Father & Son’s Kitchen Rides Pandemic Wave

By AURÉOLE RIBES

There’s a citrus-y, sweetness to this tangy, tomato-based sauce, followed by a kick! It’s a refreshing take on your regular, grocery store barbecue sauce. Aptly named, “Sweet and Tangy,” it’s the first barbecue sauce created by Father and Son’s Kitchen, a company founded in 2019 by Norwood resident, Luis Rivera Jr. Like all entrepreneurs, Rivera knew the first year of his start-up would be a gamble but hoped that by working hard and staying focused, things would get easier in his second year of business. Little did he know things were about to get a whole lot crazier

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Wednesday, Oct. 28, the Open Storefronts program, permitting storefront businesses to use a portion of their sidewalk to display merchandise, sell goods, complete transactions, and provide queuing areas. The program will begin on Friday, Oct. 30 and will run until Dec 31. The Open Storefronts program assists existing ground-floor storefront businesses who want to use outdoor areas on a temporary basis. It allows eligible businesses to conduct activity on sidewalks, on roadways in the Open Streets: Restaurants program, or a combination of both. In addition to businesses engaged in retail

By DAVID GREENE

For our latest print edition, we asked readers for their thoughts on the U.S. Supreme Court justice nomination process. “I believe the Supreme Court should be expanded, especially if we get too many conservatives on the Supreme Court and not enough moderates. I think there needs to be a balance. Even though justices swear to be neutral, I believe people are swayed by their opinions, how they are raised. You have Catholic judges who’ve had strict Catholic upbringings as being pro-life and that’s a big worry for women, that they will repeal Roe vs. Wade. It shouldn’t even

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio joined the Department of Buildings (DOB), Department of Transportation (DOT), and the Fire Department of New York (FDNY) on Oct. 14 to release thorough guidance for city restaurants planning to stay open and serve customers outdoors with heating devices this fall and winter. The announcement furthers New York City’s efforts, laid out in the Mayor’s recovery agenda, to become the world’s capital for healthy outdoor living. In September, the mayor announced that the City’s popular Open Restaurants program will be extended year-round and made permanent. The program, which has enrolled more than 10,500

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio signed into law a package of bills on Monday, Sept. 28, that will expand protections for workers, consumers, and commercial tenants. The first bill, which was sponsored by local Councilman Andrew Cohen, extends and expands the City’s paid safe and sick leave law to reach more workers. The other two bills reinforce and extend protections for commercial tenants, and protect the jobs of hotel workers. “Today is about justice for hard working New Yorkers,” said the mayor. “From expanding paid sick leave, to protecting our commercial tenants and hotel workers, these bills

By DANIELA BEASELY

Mosholu Preservation Corporation (MPC) is partnering with Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) NYC to support local, small businesses in the Norwood and Wakefield neighborhoods through the LISC NYC Small Business Relief & Recovery Fund. The Fund will provide grants of $10,000 to minority-owned, small businesses, in response to their needs to successfully retool and adapt to new business guidelines and a changing marketplace, in the wake of COVID-19. LISC NYC embraces an inclusive, economic development agenda that prioritizes targeted investments in public infrastructure, human talent, innovation, diverse enterprises, and community organizations. This aligns with MPC’s efforts to advance the health

By ANTHONY RIVIECCIO

Normally, when I have clients that want to discuss their credit score, I first let them know that there are many credit agencies out there, and each one rates you differently. But, of course the same principle applies at each of them. Your credit score will be good or bad, depending on the interpretation of the people and institutions rating your financial situation. Of course you want your score to be high. How do we do that? In simple terms, we get a copy of your credit report and clean it up! But, it gets much deeper. I

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Sept. 16 the first weekday expansion of the “Open Streets: Restaurants” initiative. In the meantime, restaurant partner organizations have been organizing temporary street closures across the City to facilitate additional, weekday outdoor dining along select corridors. Earlier this month, the administration invited BIDs, community-based organizations, and groups of restaurants to submit applications to expand the existing “Open Streets: Restaurants” initiative that combines the existing “Open Streets” and “Open Restaurants” programs. Previously, car-free hours on streets had been limited to weekends. Expanded “Open Streets: Restaurants” locations in the Bronx which

By SÍLE MOLONEY

On July 31, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a final rule (PDF) that increases fees for certain “immigration and naturalization benefit requests” to ensure that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a service which falls under DHS, recovers the cost of the services it provides. The increases become effective Oct. 2, 2020. According to DHS, unlike most government agencies, USCIS is fee funded. Fees collected and deposited into the Immigration Examinations Fee Account fund nearly 97 percent of its budget. As required by federal law, USCIS conducted a comprehensive biennial fee review and determined that the