Yonker‘ Free Pre‘‘ FRIDAY FEBRUARY 28, 2020 - BRIAN HARROD EDITOR PUBLISHER Yonkers Fire Department Sources say that an overloaded extension cord was responsible for the Yonkers fire death An Overloaded Extension Cord Caused The Deadly Fire On Saratoga Avenue By BRIAN HARROD The death 64-year-old Yonkers resident Peter Lettieri was pre- ventable. Thirty one people were injured by an extension cord was under a bed in a first-floor apartment. Six families are still homeless fam- ilies The families consist of tweenty seven adults and seven children, plus several pets. Yonkers Census Funding To Be Distributed Just Days Before The Count Is To Begin By BRIAN HARROD Yonkers, NY Some local elected officials have quietly complained about Governor Andrew Cuomo and his administration for delays in dis- tributing funds for getting out the count for the 2020 census. The governor appointed members of a state commission overseeing the upcoming census in January 2019 when the report they were tasked with creating was due. So when the report finally came out in October, Yonkers advocates were expecting funding might not come out as early as they hoped. Those fears now appear to be be- coming reality. The Award for state funding to Yonkers may be approved and dis- tributed on March 10, just two days before the U.S. Census Bureau starts to send people mail on how to re- spond to the census. The census was already expected to be a challenge in Yonkers, which had a below average self-response rate in the 2010 census. Its difficulties are expected to be amplified this year, in particular be- cause the attempt to add a citizen- Yonkers Free Press FRIDAY FEBRUARY 28, 2020 - BRIAN HARROD EDITOR PUBLISHER 2 ship question, even though it failed, is expected to depress responses from Yonkers ’ immigrant communities. This is also the first year the cen- sus will be conducted mostly online, which presents an additional barrier, especially for seniors and impover- ished Yonkers residents without inter- net access. The state requires that 75% of the funding goes toward nonprofits or libraries creating outreach materi- als or advertising, going door-to-door and providing services guiding people through the forms, while Yonkers can hold onto the rest for their own cen- sus initiatives. At this point, Yonkers should should keep its eye on the prize of counting everybody and doing the best they can with the funding that’s available. Winning TAKE-5 Ticket Sold In Yonkers By BRIAN HARROD The New York Lottery announced Wednesday morning that one top- prize winning ticket was sold for the February 25th TAKE-5 drawing. The ticket, worth $59,388.00, was purchased at Rani Enterprises, Inc. located at 831 Nepperhan Avenue in Yonkers. The five winning numbers for the TAKE 5 game are drawn from a field of one to 39. The TAKE 5 drawing is televised every day at 11:21 p.m. A Lottery draw game prize of any amount may be claimed up to one year from the date of the drawing. Only one top prize ticket was sold for the February 25th game. Patricia McCrudden Will Lead The Yonkers parade By BRIAN HARROD The McLean Avenue parade will step off on Saturday, March 21 and proceed along the “Emerald Mile” with Grand Marshal Patricia Dono- van McCrudden at its head. In advance of the parade itself a number of events and ceremonies are planned: On March 10 at 4 p.m. there will be a flag raising at Yonkers City Hall. On March 14 at 7 p.m. there will be the parade dinner and a gala cele- bration at the Castle Royale, 92 Wa- verly Street. On March 16 at 11 a.m. there will be the painting of the Green Line on McLean Avenue near the Aisling Irish Community Center (909 McLean Av- enue). On parade day, March 21, there will be an 11.15 a.m. Parade Mass at St. Barnabas High School Chapel on McLean Avenue. The parade will step off after Mass on the “Emerald Mile” west of Bronx River Road at 1 p.m. For the second year running the Yonkers St. Patrick’s Parade on McLean Avenue will be led by a woman grand marshal. Yonkers Passes Plastic Straw Free Legislation By CHRISTINA GILMARTIN Law Bans Food & Beverage Es- tablishments from Providing Single- Use Plastic Straws, Starting March 1st. Beginning March 1, single-use plastic straws will no longer be made available at food and beverage estab- lishments located in Yonkers, unless upon request by customers. The ban comes into effect as the city’s Plastic Straw Free Yonkers legislation recently was passed by Yonkers City Council and signed by Mayor Mike Spano. “In Yonkers, we are doing our part in being stewards of the environ- ment and reducing the negative envi- ronmental impacts resulting from the manufacture and disposal of single- use plastic,” said Mayor Spano. “These straws are most-often used just once, but have lasting, global im- pacts on our waterways, wildlife and human health.” Plastic drinking straws are among the top 10 contributors to ma- rine debris pollution. Most plas- Yonkers Free Press FRIDAY FEBRUARY 28, 2020 - BRIAN HARROD EDITOR PUBLISHER 3 tic straws are not biodegradable and instead break down over years into smaller microplastics, releasing chem- icals into the soil, air, and water that are harmful to animals, plants, peo- ple, and the environment. Mayor Spano added, “As many as 500 million plastic straws are used each year in the United States, yet the impacts on our environment last for generations. Let’s rid these straws from our roadways, streams and parks and continue to make Yonkers a greener, cleaner place to live.” Approximately 540 food estab- lishments in Yonkers have been no- tified of the new law. Once the ban takes effect, Yonkers Consumer Pro- tection Bureau will perform routine spot checks as part of its ongoing, an- nual inspection process, as well as re- spond to any complaints. Any establishment found to be in violation of the new law the first time will be issued a written warning, fol- lowed by increasing monetary fines af- ter each subsequent violation. In 2019, Yonkers Public School students at Paideia School 15 and local Girl Scout Troop 1730 advo- cated the City to enact a law banning single-use plastic straws. Mayor Spano and local lawmak- ers today visited Paideia School 15 to thank the students for their advocacy efforts and commitment to a sustain- able Yonkers. Yonkers Councilman John Rubbo said, “As the Chairman of the En- vironmental Policy and Protection Committee, I will always take a strong stance in protecting our en- vironment and as a small business owner, I have discontinued using single-use plastic straws in advance of this law being passed. I am grateful to the Girl Scout Troop at School 15 and the parent volunteers for bring- ing this issue to light. Our future leaders spoke and we listened, and now thanks to these young ladies our community will be doing its part to reduce the use of single-use plastic straws in Yonkers.” March 1 also marks the first day of New York State’s ban on single-use plastic bags. Residents are encouraged to pick up their free Yonkers reusable bag at City Hall, 40 S. Broadway, Monday- Friday from 9am-5pm and at any of the three branches of the Yonkers Public Library. Reports of single-use plastic straws at local establishments may be directed to the Yonkers Con- sumer Protection Bureau at Con- sumerHelp@YonkersNY.gov or (914) 377-3000. Yonkers Mayor Spano, Yonkers City Councilmembers and Yonkers Paideia School 15 students