UPDATE Mayor & City Officials Address Deteriorating NYC Air Quality due to Canadian Wild Fires

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New York City Mayor Eric Adams addressed the deteriorating air quality across the five boroughs on Tuesday night due to smoke coming from recently reported Canadian wildfires, with the Air Quality Index hitting 218 at 10 p.m. on Tuesday in parts of New York City, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A rating of 218 means “very unhealthy” on the “Levels of Health Concern,” according to City officials. “Smoke from wildfires in Canada began to impact New York City’s air quality today, and conditions this evening have worsened with additional smoke and haze moving into the region,”

By DAVID GREENE & SÍLE MOLONEY

A one-month-old baby girl is in critical condition following a motor vehicle accident in the Unionport section of The Bronx, police said. A police spokesperson said the two-vehicle collision occurred on Tuesday, June 6, at 6.41 p.m. at Castle Hill Avenue and Bruckner Boulevard. “The one-month-old, female child / infant was in one of the two vehicles,” the spokesperson said. “She sustained critical injuries. She was removed to Jacobi Hospital by EMS. That is all the preliminary information that we have at this moment.” Asked about unconfirmed reports that one of the vehicles involved in the collision may

By SÍLE MOLONEY

NYC Campaign Finance Board (CFB) approved on June 2 the latest public matching funds payments totaling $1,759,172 to 34 candidates running in the 2023 New York City Council elections. This total amount marks the fourth opportunity for 2023 candidates to qualify for public funding by raising small contributions from NYC residents. To qualify for public funds, candidates must demonstrate support by raising small contributions in their communities. This encourages the candidates to spend more time speaking to voters and less time fundraising. Click here to see the exact thresholds that candidates must meet to qualify for public funds. The

By SÍLE MOLONEY

To reduce mosquito activity and the risk of West Nile virus, the City’s health department is conducting its first aerial larviciding treatment of the mosquito season on marshes and wetland areas of The Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island on Thursday, June 8, Friday, June 9, and Monday, June 12, from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., weather permitting. City officials said the helicopter will treat only nonresidential areas. While two days are allotted for the aerial larviciding, the application may be completed in less time. In case of bad weather, application will be delayed to Tuesday, June 13,

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York City Police Department is appealing to the public for help identifying the two people seen in this video who are sought in connection with an attempted assault / shooting that occurred in Bedford Park on June 2, 2023. Video courtesy of the NYPD The NYPD is appealing to the public for help identifying the two people seen in the attached video and photo who department officials said are sought in connection with an attempted assault / shooting that occurred in Bedford Park. Police said that on Friday, June 2, at around 5.11 p.m., two

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York City Police Department is appealing to the public for help locating a 32-year-old woman reported missing from Wakefield. Police said that Abigail Arias of 4000 Lowere Place in the Wakefield section of The Bronx, was last seen on Sunday, June 4, at around 10.30 p.m., leaving her home. They said she is described as female, is around 4 feet, 11 inches in height, weighs around 125 pounds, has brown hair and brown eyes. Police said she was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, black sweatpants, and black ‘Crocs’ sandals. Anyone with information regarding this missing

By DAVID GREENE

Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) members joined residents for the annual “flagging of the graves” event on Wednesday, May 24, ahead of Memorial Day weekend, Volunteers at Woodlawn Cemetery on Webster Avenue on the Norwood-Woodlawn border also participated by locating the gravesites of U.S. veterans and placing an American flag at each grave. As CB7 members arrived, with invited guests, Bonnie Morales, army veteran and support coordinator at NY Outreach Services, and Ronald Downs, suicide prevention community engagement & partnerships coordinator for the local VA hospital in Fordham Manor, they were greeted by Meg Ventrudo, executive director of Woodlawn Conservancy.

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York City Police Department is appealing to the public for help locating an 11-year-old girl from Fordham Heights who is reported missing. Police said that Alema Kalic, 11, of 2436 Marion Avenue in Fordham Heights was last seen on Sunday, June 4, at approximately 10.30 a.m., leaving a family member’s home located at 731 Bryant Avenue in Hunts Point. Police said Alema is described as female, is 5 feet, 3 inches tall, and weighs around 130 pounds. They said she was last seen wearing a gray sweater, an orange shirt, blue shorts, and black sneakers. Anyone

By DAVID GREENE & SÍLE MOLONEY

The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition. A business dispute among former business associates of a longtime, Bronx funeral home in Norwood has left an unfathomable situation for clients of the business, according to one of the parties to the dispute who said families of the deceased still have to pick up cremated remains and death certificates from the business, while the related files have been removed from the premises. The same party said because certain family members’ “prearrangement” documents have been removed from the premises by the other