Mostly Cloudy 53°
Tag:

Yonkers City Council

News
City Of Yonkers To Pay $50K To Activist As Part Of Settled Civil Rights Lawsuit City Of Yonkers To Pay $50K To Activist As Part Of Settled Civil Rights Lawsuit
City Of Yonkers To Pay $50K To Activist As Part Of Settled Civil Rights Lawsuit A city in Westchester will pay $50,000 to an activist as part of a settled civil rights lawsuit filed after his arrest at a city council meeting.  According to court documents filed in July in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, the City of Yonkers will pay the sum to settle a lawsuit filed by activist Hector Santiago in September 2023 following his arrest at a city council meeting in 2022.  In the lawsuit, Santiago claimed his rights were violated when he was detained during a Yonkers City Council meeting on Nov. 22, 2022. According to the lawsuit complai…

SHARE

by Ben Crnic
News
Migrants Arrive In Yonkers: 'We're Going To Treat Them Right,' Mayor Says Migrants Arrive In Yonkers: 'We're Going To Treat Them Right,' Mayor Says
Migrants Arrive In Yonkers: 'We're Going To Treat Them Right,' Mayor Says As over a dozen migrant families make a new home at a hotel in Westchester, city officials are calling on New York Gov. Kathy Hochul to come up with a plan to provide the funds needed to give them the proper care and services they require.  The 38 asylum seekers, 14 families in total, arrived in Yonkers on Monday night, May 15 at the Ramada Inn at 125 Tuckahoe Rd., according to Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano.  City officials said that the migrants who arrived Monday are mostly women with young children who were sent from New York City, which will be paying for their room and board. …

SHARE

by Ben Crnic
News
Advocates Looking To Protect Historic Yonkers Post Office Advocates Looking To Protect Historic Yonkers Post Office
Advocates Looking To Protect Historic Yonkers Post Office Advocates are hoping to preserve a historic post office building in Westchester County by designating it as a local landmark.  The Yonkers Main Post Office, located at 79-81 Main St. and built in 1927, is at the center of the effort, according to Terry Joshi, President of the Yonkers Committee For Smart Development.  The building, which has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1989, is the only public building representing the Neo-Classical style of architecture from the time, and looks much the same today as it did a century ago, Joshi said.  An appli…

SHARE

by Ben Crnic
Police & Fire
Yonkers Appoints Deputy Chief As New Police Commissioner Yonkers Appoints Deputy Chief As New Police Commissioner
Yonkers Appoints Deputy Chief As New Police Commissioner A veteran public servant in Westchester has been tabbed to take over as the police commissioner in “New York’s third-largest city,” as the mayor likes to say. Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano announced that Yonkers Police Deputy Chief Chris Sapienza has been chosen as the city’s new police commissioner, replacing outgoing Commissioner John Mueller, who retired earlier in the week of Monday, May 2. Sapienza will serve as acting commissioner until the Yonkers City Council can confirm his appointment. Acting Yonkers Police Commissioner Chris SapienzaTwitter/@YonkersPD Spano touted Sapienza’s tem…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
News
Judge Halts Investigation Of Yonkers City Council President Judge Halts Investigation Of Yonkers City Council President
Judge Halts Investigation Of Yonkers City Council President A New York State Supreme Court judge is hitting the brakes on an investigation into an elected official in Westchester. Yonkers City Council President Mike Khader has been at the center of an investigation that was launched by a former political rival, the city’s Inspector General Liam McLaughlin, who was ousted by the former in the 2017 election. McLaughlin’s investigation was launched weeks before the Democratic primary, as Khader seeks a second term in office. The investigation, which was launched following alleged anonymous allegations, included multiple subpoenas and interviews of Kh…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Schools
COVID-19: Yonkers School District Going Remote For 'Holiday Pause' COVID-19: Yonkers School District Going Remote For 'Holiday Pause'
Covid-19: Yonkers School District Going Remote For 'Holiday Pause' A Westchester school district will be extending its plan for remote learning for a “holiday break” due to rising COVID-19 numbers. This week, Yonkers Schools Superintendent Edwin Quezada sent a letter to the community saying that the district would be going 100 percent remote between Monday, Jan. 4, and Friday, Jan. 8, with students planning to return to the classroom as of Monday, Jan. 11. During that week, students will be distance learning while teachers and staff members in school buildings are expected to be inside schools to deliver instruction. “While a holiday pause is most certain…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Politics
Proposed $1.25B Budget Would Raise Taxes 2.5 Percent In Yonkers Proposed $1.25B Budget Would Raise Taxes 2.5 Percent In Yonkers
Proposed $1.25B Budget Would Raise Taxes 2.5 Percent In Yonkers Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano has introduced a proposed $1.25 billion budget for 2019-2020, though the city still faces financial challenges. The proposed spending plan includes a 2.5 percent tax increase for residents that will represent an increase in the average taxpayer’s bill by approximately $350, though there are no cuts in essential services. The budget also calls for new city jobs in the water and housing departments. The proposal marks a 4.7 percent ($55 million) increase from last year, and must be approved by June 1. Public hearings have been scheduled beginning at the end of the mon…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Schools
Planned 200-Plus Layoffs Avoided By Yonkers Public Schools Planned 200-Plus Layoffs Avoided By Yonkers Public Schools
Planned 200-Plus Layoffs Avoided By Yonkers Public Schools It came down to the wire, but more than 200 positions and programs have been saved in the Yonkers School District following the City Council's adoption of a $1.2 billion budget that includes increased funding for the district. On Wednesday, the Council adopted the budget, which includes a 6.2 percent property tax increase, which averages out to an increase of $560 for homeowners annually or $46 per month. Last week, citing a rise in employee salaries and benefits, the rising cost of utilities, transportation and tuitions, Yonkers Schools Superintendent Edwin Quezada stated that, “what cost …

SHARE

by Zak Failla
News
Yonkers Demands End To I-87 Tolls Yonkers Demands End To I-87 Tolls
Yonkers Demands End To I-87 Tolls The Yonkers City Council is asking Gov. Andrew Cuomo to eliminate the $1.25 tolls for cars on Interstate 87. The council unanimously adopted a resolution asking Cuomo to eliminate tolls near Yonkers' border with Greenburgh because toll-evaders are allegedly clogging city streets, according to this report by LoHud.com.  Traffic doesn't just back up in the afternoon. In the morning, there's also a huge line of cars in the northbound left lane of Central Park Avenue trying to make a turn on to the parkway, though it's unclear if all these vehicles are coming from surrounding residential areas …

SHARE

by Daily Voice