UPDATE Store Robbed at Gunpoint as NYPD Releases March Crime Stats & Contentious State Budget Agreed

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD said a cell phone store in Kingsbridge was robbed at gunpoint on Thursday, April 7. The incident comes on the heels of the NYPD releasing the latest crime statistics for March, and following news on Thursday that the delayed State budget has been agreed in principle. The budget was due to be brokered by April 1, and despite long negotiations, some are still not happy with the final plan, a scenario reminiscent of the 2020 contentious City budget negotiations amid the old rallying cry of “Defund the Police.” Regarding the Kingsbridge robbery, a police official said the

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a flood advisory for New York which is in effect until Saturday, April 9, at 3 a.m. Flooding caused by excessive rainfall is expected in southeast New York, including in the The Bronx, Manhattan and Westchester, and in portions of southern Connecticut like Fairfield. Minor flooding is expected in low-lying areas and areas with poor drainage. Ponds of water are taking shape in urban and other areas or are imminent. NWS officials had issued an initial advisory which was initially to remain in effect until 12.45 a.m. on Friday, later extending it

By EDWIN SANTANA

The Vernon C. Bain Center, also known as “The Boat,” is perhaps the only floating jail in the country. Advocates have equated it to a slave ship. It’s an extension of Rikers Island. I know both The Boat and Rikers Island well, since I’ve been detained at both places, and I know they both deserve to be a chapter in the history books and not part of anyone’s present. The Boat opened in 1992 to make room for the ballooning population held pre-trial at the height of mass incarceration. Thirty years later, it’s still in use, even with the

By DAVID GREENE

This week, we asked readers what message it sends to kids about sportsmanship and fair play when professional, “elite,” athletes and performers are given an exemption from COVID-19 vaccination rules, while employees like ticket sellers etc. at such venues are required to be vaccinated. “The mandate should be equal across the board for the players as well as the community. That’s how I feel about it right now. Other than that, it’s crazy! You don’t know what’s going on from one day to the next. Things are changing too rapidly, and we’re not getting clear answers as to what’s

By DAVID GREENE

A large pothole that had been doubling as a trash receptacle in the middle of a Jerome Park intersection has finally been fixed, after an official from the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) explained the cause of the delay was a broken “catch basin” that needed to be repaired. A catch basin is located at the point where a street gutter discharges into a sewer and is designed to catch and retain matter that would not pass readily through the sewer. The pothole, which first appeared in late November 2021, at the intersection of East 204th

By SARAH HUFFMAN

Editor’s Note: The following is an updated version of the story that appears in our latest print edition. Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson held the annual “Herstory” celebration on Thursday, March 10, at the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG), an event which honored five women for achievements in their respective fields to mark Women’s History Month. Gibson welcomed the guests saying, “March is Women’s ‘Herstory’ Month, and it is a time of the year when we celebrate our women and all of the great contributions that our sisters have made to history, to culture, society,” before

By SÍLE MOLONEY

A fire reported in the Van Cortlandt Village section of the Bronx on Thursday, April 7, has been brought under control according to the FDNY. The FDNY tweeted that all hands were requested to respond at approximately 2.30 p.m. to a fire in Apt D42 in the D wing on the 4th floor of a multiple dwelling at 80 Van Cortlandt Park South. Bronx All Hands Box 3583, 80 VAN CORTLANDT PARK S, MULTIPLE DWELLING A, D WING – 4 FL — FDNYalerts (@FDNYAlerts) April 7, 2022 According to a later update on Twitter from the

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bridge lift testing on the Manhattan span of the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge is scheduled for the early morning of Friday, April 8, with intermittent closures planned for both directions of traffic. Intermittent, full closures over the Harlem River will take place between midnight and 5 a.m. for bridge lifts to test mechanical functionality and allow routine preventative maintenance. Each closure will last approximately 20 minutes. Passengers traveling on the M60 bus, which offers service to LaGuardia Airport, should expect delays. Motorists may wish to consider an alternate route. The MTA encourages motorists and MTA bus customers to

By DAVID GREENE & SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark and New York City Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell announced on Thursday, April 7, that 20 people, including four adolescent offenders, have been charged with various offenses related to murder, non-fatal shootings, and stabbings mainly in the areas of East Gun Hill Road, Hull Avenue and Decatur Avenue in Norwood and the surrounding areas. According to the investigation, the defendants, alleged members of the G-Side/Drilly gang, a subset of the Bloods Sex Money Murder gang, allegedly carried out a total of 32 acts of violence that spanned a three-year period, between Sept. 20,