Business

UPDATE What Does the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act Mean for Bronxites?

By DAWN CLANCY
Considered a major win by progressives when it was passed by New York State legislators, the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) was the subject of a virtual community discussion hosted by The Bronx Defenders on Tuesday, July 6, in conjunction with local Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernández (A.D. 80). The purpose of the discussion was to explain to Bronxites what the new law means for them.   According to its website, The Bronx Defenders is a public defender nonprofit that is “radically transforming how low-income people in the Bronx are represented in the justice system and in doing so, transforming the


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Neighborhood Notes on Expanded Funeral Cost Reimbursement, Winding Down of Expanded Unemployment Benefits, Libraries Services Reopen & More

COVID-19 Updates Restrictions  COVID-19 restrictions are now lifted, as 70% of adults have received their first dose of the vaccine. New York State’s health guidance and industry specific guidelines are now optional across commercial and social settings. Effective May 19, New York State has adopted the CDC’s Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People for most businesses and public settings. See more information here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html. See New York’s guidance for implementing the new CDC recommendations on https://forward.ny.gov/.   Front Line Healthcare Workers Mayor Bill de Blasio announced this week that more than 40,000 workers in city-run hospitals and health clinics


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UPDATE: NYC Board of Elections Certifies June Primary Election Results

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The New York City Board of Elections certified the results of the June primary elections on Tuesday, July 20. The results are attached below for the main citywide and Bronx Democratic and Republican primary races, as applicable. The Commissioners of the Board of the Elections in the City of New York have certified the June 22, 2021 Primary Election. Council Districts 9 and 50 require a manual hand count and are not included in the report https://t.co/QiGQqMOlou — NYC Board of Elections (@BOENYC) July 20, 2021   Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams won the Democratic mayoral primary race with 404,513


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UPDATE Bronx Community College Trains Construction Professionals to Obtain Accreditation

By SÍLE MOLONEY & DAWN CLANCY
Bronx Community College (BCC) announced a new collaboration on July 8 with Building Skills New York (BSNY), an organization which helps New Yorkers in underserved communities find construction jobs. BCC and BSNY will work together to provide skills development and pathways to professional advancement for workers in the construction industry.   The goal of the Construction Career Accelerator (CCA) program, made possible by a grant from the New York State Department of Labor, is twofold: to help BSNY participants who are already placed on construction job sites across the five boroughs to gain the necessary skills to advance their careers,


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Country’s Largest “Passive House” High-Rise to Debut at 425 Grand Concourse, Mott Haven

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The Bronx will soon be home to the country’s largest “passive house” high-rise development at 425 Grand Concourse in Mott Haven that will create 277 units of affordable housing. According to various real estate websites, a passive house is a highly energy efficient building standard used in specific buildings to make them energy efficient but also comfortable, affordable and ecological.   Passive house is not a brand name, according to construction and real estate industry professionals, but a construction concept that can be applied by anyone and which has, reportedly, stood the test of practice. More information on the history


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Bronx Fashion Week Model Casting Call for September Fashion Show

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Bronx Fashion Week (BxFW) organizers are planning their next fashion show, scheduled to take place on Sept. 18. In preparation for the show, organizers are holding a casting call for models on July 31.   According to its website, Bronx Fashion Week hosts some of the leading fashion events in the country by encouraging and empowering people through fashion. Since its inception in 2013, the organization has been dedicated to “cultivating the success of both established and emerging designers, as well as other talented individuals by advancing diversity and inclusivity within the fashion industry.”   Having had to cancel the


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Bronx BP Confirms $35 Million in Capital Funding to Bronx Institutions for Fiscal Year 2022

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. announced on Wednesday, July 14, that his office is providing more than $35 million to institutions across the borough through his Fiscal Year 2022 capital funding allocations.   According to representatives from the borough president’s office, this year, the borough president will allocate $35,880,000 to 130 total projects. This includes funding for nearly 100 education projects, park upgrades, healthcare technology, improvements to cultural facilities, the creation of over 900 units of new housing, as well as the redesign and redevelopment of Orchard Beach and the design of the Universal Hip Hop Museum.   “Through these funding allocations,


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UPDATE: Ridgewood Savings Bank Welcomes Customers Next Month at New Norwood Location

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Representatives from Ridgewood Savings Bank issued a statement on Thursday, July 15, confirming the opening, next month,  of the group’s new branch at 320 East 204th Street in Norwood, which will replace the Norwood location at 3445 Jerome Avenue which is closing. As recently reported by Norwood News, the new branch was scheduled to open by September.   Bank officials said they were also working with partners including regulators, community groups, city officials, and other associates, as they explore alternate options for their Sedgwick Avenue branch, which had been set to close. Such discussions include the feasibility of continuing to


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Percentage of Local Financial Group Sold to Outside Investors

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Anthony Rivieccio, founder and CEO of The Financial Advisors Group, a local, online business celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, confirmed on June 30 that 65 percent of the group is being sold to outside investors. At the same time, Rivieccio has launched a new financial business, Rivieccio Financial Advisors.   Describing the former business as a fee-only, financial-planning firm, specializing in solving clients’ financial problems, Rivieccio said he first got into the finance world on July 1, 1991, when he became a licensed broker and entered what he called the whacky world of Wall Street. “In those days, it


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