Former New York City Schools Official Pleads Guilty to Child Pornography Charge

By SÍLE MOLONEY

United States Attorney Matthew D. Krueger of the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on September 15, 2020, David A. Hay, 40, most recently of Brooklyn, New York, entered a guilty plea to a charge of receiving child pornography. Most recently, Hay served as Deputy Chief of Staff to the New York City Chancellor of Schools. According to court filings, in May of 2010, while living and employed in the Eastern District of Wisconsin, David A. Hay exchanged emails with a 15-year-old child. During the course of these communications, the defendant received sexually explicit digital images and videos from

By SÍLE MOLONEY

In late April, NBC New York reported that a doctor working at New York Presbyterian Allen Hospital in Inwood died by suicide after treating a number of COVID-19 patients. Her father, also a doctor, was quoted as saying at the time, “She was — in every way — in the trenches of this war, fighting the effects of this COVID virus that she contracted herself. She went home and stayed for a week and a half before she felt obligated to go back to the trenches and help, so that’s what she did.” According to several news reports,

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Sept. 16 that the City will issue a week of furloughs for mayoral office employees. This action, in addition to savings from the adopted budget, will represent a 12% cut to the FY21 Mayor’s Office budget. “Dedicated public servants have worked tirelessly for our city and their fellow New Yorkers throughout this crisis,” said De Blasio. “This is a painful step, but it shows just how committed we are to responsible budgeting and leading the City through these challenging times. Today’s announcement makes it clear we need Albany to step

Crime File: Another Heroin Death in the Bronx

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced that as of Sept. 14, all customers who refuse to wear a mask on public transit will be subject to a $50 fine. The new measure follows Governor Cuomo’s executive order directing the MTA to develop a plan to bolster mask compliance across public transit. MTA officials reiterated that the rule is to ensure that customers are adhering to the best possible public health practices and to further improve upon current rates of mask usage, which are already above 90 percent across New York City Transit subways and buses, the Long Island Rail Road and

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Following the news that 24 New York City teachers tested positive for COVID-19 across all five boroughs after returning to school, on Monday, Sept. 13, Bronx Council Member Fernando Cabrera reiterated his earlier warning that the Department of Education (DOE) must carefully plan with UFT before re-opening schools. “I’m saying again, the DOE must engage in careful planning with the UFT and CSA before we can open our schools,” he said. “Having 24 teachers across the city testing positive for COVID-19 after returning to school buildings is a dire warning sign. As I have said previously, the DOE needs

By SÍLE MOLONEY

With only 22 days left until the conclusion of the 2020 census, following President Trump’s move to cut it short by one month, on Tuesday, Sept. 8, NYC Census 2020 announced the third contestants in the “NYC Census Subway Series,” to mobilize New Yorkers to self-respond immediately. NYC Census 2020 Field Director Kathleen Daniel released the following statement about the series. “Our Census Subway Series has unleashed the power of neighborhood pride in bringing out the census count, and we’re thrilled to bring the competition to the Boogie Down Bronx. For the third week of our Census Subway

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Bronx poet and spoken word artist, Lorraine Currelley, has nurtured a life-long love of the written word, and actively shares that passion with as many people as possible. As executive director of both the Bronx Book Fair and the Poets Network & Exchange, she is leading a group of fellow word lovers on a mission to expand literacy in the borough, provide workshops for writers, and promote storytelling by underrepresented groups in the literary world. “I’m about change,” Currelley said. “I’m about growth.” In May, she was appointed State of New York Bronx Beat Poet Laureate for 2020-2022

By DAVID GREENE

Members of the United Bodegas of America (UBA) have come together demanding officials do something, after a woman went berserk, and attempted to destroy a store with a butcher’s knife in the Soundview section of the Bronx on July 31 after she was asked to wear a face covering. Members of the UBA gathered on Sunday, Aug. 30 for a press conference outside LizBeth Supermarket, where the incident occurred, and which is located at 1702 Watson Avenue, to publicly voice their concerns about the dangers and harassment bodega owners and employees face from some customers. Supermarket owner,

By SÍLE MOLONEY

On Tuesday, Aug. 8, leading advocates challenged the Cuomo administration to keep its commitment to the linked goals of environmental justice and fighting climate change by dedicating $89.7 million in funds, collected this year from polluters, to frontline communities and clean energy projects. The advocates call on the Governor to reject any plan that will use these funds to fill other budget holes. Specifically, they are asking that $31.4 million be directed to communities on the frontlines of climate change in compliance with New York’s Climate Law—The Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). They said this figure