UPDATE New York State Issues Air Quality Advisory & Heat Alert

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation issued an air quality advisory for New York City for Saturday, May 21, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The pollutant of concern is Ozone. Officials said active children and adults, and people with respiratory problems, such as asthma should reduce prolonged or heavy exertion outdoors. DEC and DOH issue Air Quality Health Advisories when DEC meteorologists predict levels of pollution, either ozone or fine particulate matter are expected to exceed an Air Quality Index (AQI) value of 100. The AQI was created as an easy way to correlate levels of

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New York City Council voted unanimously in the affirmative on Thursday, May 19, to pass the first package of bills sponsored by District 15 City Council Member Oswald Feliz, chair of the City Council Twin Parks Fire Safety Committee, which aim to strengthen fire enforcement and safety in New York City communities. The various bills increase penalties and fines for self-closing door violations. As reported, the FDNY found that a self-closing door violation was a contributing factor in the occurrence of loss of life during the Twin Parks fire tragedy of Sunday, Jan. 9. The bills also

By JULIAN NAZAR

“It’s me, killer Chuck – the best MC, back in The Bronx – it’s the place to be! Tonight is the night – movin’ and groovin’! It’s also the night we say, ‘Thank you Ruben!’” U.S. Senator and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s rap intro was one of many remarkable sights and sounds that spectators were treated to at a recent show in Jerome Park’s Lehman Center for the Performing Arts. On Saturday, April 30, almost all 2,276 seats at the Lehman Center were filled for “Hip-Hop Fever,” a hip-hop show dedicated to former Bronx Borough President Ruben

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD is asking for the public’s help identifying the two people seen in the attached photo who are sought in connection to a robbery that occurred on the border of Wakefield and Mount Vernon. It was reported to police that on Saturday, May 7, at around 2.40 p.m., in front of 2565 Barnes Avenue, a 65-year-old man was walking in the location when he was approached by the two. An NYPD official said, “One of the individuals displayed a firearm while demanding money.” According to police, the victim was hit about the head multiple times with the

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Building applications have filed with New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) for a seven-story, mixed-use building at 1985 Jerome Avenue in the Morris Heights section of The Bronx, reported by YIMBY. Located between West Burnside Avenue and West Tremont Avenue, the lot is steps from the Burnside Avenue subway station, serviced by the 4 train. Moris Yeroshalmi under the Yed LLC is listed as the owner behind the applications, according to YIMBY. The proposed 70-foot-tall development will yield 41,759 square feet, with 38,620 square feet designated for residential space and 3,139 square feet for commercial space.

By DAVID GREENE

This week, we asked readers their thoughts on the possibility of Roe v. Wade being struck down and whether, in their view, such a Supreme Court decision could potentially lead to the banning of contraception. “I do believe everyone has a right to their own bodies, especially women. I also believe people have rights to do whatever they want with their bodies, but sometimes too many rights are given to people and it’s misused. Let’s just say, for example, if a woman is pregnant at a certain stage, that pregnancy should not be terminated, you understand? If the

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD is seeking the public’s assistance identifying an individual who is sought in connection to a pattern of robbery and criminal sex acts that occurred in the Laconia and Edenwald sections of the North Bronx. On Sunday, May 1, at approximately 11.20 p.m., the individual approached a 19-year-old male victim in the vicinity of Eastchester Road and Burke Avenue in Laconia and displayed a knife. The aggressor stole the victim’s phone and forced him to perform a sexual act on him, while the victim resisted. The assailant then fled to parts unknown. On May 18, an additional

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD is seeking the public’s assistance identifying the person seen in the attached video who scammed two prospective renters into handing over cash for an apartment by impersonating a police officer in the Indian Village section of The Bronx. On Thursday, April 7, at around 10 p.m., police said the individual met a 31-year-old male victim and 35-year-old male victim inside a residential building in the vicinity of Haight Avenue and Neill Avenue allegedly in order to rent them an apartment. The victims agreed to renting the location and gave the individual $2,000 in cash. “Prior

By JULIAN NAZAR

In the wake of the Twin Parks fire tragedy in Fordham Heights on Sunday, Jan. 9, a tragedy that claimed the lives of 17 people, including 8 children, Felicia Galitsky remembered that years earlier she had passed a permanent roadside memorial erected in memory of other victims of a prior Bronx tragedy. The memory and image stuck with her and inspired her to arrange a similar, permanent tribute to the victims of the Twin Parks residential fire. The chief of staff for Laundry Capital Co. LLC, parent company of Clean Rite Centers, told Norwood News, “What if, instead of a