Community

Espaillat & Meng Secure Funding for Federal Disaster Relief in Wake of Hurricane Ida

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), who represents parts of the Northwest Bronx and Northern Manhattan, and Grace Meng (NY-6) who represents parts of Queens, announced on Wednesday, Sept. 22, that they have secured over $11 billion in federal relief to help New Yorkers recover from the devastation caused by the remnants of Hurricane Ida.   “Hurricane Ida marked the second time in two months our communities were flooded as a result of the climate crisis, and New Yorkers need for our support,” said Espaillat. “While we continue to survey the economic toll this storm took on our communities, it’s clear that our people needed immediate


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Environmental Review Completed for Metro-North Penn Station Access & Four New Bronx Stations

Crime File: Who's Wanted In the Bronx?
By SÍLE MOLONEY
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced on Monday, Sept. 27, that the environmental review process for the Metro-North Penn Station Access Project is complete. The milestone makes four new stations in the Bronx as well as direct Metro-North service to Penn Station from the Bronx, Westchester, and Connecticut a step closer to reality.   Acting MTA chair and CEO, Janno Lieber, said it was an important milestone for a project and will give people in several, transit-deprived areas of the East Bronx access to jobs, education, health care and everything New York and Connecticut have to offer. “By making use of


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CB7: Permanent Outdoor Dining Fuels Noise Debate, as New Housing Planned for Special Needs Population

By DAWN CLANCY
  Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7)’s Housing, Land Use, and Economic Development Committee have said “yes,” to plans to support the City’s proposal to make outdoor dining permanent, but some residents are wary the move may exacerbate already, unwanted noise levels late at night. The board also gave its support to a new housing development at 3118 Webster Avenue in Norwood, despite some residents’ misgivings over the trajectory of quality-of-life in the area.   At the board’s housing committee meeting, held on Sept. 14, the first such committee meeting to take place since breaking for the summer, a quality-of-life discussion


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Mosholu Preservation Corporation Celebrates 40 Years in Norwood

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  Representatives of Mosholu Preservation Corporation (MPC) gathered with local community residents, business owners, and elected officials to celebrate its 40th anniversary on Friday, Sept. 17. The event was held outdoors at the historic Keeper’s House, located at 3400 Reservoir Oval East, in Norwood, which is also home to the nonprofit.   About 60 community members and former and current elected officials joined past and present MPC staff members for the occasion. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81) presented a proclamation from New York State to MPC executive director, Jennifer Tausig, in recognition of what he described as the organization’s great


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New York Latino Film Festival Screened Largest Number of Films To Date

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The New York Latino Film Festival (NYLFF), billed as the nation’s premier Latino film festival returned to The Bronx from Sept. 13 to 19, with a combination of virtual programming and drive-in and in-person screenings held across the borough, as well as the FUTURO Digital Conference. It was NYLFF’s 22nd edition of the festival and celebrated the 20th anniversary of the film, “Raising Victor Vargas.” This year, the festival included numerous films from around the world, and screened the largest number of films to date. About Last Night Who does it bigger for #HispanicHeritageMonth than the New York Latino Film


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State Comptroller: Bronx Residents Have $353,393,103.00 in Unclaimed Funds

By SÍLE MOLONEY
New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli recently announced that Bronx residents have $353,393,103.00 in unclaimed funds waiting to be paid.   According to the State comptroller’s office, banks, insurance companies, corporations and the courts are among the many organizations required by law to report dormant accounts to the State comptroller. These organizations must attempt to notify residents by mail regarding such dormant accounts, and publish the information in newspapers.   According to the City, monies paid to the courts for legal matters, are held in an interest-bearing, NYC Department of Finance common trust account. Deposits and withdrawals of court


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Inquiring Photographer: Thoughts on Hochul’s Plans to Curb Misinformation on Abortion

By DAVID GREENE
  This week, we asked readers for their thoughts on Gov. Kathy Hochul’s plans to curb misinformation on abortion, as announced on Sept. 13.   “You know if women want to have that, they have the right to do that. I don’t agree with certain things, but I can’t comment on that really, you know what I’m saying? They should have the right to do it, but babies need to be born. Republicans always cry they’re pro-life when it comes to abortion, but it never comes up when you’re talking about gun control. Everybody has an opinion, but when babies


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Homecoming Concert Celebrates Life, Arts & Culture in “The Boogie-Down”

By JASON GONZALEZ
New York City’s “Homecoming Week” kicked off in the birthplace of Hip Hop, on Monday Aug. 16, when the first of five outdoor concerts was held in Orchard Beach in The Bronx. The music-filled week was launched as a celebration of the City’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, despite health officials warning that more people still need to be vaccinated in order for the City, and country, to advance towards the much coveted state of herd immunity.   Citywide, as of Sept. 24, just 62 percent of New Yorkers are fully vaccinated, and in the Bronx, that number is 55


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UPDATE Starbucks To Open at Former “Twin Donut Plus” Site in Norwood

By DAVID GREENE
Coffee lovers, get ready! Workers are putting the finishing touches to the remodeling of the once popular, “Twin Donut Plus,” in preparation for the grand opening of a new Starbucks branch in Norwood.   The former coffee and donut outlet, located at 3396 Jerome Avenue and East 208th Street, which was part of the Twin Donut franchise founded in Boston in 1959, closed in July 2018, as previously reported by Norwood News. The site has remained vacant ever since.   According to a filed “RPTT and RETT” document with the Office of the City Register, the property appears to have


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