Nydia Velazquez

Some lawmakers send few to academies

Military Times - News (Free subscription) | 11/23/2009

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — As the nation's military academies try to recruit more minorities, they aren't getting much help from members of Congress from big-city districts with large numbers of blacks, Hispanics and Asians.From New York to Chicago to Los Angeles, lawmakers from heavily minority areas rank at or near the bottom in the number of students they have nominated for appointment to West Point,...

• Military academies lack minority nominees largely because... - EDUCATION WATCH INTERNATIONAL

NY-Sen: Nadler Endorses Gillibrand

the albany project (Free subscription) | 11/23/2009

Of the endorsements she has received to date, the one Senator Kirsten Gillibrand received today might be the biggest endorsement from a member of the congressional delegation. Representative Jerrold Nadler announced today that he is endorsing Gillibrand, calling her a "great partner on many progressive causes" and praising her for the work she has done on a number of issues, including the...

Filling the Ranks at West Point (and the Other Service Academies)

In From the Cold (Free subscription) | 11/21/2009

While the military continues its push for diversity, it isn't getting much help from some key members of Congress, who represent heavily minority districts across the country. An Associated Press review of service academy appointments over the past five years reveals that lawmakers from the nation's major urban areas--New York, Chicago and Los Angeles--rank at or near the bottom in the number of students...

Immigration Reform: The Phone Call Heard Around the Country

HispanicTrending (Free subscription) | 11/20/2009

Nov 19, 2009 By Marcelo Ballvé Organizers described them as immigration reform "house parties." Across the country last night, in churches, schools, immigrant support centers and private homes, backers of immigration reform gathered around telephones (the speaker phone turning the device into a de-facto radio) as Hispanic U.S. legislators laid out the strategy for pushing a reform...

Puerto Rico Daily Sun Almost --But Not Quite-- Connects Dots on Rangel Rum Rebate Story

NewsBusters (Free subscription) | 11/15/2009

Your humble correspondent has just returned from the Caribbean paradise of Culebra. Politics were far from my mind as I snorkled the Culebran reefs. However, on my way home, I picked up a copy of the Puerto Rico Daily Sun in the western outskirts of San Juan and a certain story by Robert Friedman of their Washington, D.C. bureau caught my eye because it had the word "rum" in the title: "Debate...

Breaking News: Not All Racial Profiling Is Un-American

American Conservative Daily (Free subscription) | 11/10/2009

By John W. Lillpop In post-rational America, racial profiling has become the ‘go to’ defense for those who are as guilty as hell but need some way to escape justice. The lengths to which some minorities will go to exploit racial profiling are both maddening and mind boggling. An example, as reported, in part, at discriminations.com back in 2004: “OAKLAND -- Oakland police officers...

EPA Pays Visit to St. Nicks Alliance; Brooklyn Nonprofit Provides Green Job Training through Brownfields Grants

Environmental Protection Agency (Free subscription) | 11/09/2009

(New York, NY) Walter Mugdan, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Regional Director of Emergency Response and Remedial Division, was joined by Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez and Councilmember Diana Reyna to check out the progress of an EPA-funded job training program at St

House Health Care Vote: Breaking Updates

The Huffington Post (Free subscription) | 11/07/2009

The House of Representatives is set to vote on major health care reform legislation today. Check this page throughout the day for the latest news, or follow live streaming video and Twitter updates HERE . 10:10 AM ET -- Rep. Dingell to preside over House for first time since 1965 Medicare vote. Democrats wavering on the health care bill will have their heart-strings tugged by the man overseeing today's...

Senate rejects anti-immigrant Census proposal

The Latin Americanist (Free subscription) | 11/06/2009

The U.S. Senate on Thursday rejected a measure to add a question on citizenship status to the 2010 census. The proposal created by Republican Sens. David Vitter and Bob Bennett would have excluded all non-citizens including legal resident immigrants from the reapportionment of congressional districts based on next year’s national tally. "Illegal aliens should not be included for the purposes...

Reyna wins, party boss loses in the 34th Council District

Queens Crap (Free subscription) | 11/05/2009

From the Village Voice : "How can you explain being the party boss, the chair of the democratic party, and not supporting the democrat in this election?" said Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez as she stumped for Reyna in the 34th. "That's outrageous"... Velazquez called [Vito] Lopez a "bully" whom she'd been "standing up to" for years, " and attributed his lack...

NY-23: This Picture Just About Sums It Up

Swing State Project (Free subscription) | 10/23/2009

Rule #1 in political stagecraft: always, always secure your sightlines. How did this happen? Dede Scozzafava and/or her staff had the genius idea to do an event challenging Doug Hoffman to a debate... right in front of his campaign headquarters. Now how could that possibly go wrong? Let's take a quick look at some other North Country news, most of it, as always, bad for Dede: ? Not only has Sarah Palin...

Tell Congresswoman Yvette Clarke That You Want The Gowanus Canal Listed As A Superfund Site

Pardon Me For Asking (Free subscription) | 10/21/2009

A message to our politicians: If You Are Against The EPA's Superfund Clean-Up Of The Gowanus Canal, You Aren't Green At All! Dear Reader, Together with the Coalition For Respectful Development ( C.O.R.D. ), I am urging everyone to continue to plead with our elected officials to allow science to prevail over politics in the health issue of our day: The Superfunding Of The Gowanus Canal Following on...

UPDATE! Velazquez supports SUPERFUND/S !!

carroll gardens petition (Free subscription) | 10/16/2009

Hello! CORD has received some wonderful news: Representative Nydia Velasquez is P ro Superfund Designation for BOTH POLLUTED SITES! For details please see THE BROOKLYN PAPER http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/32/42/32_42_wy_newtown_creek_period.html "Update! Nydia supports Newtown Creek Superfund" BY WILL YAKOWICZ The Brooklyn Paper Enlarge this image One day after the federal government...

Velázquez Urges Superfund Designation for Gowanus Canal And Newtown Creek

Pardon Me For Asking (Free subscription) | 10/16/2009

****News Flash**** “Securing a healthy environment for New York City families is the single most important factor in choosing a course of action for cleaning both the Gowanus Canal and Newtown Creek." Nydia Velázquez Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez is the latest elected official to release a pro-EPA Superfund statement for the Gowanus Canal. By doing so, she joins fellow politicians...

New York Congressional Delegation Quarterly Filings

the albany project (Free subscription) | 10/16/2009

Here is a table of the 29 members of Congress showing the results of the filings that were posted today. DISTRICT INCUMBENT CONTRIBUTIONS EXPENDITURES CASH ON HAND NY-1 Tim Bishop $263,189.53 $66,589.32 $710,928.46 NY-2 Steve Israel $436,670.74 $173,169.91 $1,796,209.25 NY-3 Pete King $89,287.00 $46,633.81 $1,341,242.55 NY-4 Carolyn McCarthy $144,167.32 $87,679.05 $413,644.81 NY-5 Gary Ackerman $42,178.00...