So, Engel’s office sent out a press release at 5:47 p.m. with the following statement from Engel:

Haiti will recover, and America will be standing side-by-side with our neighbor.   For now, we are doing everything in our power to accelerate that recovery.  Our Haitian-American communities in New York, especially in Spring Valley and Nyack, and other states have welcomed victims with open arms.  Our schools, such as the East Ramapo School District, have taken in the children displaced by this natural disaster and are educating them.  This week, I asked the House Budget Committee to increase funding for the Refugee School Impact Grant Program, which helps schools cover the costs associated with such humanitarian efforts.I look forward to sharing my experiences with my constituents of the 17th District, particularly the Haitian-American community, and I will continue my work in Washington to help the people of Haiti recover from this tragedy.

Here’s a reminder from U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel, D-Bronx, regarding tax deductible donations to the Haitian relief effort. March 1 is Monday:

Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY-17) is urging anyone still considering making donations to help the beleaguered people of Haiti to do so before Monday, March 1, 2010 if they wish to claim the donation on their 2009 tax return.  In most years, you cannot take tax deductions on anything after December 31.  But to encourage donations for Haitian relief, Congress passed a law allowing tax deductions to be claimed on 2009 returns for donations made before March 1, 2010.

“Americans have been extremely generous ever since the devastating earthquake in January shook Haiti, killed hundreds of thousands and left hundreds of thousands more homeless and mourning lost loved ones.  The people of Haiti still need our help and will continue to for a long time as they rebuild their country.  In response to the great need in Haiti and the generosity of Americans, Congress passed and President Obama signed into law a bill permitting taxpayers to deduct their donations for Haitian relief on their 2009 return – if they donate before March 1, 2010.  In these tough economic times, Americans have stepped forward with their hard-earned money and this was a small, but effective gesture by the Federal government to ease the burden just a bit.”

To be eligible to file with 2009 taxes, itemized donations must be checks, credit card, debit card or cash, including texted donations such as for the American Red Cross efforts, and made before March 1. Donations of goods are not eligible.  If you donated via text message, a copy of your phone bill will be adequate to prove donation. If you charge your donations to a credit card before the end of February, that counts even if you don’t get or pay your credit card bill until next month or later.

“The Haitian people have a long road ahead of them, and I look forward to continuing to have the American people walk side by side with them on the way to recovery.  I will continue to work hard to find ways to not only help the Haitian people but to make it easier for Americans to help,” said Rep. Engel, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere.

The contributions must be made specifically for the relief of victims in areas affected by the Jan. 12 Haitian earthquake. Deductions can be claimed on 2009 taxes or 2010 taxes, but not both.

In the traditional sense, looking at the history of the district, Castelli’s victory could be classified as a “surprise.” The 89th has been a Democratic stronghold for the past 17 years. The district covers the City of White Plains, the Village of Mount Kisco and the towns of Harrison, New Castle, North Castle, Lewisboro, Bedford and Pound Ridge. Plus, Harckham won the bucks war, entering the race with a $61,800 warchest, plus $5,500 from the Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee. Castelli raised $21,000, and  the state GOP kicked in, paying for a few of his mailings, according to the candidate. 

But, in the current climate, Harckham’s edge in money and voter registration numbers can easily turn into deficits. Rob Astorino, and Scott Brown, have shown that. Plus, Harckham currently holds political office. Castelli, a former Lewisboro Town Board member, was likely more convincing when he, like Harckham, pitched himself as the “outsider.”

Here’s some forum posters’ perspectives on the election:

Just goes to show: It’s about the message – not the money!

I volunteered on Castelli’s campaign and learned firsthand that sitting on the couch shouting at the tv doesn’t help things change but getting behind the right candidate does. Please do what you can to support the candidates you believe in!

Castelli will be back on the election trail this fall, if he runs for a full term (this election filled the vacancy left when Adam Bradley became mayor of White Plains.) We’ll interview him and his challenger(s) again, and it will be interesting to hear what new perspective he’ll gain on Albany.

That finding has been called a “game changer” by Bill Albert, chief program officer at the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, a nonprofit, nonpartisan group based in Washington.

No matter where you fall on the sex-ed spectrum, this should be seen as good news. Why? Because we can look at the specifics of this program and that can help figure out what works when teaching kids how to remain healthy. Considering that teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases have increased, according to recently released data, all information about sex ed efficacy should get our attention.

What’s the big deal? Well, under the Bush administration, the funding floodgates were opened to programs that were what’s called “abstinence only” rather than programs called “abstinence based” and/or “comprehensive sex ed.” The traditional abstinence only programs, which often took a moral tilt on the topic and were religion-oriented, were consistently found lacking in results by myriad studies. Now, we have one program that has shown some success. The Obama administration has said it would only fund sex-ed programs that could show effectiveness, which left most abstinence-only programs in the cold. The game changes again.

This abstinence-only program was different than many, in that it discussed delaying sexual activity, but didn’t specify that sex was only for marriage. Also, the curriculum was devoid of religion. The reasons for abstinence focused on avoiding pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, rather than a moral message.

The study showed that the program could reduce sexual activity by nearly a third in 12- and 13-year-olds compared with students who received no sex education. But the window wasn’t so wide when compared to children who took part in safe-sex classes and comprehensive sex ed (which states abstinence is the most effective way to avoid pregnancy and STDs but includes safe sex lessons). In those programs, for this particular study, sexual activity was reduced by about 20 percent and a 40 percent reduction in multiple partners.

The study, though, didn’t demonstrate any increased use of condoms or other birth control when the students did have sex, no matter which curriculum was used. That puts kids who are sexually active at risk of pregnancy and disease.

There’s been lots of hard questions about this study. For example, will such education work for older children, or kids from other demographic backgrounds? That is why the examinations need to continue. But this is interesting data that needs to grab our attention. Kids need facts, and it’s a fact that abstinence is a 100 percent proven form of birth control. It’s also a fact that many teens will not remain abstinent—putting them at risk for STDs and pregnancy, especially if they lack information on how to prevent both. That’s where the need for education beyond abstinence (and the controversy) comes in. (Often called abstinence-based or abstinence-plus sex ed.)

The point is to keep kids healthy. This study provides another avenue. Let’s keep studying, and keep talking to our kids. Because, a study of common sense shows, for healthy kids with healthy attitudes, children  need to hear about “the big stuff” like sex ed from their parents, not just a classroom talk.

To read about the study, check out this L.A. Times article.

But this graduating class also included eight who had been convicted of felony driving while intoxicated. That’s a new path for Drug Courts, and Rockland is among the few to allow DWI violators to enter the program. The speaker in today’s ceremony was Sheila Abrams of Westchester MADD. Rockland County Court Judge Charles Apotheker (who runs the Drug Court program) met her during a Journal News/LoHud.com Editorial Spotlight panel discussion about drunken driving. Abrams’ two children were killed in a drunken driving crash. Abrams said it’s hard for many to understand why treatment is so important, and why she supports treatment over incarceration. “The victim’s first thought is, I wnt them to go to jail, they destroyed my family, I want them to go to jail,” she said, reflecting on her own pain and anger. But, Abrams said, the underlying issue of addiction won’t be addressed there. And that is the hard work, and the important work. “What you did today was historic,” she said of the Drug Court graduates.

Rockland District Attorney Thomas Zugibe also addressed the graduates and the near 100 supporters there to witness their accomplishment. “People say, ‘don’t you think you’re going soft on crime,’” he said of his support of Drug Court programs. “My job is to keep the public safe,” the DA said, “and there’s no better example of a prevention program than Drug Court.”

And as Zugibe, Apotheker and many of the graduates pointed out, “prevention program” isn’t synonymous with “easy.” The attendees are monitored (DWI offenders wear anklets that test their sobriety, the so-called “Lindsay Lohan” bracelet) and randomly drug-tested. They have to attend support groups and one-on-one counseling. Some of today’s graduates had setbacks, and ended up staying in longer.

More than one graduate made clear that, in many ways, a jail stint was less work than Drug Court. But, as one Drug Court grad said, “corrections facilities—they don’t correct anything.” Drug Court’s rewards can include a sober life, and a full one, making it worth the work.

“I was not a grown man,” one graduate said, reflecting on how he came into the program, “I was a nuisance . . . I was a menace to society.” He said now, “I’m back in college. I have a nice little GPA.”

Engel brought U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Regional District Director Andrea Quarantillo to answer questions about the recently granted Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for Haitians who are already in the U.S.  She gave a brief concise description of TPS, and answered questions and took suggestions from elected leaders and community leaders who run various nonprofits that aid the Haitian-American community.

But the last question underscored why we were there. As the meeting was wrapping up, Engel allowed one more question from a man amid the standing-room-only crowd in the small offices on West Nyack Road. He asked Quarantillo’s advice on how to get his two children out of Haiti, one who is a U.S. citizen but one who is not. “I don’t even know where they are,” he said after explaining their passport status and some of the government agencies he’s already worked with. “I heard a neighbor took them in.”

That’s what all the policy and procedure is supposed to accomplish — helping people find their loved ones, and reunite with them.

CIS, the State Department and  government agencies will continue to deal with these concerns locally. Last week, we reported about local officials readying for an uptick in immigration from Haiti. Rockland Department of Social Services Commissioner Susan Sherwood discussed the plans she’s been making with her staff, and the expectation that because of the strong Haitian-American community locally, specifically in Spring Valley, we could expect to see many Haitians fleeing the post-earthquake destruction to come here to join family. East Ramapo Schools Superintendent Ira Oustatcher said last week that one child who had left Haiti had already enrolled in his district. Today, a spokeswoman for Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, D-Suffern, said six children had enrolled in that district. Nyack’s schools Superintendent Valencia Douglas, on behalf of other Rockland’s School Superintendents, has also expressed concern about preparing for children coming from Haiti. At today’s meeting, Rockland County Legislature Chairwoman Harriet Cornell sought further discussions on the impact of public schools from children coming here, a topic Engel acknowledged needed discussion.

But for today, the focus continues about who can come to the U.S. and how to get them there. Engel said he wants to make sure “no Haitian gets deported from this country. I can’t think of anything crueler than that.”

With so many ties to the Caribbean nation, Oustatcher expected  that sooner or later, his office would see children of families fleeing the aftermath of the 7.0 magnitude quake enrolling in the East Ramapo schools.

That day has already come. Oustatcher said a student has been enrolled from Haiti.

Now, he says, districts like his, with large Haitian-American populations — in the Lower Hudson Valley that includes Nyack, North Rockland and White Plains — need to prepare for more. “We are going to start seeing families moving into the area,” he said this afternoon. “If I was a person who had family here … I’m packing up and leaving,” he said of those displaced, homeless, hurt by the disaster.

Oustatcher said that his and other communities need to start thinking about saving resources for those who come seeking refuge. “They don’t own winter coats — it’s Haiti,” he noted. Oustatcher said he was surprised that a student had come to his schools so soon. But many Haitian-American citizens, and those that hold green cards, do not necessarily need to go through the long immigration process to get here. “People go back and forth,” he said

“We’re having discussions of what that means for our district,” Oustacher said, and those discussions are taking place in other districts. “It will test our mettle,” he said.

Isn’t such a challenge, to educate all, in spite of obstacles, the mission of public schools? Oustatcher agreed. “It’s a great humanitarian moment,” he said.

Meanwhile, the East Ramapo district has rallied support for its students and their parents in the wake of the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti. Counseling has been available throughout the school day, and even on weekends.  Many children have been seeking out support from staff during the school day.

The school district and students are engaged in fund-raising efforts, Oustatcher said, with each building holding drives. Other districts in the Lower Hudson Valley are mounting similar efforts.

One Ramapo High School sophmore, Nelie Exallis, is running a coin collection to help pay  $2,500 needed to prep a rescue pumper firetruck that is to be sent to Haiti. Other school districts are mounting charity efforts as well, many driven by the students.

aT 5:04 P.M., It was announced that President Obama and the Department of Homeland Security has granted Temporary Protected Status to Haitians in the United States whose visas have expired or may expire, and who were subject to deportation.

HERE WAS THE EARLIER POST, filed before the TPS announcement:

Last February, local Haitian-American activists rallied to urge the U.S. government to halt U.S. deportations of Haitians amid the devastation suffered in the Caribbean nation devastated by hurricanes, and already before that the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. They were among those advocating for the Department of Homeland Security to grant eligible Haitian immigrants temporary protection status, or TPS.

Now, the push is on again to grant Haitian immigrants facing deportation TPS, a temporary immigration status granted by the United States to eligible nationals of certain countries who are unable to safely return to their home countries because of armed conflict, environmental disaster, or other extraordinary and temporary conditions.

Editorials supporting TPS appeared today in the Miami Herald and New York Times. U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel, D-Bronx, who pushed the Obama administration to grant TPS for Haitian immigrants last year, sent out a press release this evening encouraging TPS status for Haitians whose visas have expired or may expire, subjecting them to deportation.

He included a letter to the president, which reads:

Dear Mr. President:

On Tuesday, a devastating earthquake struck Haiti. This terrible event has killed thousands in the Port-au-Prince area and destroyed countless buildings.  We thank you for extending to the people of Haiti the deep condolences and unwavering support of the American people and directing your administration to respond with a swift, coordinated, and aggressive effort to save lives.

As members of Congress from New York, home to a very large Haitian diaspora community, we know that Haiti’s emergency needs are overwhelming.  Even with the death and casualty toll still unknown, the immediate need for food, medicines, water, emergency shelter, and equipment are obvious.  It is also clear that there will be an even greater need for a long-term commitment to rebuild the nation’s infrastructure, as well as educational, security, and economic assistance.  As the leader in our hemisphere and Haiti’s most important political partner, the U.S. should lead the way in supporting these efforts.

In the short term, we urgently request that you immediately direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Haitians currently in the United States. As you know, nationals of a country may be designated for TPS when that country has suffered an environmental disaster resulting in a substantial, temporary disruption of living conditions and it is temporarily unable to handle adequately the return of its nationals.  We believe that with Tuesday’s severe earthquake Haiti has more than exceeded the conditions for TPS designation and should be designated without delay.

Just over one year ago, Haiti was struck by severe flooding following hurricanes and storms, destroying much of the infrastructure of the country.  Before yesterday’s earthquake, Haiti was only beginning to recover from that disaster.  Given yesterday’s calamity, Haiti is completely incapable of handling an influx of thousands of additional people if they were sent back from the United States.

TPS has been routinely extended to nationals of various countries which have suffered natural disasters.  In the Western Hemisphere, alone, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras, are covered by TPS designations.  Given the devastation in Haiti, it would be incomprehensible if TPS was not extended to Haiti, as well.

It is our understanding that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Assistant Secretary John Morton have halted all removals to Haiti for the time being in response to the devastation caused by yesterday’s earthquake. We urge you to take the next step and to designate Haitian nationals in the United States for TPS.

Again, as members of Congress from New York, the home of a very large Haitian diaspora community, we thank you for your assistance to the people of Haiti at this difficult time, and we look forward to hearing from you about Temporary Protected Status for Haitians in the United States.

The catastrophe has touched so many here, which was obvious this morning at a press conference at Ramapo Town Hall.

Ramapo Town Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence opened up the conference by expressing his concerns, in both English and Creole, for the nation that has such strong ties to our region. He had spent a solid 20 minutes calling up different elected officials and community leaders, most from the Haitian community. St. Lawrence has been to Haiti several times, and he and Spring Valley Trustee Joseph Desmaret, who was also in attendance, are chairman and vice chairman respectively, of the Haitian Solid Waste Authority (St. Lawrence is chairman of the Rockland Solid Waste Authority) and he spoke in great detail about the area where the earthquake hit, and about the nearby capital, Port-au-Prince, where he had been just months before.

The connection between Spring Valley and Haiti was underscored by the number of local officials of Haitian descent who spoke and referenced their own missing family members. Spring Valley Mayor Noramie Jasmin was awaiting word on her husband, Ronald. Rose Leandre, the head of HACSO, a nonprofit, said she had just dropped her mom off at the airport Monday to return to Haiti and hadn’t heard from her. Another man mentioned his wife and son were missing. Two women stood, arms around another, fighting back tears. Another wept quietly during the press conference.  “Every single Haitian-American has family in Haiti,” said Spring Valley Trustee Demeza Delhomme.

Many in the group were determined to help coordinate relief efforts, even as they were so desperately seeking information about their loved ones. It demonstrated not only how a relatively new immigrant group remains linked to its homeland, but how Haiti’s long though often troubled legacy of democracy has fostered such deep community and political activism. Though the Haitian community in Rockland has grown tremendously in the last decade (estimates are that more than 30,000 people of Haitian decent live in the Spring Valley area), there are Haitian families that have lived here three, even four decades. Rockland County Legislator Jacques Michel, at his swearing-in ceremony in 2008, spoke of the Haitian freedom fighters who came to fight in the Revolutionary War, demonstrating Haiti’s long commitment to democracy.

Find out how to -How-you-can-help” target=”_blank”>here, and in tomorrow’s Journal News.

UNTV: A worker searches rubble of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti.

Some aren’t very happy, as reported today in the New York Daily News.

There’s a real risk in people finding a word like this offensive and junking the whole survey. Census information is very important, and communities benefit greatly from having all people who should be counted actually counted.

Ends up, though, the Census Bureau revived  “Negro” for the categories in 2008.

I perused old American Community Survey forms to see how that category had been listed before, and it seems that the word “Negro” was added in the 2008 and 2009 forms. So, it’s not really new language, but the first time it’s being used in the big count, so it’s gotten more attention.

Census Bureau spokesman Jack Martin told the Daily News that “Many older African-Americans identified themselves that way, and many still do. . . . Those who identify themselves as Negroes need to be included.” But New Yorkers they interviewed found the term either offensive or just plain outdated.

The Census takes place nationwide every decade, and is very important for distribution of federal funds, and representation in legislative branches of government (just look at the population drop in New York State from the 2000 Census that ended the congressional district of former Rep. Ben Gilman.) The word has been on earlier surveys in ACS communities, which provide year-by-year tabs for federal government use in spotting trends. Both Westchester and Rockland are ACS communities.

Some have complained that the 2010 Census survey is too limited in its racial and ethnic categories. They have said the Census doesn’t have a place for them to fit.

A May 2009 article by staff writer Leah Rae states:

Some West Indians are asking for a new question that would count those of Caribbean descent, akin to the Hispanic category. The Arab American Institute wants to add a broader question about ancestry to improve the count of Middle Easterners and others. Hispanics will likely respond to the race question as they have in the past, with many bypassing the listed options and choosing “some other race.”)