Inquiring Photographer: Thoughts on Travel Experiences amid Calls to Investigate Potential Unfair Airline Business Practices

With U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand calling for an investigation into potentially unfair business practices by the airline industry during record delays and cancellations, we asked readers about their recent experiences at City airports.   “I’ve had some problems changing flights; we had delays, yes, all of that. Right now, my grandson is coming back from Florida, and they just switched his flight to Sprint. So right now, we’re waiting for his COVID test. He’s been stuck for two days already. No, the airline didn’t put him up in a hotel; my son took him home and now he has to go


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Riverdale: 99-Year-Old Woman Killed Crossing the Road

A 99-year-old female pedestrian has died after she was struck by an SUV while attempting to cross an intersection in southeast Riverdale.   On Wednesday, July 27, at around 8.30 a.m., police said they were flagged down in regard to a pedestrian who had been struck at Oxford Street and West 235th Street.   A police spokesperson said, “A preliminary investigation determined that a 53-year-old male operating a 2022 Mazda CX9, eastbound on West 235 Street, was making a left turn onto northbound Oxford Avenue when he struck a 99-year-old female pedestrian that was crossing at that intersection.”   The


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Bronx Defenders, Advocates & Elected Officials Launch The Bronx Cannabis Hub

The Bronx Defenders and The Bronx Community Foundation, along with U.S. senate majority leader, Sen. Chuck Schumer, State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33), and Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson, joined Bronx community leaders on Sunday, July 24, to announce the launch of The Bronx Cannabis Hub. Advocates included the Drug Policy Alliance, Mothers on the Move, 1 Freedom For All, TakeRoot Justice, and All That Jive NYC.   The launch follows a Bronx Cannabis Forum held last month, as reported, which aimed to tackle various open questions surrounding the emerging cannabis market in New York State, further to the passage


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$5.2 Million Wakefield Playground Renovation Sees Two Basketball Courts, Soccer Field & Spray Showers

On Friday, July 25, NYC Parks held a celebration to mark the $5.2 million reconstruction of Wakefield Playground in The Bronx. NYC Parks first deputy commissioner, Iris Rodriguez-Rosa, joined Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81), District 11 City Council Member Eric Dinowitz, representatives from Bronx Community Board 12, Friends of Wakefield Playground, teachers and students from P.S. 16, children and teachers from Demores Childcare, and members of the community for the occasion.   “Wakefield Playground is a true neighborhood playground, and I’m thrilled that we have been able to completely rebuild it for the community,” said


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Bronx Man Gets 16 Years for Stabbing Six Men in Unprovoked Attacks

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced on Wednesday, July 27, that a Bronx man was sentenced to 16 years in prison and five years of post-release supervision for slashing and assaulting six men over two days in August 2020.   In the context of the announcement, Clark said, “The defendant brutally attacked six men within two days in unprovoked, senseless acts.  Two of the victims were 65 and 75 years old. Bronx residents have the right to walk freely in their communities without fearing for their safety. This sentencing brings justice for the victims.”   According to the investigation,


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World’s First HIV-Positive to HIV-Positive Heart Transplant Performed at Montefiore Health System

The world’s first HIV-positive to HIV-positive heart transplant has been successfully performed at Montefiore Health System in The Bronx. The patient, in her sixties, suffered from advanced heart failure and received the life-saving donation, along with a simultaneous kidney transplant, in early spring. After the 4-hour surgery, the patient spent five weeks recovering in the hospital and now sees her transplant physicians at Montefiore for monitoring.   According to Montefiore officials, the health center is one of only 25 such centers in the United States eligible to offer this complex surgery, having met prior surgical benchmarks and outcomes set by


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Jacobi Doctor Appointed to National Advisory Council for Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi chief executive officer, Christopher Mastromano, announced on Monday, July 25, that Dr. Komal Bajaj, Jacobi’s chief quality officer, has been appointed to national advisory council of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).   The AHRQ is a 21-member panel of healthcare experts which contributes a varied perspective on the health care system and the most important questions that AHRQ’s research should address in order to promote improvements in the quality, outcomes, and cost-effectiveness of clinical practice. The panel provides advice to the secretary and director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.


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UPDATE Kingsbridge Heights: Unconscious Male Found on Bronx Street Has Been Identified Police Say

The unidentified man, seen in the accompanying photo, who was discovered unconscious and unresponsive on a Kingsbridge Heights street has since been identified, police say Wednesday. The NYPD had asked for the public’s help identifying the man on Tuesday, July 26.   On Friday, July 22, at 6.33 a.m., in the vicinity of University Avenue and Reservoir Avenue, the person was discovered unconscious and unresponsive in the middle of the street with no apparent injuries.   A police spokesperson said, “He was transported to Montefiore Hospital where he remains unresponsive in critical condition. The male was not in possession of


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Bronx Man Sentenced to 25 Years to Life in State Prison for Murdering Ex-Girlfriend in Yonkers

Westchester County District Attorney Miriam E. Rocah announced that 47-year-old Bronx resident, Luis Alturet-Rivera, was sentenced on July 22, to 25 years to life in State prison following his June conviction for the 2017 murder of his ex-girlfriend, Diana Casado. “We hope the family of Diana Casado has some sense of closure today,” DA Rocah said. “This sentence reflects the years of extraordinary investigative work by those dedicated to seeking justice for the tragic and violent end to Diana’s life.”   In a statement made to the court, the victim’s mother said: “A person like Luis should not be allowed


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