Thousands of Bronxites Mourn 15 of Twin Parks Fire Victims at Funeral Service

By DAVID GREENE

Hundreds of Muslim worshipers packed the Islamic Cultural Center, located on Clay Avenue in the Morrisania section of the Bronx, on Sunday, Jan. 16, and thousands more stood shoulder to shoulder, wearing traditional Muslim clothing and face masks, to pay their respects to 15 of the 17 victims killed in the horrific Twin Parks North West fire tragedy on Jan. 9, as reported. As mourners jammed into several blocks along East 166th Street, the funeral and prayer service was attended by many high-ranking, City and State elected officials, including Mayor Eric Adams. As briefly reported, despite the frigid temperatures

By DAVID GREENE

This week, we asked readers their thoughts on the announcement on Jan. 18, by the New York State Attorney General’s Office that its ongoing investigation into the Trump Organization has preliminarily determined that the organization used fraudulent and misleading asset valuations to obtain economic benefits. “He should go to jail. I think [former President Donald J.] Trump should be brought up on charges of fraud and tax evasion, or whatever claims the attorney general finds, because he’s not above the law. He’s just as guilty as anybody else who breaks the law. I’ve seen enough evidence [of] what happened

By MONICA RICHARDSON & SÍLE MOLONEY

It has been almost three weeks since the deadly Twin Parks fire tragedy occurred in the Fordham Heights section of the Bronx, tragically taking the lives of 17 people, including 8 children, mostly of Gambian descent. Since then, Bronxites have mobilized to mourn and honor the victims, support the survivors, all while facing more tragedy in the form of gun violence across the borough. The NYPD confirmed 63 people were injured in the Twin Parks North West blaze, which, according to a report by The New York Times, was the deadliest since the Bronx’s Happy Land Social Club tragedy, which resulted

Editor’s Pick Join Elizabeth Cooney, Woodlawn Cemetery & Conservancy’s coordinator of educational programming for Woodlawn’s Lovers Trolley tour of the cemetery, located at 4199 Webster Ave, Bronx, NY 10470, on Sunday, Feb. 13, the day before St Valentine’s Day, at 2 p.m., at the Jerome Avenue entrance, and visit the sites of Woodlawn’s notable lovers. Tour stops include Irene and Vernon Castle, Ida and Isidor Straus, and Celia Cruz and Pedro Knight. Adults $25 and Students/Seniors $20. All guests are required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccinations and will be asked to wear a mask on the trolley. For tickets, go to: https://www.woodlawn.org/conservancy/tours-events/, and

By SÍLE MOLONEY & MIRIAM QUIÑONES

New York State Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie, in conjunction with Bridgefield Civic League Inc., hosted a Christmas Celebration at the league’s center at 3551 Laconia Avenue in Williamsbridge on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021. The event featured a toy giveaway, food & drinks, games, story time and general entertainment for the local community. It was supported by NYC Health & Hospitals Test & Trace Corps, Metro Plus Health Plan, Gloria Bent, registered dietician and nutritionist, and author, Harlem Holiday, among other volunteers. Speaking to Norwood News at the event, Bent said, “The holiday season is a season for giving,

By SÍLE MOLONEY & MIRIAM QUIÑONES

The folks at Transportation Alternatives Bronx Activist Committee, headed up by Kevin Daloia, held their annual, novel, festive bike ride around the borough on Thursday, Dec. 16, in the lead up to the year-end holidays, all in an effort to spread some much-needed holiday cheer and spirit, amid the then-latest wave of coronavirus infections caused by the omicron variant. Volunteers saddled up, dressed in festive outfits and took a late bike ride around some of the various tree-lighting displays in Belmont and Morris Park, before finishing up at Metropolitan Circle in Parkchester. The event kicked off at Poe Park, at

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx Assembly Member Nathalia Fernández (A.D. 80) and her team held one of several toy giveaways which were organized by various elected officials, local community groups and police precincts, in the lead up to the holidays. The event which was held on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, was for children in the local Norwood and Bedford Park areas, and included special guest, Santa Clause. The event was held outside Lexa Express, located at 347 East 204th Street in Norwood, and the assemblywoman said she and her team of volunteers rushed to start the giveaway early, such was the line of

By DAVID GREENE

Over 300 Bronxites turned out for a day of learning, planning, and healing, as dozens of local organizations converged on The Mary Mitchell Center, located at 2007 Mapes Avenue in the Crotona section of the Bronx, for “The Bronx People’s Festival” on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021. Participating groups included Mothers on The Move, Banana Kelly Community Improvement Association, Laborers International Union of North America, The Point, The Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC), the Bronx Cooperative Development Initiative and others. The various groups were on hand to provide guests with assistance, as well as free gifts, as

By SÍLE MOLONEY

On Thursday, Jan. 20, the New York City Council appointed recently elected, Bronx, District 14 City Council Member, Pierina Sanchez, as chair of the council’s powerful housing & buildings committee, which has jurisdiction over New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the Department of Buildings (DOB), as well as rent regulation policies and practices. HPD is responsible for promoting the quality and affordability of the city’s housing by developing new, affordable housing, enforcing the housing maintenance code, and engaging neighborhoods in planning. DOB is the primary regulator of the construction and real estate industries in