Bronx NAACP President Sees Need for Voter Education in Future Elections

By DAVID GREENE, SÍLE MOLONEY & JOSÉ A. GIRALT

The following story is an updated version of the one that appears in our latest print edition. As officials from the Bronx office of the New York City Board of Elections were busy tallying votes at their Grand Concourse headquarters to determine the outcome of the District 11 and District 15 City Council special elections a few weeks ago, the president of the Bronx NAACP, said voter education is key to the future of a free and fair society. It may also be key to a more dynamic primary election season. Biarni Burke, president of the Bronx chapter

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner, Basil Seggos, announced on Sunday, May 2, that “New York State Compost Awareness Week” is taking place from May 2-8. Compost Awareness Week raises awareness statewide of the environmental benefits of composting, and the declaration was formalized in a recent proclamation signed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. Recycling food scraps, grass, leaves, yard clippings, and other organic materials through composting reduces New York’s dependence on landfills and combustors and helps to lower climate-altering emissions while producing valuable, nutrient-rich compost that improves soil health and water quality. Seggos said New

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) for Ironworkers, Local Union #40 & #361, will conduct a recruitment drive from May 5 through May 19, 2021 for 100 ironworker (outside) apprentices, the New York State Department of Labor announced on Friday, April 30. The agency said that the 100 individual apprenticeships represent the total number of openings across two separate recruitment regions – Long Island and New York City. Applications must be obtained and submitted online at www.nycironworkers.org, starting at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, May 5, 2021 and ending at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. Applicants

By SÍLE MOLONEY

CUNY in the Heights is a program which brings more educational opportunities to neighborhoods by creating multiple pathways to degrees and careers with family-sustaining wages. The program is administered by Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) and serves The Bronx, Inwood, and Washington Heights communities. CUNY in the Heights and BMCC are hosting a virtual town hall for the communities of Northern Manhattan and parts of the Bronx on May 4 from 4 p.m. until 5 p.m. A newly renovated and expanded CUNY in the Heights campus is set to reopen to students in Fall 2021. BMCC would like

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Pursuant to an ongoing investigation, the NYPD announced on May 6 that new video had been released in relation to a slashing incident that occurred in the 52nd precinct on May 2. The video is attached. The New York City Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance identifying the person seen in the attached videos and photo who is wanted in connection with a knife assault that occurred in the 52nd precinct. On Sunday, May 2, 2021 at approximately 2.45 p.m., the unidentified suspect engaged in a verbal dispute with an on-duty 41-year-old NYC Parks Department employee in

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York City Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance identifying the person seen in the attached surveillance video regarding a shooting that occurred in the 46th precinct. It was reported to police that on Tuesday, April 13, at approximately 1.14 p.m., on the corner of East 183rd Street and Grand Concourse in the Fordham Heights section of the Bronx, the suspect discharged a firearm in the direction of a group of males who were inside a vehicle. No injuries were reported to police. The suspect fled to parts unknown. Surveillance video which shows the suspect,

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York City Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance in ascertaining the whereabouts of the individuals seen in the attached photos who are wanted for questioning in connection to a robbery that occurred in the 46th precinct. It was reported to police that on Tuesday, April 13, at approximately 1.10 p.m., a 20-year-old male victim and a 22-year-old male victim engaged in a verbal dispute with two men who were unknown to them in front of 44 West 183rd Street in the University Heights section of the Bronx. As the dispute turned physical, the first

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD is seeking the public’s assistance in locating Juan Guzman, 46, of 2051 Ryder Avenue in the Fordham Heights section of the Bronx, who was reported missing on Thursday, April 22, 2021. Guzman was last seen Thursday, April 15, 2021 at 2.55 a.m., leaving his home. He is described as being approximately 6 feet, 1 inch tall, weighs 170 pounds, has a thin build with brown eyes and black hair. His clothing description at the time of his disappearance is unknown. Anyone with information in regard to this missing person is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime

By PS/MS 95 Staff

Members of the PS/MS 95, The Sheila Mencher Van Cortlandt School community in Van Cortlandt Village, held a socially distanced, outdoor remembrance event on April 21 in tribute to our colleague, Omara Flores, beloved, long-time assistant principal at the school who died tragically and unexpectedly on April 6, 2020 of COVID-19. She left behind a husband and two adult children, both graduates of PS/MS 95. The event which was attended by about 35 people was filled with sweet remembrances of an esteemed and admired colleague, with the participants immersed in a collective sea of sorrow. Under the leadership of