Yonker‘ Free Pre‘‘ FRIDAY FEBRUARY 27, 2020 - BRIAN HARROD EDITOR PUBLISHER A Yonkers man was indicted Tuesday for a series of burglaries around Westchester County. Yonkers Man Faces 20 Felony Charges And One Misdemeanor After Being Accused Of 10 Burglaries By BRIAN HARROD German Martinez, 41, of Yonkers, was accused of 10 private home bur- glaries that started the day after Christmas and continued into the first week of 2020. Martinez ’ s bail was set at $500,000 bail, $1 million bond or $2 million secured bond. His next court appearance is scheduled for March 3rd. Prosecutors said Martinez broke into a number of Westchester resi- dences from Dec. 26 through Jan. 4, where he stole property andor threat- ened or injured victims at the scene. The locations were as follows: Dec. 26, 30 and 31: three loca- tions in Tarrytown (one house twice) and one in Dobbs Ferry Jan. 2: three locations two in Yonkers and one in Sleepy Hollow Jan. 3: White Plains Jan. 4: Rye The stolen property included cash, jewelry, laptop computers and other items. During one burglary, police said, Martinez threatened someone with a knife, and in another he injured a per- son at the scene. According to prosecutors, Mar- tinez hired taxis with unwitting drivers to take him to the locations and told them to wait for him to come back. Tracking license plate readers in the vicinity of the burglaries, police interviewed one of the cab drivers who was able to give police the de- fendant ’ s phone number. Martinez was subsequently ar- rested in Yonkers Jan. 7. Yonkers Police Department Promotes 12 members By DETECTIVE LIEUTENANT DEAN POLITOPOULOS Yonkers, NY Deputy Mayor Steve Levy and Police Commissioner John J. Mueller presided over today’s pro- motion ceremony which was held in the historic Ceremonial Courtroom in Yonkers City Hall. The Deputy Mayor and Commis- sioner were proud to elevate twelve (12) members to positions of higher authority and assignments within the Department, including the Field Ser- vices Bureau and Investigations Bu- Yonkers Free Press FRIDAY FEBRUARY 27, 2020 - BRIAN HARROD EDITOR PUBLISHER 2 reau. The ceremony was held in the presence of family, friends, and peers. Promoted to Lieutenant: Sergeant Jamie Dumser Promoted to Sergeant: Police Officer Nicholas Minichino Detective Timothy Cooper Police Officer Billy Zielinski Police Officer Frank DiDomizio Appointed to Detective Sergeant: Sergeant Paul Api Recognized for prior promotions appointments: Detective Lieutenant John Marello Lieutenant Wayne Simoes Lieutenant Sean Looney Sergeant Matthew Butenhoff Sergeant John Viviano Jr. Sergeant Carissa Davis Congratulations to all the YPD officers and best wishes on your new assignments. Mayor Mike Spano And Councilwoman Shanae Williams Host Annual Black History Month Celebration By CHRISTINA GILMARTIN Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano along with City Councilwoman Shanae Williams will host the City’s an- nual Black History Month celebra- tion Thursday, February 27th at 6:00PM in the Ceremonial Court- room at Yonkers City Hall. This year’s theme for Black His- tory month is “African Americans and the Vote” as it speaks to the on- going struggle on the part of both black men and women throughout American History. The City’s celebration will include performances from local community members and remarks by the Yonkers Public School student winners of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Po- emEssayVideo contest. Mayor Mike Spano And Councilwoman Shanae Williams Coronavirus Outbreak Brings Focus On Yonkers Company By BRIAN HARROD Antibiotics Company Is On The Comeback Trail In Yonkers The shares (NASDAQ:CFRX) of Yonkers, N.Y.-based Contrafect Corp. have risen 39% this month (82% YTD). The company is focused on the discovery and development of direct lytic agents, including lysins and amurin peptides, for the treatment of antibiotic-resistant infections. It completed, this month, a 1-for- 10 reverse stock split of its shares to satisfy the $1 minimum price require- ment for continued listing on Nasdaq. The company also reported that the FDA had granted breakthrough therapy designation to exebacase for the treatment of MRSA bloodstream infections (bacteremia), including right-sided endocarditis, when used in addition to standard-of-care (SOC) anti-staphylococcal antibiotics in adult patients. Last month, the first patient was dosed in the company’s phase III DIS- RUPT (Direct Lysis of Staph aureus Resistant Pathogen Trial) study of exebacase in patients with S. aureus bacteremia, including right-sided en- docarditis. The COVID-19 outbreak appears to be building toward a major pandemic, with the virus now breaking out from China and spreading to more countries, with confirmed cases and deaths reported in Italy, Iran and South Korea. Yonkers School Students Join City Officials For Signing Plastic Straw Ban By CHRISTINA GILMARTIN Yonkers Public School students will join Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano and City Council President Mike Khader Thursday, February 27 at 1 PM at Paideia School 15 as they sign a new city ordinance prohibit- ing food and beverage establishments in Yonkers from providing single-use plastic straws, unless requested by customers. Last year, Paideia School 15 stu- dents advocated city officials to move forward with the ban of plastic straws in an effort to combat the negative environmental impacts of the manu- facturing and disposal of the straws. Yonkers City Council approved the legislation in recent weeks result- ing in the plastic straw ban, effective March 1, 2020. Yonkers Free Press FRIDAY FEBRUARY 27, 2020 - BRIAN HARROD EDITOR PUBLISHER 3 Plastic drinking straws are among the top 10 contributors to marine de- bris pollution. Most plastic straws are not biodegradable and instead break down over years into smaller mi- croplastics, releasing chemicals into the soil, air, and water that are harm- ful to animals, plants, people, and the environment. Starting March 1, Food & Beverage Establishments in Yonkers Prohibited from Providing Single-Use Plastic Straws