Schumer Advocates For Zika Czar
U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer on Friday said that with dozens of Zika cases now confirmed in the U.S, the government must appoint a ‘Zika Czar’ who can coordinate between federal agencies, NGOs and foreign governments to fight off the mosquito-spread virus.
Schumer’s plan calls on the White House to appoint the Zika Czar as soon as possible and charge them with the duty of leading prevention, response and treatment strategies to combat the virus’s spread. The Senator said a move like this could help prevent further spread of the Zika virus this spring and summer.
Thus far, there have been over fifty cases of Zika in America, including approximately sixteen confirmed cases in New York. Schumer noted that officials at the WHO are concerned that up to four million people across the Americas could become infected with the virus over the next year.
“With dozens of Zika cases now in America, it’s time for the feds to step in and appoint a lead person who can rein in the outbreak before it spreads even further,” said Schumer. “Just as we did following the Ebola outbreak, the feds should appoint a ‘Zika Czar’ to coordinate between agencies and help lead prevention, response and treatment strategies here in America – and abroad. Appointing a ‘Zika Czar’ now, ahead of mosquito season, will protect public health and help us prevent the Ebola-like panic we all remember.”
Zika virus is spread to people through mosquito bites. Mosquitoes become infected when they feed on a person who has already been infected by the virus. The Aedes aegypti has spread most of the cases; these types of mosquitoes have been found in Florida and Hawaii. The Asian Tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, is also known to transmit the virus; these types of mosquitoes have been found in New York and Chicago.
According to the Center for Disease Control, common symptoms include fever, rash, joint pain and conjunctivitis, however, the virus may cause more serious risks to those who are pregnant. It is possible that Zika virus could be passed from mother to fetus during pregnancy. The virus has been linked to birth defects, including microcephaly, a rare condition in which the baby’s head is abnormally small and can have brain damage.
Parker Wants Fair Housing Enforcement Program In Brooklyn
Midwood/Flatbush State Senator Kevin Parker yesterday lauded the launch of Governor Cuomo’s Fair Housing Enforcement Program up state and said he hopes it comes to Brooklyn.
The program will ensure that families have equal opportunity to rent and buy properties throughout the state and is being piloted in partnership with the Housing Opportunities Made Equal (HOME) in Buffalo, CNY Fair Housing in Syracuse, and Westchester Residential Opportunities in Westchester, Rockland and Putnam counties.
“I am very pleased with the Governor’s announcement to launch the Fair Housing Enforcement Program in an effort to combat discrimination in rental and home sale transactions. The program will send a very strong message to housing providers that bias against an individual due to their race, sexual orientation, religion, or disability will not be tolerated in New York State,” said Parker.
“I do hope to see in the very near future a partnership with a New York City based agency as many residents in my district in Central Brooklyn are subjected to the same prejudice when looking for somewhere to call home.”
Brooklyn GOP Chair Ferraro On Scalia Passing
Brooklyn Republican Party Chair Arnaldo Ferraro yesterday issued the following statement on the passing of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia:
“On behalf of the Kings County Republican Party, I would like to express our deepest sympathies to the family of Justice Antonin Scalia, the first Italian-American, and the longest serving Justice of the US Supreme Court. While his passing is a loss for our entire Country, it is a great loss for our fellow Republicans, as we have lost a champion of the constitutional principles of our beloved Republican Party.
“On a personal note, his passing has a special significance. “Nino,” as he was called in his younger years by his friends and his father Salvatore, an immigrant from Sicily and a romance languages professor at Brooklyn College, gives all of us one more reason to be proud of those people that share Italian origins in the United States, and all over the world. Justice Scalia has contributed so much to the improvement of our society, and has magnanimously affected the lives of so many by exhibiting great moral character and courage.”
Golden Announces Finalists In Essay Contest
Bay Ridge State Senator Martin J. Golden and members of his anti-litter essay contest committee announced that 21 finalists have been selected to compete in the essay contest ceremony scheduled for Thursday, February 25 at Xaverian High School, 7100 Shore Road.
The finalists selected represent students from grades 3, 4 and 5, from a variety of local public, private and parochial schools including P.S. 102, P.S. 104, P.S. 127, P.S. 176, P.S. 185, P.S. 186, P.S. 204, P.S.
264, Adelphi Academy, Holy Angels Catholic Academy, St. Patrick Catholic Academy, and Visitation Academy.
The First Annual “Don’t Drop It” anti-litter essay contest received more than five hundred essays from
schools within Senator Golden’s district and based on this success, the contest will be expanded next year.
“Improving and maintaining the quality of life in our community has long been the cornerstone of my career in public service. That is why I sponsored this essay contest this year, in order to teach our students the need to keep our community and streets clean. This contest is generating an important dialogue amongst our families, our schools and beyond, and I believe it will impact many of our
residents to take greater pride in our neighborhood. I look forward to the contest finals and thank all the schools who have participated in this civics lesson.”
The finalists will present their essays before a panel of judges that includes Debra Barreto, Deputy Director of NYC Sanitation Department Customer Relations, Josephine Beckmann, District Manager of Brooklyn’s Community Board 10, and Laurie Windsor, President of Community Education Council District 20. The event is open to the public and residents are encouraged to attend.
The finalists are P.S. 102 Devon Wong and Sarah Ibrahim; P.S. 104 Rachael Mak; P.S. 127 Rita Filali, Mattao Gutierrez and Belal Hamed; P.S. 176 Violeta Zani and Paola Vega; P.S. 185 Luca Friedman; P.S.186 Diana Stoupakis; P.S. 204 Nicholas Magenta; P.S. 264 Rhianna Gonzalez, Damon Merazzi and Elexander Bawa; Adelphi Academy Timothy Chirkov; Holy Angels Catholic Academy Andrew Stosko, Nolan Keegan and Sebastian Travers; St. Patrick Catholic Academy Fiona Costello; and Visitation Academy Isabella Incata and Agnes Keough.
De Blasio Comes To Brooklyn To Talk Transit & Hold Town Hall
Mayor Bill de Blasio will come to Brooklyn today for two events that could very well be interrelated.
In the first event, Mayor de Blasio will host a press conference on the Brooklyn-Queens Connector in at Pioneer Works, 159 Pioneer Street in Red Hook Red Hook. While the initiative has drawn some praise, it has drawn some criticisml, particularly in Southern Brooklyn where lawmakers have been asking for improved transit service for years.
The subject is bound to come up at de Blasio’s Town Hall event at 7 p.m., tonight at Fort Hamilton High School, 8301 Shore Road in Bay Ridge.
