(Albany, NY) – With the Senate set to vote on the Education, Labor and Family Assistance budget later this evening, the Senate Latino Conference announced that it would vote against the bill for failing to include DREAM Act funding.

The DREAM Act would make students who earn a school diploma or GED and meet other requirements eligible for state financial aid, regardless of their immigration status. For the nearly 4,000 New Yorkers that graduate high school each year that are unable to receive assistance from the state’s Tuition Assistance Program (TAP), the DREAM Act holds the potential to make college affordable, and allow them to pursue their career goals. With the prospect of federal immigration reform uncertain, the NYS DREAM Act is crucial for giving these intelligent, patriotic Americans the opportunity to achieve an education.

“The failure to include DREAM Act funding in the education budget is a missed opportunity to bring young these Americans out of the shadows, allow them to earn an education, and make their parents proud,” said Senator Adriano Espaillat, Chair of the Senate Latino Caucus. “The United States has always been a nation of immigrants, and their hard work has made our country great. Our nation may deny them a path to citizenship, but these young people are the living embodiment of our country’s values. Through their courage in speaking out, these young DREAMers have already proven their intelligence, heart and patriotism. While this budget is a step back, we won’t stop fighting until this injustice is corrected.”

“Equal access to education is a keystone of democracy,” said Senator Martin Malavé Dilan. “Not including funding for the Dream Act in the State Budget is a disservice to thousands of New Yorkers who wish to realize the American Dream and work to ensure that future generations can and will lay the foundations for a long and prosperous life.”

“Including the DREAM Act in this budget would have sent a clear message that New York is still a place that values hard work, a place that is willing to make a smart investment in growing its middle class and solidifying its economic future,” said Senator Jose Peralta. “Its exclusion means telling thousands of young New York immigrants that, although they have done nothing wrong, all their hopes, dreams and hard work are less important than passing a tax credit making it profitable for Wal-Mart to fire a 25-year-old single-mom and replace her with a teenager. The DREAM Act belonged in this budget, but we will not stop fighting until every young New Yorker has the opportunity to succeed.”

“I am incredibly disappointed in the Senate’s failure to incorporate DREAM Act funding in the education budget, a move which would have greatly improved the lives of many New Yorkers,” said Senator Gustavo Rivera.“Not only did the Education, Labor and Family Assistance budget bill completely omit funding for the DREAM Act, it proposes a minimum wage increase that does not meet the immediate needs of our workforce and that will be outdated by the time it reaches fruition. Investing in our youth and our workforce is of vital importance and will only strengthen our economy and society.  For these reasons, I could not support a bill that failed to do either.”

(Long Island, NY) The New York State Senate today passed legislation, sponsored by Senate Majority Coalition Co-Leader Dean Skelos, that would increase criminal penalties for carjacking a vehicle when there is a child inside.

“Thefts of this nature not only traumatize children but place them at great risk of being physically harmed, either at the hands of the carjacker, by a stranger if the car is abandoned, or during a police chase,” Senator Skelos said.  “This bill would give prosecutors more tools to go after any criminal who jeopardizes a child as part of a carjacking.”

Less than two weeks ago, a woman and her 10 year old daughter were abducted in a carjacking in the Onondaga County town of Clay.  David Renz, 29, is charged with killing the woman and raping the child.  The mother died of stab wounds and the child escaped the vehicle and was helped by a passing motorist.

“We must do everything that we can to protect our children by helping to take predators off the streets,” Senator John A. DeFrancisco (R-C-I, Syracuse), a co-sponsor of the bill, said. “Stiffer penalties may help to deter a criminal from actions like carjacking.  In the event that harsher penalties do not serve as a deterrent, the  offenders would be behind bars
for longer periods of time.”

The bill (S1905) would make it a felony to carjack a vehicle with a child under the age of 16 in the vehicle.  The crime would be punishable by as much as 8 and 1/3rd to 25 years in prison.

The bill was sent to the Assembly.

Lung Association Teams with Cancer Support Community and Stony Brook Lung Cancer Evaluation Center to Offer Free Educational Workshop for Lung Cancer Patients and their Loved Ones
Workshop “Frankly Speaking About Cancer: Lung Cancer” scheduled for April 24

(Hauppauge, NY) – The American Lung Association of the Northeast has announced that is has partnered with the Cancer Support Community and the Stony Brook Lung Cancer Evaluation Center to offer the community a free workshop for people affected by lung cancer. The workshop, Frankly Speaking About Cancer: Lung Cancer – will discuss fundamental information about the most current lung cancer treatments, strategies for symptom/side-effect management and tools for survivorship. Members of the Stony Brook Cancer Center will present this workshop on Wednesday, April 24, 2013, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Stony Brook Cancer Center, 3 Edmund D. Pellegrino Road in Stony Brook.

Frankly Speaking About Cancer: Lung Cancer streamlines crucial resources available to people in treatment for lung cancer. Created by Cancer Support Community, this workshop includes a complimentary copy of the booklet Frankly Speaking About Cancer: Lung Cancer.

Advance registration is preferred, but walk-in attendees are welcome. To register, please call Stony Brook Health Connect at 631-444-4000.
Frankly Speaking About Cancer: Lung Cancer is made possible through an unrestricted educational grant from Lilly Oncology.

The Stony Brook Lung Cancer Evaluation Center (LCEC) provides a multidisciplinary approach to lung cancer and complex airway diseases, offering a wide array of advanced diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. For more information go to www.stonybrookmedicalcenter.org/lcec

The Cancer Support Community is an international non-profit dedicated to providing support, education and hope to people affected by cancer. In 2009, The Wellness Community and Gilda’s Club Worldwide joined forces to become the Cancer Support Community. CSC provides the highest quality emotional and social support through a network of more than 50 local affiliates, 100 satellite locations and online. For more information, visit www.cancersupportcommunity.org.

About the American Lung Association of the Northeast
The American Lung Association of the Northeast is part of the American Lung Association, the oldest voluntary health organization in the U.S. Established in 1904 to combat tuberculosis; our mission today is to save lives by improving lung health and preventing lung disease. The focus is on air quality, asthma, tobacco control, and all lung disease. The American Lung Association in the Northeast serves CT, MA, ME, NH, NY, RI and VT. www.LungNE.org

MedicAlert Foundation: “Prompt actions provided for the safeguarding of our member – and the knowledge relayed – potentially saved a life”

(Oceanside, New York) – In a ceremony held at South Nassau Communities Hospital, MedicAlert Foundation recognized Emergency Room nurse Katie Sobey for her coordination and partnership in assisting a MedicAlert® member who experienced medical complications during Hurricane Sandy. Ms. Sobey was presented with the Extraordinary Meritorious Service Award by MedicAlert Foundation’s president and CEO, Andrew Wigglesworth.

Wigglesworth applauded Ms. Sobey for recognizing and responding to her patient’s MedicAlert ID – in doing so, she was able to immediately contact MedicAlert Foundation’s emergency response team to retrieve her patient’s full medical history, list of medications, and special treatment instructions. “Our member, Julie Roberts, was having difficulty breathing during her family’s emergency evacuation because of Hurricane Sandy. She boarded a boat reserved for victims in need of medical attention and upon arriving at the hospital, Julie was struggling to communicate. This is when Ms. Sobey called the number on Julie’s MedicAlert ID and was provided information about her health condition, along with special treatment instructions which are required for Julie’s condition” said Wigglesworth.

South Nassau administrators and management staff, including Mr. Richard Murphy, president and CEO, and Susan Penque, Ph.D, senior vice president of patient care services, attended the ceremony.  A resident of Long Beach, NY, Ms. Sobey earned a Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from York College, York, PA.  She began her employment with South Nassau in September of 2011, when she was selected to be in the Emergency Room Resident Graduate Program. Ms. Sobey completed the Emergency Room program, just weeks before Hurricane Sandy swept the East Coast.

Katie Sobey, RN, with her parents

To learn more about MedicAlert membership, MedicAlert medical IDs, or the MedicAlert Foundation Extraordinary Meritorious Service Award, visitwww.medicalert.org or email marketing@medicalert.org.

About MedicAlert Foundation
Established in 1956, the nonprofit MedicAlert Foundation pioneered the use of medical IDs and delivers the most dependable, the most responsive, the most intelligent and the most trusted Emergency Identification and Medical Information Network. MedicAlert provides the functionality of an e-health information exchange through an innovative combination of a unique patient identifier linked to a PHR and a live 24/7 emergency response service. MedicAlert Foundation medical IDs alert emergency personnel to a member’s primary health conditions, medications or implanted medical devices. In addition to its 24-hour emergency response service, MedicAlert Foundation International also provides family and caregiver notification so that members can be reunited with their loved ones. Visitwww.medicalert.org for more information.

About South Nassau Communities Hospital
South Nassau Communities Hospital is one of the region’s largest hospitals, with 435 beds, more than 900 physicians and 3,000 employees.  Located in Oceanside, NY, the hospital is an acute-care, not-for-profit teaching hospital that provides state-of-the-art care in cardiac, oncologic, orthopedic, bariatric, pain management, mental health and emergency services.  In addition to its extensive outpatient specialty centers, South Nassau provides emergency and elective angioplasty and is the only hospital on Long Island with the Novalis Tx™ and Gamma Knife® Perfexion radiosurgery technologies.  South Nassau is a designated Stroke Center by the New York State Department of Health and Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons and is recognized as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery.  For more information, visitwww.southnassau.org.

Bellone:  The Double Track Project Offers Opportunities for a Wide Variety of Long Island Firms; Bellone and Williams to Speak During Event at Suffolk Community College Brentwood Campus 

(Hauppauge, NY) – In a move designed to provide more economic opportunities to small, minority and women-owned businesses, County Executive Steve Bellone and Long Island Railroad (LIRR) President Helena E. Williams today announced a special event to facilitate participation in procurements with the LIRR.  The April 19th event, which will be held at Suffolk Community College, supports a $138 million project to build a second track on the LIRR’s main line from Farmingdale to Ronkonkoma beginning in July 2013.

“Accelerating the Double Track project is already beginning to promote Suffolk’s economy in that the project opens up a world of opportunities to do business with the Long Island Railroad,” said County Executive Bellone.  “From general contractors to electrical, grading, paving and trucking, the project will create opportunities for a wide range of industry sectors, and I am delighted to partner with the LIRR to bring these business opportunities to Suffolk’s small, minority and women business owners.”

“The Double Track project will create hundreds of jobs, spur economic activity on Long Island, improve service on the LIRR’s busy Ronkonkoma Branch, and allow for more connections to MacArthur Airport,” said LIRR President Williams. “The event on April 19th will allow small firms owned by minorities and women to learn how to compete for the work associated with this key project.”

“County Executive Bellone’s support of the Double Track project has been critical,” said Williams. “We thank him for offering to help us host this MWBE information conference.”

“Construction of a full second track on the LIRR Main Line between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma will be a tremendous advantage for revitalization efforts at Wyandanch Rising and the Ronkonkoma Hub, two projects the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council (LIRC) has identified as a priority,” said LIRC co-chairs Stu Rabinowitz and Kevin Law in a statement.

Construction of a second track along the 18-mile stretch between Ronkonkoma and Farmingdale will boost the local economy by increasing train service to employment centers, providing opportunities for Transit-Oriented Development and improving train service to/from Long Island MacArthur Airport.  No property acquisition is needed for the Double Track project as it will be completed entirely within the LIRR’s existing Right of Way.

The first phase of the project – from Ronkonkoma to Central Islip – is scheduled to begin by the end of the year. The second phase of the project – from Central Islip to Farmingdale – requires another $300 million in funding and could begin in 2016.

The event will be held from 10 AM to 1 PM at the Health, Sports and Education Center at the Suffolk Community College Michael K. Grant Campus, Brentwood, conveniently located off the Long Island Expressway, Exit 53.  For a map of the campus, go to: http://www.sunysuffolk.edu/About/HSECMap.asp

To RSVP to the event, email: ecodevintern2@suffolkcountyny.gov

For more information, call the Suffolk Department of Economic

Development & Planning, (631) 853 – 4800.

(Long Island, NY) Legislator Jay Schneiderman (I-Montauk) commends Mr. Chuck Steidle for donating over 530 acres of underwater land to the County of Suffolk for use in its shellfish aquaculture lease program. The underwater lands are located in the Towns of Southampton and Southold. “In today’s challenging economic times, it is encouraging to see a large donation of private property,” said Schneiderman. “This donation will help expand our successful Aquaculture Lease Program in the Peconic Estuary System, which is helping people earn money while improving our water quality.” The Shellfish Aquaculture Lease Program area is located in coastal waters between the North and South forks of Eastern Long Island.

Legislator Schneiderman explained, “The presence of filter-feeding shellfish in local waters contributes to a healthy eco-system. It’s also good for the local economy.” The County’s Aquaculture Lease Program offers local shellfish grower’s leases on small plots of underwater land.

“Shellfish culture in Peconic Bay is part of a century old heritage. A clean marine environment can help to build an economy based on clams and oysters grown in underwater lands. This generous donation adds private property to the base of existing public lands.” stated Legislator Al Krupski.

“Legislator Schneiderman and the Suffolk County Planning Department have done a lot of work to create a successful aquaculture lease program. I am happy to expand their efforts by donating my underwater land to this beneficial program,” stated Chuck Steidle.

If you are interested in learning more about the aquaculture lease program, please go to the following link:

http://www.suffolkcountyny.gov/Departments/Planning/Divisions/EnvironmentalPlanning/AquacultureLeaseProgram.aspx or contact the office at 853-5191.

Representing the South Fork, Jay Schneiderman is the Suffolk County Legislator for the Second Legislative District. He is also chairman of the County Legislature’s Public Works and Transportation Committee. For more information, or to arrange an interview, please call (631) 852-8400.

Ronald Bartiromo And Raymond D’Auria, Owners Of R3 Electrical, Inc., On Staten Island, Face Potential Prison Time For Underpaying Workers And Filing False Payroll Reports; Schneiderman: My Office Will Bring Charges Against Contractors Who Stole From Taxpayers And Hard-Working New Yorkers

(NEW YORK) Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman today announced the arrests of Ronald Bartiromo and Raymond D’Auria, the owners of Staten Island electrical contractor R3 Electrical, Inc., on felony grand-larceny charges. The owners and the company are charged with failing to pay more than $200,000 in legally required wages on projects upgrading the science labs at five City University of New York campuses and boilers at the city-run Rutgers Houses on Manhattan’s Lower East Side. If convicted, the contractors face up to 15 years in prison.

“My office will take aggressive action, including criminal charges where appropriate, against government contractors who cheat their employees and falsify records as they attempt to conceal their misdeeds,” Attorney General Schneiderman said. “Protecting taxpayer dollars and the livelihoods of hard-working New Yorkers is a priority for this office.”

Bartiromo, D’Auria and R3 Electrical, Inc., located at 541 Port Richmond Avenue, were hired as an electrical subcontractor on the 2008-2009 CUNY project and then on a 2009 job funded by the New York Power Authority to upgrade the boilers at the Rutgers Houses, a New York City Housing Authority development.

New York Labor Law and the contract terms for both projects required the defendants to pay prevailing wages and to submit certified payroll reports showing all hours worked and wages paid. The defendants failed to pay the legally-required wages on both projects to at least seven employees, who worked as electricians, resulting in total underpayments of over $200,000. The defendants submitted payroll reports to CUNY and NYPA falsely claiming they paid all the workers on the project the required wage. That underpayment was taxpayer dollars that should have gone to the workers.

New York’s prevailing wage laws seek to ensure that government contractors pay wages and benefits that are comparable to the local norms for a given trade.

Defendants Bartiromo and D’Auria, both 48, were arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court today. They each face two counts of Grand Larceny in the Second Degree, a Class “C” felony; two counts of Violation of Labor Law Section 220(3)(d)(i)(3), a Class “D” felony 20 counts of Offering a False Instrument for Filing in the First Degree, a Class “E” felony; and 20 counts of Falsifying Business Records in the First Degree, a Class “E” felony. They face a maximum prison term of 5 to 15 years. The company faces the same charges and fines of up to $10,000.

The Attorney General thanks the City University of New York, Office of Facilities Planning, Construction and Management, Department of Vendor Integrity and Investigations for their assistance in this investigation. The case was investigated by the office’s Deputy Director Joseph P. Piazza and Investigator Avastie Medina, under the supervision of Director Vincent Green. In addition, the Attorney General thanks the New York Power Authority and the New York State Department of Labor for their cooperation.

The case is being handled by Assistant Attorney General Meredith McGowan, under the supervision of Section Chief Felice Sontupe, Labor Bureau Chief Terri Gerstein and First Deputy of Affirmative Litigation Janet Sabel.

These charges are accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.

(WASHINGTON) – With the U.S. Supreme Court set to hear oral arguments on two landmark cases involving same-sex marriage, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman today called on the Court to ensure equal protection under the law for all Americans by striking down the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and California’s Proposition 8.

Last month, Attorney General Schneiderman led a coalition of more than a dozen states in filing a friend-of-the-court brief in the case of United States v. Windsor, which argues that DOMA violates same-sex couples’ right to equal protection under the law as required by the U.S. Constitution and represents an unprecedented intrusion on the authority of States to regulate marriage and promote equality for their citizens. Attorney General Schneiderman also joined a friend-of-the-court brief in the case of Hollingsworth v. Perry, urging the Supreme Court to hold that California’s ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional. California banned same-sex marriage in a ballot proposition, known as Proposition 8, that amended the state constitution ban same-sex marriage.

The following statement is attributable to Attorney General Schneiderman:

“The Supreme Court should strike down the federal law that undermines the efforts of New York, eight other states and the District of Columbia to provide equal rights and protection under the law for same-sex couples, as well as the California law that took away marriage equality that had previously existed in that State. The State of New York has long recognized out-of-state same-sex marriages, and the enactment of the Marriage Equality Act further cemented our State’s position on this critical civil rights issue. My office will work every day to fight discrimination and defend the fundamental guarantee of equal protection under law for all New Yorkers.”

For more information on the two friend-of-the-court briefs in United States v. Windsor and Hollingsworth v. Perry, click here: www.ag.ny.gov/press-release/ag-schneiderman-leads-multistate-coalition-urging-us-supreme-court-overturn-defense

A copy of the Attorney General’s amicus brief filed in the case of United States v. Windsor can be read here: www.ag.ny.gov/pdfs/bsac_States.pdf.

(Port Jefferson, NY) – John T. Mather Memorial Hospital will hold a free educational health symposium on Lung Cancer on Thursday, Apr. 4 at the Hospital from 6-9 pm in Conference Rooms 3, 4 and 5.

The symposium, co-chaired by Jeffrey Vacirca, MD, Hematology/Oncology, and Daniel Baram, MD, Pulmonology, will feature a panel of medical experts that will discuss the causes and symptoms of lung cancer and treatment options. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. for both men and women, claiming more lives each year than colon, prostate, ovarian and breast cancers combined.

The program begins with a Health Expo from 6-7 pm featuring free health screenings and information. The panel discussion and question and answer session takes place from 7-9 pm.

Space is limited. To register, call 631-686-7878 or go to www.matherhospital.org/health. The program includes complimentary refreshments. Free valet parking is available at the main hospital entrance.

Presentations to be given at the symposium are:

• Introduction: Daniel Baram, MD, Pulmonology
• Lung Cancer Screening: William Moore, MD, Radiology
• Radiation Therapy & Lung Cancer: Joseph Cirrone, MD, Radiation Oncology
• New Advances in Bronchoscopy: Yuval Hiltzik, DO, Pulmonology
• Thoracic Surgery: Past, Present and Future: Gregory R. Brevetti, MD, Cardiothoracic Surgery
• Systemic Therapy for Lung Cancer: Jeffrey Vacirca, MD, Hematology/Oncology

Panelists for the symposium are:

• Daniel Baram, MD, Pulmonology
• Gregory R. Brevetti, MD, Cardiothoracic Surgery
• Morton Glaser, MD, Pulmonology
• Stanley Ostrow, MD, Hematology/Oncology
• Martin Silverstein, MD, Radiation Oncology
• Jeffrey Vacirca, MD, Hematology/Oncology
• Sheppard Webb, MD, Thoracic Surgery

John T. Mather Memorial Hospital is an accredited 248-bed, non-profit community hospital dedicated to providing a wide spectrum of high quality healthcare services to Suffolk County residents, showing compassion and respect and treating each patient in the manner we would wish for our loved ones.

For further information about Mather Hospital, visit www.matherhospital.org or “Like” us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/matherhospital.

Maia and Icarus – First Installment of New Middle Grade Fantasy Adventure Series Released

(Huntington, NY) — Huntington resident and author, James A. Perez, has published Maia and Icarus, the first installment of a new middle grade fantasy adventure series. The book tells the story of thirteen-year-old Maia Peterson as she reluctantly answers the “call to adventure.”

“Long ago, the Greek gods created a hidden world where they continue to reign, where the mighty temples of ancient Greece never crumbled and winged horses soar through the sky. Astonished to learn that her long-missing father was forced to sacrifice himself to protect the hidden world’s existence, Maia finds herself entangled in a battle between those gods that seek to return to Earth and those that wish to remain apart. With the help of a mysterious boy named Icarus, Maia must escape from those who wish to use her as a pawn, in a conflict that may ultimately determine the fate of both worlds.”

An electronic book version is available for the Amazon Kindle as well as at Smashwords.

About Smashwords
Founded in 2008, Smashwords is the leading distributor of self-published ebooks. More than 60,000 authors, small presses and literary agents around the world publish over 200,000 ebooks through Smashwords. Smashwords makes ebook publishing fast, free and easy. Smashwords distributes to major online retailers such as the Apple iBookstore, Barnes & Noble, Sony, Kobo, Baker & Taylor Blio, Page Foundry and the Diesel eBook Store. Smashwords can be reached on the web at www.smashwords.com.

About James A. Perez
Born and raised on Long Island, James A. Perez has worked in the field of education for over twenty years with children of all ages. His first novel, Maia and Icarus, grew out of his love for Greek mythology and a desire to explore the epic journey of a young heroine. He still lives on Long Island with his family, including his niece, Maia.

Contact:
James A. Perez
info@jamesaperez.net
City/Town Huntington
State/Province New York
Country United States
Industry Books