Health

UPDATE Neighborhood Notes: Early Voting, Bronx Bus Redesign Goes Live, City Redistricting & More!

By SÍLE MOLONEY & EMILY SAWAKED
Local People Reported Missing in Recent Weeks   A 22-year-old woman was reported missing in the Norwood section of The Bronx. Click here for more details. A 29-year-old man was reported missing in the Wakefield section of The Bronx. Click here for more details. A 75-year-old man was reported missing from Van Cortlandt Village. Click here for more details. A 16-year-old girl was reported missing from Bedford Park. Click here for more details. A 68-year-old man was reported missing in the Wakefield section of The Bronx. Click here for more details. A 76-year-old woman was reported missing from Kingsbridge Heights. Click


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UPDATE Elections 2022: Jeffrey Dinowitz Looks Forward Not Back

By SÍLE MOLONEY
As the incumbent assemblyman representing Assembly District 81 since 1994, Jeffrey Dinowitz is both a seasoned politician and candidate when it comes to election campaigns. He has seen off a number of political challengers over the course of his political career to retain his Northwest Bronx seat and appears adamant to keep it that way.   Given his many years in office, and the countless pieces of legislation on which he has worked throughout his career, Norwood News asked Dinowitz if he could speak to what he felt were the top three priorities for his current campaign. “It’s really hard


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Will New Waste Management Plans Help Resolve Trash Overload?

By EMILY SAWAKED  
The lack of trash cans for pedestrians on Bronx streets has been noticed by residents for quite a while. As reported, the situation worsened amid the pandemic with many people eating outdoors in parks, especially in summertime, often causing existing cans to be overloaded. Though that specific problem is not yet resolved, Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) and City officials are working, in the meantime, on other ways to keep the borough’s sidewalks and parks clean.   CB7 held its latest sanitation committee meeting on Tuesday, June 7, and members discussed how litter and other trash is consistently dumped onto


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Dr. Balavankatesh Kanna Appointed as New Executive Director of Bronx Veterans Medical Center

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  Dr. Balavankatesh Kanna has been appointed as the new executive director of the James J. Peters Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center located in Fordham Manor.   The news was confirmed on Monday, June 13, by Patrick H. Cordova, Major USAF (Ret.), supervisory public affairs specialist at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. According to Cordova, Dr. Kanna received his medical degree from Coimbatore Medical College in India and has served the Bronx community since then, completing his residency in internal medicine 25 years ago in 1997.   He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and earned


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Biaggi-Backed Bill Establishing Rape Kit Tracking System Passes Assembly & Senate

By SÍLE MOLONEY
State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi (S.D. 34) announced that on June 2 the State senate majority passed the bill she sponsored to establish a rape kit tracking system in New York State. The bill was also passed in the assembly, where it was sponsored by Assembly Member Amy Paulin, and now awaits sign-off by Gov. Kathy Hochul.   Bill S7867A/A9596 will direct the Division of Criminal Justice Services, in consultation with the State Department of Health, Office of Victim Services, Division of State Police, and the New York State Coalition Against Sexual Abuse to develop and implement a statewide electronic tracking


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Adams: Mask Requirements to be Lifted on June 13 for 2 to 4-Year-Olds in New York City

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced on Thursday, June 9, that the mask mandate in schools and daycare centers for 2 to 4-year-old children will be made optional, effective Monday, June 13.      “I have always said that the science will guide us out of the pandemic, and because we have followed the data, which shows that cases are steadily falling, we‘ve beaten back the latest COVID-19 surge,” Adams said. “New Yorkers stepped up when we needed them most and have put us on the path to lower risk.”   The mayor continued, “Throughout the current wave,


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Norwood: Search for 22-Year-old Missing Woman, Last Seen on May 26

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The NYPD is asking for the public’s help locating a 22-year-old woman reported missing in Norwood, located in the 52nd precinct.   Police said Shania Joseph of 3343 Decatur Avenue “was last seen Thursday, May 26, 2022, at approximately 1200 hours [noon], leaving her residence.” They added, “She is described as being approximately 5’3″ tall, weighing 115 lbs., with brown eyes and brown hair. Unknown clothing description.” A photo of Joseph is attached. Anyone with information regarding this missing person is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can


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U.S. Department of Agriculture Offers Nationwide Waiver for Infant Formula

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is offering nationwide waivers to increase access to infant formula for families in need as states receive and distribute imported infant formula made available by the Biden-Harris Administration’s Operation Fly Formula, the White House announced on Tuesday, June 6.   USDA is leveraging new authority from the recently passed “Access to Baby Formula Act” to offer this flexibility. Stacy Dean is USDA’s deputy undersecretary for food, nutrition, and consumer services, and said, “USDA is committed to providing our WIC families with nutritious foods, and while we continue working with our many partners to bring


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Elections 2022: Candidates Face Off at NWBCCC Forum Ahead of June Primary Assembly Elections

By EMILY SAWAKED  
The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition.    The Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC) hosted a candidates’ forum at Monroe College on Wednesday, May 26, for candidates running in the 78th and the 81st Assembly Districts in the upcoming June Democratic primaries. Both Assemblyman José Rivera (A.D. 78), who was not present on the night, was re-elected to his seat in 2000, having previously served in the Assembly from 1982 to 1987 and who won in 2020 with over 86 percent of the vote, and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81),


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