Governor Hochul Announces Energy Rebate Checks Going to 8.2 Million New York Households Starting Next Week

Checks up to $200 Will Be Mailed to Eligible New Yorkers, With No Need to Apply or Sign Up

Check Mailing To Begin September 21 and Continue Through December

Since 2021, New York Has Provided $7.6 Billion to Participating Households in Direct Utility Bill Relief, Including Energy Rebate Checks

Continues Governor’s Ongoing Energy Affordability Agenda To Help New Yorkers Struggling With High Utility Costs and Soaring Gas Prices at the Pump Due to Washington Republicans’ Harmful Policies

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that energy rebate checks up to $200 will be sent to 8.2 million households across New York State starting on September 21. Checks will be mailed directly to eligible New Yorkers, with deliveries to continue through December. There is no need to apply, sign up or do anything to receive a check.

“As Washington Republicans continue to send the cost of everything from utility bills to gas and groceries soaring, I'll never stop working to address the rising cost of living for New Yorkers,” Governor Hochul said. “Too many families are struggling with rising household energy bills and soaring gas prices at the pump — and that's why we're putting money directly back in New Yorkers' pockets by sending energy rebate checks to millions of families as part of our affordability agenda.”

Governor Hochul’s enacted budget included a one-time $1 billion Protecting Our Wallets Energy Rebate (POWER) to help provide needed relief in the face of federal tariffs that have increased the cost of living across the board and President Trump’s war in Iran that has New Yorkers now paying on average $4.35 per gallon at the pumps, a 45% jump since the war began. Diesel has jumped 49% since the war began at the end of February to $5.98 per gallon.

POWER checks will provide $200 to joint filers with incomes under $150,000 and $150 to joint filers with incomes between $150,000 and $300,000. Single filers with incomes under $150,000 will receive $100. The rebates will be issued as advanced credit checks and will be mailed out between September and December.

Who’s Eligible for a POWER Check?

You are eligible for a rebate credit check if, for tax year 2024, you:

• Filed a timely New York State Resident Income Tax Return;
• Were a full-time resident for New York State;
• Reported income within the qualifying thresholds; and
• Were not claimed as a dependent on another taxpayer’s return.  

DHS Issues Statement Condemning Judge Who Allowed Illegal Alien to Escape ICE in Her Courtroom

 

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court also issued the judge a formal reprimand

The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the following statement condemning a Massachusetts judge who had allowed an illegal alien to use a back exit in her courtroom to escape U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

On April 2, 2018, illegal alien Oscar Manuel Peguero, alias Jose Medina-Perez, went to court after being arrested for possession of a Class B controlled substance and possession of a Class E controlled substance in Newton, Massachusetts. He also had an outstanding warrant at the time in Pennsylvania for being a fugitive from justice. The presiding judge was Massachusetts State District Court Judge Shelley Joseph. ICE lodged a detainer for Peguero on March 30, the same day he was arrested, but the detainer was not honored.

 While an ICE officer was waiting outside the courtroom to arrest Peguero, Judge Joseph let Peguero leave the courtroom through a back exit that allowed him to evade ICE custody.

Oscar Manuel Peguero, AKA Jose Medina-Perez

 In 2019, Joseph was charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice, aiding and abetting obstruction of justice, and aiding and abetting obstruction of a federal proceeding. In 2022, the Biden Administration dropped the charges against Joseph.

On September 10, 2026, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) issued Joseph a formal reprimand. The SJC found that she “created an appearance of impropriety in violation of her duties” when she ordered the court clerk to shut off the court’s audio recording systems during the proceedings.

“This judicial misconduct reflects what DHS is facing across the country,” said DHS General Counsel James Percival. “Certain judges think it is their duty to undermine, rather than enforce, federal immigration law. Helping illegal aliens escape from immigration officers is a felony. Sanctuary politicians and sanctuary judges alike are on notice.”

Peguero first illegally entered the United States through Boston Logan International Airport in January 2003, falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen. He was arrested and deported on January 31, 2003. He then illegally re-entered the United States – a felony – through New Mexico in April 2007. He was arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol and deported a second time on June 22, 2007. He then illegally entered the United States for a THIRD time at an unknown date and location.

Two Men Plead Guilty for Roles in Drug Trafficking Operation

Case Brought by New Hampshire’s Homeland Security Task Force

Two individuals pleaded guilty in federal court for their participation in a drug trafficking organization that was run like a business to bring cocaine and fentanyl into New Hampshire, United States Attorney Erin Creegan announces.

Jose Cordero Ortiz, 40, of Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts pleaded guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Drug. He is scheduled to be sentenced on December 9, 2026 at 10:00 a.m.

Jhonattan A. Jimemenz, 39, of Boston, Massachusetts pleaded guilty to one count of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Drug. He is scheduled to be sentenced on November 12, 2026 at 2:00 p.m.  

The charging statute provides a sentence of no greater than 20 years in prison, at least three (3) years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $1,000,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

According to documents and statements made in court, the leader of the organization, Juan Ramon Soto Baez, 55, was sentenced on July 1, 2025 to 100 months in prison with 3 years of supervised release for his role in the drug trafficking operation. The organization was run like a business, operating “dispatch” telephone lines where customers could call in to order narcotics. Soto Baez, or a trusted member of the conspiracy working for him, would take customer orders on the phone, and then Soto Baez would either deliver the order himself or send a runner to conduct the drug sale at an arranged meeting location. In addition to Soto Baez, Ortiz, and Jimenez, more than 10 others have been convicted as part of this operation. 

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration led the investigation. Valuable assistance was provided by the Manchester Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cesar Vega is prosecuting the case.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF New Hampshire comprises agents and officers from FBI, HSI, IRS, DEA, ATF, USMS, and DSS with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire.

ARTIFICIALLY INEVITABLE: NYC PUBLIC ADVOCATE RELEASES NEW REPORT ON THE ROLE OF AI AND NECESSARY GUARDRAILS IN NYC

New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams released a new review on the role of artificial intelligence in government and what good governance of the technology can look like. The report, entitled ‘Artificially Inevitable,’ analyzes the current AI landscape and proposes guidelines for good governance of a technology and industry that changes daily.  This report comes just days after an Anthropic researcher resigned while giving dire warnings about the future potential of AI, prompting a renewed push for guardrails. 

To drive the public discussion of AI usage and regulation across generations, the Public Advocate convened a group of students and seniors at a senior center to share their experiences, concerns, and insights about artificial intelligence. Each age group has seen enormous technological advances in their lifetime, and bringing them together in conversation brings a multifaceted perspective to the rapid onset of AI in our lives. This dialogue will help inform the work ahead for the government to implement guardrails that address the concerns of diverse populations.

A. Philip Randolph, the namesake for the senior center, was a labor leader and civil rights activist who argued that technology was the “collective creation of the people," and therefore “the people should share in the fruits of technology.”

“Our government has a responsibility to help New Yorkers better understand this technology that is rapidly changing the world we live in, and to ensure that when this technology is used, it is to the benefit of New Yorkers,” said Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams at the event. “A responsible approach means resisting doomerism or denialism – because any sense of inevitability ignores the active role that we all – especially in government – have in regulating the use and abuse of technology. By bringing people together across experience and generation, we can better understand how to maximize the benefits and mitigate the harms.”

In a new report, ‘Artificially Inevitable,’ the Public Advocate presents the public with the foundational facts about and framework of modern artificial intelligence, and proposes principles for government use as well as guardrails to enact on the technology.

When governing in the age of AI, government should be  guided by these tenets:

• Safe and Effective Systems: Policy interventions should balance potential benefits and risks. 
• Social Responsibility: Accountability and inclusivity are essential to effective and responsible AI governance.
• Trust and Transparency: Early identification and ongoing management of AI risks is critical to mitigating risks.

In line with that foundation, the report proposes that the Public Advocate urges the city to pass his legislation requiring entities to obtain consent for the collection and disclosure of personal and sensitive information pertaining to New York City residents, and inform them if their information is training artificial intelligence models.

 

Additionally, the city should initiate workforce protections and worker trainings relative to AI, maintain AI-specific procurement standards, and hold public AI literacy trainings, much like the one hosted by the Public Advocate in Harlem today. 

City government has begun to engage with the rise of AI usage among students, implementing restrictions on AI usage and screen time for the coming school year, with a prohibition on usage for elementary and middle schools.The Public Advocate, who had advocated for a yearlong pause altogether on AI usage in schools, has  called this a first step, not the final word, on governing AI in schools, and in this report, pushes for government guardrails beyond the classroom. 

The report calls for the state to enact transparency and consent policies for AI technology using personal data, increase corporate liability for false information, and deliver an AI bill of rights to ensure that any system making decisions without human intervention impacting their lives do so lawfully, properly, and with meaningful oversight

As A. Phillip Randolph argued, “You cannot destroy the machine. You cannot stifle the invention of various geniuses in the world.” But that does not mean accepting inevitabilities or abdicating responsibility. Rather, as he believed and this report echoes, “The community and the government have a responsibility” to act now. 

Read the report now.  

New York City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce - Cybersecurity Seminar at Hunter College | September, 18, 2026

 

We look forward to seeing you

Hernandez Blasts Hochul’s Taxpayer Funded Bribe Ahead of Election Day

 

Joseph Hernandez, Republican candidate for New York State Comptroller, today released the following statement on Governor Kathy Hochul's $200 rebate checks sent out only 50 days before November’s gubernatorial election, and are funded by roughly $1 billion in state revenue:

 

"Kathy Hochul just found $1 billion to mail you a check 50 days before her election this November. Ask yourself why. New Yorkers have paid record electric bills for years under her watch, and suddenly $200 shows up in the mail. That's old-fashioned bribery with taxpayer money, and she's not even hiding it anymore.

 

A one-time check doesn't fix a permanently broken system. If Albany wants to actually help, here's where to start. First, strip out the hidden surcharges and mandate-driven fees padding every utility bill. Second, freeze and audit rate hikes utilities are allowed to pass straight to ratepayers. Third, stop passing the cost of Albany's energy mandates onto working families' monthly bills."

 

Con Edison, National Grid, and every utility in this state are passing along rate hikes, approved under the Hochul-DiNapoli Administration and driven by their energy mandates. New Yorkers aren't stupid, we know a $200 crumb when we see one. Fix our bills, fix them permanently, and stop bribing us with our own money.”

New York City Leads Cities and Counties in Lawsuit Challenging Federal Government’s New Public Charge Rule

Coalition Filing in Southern District of New York Challenges Rule That Could Push Immigrant Families Away from Essential Health Care and Food Assistance

 

New York City Lawsuit Filed Alongside Separate Challenge Led by New York Attorney General 

Today, Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani announced that New York City, alongside the City of Chicago, the City and County of San Francisco, the County of Santa Clara, the City of Seattle, King County, Washington and the Public Rights Project, filed a lawsuit challenging the federal government’s new public charge rule.   

  

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, comes alongside a separate legal challenge led by New York State Attorney General Letitia James. New York is being joined by states, cities, counties and the Public Rights Project across the country in challenging the federal government’s attempt to deny green cards and visas to immigrants based on their use of means-tested, or income-based, local, state, and federal public benefits, without clear definitions or meaningful guardrails. The rule is the latest in the federal government’s relentless assault on immigrant families and their ability to live and work in the cities they call home.    

   

“The new public charge rule seeks to push immigrant families away from the programs that have kept people fed and healthy for decades. New Yorkers will be afraid to see a doctor or ask for help they are legally entitled to. That fear will not stop at the families that the federal government is targeting. Families who remain fully eligible for benefits will feel a chilling effect, and all New Yorkers will pay for it,” said Mayor Mamdani. “New York City is proud to lead a coalition of cities and counties — Chicago, San Francisco, Santa Clara County, Seattle, King County and the Public Rights Project — standing firmly against this cruel and unlawful rule. Our immigrant communities are not a burden. They are the people who make New York City and country great. We will use every tool at our disposal to ensure they can continue to live here with dignity and without fear.”   

   

In its lawsuit, the coalition argues that the new public charge rule sweeps aside more than a century of settled law, as well as decades of federal guidance establishing clear limits on how public charge determinations can be made. Instead, the new rule dramatically and unlawfully expands the government’s authority to consider an immigrant’s use of public benefits, allowing the federal government to consider virtually any means-tested or income-based public benefits while inviting officers to make decisions that are inconsistent and discriminatory.   

  

“The federal government has again targeted our immigrant communities with an extremely harmful new federal public charge rule,” said New York City Corporation Counsel Steve Banks. “This new rule sweeps away more than a century of settled law to unlawfully broaden the definition of ‘public charge’ in a way that Congress never intended. No immigrant New Yorker should have to choose between their immigration status and benefits for which they are legally eligible.”  

  

“The federal government’s changes to the public charge rule are creating fear and confusion among immigrant communities, which may keep families from accessing public benefits and services that help keep them healthy and safe,” said MOIA Commissioner Faiza N. Ali. “No one should have to choose between their family’s wellbeing and their future in this country. As New York City and municipalities across the country challenge these changes in court, the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs will continue making sure immigrant New Yorkers know their rights, know where to turn to for help and can access trusted legal support.”   

This new rule is designed to create fear. It will have a massive chilling effect across immigrant communities, discouraging New Yorkers from accessing benefits and services for which they or their family members are legally eligible – including many people who are not subject to the rule at all.   

  

The new Public Charge Rule is expected to go into effect on September 18. New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status, can call the MOIA’s Immigration Legal Support Hotline at 1-800-354-0365 or 311 and say “Immigration Legal” to get connected to free, safe and confidential immigration legal assistance in their preferred language.  

Waterbury LaSalle Community Association - OUR NEXT MEETING September 22nd at 7:30 pm please join us

 

Our next meeting will be on September 22nd at 7:30 pm at the First Lutheran Church on Hollywood and Baisley Avenues. It’s time to get ready to vote in the mid terms.  This election is very important and in order to cast an educated vote you must know each candidate and be familiar with their platform.  Most of us know our local politicians but you must also know the candidates running against them. This will help you cast an educated vote.

Our guest speakers will be Diamont Hysenaj who will run against Alexandria Ocasio Cortez for Congress,  Irene Guanill running against Michael Benedetto for Assembly,  Adrian Romero running against Nathalia Fernandez for Senate. This race is crucial if you are hoping for positive change in our community.  Your vote is crucial to make change happen!  Even if you have already met some of these candidates, please come out to hear them again and ask those hard questions! Remember, our politicians work for us.  Tell them what you need them to do!

Kristy Marmorato will also stop by with Bruce Blakeman lawn signs. She is working on his campaign and I’m hoping she will also bring information regarding his platform.

There are some changes at CB 10 and I will give you latest information regarding our community board.

This will be an informative meeting that I hope you will make a special effort to attend. Please give our upcoming elections some thought and come with your questions and suggestions.

Waterbury LaSalle Community Association