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District 51

Joseph C. Borelli

Todt Hill-Emerson Hill-Lighthouse Hill-Manor Heights, New Springville-Willowbrook-Bulls Head-Travis, Freshkills Park (North), Oakwood-Richmondtown, Great Kills-Eltingville, Arden Heights-Rossville, Annadale-Huguenot-Prince's Bay-Woodrow, Tottenville-Charleston, Freshkills Park (South), Great Kills Park

Published: Oct. 28, 2022, 3:07 p.m.

By Ann Marie Barron | ABarron@siadvance.com

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — There may be a chill in the air, but that hasn’t stopped the spotted lanternfly from swarming on Staten Island lawns and gardens, spreading larvae to ensure next spring’s pesky population.

The destructive insects with colorful wings — known to be a threat to plants and crops that are critical to New York’s agricultural economy — are still swarming in big numbers in the Island’s many residential neighborhoods, mating and laying eggs. 

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Published: Oct. 25, 2022, 10:09 p.m.

By David Luces | DLuces@siadvance.com

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — In the aftermath of the shooting at Tottenville High School Tuesday afternoon which left a 14-year-old freshman wounded, two borough elected officials have called for increased police presence at schools and changes to current state laws.

Borough President Vito Fossella called Tuesday’s shooting incident “terrible” at an impromptu press conference a block away from the high school.

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Published: Sept 27th, 2022, 12:58pm

By Paul Liotta | pliotta@siadvance.com

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — In the midst of New York City’s ongoing migrant crisis, 56 people have sought refuge on Staten Island, according to Staten Island elected officials who want answers about the budgetary impact.

Borough President Vito Fossella, City Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli (R-South Shore), City Councilwoman Kamillah Hanks (D-North Shore), and City Councilman David Carr (R-Mid-Island) sent a letter to Independent Budget Office Acting Director George Sweeting highlighting their concerns about the influx of migrants from the nation’s southern border, many of whom have been identified as asylum seekers.

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BY CHRISTINA FAN SEPTEMBER 12, 2022 / 5:25 PM / CBS NEW YORK

NEW YORK — Bipartisan opposition is building against congestion pricing.

On Monday, a group of legislators alarmed by the environmental impacts urged Gov. Kathy Hochul to re-think her position, CBS2’s Christina Fan reported.

London is supposed to be the shining beacon of congestion pricing success, but 

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By Cayla Bamberger September 6, 2022 6:33pm Updated

City council members voted Tuesday to restore hundreds of millions of dollars to New York’s school budget — just months after many of them voted to make the very same cuts.

The mostly symbolic reversal, which got unanimous support from a bipartisan group of 41 council members, is non-binding, and calls on Mayor Eric Adams to use temporary COVID aid or other funds 

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By Paul Liotta | pliotta@siadvance.com

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The New York City Council passed a resolution Tuesday calling for Mayor Eric Adams and the Department of Education to fully restore $469 million in school budget cuts.

All three of Staten Island’s City Councilmembers — City Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli (R-South Shore), City Councilman David Carr (R-Mid-Island) and City Councilwoman Kamillah Hanks (D-North Shore) — voted in favor of the resolution.

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By Kayla Simas | KSimas@siadvance.com

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Close to 150 friends and family members gathered Friday morning to pay tribute to beloved firefighter Jimmy Martinez, 58, of Great Kills during a street renaming ceremony.

The intersection of Beach Road and Hillcrest Street was dedicated to the 26-year career decorated firefighter from both Staten Island and Brooklyn, who died after succumbing to a 9/11-related illness on August 24, 2018.

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By Joe Borelli

City Hall has one of the finest views of the Brooklyn Bridge: a unique angle of a Gilded Age wonder, with its Gothic arches and cable lattice pointing upward for nearly 140 years, now captured daily by Tik Tok phototourists.

And though my City Hall colleagues (and our pals in the statehouse) can’t seem to see it, this magnificent bridge is also a triumph of urban transportation, allowing middle-class residents outside dense Manhattan to get themselves to their jobs, doctors, relatives, shops, restaurants and theaters.

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