AG James Renews Suspension of Medical and Student Debt Owed to State for Sixth Time

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Friday, Sept. 4 that the State will renew, for the sixth time, an order to halt, for an additional 30-day period, the collection of medical and student debt that has been specifically referred to her office for collection. James will renew the order first made in March, and renewed in April, in May, in June, in July, and in August to ease the financial burdens for many workers and families by halting the collection of medical and student debt owed to the State of New York, and referred to the OAG for collection through

By DAVID GREENE

Police are looking for an individual who opened fire on a complete stranger in broad daylight for no apparent reason. The victim was a young woman who was simply headed to a supermarket in the Kingsbridge Heights section of the Bronx. According to Detective Denise Moroney, officers from the 52nd precinct were called following a report of an assault outside of 2645 Morris Avenue, between East Kingsbridge Road and East 193rd Street, at 9:01 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 28. Moroney said, “Upon arrival, officers were informed by a 22-year-old female [that] she was walking to the grocery store when

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD is asking for the public’s assistance in ascertaining the whereabouts of the unidentified male seen in the attached surveillance photo and who is sought in connection with a robbery which took place within the confines of the 52nd precinct. It was reported to police that on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020 at approximately 5.33 p.m., a 42-year-old female victim was walking in front of 2848 Bainbridge Avenue in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx, when an unidentified man approached her from behind. He forcibly removed her purse from her hand and property from her pockets after pushing

By SÍLE MOLONEY

In another rebuke of the Sept. 1 deal agreed between New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and UFT President Michael Mulgrew on the physical reopening of public schools this fall, NYC School Workers Solidarity Campaign rejected the deal, issuing a lengthy statement on the matter on Sept. 2. “The New York City School Workers Solidarity Campaign stands behind our educators. We are a coalition of parents, educators, nurses, union and community members, and we support school workers’ demands to not reopen in-person schooling until it is safe,” the statement read. “The recent deal negotiated between Mulgrew and

By SÍLE MOLONEY

“Letter to the President” is a highly anticipated/controversial single featuring some premier Hip-Hop artists from “The Young Millennials,” aka The YM Squad, RNB Nah (Bronx) featuring Big Boos, Nene Ali (Bronx), Lil Legin, Destiny Rae and JSA. On Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., the Community Board Athletic Leadership League (CBall) will host a virtual launch party and panel discussion to coincide with the music video release. CBall is a non-for-profit organization which, among other objectives, works to provide children from New York City with opportunities to participate in sports activities. Joining the artists

By SÍLE MOLONEY

It wasn’t quick, but AutoZone finally removed some unsightly graffiti that had covered the southern wall of an unopened AutoZone store in Kingsbridge. Constituents had reported the graffiti via Twitter, and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz had also noticed the graffiti as far back as July 10. After weeks of trying to find a responsible party for the unopened store, AutoZone painted over the graffiti over the course of two days on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1. The AutoZone store has long been a sore spot for the neighborhood as local residents waited for several years for the doors to be

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson released a statement on indoor dining on Wednesday, Sept. 2. “It’s time to allow indoor dining in New York City with reduced capacity and clear guidance to ensure social distancing and safety,” Johnson said. “This is crucial for restaurant owners, who have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic and the resulting drop in tourism. Summer is winding down, and they need to begin planning for the colder months. Of course, we will continue to monitor the City’s COVID-19 rates, just as we must for all of our businesses.” Johnson added, “We know

By SÍLE MOLONEY

In response to an announcement on Sept. 1 by New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio and United Federation of Teachers (UFT) President Michael Mulgrew of an agreement to delay in-person instruction for the 2020-2021 school year by two weeks, the MORE-UFT caucus released a statement on Sept. 2, giving their lukewarm reaction to the news. MORE UFT is made up of members of UFT, and members of school communities, and their allies. “We welcome a slight delay of in-person school reopening in the midst of this COVID-19 pandemic, and recognize that our advocacy with our parent, student, and

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez, who formally announced her intention to run for Bronx borough president at the end of August, joined some of her staff members, Friends of Mosholu Parkland and members of the City Parks’ department on Monday Aug. 31 for another park clean-up, as part of the ongoing “Meaningful Monday” initiative. This time it was at Azalea Garden at Jerome Avenue and East Mosholu Parkway in the Bronx. The campaign which is trending on social media under the hashtag #meaningfulmonday was launched in July by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., in an effort to gather members of