wolowiec, who take up the musical score as a visual and conceptual framework to investigate questions around language, legibility, and perspective. Working site-specifically, the artists in Dots and Loops engage with themes relating to the natural world, presentness, and interpretation. 


Family

Family Art Project: Rolling Out the Landscape

Free with admission to the grounds



Registration not required. 
Experience Wave Hill’s seasonal landscape through sketching and painting. Then, transform your scenic art into a scroll that can be unfurled whenever you wish.  At 11:30am families can enjoy a storytime program in the Gund Theater. All ages welcome.

Special Events

Afternoon Tea 

7-day Advanced Registration required 


Enjoy delicious tea sandwiches and delectable pastries with a specialty tea selection every Tuesday and Thursday with seatings at 11AM or 2PM. Served on the Kate French Terrace or in our quaint Tea Room at historic Wave Hill House, Afternoon Teas are provided by our exclusive partner Great Performances whose menu uses local and seasonal ingredients, inspired from their own organic farm, Katchkie Farm.


HOURS STARTING MARCH 15: 10AM–4:30PM, Tuesday–Sunday  
Shuttle Service free from Subway and Metro-North, Saturday–Sunday


Information at 718.549.3200. On the web at wavehill.org.


Senator Julia Salazar - Tuesday: Free Guidance for Tenants

 



ICE Lodges Detainer for Illegal Alien Arrested After Hit-and-Run that Injured Child in Pennsylvania

 

This illegal alien was RELEASED into the country by the Biden Administration, and was issued a driver’s license by J.B. Pritzker’s Illinois

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the following statement after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) lodged a detainer asking officials in Pennsylvania to not release an illegal alien who has been charged with aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, and other crimes after a hit-and-run that injured a pre-teen boy in Washington County.

According to local reporting, the incident occurred on August 23 in Charleroi, Pennsylvania. A young boy was crossing the street when a speeding vehicle struck him and then fled the scene. Some time later, the suspect, Yorgelis Alexandra Matos-Bravo, an illegal alien from Venezuela, returned to the scene after she had reportedly been convinced to do so by her brothers, and she admitted to hitting the child. Authorities said that the boy is expected to survive his injuries.

PA1

Yorgelis Alexandra Matos-Bravo

Charleroi Regional Police arrested Matos-Bravo and charged her with aggravated assault – victim less than 13, recklessly endangering another person, accident involving damage to a vehicle or property, disorderly conduct, reckless driving, careless driving, and speeding. ICE lodged a detainer with the Washington County Jail on August 26. Investigators found that she had been issued a driver’s license by the state of Illinois.

“This criminal illegal alien now faces SEVEN charges after a hit-and-run that injured a young child in Pennsylvania. She would not have been in our country in the first place if it weren’t for the Biden Administration’s open borders, and she wouldn’t have been on our roads if it weren’t for J.B. Pritzker’s sanctuary Illinois issuing her a driver’s license,” said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “This was a completely avoidable crime that was enabled by the reckless, America Last policies of sanctuary politicians. ICE has lodged a detainer asking officials in Washington County to cooperate with us and make sure this criminal is never released onto our streets again. I’m praying for the boy’s speedy recovery.”

Matos-Bravo illegally entered the United States through Texas in July 2022. She was then RELEASED into the country by the Biden Administration.