Bronx Small Businesses: Lunchtime Event Today on White Plains Road to Distribute Resources 

Jonnel Doris, Commissioner of the Department of Small Business Services (pictured in the featured photo), Mark Gjonaj, Council Member and Chair of the Committee on Small Business, Lisa Sorin, President of the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, Justin Lerner, Executive Director of the White Plains Road BID, will tour the Bronx on Friday, Jun. 12, to distribute face coverings to small business owners to support the health and safety of businesses as they re-open.   This comes on the heels of a recent announcement about the new resources available to small businesses in preparation for Re-Opening Phase One.   The event


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Pandemic “Phase One” Reopening Begins in Norwood, and across the City

  Monday, Jun. 8 marked Phase One of the City’s reopening plan, part of the New York Forward initiative, as a bit more life was seen in and around Bainbridge Avenue in the Norwood area of the Bronx. Some people were returning to work for the first time since early March when the COVID-19 pandemic hit hard, and a statewide PAUSE order was implemented to curb the spread of the coronavirus.   People were seen standing in line, in the morning sunshine, at Chase bank on BainBridge Avenue, adhering to social distancing guidelines, and almost everyone was wearing a mask, an


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Op-Ed, Financial Focus: So How Many Jobs Have We Really Lost?

If you heard the jobs report and the stock market news last Friday, you would have thought we were just about all the way back! President Donald Trump held a press conference shortly after the report was released and said it was “stupendous”. In May, we actually ADDED 2.5 million jobs, and unemployment tracked in at under 14 percent.   The doom and gloom experts thought it was going to be 20 percent. After all, in April, it was reported by the government that we lost 20 million jobs. So, how was the government wrong? Were the numbers tampered with?


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Fordham Road Businesses Vow to Rebuild as Officials Assess Damage and Plan for the Future

  On Tuesday, June 2, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. was joined by a number of other Bronx elected officials, community groups and clergy who gathered in the cold light of day at East Fordham Road and Grand Concourse to witness first-hand the trail of destruction left in the wake of Monday night’s looting and riots.   It was reported by NYPD that the riots and looting were orchestrated by organized gangs, and not by protestors who have been rallying for police reform in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, an unarmed African-American man, at the hands


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It’s Time For The Bronx To Make It Count!

As of May 10, only 47.8 percent of Bronx households have responded to the 2020 Census. If the trend holds, the Bronx stands to lose millions of dollars in funding for our essential services, just at the moment when we’re all relying on them the most.   If we don’t fight forces that prevent a full count, our funding for schooling, housing, and hospitals is at risk.   The census shapes the funding we get for our public services, and the more of us are counted, the more funding we get. That’s critical money for our hospitals, health care, emergency


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Bronx Businesses Prioritized as City Announces Grants for Those Hit by Looting

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a Small Business Emergency Grant Program for small businesses who have been impacted by looting and experienced damage to their storefronts, with Bronx businesses receiving priority. The City will begin providing grants to small businesses of up to $10,000 per business, thanks to $500,000 in initial funds received from SOMOS Community Care.   The grants will help with recovery, including repairs, security systems, locks, and more. The Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City will work with Small Business Services to assess the level of need throughout the city, with the intent


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Bronx Clean-Up Efforts Post-Looting Evoke Feelings of History Repeating

  When Frank Pirraglia, 21, saw the devastation caused by looters on Fordham Road last Monday night, he realized it was also a call to action.  “After seeing all the violence and destruction, I realized I needed to get out there and do my part to try and help clean up,” he said.   On Tuesday morning, it was clear Pirraglia would be part of a larger contingent of volunteers taking swift action to remove the debris left by looters. Such actions were reminiscent of those taken by Bronxites in the 1970s to rebuild their community in the wake of


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Deli Owner Who Survived Yemen Recalls “Night of Violence” on East Kingsbridge Road

By eyewitness accounts, the bright sun would rise over many of the looters who went on an unexpected, overnight shopping spree on East Fordham Road on Monday, Jun. 1, 2020. As dawn set in, the now-infamous creatures of a night of madness seemed to scurry home like rats running from a kitchen light.   In the early hours of Jun. 2, there were repeated sightings of mostly, young men, many carrying what looked like brand new, full backpacks, quickly walking in one direction or another as police vehicles continued to speed back and fourth across East Fordham Road still responding


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Op-Ed, Financial Focus: Coronavirus has bankrupted some of our 20th Century Brands!

Well, pretty soon, I’ll be making a choice on Social Security. Yes, I’m getting “old”. I will be 60 soon. I’m ok with it. I have an adopted sibling that calls me “Uncle Tony”. Sometimes, I walk around elementary school, since I’m also a teacher, and I’ll hear whisperings of “Grandpa”.   Yes, I have many good memories – the things, the people my age group can remember. Our fondest memories, I am sure, are the 80s and 90s, the latter parts of the 20th century.   Hertz, you might remember, like brands such as Dollar, Thrifty and Firefly, was


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