Yeshiva World News

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo isn’t denying he’s the unnamed administration official quoted criticizing New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s as taking politically oriented and unrealistic positions in Albany.

The example cited in Thursday’s New York Daily News concerns the mayor calling for legislation to give his office long-term control of city schools, while state Senate Republicans insisted on one year, which is in this year’s final bill.

Asked if that unnamed official was him at a press conference, Cuomo says, “Sometimes we talk on the record. Sometimes we talk on background.”

Criticism has gone both ways.

The Democratic governor says he and the Democratic mayor remain friends, have disagreements on policy matters, are both “tenacious advocates” and “feelings run high.”

De Blasio says his focus remains on policies.

(AP)

The New York City Police Department unveiled a new policing strategy Thursday meant to keep crime low while also improving the at-times strained relationship between officers and the communities they serve.

The program, dubbed “One City: Safe and Fair Everywhere,” is being launched after an 18-month department review by Police Commissioner William Bratton. He declared the plan will give New Yorkers “a more intimate” relationship with police officers by fixing cops in particular neighborhoods, allowing them to get to know local residents.

Some officers will now patrol the same beat day after day, building a rapport with residents who would soon become familiar faces. Those officers will also be freed up from chasing 911 calls so they can instead build trust, something that Bratton and Mayor Bill de Blasio believe will improve locals’ opinions of officers, which in turn could lead them to be cooperative with investigations.

“(Residents) will see the same officer day in and day out, the same officer in the same beat and the same sector,” said de Blasio, who announced the plan at an Upper Manhattan community center. “That’s going to create a deeper kind of trust.”

The neighborhood policing approach sharply differs with the stop, question and frisk police tactic that, for years, had been employed by officers, disproportionately affecting black and Hispanic men and building distrust of police in communities of color. In 2011, there were 685,000 stops. So far this year there have been more than 7,000 stops, according to NYPD statistics.

The program will be helped partly by the 1,300 new police officers allocated in the budget deal, which is expected to be voted by the City Council on Friday. Those officers will come on the job in a series of four smaller academy classes, a switch from previous plans of one or two larger classes, in an effort to get them on the force faster. Additionally, police officials spoke of a desire to stress less specialization from its officers and make their cops “more generalized.”

The changes come at a precarious political moment for de Blasio, who initially balked at hiring any more officers but relented after a push by Bratton. Though overall crime is down, the numbers of murders and shootings have increased this year, leading some critics to question the mayor’s decision to curb stop-and-frisk.

Meanwhile, some of his usual allies on the left are upset with the decision to hire more officers and plan to protest the vote Friday.

(AP)

[PHOTOS IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

In a strong outpouring of unity and appreciation, the Flatbush Jewish community presented the Police Department with a donation of $10,000 in memory of the three police officers fallen in the line of duty, and welcomed the three new Chiefs to the helm of Patrol Borough Brooklyn South.

The Flatbush Jewish Community Coalition, FJCC, in partnership with Flatbush Hatzoloh, Flatbush Shomrim, and local elected officials held an NYPD Appreciation Event and presented the FJCC Heroes Fund to the Patrolmans Benevolent Association, Seargents Benevolant Association, and Lieutenats Benevolant Assiociation.

Josh Mehlman,Chairman of the FJCC, stated “Today we commemorate the memory of those officers who paid the ultimate sacrifice for all the citizens of New York City, and honor those who serve all New Yorkers everyday. Words can hardly express our community’s gratitude.”

Paul Capotosto, Treasurer of the SBA spoke emotionally of his own wife, a fellow police officer, being shot in the 70th precinct over 20 years ago, and Hatzoloh paramedics saving her life. “This donation isn’t the only gift your community has given to the NYPD” he stated.

Appreciative plaques were given to the precinct commanders Capt. William Taylor, 60 Pct. Deputy Inspector Carlos Valdez, 61 Pct.; Captain Anthony Sanseverino, 62 Pct. Captain Thomas Burke 63 Pct. Captain Kenneth Quick 66 Pct. Deputy Inspector Richard DiBlasio 70 Pct.

Assistant Chief Steven M. Powers, Commanding Officer; Deputy Chief Eric Rodriguez, Executive Officer; Deputy Chief Charles Scholl, Executive Officer, Patrol Borough Brooklyn South were each presented with special welcoming plaques, stating, “The greater Flatbush Jewish community appreciates your leadership and dedication to ensure the safety and security of all citizens in Brooklyn South.” A surprise award was presented to Sgt. Ira Jablonsky, Community Affairs, PBBS for his continued dedication to the Flatbush community.

Rafi Treitel, community liaison to the NYPD, spoke of the unity in the community supporting the Police Department.
The FJCC Heroes Fund was chaired by Chaskel Bennett, FJCC co-founder, Peter Rebenwurzel and Leon Goldenberg, and included donations from Senator Simcha Felder, Assemblyman Dov Hikind, and Assemblywoman Helene Weinstein.

The FJCC was founded over two years ago to represent, and unite the greater Flatbush Jewish community on civic, political and communal matters. Over 300 Rabbonim and representatives of Yeshivas, Schools, Shuls and Organizations, encompass the FJCC leadership committee.

(YWN Desk – NYC)

Amid national debate over holding officers criminally accountable for killings by police, New York is giving such cases special consideration by appointing the attorney general to investigate them, for now.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced the yearlong appointment Tuesday. It comes after police officers weren’t criminally charged last year in deadly encounters with unarmed men in New York and elsewhere.

Critics say local district attorneys don’t have enough professional distance to investigate and prosecute police who help them build cases.

With lawmakers unable to agree on an approach, Cuomo says the temporary appointment is “the best alternative at this time.”

Some reform advocates praise the move. But DAs say it usurps their role, and some relatives of people killed in police encounters say it doesn’t go far enough.

(AP)

Iran’s constitutional watchdog has ratified legislation banning access to military sites and scientists as Tehran and world powers approach a deadline for reaching a comprehensive nuclear deal.

State TV says the Guardian Council ratified the bill Wednesday. All bills have to be approved by the council to become a law.

The bill would allow for international inspections of Iranian nuclear sites within the framework of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.

Iran and a six-nation group – the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany – face a self-imposed June 30 deadline to reach a final deal that would curb Iran’s nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

(AP)

Sen. Charles Schumer has introduced legislation aimed at protecting people from carbon monoxide poisoning.

The New York Democrat says the legislation he’s co-sponsoring would allow the Consumer Product Safety Commission to provide support for public safety education and encourage installation of carbon monoxide detectors.

Schumer says he became aware of the issue after a western New York teenager died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Amanda Hansen of West Seneca, near Buffalo, lost her life in January 2009 while sleeping over at a friend’s house that didn’t have a detector.

The Centers for Disease Control says carbon monoxide poisoning kills about 400 Americans each year and sends another 20,000 to emergency rooms. Most of the cases occur during the winter months of December, January and February.

(AP)

The end of the New York State Legislative session yielded scant victories for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the heads of the state Assembly and Senate announced the deal’s framework Tuesday.

They announced that mayoral control of city public schools would be extended for one year.

De Blasio wanted it to be permanent.

The mayor also wanted to reform an affordable housing tax credit known as 421a. Instead, it was extended as is for six months.

The deal also extended rent regulations for four years but continues to include a provision that allows for the deregulation of apartments that become vacant.

The mayor also opposed that plan.

De Blasio’s only comment Tuesday about the deal was that he needed more time to review it.

(AP)

New details have emerged in the case of a New York City police officer charged with fatally shooting an unarmed man in a Brooklyn public housing complex.

Court papers released Tuesday say Officer Peter Liang stood in a hallway arguing with his partner about who should call their supervisor to report gunshot, unaware he had struck 28-year-old Akai Gurley.

Gurley was with his girlfriend at the Louis Pink Houses last November when Liang fired into the darkened stairwell. Gurley was hit once and died at the scene.

Prosecutors say Liang shouldn’t have had his finger on the trigger of his gun. They also say Liang didn’t call an ambulance after Gurley was shot.

A judge on Tuesday upheld the charges against the officer. He has pleaded not guilty. His attorney claims the shooting was an accident.

(AP)

A man arrested for assault escaped NYPD custody Tuesday evening in Harlem, police said.

Tareek Arnold, 23, got away from cops as they were putting him into a police car near 134th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue, police said.

Arnold, who has six prior arrests, assaulted the officer who was escorting him, according to police.

Officers came out in force to search for him around the area including inside a high-rise apartment building. Many residents were evacuated during the search.

Arnold was wearing grey sneakers, grey sweatpants and white sneakers. He has tattoos that say ‘troll’ and ‘militant soldiers.’

If you see him or have any other information, contact police at any of the following:

1-800-577-TIPS (8477)

WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

The NYPD says all calls/texts are strictly confidential.

(AP)

Hundreds of searchers checked ATV trails and logging roads and went door-to-door in far northern New York trying to close in on two murderers who escaped from a maximum-security prison more than two weeks ago.

Spurred on by fresh evidence, law enforcement officers methodically combed through heavy woods on Tuesday looking for inmates David Sweat and Richard Matt.

Authorities began committing heavy resources to the remote woods this week after leads from a hunting camp that was apparently broken into led to “good evidence, DNA data” regarding the inmates, said Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Roadblocks were in place Tuesday around the remote hamlets of Owls Head and Mountain View in an area of rugged terrain about 20 miles west of Clinton County Correctional Facility.

Investigators conducted grid searches in the thick, mosquito-infested forests and also checked railroad beds, said Franklin County Sheriff Kevin Mulverhill. He said people were going to seasonal properties looking for signs of intruders.

“If they’re here, we’re going to find them,” Mulverhill said. “I really believe it’s going to come down to old-fashioned police work and the public.”

Cuomo said, “I believe we will get these guys.” But the governor also cautioned that they’ve had a number of leads and the more than 1,000 officers involved in the search have to follow each as though it’s the one that’s going to bring authorities to the escapees.

Meanwhile, the husband of the woman accused of helping the inmates escape said in an interview aired Tuesday on NBC’s “Today” show that he’s “absolutely 100 percent” certain the pair would have killed him and his wife if his wife had been their getaway driver, as initially planned.

Lyle Mitchell said his wife, Joyce Mitchell, told him Sweat and Matt offered to give her pills to knock him out so she could pick them up after they escaped, but she refused because she said she still loved her husband.

“Do I still love her? Yes. Am I mad? Yes,” Lyle Mitchell said in the interview aired Tuesday on NBC’s “Today” show.

Joyce Mitchell remained in custody on charges she helped the two men escape by providing them hacksaw blades, chisels and other tools. She has pleaded not guilty.

Sweat and Matt escaped from the prison in Dannemora on June 6. Authorities say the pair cut through the steel wall at the back of their cell, crawled down a catwalk, broke through a brick wall, cut their way into and out of a steam pipe, and then sliced through the chain and lock on a manhole cover outside the prison.

Sweat, 35, was serving a life sentence without parole for killing a sheriff’s deputy. Matt, 48, was doing 25 years to life for the 1997 kidnapping, torture and hacksaw dismemberment of his former boss.

Clinton County District Attorney Andrew Wylie told reporters that Joyce Mitchell told investigators she smuggled hacksaw blades, a screwdriver and other tools into the prison by placing them in frozen hamburger meat. He said she then placed it in a refrigerator in the tailor shop where she worked, and a corrections officer brought the meat to Sweat and Matt, who were housed in a section of the maximum-security prison where inmates are allowed to cook their own meals.

The DA said the guard didn’t know the tools were inside the meat. The guard has been placed on paid leave.

Wylie told ABC News several corrections officers from different prisons in the area own the hunting cabin where the evidence was found. Investigators are looking into whether the escapees overheard guards talking about the cabin or whether they found it by chance.

(AP)

New York City has agreed to pay $6.25 million to a man who spent nearly 25 years in prison before being exonerated in a killing that happened while he was more than 1,000 miles away vacationing at Disney World, the city comptroller said Tuesday.

Comptroller Scott Stringer said settling Jonathan Fleming’s claim is “in the best interest of all parties.”

“We cannot give back the time that he served, but the city of New York can offer Jonathan Fleming this compensation for the injustice that was committed against him,” Stringer said.

Fleming was released last year after the Brooklyn district attorney’s office said it had come to agree that his alibi — which he offered from the start — was valid.

His lawyers praised the city for moving expeditiously to settle with Fleming, who filed notice last year that he planned to sue for $162 million.

“The swift settlement will enable Jonathan and his family to build a new life without the painful and costly prospect of further litigation,” attorneys Paul Callan and Martin Edelman said.

But they noted that the relief was streaked with sadness: Shortly after signing the settlement documents, Fleming, 53, went to a hospital where his mother is near death.

Her only son was behind bars for nearly half his life, convicted of shooting a friend in Brooklyn in August 1989, though he had told authorities he was more than 1,000 miles away at the time and had plane tickets, videos and other material to show it. A woman testified that she had seen him commit the crime.

But then that eyewitness recanted, newly found witnesses implicated someone else and prosecutors’ review of authorities’ files turned up documents backing Fleming’s alibi. That evidence included a hotel receipt that he paid in Orlando, Florida, about five hours before the shooting and had in his pocket when arrested. Authorities had never given his defense that receipt or a 1989 Orlando police letter telling New York detectives that some employees at the hotel remembered Fleming.

While the city has a legal department that fields lawsuits, the comptroller also can settle claims. Stringer has made a point of doing that in civil rights cases, saying that resolving them quickly saves the city money on legal fees.

He reached a $6.4 million settlement with a man exonerated in the 1990 killing of a rabbi; agreed to a $2.25 million payout to the family of a mentally ill inmate who died in a Rikers Island jail cell that sweltered to 101 degrees because of a malfunctioning heating system; and helped put together a $17 million settlement in the case of three half brothers who spent a combined 60 years in prison before their convictions were thrown out.

(AP)

NYPD officials say the department’s new neighborhood policing model will allow beat cops more time to develop relationships with the communities they serve and better respond to emergency calls.

Commissioner William Bratton and other officials presented the first in-depth details of the plan during a meeting of clergy Tuesday at police headquarters.

The personnel and patrol changes will also allow more officers to proactively settle complaints.

Mayor Bill de Blasio (dih BLAH’-zee-oh) told the crowd the new model will enable more officers to better get to know their precincts.

In announcing a budget deal Monday night, the first-term Democrat said nearly 1,300 new officers will be hired in addition to 400 civilian posts.

(AP)

Agudath Israel of America issued the following statement upon the announcement that New York’s legislative leaders and Governor Andrew Cuomo have agreed to a framework resolving the outstanding issues in this year’s legislative session:

It is no secret that Agudath Israel of America has long been a strong advocate for passage of education tax credit legislation in New York. We had cause to be hopeful that this would finally be the year that such legislation would be enacted, as the Senate passed an outstanding tax credit bill at the very outset of the session and the Governor proposed his own exemplary Parental Choice in Education bill. We accordingly helped organize a massive grassroots campaign, as did several other advocacy groups, through which thousands of e-mail and telephone messages were sent to members of the Assembly urging them to pass the tax credit bill. Unfortunately, however, the Assembly did not pass any bill of its own, and ultimately blocked tax credit legislation. To put it mildly, this is deeply disappointing.

We are pleased that the final legislative deal allocates $250 million to reimburse nonpublic schools across the state for costs they have incurred in carrying out certain state mandates. In truth, these are monies owed by law to nonpublic schools, to which they are entitled pursuant to state statute. However, over the past decade or so, the state has not made good on its full statutory obligation, allocating only a fraction of the mandated services funds to which nonpublic schools are entitled, thereby allowing a significant debt to accumulate. Agudath Israel’s advocacy efforts in recent years have placed high priority on getting the state to make full payment of its mandated services reimbursement obligations to yeshivos and other nonpublic schools. While the state’s agreement to now finally allocate a significant sum to pay down much of its debt under the mandated services law is by no means a consolation prize for its failure to enact tax credit legislation, it is nonetheless a significant and welcome development.

We are grateful to Governor Cuomo for his leadership in championing the interests of the nonpublic schools, both by including funding for a tax credit in his initial executive budget proposal and by introducing the Parental Choice in Education Act. These were acts of political courage and historical import. We also appreciate that the Governor was instrumental in responding to our longstanding pleas for payment of the mandated services reimbursements to which our schools are entitled.

The Senate deserves great thanks for its role in aggressively advancing the tax credit concept. Under the leadership of former Majority Leader Dean Skelos, and more recently the current Majority Leader John Flanagan, and with important contributions from people like Senators Simcha Felder and Martin Golden, the Senate has distinguished itself as a great champion of the nonpublic school community. We look forward to continue working with them in addressing the plight of hard-pressed tuition paying parents in our community.

Our disappointment in the Assembly’s obstructionist role in blocking education tax credits in no way diminishes our appreciation for the many Assemblymembers who worked hard to promote such credits: Assemblymembers Michael Cusick and Michael Simanowitz (who were the lead sponsor and co-sponsor of an Assembly education tax credit bill); and Assemblymembers Steve Cymbrowitz, Phil Goldfeder, Dov Hikind and Helene Weinstein, to name just a few.

The 2015 legislative session may be over, but the battle on behalf of our yeshiva community continues. It is our job now to redouble our efforts to work with the Governor and all members of the legislature to fashion meaningful relief for our precious children and their hard-pressed parents who heroically carry the heavy fiscal burden of yeshiva education.

We came close this year to accomplishing something historic. We’ll be back again next year.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)

Today, Governor Cuomo and New York State legislative leaders announced a framework agreement that will allocate an unprecedented $250 million of new funding to the state’s non-public schools for mandated services—the largest amount ever allocated to this program. OU Advocacy-Teach NYS, the nonpartisan public policy arm of the Orthodox Union, has historically fought for funding increases to the mandated services program.

The agreement, if passed, will replace Governor Cuomo’s Parental Choice in Education Act, which would have provided $150 million in education tax credits and scholarships annually. OU Advocacy-Teach NYS, the nonpartisan public policy arm of the Orthodox Union, actively campaigned—together with UJA-Federation of New York and Agudath Israel of America and many other coalition partners—to support the education tax credit bill.

OU Advocacy-Teach NYS joined Gov. Cuomo at a rally in mid-May in support of increasing funding for non-public schools; since then, OU Advocacy-Teach NYS participated in district rallies, met with state legislators in Albany, brought state legislators to Jewish day schools and yeshivas in their districts, hosted press conferences, and mobilized the Jewish community through robo-calls, emails, and direct mail to support the education tax credit bill. The OU’s efforts also focused on specific members of the state legislature, some of whom represented districts with significant Jewish day school/yeshiva populations. Through OU Advocacy-Teach NYS’ community outreach efforts, New Yorkers from across the state sent thousands of letters and emails to state legislators in support of education tax credits.

In his announcement about the deal, Governor Cuomo said that the state must “keep the private education system and public education system strong.”

“While we are disappointed that our lawmakers turned down the education tax credit bill, which would have incentivized hundreds of millions in donations to our schools, we are grateful for this historic level of funding for non-public school education. The mandated services program is a key funding source that helps non-public schools meet their bottom lines. We welcome this new funding,” said Allen Fagin, Executive Vice President and CEO of the Orthodox Union.

“Today’s agreement to fund the mandated services program with $250 million is reflective of the advocacy efforts of the entire non-public school community, including New York’s Jewish day schools and yeshivas. We united together and made our voice heard loud and clear in Albany,” said Maury Litwack, Director of State Public Affairs for the Orthodox Union. “We call on the New York State Assembly and Senate to approve this crucial funding bill as quickly as possible.”

“We congratulate Governor Cuomo, Senate Majority Leader Flanagan and Assembly Speaker Heastie on reaching this deal and thank our allies in state government who were steadfast in their support of the non-public school community. We are grateful to the UJA-Federation of New York, the Agudath Israel of America, our other coalition partners and Cardinal Dolan for joining us in the effort to push for passage of the Parental Choice in Education Act. We will continue to fight for programs, funding and legislation that support the non-public school community,” said Fagin.

OU Advocacy-Teach NYS is already gearing up for the next legislative session and is preparing its agenda to fight for Jewish day school and yeshiva families across the state.

(YWN Desk – NYC)

New York City has reached the outlines of a settlement with Muslims who challenged police surveillance as an unconstitutional intrusion on their religious rights.

City lawyers say in a letter filed Friday there’s a “settlement in principle” in a 2013 lawsuit filed by mosques and others but some details remain unresolved. The letter says the terms can’t be disclosed, citing a confidentiality order.

The city Law Department, the American Civil Liberties Union and the New York Civil Liberties Union declined to comment Monday.

The ACLU and the NYCLU are among the plaintiffs’ lawyers. They say the New York Police Department surveillance stigmatized law-abiding Muslims.

The city’s legal department has called the intelligence-gathering an appropriate and legal anti-terrorism tactic.

The lawsuit came after reports by The Associated Press disclosed details of the spying program.

(AP)

New York City is set to hire nearly 1,300 new police officers as part of its $78.5 billion budget agreement, honoring a proposal put forth by the City Council over Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio’s (dih BLAH’-zee-oh) initial objections.

The new officers will cost the city $170 million. The costs will be offset by $70 million in overtime savings. About 300 officers will be assigned to counterterrorism.

The hires were first reported by The Associated Press. They will join a force of about 35,000 uniformed officers, the nation’s largest.

The deal was made public and sealed with a handshake by de Blasio and Democratic City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito at City Hall late Monday.

(AP)

Three men who used parachutes to jump from the top of One World Trade Center in 2013 have been convicted of reckless endangerment and two other misdemeanor charges. But they were cleared of a felony burglary charge.

The jury reached the verdicts Monday against 33-year-old James Brady, 34-year-old Andrew Rossig, and 28-year-old Marko Markovich after a few days of deliberations.

The three men jumped from the nation’s tallest building, which was still under construction, in the early morning hours of Sept. 30, 2013. They were arrested six months later.

The jumps caused embarrassment to authorities over security at the site, as did the case of a teen who also gained unauthorized access.

Brady and Rossig are scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 10 and Markovich on Aug. 17.

(AP)

New York City’s Taxi and Limousine Commission has accepted new rules governing app-based ride-hailing services.

The commission initially required companies like Uber and Lyft to submit any proposed app changes for its approval. The providers said that would stifle innovation.

The commission revised the rules after public comment.

The companies are now required only to notify the commission of any changes.

The commissioners voted unanimously on Monday.

(AP)

Good news for drivers who are trying to find street parking in the city: There’s now an app for that.

Spotpog works by letting drivers send out a notification when they’re leaving a spot.

When another car comes and takes the spot, the driver who gave it up gets a credit – called a pog – to claim a spot at another time.

SpotPog also allows homeowners with driveways to rent them out for parking.

The app is available for Apple and Android devices.

(Source: NY1)

A source tells NY1 the City Council and the de Blasio administration are nearing a deal to expand the police force as part of the next city budget.

The addition of more officers has been the most contentious budget issue of the year.

The mayor has repeatedly opposed expanding the NYPD, despite calls from Police Commissioner Bill Bratton and some City Council members for more cops.

The budget is due by the end of the month, but a deal could be announced as early as today.

(Source: NY1)