11th City Council Race: Dionel Then Drops Out, Endorses Dan Padernacht

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Dionel Then has withdrawn from the 11th City Council District race in the Northwest Bronx and is endorsing candidate, Dan Padernacht, for the position, it was announced on Aug. 31. The 11th district comprises the neighborhoods of Bedford Park, Kingsbridge, Norwood, Riverdale, Van Cortlandt Village, Wakefield, and Woodlawn, and the seat is currently held by Councilman Andrew Cohen. The news means there are now five remaining candidates in the race, as reported recently by Norwood News. Marcos Sierra officially filed last month to join Eric Dinowitz, Jessica Haller, Padernacht and Abigail Martin. In a press release coinciding with

By SÍLE MOLONEY

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, member of the senate committee on agriculture, nutrition and forestry, visited three food pantries in Queens, the South Bronx and Washington Heights on Monday, Aug. 31. Gillibrand met with community stakeholders on the frontlines of feeding New Yorkers and announced her bill, the Ensuring Nutrition for America’s Student’s Act. With food pantries across New York facing unprecedented and growing demand, and with schools set to reopen in just a few days, the bill will provide nutritional resources to families who have lost access to free or reduced lunches due to school closures caused by the

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Monday, Aug. 31, marks 30 days before the end of the 2020 census. Without a complete census count, New York City is set to potentially lose billions for COVID-19 relief and up to two seats in Congress and the electoral college, which decides the presidency. In Norwood, the response rate was 60.5 percent (census tract 423) as of Aug. 31. The final 2010 response rate for the neighborhood was 63.2 percent, and the target was to beat that response rate in 2020. NYC Census Director Julie Menin and Executive Assistant Corporation Counsel, NYC Law Department released the following statement

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York Public Library is hosting outdoor tabling events at several branches throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, staffed with Census representatives to help New Yorkers complete the 2020 Census before the extended census deadline of Sept. 30. The events are designed to encourage and support response rates in New York City, which currently stands at 56.5 percent. Federal funding is determined by Census response rates and Census information is used to determine New York City’s fair share of $675 billion in federal funds for public education, public housing, infrastructure, and more each year—as well as the

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Public Prep, the nation’s first non-profit network that exclusively develops exceptional, tuition-free PreK and single-sex elementary and middle public schools, is launching the new school year and welcoming students back to virtual classrooms with an annual tradition – a Male Heroes Walk on their first day at Boys Prep Bronx located in the Concourse Village section of the Bronx. This event began seven years ago as a way for scholars to interact with their heroes whether they are family members, professionals, or school staff. They give out high-fives on their way to class as they kick off the school

By SÍLE MOLONEY

As part of a set of legislative election reforms to address voting problems that arose in the June 23 primary election, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed bill S8015D into law on Aug. 20 which will temporarily expand New York voters’ ability to vote by mail in upcoming elections, including the presidential election in November, and other elections taking place in 2021. The new law temporarily alters the definition of “illness” with respect to absentee voting eligibility to include “risk of contracting or spreading a disease that may cause illness to the voter, or to other members of the public,” such

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

By Síle Moloney

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that the moratorium on evictions in New York State has been extended to Sept. 4. The moratorium was first put in place in March to protect residential and commercial tenants facing financial hardship due to the pandemic. “As long as we are in the middle of the pandemic, there will be no evictions,” he wrote on Aug. 7. On May 7, amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the governor announced that the state’s moratorium on COVID-related residential or commercial evictions would be extended for an additional 60 days until Aug. 20. He also announced, at that

By Síle Moloney

The NYS COVID Rent Relief Program is designed to support low-income households experiencing an increased rent burden due to a loss of income during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Rent Relief Program provides a one-time payment to cover the difference between their rent burden on March 1, 2020 and the increase in rent burden during the months for which the household is applying for assistance (up to four months, from April through July 2020). Program funding has been capped at $100 million. All applications received by the deadline of July 30, 2020 will be considered. New Yorkers already in