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
Mimi Rocah won the battle to be the Democratic nominee on the November ballot. Her campaign said, with less than 30,000 paper ballots remaining to be counted, Rocah had received 66,289 votes to Scarpino’s 25,361
Incumbent Westchester County District Attorney Anthony Scarpino Jr. has conceded in the race for the Democratic primary to Mimi Rocah.
In a news release from Westchester County DA Tony Scarpino said he called Mimi Rocah to congratulate her on the victory.
She said she was honored to be able to declare victory after receiving Scarpino’s call.
Mimi Roach will face Republican Bruce Bendish in November.
DA Scarpino previously beat Bruce Bendish for the district attorney race in 2016.
Mimi Roach, 49, a Scarsdale resident, had spent 16 years as a federal prosecutor.
She also worked as a litigation associate at the white shoe law firm Cravath, Swaine and Moore.
Since 2017, Mimi Rocah has been Pace University School of Law and a legal analyst for MSNBC.
If you see Carmelo James Brunson, call either the Yonkers City Police Department Communications Division at 914-377-7299 or 911.
YONKERS: New York authorities have issued a Missing Child Alert for a teenager from Yonkers.
Carmelo James Brunson, 15, was last seen on Alder Street in Yonkers on Monday at about 2 p.m., according to a bulletin posted by the state’s Criminal Justice Services.
“The child is believed to be suicidal and may be in imminent danger,” the bulletin states.
Carmelo James Brunson is described as 5 feet 4 inches tall, about 125 pounds, and has black hair and brown eyes.
He was wearing a black T-shirt, black basketball shorts, and black sneakers.
After Tropical Storm Fay traveled through Yonkers, city officials are encouraging everyone to be prepared for similar storms through November.
The distribution of sandbags started at 7 a.m. and will continue through 3 p.m. at the Organic Waste Yard.
Yonkers Emergency Management is once again reminding families in the city of hills to to avoid flooded areas and take all necessary precautions after storms happen,
Children should be kept away from wires near puddles or fences, because one never knows where the electricity is traveling.
The Yonkers City Clerk’s Office is now open Mondays – Fridays from 9 AM – 4 PM.
However in consideration of the safety of our residents, we have installed new preventive and precautionary measures in order to protect you and our employees.
Therefore, we are PROVIDING IN OFFICE COUNTER SERVICE to the public by appointment only.
Marriage Licenses – Please note that marriage licenses are only being issued to current residents of Yonkers. Therefore, your valid ID must have a Yonkers address. If not, then we require two bills dated within the last six months in order to verify your current residence.
All other services – Please be advised that in an effort to maintain public safety, we recommend that you mail your applications, renewals, and payments to:
Yonkers City Clerk’s Office
City Hall – Room 107
40 S. Broadway
Yonkers, NY 10701
For further instructions: please select Certificates, Licenses and Permits from the menu on the left and then select the appropriate service.
“Despite these trying times, the City Clerk’s office is committed to doing our best to continue to provide vital services to the public while also ensuring the safety of our residents and staff,” said City Clerk Vincent Spano
For more information you may contact the City Clerk’s office at (914) 377-6020 or cityclerk@yonkersny.gov
Mayor Mike Spano’s administration gathered outside of city hall today for a news conference to announce the new advertising campaign put together by the Thompson & Bender advertising agency.
YONKERS: The city of Yonkers has begun a new “Generation Yonkers” marketing campaign titled “Yonkers is Back to Business” now that the city has entered phase four of re-opening.
This is the seventh year for the taxpayer funded “Generation Yonkers” marketing campaign that is put together by Thompson & Bender.
The campaign includes digital ads on websites; direct mail targeted to real estate brokers; outdoor billboards; and signs for stores.
Radio ads have already started running.
Thompson & Bender is launching a social media campaign called #YonkersBack2Biz that features Brian Cannon, North Atlantic district president of UPS; Rory Dolan, owner of Rory Dolan’s Restaurant & Bar in Yonkers; Jennifer Ann Sefara Perry, CEO and founder of Sacred Seeds; real estate developer and owner of the Hampton Inn & Suites in Yonkers, Alan Weissman; Peter X. Kelly, whose Xaviars Restaurant Group includes X2O Xaviars on the Hudson in Yonkers; and Stew Leonard Jr., president and CEO of Stew Leonard’s.
Mayor Spano said that United Parcel Service coming to town in a 435,000-square-foot distribution center on Tuckahoe Road is a big win for the city.
The mayor added that businesses interested in relocating to Yonkers should contact the city’s Planning and Development Commissioner Lou Albano.
Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday defended the push to approve a state law to release disciplinary files of police officers — saying cops should be treated the same as other government workers whose records are open to public inspection.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday he and the Legislature will be “just reversing an exemption” that shields the disciplinary records of police officers under investigation for misconduct.
The Yonkers PBA and other powerful police unions in New York for years blocked action in Albany on such legislation — but that was before the massive protests and outrage over the police brutality case in Minneapolis, where George Floyd died as a cop kept his knee pinned to his neck while in custody.
“It’s just fairness and equity across the board,” said Cuomo, noting that teachers and other public employees’ disciplinary records are publicly accessible.
He said the criminal justice package that he will sign into law later this week once it passes the Legislature will include a ban on chokeholds, making it a crime to file false police reports based on race following the Amy Cooper scandal in Central Park, and codifying cases in which the state attorney general investigates a suspect’s death in police custody. The governor five years ago approved an executive order for the attorney general to pursue such cases.
“The protesters are basically right … People are saying enough is enough. Bring reforms to the criminal justice system, bring reform to policing,” the governor said during his coronavirus press briefing at his Manhattan office.
Asked why he didn’t change the 50-A law in the past, Cuomo repeated that his office issued a legal opinion advising New York City and other local governments that they could release personnel records of an officer under investigation.
State legislative leaders said they will move quickly on the police accountability bills.
“Black New Yorkers, like all residents of this state, deserve to know that their rights, and lives, are valued and protected by our justice system,” said state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers).
“The legislation that will be passed over the coming days will help stop bad actors and send a clear message that brutality, racism, and unjustified killings will not be tolerated,” she said.
In a statement, parade organizers said that the 2020 aides and grand marshal, who is Patricia McCrudden, will be honored on Saturday, March 13, 2021 at the parade dinner.
The 2020 Yonkers St. Patrick’s Day Parade on McLean Avenue, previously rescheduled for September, has now been cancelled and rescheduled for next year.
In a press release, parade organizers said that on March 10, “when the Parade Board made the very tough decision to reschedule the Parade to September 19, 2020, we truly thought we were making a decision that would safely allow for a beautiful fall parade on McLean Avenue.”
They added, “We don’t feel the Parade can be held safely during these difficult times. So, for the health and well-being of our marchers, spectators, Aides and Grand Marshal we have, with heavy hearts, decided not to hold the parade in September.”
The 2020/21 honorees are: Grand Marshal Patricia McCrudden.
Her aides are: Annmarie Acosta – Irish Music and Dance Educator; Reverend Father William Cleary – Chaplain to the Yonkers Fire Department; Joan Henchy – New York Gaelic Athletic Association; Timothy Hodges – Yonkers Police Department; Sean P. Mayer – Ancient Order of Hibernians, Myles Scully Division 1; Richard McSpedon Jr. – Local 3 IEBW, Westchester Mechanics Association; William J. Saich – Ferncliff Manor; Nancy Walsh – Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians, Our Lady of Knock Division 19;
Yonkers fire sparked by illegal fireworks makes five families homeless and kills two pets
YONKERS: Fire Department Sources say fire works destroyed an apartment building on Buena Vista Avenue overnight and when they arrive they saw evidence of spent fireworks in front of her building.
One of the five homeless Yonkers families lost their their cat and dog in the devastating fire.
The City of Yonkers has not released an official cause of the blaze that they say started at around 1 a.m, but city residents say their complaints about illegal fireworks have been largely ignored.
This is the second apartment building in Yonkers to go up in flames after illegal fireworks were being set off without impunity in the city of hills.
The Yonkers Police Department has made no arrests in the incident.
NO ONE IS LISTENING TO THE COMMUNITY:#Yonkers Residents Say Counter Employees, Cooks, Delivery personnel And The Owner Are Not Using The Covid-19 Measures As Per Andrew Cuomo‘s Executive Order, But The City of Yonkers Officials Are Telling Them That They Need To Complain To County Executive George Latimer‘s Health Department.
BUREAUCRATIC RUNAROUND: Concerned Community Members Say When They Ask The City of Yonkers If Ashburton Halal Fried Chiken Filed A Re-opening Plan As Per Governor Andrew Cuomo Multi-Phased Executive Order, They Are Told That This Information Can’t Be Given Out And That A Freedom Of Information Request With The #WestchesterCounty Health Department.
SEEKING HELP: After Multiple Requests Yonkers Newswire Went To Ashburton Halal Fried Chiken At 168 Ashburton Avenue And Confirmed That Employees, Delivery Personnel Cooks And The Owner Are Not Using, Masks, Gloves, And Hand Sanitizer After Exchanging Money And Having Contact From Unmasked Customers.
LETS SEE WHAT HAPPENS: This was reported to the Yonkers Police Department by this reporter this evening and we will see if actions are taken to protect residents and prevent a second Covid-19 outbreak in a minority area of the city of hills.
Yonkers City Council Majority Leader Corazon Pineda Isaac and Councilwomen Shanae Natalee Williams And Tasha Diaz Have Strongly Complained That Minority Neighborhoods in Yonkers Have Been Hit The Hardest By The Coronavirus Pandemic, But They Need to Understand how Hard It Is For Community Members To Get Their COVID-19 Violation Complaints Acted upon.
Maybe Yonkers City Council President Mike Khader Needs To Propose A Law Where Food Establishments Must Post Copy Of Their Filed Covid-19 Re-opening Pan In Their Store Window With The Necessary Contact Numbers For Residents To Report Any Violations, Before We Have A Second Deadly Outbreak In Yonkers.
The city is a residential urban sprawl similar to #Queens and parts of #Brooklyn, a friendly respite from Manhattan.
#Yonkers is ranked as the second-most diverse suburb in New York, including one in five residents of Hispanic and Latino heritage.
Yonkers, also known as the city of hills, is mostly residential, with tight blocks of detached homes and pockets of apartment and condo buildings, and a nearly even split between renters and homeowners.
The city has one of the highest public transit usage levels in the nation, and a quarter of residents don’t own a car.
Downtown is located in the #GettySquare neighborhood along the river, which is a shopping hub for both Yonkers and The Bronx.
More retail centers are found at Cross County Shopping Center, Ridge Hill Shoping Center, and smaller strip shopping centersalong Central Avenue.
Distance from Lower Manhattan 16 miles Best commuting options: Commuting into Lower #Manhattan takes about an hour via the MTA Metro-North Railroad Hudson Line and the subway through Harlem-125th.
The drive south along the Henry Hudson Parkway takes about an hour at rush hour and 25 minutes at other times.
In-person voting in the party primaries wrapped up a week ago Tuesday, but because of the coronavirus the state allowed all Yonkers voters to cast their ballots by mail.
YONKERS: The #WestchesterCounty Board of Elections will soon begin counting the absentee ballots that will determine who won the state’s June 23 primary elections that effected many #Yonkers seats of power.
After waiting a week for the last of those ballots to arrive, county elections officials are now digging in.
That could mean that results won’t be available in some Yonkers marquee races anytime soon.
Among the most-watched contests is the Democratic primary between U.S. Rep. #EliotEngel and challenger Jamaal Bowman in a district that includes the #Bronx, Yonkers and other parts of Westchester County.
Another close Democratic primary fight is in Yonkers is between five candidates seeking three city judicial seats.
Currently, Attorney Verris Shako, Judge Karen Best and attorney Dan Romano are leading the pack of legal eagles.
Elsewhere, voters were selecting their candidates in primaries to succeed U.S. Reps Nita Lowey and Jose Serrano, both Democrats, and Republican U.S. Rep. Peter King in Congress.
All three are retiring from legislative service.
Across #NewYork many state legislative primaries remain undecided as well.
Playland Pool May Be Closed For The Summer, But Westchester County Is Opening Two Yonkers Pools
YONKERS: This summer, Westchester County will be opening Sprain Ridge Pool in Yonkers today (Friday June 26th), According to County Executive George Latimer
Tibbetts Brook Pool in Yonkers will open on July 3.
Because of the coronavirus there will be no Aqua Splash Pad at Sprain Ridge Pool.
Also there will be no Lazy River Tubes, Aqua Playground, Water Slides or Basketball Court at Tibbetts Brook Park Pool, when it opens.
To further ensure safety, the pools will follow New York State and Westchester County Department of Health regulations of 50 percent maximum occupancy.
The pools will be first-come, first-serve entry with two public pool sessions throughout the day.
Open Session 1: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Clean/Disinfect: 2 p.m.-3 p.m.
Open Session 2: 3 p.m.-6 p.m.
Clean/Disinfect: 6 p.m.-7 p.m.
Admission: $4 adults and children; free for children under 5 but counted as part of maximum occupancy.
The Yonkers pools will be open to Westchester Residents only.
Visitors will be required to verify their residency with their Westchester County Park Pass or driver’s license with a Westchester address.
When Session 1 tickets are sold out, Session 2 tickets will go on sale to remaining patrons. When session 2 ticket are sold out no more tickets will be sold for that day.
Parks staff will make announcement every half hour reminding guests to use all proper social distancing guidelines and guests must wear a mask or face covering anytime they are closer than 6 feet from any other guest.
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s threat of reduced state funding for Yonkers has become a reality
The state comptroller has notified Yonkers officials that New York State will withhold a total $19.5 million from the city of hills.
The support is usually dispersed to Yonkers at the end of its fiscal year on June 30th.
This is going to pose serious cash-flow issues for Yonkers, because it’s at the end of the fiscal year.
And Mayor mike Spano along with the city council members just don’t know if and when the missing New York State payment will arrive.
Yonkers relies on state aid as well as sales and property taxes as their main sources of revenue, and even withholding a portion of the AIM funding will make paying for essential services difficult.
In Yonkers costs went up as the city responded to the coronavirus and revenue dropped from lost sales tax revenue and now city leaders have to contend with a rapidly growing deficit.
Now the $19.5 Million in state aid being withheld from Yonkers will be disastrous and probably result in city employees being let go.
Yonkers just can’t assume that the remaining funding is coming later on.
This all due to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s sweeping executive powers, granted during this year’s budget process to respond to the pandemic,
Currently, New York is dealing with the roughly a $10 billion deficit
However, the governor says the reduction might not be a permanent loss.
State and Yonkers officials have called on the federal government to provide aid to help offset the deep revenue losses they’ve experienced during the pandemic.
However, some Republican congressional leaders have stalled that effort, arguing that the aid amounts to “bailouts” for Democratic-controlled states with excessive budgets.
Some Yonkers union leaders say state legislators need to relax the 2 percent tax cap so that funds can be raised to keep city employees on the job.
Because so many New Yorkers have voted absentee, it will take additional time for the official results to be certified, and to ensure that every ballot is counted,
After a campaign season overshadowed by a deadly pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests Yonkers’ Primary Day is here.
Tuesday marks the final day of in-person voting and the postmark deadline for absentee ballots.
Polls are open today, June 23 from 6am-9pm.
Candidates for president, Congress, New York State Legislature, and local offices are vying for nominations.
But don’t expect all races to be called by Tuesday night as in years’ past.
The suspense of awaiting results may last days, weeks or even months.
The Westchester County Board of Elections has processed exponentially more absentee ballots this cycle compared to primaries four years ago.
They’ll be counted manually and potentially in the company of so-called watchers from campaigns who may raise objections.
Voters who didn’t receive absentee ballots can still vote in person Tuesday.
The hot race is this year has high ranking House Member Eliot Engel is locked in a tight race against insurgent Jamaal Bowman.
Neither contender opted for absentee or early voting.
Engel is set to cast his ballot Tuesday in Riverdale; Bowman in Yonkers.
One Hundred Yonkers firefighters were need to put out the roof and building fire that department members was started by illegal fireworks being launched in the densely populated neighborhood.
YONKERS: Fireworks ignited the the four alarm fire that destroyed a three-story apartment building at 115 Stanley Avenue on Saturday Night.
adly, 12 adults and 4 children lost everything in the fire and were made homeless by the illegal fireworks that many residents complain about on a nightly basis.
The building is a total loss and officially, the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
There has been no statements issued by the City of Yonkers about the building that was destroyed by illegal fireworks or the six families that are now homeless.
Mayor Mike Spano is working with the Police Commissioner John Mueller and the police union in accordance with the U.S. Department of Justice consent decree with the City of Yonkers, in an effort to bring police cameras to the YPD.
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano is pushing to put body cameras on patrol officers, but Police Benevolent Association President Detective Keith Olson is highly concerned about when body camera footage is to be released after instances when police use force.
Also PBA President Det. Keith Olson says he would prefer to have more officers than the cameras.
Yonkers Community Activists who took to the streets in protest say the footage will be released as soon as possible because the communities of color wants transparency in the city of hills.
Yonkers had at least six excessive force complaints last year.
The Yonkers PD Commissioner is pushing for an initial 90-day trial that would outfit the city’s approximately 400 patrol officers with body cameras.
The Yonkers City Council will have to vote for a bond to pay for the initial cost of the police body cameras.
The initial cost for the program would come to just over a million a year for the storage of the videos.
Yonkers was forced to enacted several police reforms after the U.S. Justice Department began investigating Yonkers in 2007 because of complaints about excessive force and race-based policing.
UPDATE:Yonkers Police Department Det. Keith Olson has told us that he has never said anything like the statement you’ve attributed to him concerning the release of body cam video to the public and / or media.|
Technically, what others have told us about Det. Keith Olson‘s position on the body cam footage release is hearsay, so we will take his word that he has no concerns on how The City of Yonkers releases the Yonkers Police Department video footage.
To be fair we should have said “some have said that Police Benevolent Association President Detective Keith Olson is highly concerned about when body camera footage is to be released after instances when police use force.”
Police Benevolent Association President Detective Keith Olson statements on the issue can be found here;
UWWP is located at 336 Central Park Ave., White Plains, NY 10606. Phone: 914-997-6700 Website: www.uwwp.org. Facebook: www.facebook.com/UnitedWayWP and Twitter @UnitedWayWP
The United Way of Westchester and Putnam announces that $1 million in grants have been distributed among more than 50 local, nonprofit organizations responding to unprecedented needs driven by COVID-19.
“COVID-19 has created an economic crisis the likes of which we haven’t seen in 90 years,” said United Way President and CEO Tom Gabriel. “In response, the United Way is honored to be able to distribute $1 million in Emergency Food and Shelter funding to help our nonprofit partners address the basic human needs of families in our community. As a result, we estimate that more than 300,000 families will be helped through this funding.’’
The funds were made available through the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) Boards in Westchester and Putnam counties. This program provides federal funding which helps to extend currently available services for the hungry or homeless or at risk of eviction. The United Way of Westchester and Putnam is the administrative agent of the Local EFSP Boards in Westchester and Putnam counties.
“The Bridge Fund of Westchester is extremely grateful for the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) funding,” said Grace Perry, director of The Bridge Fund. “We primarily service client households that are employed but sit right on top of the poverty line and often do not qualify for public benefits, such as food stamps. However, these clients struggle monthly to meet a barebones budget and any crisis can give way to a missed rent payment, food insecurity etc. The pandemic only exacerbates these circumstances. The EFSP grant funding allows organizations like The Bridge Fund to help not only meet these most basic needs for individuals and families, but also ease their worry and give a sense of hope”.
This is the second round of grants that has been awarded to nonprofits through the United Way of Westchester and Putnam. In May, 31 local nonprofit organizations were collectively awarded $120,000 in grants thanks to the United Way’s John M. Bendheim Community Disaster Response Fund and Bonwit Fund, as well as The PepsiCo Foundation.
Here is a list of organizations that received funding in the latest round.
ANDRUS
Bethel Temple of Praise
The Bridge Fund
Caring for the Hungry and Homeless of Peekskill, Inc.
Catholic Charities Community Services
Cerebral Palsy of Westchester, Inc.
The Children’s Village
CHOICE of NY
Church of the Ascension
Community Center of Northern Westchester
Croton-Cortlandt Food Pantry
Don Bosco Community Center of Port Chester, Inc.
Feeding Westchester, Inc.
First Presbyterian Church of Yorktown Food Pantry
Family Resource Center of Peekskill
Food Bank of the Hudson Valley
Friends of Karen
Family Services Society of Yonkers
Giving Tree Global, Inc.
Gullotta House
H.O.P.E. Community Services
Hillside Food Outreach
Holy Name of Mary Church DBA Loaves and Fish Soup Kitchen
Hope’s Door
Jawonio Inc
Legal Services of the Hudson Valley
Life Progressive Service Group, Inc.
Lifting Up Westchester
Meals-on-Wheels of New Rochelle, Inc
Mount Kisco Interfaith Food Pantry, Inc.
My Sisters’ Place, Inc.
Neighbors for Refugees Inc.
OLMC-Elmsford Community Food Pantry
Port Chester Carver Center
The Preservation Company, Inc.
Putnam/Northern Westchester Women’s Resource Center
Putnam CAP
Salvation Army
SPRING Community Partners
St. Christopher’s Inn
St. Mary’s Food Pantry – Mohegan Lake
St. John’s Food Pantry – Mahopac
Sts. John Paul & Clement Food Pantry
Westchester Community College Foundation
WestCOP
Westchester Jewish Community Services
Westhab
Westchester Residential Opportunities
YMCA of Yonkers
Yonkers Community Action Program
Youth Shelter of Westchester
YWCA of White Plains
United Way of Westchester and Putnam (UWWP) provides strategic resources and tools to residents in crisis or who are marginalized due to personal or life’s circumstances. These include the 2-1-1 helpline, early literacy programming for preschoolers, job skills training and financial empowerment for adults, as well as access to health services.
The NYPD arrested Yonkers resident Bernardo Ramos, 28, Monday morning in Brooklyn.
Police have arrested a man accused of sexually assaulting two women within two hours across the New York City subway system on June 6th.
The NYPD arrested Bernardo Ramos, 28, Monday morning in Brooklyn.
The Yonkers man now faces multiple charges including assault, two counts of attempted rape, three counts of sexual abuse, two counts of unlawful imprisonment and forcible touching.
On June 6, police said the man sexually assaulted a woman around 11:35 a.m. as she got off a No. 1 train and attempted to transfer to a No. 3 train across the platform at the 72nd Street station.
The man blocked her from entering the train before dragging her to the end of the platform, groping her and trying to take off her pants, police said.
The NYPD said the woman scratched the attacker’s face, causing him to flee back onto the train.
He attacked again less than two hours later in Brooklyn.
The NYPD said just after 1 p.m. the man punched a woman in the chest on a southbound F train inside the 15th Street – Prospect Park subway station, knocking her down to the seats.
He then climbed on top of her and lifted up her skirt, authorities said.
A witness alerted the train’s conductor who then entered the train car and yelled at the man, causing him to flee to the next train car and then into the subway station.
The ordinance, a summary of which is published herewith, has been adopted on May 29, 2020, and approved by the Mayor on May 29, 2020, and the validity of the obligations authorized by such ordinance may be hereafter contested only if such obligations were authorized for an object or purpose for which the CITY OF YONKERS, in the County of Westchester, New York, is not authorized to expend money or if the provisions of law which should have been complied with as of the date of publication of this Notice were not substantially complied with, and an action, suit or proceeding contesting such validity is commenced within twenty days after the publication of this Notice, or such obligations were authorized in violation of the provisions of the constitution.
Vincent E. Spano
City Clerk
City of Yonkers, New York
SPECIAL ORDINANCE NO.21 – 2020
BOND ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF YONKERS, NEW YORK, AUTHORIZING THE PAYMENT OF VARIOUS TAX CERTIORARI JUDGMENTS, COMPROMISED CLAIMS AND SETTLED CLAIMS APPROVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL DURING FISCAL YEAR 2020-2021, STATING THE ESTIMATED MAXIMUM COST THEREOF IS $15,000,000, APPROPRIATING SAID AMOUNT THEREFOR, AND AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF BONDS OF SAID CITY IN THE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF NOT TO EXCEED $15,000,000 TO FINANCE SAID APPROPRIATION.
The bonds are authorized to finance various tax certiorari judgments, compromised claims and settled claims against the City.
The period of probable usefulness is a minimum five (5) years and maximum twenty (20) years, dependent on the total amount of tax certiorari claims paid in a single fiscal year.
The amount of obligations to be issued is $15,000,000.
A complete copy of the Bond Ordinance summarized above shall be available for public inspection during normal business hours at the office of the Clerk of the City at City Hall, in Yonkers, New York.
The ordinance, a summary of which is published herewith, has been adopted on May 29, 2020, and approved by the Mayor on May 29, 2020, and the validity of the obligations authorized by such ordinance may be hereafter contested only if such obligations were authorized for an object or purpose for which the CITY OF YONKERS, in the County of Westchester, New York, is not authorized to expend money or if the provisions of law which should have been complied with as of the date of publication of this Notice were not substantially complied with, and an action, suit or proceeding contesting such validity is commenced within twenty days after the publication of this Notice, or such obligations were authorized in violation of the provisions of the constitution.
Vincent E. Spano
City Clerk
City of Yonkers, New York
SPECIAL ORDINANCE NO.18 -2020
BOND ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF YONKERS, NEW YORK AUTHORIZING THE ACQUISITION OF BOOKS AND EQUIPMENT FOR USE BY THE BOARD OF EDUCATION; STATING THE ESTIMATED MAXIMUM COST THEREOF IS $4,600,000; APPROPRIATING SAID AMOUNT THEREFOR; AND AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF BONDS OF SAID CITY IN THE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT OF NOT TO EXCEED $4,600,000 TO FINANCE SAID APPROPRIATION
The bonds are authorized to finance the acquisition of books and equipment for use by the Board of Education.
The amount of obligations to be issued is not to exceed $4,600,000.
The period of probable usefulness of the acquisition of books, software and equipment for use by the Board of Education, is five (5) years.
Pursuant to the provisions of Section 17 of the Special Local Finance and Budget Act of the City of Yonkers, constituting Chapters 488 and 489 of the Laws of 1976 of the State of New York (herein called the “Act”), the City is authorized and directed to include the pledge and agreement of the State of New York (herein called the “State”) contained in said Section 17 of the Act, in the ordinance, and the Act provides that upon payment for the bonds or notes by the original and all subsequent holders thereof the inclusion of such pledge and agreement shall be deemed conclusive evidence of valuable consideration received by the State and City for such pledge and agreement and of reliance upon such pledge and agreement by any holder and that any action by the State contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of such pledge and agreement shall be void.
A complete copy of the Bond Ordinance summarized above shall be available for public inspection during normal business hours at the office of the City Clerk, 40 South Broadway, Yonkers, New York 10701.
New York state has teamed up with actor Sean Penn’s relief organization to open and expand 11 COVID-19 testing sites in and around New York City “hotspots,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday.
New York state currently has more than 800 testing sites, but there is still “a problem in New York City in certain ZIP codes,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during his daily briefing Tuesday.
“The virus did not attack equally. It hit lower-income areas, more minority areas harder,” he said.
“And in New York City, that’s probably most demonstrable.”CORE, the relief organization Sean Penn cofounded, has been partnering with organizations and local governments across the country to ramp up COVID-19 testing.
New York is working with the organization to open and expand 10 sites in New York City and one in #Yonkers, #AndrewCuomo said
“I talked to Mr. Penn about this problem in our hotspot ZIP codes and asked if they could help get more testing into those areas, because we don’t have a lot of infrastructure there, and his group came in, they mobilized and they did great work opening up testing sites in a very short period of time that will ramp up the testing in our hot-spot clusters,” Andrew Cuomo said during his briefing.
“That combination of good intent and good results, that doesn’t happen often. But when it does it’s special. And it happened with Mr. Penn and CORE and I want to thank him.” #SeanPenn made a short, virtual appearance during the briefing, saying he was “very excited about the partnership.”
Testing will continue to be integral as more and more industries across the state reopen, Andrew Cuomo said.
#WestchesterCounty, Rockland County and the Hudson Valley entered Phase II of reopening on Tuesday.
The state plans to launch a new COVID-19 dashboard that will allow state residents to see the daily percentage of positive COVID-19 tests in their county more easily, #GovernorCuomo said.
It wasn’t immediately clear when the new dashboard would launch.
Bronx DA says a 27-year-old Yonkers transgender woman Layleen Cubilette-Polanco was properly placed in a restrictive housing unit. Polanco was arrested for missing court dates stemming from prostitution charges
The Bronx District Attorney’s Office will not pursue criminal charges in the death of a Yonkers transgender woman last year at Rikers Island, officials said Friday.
District Attorney Darcel Clark said her office would not prosecute the case involving 27-year-old Layleen Cubilette-Polanco, a Afro-Latinx woman who died from an epileptic seizure last June while in punitive segregation — commonly referred to as solitary confinement — at the city jail complex.
Polanco went to the health clinic on the morning of June 7 and ate lunch just after 12 p.m. Staffers who observed her that afternoon said they thought she was sleeping until one officer knocked on her cell door at 2:40 p.m. and did not hear a response.
An hour and five minutes later, Polanco was pronounced dead.
The city’s Department of Investigation said Friday it did not find any evidence that Correction Department staffers contributed to Polanco’s death — but it did note that there was a 47-minute gap between tours.
Officers are supposed check in on people held in punitive segregation every 15 minutes, according to Correction Department protocol.
Polanco’s death sparked weeks of protests and demands for an investigation. Her mother also sued the city, claiming that officers at the Rose M. Singer Center where her daughter was detained left her unsupervised for hours at a time even though they were aware of her medical condition.
The Yonkers PBA is comprised of the nearly 500 men and women who patrol the streets of Yonkers
STATEMENT: From Administrative Law Judge Karen Best
“The symbolism of Lady Justice and her balanced scales represents impartiality and the obligation to weigh the evidence presented to the court.
As a former public defender with the Legal Aid Society of Westchester County, for years I worked in Yonkers City Court. As an attorney, I advocated for my client’s rights, which required constant contact with various officers of the Yonkers Police Department.
Unexpectedly, it resulted in a mutual level of respect and understanding. Even though we stood on different sides of the law, ultimately, we all wanted justice to be served.
In addition to my legal experience as a public defender, my perspective as a Black woman allows me to understand this generation’s civil rights movement for Black people, and women.
My understanding and respect for the officers of the Yonkers Police Department allows me to understand their perspective and balance it with others while appropriately applying the law. Thus, through me, there will be fairness and impartiality in Yonkers City Court.
Westchester County announced plans to open its public pools in Yonkers for the season
County Executive George Latimer said the county will be opening two of its public pools in Yonkers for the summer.
On Friday, June 26, Sprain Ridge Pool in Yonkers will open.
The following Friday — July 3 — Tibbetts Brook Pool in Yonkers will open to the public.
There are, however, some slight modifications to help ensure safety during the new coronavirus outbreak.
No Aqua Splash Pad at Sprain Ridge Pool.
No Lazy River Tubes, Aqua Playground, Water Slides or Basketball Court at Tibbetts Brook Park Pool
To further ensure safety, the pools will follow state and Westchester County departments of health regulations of 50 percent maximum occupancy.
The pools will be first come, first serve entry with two public pool sessions throughout the day. After each session, there will be an hour-long cleaning and disinfecting session.
Open Session 1: 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Clean/Disinfect: 2 p.m.-3 p.m.
Open Session 2: 3 p.m.-6 p.m.
Clean/Disinfect: 6 p.m.-7 p.m.
When Session 1 tickets are sold out, Session 2 tickets will go on sale to remaining patrons.
When Session 2 tickets are sold out, no more tickets will be sold for that day. There will be no rain checks, re-entry or refunds.
Parks staff will make announcements every half hour reminding people to use all proper social distancing guidelines.
Guests must wear a mask or face covering anytime they are closer than 6 feet from any other guest.
Neither concession stands nor locker rooms will be open.
Restrooms will be available, and masks will be require to enter them.
There’s a lot of uncertainty, and unfortunately Mayor Mike Spano is dependent on what happens in Washington and Albany, more than ever before.
YONKERS: At the end of June 180 Yonkers Public Schools employees will get pink slips, but no one is talking about what potential layoffs in The City of Yonkers will look like.
No one is talking about what trash pick-up could look like if it gets cut back as Teamsters Local 456 are shown the door.
What does the Yonkers Police Department look like especially in the midst of civil unrest and protests if #Yonkers can’t fully staff it.
What does our fire department look like if we can’t staff every fire station, because Yonkers Firefighters Local 628 members have been let go.
And its not just Yonkers, the financial situation facing upstate cities like #Buffalo , #Rochester, #Albany and #Syracuse is also bleak.
On June 25, a large state aid payment to cities had been expected, but with Governor Andrew Cuomo floating an $8-plus billion cut to local aid, that money has been suspended.
That means that cities like Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Yonkers may not see it. Plus Yonkers has seen sales tax revenue drop precipitously.
Some at Yonkers City Hall estimating an approximate 35% drop in sales tax revenue in the city of hills.
If federal stimulus doesn’t arrive soon Yonkers City Council President Mike Khader may need to call emergency meetings for short term borrowing.
