NYC Urges Bronxites to “Shop Your City,” as Small Business Commissioner Tours Fordham Road

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Last spring The New York Times described Fordham Road as one of the city’s “retail zones [that] have bounced back.” The article included data that described the Bronx as a borough that had lost 40 percent of its businesses, had the highest rate of COVID-19 deaths, and an unemployment rate near 18 percent. Yet, the biggest shopping district in the Bronx, Fordham Road with its 175 storefronts, located between Washington and Jerome Avenues, has retained a 3 percent vacancy rate, the same as before the pandemic hit. The significance of the robust numbers is not lost on city

By DAVID GREENE

Several hundred Yemeni Americans and their supporters in the Bronx celebrated the 3rd Annual Yemeni American Day Parade as they marched through the streets of “Little Yemen” on Sunday, Aug. 1. The parade was led by two NYPD police officers on horseback, followed by an NYPD color guard and marching band, as well as the New York City Police Department’s brass band. Joining the Muslim American Society of New York (MAS), the organizers of the parade, were members of the Morris Park Business Improvement District, the Morris Park Community Association, and more than two dozen other groups and organizations, as

By JEFFREY JACOMOWITZ & SÍLE MOLONEY

In well-deserved recognition of his 27 years as a stellar employee of University Center nursing home, John White was finally honored in July 2021 and declared June Employee of the Month. White, a veteran who is also known as “John W” has been working at the nursing home, located at 2505 Grand Avenue in Fordham Manor, even before Centers Health Care took over the facility in 1999. He continues to work there as one of the heads of maintenance, kitchen, and housekeeping, and he also works in recreation. According to University Center administrator, David Schorr and the center’s

By SARAH HUFFMAN and MIRIAM QUIÑONES

The Bronx celebrated its many residents of Dominican heritage on Sunday, July 25, at the annual Dominican Day Parade which kicked off at the Grand Concourse and 172nd Street. The celebration brought together a host of Dominican Americans and Bronxites from all walks of life, many decked out in red, white and blue to honor the colors of the Dominican flag. New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio and various elected officials, political candidates and community leaders led the parade behind a gigantic Dominican flag. Congressman Adriano Espaillat (NY13), Bronx District Attorney, the Hon. Darcel Clark, State Sen. Jamaal.

By SARAH HUFFMAN

The election of the various officer positions to Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) for the upcoming year took place at the last general board meeting of the year on June 23. Most of the incumbent officers were re-elected, apart from one. In addition, four motions were passed on various, different matters. Most had already been reviewed at the board’s June 17 meeting, as reported. Nominating committee chair, Sandra Erickson, gave each candidate a chance to pitch their candidacy to the board members at the beginning of the meeting before voting took place. Most positions ran uncontested, except for second

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Congress has approved nine out of ten funding requests for community projects put forward by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), the congresswoman’s office confirmed on July 30. The various requests for the 2022 fiscal year included additional funding for Jacobi Hospital’s anti gun-violence initiative which Ocasio-Cortez, Rep. Jamaal Bowman, and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had highlighted as a priority in early July, as reported at the time by Norwood News. Late Thursday, July 29, the nine approved funding requests for various community projects in New York’s 14th congressional district, which encompasses parts of the Bronx and Queens, passed

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York State Department of Labor announced on July 1 that Finishing Trades Institute of New York will conduct a recruitment drive from August 24 through September 7, 2021 for 50 painter, decorator, and paperhanger apprentices. Applications can be obtained, in person only, from Finishing Trades Institute of New York, 45-15 36th Street, Long Island City, NY, from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, during the recruitment period. This is a limited-application recruitment drive. Only 500 applications will be distributed, on a first-come, first-served basis, and the recruitment will be offered for 10 business days

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Following the passage of the broader American Rescue Plan earlier this year, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has heralded the recent Child Tax Credit (CTC) expansion which ensures payments of up to $300 per child will automatically go out to families across New York State, each month. The program took effect on Friday, July 16 and Schumer said the plan will impact over 86 percent of New York children. “Help is here for families across New York in the form of enhanced Child Tax Credits that puts more money in families’ pockets to recover from COVID, while

Bronx Fashion Week Model Casting Call for September Fashion Show

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx Fashion Week (BxFW) organizers are planning their next fashion show, scheduled to take place on Sept. 18. In preparation for the show, organizers are holding a casting call for models on July 31. According to its website, Bronx Fashion Week hosts some of the leading fashion events in the country by encouraging and empowering people through fashion. Since its inception in 2013, the organization has been dedicated to “cultivating the success of both established and emerging designers, as well as other talented individuals by advancing diversity and inclusivity within the fashion industry.” Having had to cancel the