Bronx Serviceman, Killed During the Korean War, Accounted for 70 Years Later

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The U.S. Defense Prisoner of War (POW) / Missing in Action (MIA) Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced on Monday, Sept. 20, that U.S. Army 1st Lt. Anthony R. Mazzulla, 26, of The Bronx, New York, killed during the Korean War, was accounted for on May 28, 2020. Though Mazzulla was accounted for in May of last year, DPAA said his family only recently received a full briefing on his identification, which is why details of his status are only being released to the public now. In late 1950, Mazzulla was a member of Company B, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry Regiment, 7th

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 that they are leading an effort to eliminate barriers to federal disaster relief in the wake of Hurricane Ida. Espaillat and Meng took the lead in writing a letter, calling on U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Chairman Peter DeFazio, who chairs the congressional committee on transportation and infrastructure, to include Espaillat’s bill, H.R. 3037 – the Housing Survivors of Major Disasters Act of 2021 in upcoming emergency disaster supplemental funding. Espaillat said

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York Lottery announced on Friday, Sept. 17, that one top-prize winning ticket was sold in the Sept. 16 TAKE 5 EVENING drawing. The ticket, worth $44,137.50, was purchased at Happy Face Convenience Corp., located at 921 E. 180th Street in the West Farms section of the Bronx. Take 5 players with midday and evening draws on the same ticket must check their numbers at nylottery.ny.gov to determine if they have the winning numbers for the corresponding midday or evening drawing. TAKE 5 numbers are drawn from a field of one through 39. The drawing is televised twice daily at

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx elected officials shared various messages to acknowledge the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur. According to the website, hebcal.com, this year, Yom Kippur began on Wednesday, 15 Sept. and ends at nightfall on Thursday, 16 Sept. Yom Kippur, also known as the Day of Atonement, is the holiest day of the year for the Jewish community. Its central themes are atonement and repentance. Jews traditionally observe this holy day with a 25-hour period of fasting and intensive prayer, often spending most of the day in synagogue services. Yom Kippur completes the annual period known in Judaism as the High Holy

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Troy Blackwell, an Afro-Latino voting rights activist and former District 15 City Council candidate, as reported, has founded “Ready for Change,” a political action committee dedicated to promoting youth voter education and supporting “forward-thinking Democrats” at the local and state level. According to Blackwell, Ready for Change aims to make democracy more representative by increasing voter participation among youth, especially youth of color. Blackwell will lead the PAC and oversee potential partnerships. Educational resources will be provided in English, Spanish, Arabic, and French to reach diverse voters, and the key issues the PAC will focus on include climate change,

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD is seeking the public’s assistance in locating a 13-year-old girl who has been reported missing from the 49th precinct in the Laconia section of the Bronx. It was reported to police that Shiloh Lalondriz, 13, was last seen on Sept. 9, at approximately 6.30 p.m., in front of her home at 2725 Throop Avenue in Laconia. She is described as female, weighs approximately 123 pounds, is Hispanic, is 5 feet, 6 inches tall, has brown eyes and brown hair. She was last seen wearing a blue shirt with a “2” printed on the back, blue socks and

New York State Eviction Moratorium Extension Follows Bronx Rally

By SARAH HUFFMAN

A housing rally organized by Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15) in Hunts Point on Aug. 3 achieved the desired result: an extension of the State eviction moratorium. In addition, the State moratorium offers greater protections than its federal counterpart, which is also fortunate as in the meantime, the federal moratorium extension has been struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court. Torres was joined at the Aug. 3 rally, held at 1231 Lafayette Avenue, by New York City Council Member Vanessa Gibson (C.D. 16) and advocates from Community Action for Safe Apartments (CASA), the Supportive Housing Network of New York,

Bronxites Pick up the Pieces & Seek Relief in the Wake of Storm Ida

By DAVID GREENE & SÍLE MOLONEY

The relative and literal “calm before the storm” on the afternoon and early evening of Wednesday, Sept. 1, perhaps lured many Bronxites into a fall sense of security that then-impending Storm Ida would not be as extreme as forecast. The consequences of such nonchalance proved to be devastating. Between noon and 6 p.m., the day was overcast, humidity was at 82 percent, temperatures ranged from 68 to 72 degrees F, southwesterly winds were traveling at 11.8 mph but there was no rain. At 6.18 p.m., the National Weather Service (NWS) tweeted that tornado warnings had been issued for

By SÍLE MOLONEY

To honor and pay tribute to those who were lost on Sept. 11, 2001, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will launch visual memorials on New York City buses, subways and both commuter railroads on Saturday, the 20th anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center. “I remember the day vividly,” said New York City transit interim president, Craig Cipriano. “I was working in the Brooklyn division of buses facilitating a new bus operator orientation. When we heard that the first plane had hit the North Tower, we thought it was some kind of an accident. But when we