A.G. Schneiderman Statement On Pres. Trump's Health Care Executive Order

New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman released the following statement in response to President Trump’s executive order today:

“Having failed to persuade a Republican Congress to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), President Trump now appears to be trying to accomplish by executive fiat what he could not through Congress — treating New Yorkers as political pawns in his effort to sabotage the health care market.

“Let me be clear: if the Trump Administration takes any action that violates the law — or tramples on New Yorkers’ constitutional rights — we will take them to court.

“In the meantime, my office will continue to defend the vital ACA subsidies in federal court for the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and millions of Americans who rely on the quality, affordable health care they provide.”

In May, Attorney General Schneiderman and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, leading a coalition of 18 Attorneys General, moved to intervene House v. Price, in defense of the Affordable Care Act’s cost-sharing subsidies. In August, the D.C. Circuit granted their intervention. In New York alone, 730,000 New Yorkers rely on $900 million in cost-sharing reduction payments.

Croton Filter Plant - Croton FMC Meeting on Monday, October 30 at 6:30pm

  The next Croton Facility Monitoring Committee meeting will be on Monday, October 30 at 6:30pm at the DEP office, 3660 Jerome Ave Bronx NY 10467.  

The agenda will be placed here when it is finalized.

NEWS FROM CONGRESSMAN ELIOT ENGEL

Engel: Repealing Clean Power Plan Will Take Our Country Backwards

  Congressman Eliot L. Engel, a top member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, released the following statement today in response to EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt’s announcement that he will take formal steps to repeal President Obama’s Clean Power Plan:

“The Trump Administration has been trying to gut the Affordable Care Act. Now, they’re going after another lifesaving health protection: America’s first and only federal limit on pollution from existing power plants. Repealing pollution limits for power plants will take our country backward. It will expose millions of Americans to more dangerous pollutants that contribute significantly to asthma and respiratory illness—two health issues that are already a big problem in the Bronx and Westchester region. It will also hinder our economic growth and exacerbate the growing threat of climate change.

“The hurricanes and wildfires that have gripped our country over the past few months demonstrate that extreme weather can cause horrific human devastation and grind local economies to a halt. The world’s climate scientists agree; we will see more events like these if we don’t take measures to transition to clean energy and cut pollution.

“This is nothing but a thinly veiled attempt to please the polluters of yesterday while undermining clean-energy jobs of today and tomorrow. The future lies with clean, renewable energy and will belong to whichever nation prioritizes it. With this move, the Trump Administration is leaving the door open for countries like China to become global leaders in energy.” 

Engel Calls President's Decision to Cut-Off ACA Payments "Outrageous"

   Congressman Eliot L. Engel, a top Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, made the following statement on President Trump’s continued actions to undermine the Affordable Care Act (ACA):

“The President’s decision to cut off cost-sharing reduction payments is his most outrageous act of sabotage against our health care system yet.

“These payments enable insurers to keep consumers’ out-of-pocket costs down. Per the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), ending them will cause premiums to rise and spur insurers to leave markets, in turn leaving Americans with fewer choices – the exact opposite of what the President has promised for months.

“If the President truly believed that action was needed on Congress’s part, he would have called on Congress to act. I have cosponsored the Marketplace Certainty Act, along with dozens of my colleagues, to appropriate funding for the cost-sharing reduction payments and remove any ambiguity on this issue. But, instead, the President chose to put millions of Americans’ health care at risk.

“Just yesterday, the President signed an Executive Order that could bring back the junk insurance policies that, before the ACA, offered little value for your money and punished sick people for their health status. Now, he’s doubled-down with a move that will hike up premiums and limit consumer choice. All of this amounts to the same ‘pay more, get less’ plan that the American people rejected in Trumpcare.

“Make no mistake: any instability in our health care system going forward will be a direct consequence of the President’s actions over the past two days. There is no reason for the President to make this move other than to hurt Americans. I am deeply saddened that in his desperation to see the ACA fail, he has made this egregious decision.”

MAYORAL ADVISORY COMMISSION ON CITY ART, MONUMENTS, AND MARKERS

JOINT STATEMENT FROM TOM FINKELPEARL AND DARREN WALKER, CO-CHAIRS OF THE MAYORAL ADVISORY COMMISSION ON CITY ART, MONUMENTS, AND MARKERS

  “Tuesday’s meeting marks an important step in the commission’s work. While recent events have placed an understandable urgency on our work, these are by no means new controversies. Public sculptures and monuments have sparked intense debates stretching back decades. Monuments are lasting embodiments of our city and nation’s people. Our goal is to make our public landscape more reflective of that rich and complicated history. This thoughtful community conversation is our city’s first ever attempt at making these important strides possible.

“We know there are important conversations surrounding these structures happening all over New York City. In order to incorporate these dialogues in this comprehensive process, we will be hosting an online survey and several public forums across the city. The survey and forum schedule will be released in the coming days.”

Wave Hill Events Oct 27–Nov 3 Spiders!—and Winter Hours

  This year, we are offering a new tip of the hat to Halloween with Spider Day, Sunday, October 29. (Enchanted Wave Hill Weekend, the week before, has traditionally been our naturally exuberant way to acknowledge all-hallows eve.) Not unrelated, the Saturday afternoon video screening and science talk, is all about insects. The springboard for that, however, is one of the artists in our anniversary exhibition in Glyndor Gallery this fall. Artist aricoco, a chemical ecologist and an entomologist engage in a far-ranging conversation about social communication. The week ends with the ever-popular, annual “Fall Foliage Walk” with our Senior Horticultural Interpreter Charles Day.

Being a garden, Wave Hill is tuned to seasonal change, and one of the most significant this time of year is the ever-shortening day. Acknowledging that, we close at 4:30, not 5:30, starting November 1

Sat, October 28    Family Art Project: Spider Web Fashion

Join Family Art Project Storyteller Rama Mandel for tales about special spiders, including the Itsy Bitsy Spider and Anansi the spider, the great folk hero and mischief maker. Costume yourself in a web of mesh tulle and, with the twisty artistry of pipe cleaners and bits of black felt and yarn, welcome lots of little spiders. Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon. Sunday is Spider Day! 

WAVE HILL HOUSE, 10AM‒1PM

Sat, October 28    Garden Highlights Walk

Join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for an hour-long tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon.

MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 11AM

Sat, October 28    Family Gallery Tour

Explore artwork on view in Glyndor Gallery on a family-friendly tour with a Curatorial Fellow. Children ages six and older welcome with an adult. Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon.

MEET AT WAVE HILL HOUSE, NOON

Sat, October 28    Video Screening and Science Talk: Art & Nature—Social Communication in the Insect World

Learn how social insects—ants, bees, termites and more—have long inspired the imagination of artists and the curiosity of scientists. In conjunction with Call & Response, the fall exhibition in Glyndor Gallery, this program presents a video art piece by former Sunroom artist aricoco, exploring the behavior of bugs that live in highly organized societies. Chemical ecologist Qian “Karen” Sun follows with a talk about how these creatures “speak,” cooperate and achieve colony-level success. Entomologist Lawrence Forcella provides a display of live ants and termites. Free with admission to the grounds.

WAVE HILL HOUSE, 1PM

Sat, October 28    Gallery Tour

Wave Hill’s Curatorial Fellow leads a tour of the current exhibition in Glyndor Gallery. This fall, the entire gallery is given over to new site-responsive projects honoring the tenth anniversary of Wave Hill’s Sunroom Project Space. Call & Response showcases the work of 50 artists who have exhibited in this unique venue, in projects ranging from art objects created from natural materials gathered onsite, to sound pieces, outdoor installations and performance works. Free with admission to the grounds.

GLYNDOR GALLERY, 2PM

Sun, October 29    Family Art Project: Spider Web Fashion

Join Family Art Project Storyteller Rama Mandel for tales about special spiders, including the Itsy Bitsy Spider and Anansi the spider, the great folk hero and mischief maker. Costume yourself in a web of mesh tulle and, with the twisty artistry of pipe cleaners and bits of black felt and yarn, welcome lots of little spiders. Free with admission to the grounds. Spider Day event. 

WAVE HILL HOUSE, 10AM‒1PM

Sun, October 29    Nature Presentation: Arachnid Appreciation Station

Halloween portrays our humble spiders as malevolent and deadly creatures yet most are perfectly harmless to humans. Beef up your arachnid I.Q. with local entomologist Lawrence Forcella and observe a collection of live and preserved spiders, from delicate orb-weavers to hairy, hulking tarantulas. Ages six and older welcome with an adult. Free with admission to the grounds. Spider Day event.

ON THE GROUNDS, NOON–3PM

Sun, October 29    Garden Highlights Walk

Join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for an hour-long tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free with admission to the grounds.

MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 2PM

Mon, October 30    

Closed to the public.

Tue, October 31    Garden Highlights Walk

Join a Wave Hill Garden Guide for an hour-long tour of seasonal garden highlights. Free, and admission to the grounds is free until noon.

MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 11AM

Tue, October 31    Gallery Tour

Wave Hill’s Curatorial Fellow leads a tour of the current exhibition in Glyndor Gallery. This fall, the entire gallery will be given over to new site-responsive projects honoring the tenth anniversary of Wave Hill’s Sunroom Project Space. Call & Response showcases the work of more than 50 artists who have exhibited in this unique venue, in projects ranging from art objects created from natural materials gathered onsite, to sound pieces, outdoor installations and performance works. Free with admission to the grounds.

GLYNDOR GALLERY, 2PM

Wed, November 1    Fall Foliage Walk

Enjoy colorful foliage at its seasonal peak. Horticultural Interpreter Charles Day shares some of his favorite trees and shrubs in their vibrant fall finery. This walk repeats November 4. Free with admission to the grounds.

MEET AT PERKINS VISITOR CENTER, 2PM

A 28-acre public garden and cultural center overlooking the Hudson River  and Palisades, Wave Hill’s mission is to celebrate the artistry and legacy of its gardens and landscape, to preserve its magnificent views, and to explore human connections to the natural world through programs in horticulture, education and the arts.

HOURS  Open all year, Tuesday through Sunday and many major holidays: 9AM–4:30PM, November 1–March 14. Closes 5:30PM, starting March 15.

ADMISSION  $8 adults, $4 students and seniors 65+, $2 children 6–18. Free Saturday and Tuesdaymornings until noon. Free to Wave Hill Members and children under 6.

PROGRAM FEES  Programs are free with admission to the grounds unless otherwise noted.

Visitors to Wave Hill can take advantage of Metro-North’s one-day getaway offer. Purchase a discount round-trip rail far and discount admission to the gardens. More at http://mta.info/mnr/html/getaways/outbound_wavehill.htm

DIRECTIONS – Getting here is easy! Located only 30 minutes from midtown Manhattan, Wave Hill’s free shuttle van transports you to and from our front gate and Metro-North’s Riverdale station, as well as the W. 242nd Street stop on the #1 subway line. Limited onsite parking is available for $8 per vehicle. Free offsite parking is available nearby with continuous, complimentary shuttle service to and from the offsite lot and our front gate. Complete directions and shuttle bus schedule at www.wavehill.org/visit/.

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

Republican Mayoral Candidate Nicole Malliotakis Visits 2800 Bruckner Blvd. in Throggs Neck

  The day after her citywide debate with current Mayor Bill de Blasio Republican Mayoral Candidate Nicole Malliotakis came to the Bronx at 2800 Bruckner Blvd. This is the site of a large three story building where the building was recently sold, and the new owner was telling tenants that they had to vacate the building within thirty days. Congressman Joe Crowley had his Bronx office in 2800 Bruckner Blvd, and was one of the first tenants to move out of the building. Many others left, but several stayed since they had leases beyond the thirty day deadline set by the new owner. 

  It was unclear what use the new owner had for 2800 Bruckner Blvd., but there were mattresses and other furniture on site to suggest at least temporary housing was going to happen, with the worse fears of the neighborhood being a homeless shelter would pop up in 2800 Bruckner Blvd. A press conference was held by local elected officials to clam the neighbors a few weeks ago, but since then nothing has happened. There was suppose to be a walk through according to 13th City Council candidate John Cerini, but Cerini said the walk through was cancelled late by the new owner. 

   Candidate Cerini did the next best thing by having a press conference of his own in front of 2800 Bruckner Blvd, inviting his parties choice for mayor Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis to help try to get some answers about 2800 Bruckner Blvd. 

Above - City Council candidate John Cerini gives some background about 2800 Bruckner Blvd. the building directly behind him and Republican Mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis. Mr. Cerini said that there was to be a walk through to see what the new owner was doing, but he said that the walk through was cancelled by the new owner.

Below - Mayoral candidate Nicole Malliotakis fresh off her debate last night continued to denounce the homeless policy of current Mayor Bill De Blasio. She also said that she is in favor of the 45 day community notification bill passed by the State Senate, but held up in the State Assembly. She answers my question as to why the State Assembly (heavily from New York City, and with a Bronx Speaker) is not voting on the State Senate bill by saying that it is the Speaker who allows or holds up legislation to be voted on. Mayoral candidate Malliotakis then spoke about other de Blasio problem areas including the current 'Agents of the City' who were de Blasio supporters or consultant/Lobbyist. In similar de Blasio fashion she stayed for photos, but unlike de Blasio she was happy to talk to reporters afterwards.  

President Trump's Threats to Puerto Rico

STATEMENT FROM BOROUGH PRESIDENT DIAZ

  “President Trump’s threat to abandon the recovery efforts in Puerto Rico is absolutely despicable. I visited the island this past weekend, and I saw firsthand just how dire the situation is for the nearly 3.5 million Americans who make their home there. For the president to publicly consider removing federal help from the island in the midst of a humanitarian nightmare is disgusting.

“What is happening in Puerto Rico is not a game. The people of Puerto Rico need food, water, electricity and the basic essentials of life. They need a serious, sustained, long-term commitment from the federal government to provide relief for the island, to rebuild their infrastructure and to return life somewhere near to normal.

“They do not need half-cocked tweets and ridiculous threats,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. 

State Senator Gustavo Rivera on Trump's Tweets Threatening to Pull Back Federal Help from Puerto Rico 

  "I am utterly disgusted and completely enraged by Trump's tweets threatening to pull back federal relief workers from Puerto Rico only three weeks after Hurricane Maria devastated the island. It is sickening that the person in the most powerful position in our government shows such a lack of compassion and moral compass towards American citizens, as they face nothing less than a full-fledged humanitarian crisis. 

Three weeks after Maria wrecked the island, Puerto Rico remains without power. Further, I have personally heard accounts from people working on the ground that residents are still struggling to find clean water and secure essential goods, hospitals are running short on medicine, and the majority of schools are still closed.

While the outpouring support from our fellow citizens has been nothing short of extraordinary and profoundly generous, the response from the federal government has been slow, inept, irresponsible and cruel. It is imperative that Governor Roselló and Congress work together in order to put forth a comprehensive disaster aid package that will rebuild Puerto Rico with the best interests of Puerto Ricans in mind.

Trump fails to understand that this is not a game. The lives of 3.4 million American citizens are at stake. My brothers and sisters in Puerto Rico cannot be abandoned by their own government; they cannot be left to die. To quote the brave Mayor of San Juan, Carmen Yulin Cruz: "Mr. President, fulfill your moral imperative towards the people of Puerto Rico."

Make no mistake: We will hold this administration accountable and will continue to push them to do the right thing.

Finally, I will also ask you to sign my moveon.org petition so that Congress hears from as many Americans as possible that Puerto Rico needs immediate help."

Bronx Democratic Party - Hurricane Relief Concert This Saturday

The Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Assemblyman Marcos A. Crespo and Assemblyman Jose Rivera Invite You to Join Them for Their Hurricane Relief Concert, this Saturday, October 14th, from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Fordham Plaza - Fordham Roaz and 3rd Avenue.