Publisher / Editor Brian Harrod provides hyper local news for Yonkers, NY, that is also continually updated from thousands of sources on the Roundup Newswires Network
Terrence Gonzalez has been indicted on a murder charge after allegedly fatally shooting a 23-year-old during an argument at 358 Nepperhan Avenue in Yonkers.
YONKERS: Terrence Gonzalez, 28, of Yonkers has been charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon after shooting and killing Lateef Butler, 23, outside the Whitney Young Manor apartment complex.
After a a longstanding dispute the murder took place on June 26th.
Terrence Gonzalez shot Lateef Butler multiple times and fled the scene.
The murder of Yonkers resident Lateef Butler was captured on video cameras outside the apartment complex, and a .38 caliber handgun was recovered by the Yonkers Police Department near the scene.
Terrence Gonzalez was also charged with criminal possession of a weapon.
Terrence Gonzalez is scheduled to appear back in court on October 1st.
PRESS RELEASE: Hanan Cohen of Empress EMS in Yonkers, New York, a PatientCare EMS Solutions company, is the winner of the 2020 Academy of International Mobile Healthcare Integration’s (AIMHI) Leadership in Integrated Healthcare Award for Distinguished Service. The award recognizes an individual who has made significant impact on the integration of EMS or the advancement of the integration of EMS into the healthcare system.
Hanan has been extremely active on the quest to bring mobile integrated healthcare (MIH) programs and community paramedicine (CP) to the patients of the Bronx and Westchester County, New York. Through his efforts Empress has launched CP programs in St. Barnabas Hospital in South Bronx and White Plains Hospital in White Plains, New York.
Under Hanan’s leadership, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the Empress team stepped up to showcase MIH as a model for others to follow. The team, who services New Rochelle, New York, COVID-19’s ground zero for New York, provided treat in place options as well as ensuring outreach to all patients treated at home to hundreds during the height of the New York outbreak. His work with the team at Empress became the focus of national attention and was highlighted in many national publications and national media outlets.
“We are extremely proud to have Hanan on our team. With his help, Empress has been able to move the needle on mobile integrated healthcare as a viable option for patients who do not need to go the hospital, but in the past, had no other option,” said Michael Minerva, President of Empress EMS.
Hanan is a certified New York State EMT-paramedic and has worked as a field paramedic for high acuity inter-facility transports as well as high performance 911 EMS systems in urban, suburban, and rural areas of New York. He has also held hospital administrative positions focused on improving patient outcomes. He joined Empress EMS in 2001. He is a member of the American Ambulance Association (AAA) National Corona Virus Workgroup, Empress’ Lead on the New York State COVID-19 Task Force, member of the New York Integrated HealthCare Alliance and a member of the AAA Payment Reform Committee.
Century 21 stores after the company announced Thursday it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and the Yonkers store will soon be going dark.
A Yonkers off-price retail store in business for more than 60 years will soon be shuting their doors for good.
Century 21 has 13 stores mostly in the New York City and the surrounding metropolitan area.
Century 21 has been hit particularly hard as millions of people are out of work and millions more are working from home and not needing to buy as many dress clothes.
Larger, national department store chains, such as JCPenney, Neiman Marcus and Lord & Taylor have filed for bankruptcy during the pandemic, with Lord & Taylor announcing its own plans to shutdown at the Ridge Hill Shopping Center in Yonkers.
Century 21 said the final straw was the fact that it did not get $175 million it had filed for under its business interruption insurance.
The stores management said the policy had saved it in the wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks — it had a store directly across the street from the World Trade Center, which was destroyed.
But it said it has not been able to get the payment this time.
There typically must be direct physical damage to a company’s place of business for these policies.
Many companies that file for bankruptcy use the process to shed debt and other liabilities and stay in business. JC Penney and Neiman intend to stay in business, but Century 21 and Lord And Taylor intend to shut down its stores in the city of hills and go out of business.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has allowed casino’s to reopen with a 25% occupancy limit, Empire City Casino in Yonkers is reopening to the public on September. 21st with some of its reward cards members being invited to the casino sooner.
YONKERS: MGM Resorts’ Empire City Casino is opening up in less than two weeks, but they must leave 6 feet of distance between operating machines.
The Gaming Commission will monitor the Yonkers casino to ensure strict enforcement of this measure.
Empire City said in a press release that it will be observing the 25% capacity limit of the first-floor public spaces, inclusive of employees and guests.
While the casino’s gaming floor of slots and electronic table games will be open, numerous machines have been disabled and chairs have been removed to promote social distancing.
The Big Kitchen international food court will be open but, bars on the property will remain closed.
Empire City also noted that although live racing resumed at Yonkers Raceway in June and will continue without spectators, state guidelines prohibit on-property wagering at this time.
Only the Yonkers Avenue entrance to its property will be used.
The Central Avenue general parking entrance and Clark Street valet entrance will remain closed.
Free self-parking will be available for guests but valet parking and shuttle service will not be operational for the time being.
Recently, Empire City Casino terminated hundreds of employees and was the largest private employer in Yonkers.
It is unclear, at this time, how many of these employees will be returning to work.
The Yonkers Police Department strategy for reducing crime rates seems to focus simply on not recording incidents in reports or downgrading reported crimes to lesser offenses.
IS YONKERS SAFE: A Review Of Yonkers Social Media Posts Shows At Least 25 Shootings in The City of Yonkers In Less Than Eight Months; And There May Be More That Have Not Been Reported To The Public – Plus This Doesn’t Count The Spike In Stabbings…..
ENCOURAGING CRIMINALS: When #Yonkers criminals start to feel that the Yonkers Police Department wont respond or that there will be any record or consequences for their criminal behavior, then that is when the blood starts to flow in the streets of the city of hills.
WATCHDOG NEEDED: The Yonkers Police Department is failing to record property and other crimes in an effort to maintain this myth that #Yonkers is the second safest city.
A FAILURE TO LEAD: These #YonkersPD Administrative shortcomings mean victims are being failed in the city of hills and a watchdog should be appointed to look over #YPD,calls and logs to ensure that homeowners are getting the service they pay for.
Some Yonkers Community Activists say they are disappointed with the quality of crime recording provided by the Yonkers Police Department and that many people in the neighborhoods that they serve complain of officers not responding or willing to take a report.
Commissioner John Mueller needs to ensure that it records crimes at the earliest opportunity, and that there is proper supervision of crime-recording decisions.
Some Yonkers political insiders are estimating that almost one in five crimes in North Yorkshire are not properly recorded and that doesn’t count the reported crimes that are never reported.
This is simply inexcusable.
Too many offences in #Yonkers continue to go unrecorded and therefore not investigated properly.
These issues of unethical police behavior must stop.
Yonkers residents need to feel that every day, every officer is working hard to keep you safe from harm and to protect victims of crime.
The Yonkers police force needs to do a much better job of addressing all crimes in order to improve the quality of live in the city.
The Yonkers Police Department administration is letting families down, and they are not recording all crimes as they should, which often emboldens criminals to move from property crimes to more serious crimes.
Based on the incomplete YPD reports the chance that a person will become a victim of a violent crime in Yonkers; such as armed robbery, aggravated assault, rape or murder; is 1 in 277.
Sadly, that number is much worse as crimes are under reported by the Yonkers Police Department administration.
Previously the 1,100 employees of the casino were furloughed in May and employees were given the opportunity to keep their health insurance until August 31 and were just now let go.
YONKERS – Empire City Casino, operated by MGM Resorts, suspended operations in March due to the pandemic and had expected to reopen on March 28. On Friday, the 1,100 employees that had been furloughed learned that they were being terminated by MGM.
On Friday, MGM announced that the 1,100 employees at Empire City are being terminated along with thousands more MGM workers across the country.
The now terminated employees will be keeping their health benefits through the end of September.
Frank Bruno retired from the Yonkers Police Department on August 8, 1973 as a 1st Grade Detective after 21 years
Frank was born in Yonkers, NY on July 24, 1924 to Pasquale and Assunta Cagginese Bruno.
Frank was a lifelong Yonkers resident.
Frank served in the Yonkers Police Department and was also a member of the Local 46 Wire Lathers Union.
After retiring from the Police Depart. he owned and operated two taverns in Yonkers one at the Yonkers Motor Inn and then the Parkdale Lounge.
After those businesses he was employed by the Jacob Javits Convention Center in their security department.
He remained there until he was in his mid-seventies.
Frank was a member of the NYPD Emerald Society Band serving in their Color Guard.
Frank was a member of many clubs and associations in Yonkers.
Frank married his beloved wife Barbara (nee Leahy) on April 13, 1947, she died on April 13, 2011.
Frank is survived by his children, Catherine (Ronald) Caouette and Frank, Jr. (Barbara) Ret. Capt. YPD.
He was the proud grandfather of Jennifer Luce, Joseph Luce (US Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer), Lauren Mirizio, Lt. YPD (Vincent) and Janine (Stephen) Masopust.
He also had seven great grandchildren.
Frank is also survived by his sister Catherine Horan and pre deceased by his sisters Antoinette Bruno and Lorraine Drexler.
Frank had many friends and will be missed by all who knew him. Visiting hours will be in the Whalen & Ball Funeral Home on Saturday August 29th from 2pm to 6pm.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be in St. Ann’s Church (Midland Avenue) on Monday August 31st at 10am.
Interment will follow at St. Joseph’s Cemetery where only family will attend.
BUSINESS JOURNAL: Mohammed Sabaly made a phony $30,567 deposit in a #Yonkers ATM, thenmessaged co-defendant Moukhamede Fall on “how we can make $25,000.”…
HUNKER DOWN:#Yonkersites are preparing for a potentially dangerous day of weatheras the forcasters say multiple strong storms will hit the city in the next 24 hours.
WALL STREET JOURNAL: Every week #TonyOverby comes to a pediatric nursing home near New York City to talk to his daughter Tonyka through a black metal fence…..
PRESS RELEASE: #YonkersMayor Mike Spano announced the City has awarded $415,000 in grants and loans to local small businesses through its Yonkers Business Assistance Program
CRIME SPIKE: Shootings, Stabbings And Violence Continues To Explode Across #Yonkers…. Two shootings in the City of Yonkers in 48 hours with one fatality and not much information from the Yonkers Police Department
STATEMENT: From #YonkersMayor Mike Spano…. “All New York State residents who are in situations where they cannot maintain social distancing are now required to wear a mask or face covering when out in public…”
SPECTRUM NEWS: Four Out Of Five Big New York Schools Agree With Yonkers Parents, Teachers And Yonkers Public Schools‘ Superintendent #EdwinQuezada‘s Flip Flop….
FULL SERVICE: Robert Jacobson Pharmacy & Surgical Supplies…. Way back, in the 1890’s, Robert Jacobson opened the doors of his new pharmacy in #Yonkers it and still serves residents today…..
WASHINGTON EXAMINER: If Your Mad That The Food Lines In #Yonkers Are Long And Getting Worse, Then Take A Trip To #Queens To See How Bad Its Going To Get…..
PRESS RELEASE: The Westchester County Police Marine Unit recently conducted increased enforcement on the Hudson River in response to unsafe activity by operators of Jet-Skis and other personal watercraft….
2020 ELECTIONS: Verris Shako Democrat for Yonkers City Court Judge. Vote Early, Vote by Mail or Vote on Election Day. Just Vote to ensure your voice is heard.
BACK TO BUSINESS: Starting September 1, Chase Bank branches in #Yonkers will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Our Saturday hours will remain the same.
YONKERS VOICE: Reporter Ru Ros Posts That The Yonkers Police Department Responded To 63 Oak Street And Found A Shooting Victim, Who Later Died At The Hospital.
STATEMENT: From Yonkers City Council Woman Shanae Natalee Williams…. “I am happy to announce that there will be a black lives matter mural in the City of Yonkers in a few weeks…..”
YONKERS COUNTS: The Deadline for the 2020 Census is September 30? Mayor Mike Spano says that “Currently, #Yonkers sits at a 57% response rate to the 2020 Census.”….
GREYSTON:A Story of Renewal in Yonkers…. The rehabilitation project consists of 8 buildings, 7 in The City of Yonkers (2-8 Hudson Street, 62, 68 & 74 Warburton Avenue, 55-61 Ravine Avenue,) and a building in the Village of Irvington (2 Main Street)….
STATEMENT: From #Yonkers‘ State Assemblyman Nader Sayegh…. “New Yorkers no longer have confidence in the ability of the #PublicServiceCommission to hold these public utilities accountable, and I don’t blame them….”
SUING THE CITY:Yonkers City Council Man Anthony Merante and some of his neighbors who have been opposing plans for changes at the UPS distribution site at 555 Tuckahoe Road may be going to court to try to reverse the city’s August 19th approvals.
INNER CITY PRESS: Trafficker Who Allegedly Confessed Is Freed… #JoseCespedes, described by the US Attorney’s office as a major international drug trafficker, was ordered released from the Essex County Correctional Facility on a $750,000 bond secured by property in #Yonkers and Virginia….
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano announced several cancellations of city-sponsored events in an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19, also known as the coronavirus.
GOP CANDIDATE? Tom Judge Thomas Daly may run for reelection as a Republican candidate, but voters have not heard anything from the judge concerning his intentions.
The Reverend Steve Lopez called a special meeting of theYonkers Board of Education inorder to start the process of firing Yonkers Public Schools teachers and staff.
Yonkers Public school Superintendent Edwin Quezada had previously submitted a budget that called for 170 district jobs to be eliminated.
After going into executive session School board President Rev. Steve Lopez came out of executive session to announce that resolutions had been passed, but offered few details and would not answer parent, teacher and union leaders.
School board members told parents that only Reverend Steve Lopez and Superintendent Edwin Quezada could speak on the resolutions that they voted on.
Parents and teachers were confused and upset with how this emergency public meeting was conducted.
Rumors were that Pre-K positions had been immediately cut and that elementary school teaching positions were next on the chopping block as 100% remote learning once again starts on September 8th.
Some teachers said that BOE President Reverend Steve Lopez and Superintendent Edwin Quezada were going to have them teach more children remotely – – thus further hurting children..
Previously, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced he was withholding 20% of the state’s share of education funding to Yonkers.
The Coronavirus is draining craft beer maker John Rubbo’s sales in the city of hills
The coronavirus pandemic has left craft booze makers in Yonkers with a horrible hangover.
The Yonkers Brewing Company with its key source of revenue strained as sales dried up at it 92 Main Street location has had it rough as its contracted wholesale Connecticut beer canning business has suffered severly during the pandemic.
Yonkers City Councilman and Brewer John Rubbo has had to furlough almost all of his staff — because he can’t afford to sustain such heavy losses.
Sadly, the new outdoor dining option has not provided enough relief to offset the heavy losses at the Yonkers Brewery.
But, John Rubbo is not the only Yonkers craft alcohol maker facing these extreme challenges.
Nahmias et Fils distilled and distributed alcohol spirits from its distillery located at 201 Saw Mill River Road since opening in 2012, but has suffered from restrictions to their on-site tasting rooms.
They were selling whiskey, under a “Legs Diamond” brand, named after the famous bootlegger who spent some time in Yonkers, and Mahia, an adult beverage that comes from Morocco and the Jewish community, made of dates and figs and other secret spices.
David Nahmias, had established a following of sorts and were getting the majority of their business from their tasting room.
Earlier this year the Yonkers distillery tried to shift from making alcohol-based spirits to alcohol-based hand sanitizer, but its aid David and Dorit Nahmias had mixed results selling to local businesses.
Former City Council President Chuck Lesnick was instrumental in getting a the Nahmias family funds, as part of a of a federal opportunity zone program.
Also, Simple Motive Brewing had been scheduled to open just before the pandemic hit Yonkers.
The new microbrewery, complete with a tasting room, was going to open in the burned out Lake Street building next to Yoho Artists building on Neperhan Avenue.
This brewery was going to feature an event space next to the brewing tanks for company gatherings, larger parties and other events.
It is part of a mixed use development called The Mill, located in the historic Alexander Smith Carpet Mills factory – but even this development has been delayed by the healthcare crises in Yonkers.
The space is being developed by Momentum Realty Acquisitions and was also going to feature food hall, ax throwing, an escape room, co-working and other destination tenants.
Small distillers, like the Yonkers Brewing Company, also sell their products to bars, restaurants and retail stores and insiders say John Rubbo’s wholesale business is down by double digits.
Craft distillers are a special community in Yonkers, who entered this industry with a passion for spirits and a dream to build a craft distillery that will add to the cultural life of the city of hills.
These dreams should not be shattered, along with the loss of jobs, if the City of Yonkers or the Yonkers Industrial Development Agency can prevent it.
PHOTO: Andrea Stewart–Cousins (Democratic Party) is a member of the New York State Senate, representing District 35. Stewart-Cousins assumed office in 2007.
More photos of Andrea Stewart–Cousins, who is a politician and ab educator from Yonkers, New York
Andrea Stewart-Cousins is a member of the Democratic Party in the New York State Senate, and currently represents Greenburgh, part of White Plains, part of New Rochelle, part of Yonkers and Scarsdale.
As a trailblazing politician, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins is the first black woman to hold the top post in the chamber.
Senator Stewart-Cousins has represented her district since being elected in 2006.
She is a mother and grandmother of black sons and black grandsons
She lives in Yonkers, and when she goes to Albany she takes a room in a hotel and spends about half the year up there, but once session is done for the week she comes back down to the district.
Born: September 2, 1950 (age 69 years), New York, NY
Family: Widowed: Thomas; 3 Children
Home City: Yonkers, NY
Education: Pace University, Lehman College School of Continuing and Professional Studies
District Office: 28 Wells Avenue, Building #3, Yonkers,, NY 10701
Alfred Weissman Real Estatehas landed a $80 million refinance for its 435,000-square-foot warehouse facility at 555 Tuckahoe Roadin Yonkers
YONKERS: Alfred Weissman Real Estate acquired 555 Tuckahoe Road in 1999 and sources say the property just got a big fat cash infusion from J.P. Morgan Asset Management.
Alfred Weissman Real Estate focuses on opportunistic investments that are typically too small for large investors, and too large for small, independent investors.
Its current portfolio includes hospitality, retail and office properties.
The new round of financing retires a $69 million bridge loan provided by Invesco in March 2019
Invesco’s loan equipped Alfred Weissman Real Estate with flexible financing as the landlord re-tenanted the property with UPS, who has occupied the building since November 2019 been greeted by the Stop UPS Yonkers group.
UPS located to 555 Tuckahoe Road, because it offers accessibility throughout the New York Metro area with direct access to the New York State Thruway, New England Thruway,Cross Westchester Expressway, Bronx River Parkway, Saw Mill River Parkway, Sprain Brook Parkway and Hutchinson River Parkway.
About 6,000 students have had their parents say, “no” to , Superintendent Dr. Edwin M. Quezada”s hybrid learning plan in the of the Yonkers Public School district
Students who chose the hybrid model will report to school Monday and Tuesday or Thursday and Friday.
The three remaining days will be remote learning.
Yonkers Board of Education President Rev. Steve Lopez has been telling concerned parents that families decide they would like to switch to complete remote learning, for whatever reason, students can be pulled out.
Currently, Superintendent Dr. Edwin M. Quezada is hiring additional bus monitors to ensure children are social distancing and prevent a Covid-19 outbreak.
Many other measures are being put in place in the Yonkers Public Schools to protect, students, teachers and staff members during the challenging times, but many parents worry that the precautions are not enough to protect their children.
But when school starts in September 1 out of 5 children will not be there.
PEOPLE POWER: Mayor Mike Spano pushed the police union to accept body cameras after multiple Black Lives Matter Protests on the streets of Yonkers
CANDID CAMERA: On Thursday the Yonkers Police Department will give some patrol officers body cameras.
ITS JUST A TEST: Yonkers will conduct a three-month pilot program with 16 body cams from Axon.
MEDIA ALERT: Mayor Mike Spano, YPD Commissioner John Mueller and Yonkers PBA Union president Keith Olson will explain how the the program will be implimented and work at a press conference on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. .
Westchester County’s largest city police department is starting to make reforms after it was confronted by 1,000 Black Lives Matter protesters after the murder of a handcuffed George Floyd by police officers in Minneapolis.
The murder sparked protests and calls for police reform across the country and in Yonkers.
With the exception of New York City public schools, all other large city school districts are opening using ‘Remote Learning’ while thousands of small suburban school districts are opening or considering opening for in person instruction.
The nation’s leading doctors and scientists at the CDC with the support of the AAP (American Academy of Pediatricians) and the White House have given very specific guidelines school districts must adhere to in order to open.
The purpose of this article is to highlight and examine the numerous layers and highly coordinated efforts needed to safely and effectively operate a school during the COVID-19 Pandemic while adhering to the CDC and the nation’s leading Pediatricians at the AAP.
Let’s highlight and examine the numerous levels of personnel and supplies needed to safely and effectively operate schools according to these national guidelines.
A- Titles of required school personnel
1- Custodians
2- Food service employees.
3- Transportation personnel
4- Student Management Services
5- Teachers
6- Administrative Assistants
7- Administrators
B- The student to staff ratio for each level of professional personnel is based on 1000 students per school.
This is the average number of students in elementary, middle and high schools combined then divided by three.
Some schools are much larger and some much smaller. The average of 1000 students per school can be adjusted for your specific school and resources but the ratios will be very close. You can find the size of your specific school and district on your state or school district websites.
1- Custodians: 250 to 1
2- Food service employees: 200 to 1
3- Transportation personnel: 40 to 1
4- Student Safety 250 to 1
5- Teachers: 34-50 to 1
6- Administrative Assistants: 175 to 1
7- Administrators: 250 to 1
As we see, the ratio of school personnel to students is extremely imbalanced. This imbalance speaks to an antiquated system in normal times (which we’ve known but ignored.) but in the reality of the COVID-19 Pandemic, this severe imbalance has been exposed and schools are now compelled to follow CDC and AAP guidelines.
The fact that prior to the COVID-19 Pandemic schools succeeded (in spite of the significant imbalance of the student to school personnel ratio) is a great tribute to students, parents and school personnel.
So, what are the real challenges with returning to in person learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic?
The challenges are many (which we will explore) but with depleted resources (and the numerous additional resources needed) the uncertainty of schools being able to adhere to CDC and AAP guidelines is at best, an uphill battle.
This enormous challenge is a result of the overly crowded physical and spatial ratio of students to students and students to personnel and is comparable to going to a sporting event, concert, movie or the theater, each of which have banned during this Pandemic.
Opening schools during the COVID-19 Pandemic while keeping entertainment venues closed is contrary to the guidelines and plain old common sense.
What is needed to keep your children and school personnel safe for a school to reopen?
Keeping your children safe in accordance with the Pandemic guidelines by the CDC and AAP will place an inordinate physical and financial strain on our schools that simply cannot be met without an substantial influx of new funding.
For example, the Yonkers Public School District in NYS will need nearly $11,000,000 to acquire the PPE supplies mandated by the CDC to reopen safely. In addition to the 100 school personnel it recently laid off due to the COVID- 19 Pandemic must be rehired and many new school personnel must be added.
Understanding the School District Landscape
New York State alone has nearly 700 school districts serving nearly 3,000,000 students. Even using a conservative number of $2,000,000 per school district for PPE supplies New York State would need roughly $1.500,000,000 in new funding for school districts.
Like Yonkers, the $2,000,000 per school district does not take into account all the personnel each district has laid off (who must be brought back) and possibly two to three thousand more school personnel statewide to be hired to implement the CDC and AAP guidelines.
The costs listed above might also include minor repairs such as broken windows but would not include such things as the repair of or installation for new portable HEPA air filter systems NYS is highly suggesting (and some unions demanding these air filtration systems such as the Yonkers Federation of Teachers is) for each classroom.
The cost of a portable HEPA air filtration system per classroom costs approximately $1300.00 In New State there are nearly 5000 schools.
Each school has an average (on the low side) of 30 classrooms. The cost for HEPA air filtration systems for schools would cost in the area of $200,000,000
These are low and bare minimal figures and do not include much larger and elaborate systems for halls, stairwells and bathrooms.
Let us examine the following normal routines that are no longer normal during the COVID-19 Pandemic:
1- Arrivals and dismissals: Whether children ride public school buses or public city buses to and from school all transportation vehicles must meet the CDC and AAP guidelines for social distancing and air filtration.
This would require refitting each city and district school bus while adding two to three times the vehicles presently in use. Also required will be the checking of temperatures before students enter school.
This will create a log jamb of students possibly reaching out into the streets as they must maintain social distancing. This would also result in having to close traffic for student safety impacting people needing to go to work who use public transportation or their own cars.
This means that all businesses would not be able to start on time as people will not be able to get to work on time if streets have to be closed in order to accommodate children going to school.
What of emergency services if streets are closed? This will have a significant impact on safety and on an already severely strained economy.
If people cannot get to work; their medical appointments or other routine business (until all students are in school each morning) this will create havoc on society.
Student dismissal will be a mirrored effect as student arrival but with an extra twist. Who decides the order in which students will leave?
Between the new arrival and dismissal procedures of adhering to social distancing requirements, the school day could easily extend two hours longer in the morning and two hours longer in the afternoon. Depending on the size of your school, much longer days will be needed in varying degrees to meet these mandates. In addition, temperature checks and social distancing means that your children will have to stand in all sorts of weather such as rain, snow, sleet, cold and extreme heat before they are allowed in school. With school hours having to expand (and not for instruction) society will need 28-30 hour days!
2- The use of school Bathrooms: In this scenario we immediately see that social distancing is not possible. In order to comply with social distancing mandates students will not be able to access bathrooms as needed.
Schools will need a monitoring system for bathroom usage and additional personnel to implement it which raises privacy concerns and other health issues.
Do parents or students want monitors inside bathrooms making sure that students wash their hands or limit their use of the bathroom to a specified amount of time?
Implementing a plan for students to use the bathroom following CDC and AAP guidelines for social distancing would be impossible. Schools simply do not have enough bathrooms to follow the mandated guidance.
3- Nutrition Services for students: School reopening plans are calling for students to eat at their desks. How will custodians clean up nearly two thousand meals per day without interrupting instruction and without hiring dozens of additional custodians?
Let us also consider where students will wait while custodians clean their desks and the floors after each meal? Social distancing will not be possible.
Serving students in at their desks could take hours while having students eat in the Cafeteria is impossible. Eating in school cafeterias do not meet social distancing mandates school cafeterias have bench style or round tables.
Refitting the tables with plastic partitions would cost untold sums of money, and if it could be done, there is not enough time to do it.
Who will deliver the two thousand meals daily to students without hiring dozens of additional food service personnel? Such a process could take hours and remember most schools do not have elevators for food service personnel to use to transport hundreds of meals per floor.
4- Implementing Instruction: School reopening plans are calling for students to remain in one classroom all day and require teachers to travel from room to room in order to limit contact in the halls and stairwells but who will supervise students during teacher transition times?
5- Who will substitute for teachers when they will not expose themselves to such an environment of uncertainty and chaos? Now districts will have to pay Teachers using their sick time and substitute teachers.
Our summary is that untold amounts of new resources based on the CDC and AAP guidelines will be needed. The school day will be extended significantly for students to arrive, eat their breakfast, lunch and be dismissed safely. Somewhere between meals, arrival and dismissal, teachers (for those who show up) will try to find time to teach.
We must not forget the havoc to people’s lives this will create as they enter and exit school each day and the spread inevitable spread of COVID-19!!
Isn’t more sensible, cost effective and safe from every perspective to keep schools closed until we truly have COVID-19 under control?
Bougie Brews at 52 Main Street in has deals for you as they participate in a Yonkers Downtown Bid promotion designed to drum up business.
YONKERS: Downtown restaurants are offering a hodge podge of individual special offers like 10% off of the total bill or a free dessert with a minimum purchase.
More details can be found at details at yonkersdowntown.com. and the participating restaurants include:
Con Edison is providing ice to customers who lost service in Westchester County’s largest city
Con Edison personnel are at Cross County Shopping Center providing free ice to customers who lost service due to Storm Isaias.
The company will also have a mobile information center there with workers available to answer questions until 7;30 p.m.
The Cross County Shopping Center is at 8000 Mall Walk in Yonkers
The company is following safety guidelines issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, State, City and County for COVID-19 and asks that customers practice social distancing with other members of the public and the Con Edison employees at the location.
That will help ensure that everyone remains safe during the health crisis.
For additional information or questions, customers can call 1-800-752-6633 or visit the website.
Yonkers is now further advancing its commitment to sustainability and safe streets by bringing residents access to additional sustainable transportation options with Bird shared e-scooters.
Bird, the leader in shared short range electric transportation, in collaboration with representatives from the city of Yonkers, NY today announced Bird will be the exclusive provider of shared e-scooters to residents and visitors.
This marks the first ever e-scooter pilot in New York State and is scheduled to launch in August with its fleet of Bird Twos.
The Bird Two represents an unmatched advancement from a city, rider, and hardware experience.
Resulting from Mayor Spano’s commitment to sustainability,
Yonkers is a micromobility pioneer, having been one of the first cities in New York to embrace dockless bike share in 2018. The City
Yonkers’ embrace of shared e-scooters is also another strong indication that urban transportation is rapidly evolving in response to a coronavirus pandemic that has underscored the importance of sustainable, socially distant mobility options.
During COVID-19 lockdowns around the world, cities globally have introduced plans for more than 2600 additional miles of slow streets and temporary bike lanes.
“Yonkers’ dedication to micromobility is unparalleled, and Bird is honored to serve in the first e-scooter pilot program both here and in New York State,” said Rebecca Hahn, Chief Corporate Social Responsibility Officer of Bird.
“Like so many New Yorkers, Yonkers residents are adopting more socially-distant transportation habits in the wake of COVID-19. We’re looking forward to providing a safe, sustainable and convenient way for them to stay mobile and support local businesses as the city continues to recover and rebuild.”
“Yonkers is pleased to once again lead the way as a progressive city in offering smart, emission-free transportation solutions for our community,” said Yonkers Mayor Spano.
“Partnering with Bird will provide residents and visitors the opportunity to travel our city with ease and convenience all while being affordable, reliable and fun.”
Yonkers’ Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said New York’s economic crisis calls for multimillionaires and billionaires to help our state
Yonkers’ state Senate Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said Wednesday that her colleagues will have to consider substantial new revenue measures and that those measures should concentrate on multimillionaires and billionaires.
The higher tax on New York’s wealthiest idea, is also being pushed by many Democrats in the state Assembly and Senate, labor unions and social services organizations.
They argue that New York will need to turn to higher taxes on millionaires and billionaires to stave off the possibility of spending cuts to schools, as well as local governments and nonprofits that provide services on behalf of the state.
The wealthiest 1% pay a smaller percentage of their income in taxes than do the poorest 20% of New Yorkers.
In the past, after September 11, 2001 the Republican leader of the Senate and the Democratic leader of the Assembly came together to propose higher taxes on the wealthy, overriding Governor George Pataki’s veto.
Similarly, after the financial collapse in 2008, the state was facing a huge budget gap. Governor David Paterson led the institution of higher taxes on millionaires, which became known as the first “millionaires tax” surcharge, which has been in place since.
Governor Andrew Cuomo, says he is opposed to efforts to raise taxes on high-income New Yorkers to help balance a deficit estimated at $30 billion over the next two years.
The governor and other chief executives in states across the nation are trying to build pressure on Congress and President Trump to provide $500 billion in unrestricted aid to states trying to rebuild their economies battered by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins says officials are working to convince Washington to get as large a bailout as possible.
But, she added, “There is no question that substantial revenue action from the state will be necessary,” she said in a written statement issued after Cuomo’s dismissal of revenue raising moves by Albany.
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, a Bronx Democrat, also has said in a previous statement that additional federal funding is critical. But, he also added, that Assembly Democrats have “long favored asking those with more to pay their fair share.”
Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration has been using $13 billion as the estimated deficit in the current fiscal year – which began April 1.
The deficit, which many saw coming before the current budget and its spending increases, was adopted in April as Covid-19 spread and the state’s economy crashed.
The budget agreement included no significant new revenue-raising measures, such as tax increases on higher earners, nor did it include as grave cuts as some feared.
Later on April 25th, the Cuomo administration announced $8.2 billion in cuts in aid to some localities including Yonkers, a category that covers education and much more.
The recent $2 trillion federal aid package provided $150 billion for state aid, which was distributed based on population.
At the time New York State got $7 billion out of the $150 billion.
Many political insiders in Albany asked,”. “How do you allocate state aid based on population when at the time we had between one-third and one-half of the COVID-19 cases?”
If New York had gotten one-third of the $150 billion, then the state would have gotten $50 billion.
There Is Yet Another Proposed Development Before The Yonkers Planning Board For The Old Kimball Theatre Site That Is To Be Heard On September the 9th.
YONKERS: A development at 1219 Yonkers Avenue that has. received approvals from the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals for variances now needs the approval of the planning board.
A 14-story apartment structure with 266 apartments, parking and ground-level retail space is proposed by the latest wanna be developer of this site. where the movie theater once stood.
The apartments in the building will consist of one- and two-bedroom units only and there will be one parking space for each of the units,
The proposed building he building will have 24-hour doorman and a fitness center.
The developer has offered to pay for new traffic lights around the building.
The Kimball Theatre, originally opened in 1937 in a building that formerly held a shirt factory.movie studio and skating rink.
It had 700 seats and operated successfully as a neighborhood theater for decades,
When it closed it became as a furniture store, but a 2004 fire broke out.
A Yonkers Parks Employee Disinfects Local Playground With A Backpack Sprayer
COVID – 19 PANDEMIC: Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano says the city’s Parks, Recreation and Conservation Department will use Professional Electrostatic Backpack Sprayers along with daily use of mobile disinfecting water trucks to clean and sanitize city facilities and equipment.
Mayor Mike Spano says the electrostatic mist cleans and disinfects more efficiently than traditional cleaners, and will save time, money and labor.
Yonkers Parks staff will use the sprayers at city-operated parks, senior centers, the Yonkers Animal Shelter, E.J. Murray’s Skating Rink, administrative buildings and garages.
Currently, the city owns six electrostatic sprayers.
Jeff Henderson, an chef, author and motivational speaker, has joined Yonkers-based Greyston Board of Directors.
Jeff Henderson is an American chef, bestselling author and popular public speaker. He is also a former felon, having served nearly a decade in prison for cocaine.
Henderson was stabbed in the chest when he was 16 over a gang-related dispute.
In 1988, he was arrested by the San Diego Drug Task Force and charge with intent to distribute illegal narcotics.
He is best known for The Chef Jeff Project is a Food Network reality television program that aired in the fall of 2008. Chef Jeff invites six young adults with rough backgrounds to work as his crew for Posh Urban Cuisine for one month in Los Angeles.
The format of the reality television program was such that all participants who complete the project are eligible for the Food Network Scholarship to culinary school.
The aim of the competition test each individual to the limits and not eliminate the competition;
Chef Henderson makes it clear to the competitors that the only way they can lose is if they quit.
Chef Henderson will enhance the board’s ability to guide Greyston in scaling its social justice mission in southwest Yonkers and beyond.
Henderson currently lives in Las Vegas with his wife Stacy and five children.
PHOTO: Carolyn A. Lowe, P.E., Vice President of D&B Engineers and Architects, P.C. Wastewater/Water Supply Division; Michael G. Savarese, P.E., Senior Associate of D&B Engineers and Architects, P.C. Water Supply Division; and Steven A. Fangmann, P.E., BCEE, President of D&B Engineers and Architects, P.C.
The award acknowledges D&B’s successful rehabilitation of the one-million-gallon elevated water storage tank on Nodine Hill serving the City of Yonkers.
D&B was honored as ‘a firm committed to improving communities’ quality of life via sustainable solutions and implementation of innovative technologies.’
The NSPE presented the award to D&B at a recent dinner in Westchester. D&B President Steven A. Fangmann, P.E., BCEE commented, “We received this honor with great pride. The D&B team collaborated with all parties in the field and provided construction management and inspection services. Key upgrades included improvements to bring the tank into compliance with ANSI/OSHA standards.”
The four-million-dollar tank rehabilitation project on Nodine Hill improved water quality for consumers, enhanced safety for operators, and upgraded the aesthetics of the structure according to a statement from company officials.
New York State Society of Professional Engineers, Inc. Westchester/Putnam Chapter is an organization of local engineering professionals that promotes and defends the lawful and ethical practice of engineering.
It protects and promotes professional engineers in all disciplines and areas of practice with a focus on the local needs of Westchester and Putnam County professional engineers.
