Katz, Lee Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and Acting Queens Borough President Sharon Lee are hosting a virtual Hispanic Heritage Month celebration.
The Hon. Arl Espinal of the Mason Tenders District Council, the NYPD Hispanic Society and Assistant District Attorney Gabriel Mendoza will be honored at the event. There will also be performances by La Jara, the NYPD Hispanic Society Band, Academia de Mariachi, and Nuevo Amanecer.
The virtual celebration will be on Thursday Oct. 8 from 6 to 8 p.m. To register for the livestream please visit queensda.org.
Constantinides Blasts Trump Decision to End Federal Stimulus Talks
Councilmember Costa Constantinides (D-Astoria, East Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, Woodside) railed against President Trump’s decision to end talks on a federal stimulus until after the Nov. 3 election.
This partisan decision will no doubt impact New Yorkers who’ve financially suffered for nearly seven months as the COVID-19 pandemic has raged on, he said.
“Today, Donald Trump told every small business owner in Astoria to drop dead. This politically driven decision will leave hard-working people in an even worse financial situation as a second spike hits. But sadly this doesn’t come as a shock. This man has paid little-to-no income taxes. He was born on third base, but insists he hit a triple.
We can play with dining regulations as much as possible to help bar and restaurant owners. All we’re doing is plugging holes in a sinking ship. The only true solution that will get these small business owners, who provide thousands upon thousands of jobs in western Queens, is to put cash in their hands. There is only one entity, led by one person who can do that: the federal government Donald Trump controls. Instead, he would rather ram through a Supreme Court nominee while he tweets dangerous messages about COVID-19.
Once again, Senate Majority Leader McConnell has done the President’s bidding to hurt the majority of Americans, while making his wealthy backers richer. I hope Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader Schumer, and Treasury Secretary Mnuchin will block out this noise and continue to work for a solution.”
Addabbo and Miller Celebrate Successful Recycling Event
State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Woodhaven, Glendale, Middle Village, Maspeth and parts of South Ozone Park, Ridgewood, Woodside and The Rockaways) and Assemblymember Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven, Ridgewood, Richmond Hill, Ozone Park and Glendale) held their bi-annual recycling event in the Forest Park Bandshell Parking Lot on Sunday, September 27.
The elected officials and their staffs were joined by partner Community Board 9, and members of the 104 Civilian Observation Patrol (104COP) to help mitigate traffic into and out of the parking lot.
In all, community members helped fill two trucks with clothing, household goods, appliances, and more for the United War Veterans Council. More than 200 cars were also able to safely and securely shred their private documents thanks to USA Shred.
Addabbo would like to thank his and Miller’s staffs, 104COP, the vendors, and Community Board 9 for working together and making this such a successful event.
Schumer, Gillibrand Announce Funding for Immigration Legal Service Providers
U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand last week announced $750,000 in federal funding for New York City-based organizations including the Ansob Center for Refugees, Bronx Works, Inc., and the Catholic Migration Services.
Each organization was awarded $250,000 through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
“Immigrants are dreamers and doers, and America is a great nation because we welcome those who come here to make a better life for themselves and their families with open arms. This critical federal funding gives New York City organizations the resources to better prepare these hard-working future Americans for naturalization,” said Schumer.
Through this grant program, 39 organizations will be provided resources to build community capacity to support lawful permanent residents in the naturalization process, help individuals prepare for U.S. citizenship, and foster integration into American society. Grant recipients are located in 18 states and will serve more than 25,000 individuals from countries around the world. USCIS is awarding the grants as part of the Fiscal Year 2020 Citizenship and Integration Grant Program.
“New York’s diversity is one of its greatest strengths,” said Gillibrand. “This USCIS funding will provide critical resources trusted community organizations need to help prepare lawful permanent residents for citizenship.”
