Community

UPDATE: NYC Board of Elections Certifies June Primary Election Results

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The New York City Board of Elections certified the results of the June primary elections on Tuesday, July 20. The results are attached below for the main citywide and Bronx Democratic and Republican primary races, as applicable. The Commissioners of the Board of the Elections in the City of New York have certified the June 22, 2021 Primary Election. Council Districts 9 and 50 require a manual hand count and are not included in the report https://t.co/QiGQqMOlou — NYC Board of Elections (@BOENYC) July 20, 2021   Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams won the Democratic mayoral primary race with 404,513


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UPDATE Bronx Community College Trains Construction Professionals to Obtain Accreditation

By SÍLE MOLONEY & DAWN CLANCY
Bronx Community College (BCC) announced a new collaboration on July 8 with Building Skills New York (BSNY), an organization which helps New Yorkers in underserved communities find construction jobs. BCC and BSNY will work together to provide skills development and pathways to professional advancement for workers in the construction industry.   The goal of the Construction Career Accelerator (CCA) program, made possible by a grant from the New York State Department of Labor, is twofold: to help BSNY participants who are already placed on construction job sites across the five boroughs to gain the necessary skills to advance their careers,


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Country’s Largest “Passive House” High-Rise to Debut at 425 Grand Concourse, Mott Haven

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The Bronx will soon be home to the country’s largest “passive house” high-rise development at 425 Grand Concourse in Mott Haven that will create 277 units of affordable housing. According to various real estate websites, a passive house is a highly energy efficient building standard used in specific buildings to make them energy efficient but also comfortable, affordable and ecological.   Passive house is not a brand name, according to construction and real estate industry professionals, but a construction concept that can be applied by anyone and which has, reportedly, stood the test of practice. More information on the history


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Music, Fun & Politics Merged at the 20th Annual Morrison Avenue Festival in Soundview

By MIRIAM QUIÑONES, SHANIA DEGROOT & SÍLE MOLONEY
  The 20th annual Morrison Avenue Festival returned with gusto to the Soundview section of The Bronx on Saturday, June 12, having been cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.   District 18 City Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr., along with H.O.G.A.R., (Housing Options and Geriatric Association Resources, Inc.) Bronx County Expo Association, and Freddy Perez Jr. of FPJ Amusements and Entertainment Services Inc. hosted the popular event which, though well attended, saw smaller crowds than the original 5,000 expected for a joy-filled day of music, dancing, fun, as well as a bit of political rallying thrown in for good


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“Saturday Night Lights” Program Opens Up 23 Sports Venues for Bronx Youth on Saturday Nights

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced the expansion of the recently launched “Saturday Night Lights” (SNL) program with 23 additional sites added in the Bronx, joining the two that opened in 2019.   On July 9, the NYPD, the Department of Youth and Community Development (NYCD), the city’s five district attorneys’ offices and several city agency partners, community-based organizations (CBOs) and foundations announced the opening of 100 gyms across the city for free, high-quality sports programs for kids on Saturday nights.   An earlier expansion of the SNL program, announced on July 9, was supported by a commitment


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Bronx BP Confirms $35 Million in Capital Funding to Bronx Institutions for Fiscal Year 2022

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. announced on Wednesday, July 14, that his office is providing more than $35 million to institutions across the borough through his Fiscal Year 2022 capital funding allocations.   According to representatives from the borough president’s office, this year, the borough president will allocate $35,880,000 to 130 total projects. This includes funding for nearly 100 education projects, park upgrades, healthcare technology, improvements to cultural facilities, the creation of over 900 units of new housing, as well as the redesign and redevelopment of Orchard Beach and the design of the Universal Hip Hop Museum.   “Through these funding allocations,


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UPDATE: Ridgewood Savings Bank Welcomes Customers Next Month at New Norwood Location

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Representatives from Ridgewood Savings Bank issued a statement on Thursday, July 15, confirming the opening, next month,  of the group’s new branch at 320 East 204th Street in Norwood, which will replace the Norwood location at 3445 Jerome Avenue which is closing. As recently reported by Norwood News, the new branch was scheduled to open by September.   Bank officials said they were also working with partners including regulators, community groups, city officials, and other associates, as they explore alternate options for their Sedgwick Avenue branch, which had been set to close. Such discussions include the feasibility of continuing to


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UPDATE: COVID-19 Delta Variant Spotlights Vaccine Hesitancy in the Bronx Once Again

  The following is an extended version of the story that recently appeared in our print edition.   Like many New Yorkers, Dilletta Pina, a 70-year-old retiree from Norwood, worries about the highly infectious COVID-19 Delta variant. To stay safe, Pina never leaves her house without a mask, diligently washes her hands, and practices social distancing. But, like some of her fellow Bronxites, there is one step she’s not yet ready to take, and that’s getting the COVID-19 vaccine.   According to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, compared to other boroughs, as reported, the Bronx


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Consecration of African Burial Ground at Van Cortlandt Park on Juneteenth

By SÍLE MOLONEY & MIRIAM QUIÑONES
  In gratitude for the sacrifice of the African Ancestors who built what is now Van Cortlandt Park, the African Burial Ground located within the park, was consecrated during a special, live-streamed Juneteenth ceremony on June 19.   Cultural consultant, Peggy King Jorde, hosted the proceedings. According to newjersey.com, King Jorde has been involved in memorializing and preserving African burial grounds for nearly 30 years, after what started as a one-time project on a Manhattan site during her time working in the design and construction office of former New York City mayor, the late David Dinkins. That work grew into


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