No Visit to Rikers by Biden as WITNESS launches Hats & Gloves Campaign

Chair of the New York City Council criminal justice committee, Manhattan City Council Member Carlina Rivera, tweeted on Wednesday that she had written a letter to U.S. President Joe Biden, inviting him to take a tour of Rikers Island during his upcoming visit to New York on Thursday, Feb. 3. However, a visit by the president to the controversial City jail was not on the cards in the end, as confirmed by the White House. The president’s visit was instead taken up with various discussions with Mayor Eric Adams and other gun violence prevention expert groups on immediate strategies to


Read More

New York State Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program Offers Help with Water Bills

During Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7)’s Sanitation committee meeting on Thursday, Feb. 3, Eleftheria “Effie” Ardizzone from NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) shared that New York State is offering a low-income household water assistance program (LIHWAP), through which eligible homeowners could receive up to $5,000, to resolve overdue water bills.   The New York State Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) is offering eligible homeowners a one-time payment of up to $5,000 to resolve overdue water bills. The State is now accepting applications. To learn more, or to apply, visit: https://otda.ny.gov/programs/water-assistance/.   Ardizzone said that unlike the City’s


Read More

Fordham Manor: Building Applications Filed for 229 West Kingsbridge Road

Building applications have been filed with NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) for a new, 7-story, mixed-use building at 229 West Kingsbridge Road in Fordham Manor, as reported by YIMBY.   Located between Heath Avenue and Kingsbridge Terrace Street, the lot is closest to the Marble Hill-225th Street subway station, serviced by the 1 train. Durgaj Properties Corporation is listed as the owner behind the applications.   The proposed 70-foot-tall development will yield 25,841 square feet, with 24,666 square feet designated for residential space and 1,175 square feet for community facility space. The building will have 37 residences, most likely rentals


Read More

Van Cortlandt Park: 27-Year-Old Man Found Dead, Investigation Opens

Police confirm a man has been found dead  in Van Cortlandt Park.   On Wednesday, Jan. 2, at 3.56 p.m., police said they responded to a 911 call regarding an unconscious man in Van Cortlandt Park, on the John Muir Trail, in the vicinity of the Henry Hudson Parkway and the Mosholu Parkway Extension.   Upon arrival, police discovered an unconscious and unresponsive 27-year-old man, lying face up near a stream.   The man was clothed and had no obvious signs of trauma. EMS responded and pronounced the man deceased at the scene.   The medical examiner will determine the


Read More

Adams Holds Gun Violence Roundtable with DAs, Receives Written Support from 200 Business Leaders

The offices of New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, and Staten Island District Attorney Michael McMahon released the following joint statement after a meeting on Tuesday at City Hall, to discuss gun violence.   “Today, Mayor Eric Adams and District Attorneys Alvin Bragg, Darcel Clark, Eric Gonzalez, Melinda Katz, and Michael McMahon met in City Hall,” the statement read. “The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the mutually shared goals of keeping New Yorkers safe, particularly from the rising


Read More

Williamsbridge: 74-Year-Old Story Employee Assaulted Amid Laundromat Robbery

  The NYPD is asking for the public’s help identifying the man seen in the attached video and photos who is sought for questioning in connection to a robbery that occurred in Williamsbridge, in the 47th precinct.   It was reported to police that on Monday, Jan. 31, at 10.12 p.m., inside 3501 Eastchester Road, a laundromat business, the person entered the location, approached a 74-year-old store employee and demanded he open the cash register.   The individual then began to punch the victim, pushing him to the ground and causing pain and bruising, police said. The assailant then forcibly


Read More

National Weather Service NYC Says Dense Fog Expected until Thursday, Feb. 3 at 10 A.M.

The New York City office of the National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a dense fog advisory which is in effect until Thursday, Feb. 3, at 10 a.m.   NWS officials said visibility would be around one quarter of a mile or less in the expected dense fog, which is due to hit portions of southeast New York, northeast New Jersey, southern Connecticut. They warned of hazardous driving conditions due to low visibility. “If driving, slow down, use your headlights, and leave plenty of distance ahead of you,” officials said.    

Off-Duty New York City Department of Corrections Officer Arrested for Assault

An off-duty, New York City female employee was arrested and charged in the 46th precinct on Tuesday, Feb. 1, at 8.15 a.m.   Keila Brown, 43, of the NYC Department of Corrections was charged with criminal obstruction of breathing and assault.   A person charged with a crime is innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.   Anyone with information in regard to this incident 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 also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, or


Read More

Jessica Altagracia Woolford Endorsed by New York Communities for Change in A.D. 81

  New York Communities for Change announced on Tuesday, Feb. 1, that it was endorsing Jessica Altagracia Woolford in the 81st assembly district in the Northwest Bronx. As reported, on Nov. 16, 2021, Altagracia Woolford, a Riverdale resident raised in Kingsbridge, announced her bid to replace incumbent, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, in the 81st assembly district, via a bilingual digital campaign ad. Dinowitz has held the seat since 1994.   “I’m excited to make my case to the voters of the Northwest Bronx that it’s time for fresh leadership in the Assembly,” Altagracia Woolford said. “My abuela taught me that care


Read More