Community

Inquiring Photographer: Thoughts on E-bike Fires Caused by Damaged, Illegal or Improper Chargers or Batteries

By DAVID GREENE
This week, in the wake of the 5-alarm fire in Fordham Heights on Sunday, March 5, caused by a lithium-ion battery explosion from the charging of an e-bike, we asked readers their thoughts on the use of illegal, damaged or improper chargers or lithium-ion batteries.   “It’s an urban nightmare! Bringing something that’s flammable and explosive into a city of eight-and-a-half million people is crazy. To risk your neighbor’s life, firemen’s lives, your life, and the ruination of housing stock that’s depleted as it is…for what? Deliveries? You can’t pick up your own stuff? And I think the city really has to


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John Zaccaro Jr. Sworn in as Assemblyman of A.D. 80

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT
  The Rotunda of Jacobi Medical Center in Morris Park was filled with some of New York’s political constellation on Saturday, March 4 for the inauguration ceremony of Democratic Assemblyman John Zaccaro Jr. (A.D. 80). The guest list included U.S. Sen. and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Rep. Ritchie Torres (NY-15), Councilman Oswald Feliz (C.D. 15), among many others. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who was scheduled to attend three other events the same day, sent well wishes, via video message, to Zaccaro Jr., profiled last year by Norwood News.   Before administering the oath of office, State Assembly


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Gibson Hails Bronx “Borough of Opportunities” in First State of the Borough Address

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  The following is an extended version of the story which appears in our latest print edition.   Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson, the borough’s 14th president, delivered her first State of the Borough address in sparkling attire at Manhattan College on Wednesday, March 1, outlining the accomplishments of her administration during 2022 and unveiling her strategic agenda for 2023.   With the college celebrating its 100th year this year, its president, Brother Daniel Gardner, FSC, said college officials were honored to host the event. “We recognize that The Bronx is a special place and look forward to partnering


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Tracey Towers Seniors Weigh in on Need for Honest History during Black History Celebration

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Black History Month was celebrated across The Bronx in February with several events held in honor of the country’s ancestors, while elsewhere, the ongoing debate over the teaching of Black history to children in schools continues to make headlines.   Democratic State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33), who broadly represents the neighborhoods of Norwood, Bedford Park, Jerome Park, Riverdale, Fieldston, North Riverdale, Spuyten Duyvil, parts of Fordham, Belmont, Tremont, Van Nest, Little Yemen and Allerton, held a Black History Month celebration at Tracey Towers housing complex, located at 40 West Mosholu Parkway South in Jerome Park on Saturday, Feb. 25,


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Robert Jackson Sworn in as Senator of Redrawn District 31

By ARIEL PACHECO
  State Sen. Robert Jackson carefully chose In-Tech Academy middle and high school campus in The Bronx’s Marble Hill neighborhood as the site for his latest inauguration as a veteran senator on Feb. 4, following his November 2022 reelection in redrawn District 31.   In addition to a large swath of Manhattan, the district also includes the Bronx neighborhoods of Marble Hill, where the school is located at 2975 Tibbett Avenue, Kingsbridge, Kingsbridge Heights, Van Cortlandt Village, and parts of Fordham Manor, Jerome Park, University Heights, and Morris Heights.   Education has always been one of Jackson’s central policy issues.


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Applications Now Open for Summer Camp Named in Memory of Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Calling all Bronx Parents! Now is the time for New York City families throughout the five boroughs to register their children for an unforgettable summer of free Fresh Air Fund experiences at sleepaway camps in New York’s Mid-Hudson Valley, or for them to visit volunteer host families along the East Coast.   The Fresh Air Fund’s Camp Junior in Harriman State Park, New York is named in memory of Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz, a 15-year-old victim of gang violence who was murdered on East 183rd Street and Bathgate Avenue in the Belmont section of The Bronx in June 2018. “Camp Junior,”


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UPDATE Fordham Heights: 7 Injured, 2 Seriously, following Supermarket Fire Caused by E-bike

By SÍLE MOLONEY
A 5-alarm supermarket fire which broke out on Sunday morning, March 5, in the Fordham Heights section of The Bronx has injured a total of seven people, two of whom incurred serious injuries.   Fire officials said the alarm regarding the blaze, described by the FDNY as a “hazmat incident,” meaning it related to hazardous material, and which broke out at a supermarket located at 2096 Grand Concourse in the vicinity of East 181st Street, was raised at at 10.41 a.m. on Sunday morning. According to the FDNY, the fire began in the rear of a one-story building (100 ft


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Ritchie Torres and Mike Lawler Introduce Bill Establishing Special Envoy for the Abraham Accords

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) recently announced he is partnering with U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler (NY-17), a Republican, to introduce bipartisan legislation establishing a new special envoy position within the U.S. Department of State dedicated to advancing the Abraham Accords – the landmark 2020 U.S.-brokered normalization agreements between Israel and Arab countries in the Middle East.

Dinowitz & BetaNYC Launch New Map Showing Accessible City Playgrounds

By SÍLE MOLONEY
District 11 City Council Member Eric Dinowitz, in partnership with BetaNYC, has launched a new mapping tool which shows the level of playground accessibility for residents near their homes and schools. The map was designed to provide an easy way for residents and their families to locate playgrounds that are safe and accessible and to accommodate those with disabilities.   The new mapping tool includes detailed information about each playground throughout New York City, including the types of accessible features that are available at each playground. According to the councilman’s office, Dinowitz, a former teacher who represents the Northwest Bronx


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