'100 PERCENT' OCTOBER 15,2015

100 PERCENT

By Robert Press

The Demise of the Bronx News

   

     By looking at the headline you may be asking yourself, why is he writing about the demise of the Bronx News when this column appears in the Bronx News? Well my dear readers after over 7 years of a happy union of the Bronx News and myself the owner of the Bronx News has decided to move the paper in another direction. That being one of getting away from giving you the news and information of the Bronx to one of meeting advertising commitments by printing something that resembles a shell of what the Bronx News once was, and probably folding the Bronx News as was done with the Parkchester News. This column has not appeared in the Bronx News for the past two weeks, and the editor of the Bronx News Mr. Dan Gesslein was fired last week without notice. The column 100 PERCENT will be appearing on this blog until a new home (which is in the works) is found. It will be the same column that will pull no punches, and tell it as it has for the past 7 years. Now on with the column.

     After the second of two infants was thrown from a different Bronx building by their mothers to their deaths the question of the day has to be "What are you waiting for Mayor Bill de Blasio", an epidemic of infant deaths as was the case in the Legionnaires Disease outbreak where it took 10 deaths for the city to act to correct the problem. One death is one to many, where is ACS on the matter. 

    Another item in the news is that the city wants to have the police force handcuff suspects in the front instead of the back as part of the 'Revision of the Patrol Guide regarding the use of Force'. For the last 100 years suspects have always been handcuffed in the rear, except for the time reported where a suspect was handcuffed in the front in a Queens Police precinct. The result was that the suspect was able to get his hands on a gun and shoot two officers. Is this new handcuff policy better policing, politics, or lunacy?

    You can check this blog archive for a report on the 'Dirty Dozen' buildings by State Senator Jeff Klein. It seems that government subsidised buildings are the worst offenders of mold and pest violations with the Bronx having more than its fair share. Also check the archive section for the latest listing of events being presented by the Bronx Chamber of Commerce. The Bronx Democratic County organization which for a fundraiser for Bronx District Attorney candidate Darcel Clark at Maestro's Caterers on Monday October 19th from 6 - 8 PM. Ms. Clark's position paper appears on this blog, and you can join her and the Bronx Democratic County organization Monday night. Go through the archive section to find out many different events that are going on all over the Bronx including next Sunday's Tour De Bronx. Click on the posting to find out how you can register to participate in the Tour De Bronx. There are two different bike rides available the 25 mile tour around parts of the Bronx, or the full 40 mile ride around the entire borough of the Bronx. 

     Finally, I would like to answer Mr. Mike Nieves from a City and State item where he is quoted. It seems the story I wrote that former 80th Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera now a resident in the 78th A.D. could be in line for a possible run for her fathers seat was picked up by City and State. Mr. Nieves has been Assemblyman Jose Rivera's campaign manager for many years now, and he is quoted as saying that the elder Rivera has no plans to retire, and that whoever is spreading the rumor that she will replace her father is a jerk who should call him. Well Mr. Nieves I am that so called Jerk you are talking about, and Assemblyman Jose Rivera told me that his daughter Naomi Rivera was living with him in Fordham Hill and not in another apartment in Fordham Hill I had mentioned. By the way Mike, what then is the address of Ms. Naomi Rivera? I have a petition when she ran for the 80th Assembly seat with the address of 601 Pelham Parkway North. 601 Pelham Parkway North is now in the 78th A.D. and no longer in the 80th A.D. Will wonders never end Mr. Nieves, and by the way check your voice mail because the mailbox is full so I could not call you as you suggested. Who feels like a Jerk now Mike?

     If you have any political information that you want to share or have checked out, any comments about this column, or would like to have an event listed or covered in this column or on my blog you can e-mail us at 100percentbronxnews@gmail.com or call 718-644-4199 Mr. Robert Press.

3rd Annual Halloween Parade & Party Saturday, October 24th 1:30 pm Pelham Park Parkway & White Plains Road

HALLOWEEN PARADE & PARTY

Saturday, October 24th 1:30 pm Pelham Park Parkway & White Plains Road

*** Free Live Music & Activities For The Entire Family ****

For More Information call Senate Klein’s Office 718-822-2049

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Join us for Canoeing during Seven Wonders- Sat. Oct. 24th

Seven Wonders of Van  Cortlandt Park:  Tibbetts Wetland

Free Canoe Rides* on VC Lake during… Seven Wonders of Van Cortlandt Park Saturday October 24th  from 12-4pm Join us for a fun afternoon of celebrating our next wonder: Tibbetts Wetland Activities include: Wetland tours, Freshwater  Ecology Lessons, EcoCrafts and  FREE Canoeing* on VC Lake. *Parents Need to Be Present to  Sign Consent Forms! Meet us at VC Lake near the Golf House-  enter the Park at Van Cortlandt Park South  and Bailey Ave. For more info: www.vancortlandt.org Amazon Gift Card - Email

Bronx Chamber of Commerce - Upcoming Events

Please join the 

Bronx Chamber of Commerce 

for our 

upcoming events 

SPACES ARE FILLING UP

Don't Miss Out

 Reserve Your Spot Today  

----------------------------------------------------

Members Exclusive Business Breakfast 

 8:00AM

Wednesday, Oct. 21st

 

 

Goldman Sachs 10K Small Business Workshop

5:30PM

Monday, Oct.26th

Veterans Brunch

5:30PM

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

For More Information Please Email:

EVENTS@BRONXCHAMBER.ORG

Senator Klein releases new investigation on New York City’s ‘Dirty Dozen’ buildings;

Disproportionate number of Bronx  Legionnaires’ cases could be result of underlying conditions caused by bad, indoor air quality

State Senator Jeff Klein, joined by State Senator José M. Serrano, Assemblyman Victor Pichardo, community leaders and experts, today released, “The Dirty Dozen: Dirty and Infested Air in Subsidized Apartments in New York City.”

The scathing investigative report tracked subsidized developments in New York City with the highest number of mold and pest violations, conditions which cause diminished indoor air quality and lead to asthma or other respiratory illnesses.

Bronx developments topped the “Dirty Dozen” list, shedding new light on why a disproportionate number of Legionnaires’ disease cases likely claimed the lives of 12 and sickened over 120 people in the South Bronx this summer. Legionnaires’ struck again last month and took a life in Morris Park.

“It is no wonder that The Bronx has suffered a disproportionate number of Legionnaires’ cases, when you look at these subsidized buildings left in fetid conditions. This filth is scientifically connected to asthma and other respiratory illnesses, which also leave residents at a higher risk for Legionnaires’, and numerous other diseases. Unscrupulous landlords are giving these tenants squalor for our dollar and it’s unacceptable. Leaving residents in taxpayer subsidized buildings wallpapered in mold and crawling with roaches and mice is simply not going to be tolerated. These dirty conditions lead to asthma and respiratory illnesses and my report established that the worst violators are in The Bronx and other areas where we see high asthma rates,” said Senator Klein.

“Senator Klein's report shines a strong light on the disreputable landlords and unacceptable living conditions that far too often exist in our community. Many of the chronic ailments seen in The Bronx — such as asthma and other respiratory conditions —  can be linked to mold and other deplorable living conditions that many residents are forced to live with. I applaud Senator Klein for publishing the ‘Dirty Dozen’ report and for calling for immediate remediation of these unsafe living conditions,” said Senator Serrano.

“Exposure to mold and pests has a direct and detrimental impact on health. Conditions such as these are unsafe and unlivable, and no tenant, subsidized or not, should have to live like this. I am not shocked that asthma is linked to these conditions and disproportionately affects The Bronx and my very own constituents. Today, I stand alongside my colleague, Senator Klein, to stress the importance of clean and safe housing conditions, as I refuse to let my neighbors continue to be susceptible to disease. I thank him for his leadership on this issue,” said Assemblyman Pichardo.

“The health of Bronx residents is not expendable, and residents of subsidized housing cannot be given anything short of top priority by the city’s health and housing code inspectors. I applaud the invaluable work of Senator Klein and Assemblyman Pichardo to expose the ugly truth about the heightened health risk in The Bronx — especially to seniors, children, and those with suppressed immune systems — from unmitigated filth and unchecked, hazardous air quality,” said Assemblyman Sepulveda.

The analysis focused on pest and mold violations issued to 2,528 publically subsidized developments. The “Dirty Dozen,” accounted for nearly 20% of all violations, 543 of 2,736 total violations issued to these buildings.

Mold exacerbates asthma symptoms and can cause other respiratory illnesses. The World Health Organization determined that mold could increase the risk for asthma.

Cockroach infestations also are linked to asthma, according to the World Health Organization. Allergens from roach droppings, eggs and shed shells worsen asthma attacks and respiratory problems.

Rodents, particularly mice inside buildings, produce allergens that irritate asthma sufferers. Allergens like shed fur, dried urine and droppings significantly reduce indoor air quality.

Low-income neighborhoods that face high asthma hospitalization rates correlated with areas that had concentrations of high numbers of violations for pests and mold: the South Bronx, Harlem, North Brooklyn and the North Shore of Staten Island.

“There is an urgent need to address common housing problems that affect health. This investigative report and its recommendations represent an important step in tackling mold and pests to protect the health and safety of our most vulnerable community members. Measures like this are needed to reduce asthma onset and exacerbation. I commend Senator Klein for his leadership on this issue,” Dr. Diana Hernandez, Assistant Professor of Sociomedical Sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.

“In addition to the oversaturation of industrial, waste transfer and other diesel truck-intensive facilities disproportionately impacting our health in the South Bronx, it is important to look at housing conditions contributing to the problem, particularly when such developments receive subsidies,” said Mychal Johnson, co-founder of South Bronx Unite. “While the dirty dozen fall outside of Community Board 1, we, too, have a host of bad actors in the area of housing and look forward to greater accountability.”

Senator Klein made a series of recommendations for New York City’s unscrupulous landlords to cleanup their acts:

• Department of Health should be empowered to eradicate cockroach infestations if derelict landlords fail to take action. Currently, the DOH can only eradicate bedbugs and rodents.
• The Housing and Preservation Department (HPD) should heighten tenant awareness on pest and mold prevention and reporting through campaigns in buildings that rack up three or more violations.
• HPD should develop a Mold and Pest Taskforce to monitor buildings that accumulate five or more violations in two years.
• Serial violators should post bonds to ensure compliance with regulations. This money would be used to finance any cleanup efforts the city needed to make if a landlord failed to take action on a complaint. It would be refunded if a building remained violation free for three years.
• The City should be allowed to impose civil fines on serial violators above fines for violations.
• The State Senate and Assembly must pass S.1105, sponsored by Senator Klein, and A.6505-A, sponsored by Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, to create a statewide asthma disease management system to better track asthma, its triggers and direct education and preventative care to targeted areas.

Above - State Senator Jeff Klein addresses the problem of air quality in federal and state subsidised buildings.

Below Assemblyman Victor Pichardo speaks as the group is in front of 1725 Andrews Avenue in Bronx Community Board 5 ( the district manager and board chair are the first two people on the left) State Senator Jose M. Serrano and Democratic Female District Leader Yudelka Tapia are also in the two photos. 

It appears that there may be other underlying problems in the building at 1725 Andrews Avenue, as you can see watermarks under some windows and near the pointing of the roof.

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Senator Jeff Klein, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Bronx Chamber of Commerce announce free job training & certifications for victims of domestic violence

In honor of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, Klein & Diaz launch second annual Bronx H.I.R.E. Survivor Program

Senator Jeff Klein, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and the Bronx Chamber of Commerce today announced free job training and certifications for victims of domestic violence through the Bronx H.I.R.E. Survivor Program. The launch of the jobs program coincided with Domestic Violence Awareness Month.  

Senator Jeff Klein said: “All too often, victims of domestic violence lack the financial independence to leave harmful, and sometimes, life threatening relationships and start over for themselves and their children. The Bronx H.I.R.E. Survivor Program is the first of its kind in the community and plays a significant role in creating a bridge to employment for victims of abuse who have felt disconnected from the workforce. I’m proud to provide life-changing opportunities for women who have suffered great hardship and I look forward to working together to help victims of domestic violence achieve long-term stability, success and financial freedom.”

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. said: “As we grow our borough's economy we must make sure we create jobs for everyone, including our most vulnerable populations. The Bronx H.I.R.E. initiative provides necessary training and other resources to help victims of domestic violence find employment and take steps towards financial independence, thereby allowing them to make a clean, permanent break from their abusers. As we launch the second year of this program, I want to thank State Senator Jeff Klein and the Bronx Chamber of Commerce for their continuing commitment to the Bronx H.I.R.E. Survivor Program and the critical population it serves.”

With the inception of Universal Pre-Kindergarten and the need for two-income households in New York, the demand for qualified day care has never been greater. This year, the Bronx H.I.R.E. Survivor program will work to provide free certifications and job placement for 10 victims of domestic violence.

The five-month training course will be conducted by Childcare Support Services in conjunction with the Children’s Corner Learning Center. The certification program will include a documented 120 hours of training, formal observation of an early child care professional, an oral interview, and written feedback via parent opinion questionnaires.

Curriculum will include lessons on how children learn and grow, positive ways to support children’s social and emotional development, steps to advance children’s physical and intellectual competence and much more. The comprehensive training course will be held at the Hutchinson Metro Center from October 19 to February 22, 2016.

Michelle Dolgow Cristofaro, executive director of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce said: “Sen. Jeff Klein’s grant allows us to assist domestic violence survivors in their return to the workforce and help them to achieve a life of self-sufficiency.  Under H.I.R.E, we will implement a comprehensive program for these women by providing them with skills to become employable in the workforce, and financially independent.”

Cecilia Gaston, executive director of the Violence Intervention Program said: “The Bronx H.I.R.E. Survivor Program is one of the best examples of collaboration between government, nonprofits and the private sector.  We reach a survivor and help her a get a paid internship and help employers improve their policies and treatment of DV survivors.  It has the potential of changing the lives of everyone it touches.”

Margarita, a domestic violence victim and Bronx H.I.R.E. survivor, said: “The Bronx H.I.R.E. Survivor Program has opened so many new doors and given me the opportunity to create a stable, secure life for me and my family. With my new job, I look forward to going to work everyday and take great pride in knowing that I am able to provide for my little ones. Thank you Senator Klein, Borough President Diaz, the Bronx Chamber of Commerce and Teddy Nissan for your ongoing support and efforts to help victims of domestic violence across New York.”

MaryBeth Abrams, of Children's Corner Learning Center said: “Child Care Support Services is proud to hold a Child Development Associate (CDA) course at the Hutch Metro Center to help connect victims of domestic violence with good-paying jobs.  The CDA course offers training in education for children ages 0 to 5-years-old and will lead to a credential that is nationally recognized. This class is helping women who have not had the same opportunities and can further their career or jumpstart a career in the child care industry.”

The Bronx H.I.R.E. Survivors Program is a comprehensive job training program aimed connecting victims of abuse with full-time employment opportunities. The initiative is part of Senator Klein’s larger jobs program Bronx H.I.R.E. Since 2014, Senator Klein has secured $400,000 in state funding for the Bronx H.I.R.E. program.

For more information or to enroll in Bronx H.I.R.E, visit: http://www.bronxchamber.org

PHOTO (right to left): Michelle Dolgow Cristofaro, executive director of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce; Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.; Margarita, a domestic violence survivor; Senator Jeff Klein; Maria Martinez, Bronx non-residential program coordinator  at the Violence Intervention Program; Charito Cisneros, president of the Cosmetology and Beauty Chamber of Commerce; domestic violence service providers.

Just two of the services that were provided to those who were in attendance.

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Darcel Clark Announces Plan to Restructure Bronx District Attorney’s Office

Darcel Clark Announces Plan to

Restructure Bronx District Attorney’s Office

Clark’s VISTA plan to increase efficiency and expand accountability

THE BRONX - Today, former Supreme Court Justice Darcel Clark, the Democratic candidate for Bronx District Attorney, announced the VISTA Plan - her vision on how to modernize the office, improve operations and move cases forward on a more timely basis.

“The VISTA plan I am announcing today will lay the foundation for giving Bronx residents the confidence they deserve in a District Attorney,” said Clark. “With DA Johnson leaving office, I hope to be blessed with the opportunity to move this office forward and address longstanding concerns about the timely disposition of cases and internal operations with new approaches and ideas.”

Focused on improving office operations and reducing the case backlog through structural changes and increased accountability, the VISTA plan includes:

• Vertical Prosecution Model: The District Attorney’s office will be restructured to minimize case transfers between Assistant District Attorneys (ADAs) by assigning one ADA to handle a case from start to finish.  Currently, multiple ADAs handle different aspects of a prosecution, leading to miscommunications or delays that hinder prosecutions.
• Internal Controls: A CompStat-style system will be introduced to help hold Bureau Chiefs and their subordinates accountable for the timely disposition of cases. Junior ADAs will work side by side with experienced ADAs and both will have access to Supervisors, Deputies and Bureau Chiefs at all time, allowing for greater training opportunities.
• Standing Up to Corruption: If elected, Judge Clark will make the aggressive pursuit of public corruption a top priority, and will create a Public Integrity Unit within the District Attorney’s office to root out corruption and protect the integrity of public offices and agencies.
• Time Sensitive Solutions: Needless delays hamper ADAs from mounting successful prosecutions and deny justice for both victims and defendants.  A stronger emphasis will be made on ensuring that ADAs swiftly prepare for trial, answer motions and provide all discovery to defendants on time and on schedule, and present strong legal arguments to counter any effort to unduly delay a trial.  Special task forces will be established to examine old misdemeanors and indictments with a goal towards eliminating backlogs with fair dispositions or speedy trials.
• Active Investigations: The Bronx District Attorney will actively collaborate with federal, state and local law enforcement, community leaders and the entire justice system to proactively investigate matters of concern in every corner of our borough.

“My focus will entirely be on making this office the best it can be,” said Clark. “I believe that the VISTA plan will help to achieve exactly that, and I hope to be honored by the voters with their support.”

A lifelong resident of the Bronx, Judge Clark was raised in Soundview Houses and attended Bronx public schools before going to college and law school. She served as an Assistant District Attorney for 13 years before being appointed a Criminal Court Judge by Mayor Giuliani.  Elected as a State Supreme Court Justice in 2005, Judge Clark was elevated to the Appellate Division by Governor Cuomo in 2012.

This year’s general election will take place on Tuesday, November 3rd.

For a full biography of Judge Clark please click here. 

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State Senator Jeff Klein Presents 1st Ever: "TASTE OF MORRIS PARK EVENT" Sunday, October 18th 1 pm - 4 pm Loreto Park

TASTE OF MORRIS PARK Food Festival

This Sunday, October 18th 1 pm - 4 pm Loreto Park

For More Information call Senate Klein’s Office 718-822-2049