Category: ESTA News

Virginia’s Fairfax County is moving forward with a plan to drastically change its current trash collection method. According to local media outlet Annandale Today and others, the county’s Department of Public Works and Environmental Services (DPWES) is pushing for the implementation of the so-called “Unified Sanitation District Model” (USDM). This model would outsource trash and recycling collection to private waste companies contracted with the county and charge different fees based on the size of the bin.

Under this new system, waste collection companies contracted with the county would be assigned to specific areas for single-family homes. This is a significant departure from the current system, where residents individually select and contract with garbage companies. Currently, garbage trucks from multiple companies can be seen collecting trash in the same area, but under the new system, only trucks from a specific company would operate in a designated area.

The county expects the revamped collection system to provide residents with benefits such as better resource allocation, improved customer service, and a 25% reduction in collection fees. “The new garbage collection system will provide residents with standardized, efficient, and effective service through contracts with the county, and will significantly improve waste management,” county officials said. “Contracted companies will adhere to strict standards to ensure consistent and reliable service.”

The county plans to introduce the new garbage collection system to 300,000 single-family homes between 2030 and 2034, with gradual expansion to condos, apartments, and commercial customers from 2038 to 2045. If the plan is approved by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality in the first half of next year, public hearings will be held in the summer to gather public input.

Meanwhile, the county is also considering a plan to charge a flat rate for garbage collection, regardless of the size of the bin, with a discount for bins smaller than the standard 95-gallon size. In this case, residents would be able to choose between a 32-gallon or 64-gallon bin.

A Chinese man accused of running a secret Chinese police station in Manhattan’s Chinatown by hanging a sign for his hometown association has pleaded guilty, according to foreign media outlets including the British daily Guardian, which reported on the 18th. Chinese American Chen Jinping, 60, was brought to trial on charges of opening and operating an illegal secret police station affiliated with the Chinese Ministry of Public Security in Manhattan. He pleaded guilty during a hearing at the Eastern District of New York on that day.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which led the investigation, stated that Chen Jinping admitted to playing a role in setting up the illegal police station “to further China’s criminal and repressive objectives that directly violate the sovereignty of the United States.” Based on his guilty plea, Chen Jinping could face up to five years in prison when his sentencing is scheduled for next year.

Lu Jianwang, 62, who was indicted alongside Chen, denied the charges. The two were previously indicted on charges of assisting in activities such as monitoring people critical of the Chinese government from an office in Manhattan’s Chinatown, which displayed a sign for the “Changle Gonghoe,” a Fujian Province-based association. The Chinese Foreign Ministry has denied the existence of the secret police station.

The increase for those without an Easy Pass is even greater, from July 6 to $22.28.

The tolls on bridges and tunnels connecting New York and New Jersey, including the George Washington Bridge and Lincoln Tunnel, will rise again starting next January. Fast Lane fares will also increase for the first time in 10 years, with a $3 fee per ride.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey held a board meeting on the 12th and approved a new $9.4 billion budget that includes a bridge and tunnel toll increase. Accordingly, tolls for six bridges and two tunnels connecting New York and New Jersey, including the George Washington Bridge, Lincoln Tunnel, and Holland Tunnel, have been confirmed to increase starting January 5 next year.

Specifically, the Easy Pass toll for passenger cars will increase from $15.38 to $16.6 during peak hours. Off-peak hours will increase from $13.38 to $14.6.

The Port Authority has decided to raise tolls by 43 cents to reflect the inflation index, and separately increase tolls by 25 cents each year for four years from 2025 to 2028. As a result, the Easy Pass toll will increase by 68 cents from the current level starting January 5 next year. The toll increase for passenger cars without Easy Pass will be much greater.

First, it will increase to $18.31 from January 5 next year, and then to $22.38 cents from July 6 next year. Currently, bridges and tunnels under the jurisdiction of the Port Authority do not have cash toll booths, and for vehicles without an EZ-Pass, a toll payment notice will be sent to drivers by mail in the future, and this fare will increase significantly.

If you cross the George Washington Bridge without an EZ-Pass, you will have to pay a fare of over $22 starting next July.

In addition, if you have an EZ-Pass but the payment is not made due to toll booth reading issues and the toll is billed by mail starting July 6 next year, you will have to pay a toll of $18.72. In addition, it has been confirmed that the fare for the Fastlane, a train service connecting Manhattan and New Jersey, will increase from the current $2.75 to $3 starting January 12 next year.

This is the first increase in Fastlane fare in 10 years since 2014.

The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 15th that Tesla CEO Elon Musk has made over 600 times his ‘investment’ in President-elect Donald Trump.

According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Musk, who is ranked first among the world’s richest people as of the 13th, has assets of approximately $442 billion. Due to the rise in Tesla’s stock price, it has increased by approximately $200 billion, or about 80% this year alone. It has increased by $170 billion since the presidential election.

Of this year’s asset increase, 85% occurred in the 40 days since the 5th of last month.

During this period, Tesla’s stock price soared 73.5% from $251.44 (November 5) to $436.23 (December 13). Musk, who actively campaigned for former President Trump during the US presidential election, is enjoying the full effect of Trump’s election. Musk also poured a huge amount of election funds into former President Trump during the presidential election. Musk invested $277 million in election funds. He earned $170 billion by ‘investing’ $277 million. The ‘return’ is 612 times.

The ‘return’ can increase further.

Musk was appointed as the head of government efficiency in Trump’s second term, and he is exercising great authority as Trump’s closest aide, including being involved in cabinet appointments. The Washington Post reported that “As Musk becomes Trump’s loyal political ally, Musk’s corporate empire will directly benefit from Trump’s promised deregulation and other policies,” and that “as the head of government efficiency, Musk may also create policies that directly affect his businesses.”

In addition to the electric car company Tesla, Musk also owns space company SpaceX, brain science startup Neural ink, artificial intelligence (AI) company Xai, social media company X (formerly Twitter), and tunnel-digging company The Boring Company.

Senator Edward J. Markey (Democrat, Massachusetts), who has been critical of Tesla’s approach to advanced driver assistance features, said, “Musk is already reaping the benefits of his investment in Trump,” and said he plans to prevent Musk from easing regulations or weakening legal standards for his own businesses.

The Everglades are one of the most important ecosystems in the United States, providing drinking water to nearly a third of Floridians. The state is determined to build a massive reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee to secure access to drinking water for South Florida.

Current drinking water comes primarily from underground aquifers, which are themselves fed by the Everglades. Florida’s rapidly growing population and rising water levels and flooding make restoring the entire Everglades ecosystem urgent. The Everglades Foundation told Lucy Sherriff for the BBC in an August 16, 2024, article that the project is the largest in the world today. It consists of 68 individual, interconnected infrastructure projects.

The construction of a new reservoir, the keystone of the restoration and a technological feat.

Located on an area larger than Manhattan and Staten Island combined, a new drinking water reservoir will span more than 10,100 acres. At an estimated cost of $2.78 billion, it will be capable of storing more than 295 billion liters of water (7.8 billion gallons), enough to fill 118,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools. A 36-foot-high embankment wall will encircle it. Another 6,500-acre reservoir for treating storms and rainwater is also planned.

The fight against toxic algae.

Another priority of the colossal Everglades restoration project: the fight against the proliferation of algae, which are proliferating with rising temperatures and pollution. The discharge of contaminated water into the Atlantic Ocean or the Gulf of Mexico has already caused beach closures and mass fish deaths.

There is no shortage of money.

The comprehensive Everglades restoration plan was passed by the Florida Congress in 2020 and is funded by the state of Florida with federal assistance. Funds are plentiful given the urgency of the situation: a total of $23 billion over several years is budgeted. But the project, jointly managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District, is running behind schedule.

The complexity of the situation.

Jennifer Reynolds, the district’s director for renovation and a former deputy director of the Army Corps, told WLRN’s Jenny Teletovic on Nov. 8, 2024, that the reservoir could not be completed and operational until 2034, four years later than announced last year: “We just can’t dig the ground any faster,” she said. In addition, outside of the gigantic reservoir, pollution emergencies forced engineers to focus on the St. Lucie Estuary and the Caloosahatchee River: the emergency construction of underground reservoirs to store polluted water was necessary in the face of massive algae invasions.

The concern of the population

But that’s not the only explanation for the particularly glaring delays in South Florida. As Eva Velez, director of ecosystems for the Army Corps, points out, the work in Biscayne Bay is facing technical difficulties: the Miami-Dade area is densely populated, and the terrain is very specific.

The Army Corps has decided it needs to do additional studies before submitting its exact plans to the Florida Congress to move forward.

As Jennifer Reynolds sums it up: “It used to be simple, it was just about money. But we’re not there anymore. Now we must think about all the pieces that have to come together before we can put a bulldozer on the ground.”

A thief who specialized in stealing mail or threatening postal workers to steal the keys to mailboxes and then stealing the items stored in them in wealthy neighbourhoods in the Washington area, including Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., has been caught.

According to an announcement from the Washington, D.C. federal court, Ibrahim Cruz (25, DC) has been stealing large amounts of mail from mailboxes in wealthy areas in Washington, D.C., Arlington, Virginia, and Bowie, Maryland since before December of last year, and has also committed robberies against postal workers.

Cruz also stole checks, credit cards, and ID information from the stolen mail, and used the money to pay off his debts or pay rent, utility bills, and cell phone bills.

Federal postal investigators and Metro police began investigating after receiving tips in December of last year, and identified and arrested the suspect through CCTV, SNS such as Instagram, and cell phone tracking.

The White House indirectly criticized President-elect Donald Trump’s decision to fire the FBI director who had time left in his term and appoint a loyalist to replace him, saying, “The FBI director is appointed for a 10-year term.”

In an interview with ABC and other networks on the 1st, White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said, “I want to emphasize what the Biden administration has done in approaching the issue of the FBI director,” regarding President-elect Trump’s announcement that he would appoint former Acting Secretary of Defense Chief of Staff Kathy Patel as FBI director.

Regarding the10-year term of the FBI director, he said, “It means that it goes beyond the term of a president,” and “So we actually inherited FBI Director Christopher Wray, who was nominated by President Trump (during his first term).”Sullivan said of Director Wray, “He has served in that role for four years in the Biden administration, and he has served in that role completely separate from the politics of partisan favoritism toward the current president of the United States.” He went on to emphasize that “this is a wonderful and deeply bipartisan tradition that President Joe Biden has upheld.”

When asked by the host about former Chief of Staff Patel’s threats of retaliation against Democrats, including her labeling him a “corrupt actor,” Sullivan avoided giving a direct answer, saying, “I’m not going to talk about President-elect Trump’s nominees,” and only stated that she would focus on the transition until January 20, the inauguration of the new administration.

President-elect Trump announced the day before that he would appoint former Chief of Staff Patel to succeed Christopher Wray, whom he appointed as president in 2017.After taking office, Director Wray was criticized by then-President Trump for his congressional testimony regarding the threat of Russian election interference during Trump’s first term.P

resident-elect Trump’s eldest son, Trump Jr., also attacked Director Wray at the time, saying, “He is working with corrupt Democrats.”

For this reason, American media outlets have predicted that President-elect Trump will fire Director Wray if he is re-elected. Meanwhile, Sullivan said, “That is not under consideration,” regarding the recent New York Times report that some are discussing the idea of the Biden administration relocating former Soviet-era nuclear weapons to Ukraine before the end of its term to strengthen Ukraine’s defense.

Regarding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s suggestion that he might give up some of his country’s territory in connection with ceasefire negotiations, he repeated his basic answer, saying, “The point is that Ukraine’s fate is not something that is imposed by outside forces, including the United States, but is decided by the Ukrainian people.”

When asked whether President-elect Trump’s desire for a ceasefire in Gaza before his inauguration increases the likelihood of an actual ceasefire, Sullivan emphasized, “Hamas is the key entity that can make the ceasefire decision,” and “The key motivating them is not a change of government in the United States, but their decision as to whether it is appropriate to do so at this point, with Hezbollah abandoning them and their leader being killed.”

When asked about the prospects for ceasefire negotiations in Gaza, he likened the negotiations to an American football game, saying, “You can get to the one-yard line, but you never know if you’re going to cross the finish line,” and “You don’t know when it’s going to happen because it’s going to require an ultimate breakthrough to get a deal done.” He added, “There has been progress, and there’s a sense again that this is possible,” but added, “There have been times before when we thought we were close, but we didn’t get there.”

He continued, “We want to get a ceasefire and the release of the hostages, but we’re not there yet.”

The Times reported on the 30th that there are rumors circulating in British politics that billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk will donate a large sum of money to a pro-Trump politician in the UK. There is speculation that Musk, who has been in opposition to Keir Starmer, the current British Labor Party Prime Minister, could use his astronomical wealth to shake up British politics by pushing for a politician he supports as Prime Minister.

According to The Times, there is talk among British opposition Conservative Party officials and businesspeople that Musk is preparing to donate $100 million to Nigel Farage, the leader of the UK Reform Party, a far-right politician. The Times reported that the political funding is expected to be made through the UK branch of Musk’s social media company X (formerly Twitter), bypassing the relevant UK laws.

A source close to Farage also said that it would not be surprising if such a donation were made. The source said, “Musk admires Farage and wants him to succeed him.”

Farage is a right-wing politician who is called the ‘British Trump’. After leaving the Conservative Party in 1992, he spread anti-EU sentiment and led the Brexit movement. It is widely known that he built a close relationship with President-elect Donald Trump during the recent US presidential election, including giving a speech in support of him.

Farage said he was unaware of the rumors of Musk’s large donation but said that he is in close contact with Musk. Farage told The Times, “I am in contact with Musk, and he is very supportive of my views,” adding, “We both have a good relationship with President-elect Trump.”

Musk has clashed with the Labor Party since he wrote a series of critical posts about the Labor government led by Prime Minister Starmer during the anti-immigrant violence in the UK this summer. Recently, he shared a social media post saying that a petition started by opponents of the ruling party calling for an early general election in the UK had been signed by over 200,000 people, and expressed sympathy by writing, “Wow.”

There have also been reports that Musk is on good terms with former prime ministers of the Conservative and Labor parties, Boris Johnson and Tony Blair. According to the Financial Times (FT), venture capitalist Sriram Krishnan, who helped Musk acquire Twitter (now X) in 2022, is said to have recently re-introduced former Prime Minister Johnson to Musk and connected them.

Former Prime Minister Blair, who praised Musk as an “extraordinary innovator” in his recent book, is also said to have recently met and talked to Musk in person. The FT reported that both former Prime Minister Blair and Musk are close friends with Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, and that Blair’s non-profit foundation TBI is collaborating with Musk’s private satellite company Starlink on a project in Africa.

Meanwhile, there was advice that ruling party and government officials who have a strained relationship with Musk should hurry to improve their relationship with Musk, who has emerged as one of Trump’s closest aides.

The FT reported that former senator Peter Mandelson, a senior member of the Labor Party, recently advised British politicians to put aside their pride and contact Musk’s aides.

The Washington Korean Community Service Center (Director Jinah Kim) is providing individual services to Korean seniors in the community during the Medicare Part D (drug insurance) review and registration period.

The center has provided drug insurance review, change, and enrollment services to approximately 250 Koreans since the 15th of last month.

Choi Daehyun, the head of the social welfare team at the center, said, “Since the types of drugs subsidized by each plan, insurance premiums, and co-payments change every year, we recommend checking every year,” and “In particular, since the number of plans in most areas has decreased significantly next year compared to this year, when insurance companies automatically change plans, they often change to insurance with higher premiums. Therefore, it is important to check how your insurance has changed.”

He also added that current beneficiaries of benefits such as Extra Help need to check whether the benefits will be maintained next year and whether continuous benefits are possible.

The welfare center also provides explanations and guidance on the Medicare Savings Program and Medicare Prescription Drug Assistance Plan (Extra Help) that clients can sign up for depending on their circumstances, along with drug insurance checks and enrollment.

Medicare Part D plan checks and changes are possible between October 15 and December 7 each year, and the changed drug insurance will be applied from January 1 of the following year. Anyone who is 65 years of age or older or has a disability and has Medicare must sign up for drug insurance for prescription drug coverage, and drug insurance plans can be checked and changed during a designated period each year.

To receive services, you must bring your ID for identification, your current prescription medication bottles, your Medicare and Medicaid cards, and your drug insurance card.

For inquiries and reservations, call (703) 354-6345 VA Annandale Office, (240) 683-6663 MD Gaithersburg Office, (240) 847-7177 Silver Spring and Ellicott City Offices

New York City’s “City of Yes” project, which aims to provide a large amount of affordable housing by relaxing zoning regulations, passed a New York City Council subcommittee on the 21st with reduced content than originally planned.

The New York City Council’s Zoning and Franchising Committee and Land Use Committee voted today to reduce the project’s original goal of providing 108,000 affordable housing units over the next 15 years by 26%, to 80,000 units.

By excluding areas targeted for the supply of basements, attics, converted garage accessory dwelling units (ADUs), or so-called “backyard homes,” flood-prone areas, landmark areas, and the outskirts of the city such as Queens and Brooklyn, concerns of residents of Bayside, Queens who had opposed the implementation of the “City of Yes” have disappeared.

Last September, Bayside residents and politicians rallied at the LIRR Bayside station, demanding the plan be scrapped, arguing that “if the City of Yes is implemented, Bayside population density will double, creating severe parking problems and devastating impacts to residents’ lives.”

The City of Yes project would have allowed commercial buildings built before 1965 to be converted to residential use, or existing residential buildings to be converted into multi-family housing through additions.

Accordingly, in the target area, multi-family housing or apartment buildings of three to five stories in height would be built on street corners near major transit facilities (such as the LIRR train station), and 800-square-foot ADUs would be built in the backyards of houses, raising strong concerns about a decline in quality of life due to parking problems and other factors caused by the population increase.

Mayor Eric Adams said on the day, “This is a historic moment, as New York City can begin to supply affordable housing in certain areas that have not been touched since the 1960s,” and “If 80,000 affordable housing units are supplied over the next 15 years, it will surpass the total number of affordable housing units supplied through zoning adjustments by the Bloomberg and de Blasio administrations.”

Mayor Adams expected that the implementation of the “City of Yes” project would be able to curb the rising rents in New York City. Meanwhile, the “City of Yes” project, which was passed with amendments on the day, will be put to a vote at the City Council plenary session on the 5th of next month.