Education

Dinowitz Supports Presidential Primary Cancellation; State & Congressional Elections To Go Ahead

By Síle Moloney
The NYS Board of Elections announced the cancellation of the New York State presidential primary today, Apr. 27. The State, congressional and other elections will still go ahead on Jun. 23, as planned. Other state presidential primaries have been postponed in recent weeks but not cancelled. The Sanders campaign released a statement the same day as the announcement, describing the decision taken in New York as an “outrage”.   “Today’s decision by the New York State Board of Elections is an outrage, a blow to American democracy, and must be overturned by the DNC,” the statement read. “Just last week,


Read More

North Bronx Elected Officials Host Town Hall: Address Mail Delays & Vote-by-Mail

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT
In the midst of a pandemic, public health is the number one priority. People need to know what is being done at every level of government to keep them safe. In the case of COVID-19, an additional worry is that there is currently no vaccine, nor any clinically proven treatment for the virus. Local officials have been kept busy reaching out through social media posts, newsletters, emails, and phone calls advising their constituents on how to stay safe and avoid infection.   However, if the latest town hall for North Bronx residents is any indication, people are not just concerned


Read More

Know Your Rights: NYC Agencies Explain Workers’ Protections Amid PAUSE Order

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT
  Beyond addressing the immediate public health concerns brought on by the spread of COVID-19, NYC agencies are also reaching out, through virtual town hall meetings, to inform workers across the City that their rights have not been suspended, even if they are undocumented immigrants.   In a town hall meeting streamed on Zoom and Facebook Live on Tuesday, Apr. 14, officials from four City agencies outlined the resources available to immigrant communities while the statewide PAUSE order is in effect.   In addition to answering employment-related questions from workers, City representatives provided information on the public charge rule, NYC


Read More

Uprooted Trees in Mosholu Park Reignites Debate over Golf Club-House Site Boundary

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Just like her neighbors, 74-year-old Norwood resident, Silvya Parodi relies on the leafy surroundings of Mosholu Park for her physical and mental well being. Prior to the enactment of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s statewide PAUSE order, the vast, tree-lined, green zone served as a welcome sanctuary from the City’s daily hustle and bustle.   When the shelter-in-place restrictions came into effect in March, that lifeline to nature became even more vital to Parodi, and a local community craving some semblance of normalcy amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “Sometimes I go sit in the park and talk to some old person that is


Read More

De Blasio Announces Budget Cuts but Prioritizes Health, Safety, Shelter and Access To Food 

By Síle Moloney
Mayor Bill de Blasio released New York City’s Executive Budget for Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21) on Thursday, Apr. 16. The budget prioritizes health, safety, shelter and access to food for all New Yorkers, and outlines the spending cuts that will be made to other services to address revenue shortfalls and budget gaps.   The mayor said, via a press release, that the cuts, detailed in the so-called Program to Eliminate the Budget Gap (PEG), would be temporary, that there would be no gap in “necessary” services, and that the budget plan would be reevaluated by officials over the course of


Read More

Free Virtual Career Service Launched to Help Job Seekers

Bronx (Fordham Rd), West Farms, and Hunts Point Workforce Career Centers are currently closed, but have launched virtual services to help job seekers during this time. Workforce1 helps New Yorkers prepare for and connect to jobs across New York City’s five boroughs in every sector of the economy.   Through their Virtual Workforce1 Career Center system, the career centers can connect candidates via web or phone to one-on-one help from professionals, including help with the following:   Job Opportunities Individual Career Advice Resume & Interview Preparation   All of the services are provided at no cost and do not require


Read More

Dinowitz Secures Absentee Voting Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Wednesday, April 8, during his daily COVID-19 briefing that all New Yorkers would be able to apply for an absentee ballot for the June 23 primary and special elections. The governor’s still-pending executive order is expected to codify the third and final component of legislation circulated by Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81), which called for expanding absentee ballot eligibility to include registered voters who are, “unable or averse to appear personally at polling places due to imminent, impending or urgent disease outbreak, including but not limited to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).”   Dinowitz


Read More

Cabrera Issues Statement On Racial Disparities in COVID-19 Fatalities

Councilman Fernando Cabrera Looks to Unseat AOC
  On Wednesday, Apr. 8, Council Member Fernando Cabrera issued the following statement on racial disparities in COVID-19 fatalities, with hispanic deaths highest.   “The numbers released tell a disgraceful story.  What we in low-income communities of color have suspected all along is finally out in the open.  There is a tremendous racial disparity in the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic in New York City and throughout the United States.  In New York City, Hispanics are 34% of COVID-19 fatalities but only 29% of the population. African-Americans are 28% of fatalities but only 22% of the population. Compared to whites


Read More

Bronx Students Create “I Stay Home” Video in Borough with Highest Asthma Rates

By Síle Moloney
  Students and staff at St. Catharine Academy high school in Allerton are doing what they can to ‘flatten the curve’ and help reduce the burden on the City’s health service, as the Bronx ranks third, after Queens and Brooklyn, in the number of positive COVID-19 cases citywide. The students and staff made a short public awareness video called, “I Stay Home,” highlighting their individual reasons for adhering to the governor’s order to stay home during the COVID-19 pandemic.   Kerry Schmid, dean of student life and athletic director at the Catholic high school for girls, coordinated the project. She


Read More