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Caribbean Life, April 21-27, 2022
“I’m proud to announce the first adultuse
cannabis cultivation licenses in the
state, and I’m proud of the work the Office
of Cannabis Management and the Cannabis
Control Board are doing to get adultuse
cannabis sales up and running as fast
as possible without compromising our
mission to uplift communities and individuals
most impacted by the past century
of cannabis prohibition,” she added.
Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples
Stokes said, “New York State continues
to lead the nation in an equity-focused
cannabis industry. The approval of the
first 52 provisional cultivation licenses
will help create a responsible start to the
NYS cannabis industry by granting cultivators
the ability to produce enough product
and inventory for social equity retail
dispensaries to meet the initial demand
of the anticipated legal market.
“We are on our way towards realizing
our goal of creating a viable and inclusive
path for minorities and small farmers
to have the opportunity to create generational
wealth for their families and
communities,” she added. “I am proud of
the work conducted thus far by the NYS
Office of Cannabis Management and the
Cannabis Control Board, and I look forward
to our actions bearing fruit.”
Sen. Liz Krueger said, “The approval
of these licenses will help ensure an
adequate supply of cannabis when the
first round of social and economic equity
adult-use retail stores open later this
year.
“It will also prioritize New York farmers
and environmentally sustainable agricultural
practices,” Krueger added. “I am
excited and gratified with the steps OCM
is taking to fulfill the goals and the spirit
of the legislation we passed last year as
they roll out the adult-use cannabis program.”
By Ethan Stark-Miller
In the aftermath of a Tuesday mass-shooting
on an N Train in Sunset Park, City Council
Speaker Adrienne Adams Thursday said
the council is looking both at a review of the
city’s response to the incident and introducing
trauma centers focussed on treating victims
in the aftermath of similar crises.
Adams said she wants the council to
look specifically at what the MTA is doing
to keep straphangers safe on the subways,
including a review of the transit system’s
cameras – which were malfunctioning at
the Sunset Park station during the attack.
“We need to take a look at specifically
ways that we keep the public safe,” Adams
said. “But I think that we really need to
hone in on what worked as far as the MTA
is concerned. What broke in the subway?
What types of precautions were taken or
are taken on a day-to-day basis to protect
New Yorkers in the transit system? We’d like
to take a look at the cameras, particularly
to evaluate what cameras work. We know
that there are at least 10,000 that are in
the system.”
The suspected shooter Frank James,
who’s accused of denating smoke bombs
and opening fire on a crowded subway car
– hitting 10 commuters and injuring many
others, was arrested yesterday in the East
Village after a 30-hour manhunt. James was
arraigned Thursday afternoon in Brooklyn
federal court on terrorism charges, a judge
ordered him held without bail.
While Adams said that conducting a
review of the city’s response to the shooting
is crucial, she also believes the best way
to stem gun violence is to focus on taking
preventative measures rather than just
responding to incidents as they happen.
That’s why, she added, the council proposed
opening trauma recovery centers around
the city in its Preliminary Budget Response
for fiscal year 2023.
By Ethan Stark-Miller
Three days after a man attacked a Brooklyn
N train full of commuters with smoke
bombs and bullets, Mayor Eric Adams Friday
formally thanked all of the frontline
workers who helped New Yorkers through
the worst shooting the subway has experienced
in many years.
“I want to thank every single MTA
employee for their entire commitment,
dedication and service. Your actions are
indicative of what’s great about the service
that you deliver every day, in general, and
specifically, the service you deliver during
times of crisis,” Adams said. “When bullets
were flying – 33 to be exact – you stayed
calm, you stayed focused, and you saved
lives. Thanks to you, no passenger was left
behind, no lives were lost. And thanks to
you, our city keeps running every day, day
after day.
During the Friday City Hall ceremony,
Adams – videoconferencing in from Gracie
Mansion, where he’s still isolating after
testing positive for COVID-19 Sunday –
presented each of the workers with proclamations
naming April 12, the day of the
shooting, in their honor. The mayor issued
the proclamations to David Artis and Raven
Haynes, the train operator and conductor
of the N Train that was attacked, as well
as Joseph Franchi and Dayron Williams,
the conductor and train operator for an R
train moving in the opposite direction that
carried many people to safety at the next
station.
Additionally, Adams thanked R train
Operator Michael Catalano, R Train Conductor
Willy Sanchez and B37 Bus Operator
Parla Mejia – who ran shuttle bus service
from the site of the incident.
During the Tuesday attack, the suspected
gunman Frank James detonated
smoke bombs and opened fire on a crowded
N train heading into the 36 Street station
in Sunset Park – 23 people were injured
in the attack, including 10 from gunshot
wounds. James is being held without bail
after his arraignment in Brooklyn federal
court Thursday on terrorism charges.
Secretary-Treasurer of TWU Local 100
Earl Phillips added to the chorus of praise,
also commending the bravery MTA workers
showed during an active shooter situation.
“Conductors and train operators were
taking charge once again, doing what was
necessary to get writers out of danger,”
Phillips said. “At any given minute, they
were either directing passengers, making
announcements, moving their trains, taking
police into the tunnels to look for the
shooter, communicating with a real control
center and emergency responders. Our
bus operators, meanwhile, filled the void
packing up riders along the N line, including
those rushing out of the 36th Street
station.”
MTA Chairman Janno Lieber said he’s
confident the subway system will become
safer because Adams has made battling
crime on the subway system a top priority.
“All through the last few days, I was
asked again and again and again, ‘how will
we make our system safer?’” Lieber said.
“And every time I said the same thing, ‘Eric
Adams has a commitment to Subway safety
at the top of his agenda.’ And he’s already,
even before this event, making sure that we
are taking the steps to make it real.”
However, major crime is up 44 percent
compared to this time last year. And,
although they began before Adams took
office in January, violent subway attacks
have continued throughout the first 100
days of his mayoralty.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul speaks
about the state budget during a news
conference, Thursday, April 7, 2022,
in Albany, N.Y. Office of the Governor of
New York via AP
Mayor Adams honors MTA heros on
frontlines of subway shooting
Speaker Adams highlights trauma center budget
Cannabis
licenses
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