City Council Passes Law to Create NYC Mayor’s Office of Ethnic & Community Media

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The City Council approved legislation on Thursday, June 17, to create the NYC Mayor’s Office of Ethnic and Community Media, making it the first mayor’s office in the country dedicated to strengthening the relationship between city government and ethnic and community outlets. The legislation, known as Intro. 2313, was sponsored by Council Speaker Corey Johnson, Manhattan Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, Bronx Council Member Oswald Feliz (C.D. 15), and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. Johnson is currently running for city comptroller, and on June 19, was endorsed as second-choice candidate for the role by the Bronx Democratic Party, which had

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Housing developers celebrated the completion of two new affordable housing properties within the sprawling La Central residential complex in the Melrose section of the Bronx, earlier this week, as reported by YIMBY. Located at 556 and 600 Bergen Avenue, buildings A and B comprise nearly 500 income-restricted units, a new YMCA, a production studio for BronxNet, a rooftop farm operated by GrowNYC, and a mix of retail businesses. Within both buildings, residential layouts range from studios to four-bedroom apartments, and are available exclusively to residents earning between 30 percent and 100 percent of the Area

By ADI TALWAR & SÍLE MOLONEY

District 11 City Council candidate, Mino Lora, took her campaign to Norwood for her second rally since announcing her decision to run for office last year, and was supported on the day by some of New York State’s key, progressive elected officials who view the District 11 seat as another important frontier in the race for transformational change across the State. Despite a strong challenge by Lora in the District 11 special election, held March 23, in which the People’s Theater Project founder and executive director finished second with 3,188 votes, Eric Dinowitz’s final 5,579 votes (which included transfers

By SÍLE MOLONEY

An off-duty New York City employee was arrested on rape and other charges on Friday, June 18, at 10.30 p.m. in the 46th precinct, which covers Fordham, University Heights, Morris Heights and Mount Hope. José Lozano, 50, an NYC Department of Transportation bricklayer was arrested and charged with rape, two counts of a criminal sex act involving a victim less than 13 years old, two counts of sex abuse involving a victim under 13 years old, and two counts of acting in a manner injurious to a child less than 17 years of age. A person arrested is

By SÍLE MOLONEY & DAVID GREENE

A man is dead following a hit and run incident in the vicinity of the Bronx River Parkway underpass and Southern Boulevard. On Friday, June 18, 2021, at around 11.22 p.m., police responded to a 911 call regarding a motor vehicle collision involving an e-bike and a 2019 Mercedes Benz sedan, in which a cyclist had been struck in the vicinity of the Bronx River Parkway underpass and Southern Boulevard, located in the 52nd precinct. Upon arrival, responding officers observed an as yet unidentified man on the roadway with severe trauma to his head and body. EMS also

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Check out the following events taking place across the Bronx over this Juneteenth and Father’s Day holiday weekend. Saturday, June 19, 2021 Seton Falls Park Forest Restoration 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. at Marolla Place and Boller Avenue, Seton Falls Park, Bronx Upper River Paddle 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Shoelace Park, Bronx Park, Bronx Intermediate Canoeing 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Orchard Beach Parking Lot, Pelham Bay Park, Bronx Bronx Sole Celebrating Juneteenth 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Franz Sigel Park, Bronx The 18th Annual Hunts Point Fish Parade & Summer Festival 11 a.m. to 5

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Close to half a million dollars had been paid out in taxpayer dollars to candidates in the District 15 City Council race, according to a summary by the New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB), as of Thursday, June 17. Under the CFB’s public matching funds program, participating candidates received a total of $464,181. The summary also shows that, as of June 17, collectively, participating candidates had raised a total of $144,186 in private funds, and had spent just over a quarter of a million dollars, $251,843, collectively, on their campaigns, ahead of the June 22 primary election. As

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD is seeking the public’s assistance in locating a 16-year-old girl who was reported missing in Fordham Manor in the 52nd precinct. Cheyenne Jones, 16, of 2500 University Avenue was last seen on June 7, at around 7 a.m. at her home. She is described as female, about 5 feet, 1 inch tall, Black, and weighs about 110 pounds. Anyone with information in regard to this missing person is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website

By SÍLE MOLONEY

A 29-year-old woman has died following as shooting in Fordham Manor. On Wednesday, June 16, at around 11.24 p.m., police responded to a 911 call regarding a man who had been shot at East 194th Street and Marion Avenue, in the 52nd precinct. Upon arrival, officers observed two people with gunshot wounds: a 31-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds about his body, and a 29-year-old woman with a gunshot wound to her torso. EMS also responded to the location and transported both victims to Saint Barnabas Hospital, where the woman was pronounced deceased. She has been identified