Lancman To Host Diwali Celebration at City Hall
City Council Member Rory I. Lancman (D-Kew Gardens Hills, Pomonok, Electchester, Fresh Meadows, Hillcrest, Jamaica Estates, Briarwood, Parkway Village, Jamaica Hills, Jamaica), Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Manhattan) and 15 Council Members will host a celebration of Diwali at City Hall today.
Diwali, the “Festival of Lights,” is celebrated by thousands of New Yorkers every autumn The festive holiday symbolizes the spiritual “victory of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance.”
The ceremony will feature traditional performances and food and will honor the NYPD Desi Society; Dr. Samin K Sharma, a renowned interventional cardiologist; and Rajeev Pandya; a partner at a premier diamond jewelry business.
The event is slated for 6 p.m., today, Oct. 29 at City Hall in Lower Manhattan.
Katz, Queens Borough Cabinet Hear City Plannings Zoning And Land Use Apps
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and the Queens Borough Cabinet today will hear a presentation from the city’s Planning Department (DCP) about its Zoning Application Portal (or ZAP for short).
ZAP is a web-based data tool that makes the details and statuses of all zoning and land use applications directly available to the public, with an intuitive map-based interface. The portal is available at https://zap.planning.nyc.gov.
The presentation will specifically discuss a new ZAP feature designed for use by District Managers.
The Queens Borough Cabinet is chaired by the Borough President under the New York City Charter and comprised of the district managers of each community board in the borough and representatives from city agencies. It focuses on city service delivery and agency responsiveness across the borough and hears presentations on these issues from City officials and others.
The presentation is slated for 9:30 a.m., today Oct. 29 at Queens Borough Hall, 120-55 Queens Boulevard in Kew Gardens.
Constantinides to Announce Queens Plan to Combat the Climate Crisis
City Council Member and Borough President candidate Costa Constantinides (D-Astoria) today will announce his ambitious plan to protect Queens against climate change, which he calls, “the greatest existential threat of our time.”
Seven years to the day after Sandy demolished large swaths of Queens, Constantinides will detail his plan, if elected Borough President, to give these communities the protection they deserve. Along with resiliency, Constantinides’ plan will tackle the root causes of climate change by making Queens the leader on sustainability.
Despite Sandy’s dire warning almost a decade ago, Queens is hardly prepared for the next big storm. That became apparent this summer when extreme weather knocked out power and caused rampant flooding throughout the borough. Multiple climate studies expect parts of Queens will see regular flooding in the coming decades without real action, while JFK International Airport might be largely underwater by 2100.
The plan will be unveiled at 10 a.m., today, Oct. 29 at Crossbay Kiteboarding Launch Area, Cross Bay Boulevard at the southern foot of the Joseph P. Addabbo/North Channel Bridge in Broad Channel.
Schumer Announces New Clean Cars Plan
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) last week, citing a state law he helped push to pass, the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act, requiring a net-zero carbon economy by 2050, announced the first major step to help the state meet the target.
Schumer detailed how his new national plan to tackle climate change and get clean cars on the roads is also a boon for New York families and explained how New York and Long Island households would save thousands under his plan as he detailed how new car purchases and better miles per gallon (MPG) options will be accessible to locals.
“This national climate plan for clean cars is also a plan for New York because it advances the first major step to help the state meet its ambitious 2050 carbon-free target,” said Schumer. “New York and Long Island families would save thousands and new clean auto, electric car purchases will be accessible to all. New Yorkers are sick and tired of the dependence on gas stations, and it is high time to pursue a new front that will drive jobs, make new car purchases easier and less costly, while helping to kick carbon for good.”
There are three major components to Schumer’s proposal:
- Making clean vehicles affordable by giving consumers a substantial cash voucher to trade-in their gas-powered cars and buy a U.S.-assembled and affordable plug-in electric, plug-in hybrid, or hydrogen fuel cell car.
- Making charging infrastructure accessible through a new grant program to states and localities to ensure all Americans have access to charging infrastructure.
- Reasserting U.S. leadership in clean car manufacturing with robust incentives for manufacturers to build new factories or re-tool existing factories in the United States to assemble zero-emission vehicles or manufacture charging equipment.
Nolan Stops By Seneca Avenue Stroll street festival
Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan (D-Sunnyside, Ridgewood, Astoria, Woodside, Long Island City, Maspeth, Queensbridge, Ravenswood, Dutch Kills, Blissville) this weekend stopped by the Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement District’s (BID) Seneca Avenue Stroll street festival.
“I had a wonderful time with all of the residents and businesses that participated at the annual Seneca Avenue Stroll festival,” said Nolan. “A big thanks to Ted Renz of the Myrtle Avenue BID for always organizing this great annual event for our community.”
