Families

Mt Vernon Man Gets 13 + Yrs for Sex Trafficking a Minor Across The Bronx & Brooklyn

By SÍLE MOLONEY
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, announced Friday, Feb. 13, that Rai Thomas, 31, a/k/a “Bandz,” of Mount Vernon, NY, was sentenced to 160 months (13.3 years) in prison for sex trafficking a minor and for use of interstate facilities to promote sex trafficking and prostitution. He said in October 2025, Thomas was convicted at trial before U.S. District Judge Nelson S. Román, who imposed the sentence.

Tisch Announces Division of Bronx into Two Patrol Boroughs in Efforts to Address Crime

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Police Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch delivered her 2026 State of the NYPD address at One Police Plaza in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday, Feb. 10, during which she announced the division of The Bronx into two patrol borough commands, Bronx North and Bronx South. She also highlighted the department’s other new strategies aimed at keeping New York City safe, investing in accountability and training, and modernizing policing.

UPDATE Second Mosque Planned for Norwood as January Marked Muslim American Heritage Month 

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Imam Darul Ahnaf New York recently shared details of a GoFundMe campaign through which the Bronx Muslim community is fundraising to build a new, second mosque in the Norwood section of The Bronx, to be located at a newly purchased building at 3091 Decatur Avenue. A nearby location at 3041 Hull Avenue is currently being used by the community until such time as the new building is ready, Ahnaf told the Norwood News.