Sunrise NYC Backs Jessica Altagracia Woolford for State Assembly in A.D. 81

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Jessica Altagracia Woolford, Democratic candidate for State Assembly in A.D. 81, which covers the Northwest Bronx, announced on Thursday, March 24, that she has received the endorsement of Sunrise NYC, the local chapter of the national Sunrise movement. According to its website, and as reported, Sunrise is a national grassroots mobilization to stop climate change and create millions of good-paying jobs in the process. Reacting to the news, Altagracia Woolford said, “I am proud to have the endorsement of Sunrise NYC as we plan a more resilient, equitable and healthy climate future for the Northwest Bronx, and New Yorkers, statewide.

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx Toastmasters Club of Riverdale announced the club’s next meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 23, at 7.30 p.m., via Zoom, and the committee is encouraging all its members from the Northwest Bronx to attend. The meeting will have speeches by award-winning Toastmaster, Dr. Bekah Yoxthimer, from the Loveland Speakeasy Toastmasters club in Cincinnati, OH. Yoxthmier will deliver the speech, “The Eraser,” which is also her speech entry in the organization’s International Speech competition. Meanwhile, also scheduled to give a prepared speech on the night is Anne Leighton, who will be sharing her networking secrets. The club’s

Editor’s Pick Bronx Buccaneers football club meet on Saturdays in the Williamsbridge Oval in Norwood from 11 a.m. to 1p.m. The session consists of a “Bootcamp” comprising strength, cardio and endurance training and the group also uses weights, bands and other equipment. The sessions are in preparation for the team’s upcoming Tackle football program which begins March 19 and every Saturday thereafter from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., where kids are taught the fundamentals of football in a safe, fun atmosphere. Understanding there is more to football, the Buccaneers strive to develop the students/athletes, and the hope is that the players will

By DAVID GREENE

No one could have predicted that a woman who was simply walking her dog in Claremont Park, away from speeding motorists on the streets surrounding the park, would be hit by an out-of-control driver, barreling down a footpath inside the park just before dawn on Saturday. Yet, that is exactly what happened, and police have since arrested an Atlanta man who has been charged with running over the woman. According to the Collision Investigation Squad Report system maintained by the NYPD, the incident unfolded at 6:50 a.m. on Saturday, March 12, after a 911 caller reported “a pedestrian struck

Police have confirmed a 63-year-old man has died following a road collision in the Wakefield section of The Bronx. Police said officers responded to a 911 call on Monday March 14, at approximately 10.06 p.m. regarding a motor vehicle collision, which involved a gas-powered scooter, in the vicinity of East 241st Street and Richardson Avenue, in Wakefield. Upon arrival, the responding officers encountered an unconscious 63-year-old man, unconscious and unresponsive, lying on the roadway with trauma to the head. EMS responded to the location and transported the aided man to Jacobi Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased.

The NYPD is asking for the public’s assistance locating a 34-year-old woman who was reported missing from Bedford Park, located in the 52nd precinct, on Monday, March 14. Beatriz Matos-Rodriguez, 34, of 320 East 197th Street, Apartment 1A, in the Bedford Park section of The Bronx, was last seen at her home at 00.01 a.m. on Monday, March 7. She is described as an Hispanic, Black woman, is 5 feet, 7 inches tall, and weighs 200 pounds. She was last seen wearing a gray coat, a black dress and black sneakers. Anyone with information regarding this incident is

By SARAH HUFFMAN

Nearly two out of three children affected by systemic poverty cannot read at grade level, according to Literacy Incorporated (LINC), a New York City nonprofit focused on early childhood literacy. The organization said children who cannot transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn” by third grade are 13 times more likely not to graduate on time from high school. Childhood literacy, along with resources for youth, schools and libraries formed the main topics of discussion at last month’s Bronx Community Board 7’s education committee meeting, held on Feb. 2, and the first of the year to be

By SARAH HUFFMAN

Frustrations were evident among the attendees at Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7)’s Parks meeting on Feb. 9, as members and residents expressed their exhaustion when it came to dealing with the Forestry unit within New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Parks committee chair, Barbara Stronczer, shared that she had recently attended a meeting with a Bronx representative of the Forestry unit, along with Ischia Bravo, CB7 district manager, and Karla Cabrera-Carrera, community coordinator for CB7. Stronczer said Forestry informed her the unit does not usually attend community board meetings, even though CB7 has been trying

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx Fashion Week, JoJo’s Fabulous Corner, an accessories business, and Straight Walk Runway modeling agency are appealing for donations for The Bronx’s 2nd Annual Prom Dress and Suit Donation Drive. The donation drive has been running since Feb. 16, and ends on Saturday, April 30, and is sponsored by Bronx Fashion Week, JoJo’s Fabulous Corner, Make-up Designory (MUD), a private, for-profit trade school focused on make-up artistry, Straight Walk Runway, graphic designer, Isabela Designer, and Alfred E. Smith Career and Technical Education High School, located at 333 E 151st Street in the Melrose section of The Bronx.