BP DIAZ ANNOUNCES LGBTQ NEEDS ASSESSMENT SURVEY

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. announced that his office will conduct a LGBTQ needs assessment survey for The Bronx throughout June, as part of the office’s efforts to celebrate Pride Month.

“Our LGBTQ population is growing and becoming more and more vocal about their needs and what services and amenities they would like to see in The Bronx,” saidBronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. “Through this survey, my office will acquire more detailed information about our borough’s LGBTQ residents and how we can provide this important community with better government, cultural, medical and other services.”

The survey can be taken online at http://bit.ly/2so1TJB. Hard copies of the survey are also available at the offices of the borough’s 12 community boards.

“The LGBTQ community’s diverse needs are always growing and changing, and it is crucial that government officials periodically survey the community to see what new resources and services are needed to help LGBTQ individuals. The LGBTQ Needs Assessment will help us all better understand the challenges of LGBTQ Bronx residents, so that we can tackle them head on,” said Council Member Ritchie Torres.

“We have a vibrant and ever-expanding LGBTQ community in The Bronx,” saidCouncil Member James Vacca.  “As our community develops and expands, it is a necessity to continuously assess the wants and needs of the Bronx LGBTQ community. We, as elected officials, need to know where to allocate resources. We need to know what’s working and what isn’t working in order to make informed funding decisions. We also need to be made aware of new needs as they arise. I applaud the Borough President for being proactive in his efforts to obtain this useful information.”

“The Bronx Borough President continues to show his dedication to LGBTQ Bronx residents with this much-needed LGBTQ Needs Assessment.  This survey will document the needs of the community along with gaps in service and service overlap.  With this information, we will be able to continue to develop programs that meet the needs of our residents,” said Sean Coleman, executive director of Destination Tomorrow.

“Assessing the housing needs of older LGBTQ Bronxites through this survey is crucial, given the housing crisis that our city is experiencing.  At SAGE, we are dedicated to increasing the affordable housing options available to our LGBTQ elders in The Bronx,” said SAGE CEO Michael Adams. “That is why we are launching one of New York City’s first affordable LGBT-welcoming senior housing development right on Crotona Park in The Bronx.”

The Bronx Chamber of Commerce and McHale Energy invite you to attend a free presentation: "A Business Case for LED Lighting - Why Now!"

STATEMENT FROM STATE SENATOR GUSTAVO RIVERA ON SINGLE PAYER BILL PASSING THE CALIFORNIA STATE SENATE

"I applaud the efforts of the California State Senate in approving a bill that aims to create a single-payer system in the state. While this proposal still needs to pass the California State Assembly and will likely go through further amendments as it continues through the legislative process, this vote represents a huge step forward in ensuring access to affordable health insurance to every Californian. 

In the face of federal efforts to strip health coverage from millions of Americans with the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, states have the obligation to do what is right and implement adequate measures to safeguard the health of every resident within their state.

As the Ranking Member of the Senate Health Committee and the proud sponsor of this bill in the New York State Senate, I will continue to work tirelessly to follow in the footsteps of legislators in California, as well as my colleagues in the New York State Assembly, and pass the single payer bill in my house."

June Greenmarket Openings

Seasonal Greenmarkets Opening in June

To market, to market, to buy... a bunch of delicious, locally-grown food! June 1         Water Street, Mhtn June 4         Bensonhurst, Bk June 6         Bronx Borough Hall, Bx June 6         Elmhurst, Qns June 6         Ft. Washington, Mhtn    June 7         Fordham, Bx June 11       Parkside Plaza, Bk         June 14       Mt. Sinai Hospital, Mhtn  June 16       Parkchester, Bx June 20       Poe Park, Bx June 24       Sugar Hill, Mhtn June 25       92nd Street, Mhtn June 29       175th St, Mhtn June 30       Lincoln Hospital, Bx

MAYOR DE BLASIO, SPEAKER MARK-VIVERITO, AND CITY COUNCIL REACH EARLY AGREEMENT ON FY2018 BUDGET, MARKING EARLIEST HANDSHAKE SINCE 1992

Highlights include increased investments in our schools, youth, seniors and veterans

  Mayor Bill de Blasio, Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Finance Chair Julissa Ferreras-Copeland and members of the City Council today announced an agreement for an on-time and balanced City budget for Fiscal Year 2018, marking the earliest handshake since 1992. The agreement on an approximately $85.2 billion budget builds on the Administration’s ambitious plan for investing in our public schools, youth workforce development, seniors and veterans, while protecting and strengthening the City’s long-term fiscal health.

The FY18 Adopted Budget accounts for $1.2 billion in General Reserve, $4.2 billion in Retiree Health Benefits Trust Fund and $250 million in the Capital Stabilization Reserve. This allows the City to retire debt in the face of potential federal cuts or an economic downturn. The Adopted Budget also recognizes $100 million in savings from the partial hiring freeze, as well as debt service savings.

“This budget is aimed at addressing the economic realities of everyday New Yorkers,” said Mayor de Blasio. “Life in this city is too hard for too many, but with this budget it is our goal to alleviate some of those pressures. We are adding 5,000 additional Summer Youth Employment slots, creating a property tax exemption for veterans how have fought for this country, and eliminating the waitlists for senior case management and home care. We’re doing this all while maintaining the fiscal responsibility raters and monitors have come to expect and adding to our rainy day reserves.”

Among a variety of initiatives, today’s agreement includes:

·   $105.53 million in capital funding and $1.8 million in expense to ensure Universal Physical Education by 2021.

·   $23 million to eliminate the Home Care and Case Management waitlists, create a new program to offer relief to caregivers, provide weekend meals to seniors utilizing Senior Centers or the Home Delivered Meals programs, and enhance rates paid to senior centers.

·    A Veterans Property Tax Exemption for any veteran who served during a war, saving an average of $443 per year, per person at a cost to the city of $25 million annually.

·    $20 million to provide 6,500 year-round jobs through the Work, Learn and Grow.

·    $9 million to expand the Summer Youth Employment Program from 65,000 to 70,000 slots.

·   $30 million in FY18 growing to $104 million in FY22 to provide enhanced resources and support to our nonprofit service providers.

·  $6.4 million to continue deployment of rapid-response “Fly Cars” in the Bronx, continue strategic placement of emergency vehicles in high-need locations, place EMS personnel at Bronx hospitals, and $17 million in capital to replace the existing EMS 17 facility.

·   $7.2 million – an increase of 15% from last year’s spending – for the Emergency Food Assistance Program to address the projected demand.

·   $2.1 million to expand Breakfast in Classrooms to an additional 303 buildings, bringing the total to 833.

·  $10.4 million to expand the Free School Lunch program in schools.

·   $110 million to assist with capital projects in libraries across the city.

Budget monitors have validated the judicious way in which this administration has protected the City’s fiscal health. As recently as February, all three major rating agencies affirmed the City’s strong, stable ratings.

friends of ritchie torres 17 - Re-Election Campaign Kick-off Celebration!

  I want to thank you for all the support you've shown me in the past. With your help, we've been able to accomplish so much in the last four years. I hope to continue our hard work as I seek re-election for City Council this fall. 

Please join me this Monday at our Re-Election Campaign Kick-off Celebration! I will share my vision for the next four years and discuss how we can come together to bring positive changes to District 15, the Bronx, and New York City. 

Monday, June 5th, 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

The Blend Café, 582 East Fordham Road

Hope to see you there!

Ritchie

Drug Dealer Charged With Heroin Overdose Deaths In The Bronx And New Rochelle

   Joon H. Kim, the Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, James P. O’Neill, the Commissioner of the New York City Police Department (“NYPD”), and Patrick Carroll, the Commissioner of the New Rochelle Police Department (“NRPD”), announced the arrest of and unsealing of an indictment against FRANKIE BEQIRAJ charging him with conspiracy to distribute heroin, cocaine, oxycodone, and alprazolam. The indictment alleges that heroin distributed by BEQIRAJ and his co-conspirators resulted in the deaths of Robert Vivolo and Leonides Madrid.

BEQIRAJ was presented in federal court in Manhattan before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barbara C. Moses today and ordered detained. The case has been assigned to U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim stated: “As alleged in the Indictment, Frankie Beqiraj worked with others to sell a whole range of drugs, including heroin, cocaine, oxycodone, and alprazolam. As alleged, two young people are dead, victims of Beqiraj’s alleged heroin dealing and of the opioid epidemic that is sweeping the country. Thanks to the exceptional work of our partners at the New York City Police Department, the New Rochelle Police Department, and the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, Beqiraj will be held accountable for the drugs he allegedly peddled and the tragic deaths that resulted.”

NYPD Commissioner James P. O’Neill stated: “The defendant in this case faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in prison – and a maximum of life behind bars – after investigators linked the heroin that he distributed to two overdose deaths, one in the Bronx and one in New Rochelle. It is the latest example of our commitment to holding drugs dealers criminally responsible. I want to thank the NYPD and the New Rochelle PD investigators, as well as the Southern District, for their work on this case.”

NRPD Commissioner Patrick Carroll stated: “The arrest and indictment of Frankie Beqiraj, holding him accountable for the death of New Rochelle resident Leonides Madrid, is an example of the New Rochelle Police Department’s commitment to fight against the opioids epidemic that our community faces today. Working collaboratively with our law enforcement partners, the NYPD, the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office, and the United States Attorney sends a strong message to drug dealers that we will do all we can to arrest and prosecute those selling drugs in our community.”

As alleged in the Indictment against BEQIRAJ [1]:

From July 2016 up to January 2017, in the Southern District of New York and elsewhere, FRANKIE BEQIRAJ and others conspired to sell one kilogram and more of heroin, as well as cocaine, oxycodone, and alprazolam. The use of heroin distributed by BEQIRAJ and his co-conspirators resulted in the deaths of Robert Vivolo, 25, of the Bronx, New York, on October 21, 2016, and of Leonides Madrid, 28, of New Rochelle, New York, on January 9, 2017.

FRANKIE BEQIRAJ, 27, faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, and a mandatory sentence of 20 years in prison.

The statutory maximum sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for information purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant would be determined by the judge.

Mr. Kim praised the outstanding investigative work of the NYPD, the NRPD, and the Westchester County Overdose Response Initiative. Mr. Kim thanked the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office for its assistance in the investigation.

The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

 

[1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment, and the description of the Indictment set forth herein, constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation.