Stavisky, Rozic announce state funding for Townsend Harris High School’s Bridge Year Program
Senator Toby Ann Stavisky (D-Queens) and Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D-Queens) yesterday announced $250,000 in State funding for Townsend Harris High School’s Bridge Year Program.
They spent the afternoon talking to students who benefited from the program and have taken courses such as English, Astronomy, Sociology, and Urban Studies.
Townsend Harris High School (THHS) has always offered their seniors a unique opportunity to attend classes at Queens College and earn college credit. Under the previous mayoral administration, there were attempts to cut the program despite strong support from local elected officials, the THHS administration, faculty and students.
“This is a program that should be replicated throughout New York City. With the ever growing costs of college, this gives students a foot in the door while at the same time exposing them to the excellent opportunities that Queens College has to offer,” said Stavisky.
Rozic who is an alumnus of Townsend Harris High School and benefited from the Bridge Year Program said that giving the students the tools to advance in their higher education is imperative for their success at the university-level and beyond.
“I am proud to have secured funding with Senator Stavisky for the Queens College Bridge Program at Townsend Harris High School which will help transition high school seniors to the new responsibilities of college coursework and allow them to gain college credits at no additional cost to families,” said Rozic.
Sanders Jr. hosts mass shooting survival training
Senator James Sanders Jr. (D-Queens) is bringing back his series of active shooter defense trainings to educate and inform the community.
Featured guests will include: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), NYPD Shield and the Red Dawn Combat Club. You will learn how to escape a dangerous situation, how to recognize the warning signs of someone becoming an active shooter, the types of weapons used and how to fight off an attacker as a last resort.
This event will be more than sitting down and listening to good information. This will be an interactive demonstration where you will learn defense techniques to take a shooter down, just by using everyday objects that are within your vicinity.
“Hopefully, this never happens to you, but if it does, you better have a plan,” Sanders said. “Most people don’t live because they are not prepared to live. They don’t think about it, and therefore they don’t know what to do.”
Sanders added, “Committed people who are serious, especially if they are trained, can absolutely take an attacker down. This information that we are bringing to you is not meant to scare you, but to do the opposite – to allow us to live. We live in an America that is awash with guns. There are more guns than people, and yet with all these guns, we feel less and less safe.”
The first session is slated for 1-3 p.m., Saturday, June 25 at the Rockaway YMCA, 207 Beach 73rd Street in Arverne. For more information or to RSVP, please contact AnnMarie Costella at Senator Sanders’ Office at 718-327-7017 or email costella@nysenate.gov.
Ocasio-Cortez Recognizes Congressional Art Competition Winner
U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Queens, Bronx) yesterday unveiled the winner of the Congressional Art Competition from New York’s 14th Congressional District: Sally Almaklani. Sally’s work, titled “My Hijab Makes Me Powerful,” can be viewed here.
“I have selected this artwork because of its striking visuals and the artist’s counter-narrative on hijab: that as a tool of self-expression, hijab can empower young women,” said Ocasio-Cortez. “The artist’s rendering of a radiant young Muslim woman compellingly counters Islamophobic stereotypes against the hijab. The yellow tones of her scarf juxtaposed against the dark background leaves a lasting impression on the viewer. The beautiful aesthetic coupled with the powerful message certainly speaks to my district.”
Every year, students from across the country participate in the Congressional Art Competition, sponsored by the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives. This serves as an opportunity to recognize and encourage the artistic talent in the nation, as well as in our Congressional District. The winners are then recognized at a reception in D.C., which will be held later this month.
The winning artwork of our district’s competition will be displayed for one year in the U.S. Capitol, and is also featured on the United States House of Representatives Congressional Art Competition page.
Felder launches Safe to Drive initiative
Senator Simcha Felder (D-Brooklyn) yesterday a ‘Safe to Drive’ initiative in which motorists can get their driver’s license status to ensure there isn’t any snafus in case police pull you over for a traffic violation.
“Summer after summer, my office gets dozens of calls from people whose loved ones were arrested and locked up for driving with a suspended license. At that point, there is no choice but to endure the stress and expense of going through the legal system. But all of it can be avoided entirely if you just check that you are Safe to Drive with one phone call to my office today,” said Felder.
In case you are found to have a suspended license, under a new law co-sponsored by Felder, DMV now offers a much more affordable way to restore your driving privileges. The new law abolished the state’s $70 suspension lift fee and required DMV to offer affordable payment plans that make it easier for hard-working New Yorkers to pay the fines they owe.
“Don’t be caught unaware! Anyone pulled over for a minor traffic violation and found to have a suspended license gets arrested for unlicensed operating of a vehicle,” cautions Felder. “Anyone can make a mistake. Maybe they forgot to respond to a moving violation, moved to a new address and forgot to inform DMV, or otherwise missed the official notice sent by mail. These are just some of the reasons that you may now be driving with a suspended license – and you will not know unless you check. Wherever you plan to go this summer, it only takes one phone call to drive there with peace of mind.”
Call Felder’s office at 718-253-2015 or email Felder@nysenate.gov with your name, address, date of birth and driver license number to have your license status checked with the NYS Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
Senator Felder’s Safe to Drive Initiative helps you access vital information more easily in partnership with NYS Department of Motor Vehicles. Driver information is also accessible online with a myDMV account at www.dmv.ny.gov.
