Neighborhood Notes on Citibike Roll Out, Affordable Housing Lottery, Vaccine Updates

Opening of Lehman College Vaccination Site On Tuesday, April 20, Lehman College, CUNY formally announced that it has partnered with the City to launch the Bronx’s newest COVID-19 vaccination hub, located at the college’s APEX Athletic Center at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West in the borough’s Kingsbridge Heights neighborhood, as reported by Norwood News. The site is being run by SOMOS Community Care, and will serve up to 300 people a day with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The site is open to New Yorkers aged 16 or older, as well as to non-New York City residents aged 16 or older who

By SÍLE MOLONEY

A report by the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce shows that The Bronx received just 7 percent of all federal Payment Protection Program (PPP) loans allocated to New York City. This was the second lowest percent of all five boroughs, after Staten Island. Meanwhile, the report shows that federal PPP loans injected $25 billion, approximately, into the city’s economy, and saved nearly 2.7 million jobs, amid the COVID-19 crisis. In a press release dated April 8, chamber representatives wrote that their report shows that New York City businesses received a total of 230,747 individual PPP loans guaranteed by the federal

The U.S. Small Business Association (SBA), in conjunction with SoBRO, is hosting a briefing on Wednesday, April 28, 2021 at 10 a.m., via ZOOM, on the Restaurant Revitization Fund (RRF) application process, the Payment Protection Program (PPP) application changes, PPP forgiveness, and updated information on the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) increase and EIDL advance. The briefing will focus on the following: Eligibility Calculation of Funding Amount Eligible Uses of Funds Timeframe for Using Funds How to Apply Documentation Requirements SoBRO was founded in 1972 by a group of business executives and community leaders with the mission of reversing the

By SÍLE MOLONEY

In the wake of the conviction earlier this week of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota in May 2020, on Friday, April 23, 2021, Congressman Jamaal Bowman led 40 of his Democratic congressional colleagues in a letter to President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta in which they urge the U.S. Department of Justice to reopen its civil rights investigation into the death of Tamir Rice. Tamir Rice, a Black, 12-year-old boy, was shot and killed by police in November 2014 while playing with

The U.S. Small Business Association (SBA) has enhanced the process of applying for economic relief for operators of live venues, live performing arts organizations, museums and movie theaters, as well as live venue promoters, theatrical producers and talent representatives. The agency is relaunching its Shuttered Venue Operators Grant application portal (SVOG) on Saturday, April 24, at 12.30 p.m. following the resolution of some technical issues encountered during its initial launch on April 8. Barb Carson is deputy associate administrator of SBA’s Office of Disaster Assistance and said the agency recognizes the urgency and need to get the program up

The closure of the Bronx High School of Science mass vaccination site, effective April 15, was a blow to local seniors in the Bronx Community Board 7 district and beyond, as reported last week by Norwood News. A new COVID-19 vaccination site opened at Lehman College on Wednesday, April 14, though details of the new site had initially been scant. Happily, further information has since become available. On Saturday, April 17, Bronx BP Ruben Diaz Jr. confirmed that the following Bronx sites, including Lehman College, would be vaccinating New Yorkers aged 50 and older, without an appointment: Bronx Co-Op

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced on Thursday, April 22, that it will provide $5 billion in additional Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) assistance to one million small businesses and nonprofit organizations that have been most severely impacted by the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The additional loans fall under the Supplemental Targeted Advance loan program, the latest SBA relief program to launch as part of the American Rescue Plan Act on March 11, 2021. SBA Administrator, Isabella Casillas Guzman, said many of the nation’s small businesses are still struggling to recover from the economic impact of the

COVID-19 Vaccinations Appointments are required to receive a vaccination. To determine your eligibility, access a list of nearby providers, and schedule your vaccination appointment, use New York State’s Am I Eligible app. Prior to receiving your scheduled vaccination, you must complete the New York State COVID-19 Vaccine Form. Please be patient and continue to monitor these links frequently for available vaccine appointments: New York City: https://vaccinefinder.nyc.gov/ or 877-VAX-4NYC (877-829-4692) New York State: https://am-i-eligible.covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/ or call 1-833-NYS-4-VAX (1-833-697-4829) VaccineTogetherNY: https://vaccinetogetherny.org/Pages/default.aspx or call 646-697-VACC To schedule an appointment, go to: https://vax4nyc.nyc.gov/patient/s/. To find a vaccination site, go to: https://vaccinefinder.nyc.gov/locations. Your physician or local pharmacy

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The supermarket chain, Stop & Shop, is expanding its reach in the Bronx, announcing a new pick-up location in Crotona at 961 East 174th Street on Tuesday, March 30. The new Crotona store joins the first Bronx Stop & Shop store at Castle City, located at 1720 Eastchester Rd., which opened in January, as reported by Norwood News. The store concept brings a certain level of comfort to both the public and employees in terms of its novel approach to shopping by minimizing contact with crowds. Customers can order their groceries online, schedule a pick-up time at the store,

Norwood News

Serving Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights

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Neighborhood Notes on Citibike Roll Out, Affordable Housing Lottery, Vaccine Updates

Bronx Businesses Received Just 7 Percent of NYC’s PPP Loans, But Can Still Apply for More

SBA Provides Series of Virtual Briefings on Relief for Restaurants & Small Businesses

Bowman Leads Call to Reopen Tamir Rice Fatal Shooting Case

SBA Simplifies Process for Arts Organizations & Venues to Apply for Economic Relief

More Details on Lehman College’s Vaccination Site as CDC Recommends Lifting J&J Pause

SBA Launches Supplemental Loan Program for Small Businesses Hardest Hit by COVID-19

Update: Neighborhood Notes on COVID-19 Vaccine Updates, BRAC Summer Classes, Rent Relief

Stop & Shop Launches Second Pick-up Location in the Bronx