Education

City Addresses Hazardous Conditions involving Lithium-Ion Batteries in E-Bike Stores following Fatal Fire

By SÍLE MOLONEY
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh, and NYC Small Business Services (SBS) Commissioner Kevin D. Kim announced a new action plan on Wednesday, June 21, to expedite investigations into complaints made via 311 about potentially hazardous conditions involving lithium-ion batteries at bike shops and bike repair shops within the five boroughs.   As reported, another e-bike battery fire, this time inside Electric Transporters e-bike store in the Norwood section of The Bronx, broke out on June 7 and fortunately resulted in no injuries. However, a separate e-bike battery fire claimed the lives of four people at


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UPDATE Elections 2023: Council Member Marjorie Velázquez Endorsed by NYC PBA in Re-Election BID in District 13

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  District 13 City Council Member Marjorie Velázquez announced on Wednesday, June 21, that she received the endorsement of the New York City Police Benevolent Association (NYC PBA) in her bid for re-election in the upcoming Democratic primary on June 27. The councilwoman won her seat in 2021. Her team said the endorsement highlights what they described as “Velázquez’s unwavering commitment to public safety and her dedication to supporting law enforcement officers who serve and protect the residents of New York City.”   Representatives for the union, which represents over 24,000 active and retired police officers, said they recognize Velázquez as


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Elections 2023: Voters in City Council Districts Where There is No Primary Should Still Vote in the Bronx DA’s Race

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  Resident, Helen Krim, has contacted Norwood News to raise an urgent voting issue which she believes may mislead voters of City Council District 11.   Krim wrote, “I received a publication from NYCVotes.org. The about page states, ‘NYC Votes is an initiative of the New York City Campaign Finance Board, the independent city agency that ensures local elections are fair, inclusive, and open’.” Krim continued, “Page 14 of that publication announces, ‘There is no Primary Election in City Council District 11’.” She added, “This is not true. There is a very important primary election for the Bronx District Attorney


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Fordham Manor: Two Arrested and One Sought following Store Robbery

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The NYPD is asking for the public’s help locating the person seen in the attached photo who department officials say is sought in connection with a robbery that occurred in Fordham Manor.   Police said that on Tuesday, June 13, at approximately 4.41 p.m., three people approached a business located at 2441 Jerome Avenue. They said one member of the group remained at the door as a lookout, while the other two entered the business. “Once inside, one of the individuals displayed a firearm at a 31-year-old male employee while demanding property,” a police spokesperson said.   “The individuals then


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Bronx Teachers Demand New Contract, Higher Pay; Tentative Agreement Reached

By DAVID GREENE
Several hundred public school teachers and NYC Department of Education (DOE) employees gathered in Parkchester on May 24, as other school employees assembled at similar rallies across the City the same day, to demand a new employment contract with the City, a salary increase, less bureaucracy and smaller class sizes.   The United Federation of Teachers (UFT) union held rallies in all five boroughs as Bronx teachers and staff gathered at Virginia Park, located between the Cross Bronx Service Road and Westchester Avenue. “Lisa,” a School District 8 special education teacher, told Norwood News, “We’ve been without a contract since the last school year if I’m not mistaken. We’re looking for better pay,


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UPDATE Elections 2023: Bradshaw Takes Challenge of District 14 Seat to the Streets

By DAVID GREENE & SÍLE MOLONEY
State committeewoman for Assembly District 78, Rachel Bradshaw, Fordham Hill Co-op board secretary, and candidate in the upcoming Democratic City Council primary election for District 14, joined a group of supporters on Saturday, May 27, as she took her campaign to unseat the incumbent, Council Member Pierina Sanchez who has held the seat since 2022, to the streets of Fordham Manor.   District 14 broadly encompasses some or all of the neighborhoods of Kingsbridge Heights, Fordham Manor, Fordham Heights, Bedford Park, University Heights, Mt. Hope and Morris Heights. It is bordered to the south by the Cross Bronx Expressway.  


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Manhattan College Student Honored at Pride Ceremony

By SARA MARTINEZ
As Bronx residents and elected officials gathered at Bronx Borough Hall on Thursday, June 1, for the annual Pride ceremony to mark the beginning of Pride Month, one northwest Bronx student was among those being honored this year. The annual tradition of honoring selected members of the Bronx LGBTQIA+ community was also an occasion to witness the raising of the Pride flag, which will fly alongside the American flag and the veterans’ Prisoner of War (POW) / Missing in Action (MIA) flag throughout Pride Month (June).   On the day, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson reiterated New York’s commitment to


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2023 Lehman College Commencement Celebrates Diverse Paths to Higher Education  

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT
More than 3,450 graduates gathered on the athletic fields of Lehman College in Bedford Park on June 1 to participate in the college’s 55th Commencement ceremony. With sunny, blue skies above them, and surrounded by family and friends who filled the outer banks of the fields, and took up more than half the playing field, graduates received some inspirational advice from academic leaders, honorary degree recipients, and fellow graduate, Alesha Alli.   “What you want to be is not the same as what you want to do,” Alli said during her address. “In the real world, who we choose to


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UPDATE Dr. Stevie…..the Wonder

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Music legend Stevie Wonder received an honorary doctorate of humane letters at Fordham University’s 178th Commencement on May 20 at the college’s Rose Hill campus in Fordham Manor. Despite the dismal, intermittent rainfall, Wonder offered the Class of 2023 some words of heartfelt gratitude to be counted among its members.