Speaker Says Letter Calling for Budget Cuts Signed By Gibson and Dromm is Fake

By SÍLE MOLONEY

City Council Speaker Corey Johnson released a statement on Saturday, Aug. 22 about a letter circulating on social media that purports to be from his office, is apparently signed by Johnson, Finance Chair Danny Dromm, and Bronx City Councilwoman and Subcommittee on Capital Budget Chair Vanessa Gibson. The letter purports to identify city agency cuts through layoffs. Johnson said the letter is fake. “A letter is being circulated that purports to be from my office and signed by me, Finance Chair Danny Dromm and Subcommittee on Capital Budget Chair Vanessa Gibson identifying city agency cuts through layoffs. This letter

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

The line of people with rolling carts and hand trucks waiting to receive boxes of food filled the sidewalk of Hull Avenue. It started at the intersection of East 204th Street, and on its southern tip ended just short of East Mosholu Parkway North. Although the food event was scheduled to last an hour, the boxes were gone in less than 30 minutes. Promoted as a Food Box Giveaway and spearheaded by Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez, the outdoor event highlighted an ongoing worrisome issue in Norwood: food insecurity. “The turnout today was great,” Fernandez said. “A lot of people

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The non-profit, Abbot House, is to honor Daanyal Agboatwalla with the Joseph M. Pastore, Jr. Difference-Maker Award for his work in the community. Agboatwalla is a senior at Horace Mann School in the Bronx and is fiercely committed to supporting marginalized communities and fighting inequality wherever it exists. His passion led him to Abbott House, where he spent a summer working with migrant children as a teacher’s assistant in its Transitional Resource for Children (TRC) school. Abbott House is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization working with children, families and adults with complex needs. It supports nearly 2,800 children in

By SÍLE MOLONEY

As part of a set of legislative election reforms to address voting problems that arose in the June 23 primary election, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed bill S8015D into law on Aug. 20 which will temporarily expand New York voters’ ability to vote by mail in upcoming elections, including the presidential election in November, and other elections taking place in 2021. The new law temporarily alters the definition of “illness” with respect to absentee voting eligibility to include “risk of contracting or spreading a disease that may cause illness to the voter, or to other members of the public,” such

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Following Storm Isaias on Aug. 4, widespread power outages left thousands of Bronxites in the dark. Several days later, many residents still didn’t have their power restored. Blackouts and delayed service from Con Edison, which operates as a near-monopoly in the five boroughs, are not new according to Public Advocate Jumanne Williams. Williams recently released a report calling for a public power system for New York City to control its own electrical grid moving forward. Williams says public power would bring greater transparency and lower electricity rates to residents, and it has also shown to be more reliable

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York Lottery announced on Aug. 18 that there were multiple top-prize winning tickets sold for the Aug. 17 Take-5 drawing. The tickets were sold in both the Bronx and in Elmira, at the following locations: Jher Inc located at 3287a Westchester Ave. in The Bronx, which sold 1 prize winning ticket worth $29,651.00 E-Z Food Mart located at 502 Broadway St. in Elmira, which sold 1 prize winning ticket worth $29,651.00 Take 5 numbers are drawn from a field of one through 39. Drawings take place every evening at 11:21 p.m. Winning tickets at all prize

By DIANE S. WILLIAMS

A crew of five City lifeguards rescued a Bronx man who collapsed in knee-deep water at Orchard Beach on July 29. “We saw him wade out and suddenly he collapsed face down into the water,” said lifeguard supervisor Neil Veloz. “When we reached him and pulled him out, he had no pulse and wasn’t breathing.” Lifeguards, Andriy Kapys and Arlene Suvana, pulled the victim, Joachin Rosado, 33, from the water. Immediately, additional lifeguards, Julio Benjamin and Troy Washington, began CPR to resuscitate Rosado. However, Veloz said when they used a defibrillator, he had no shockable heart rhythm. The

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Local residents in the Norwood section of the Bronx got down to business last Monday, Aug. 10, showing up to help clean up Williamsbridge Oval Park in response to a call from elected officials, including Bronx Borough President, Ruben Diaz Jr., City Council Member Andrew Cohen, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and State Sen. Jamaal Bailey. As reported by Norwood News, a trail of devastation, including fallen trees and branches strewn across pathways and sports courts, was left in the park after Storm Isaias struck New York City on Tuesday, Aug 4, leaving 300,000 New Yorkers without electricity, some for more than

By SÍLE MOLONEY & ISAIAH MATHEWSON

Friends of Mosholu Parkland and local volunteers braved the early evening summer heat to join Members of the City’s Parks’ department and some elected officials for a clean-up of the parkland on Monday, July 20. A group of about 30 people, young and old, met at Mosholu Parkway subway station where masks, bags, gloves and tools were distributed before the group set to work cleaning up the area on a day when temperatures hit the high nineties. Norwood News asked the participants why it was important for them to come out and volunteer their time. Aesha Valencia is