46 AD Race: Regina-Potter Gets Independence Party Line

Republican Lucretia Regina-Potter yesterday received the endorsement of the Independence Party in her bid for the vacant 46th Assembly District seat representing Coney Island, Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and slices of Brighton Beach and Bath Beach.

“I have personally known Lucretia for number of years now, and I know she possess the independent spirit that the Independence Party looks for in our elected officials. She has the experience and qualifications to be a dynamic Assemblywoman. Lucretia always stands up for what is right, and she is willing to work very hard to serve her beloved community, where she was born and raised,” said Independence Party Chair Michael K Zumbluskas.

Regina-Potter also received the Conservative Party line and will also be on the ballot on her own Peoples Choice Party line.

In what is expected to be a close election Regina-Potter will face off before the voters against Democrat Pamela Harris on Nov. 3.

Ortiz Hails de Blasio Support To Divest In Fossil Fuel

Assemblymember Felix Ortiz

Sunset Park Assembly Member and the Assembly Assistant Speaker Felix Ortiz yesterday lauded Mayor Bill de Blasio for his announcement he would push to divest the city’s pension funds from coal holdings and study divesting from other fossil fuel holdings.

De Blasio’s move comes after Ortiz and State Senator Liz Krueger (D-Manhattan) recent sponsorship of the Fossil Fuel Divestment Act (S.5873/A.8011), which would require the State Comptroller to divest the New York State Common Retirement Fund from holdings in the top 200 largest publicly traded fossil fuel companies:

In a joint statement, Ortiz and Krueger said de Blasio’s announcement sends a tremendous message that the use of fossil fuels is coming to an end.

“It is a moral and a fiduciary responsibility to withdraw financial support from an industry whose profitability depends on allowing catastrophic climate change. We applaud the Mayor for this move and City Comptroller Stringer for his support, as well as Council Member Helen Rosenthal, who has long advocated for this prudent course. We call on State Comptroller DiNapoli and our colleagues in the Legislature to build on today’s announcement and commit the statewide Common Retirement Fund to divest from all fossil fuels. This is the time for bold leadership, and New York should take the lead towards a fossil free future,” the two lawmakers said.

Hamilton, Colleagues Launches 2016 Silver Kings & Queens Senior Olympics

Central Brooklyn Senator Jesse Hamilton along with Bed-Stuy lawmakers Sen. Velmanette Montgomery, Assembly Member Annette Robinson and City Councilman Robert Cornegy Jr., and city agencies will launch the “2016 Silver Kings and Queens Senior Olympics” at a press conference at 11:15 a.m., Friday, October 2 at St. John’s Recreation Center, 1251 Prospect Place.

October begins the series of games that will culminate in the Brooklyn Senior Olympics in the spring of 2016 – between October 2015 and April 2016, every month there will be games to help seniors prepare for the May 2016 games.

The mix of games leading up to the May event will include swimming, basketball, table tennis, pickle ball, bowling, table games, and track & field.

Senior NYC Parks & Recreation members ages 50+ may register and compete, registration will be available at all Brooklyn NYC Parks & Recreation sites. The “Silver Kings and Queens 2016 Senior Olympics” will be held from May 11-14 in 2016, with an awards reception on May 14.

Clarke Rails At House GOP Over Attacks On Planned Parenthood

Flatbush Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke yesterday released the following statement on a letter she and 22 colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee sent to Chairman Fred Upton and other Republican leaders urging them to end politicized attacks on Planned Parenthood, which have included testimony from anti-choice extremists and the viewing of deceptively-edited videos.

“Unless Congress acts within the next two days, we will have another shutdown of the federal government, preventing access to critical services from the Social Security Administration and the Veterans Administration. Our national parks will close, and the Internal Revenue Service will not have the ability to issue refund checks. Yet, instead of focusing on keeping the federal government in operation, Republican leaders have allowed these false allegations about Planned Parenthood – an organization that provides health care services to 2.7 million men and women each year – to become a distraction. None of the evidence provided to members of the Energy and Commerce Committee has substantiated these false claims. Let us instead focus on preventing another unnecessary shutdown of our federal government,” she said.

The letter was also sent to Congressman Joe Pitts, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, and Congressman Tim Murphy, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

Adams Allocates $13 Million For STEM Education

Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams today will announce a $13 million allocation from his Fiscal Year 2016 Borough President’s Capital Budget to invest in schools across Brooklyn, focused on STEM education and technology initiatives.

STEM stands for schools focussing on a curriculum heavy in science, technology, Engineering and Math.

Adams will make this announcement at 10:30 a.m., today at PS 193 Gil Hodges, 2515 Avenue L in Midwood. The school is set to receive a $250,000 allocation to outfit their STEM/Technology Exploration/Demonstration Lab, a multidisciplinary learning space for a diverse student population where 25 percent of students do not speak English as their first language.

At the announcement, Adams will highlight projects throughout Brooklyn in schools ranging from elementary to higher education, including public, charter, parochial, and private institutions. Joining him will be elected officials, principals, and a number of representatives of the 70 schools across the borough that will benefit from the budget allocations.