Handel’s Messiah & Other Holiday Performances on BronxNet

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The Bronx is celebrating with cheerful holiday performances, and viewers can share in that holiday spirit by tuning in to BronxNet. The seasonal line-up includes Handel’s Messiah performed by The Orchestra of The Bronx and Bronx Opera Company, Manhattan College’s Lessons and Carols, a virtual Nutcracker by the Paige Fraser Foundation, a Parranda celebration by Casita Maria, and Pregones PRTT’s Fiesta Navideña. Handel’s Messiah features readers from the Bronx community including Dr. Ruth Westheimer, NYS Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, NYC Councilman Andrew Cohen, Congressman José E. Serrano, Bronx Community College President Thomas Isekenegbe, Riverdale Press Editor Michael Hinman, and BronxNet

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

When 2020 started, Doris Cordero was thrilled to assume the position of president of the 45-member Riverdale Art Association. She is the first Puerto Rican to hold the position, but then COVID-19 came along, disrupting the monthly, in-person meetings. Later, on a more personal level, a cancer diagnosis in early summer left her facing what she described as an ordeal. “I was in recovery during August, September, and October. I’m now 100 percent,” Cordero told the Norwood News in a phone interview. She is philosophical, and even somewhat upbeat about having slowed down to assist her recovery. “Because of

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

A coalition of local community groups made up of many young volunteers joined forces on Dec. 9 during a “Sticker Shock Campaign,” to alert local alcohol retailers of the dangers underage drinking presents to young people. The groups made in-person visits to various stores in Community Boards 5, 7, and 8 with oral presentations, stickers, and posters reminding both store owners and customers that it is illegal and dangerous to provide alcohol to anyone under the age of 21. The campaign was spearheaded by “We Engage in Prevention Awareness,” (WEPA), a community coalition seeking to eliminate substance abuse,

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New York State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi was celebrating, on Dec. 15, the signing into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo of a new bill S8298B, for which she was the lead sponsor, which prohibits the State of New York from selling or displaying symbols of hate. The bill states that the State shall not sell or display any symbols of hate or similar image, or tangible personal property, inscribed with such an image, unless the image appears in a book, digital medium, museum, or otherwise serves an educational or historical purpose. The term, “symbols of hate” shall include, but

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The final virtual police reform and reinvention listening session for 2020 was held on Wednesday, Dec. 9, in further efforts to continue to connect with New Yorkers, and address concerns around police and policing. About 90 people participated in the citywide virtual event, which was advertised as a multi-lingual session with translators available to take questions from callers in a number of languages. Police Commissioner Dermot Shea, Chief of Patrol Juanita Holmes, who was promoted to the role on Oct. 29, and other senior police officials took questions on issues ranging from how to report police misconduct to

By DAVID GREENE

This week, we asked readers if they agree that presidential pardons should be given when a president leaves office. Is it right and just? “That’s a good question. I believe that if you have a lot of proof, proof like they have on this person, Michael Flynn, there’s so much proof that this guy didn’t do anything wrong, so yeah, I believe in the pardons, even if the president is leaving office. Hey, he still has the ability. He’s still the president, yeah.” Dawn Marie, Indian Village “That’s a very interesting question. I don’t know if it’s

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Throughout the northwest Bronx, various statues, plaques and memorials honor and remember those veterans who served the country, some of whom died in combat. From the Bronx Victory Memorial at the southern end of Mosholu Parkway, which honors local residents who died in World War I, to Memorial Grove in Van Cortlandt Park, which honors those who served up to, and through the Vietnam War, local neighborhoods recognize the service of men and women in the military. Of course, Woodlawn Cemetery is the final resting place for over 6,500 men and women who served in the military. Those

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Before Brianna Lopez turned 19, she decided to make a written record of her experiences during her last year as a teenager. In doing so, she decided that she wouldn’t hold back from sharing the ups and downs, the happy and sad times, the darkness and the hope she felt on the cusp of adulthood. Through a combination of prose and poetry, Lopez, now 20, and a college junior in Miami who is majoring in professional writing, has self-published a collection of those experiences in a book entitled, “the nighttime series: a collection of poetry and short stories”

By AURÉOLE RIBES

There’s a citrus-y, sweetness to this tangy, tomato-based sauce, followed by a kick! It’s a refreshing take on your regular, grocery store barbecue sauce. Aptly named, “Sweet and Tangy,” it’s the first barbecue sauce created by Father and Son’s Kitchen, a company founded in 2019 by Norwood resident, Luis Rivera Jr. Like all entrepreneurs, Rivera knew the first year of his start-up would be a gamble but hoped that by working hard and staying focused, things would get easier in his second year of business. Little did he know things were about to get a whole lot crazier