Community

UPDATE Jacobi Medical Center Welcomes First Baby of the New Year as Hochul Urges Parents to Vaccinate Kids

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Jacobi Medical Center, part of NYC Health + Hospitals public hospital system, welcomed its first baby of the New Year, Sophia Parra-Garcia, on Jan. 1 at 1.22 a.m.   The baby girl weighed in at 6 pounds, 2 ounces, and is just 17 inches tall. Her proud parents, Elaine Garcia Blanco and Michael Parra Lopez, are pictured above and below – her mom holding her new bundle of joy. Judging by these cute photos of the adorable little girl, who seemed to be fast asleep in her mom’s arms, Baby Sophia appeared nonplussed over the buzz she generated at Jacobi


Read More

Annual “Tree of Angels” Tree-Lighting Event Held in Tribute to Loved Ones Killed on Bronx Streets

By DAVID GREENE
Dozens of still grieving local, Bronx family members and survivors of crime and street violence gathered in early December in the Wakefield section of the Bronx, together with members of the Crime Victims Assistance Bureau (CVAU) and with Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, for the annual “Tree of Angels,” tree-lighting remembrance ceremony, held in memory and in tribute to the families’ loved ones who were the tragic victims of street violence.   Canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, the somber and poignant tree-lighting and tree-decorating event was held on Saturday, Dec. 4, and began in Bronx Community Board 12’s


Read More

Adams Reforms Process for Small Business Violations & DSNY Pilots New “Smart Bins”

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  New York City Mayor Eric Adams signed a “Small Business Forward” executive order on Tuesday, Jan. 4, to reform existing business regulations, with the aim of helping local businesses face fewer and what was described as “needless” fines and penalties.   The executive order builds upon Local Law 80, and calls on the City’s Department of Buildings (DOB), Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Department of Sanitation (DSNY), Fire Department (FDNY), Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (CWP), and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to review business regulations with the goal of reducing fine schedules, and allowing


Read More

Montefiore’s First Baby of the New Year is a Baby Girl from The Bronx!

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Montefiore Health System’s first baby of the New Year, born within the hospital’s network, was a baby girl, born in The Bronx in the early morning of Jan. 1, 2022.   Chimbusuto “Suto” Nwanko arrived in the world at 5:50 a.m.   The baby girl weighs 3.402kg/ 7lbs 8oz and is 18 inches long.   The baby’s mom, Uzoamaka  Nwanko, is from The Bronx.   Pictured are mother and baby, grandmother, Roseline Nwanko, together with nurses, Elizabeth Decaro, RN and Meghan Devivo, RN.   Meanwhile, New York City announced on Dec. 23 that the most popular names in the City are Emma


Read More

UPDATE 70 Guns Turned in at Wakefield Gun Buyback Event Honoring Brandon Hendricks

By DAVID GREENE
A gun buyback event held in the Wakefield section of the Bronx on Saturday, Dec. 18, which offered the highest dollar amount per gun to date in New York City, was successful in taking 70 guns off the streets, while also providing those who possessed them extra cash for the holidays.   The event was organized as part of a new gun buyback program launched in December 2021 called, “A Mother’5 Promi5e,” the brainchild of Eve Hendricks, mother of rising basketball star and tragic homicide victim, 17-year-old Brandon Hendricks, who, as reported, was fatally shot in what was reportedly crossfire


Read More

UPDATE COVID-19 Testing at Bronx Zoo & E. 180th St., Test Price Gouging & Reduced Isolation Requirements

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Amid massive COVID-19 testing shortages, Somos Community Care and NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene (NYC DOH) are launching a new testing site at Bronx Zoo for New Yorkers aged 5 and older.   As cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant continue to rise in New York City, and despite many NYC Health + Hospitals sites reinforcing testing availability, demand for tests is skyrocketing. It is hoped the new testing site will help alleviate some of the pressure. The Bronx Zoo testing site will also help support the zoo’s Holiday Light Show and officials say the first 300 guests


Read More

Norwood: St. Brendan’s Annual Toy Drive Brings Joy to Kids

By SÍLE MOLONEY  
In the spirit of holiday giving, St. Brendan School, a Catholic, elementary school, located in the Norwood section of the Bronx, in the Archdiocese of New York, recently held its annual toy drive for Catholic Guardian Services (CGS).   CGS cares for over 1,000 children in need ranging in age from infancy to 21.   This year, according to school representatives and thanks to the generosity of the school’s students and their families, St. Brendan’s was able to collect 23 bags of toy donations for children to enjoy in time for Christmas.      

New York Lottery: Cash-4-Life Ticket Sold in The Bronx

By SÍLE MOLONEY  
It was an extra happy Christmas Day for someone. The New York Lottery announced on Saturday, Dec. 25, that one second-prize ticket was sold in the Bronx for the Dec. 24, Cash4Life drawing. The ticket is worth a guaranteed $1,000 a week, for life.   The lucky ticket was purchased at Throgs Neck Petro LLC, located at 4147 Throggs Neck Expressway in the Throggs Neck section of the borough.   The winning numbers for the Cash4Life game are drawn from a field of one to 60. The Cash ball is drawn from a separate field of one to four. The


Read More

Fundraiser Launched for Bronx Family Robbed at Gunpoint in their Home before Christmas

By SÍLE MOLONEY
    Following a home invasion in the Morris Heights section of the Bronx on Dec. 20, in which two grandparents and two grandchildren were tied up and robbed at gunpoint, a GoFundMe page has been set-up to help the family get through the holiday season.   The NYPD is seeking the public’s assistance identifying the individuals seen in the attached video who are sought in connection to an assault and robbery that occurred in Morris Heights, in the 46th precinct.   It was reported to police that on Monday, Dec. 20, at approximately 5 p.m., inside an apartment located


Read More