By Oscar Montenegro 

Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was the leader of the Sinaloa cartel in northern Mexico, one of the most powerful gangs in the world. As his trial continues in Downtown Brooklyn, an eerie but familiar sound is coming from the Mexican-American community: Silence.

Carlos Menchaca, the first Mexican-American elected into public office in New York City, did not have any comment on the El Chapo trial. Menchaca represents Sunset Park, a neighborhood with a large Mexican-American community.

I headed to Bushwick, Brooklyn, home also to a large Mexican-American community. Speaking to people in Bushwick, many had the same sentiments: This trial isn’t going to change anything.

“I’ve heard about the trial here and there,” one woman told me, “but it’s not going to change anything.” None of the people I spoke with was open to giving me their names.

I, a Mexican-American, have been following the trial. Many of my family members have not, because they feel, along with those I spoke with on the street, that nothing will change back home in Mexico.

“When El Chapo goes to jail, three more narcos come to power in Mexico,” my aunt, Francisca Montenegro, said. “The narco culture is a way of life in some parts of Mexico.”

According to a report from The Guardian, more than 29,000 people were killed in 2017 due to drug violence in Mexico. Many are predicting the numbers will be much higher this year, making it the most violent year in Mexico since 2011.

In July 2018, Mexican President, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador won the elections with 53 percent of the vote, and many hoped he would decrease drug violence in the country. He has promised to do so, but many are skeptical. They feel the same old corruption will continue in Mexico.

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By Dvorah Nelson

In 1990, two men met in a hotel lobby in Mexico City. One was Juan Carlos Ramírez Abadía, a man known by the nickname “Chupeta.” Ramírez was a leader of the North Valley Cartel in Colombia. Cartels are gangs, well organized gangs. The other man in the hotel lobby that day was a short but tough-looking fellow who was at the beginning of his cartel career. His name was Joaquín Guzmán Loera. Guzmán was an ambitious and ruthless new leader of the Sinaloa Cartel. Later he would become known as “El Chapo.” The two made plans for the shipment of cocaine through Mexico to the United States. Ramirez recalled how Guzmán demanded a higher cut than most were getting. He wanted 40 percent, while others took 37 percent.

“He said, ‘I’m a lot faster, try me and you’ll see,’” Ramirez said in courtroom testimony last Thursday.

Juan Carlos Ramírez Abadía, known as ‘Chupeta.’ This was before his facial reconstructive surgery. He was testifying against Joaquín Guzmán Loera, the alleged top gangster known as ‘El Chapo.’

Guzmán lived up to his words. His first smuggled shipment took a week, whereas most smugglers took a month. Ramírez and Guzmán continued their arrangement for close to 20 years, smuggling into the United States 400,000 kilos of what Ramírez continuously endearingly referred to as “my cocaine.”

Ramírez was a strange sight in the Brooklyn federal courtroom on Thursday afternoon. Cosmetic surgeries to hide his identity have left the former leader with a contorted look. His high protruding cheekbones, sunken eyes and taught skin give him a startling and almost inhumane look. “I had changes done to my face. I altered the physical appearance of my face by changing my jawbone, my cheekbones, my eyes, my mouth, my ears, my nose,” he said.

Besides the steeper cut from the revenue, Guzman wanted only one other thing from Ramírez, the purest cocaine possible. A meticulous man, Ramírez was more than happy to comply. He regularly checked on the cocaine to ensure its quality. That quality worked its way into his security and his shipment plans as well, as he bribed officers to erase all memory of him, from fingerprints to records.

“It’s impossible to be a leader of a drug traffic cartel in Colombia without having that corruption. They go hand in hand,” he said. Ramírez had personally given orders for approximately 150 killings and admitted to one killing he had done himself. “With a gunshot, to the head,” he told the court, “to the head and face.”

Ramírez, who eventually became Guzmán’s main supplier, named various distribution points in the United States. From Los Angeles to Chicago and New York – all of which he distributed to though Guzmán.

The case has been going on for close to three weeks. Ramírez is one of a number of witnesses who have been testifying in the case against Guzmán. Officials of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and other government personnel have also taken the stand to recount stories of drugs found in tunnels and on ships. Large boxes of cocaine were opened in the courtroom, to demonstrate the large amounts that were found in shipments. Those testifying spoke extensively of the riches, power, and brutality that were part of Guzmán’s power.

Juan Carlos Ramírez Abadía, ‘Chupeta,’ after his facial surgery.

The story of Guzmán is one that has made headlines worldwide. The United States federal government has painted a picture of him as one of the world’s most dangerous men, calling him “the most ruthless, dangerous, and feared man on the planet,” according to a Fox news story. Forbes magazine ranked him as one of the most powerful people in recent memory, calling him “the biggest drug lords of all time.” His aggrandization has spawned movies and books that glamorize the life of the cartels.

Born into a poor family in the small village of La Tuna, Guzmán went from selling oranges as a small child to cultivating opium poppy for his father to sell. From there he moved to open his own marijuana field with some of his close relatives and he took growing spaces in the fields of organized Latin American crime. Guzmán’s reputation of ambitiousness and violence grew as he oversaw shipments, shooting smugglers who were late. His position in the cartel continued to grow. Following the arrest of Gallardo, Guzmán became the leader of the cartel in the Sinaloa territory. Then came the numerous stories of the shooting up of nightclubs and other public spaces, the beheadings of wives and killings of children. He has escaped from prison twice, once in a laundry cart and the other time through a tunnel in his shower area. His presence and trial in Brooklyn have caused quite a stir, with his commute to and from court shutting down the Brooklyn Bridge daily.

Guzmân is accused of bringing $14 billion of drugs into the United States and faces a 17-count indictment in the United States District Court in New York. He has pleaded not guilty to these charges, with Guzmán’s lawyers suggesting he was only a lieutenant in the cartel and not a leader.

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By Marcus Ayala

In a case at Queens County Court on Thursday, it is alleged that a man named Correy Hannah, 36, forced a young woman, 23, into prostitution.

The defendant is being charged with kidnapping and sex trafficking. It all allegedly started when the victim was 20 years of age and trying to get her life together.

She was homeless from a small town in Oregon when she moved to California and eventually ended up in New York City. She had a child from a previous violent relationship and was trying to survive.

Assistant District Attorney Lawrence explained how the victim was trying to date again and her date with Hannah turned into a “date from hell.” The relationship lasted from March 8, 2015, to June of that year.

The victim was living in a shelter with her son and Hannah took advantage of her, prosecutors say. He stole her possessions in an effort to trap her and it worked. She had no form of identification and no money. She was then locked in his basement.

When asked for her belongings to be returned, the defendant allegedly said, “You’re not getting your stuff back.” He then allegedly forced her to have sex with one of his friends. She is said to have complied in an effort to get her belongings back and escape the defendant.

It didn’t work. He took her compliance to be a green light to use her as a prostitute and make money. He is alleged to have put ads on a notorious escort website named “Backpages.”

The defendant decided she had had enough and insisted that she be given her money back. She was then punched while in a cab going along Queens Blvd., prosecutors say.

She was given an order of protection against him. From March 13 to Sept. 15 of 2015 Hannah was not supposed to have any contact with the defendant.

But in April, the defendant allegedly found and physically assaulted the victim, choking her until she consented to work for him again. In June of 2015 the victim was arrested for possessing drugs that prosecutors now say were given to her by Hannah.

The victim was sent to jail.

The first witness called was Christopher Burton who is an officer from the 107th precinct in Queens and has seven years as a highway safety officer. He was near the incident of the taxi cab attack on Queens Blvd.

Burton described how Anderson was bleeding from the face and Hannah didn’t have a scratch on him. “I went to Jamaica hospital with [the victim] and she was still very hysterical and in pain, bleeding from the face,” the officer said. After she left Jamaica hospital, according to Burton, authorities lost contact with her.

The next witness was Detective Robert Schuller. He said the victim indicated that she had been kidnapped. The last witness of the day was Detective David Mills, who went over domestic abuse reports from 2015 involving Hannah.

On Feb.3 of last year, Hannah aas arrested by Mills and his partner in plain clothes near Hannah’s house.

The case, being held before Judge Kenneth C. Holder, is set to continue on Monday.

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By Dakota O’Brien

In June 2016, Cameron Underwood lost most of his jaw, nose, as well as most of his teeth to a self-inflicted gunshot to the face. Eighteen months later, on Thursday, he revealed himself to the world as a successful recipient of a face transplant surgery, performed at NYU Langone Health center in Manhattan.

“I am so grateful to have a face transplant because it gives me a second chance at life,” Underwood said in a press conference held at the hospital.

Cameron Underwood, before and after the surgery. Credit: NYU Langone Health.

Face transplants are still a relatively new thing as there have only been about 40 of these surgeries worldwide, and this is only the second one performed at NYU Langone. Underwood’s surgeon was Eduardo D. Rodriguez MD, DDS, Professor of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and chair of the Hansjorg Wyss Department of Plastic Surgery at NYU Langone. Rodriguez is also responsible for performing a successful face transplant surgery on a Mississippi firefighter, Patrick Hardison, who was horrifically burned in a 2001 fire.

Underwood’s case is most unique in its brevity. He spent only six months on the waitlist and after the surgery he spent only 37 days in the hospital, compared to the 62 days post-operation stay of Rodriguez’ first patient.

“Cameron has not lived with his injury for a decade or longer like most other face transplant recipients have,” Rodriguez said in a statement released by the hospital. “As a result, he has not had to deal with many of the long-term psycho-social issues which often lead to issues like severe depression, substance abuse, and other potentially harmful behaviors.”

After trying multiple conventional reconstructive surgeries, Underwood’s mother, Beverly Bailey-Potter, contacted Dr. Rodriguez. Bailey-Porter had read about one of Dr. Rodriguez’s previous surgeries, in an article in People Magazine. The Underwood family then traveled from their home in Yuba, California to Manhattan for the surgery, making it the longest distance traveled for a face transplant.

Underwood can thank William Fisher, a 23-year-old Manhattan resident and film student at Johns Hopkins University, for his second chance at life. After unexpectedly dying in December of 2017, Fisher’s mother approved her son’s face for transplant, following her son’s wishes. He has been an organ donor since he was a teenager, and also donated his heart, kidneys, liver, eyes, and other tissues.

The surgery lasted 25 hours, with the help of more than 100 medical professionals. Three-dimensional computer surgical planning was used, as well as three-dimensional cutting guides. The team reconstructed Underwood’s jaw, teeth, gums, mouth, lower eyelids, cheeks, nose, and nasal passages.

“Technical advances have increased our ability to tackle the most complex cases more precisely with maximal aesthetic and functional results,” Dr. Rodriguez said.

Beyond being a symbol of technological innovation in the medical field, Underwood’s surgery has set a precedent in terms of medical insurance coverage. His face transplant surgery was the first to be covered by commercial insurance, according to the hospital. The private insurance, provided by his job, covered about a third of the $1.5 million cost of the surgery. The rest was covered by philanthropic and grant funding.

Cameron still has to visit his physicians once a month for follow ups and he will remain on anti-rejection medication for the rest of his life. He will otherwise be back to living a normal, if not better, life. He has even gone skydiving since the surgery.

“A face transplant can tolerate 15,000 feet in the air. It all held together. Cam is living and he’s doing the things he enjoys,” said Dr. Rodriguez. “This is the greatest thanks that they could ever provide.”

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By Benjamin Rubin

Just in time for the first snow of the year, New York Cares kicked off its 30th annual Coat Drive, aiming to collect hundreds of thousands of coats and provide them to New Yorkers who need them.

The drive’s kickoff was held at P.S. 188, near Alphabet City, slang for Lower Manhattan. Ninety-one percent of students at the school qualify for free- or reduced-cost lunch. Dozens of kids lined up throughout the two-hour kickoff to collect a game-like card with “one coat” written on it. Volunteers then led them to a rack of fresh-looking coats to choose one for themselves.

The kickoff was well attended by dozens of members of the press and philanthropy organizations.

Credit: Benjamin Rubin

“Listen, it couldn’t have been a more appropriate time,” Mark Scheinberg, president of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association (GNYADA), said during the press conference. “I walked over from the Delancey Street Station, and there are people that are out in this kind of weather all the time, and it really drove it home.”

GNYADA is one of the coat drive’s biggest contributors. The association has donated over 43,000 coats over the years. In a conversation with Brooklyn New Service, the association’s representative explained that the group is uniquely positioned, having car dealerships in the larger New York Area to bridge affluent communities and their donors with residents of less affluent areas.

Gary Bagley, the president of New York Cares, said that his organization takes great care to provide the coat recipients with warmth and dignity. “We sift through to make sure that it’s a true winter coat,” he said. “As we always tell our volunteers, whatever we give out, we want to be something you would wear home today in whatever weather there is outdoors.”

Bagley explained that there are more donations of certain kinds, leading to shortages in coats for young children, toddlers, and larger men. He said that he is encouraging people to either bring in more of those types or to text COAT to 41444 to donate $20, which will go toward purchasing needed coats.

Bagley pointed out that the city has over 1.7 million people living at or below the poverty level. Over the next eight weeks he wants to bring in over 130,000 coats to have them put “onto the back(s) of” New Yorkers who need them. He added that “we could not do this in eight weeks without the help of our volunteers.”

Gary Bagley, the president of New York Cares. Credit: Benjamin Rubin.

Janet Zagorin has been a board member of New York Cares almost from the beginning of its 30-year history. She explained to Brooklyn News Service that although the coat drive is one of the more visible aspects of the organization, it is in fact a go-between with many organizations and volunteers.

A volunteer for New York Cares, Patrick McGuire, explained that the coats are gathered at a donated space near Penn Station. He leads a team of about two dozen volunteers who sometimes put together two thousand coats in under three hours. He said that the work can be very hard, but they are very glad to do it.

“We know that someone is going to receive a coat, and be warm, because we are very lucky to have a coat and keep warm, so we want to extend that to fellow New Yorkers who are not as lucky,” he said.

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By Dakota O’Brien

On Thursday morning, the Radio City Rockettes kicked off the holiday season by lighting the Empire State Building in red and green, in celebration of the opening night of the Radio City Music Hall’s Christmas Spectacular.

The four Rockettes also helped to debut one of the Empire State Building’s iconic Christmas windows, which featured a small statue of the classic building, along with a festive blue background and silver ornaments.

This year, the 34th Street and Fifth Avenue windows were designed by Mark Stephen Experiential Agency. They will feature a variety of Empire State Building replicas, one even made of gingerbread by Madison Lee Cakes.

“We are so thrilled to be here today to light up the Empire State Building in red and green in honor of our opening night,” Kristina Larson, a veteran Rockette for the past eighteen years, said as she pulled the lever down to illuminate the building.

This year marks the 86th year of the Christmas Spectacular and will feature a new finale scene, titled “Christmas Lights,” which Larson described as “a blend of innovation and tradition.”

credit: Dakota O’Brien

The routine will feature over one hundred Intel Shooting Star mini drones, which will envelop Santa Claus in a series of bright patterns. The new scene is directed by Sam Buntrock, a Tony-, Drama Desk- and Olivier Award-nominated director, who has said he is proud to be bringing the first live theatre experience to the Radio City Music Hall.

The show, which opened Thursday night, will feature four shows a day, until January 1. Larson and the other Rockettes seem excited about debuting the new scene they’ve practiced for months, and they display confidence that the show will “immerse the audience in the magic of Christmas,” as it has since its inception.

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By Dakota O’Brien

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance held a press conference on Thursday morning to announce criminal charges against two contractors for their role in a June 2018 incident in which a mini crane fell several stories from a luxury residential construction site in Harlem, severely injuring two ironworkers.

Vance was accompanied by New York City’s Department of Buildings commissioner, Rick Chandler, as well as officials from the city’s Department of Investigation, the state Port Authority, the state Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The contractors, Terrence Edwards, 39, and Timothy Braico, 41, were each charged with two counts of assault in the second degree, a class D felony, and two counts of reckless endangerment in the second degree, a class A misdemeanor.

Image provided by District Attorney’s office.

One ironworker, Christopher Jackson, was flung three stories down after being hit by the crane, resulting in severe brain trauma affecting his ability to talk or walk. Jorje Delgado, another ironworker, was struck in the back as the crane fell, which caused him to suffer from spinal injuries, affecting his ability to walk.

“As alleged in this case, these defendants knowingly skirted DOB (city Department of Buildings) safety protocols to speed up their project, resulting in devastating, life-changing injuries for two workers when a mini crane fell from the fourth floor, catapulting one as it hurtled to the ground,” Vance said.

The mini crane was not properly tethered and Edwards, Braico, and the workers involved never had proper training or certification to use the crane. Both the project’s expeditor and the contractor’s union representative warned them that they must attain a proper permit, yet such warnings were allegedly ignored. Further, the mini crane, which was only equipped to carry up to 880 pounds, was carrying a 1,500-pound glass panel, prosecutors say.

In recent years, mini cranes have become more popular among construction companies because they are easier to move and less costly. Because of this, the Commissioner of the Department of Buildings imposed strict regulations on the use of mini cranes. These regulations require crane operators to be trained for the specific crane model they are using and that contract workers submit plans drawn by a licensed engineer including details regarding how the crane will be used and tethered.

Western Specialty Contractors, the company that employed the injured workers, was not accused of a crime, but the company entered a so-called deferred prosecution agreement, as a result of their full cooperation with the investigation. The company will be charged if it violates any of the terms of the agreement. The office of the District Attorney believes this agreement will make workplaces safer, as it requires the company to fund public service announcements that will educate workers on their right to a safe workplace.

The District Attorney issued a call for legislators to pass new laws that will increase maximum fines for companies that violate safety codes resulting in the death or injury of a worker. The current maximum fine is $10,000, which the District Attorney said he believes is not high enough to deter big contractors from violating the law. He proposed that the fines be raised to a million dollars.

“We need to prevent these accidents with the deterrent effect of the law, not just prosecute them tragically after the fact,” District Attorney Vance said.

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By Oscar Montenegro

Veterans from all over Queens of different generations came together Thursday morning for the annual Veterans Day Observance Ceremony. But this year’s observance was of special significance. This year marks the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, or Veteran’s Day, where Allies and Germany agreed to end the fighting and the end of the First World War.

Queens Borough President Melinda Katz kicked off the ceremony with the posting of the colors from the JROTC Color Guard from Francis Lewis High School, as well as welcoming veterans from Queens who fought in different wars from World War II to the Vietnam War to the Gulf War.

“I know that I have a ten [year-old] and a seven-year-old,” Katz said. “I know that every single night when I put my children to bed, I am only able to do that because of the sacrifices that each and every one of you made for our country.”

Katz continued, “We will be honoring every men and women who fought for this country every day in any administration that I am in.”

According to Katz, Queens has the largest veteran population in New York City, and it has strong veteran advocacy groups such as the American Legion and the Jewish War Veterans.

Katz was joined onstage by special guests ranging from religious figures to government officials to veterans who were honored at the event.

Rabbi Eli Blokh, who gave the invocation, said, “If it weren’t for my grandfather who fought Hitler, I wouldn’t be here right now.”

Senator Joe Addabbo, who gave a speech to the veterans, said, “How do we say ‘thank you’ to our veterans? We do so by the actions we do up in Albany, in Washington, in the city.”

Addabbo added, “I think our government has a direct obligation to do what we can for our veterans, and what we do is only scratching the surface of what we can do.”

Referencing Tuesday’s midterm elections, Addabbo said, “There is no room for politics when talking about how to help our veterans.”

According to Addabbo, this year’s state budget includes more money for veteran programs and has six bills heading to Governor Andrew Cuomo that provide further help.

Since this year Veterans Day marks one-hundred-years since the end of the First World War, Helen Day from Richmond Hill Historical Society spoke about the war. “More than 4.7 million Americans fought in the war,” said, “and more than 100,000 died.”

Day continued, “Some men signed up for service, some were drafted, some had the option to opt-out, but joined anyway.”

The ceremony continued with Katz presenting honors to three veterans for their service and sacrifices in protecting the nation. The first recipient was Staff Sergeant Steven Epps, who fought in the Vietnam War. After receiving his awards, Epp said, “It was an honor to serve.”

The second recipient was Lieutenant Sarah Bradwisch, who was a nurse during Operation Desert Storm in the Gulf War and Operation Desert Shield in the Iraq War. After receiving her award, Bradwisch said, “I think we all know this quote from Maya Angelou, ‘How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes – and she-roes!’”

The third and final recipient was Private First Class Luke Gasparre, who fought during the Second World War. Gasparre helped free a town under Nazi control and worked for the New York Mets for over fifty years.

“I served in World War Ii,” Gasparre said. “We must protect those who protect us from those who wish us harm and threaten our way of life.” Gasparre was greeted with a standing ovation.

The ceremony ended with veterans, along with others, naming those who had been veterans and had passed away.

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By Hannah Grossman

On Nov. 3, a group of teenagers threw a metal pipe through the window of a synagogue near Myrtle and Franklin Avenues, police said.

Community members were unsure if the incident was hate-motivated or not. Later video footage emerged that showed the same nefarious teens harassing a Hasidic Jew right before they damaged the synagogue.

Targeted north-central Brooklyn synagogue. Credit: Hannah Grossman.

“The community is extremely concerned (and) we share and mourn the pain from Pittsburgh,” a community leader of the district, Rabbi Abe Friedman, said.

“In reality, people of all religions always felt safe in houses of worship. Now people feel vulnerable for another attack,” he said.

Friedman is trying come up with a bunch of solutions to protect synagogues and to see what can he do to make law enforcement more familiar with the needs of houses of worship.

Politicians such as Mayor Bill de Blasio have said that synagogues do not need guns. Friedman agrees with the mayor that houses of worship are no places for guns but he feels that enhanced security has become necessary.

“I have to agree that a house of worship is nowhere for a person with a gun to belong but unfortunately people are holding back from prayer, and if they do go they are having anxiety attacks,” he said.

The NYPD’s resources are limited. “There is no way every shul would have a police officer to guard their security,” he said. Relying solely on the NYPD, according to Friedman, is “absolutely not realistic.”

The police have yet to investigate the damage as a hate-crime, although a resident who does not wish to be named said that animosity towards Jews in the neighborhood is commonplace. He went so far as to say that he understands why Hitler went after the Jews. “I think he was 110 percent wrong but I understand,” he said.

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By Marcus Ayala

On Thursday, the New York City Council held a hearing with representatives from CUNY on Career Services and Job Placements.

The hearing started with Christopher Rosa, who is the Interim CUNY’s Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs.

JROTC Color Guard performing the posting of the colors at the Veteran’s Day Observance Ceremony. Credit: Oscar Montenegro

He believes that CUNY is still the best choice for low-income youngsters and first-generation college students. “CUNY has 27 career centers on 24 campuses,” Rosa said.

Baruch has the most centers, with four, and the other campuses have only one. According to Rosa, each CUNY college president has the ultimate say in how funding the college receives.

Another speaker was Zina Richardson, who is CUNY’s Director of Career Services & Professional Development.

Richardson believes, “No career center is successful without key partnerships.” CUNY partners with the colleges and employers to provide valuable information and resources for all CUNY students.

The centers offer individualized career training through networking and mock interviews, as well as the posting of information about thousands of jobs and internships.

The CUNY centers have an average of four full-time staff members, with students being able to use resources also from other campuses.

In the 2017-2018 academic year, for the senior colleges, there were 2,083 internships. For the community colleges there were 312.

Veterans from the Vietnam War.
Credit: Oscar Montenegro

Lisanette Rosario, Director of Career Services at Hostos Community College, believes that community colleges are more hands-on in dealing with referrals, even though senior colleges have over 4,000 job postings compared with 1,000-plus at the two-year colleges.

The last speaker was Angie Kamath, who is the University’s Dean for Continuing Education and Workforce Development. She believes internships are very helpful in gaining employment. “We hope we can work together to help more and more New Yorkers,” she said.

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