Employment

UPDATE Belmont: FDNY Stresses Door Closing after Fatal Fire as Property Owner’s Role Under Scrutiny

By SÍLE MOLONEY
After the fatal fire at 660 East 187th Street in Belmont on Tuesday, April 21, claimed the lives of two people and left residents of the entire building displaced, the FDNY held a second press conference in Belmont on Friday, April 24, to provide an update on their investigation into the 5-alarm blaze. Officials highlighted once again the importance of closing doors in the event of a fire to stop it from spreading, and also confirmed that the two deceased people had been found in the stairwells of the building. Meanwhile, one relative of some of the building’s surviving tenants has raised questions about the responsibility of the property owner following the fire. Read our initial story on the fire here and its aftermath here.

A.D. 81 Candidate Morgan Evers Endorsed by Rivera, Jackson & Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Morgan Evers, a teacher and disability activist who launched her campaign to challenge local, 16-term Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz on Dec. 7, 2025 for the 81st Assembly District seat in the upcoming June primaries, has received additional endorsements in recent weeks in the form of local State Senators Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33), Robert Jackson (S.D. 31), and the Jim Owles Liberal Democratic Club. 

UPDATE Belmont: Two Killed, Multiple Injuries after Residential Fire in 1920s Building on East 187th Street

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Two people have died and 11 people were injured in a seemingly terrifying, 5-alarm residential fire in the Little Italy/Belmont section of The Bronx on Tuesday afternoon, April 21, according to the FDNY. Department officials said they believe the fire started on the first floor, though this is still under investigation. The deadly blaze follows another fatal fire in Belmont at 505 East 184th Street on March 26, as reported, in which there was one fatality and nine injuries.

Hochul, Mamdani Join Marble Hill Student Dylan Contreras after Release from ICE Detention 

By SÍLE MOLONEY
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined formerly detained Marble Hill high school student Dylan Josue Lopez Contreras, his mother, lawyers, New York Legal Assistance Group, and advocates on Thursday, March 19, in Manhattan to welcome him back to New York City following his release from the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania run by the U.S. Department of Immigration, Customs & Enforcement (ICE).

UPDATE Norwood & School District 10 Among First for Free Childcare This Fall  

By SÍLE MOLONEY
In what was described as a major step toward universal childcare for children aged six weeks to five years of age, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced March 3 the first four communities to receive free 2-K seats this fall, and included among them is The Bronx’s School District 10, which covers   Fordham, Belmont, Norwood, Marble Hill, Morris Heights, Riverdale, Spuyten Duyvil, Van Cortlandt Village and Kingsbridge as well as parts of Kingsbridge Heights, Bedford Park, Mount Hope, Claremont- Bathgate & East Tremont

UPDATE Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition Go Bronx-wide Relaunching as “Our Bronx”

By SÍLE MOLONEY
At its 52nd annual meeting, held at Lehman College on Saturday, Feb. 28, the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC) announced its new organizational name and identity, Our Bronx, marking the organization’s borough-wide expansion and what was described as its deepened commitment to building power for racial justice and economic democracy across The Bronx. NWBCCC first hinted at its future boroughwide expansion during its 50th anniversary celebration.