Norwood Muslim Community Celebrate Eid al Adha

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Local residents, Mahfuja Chadani, Madiha Madani and Nusrat Tasnim, took a stroll through Williamsbridge Oval Park on July 31 to celebrate the Muslim holy festival of Eid al Adha, also known as the Feast of Sacrifice. This year, the holiday was observed from sundown on Thursday, July 30, to sundown on Friday, July 31. Chadani said typically the Muslim community have two big celebrations each year. The earlier festival of Idul-Fitr (Eid Al-Fitr) is celebrated among friends and family to mark the end of Ramadan, a month-long period during which Muslims fast during daylight hours, while offering up additional

By Síle Moloney

After a lengthy ballot count, which included an unprecedented number of absentee ballot votes, City Councilman Ritchie Torres has emerged victorious among 11 candidates in New York City’s 15th district congressional democratic primary race, winning 32.2 percent of the votes. The win, which was announced on Aug. 4, brings Torres one step closer to becoming the first LGBTQ Afro-Latino member of Congress if he wins the general election in November. Incumbent Congressman, José Serrano (D), who was first elected in 1990, did not seek re-election for the South Bronx seat, and is due to retire in the coming

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Every year, each of the City’s five boroughs hosts an arts festival at the school year’s end to celebrate and highlight student achievement in the arts, from kindergartners to high school seniors. In the Bronx, the celebration is usually held at Lehman College, with a performing arts showcase at Lehman Center, and a visual arts exhibition at the Lehman College Art Gallery. This year, because of the coronavirus pandemic, the exhibition, just like the Lehman College campus that hosts it, went virtual. The City’s department of education officials who produce the festivals, worked with Lehman on this year’s event.

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Future and current generations of scholars, historians, and anyone else interested in learning how COVID-19 has affected the borough will find a well-researched resource in, “The Bronx COVID 19 Oral History Project“. The work is conducted under the auspices of Fordham University’s Bronx African American History Project. The goal of the online project, which is still ongoing, is to gather a wide variety of testimony from Bronxites, through both video and audio interviews, describing how their lives have been disrupted by the global pandemic. The student-run project is putting a face and adding a voice to the people who

By JASON GONZALEZ

If the age of the coronavirus pandemic could be summed up in one sentence, it would read, “The world has changed – forever”. Who knew that face masks would become a part of regular attire, or that terms such as “sheltering in place”, “essential workers”, and “social distancing” would become part of our everyday vocabulary? Indeed, the universe has transformed in ways human beings never thought possible. For almost six months now, large gatherings in the City have been cancelled, indoor dining is prohibited, and sporting events are being held in empty venues. Of course, no other

By Síle Moloney

Phase 3 of the reconstruction of Grand Concourse in the Bronx is completed, as announced on Aug. 11 by the City’s departments of transportation (DOT), design and construction (DDC) and environmental protection (DEP), along with Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Council Member Vanessa Gibson and advocates. The boulevard is a “Vision Zero” priority corridor as well as one of the four “Great Streets” identified and prioritized by the de Blasio Administration for significant infrastructure and safety improvements. Approximately 3,000 New Yorkers are seriously injured and more than 200 are killed each year in traffic crashes. Being struck

By SÍLE MOLONEY

On Monday, Aug. 10, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer highlighted what he called some of the glaring deficiencies in President Donald Trump’s announced ‘Executive Orders’ that he said are cause for serious concern amid the public health and economic crisis caused by the coronavirus. Schumer said President Trump’s actions yesterday “totally” leave out money for state and local governments—from New York City, to Long Island and beyond. He also said the orders totally exclude money for schools to reopen safely, a New York priority. Finally, Schumer warned the orders leave out testing, tracing and treatment of the coronavirus itself. Schumer

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York City Emergency Management Department and the Health Department advised New Yorkers on Monday, Aug. 10 to take precautions to beat the heat. The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory in effect for New York City from 12 p.m. Monday through 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12. High heat and humidity are in the forecast each day, with heat index values in the mid to upper 90s. Cooling centers will open beginning Monday Aug. 10. Attendees must wear face coverings inside all cooling centers and adhere to social distancing guidelines. To find your nearest cooling center

By DAVID GREENE

Con Edison is slowly restoring power to the 21,655 customers in the Bronx who were left without it after Tropical Storm Isaias passed through the area on Tuesday, Aug. 4. The National Weather Service reported sustained winds in the area of 30 to 40 miles per hour, which brought down large trees on top of parked vehicles, houses and power lines. Power outages were reported in Morris Park, Pelham Parkway, Bay Plaza, Kingsbridge, Williamsbridge and Riverdale. One resident of Williamsbridge reported that the lights went out Tuesday, briefly came back on Thursday night August 6, went off again