Three Men Charged With Daylight Burglary of Modell’s on Fordham Road

Eighteen days after rioters burned and looted dozens of stores in the Fordham Heights and Kingsbridge sections of the Bronx, police say three men have been charged with the daylight burglary of Modell’s Sporting Goods on East Fordham Road, a store that had closed due to bankruptcy on Apr. 15 following a period of poor sales, and the statewide PAUSE order which went into effect in March.   According to NYPD spokeswoman, Detective Sophia Mason, the burglary was reported at 9:22 a.m. on Friday, Jun. 19. “Officers responded to a burglary at 270 East Fordham Road in the confines of


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Virtual Career Fair for Veterans on June 25th

Disabled American Veterans (DAV) and RecruitMilitary will host the Washington, D.C./New York Areas Virtual Career Fair for Veterans on Thursday, June 25th from 11am to 3pm EST to facilitate employment efforts for both job seekers and employers. The free, online event is open to all members of the military community, past and present, as well as military spouses and dependents.   RecruitMilitary’s virtual events are technologically enhanced to provide personal interaction among job candidates and employers in large groups, small groups and one-to-one formats.   According to DAV and RecruitMilitary, national unemployment claims have surpassed historic measures and veteran unemployment


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Meat Producer Donates 1,500 Pounds of Beef Benefiting Various Bronx Entities

Silver Fern Farms, New Zealand’s largest red meat producer and exporter for 30 years to the Bronx, announced on Jun. 23 that it has donated 1,500 pounds of premium pasture-raised beef to ReThink Food NYC for their Restaurant Response Program, benefiting a number of Bronx-based entities.   The Restaurant Response Program provides healthy meals for various communities in the Bronx, including Jacobi hospital, Cedar Tremont House, Macombs public housing, and Bronx Connect, a community and faith-based program that offers alternative-justice, cure violence, and re-entry programs to help communities build from within.   The donation will be used to facilitate the


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AG James Warns of Unemployment Benefit Scams

  The Office of the New York Attorney General has received a number of calls from New Yorkers reporting unemployment insurance benefits fraud. On Jun. 24, 2020, Attorney General Letitia James issued a press release warning people about new, recently reported scams using New Yorkers’ personal information to file fraudulent claims for unemployment benefits.   “We must remain vigilant about potential scams and ensure residents remain alert,” James said. “During these uncertain times, unemployment benefits are a safety net for many individuals and families who have lost their jobs. To exploit the use of these funds and overload a system


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Black Lives Matter Protests Continue as Legislation Passes and NYPD Disbands Anti-Crime Unit

As the Black Lives Matter movement continues with protests entering a fourth week in cities across America in response to the May 25th death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, individual cities are looking into their own practices and policies regarding the use of force, and are coming to grips with racial disparities within their own units.   On Friday, Jun. 5, 2020, nearly 300 demonstrators gathered at Poe Park in Kingsbridge and marched to the Bronx County Courthouse where several speakers described what they said was a peaceful protest the previous night along Third Avenue in the South Bronx.  


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Woodlawn Heights: Man Arrested with Assault Rifle & “Disturbing Text” on Phone

On Sunday June 7, 2020, police reported that a Mount Vernon man had been arrested for criminal possession of an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and criminal possession of a loaded firearm on Tuesday, June 2, at 11 p.m. in front of Behan’s Public House at 4299 Katonah Avenue in the Woodlawn Heights section of The Bronx. The location, in the 47th precinct, is a few blocks away from Van Cortlandt Park.   The NYPD named the man as Nicholas Marc Bingman, 31, of 218 North High Street, Mount Vernon, NY, and in their statement, they said that Bingman’s motive for possession


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Jacobi Organizes Candlelit Vigil for All Those Lost To COVID-19, as Bronx Deaths Reach 3,292

NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi announced that a candlelit vigil to commemorate all lives lost to COVID-19 will be held on Wednesday, June 17 at 7 pm at Jacobi Pedestrian Mall (adjacent to Pelham Parkway).   As of Jun. 16, 2020, according to the City’s department of health, total confirmed deaths (deaths following a positive COVID-19 laboratory test) in New York City amounted to 17,455, while probable deaths (cause of death reported as COVID-19 or equivalent, but no positive laboratory test) totaled 4,690.   The number of deaths in the City and State peaked in early May. While New York State,


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Bronx Arts & Culture Groups Unite to Form Latinx / POC Arts Legacy Consortium

Spurred by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City, eight esteemed arts organizations with deep roots in local communities of color have announced the formation of the Latinx / POC Arts Legacy Consortium.   Partners seek to pool experiences, resources, and shared history in order to better prepare diverse populations for reopening, as well as to ideate new ways of overcoming historic undercapitalization well past the pandemic.   The organizations are Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance, Bronx Documentary Center, Caribbean Cultural Center and African Diaspora Institute, El Museo del Barrio, Pregones / Puerto Rican Traveling Theater,


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Health Check: Addressing Increased Food Insecurity During the Pandemic

Montefiore Health System’s Project Bravo Food Pantry, a community-based, hospital-driven initiative designed to combat food insecurity for high-risk individuals and families, serves thousands of Bronx residents nutritious meals each week.   During these unprecedented times, many in our community have faced additional challenges accessing nutritious meals due to school closures. Food insecurity has grown for so many and Project Bravo has seen a wave of new clients.   To ensure everyone still has access to food in as safe an environment as possible, we have adapted the food pantry to the new normal by implementing social distancing rules. With the


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