UPDATE Sunshine Brings Smiles at 25th Throggs Neck St. Patrick’s Day Parade

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Plenty of happy faces (as well as the occasional, green one!) were seen at the 25th Throggs Neck St. Patrick’s Day Parade held this year on Sunday, March 12. Parade organizers said they were proud to have Mrs. Lois Harr and Mr. Roger Slattery leading the marchers down the parade route as this year’s grand marshals. To the rousing sound of pipe and marching band music, the parade kicked off around noon from the corner of East Tremont and Lafayette Avenues and the route, lined by revelers and well-wishers, bedecked in the obligatory green, was just about a mile

By SÍLE MOLONEY

A group of eight State lawmakers held a press conference at the entrance to Rikers Island jail on Thursday, April 6, amid, they said, reports of “continued unsafe and inhumane conditions,” at the jail. The visit was scheduled as legislators awaited updates from three-way budget negotiations, and in the context of those negotiations, they allege Gov. Kathy Hochul was “pushing civil rights rollbacks that would result in many more people being held at Rikers without being convicted of a crime.” Among the group were State Sen. Nathalia Fernandez (S.D. 34) who represents parts of The Bronx, State Sen.

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Ondray Cleveland completed two tours of duty in Vietnam between ‘68 and ’71. The Soundview resident said his transition back to civilian life on his return to the U.S. was not plain sailing. Later, he would join the navy for two years, before ultimately leaving the armed services for good. “[I] wasn’t doing too good once I came out of Vietnam because…stereotypes and all that stuff,” he said. “Then I got myself together and came back out…ups and downs but it’s been good.” Though many years have passed since then, Cleveland was one of over 60 veterans who found

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx elementary students from P.S. 152 in Soundview joined District 18 City Council Member Amanda Farías and others last month for the launch of a new art exhibit featuring bold watercolor paintings of sunflowers painted by the students in honor of Ukraine. The exhibit was created in partnership with “Studio in a School NYC,” an initiative which brings visual arts education to students from 3K to 12th grade in public schools and to community based organizations across all five boroughs. It is intended to showcase local talent, while also highlighting the role art can play in stress reduction and

By DAVID GREENE $ SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson and New York City Mayor Eric Adams joined members of the Bronx Bangladeshi Muslim community at different Iftar gatherings, daily, fast-breaking meals and gatherings held at nightfall, during the holy month of Ramadan until the festival of Eid al-Fitr falls and Ramadan ends. Gibson and some members of her team delighted a group of about 75 to 80 Muslim leaders from the Northwest Bronx, which included members of the Norwood Bengali community and INCA Relief, on Wednesday, March 29, when they joined the community at Curry & Kebab, located at 3111 Bainbridge Avenue, for

By LIZ SPURRELL-HUSS

In honor of the 75th anniversary of the creation of the World Health Organization (WHO), April 7 marks World Health Day! This year’s theme is “Health for All” which envisions that all people have good health for a fulfilling life in a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world. The WHO is dedicated to the well-being of all people, and champions global efforts to give everyone, everywhere an equal chance to live a healthy life. Unfortunately, we are not quite there yet. Some groups have been given fewer opportunities to be healthy and therefore have poorer overall health. This includes

By DAVID GREENE

This week, we asked readers their thoughts on the possibility of banning assault weapons, and what is driving the opposition by some to banning the use by civilians of weapons of war. “Assault weapons or machine guns shouldn’t be in the hands of regular citizens; they should only be used by the military, but all citizens should be able to own handguns and rifles. No one should be dying. Lawmakers should just take some action. They should just make the right choice. My thinking is if you know the history of how the police first began, they were

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark and New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell announced on Thursday, April 6, that six men, three alleged pimps, and the manager, front desk clerk, and security guard at a Bronx hotel, have been charged with a host of offenses, including enterprise corruption, sex trafficking of a child, and promoting prostitution, and two of the alleged pimps were also charged with rape. Clark said the defendants, Akeem Lee, 34; Marvin Flint, 32; Anthony Reyes, 31; Golam Rabbani, 27; Robert Olaguibel, 45; and Patrick Walker, 51, were variously charged in an 80-count indictment

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition. Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark made history in 2016 when she was elected as the first African American woman to ascend to the role of district attorney in the State of New York, as well as the first woman to hold the position of Bronx district attorney. As she runs for reelection for the third time in June 2023, we take a look back at her career to date, and her mission “to lead with empathy and compassion” while balancing safety