Thank you Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson.
Friday, August 23, 2024
The Bronx Chamber of Commerce - Bronx Business News You Can Use
Upcoming Events, Funding Opportunities, Legislative News, & More
(Friday) Extra, Extra!
Click here for this week's video
(Full Details below in newsletter)
Legislative updates re: bus lane cameras, incentives to reduce truck deliveries during peak hours, and Intro 991 (Licensing Hotels bill); Upcoming events: new member ribbon cutting, Yankees vs. Red Sox Game Changers event, 2024 Gala, new member ribbon cutting, and digital marketing workshop; and funded Internship program for small businesses!
Summer Hours: The Bronx Chamber office is on a 4-day schedule, closed every Friday through 8/30/24
LEGISLATIVE UPDATES
Traffic Camera Enforcement
Monday, August 19 marked the first day that new Automated Camera Enforcement technology begins issuing violations to cars blocking bus stops and double parking. Read more here.
Incentive Program to Reduce Truck Deliveries During Busiest Hours
Applications are open for the Off-Hour Delivery Incentive Program to help reduce truck deliveries during the busiest hours of the day. All New York City businesses who make or receive commercial deliveries are eligible to apply on the Incentives Program page for a one-time reimbursement.
Applicants must provide their anticipated off-hour delivery-related expenses for reimbursement and commit to conducting off-hour deliveries for a minimum of one year. The application is open until September 30, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. (EDT) APPLY HERE
Reminder Regarding Intro 991, pertaining to Hotel Licensing:
Click Here for the Full Intro 991 Bill, sponsored by Council Member Julie Menin: This bill would require hotels to obtain a license in order to operate their business in the City. (Committee: Consumer & Worker Protection)
Learn About The Many Potential Impacts of Intro 991 Here
The Bronx Chamber planned to testify in person in front of the NYC Council at the Consumer and Worker Protection hearing scheduled for July 30th - that hearing was postponed and has not yet been rescheduled. We encourage you to continue contacting your City Council representatives to voice your concerns. Click here for contact info
Be sure to visit our website Advocacy page for weekly Bronx Business Legislative Updates
NEW DATE, NEW MATCHUP Bronx GameChangers Event Yankees vs. Red Sox Sunday, September 15 Game Time: 1:35pm (Suite Opens at 11:30am) Mother Nature trumped our plans for the previously-scheduled August 9 event, but in a fortuitous turn of events - GameChangers will now feature the ultimate baseball rivalry: Yankees vs. Red Sox! All prior ticketholders will be honored, and registration has re-opened for the few remaining spots - don't delay, this one is sure to sell out! Open Bar, Food, Private Stadium Entrance, and Prime Networking |
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Maximize Visibility: Google Business Profile Strategies October 2, 2024 Virtual (Zoom) 12:00 - 1:00pm Join us for a digital marketing webinar hosted by Bronx Chamber member PS Digital on October 2 at 12:00pm - their specialists will share expert tips, tricks and strategies to attract new customers by optimizing your Google Business Profile. Register using the link below and you will be sent the Zoom link prior to the online workshop. |
FREE WEBSITE BUILDING OR LOGO THROUGH OPEN + ONLINE Applications are still open for Bronx businesses to sign up for the popular Open + Online program through the NYC Small Business Resource Network! It's crucial that your small business has a strong online presence to compete in today's marketplace. The Open + Online program offers FREE website building, logo & branding design, or expert SEO (search engine optimization) consulting to help your small business put its best foot forward. Bronx Economic Development Corporation Loans BXEDC has loans programs tailor-made for small- and mid-sized businesses operating in (or moving to) the Bronx: The Bronx Micro-Loan and the Bronx Commercial Development Loan. Click HERE to learn more and apply. For the complete Bronx Chamber Events Calendar, featuring educational workshops, networking events and other opportunities hosted by the Chamber, its members, & partners, please visit and bookmark our website events calendar link in your browser - new events are added weekly |
NYS Office of the Comptroller - DiNapoli: State Pension Fund Valued at $267.7 Billion at End of First Quarter
New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli today announced that the estimated value of the New York State Common Retirement Fund (Fund) was $267.7 billion at the end of the first quarter of state fiscal year 2024-25. For the three-month period ending June 30, 2024, Fund investments returned an estimated 1.38%.
“Stock market volatility underlines the continued economic uncertainties faced by investors,” DiNapoli said. “Fortunately, our diverse portfolio is built on long-term sustainable investments that can weather such ups and downs and is one of the reasons we are one of the nation’s strongest public pension funds.”
The Fund's value reflects retirement and death benefits of $4.2 billion paid out during the quarter. Its estimated value was $267.7 billion as of March 31, 2024, the end of the state’s fiscal year.
As of June 30, the Fund had 42.32% of its assets invested in publicly traded equities. The remaining Fund assets by allocation are invested in cash, bonds, and mortgages (22.07%), private equity (14.71%), real estate and real assets (13.14%) and credit, absolute return strategies, and opportunistic alternatives (7.76%).
The Fund’s long-term expected rate of return is 5.9%.
DiNapoli initiated quarterly performance reporting by the Fund in 2009 as part of his on-going efforts to increase accountability and transparency.
HAPPENING TOMORROW: Assemblymember John Zaccaro, Jr.'s Back-To-School Summer Bash!!
Dear Neighbors,
The start of the new school year is right around the corner and Team JZ has got you covered! We've got fresh school supplies, free backpacks and so much more. Are you ready for an afternoon of FREE fun for the community! We are!!
Details as follows:
Where: Allerton Playground
When: TOMORROW, August 24th
Time: 1pm - 3pm
Please remember that this is a first come/first served event and every adult must have their child present to receive a free back-to-school backpack and/or school supplies while supplies last.
Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow afternoon!!!
In Gratitude,
John Zaccaro, Jr.
MAYOR ADAMS ANNOUNCES CITY HALL, OTHER CITY BUILDINGS TO BE LIT YELLOW TONIGHT IN HONOR OF INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR THE REMEMBRANCE OF THE SLAVE TRADE AND ITS ABOLITION
New York City Mayor Eric Adams today announced that City Hall and other municipal buildings will be lit up yellow tonight in honor of International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition.
“Today, we reflect on the inhumanity of slavery, remember those in Haiti who fought in the name of the justice to abolish it, and recommit ourselves to the shared principles of liberty, dignity, and equality for all,” said Mayor Adams. “Now, more than ever, to build a better future, we must reconcile with our troubled past. Let us all work together to remember our collective history and use it as a lesson to turn a painful moment into a purposeful one.”
Designated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1998, International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition commemorates the start of a 1791 uprising among the enslaved people of Haiti that would culminate in both the Haitian Revolution and the abolition of the slave trade. Mayor Adams acknowledges both the harrowing tragedy of the transatlantic slave trade as well as the vital role the uprising played in ending it.
In addition to City Hall, the following city buildings will be lit up yellow starting tonight at sundown:
- Bronx Borough Hall: 851 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 10451
- Brooklyn Borough Hall: 209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
- The David N. Dinkins Manhattan Municipal Building: 1 Centre Street, New York, NY 10007
- Gracie Mansion: East 88th Street & East End Avenue, New York, NY 10028
- Queens Borough Hall: 120-55 Queens Boulevard, Kew Gardens, NY 11424
- Staten Island Borough Hall: 10 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island, NY 10301
Two Former Presidents of Boilermakers International Union Among Seven Indicted for $20M Embezzlement Scheme
A federal grand jury in Kansas returned an indictment yesterday charging seven defendants, including five current and former high-level officers of the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmith, Forgers and Helpers (Boilermakers Union) for their alleged roles in a 15-year, $20 million embezzlement scheme.
The defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit offenses under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, as well as other charges including embezzlement, health care fraud, wire fraud, and theft in connection with health care and retirement plans.
“As alleged in the indictment, these defendants, including two former presidents of the Boilermakers Union, enriched themselves by spending millions of dollars in union funds for their own benefit, including for salary and benefits for no-show jobs, tuition, rent, luxury international travel, meals, vacation payouts, and unauthorized loans,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This indictment marks an important step in restoring financial security to the Boilermakers Union and control of the union’s future to its membership. The department is committed to protecting union members from officials who abuse their positions of authority for their own personal ends.”
The defendants are former union president Newton Jones, 71, of Chapel Hill, North Carolina; former secretary-treasurer William Creeden, 76, of Kearney, Missouri; former president Truman “Warren” Fairley, 59, of Chapel Hill; current secretary-treasurer Kathy Stapp, 53, of Shawnee, Kansas; former vice president Lawrence McManamon, 76, of Rocky River, Ohio; Kateryna Jones, 32, of Chapel Hill; and Cullen Jones 35, of Chapel Hill.
“Union members pay their dues believing union leaders will use the money in support of the organization’s mission to advocate for and protect employment rights,” said U.S. Attorney Kate E. Brubacher for the District of Kansas. “The Department of Justice is deeply concerned whenever there are accusations of fraud and misappropriation of union funds.”
“The employees believed the Union executives would promote and protect their best interests. Instead, they allegedly utilized their positions for personal and financial gain,” said Special Agent in Charge Stephen A. Cyrus of the FBI Kansas City Field Office. “By allegedly unlawfully misappropriating Union funds, the defendants betrayed their members’ trust and confidence. Anyone who unlawfully profits at the expense of others will be held accountable.”
“We would like to thank our fellow law enforcement partners, the Criminal Division, and the United States Attorney’s Office for working collaboratively to bring change within the Boilermakers International Union,” said District Director Christiane Abendroth of the Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS). “Today’s indictment of seven defendants, including five current and former high-level officers, is a direct result of OLMS’s audit findings and a multi-agency criminal investigation. We look forward to obtaining justice for the rank-and-file union members by removing officers who allegedly treated the union as their personal piggy bank.”
Over the course of 15 years, the defendants, led by Newton Jones and William Creeden, allegedly engaged in widespread embezzlement of the funds of the Boilermakers Union including:
- Over $5 million in unnecessary luxury international travel;
- Over $2 million in salary and benefits to Kateryna Jones and Cullen Jones for no-show jobs, at which they were not required to work, including payment of two years of salary to Kateryna Jones for a period when she resided in Ukraine and was dating Newton Jones;
- Hundreds of thousands of dollars in tuition, rent, and relocation expenses for members of the family of Newton Jones;
- Millions of dollars in cash payments relating to fraudulently claimed vacation time;
- Hundreds of fraudulent restaurant charges by Newton Jones and Kateryna Jones in their hometown;
- Funds wrongly expended to engage in email surveillance of Union employees to defend Newton Jones and McManamon from internal union charges; and
- $7 million in loans from the Boilermakers Union MORE Fund executed by Newton Jones and Creeden to the Bank of Labor, which were not authorized under the terms of the Boilermakers Union constitution or its conflict-of-interest policy.
The indictment also charges Newton Jones and Creeden with wire fraud relating to their alleged demand and acceptance of no-show employment with the Bank of Labor for which they were paid more than $3.4 million each in salary, benefit contributions, and other paid benefits. The indictment additionally seeks forfeiture of $20 million.
If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the RICO conspiracy count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The FBI Kansas City Field Office and the Department of Labor are investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Vincent Falvo of the Criminal Division’s Violent Crime and Racketeering Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Faiza Alhambra and Jabari Wamble for the District of Kansas are prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
VCJC News & Notes 8/23/24
Van Cortlandt Jewish CenterNews 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
- ShabbosShabbos 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 8/23/24 @ 7:23 pmShabbos morning services at 8:40 am. Please join the services if you can do so safely.Shabbos Ends Saturday 8/24/24 @ 8:26 pmIf you require an aliyah or would like to lead services, read from the torah or haftorah please speak to one of the gabbaim.
- Space for rentThe VCJC has made public that it has space available for short term rentals. If you, or anyone you know, needs either office or event space, please let us know or let them know, or both. You can review the information on our blog post.
- The VCJC ShopWe are in the process of creating an affiliate shop on our website. It is far from complete and, in fact, will continuously evolve, so may never be really complete. However, there are already several items for your review. You can find the links to it on our main menu. The main shop page outlines some of what will be offered. As an affiliate site, the VCJC will get commissions from vendors to whom you go from our site, without it costing you anything additional. The approach we have taken is to make this a curated site, not just “buy candles” or “buy a mezzuzah” with a link to anything that resemebles those items. We already have the Shabbat page up and running, although with lots of “white space” that will be filled in. We currently have an affiliate relationship with Amazon and just signed up with another vendor. You will also find what we hope are helpful and informative blog posts about various topics. While the blog posts are integrated with our general blog, we also have a dedicated page where you can see just the shopping related blogs. There is also a contact page dedicated to The VCJC Shop, so if you have suggestions for products, comments about the Shop, or comments about the shopping experience we are trying to provide, please let us know! Please use the Shop to find things you know you need and to get ideas about what you had not thought of! Please share the Shop with anyone who might be interested.
Our mailing address is:
Van Cortlandt Jewish Center
3880 Sedgwick Ave
Bronx, NY 10463