Business Leaders Call for Relief Package Amid PPP delays

By Síle Moloney

The City’s business community and their partners have called on New York’s elected leaders to implement an economic relief package called The Blueprint to Save Small Business to help small businesses cope with the unexpected economic pressure resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. It outlines four key policies which the group hopes will help resuscitate the thousands of ailing small businesses that make up the economic and social fabric of New York City, and help revamp the economy. In a letter dated Apr. 13, 2020, the business community outlined the proposed measures and presented them to Gov. Andrew Cuomo,

City authorities said on Apr. 13 that Alternate Side Parking will be suspended for an additional two weeks through Tuesday, Apr. 28, 2020. New Yorkers can still use their cars but are being asked to stay at home as much as possible, and to maintain social distancing while out on foot, and to wear a face mask or face covering like a scarf or bandana.

The Week in Photos During a Global Pandemic

By David Greene

It’s hard to believe that it’s been less than three months since the first person was diagnosed with COVID-19 in the United States on Jan. 20, 2020, or that it’s been less than a month since New York was declared a federal disaster area. Officials reported on Apr. 10, that the daily death toll resulting from the coronavirus in New York State fell for the first time, indicating a possible sign of the long-awaited “flattening of the curve” officials had been expecting. In that one 24-hour period, 777 deaths were reported, down from the previous day’s high of 799.

By PROFESSOR ANTHONY RIVIECCIO, MBA PFA

When people got laid off in an earlier time, you would never see any lines at the unemployment exchange. They were in cyberspace. States would process unemployment claims by telephone and via the internet. While success varied from state to state, I’m sure many would say, except for some minor glitches, people would start to receive assistance within three weeks of applying. Welcome to Coronavirus 2020 – where now it might take you three weeks – just to apply. The phone lines are jammed. You might get disconnected. Even worse, when completing the application online, you may find

By Síle Moloney

Born on Sep. 4, 1928, Muriel, “Mickey” Axelbank, beloved mother to the always upbeat, and popular BronxNet TV host, Gary Axelbank, died early on Saturday, Apr. 4. A stalwart figure in her local community, Mrs Axelbank, 91, was active in the Kingsbridge Riverdale Van Cortlandt Development Corporation, leading events at the Van Cortlandt Jewish Center, and on the Joint Community Activities Council at Amalgamated Housing Cooperative, where she helped serve holiday meals and lead a games program for senior citizens. Under normal circumstances, Axelbank, along with his brothers Arthur and Jeffrey, would have envisaged a large gathering at his

Muriel “Mickey” Axelbank, 91, who was beloved by her devoted family and the broader community and well-respected as an early childhood educator, died early Saturday, Apr. 4, 2020. Mickey led a stellar life of more than nine decades and was widely revered as an exceptional woman with a big heart that touched everyone around her. Mickey’s mother immigrated to America alone on a boat at the age of 16. Mickey’s father died when she was just two, and she was raised with her older sister in a building across the street from the George Washington Bridge by her mother and

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

As a steady stream of customers enters Craft Empanadas on East Gun Hill Road, the blue tape on the floor reminds them to stay six feet apart. “We are an essential business and I’m happy we can stay open,” said Ricky Rodriguez. Along with his wife, Shary, the couple prepare 188 different flavors of empanadas at the Norwood location that opened in June 2018. Although happy to stay open for business, Rodriguez acknowledges that the restrictions associated with the coronavirus have severely reduced his daily sales. “Before, we used to average about 400 empanadas a day, but now

By Síle Moloney

An assailant wearing a mask punched an unsuspecting police officer, while his partner attempted to arrest another man wanted for robbery in University Heights on Tuesday. A separate altercation ensued shortly afterwards between a female member of the public and a police officer at the same location. Some of the fracas has been captured on video and is circulating on social media. The news comes as NYPD’s resources continue to be stretched due to absences tied to the coronavirus, as well as additional obligations relating to social distancing enforcement during the COVID-19 crisis. Police said that at approximately

From Wednesday, Apr. 1 to Wednesday, Apr. 15, the BX1, BX2 bus stop located at the west side of Grand Concourse and Clifford Place going southbound, will be temporarily relocated 100 feet south on Grand Concourse and Cross Bronx Bridge Expressway. Signage will be posted by the contractor advising customers of the relocation. This restriction is beginning at 7:00 a.m., and will be effective 24 hours around the clock (Weekends included). This restriction is necessary in order to facilitate the installation of the Bus Pad. The relocation is needed while the City’s department of design and construction work on