Employment

Op-Ed: Bronxites Will Create New Kingsbridge Armory

By ELISABETH ORTEGA-BAILEY
I live on Aqueduct Avenue with my 4-year-old son, Nori, and my husband, Nelson, close to the landmark Kingsbridge Armory that is now 514,000-square-feet of nothingness, thanks most recently to a failed plan to fill it with nine ice hockey rinks.   I’m 34, in my second year at Bronx Community College, and have been organizing around the Kingsbridge Armory with the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC) since I was 16 and attending DeWitt Clinton High School.   Nelson and I often joke that in order to live in New York City, you need both a job and a


Read More

Bronx CB6 Wants Answers on Fordham Plaza Reconstruction as City Assesses Fordham Corridor Needs

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Extremely concerned members of Bronx Community Board 6 (CB6) sent a letter dated Feb. 20 to Keith Kalb, interim commissioner at the Bronx borough office of NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) on “the current state of Fordham Plaza.” In it, they refer to what they describe as DOT’s prior eviction of vendors and businesses previously operating in the Plaza, located in Belmont on the border with Fordham Heights and Fordham Manor, to facilitate reconstruction works at the site. The works were completed in 2016, according to CB6.   At the time, CB6 members said DOT committed to filling the newsstands


Read More

Roofers, Waterproofers & Allied Workers Union Launch Apprenticeship Recruitment Campaign

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers, and Allied Workers, Local Union #8 will carry out a recruitment campaign from March 13 through March 24, for 25 roofer apprentices, the New York State Department of Labor announced on Feb. 14.   According to the union, applications are open for a combined total of 25 roofer apprenticeships, covering two recruitment regions, in the Hudson Valley and in the New York City.   Applications may be completed and submitted online only, starting at 8 a.m. on March 13 at www.roofers8.org, and must be received online by 11:59 p.m. on March 24.  According to


Read More

Envisioning Process for Kingsbridge Armory Continues

By MIRIAM QUIÑONES & SÍLE MOLONEY
The envisioning process to decide on the future use of the Kingsbridge Armory, located at Jerome Avenue in Kingsbridge Heights, is continuing, and follows previous updates on the project. Envisioning workshops took place on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, and again on Saturday, Jan. 21, but those involved with the “Together for Kingsbridge” working group as still anxious to hear from more community members about their ideas.   District 14 City Council Member Pierina Sanchez gave an overview of the project during Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7)’s general board meeting on Jan. 24, adding that at the Jan. 21 workshop, several


Read More

Allerton: Beth Abraham Center Staff Hold Clothes Drive to Help Families in Need

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Staff at Beth Abraham Center nursing facility held a successful holiday wellness clothing drive in December 2022, designed to support both residents and some of the residents’ families. This included both long-term and short-term residents at the Allerton-based, 448-bed, skilled nursing facility.   This year, organizers said staff members focused on low-income residents who may not have a family to support them, as well as on the families of some residents. Staff members donated old jackets and other items and let both the residents of the center and their families pick out the items they needed. “We always accept any donation


Read More

Inquiring Photographer: Thoughts on the Controversy Surrounding Long Island Rep. George Santos

By DAVID GREENE
This week, amid new allegations of financial misconduct, reports of a federal investigation, and widespread calls for his resignation, we asked readers their thoughts on newly sworn-in, Republican congressman, Rep. George Santos (NY-3), who represents parts of Long Island and who, according to media reports, has admitted to lying about his experience and education. As reported recently by Norwood News, local Norwood congressman, Rep. Ritchie Torres (NY-15) has also called for an investigation into Santos’ campaign finances.   “You shouldn’t be a politician if you can’t be as honest as you’re supposed to be. If he was my representative, I would


Read More

Victims of Twin Parks Fire Tragedy Remembered on First Anniversary

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The first anniversary of the Twin Parks fire tragedy which ripped through the towering housing development in Fordham Heights on Jan. 9 2022, was marked by a somber ceremony on Monday, Jan. 9. As reported extensively at the time, the tragic event claimed the lives of 17 Bronxites, including 8 children, mostly of Gambian descent. The cause of the fire was found to be a combination of a “malfunctioning space heater” and reportedly malfunctioning self-closing fire doors.   With legal proceedings against the Twin Parks building owners still pending, Mayor Eric Adams and other Bronx elected officials attended the private


Read More

UPDATE Fordham Heights: Boy, 13, Arrested for Loaded Gun Possession at M.S. 363, Two Teens Shot in Longwood

By SÍLE MOLONEY & DAVID GREENE
Police said a 13-year-old boy who is a student at a middle school in Fordham Heights was arrested after he was allegedly found to be in possession of a loaded gun on Thursday. Meanwhile, on the same day, in the Longwood section of the borough, two teenagers were shot, one fatally.   An NYPD spokesperson said that on Thursday, Jan. 19, at around 9.20 a.m., police were alerted that there was a gun found inside M.S. 363 (previously M.S. 399) Academy for Personal Leadership and Excellence, located at 120 East 184th Street in Fordham Heights. “Upon arrival, school safety agents stated that


Read More

UPDATE Bronx CB7 Looks Forward to Subway Upgrades & More in 2023  

By ARIEL PACHECO
Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) held their final board meeting of 2022 on Dec. 13, following a successful annual tree-lighting event in Bedford Park on Dec. 8. The meeting was attended by around two dozen people, updates were shared by the different CB7 committee chairs and concerns of some community members were also heard.   The meeting was the first to be presided over by recently elected Bronx CB7 chair, Yajaira Arias, following her election to the position on Nov. 15. As reported, Arias, the incumbent CB7 secretary, succeeds Emmanuel Martinez, who stepped down as chair in the summer of 2022.


Read More