Bronx CB7 Step Up Efforts to Increase COVID-19 Vaccination Rates

By DAWN CLANCY

In March 2020, New York City was designated the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic, accounting for nearly 5 percent of the world’s COVID-19 cases. Meanwhile, the Bronx was ranked 62 [out of 62] by the University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, as New York State’s unhealthiest county, and has consistently remained one of the region’s hardest hit counties by the coronavirus. At Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7)’s Health and Human Services Committee meeting, held on March 16, Michelle Avila, committee chair, shared recent COVID-19 infection rate data from the City’s health department to

By MICHAEL HOROWITZ

Passover, which started on the evening of March 27, is one of the most meaningful times of year for Jewish people throughout the world. The holiday, which will conclude on Sunday night, April 4, combines what is important for families with what is important for Jews as a distinct people. The holiday, in a more modern context, links Jews to struggles for liberation and freedom in our country and throughout the world. On a very personal level, Passover is a time for my family and other families to get together for very special Seder meals that are very rich

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD is seeking the public’s assistance in ascertaining the whereabouts of the unidentified man seen in the attached photo and video, who is sought in connection with an assault that occurred in the 46th precinct, close to the border of University Heights. It was reported to police that on Monday, March 29, 2021 at 11.45 a.m., in front of 4 East Burnside Avenue, in Mount Hope, the victim, a 61-year-old man, was approached by the suspect who punched him in the face. The victim was knocked to the ground and was rendered unconscious. EMS responded, and

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Caring for a child with special needs requires a lot of attention. Add a second child and the work multiplies. Add living on the third floor of a building with a broken elevator, inside an apartment with a roach and rodent infestation, and it is enough to drive a tenant to protest her living conditions. These are the conditions Daisy Reyes faces on a daily basis. Reyes, mother of a two-year-old and a 12-year-old who uses a wheelchair, was one of about a half dozen tenants who took to the street on Saturday, March 20, in front of

By DAVID GREENE & SÍLE MOLONEY

As part of a new, holistic approach aimed at combatting the culture of gun violence, concentrated in a few specific blocks of the Fordham Manor section of the Bronx, the NYPD’s 52nd precinct has launched a multi-agency, community collaboration to tackle the issue. Announced by Deputy Inspector Thomas J. Alps during the Bronx Community Board 7 executive meeting on March 18, part of the initiative involves giving the area a type of physical make-over, while also partnering with City agencies and community-based organizations to address unemployment and quality of life issues that plague the neighborhood. As a first

COVID-19 Vaccinations Appointments are required to receive a vaccination. To determine your eligibility, access a list of nearby providers, and schedule your vaccination appointment, use New York State’s Am I Eligible app. Prior to receiving your scheduled vaccination, you must complete the New York State COVID-19 Vaccine Form. Please be patient and continue to monitor these links frequently for available vaccine appointments: New York City: https://vaccinefinder.nyc.gov/ or 877-VAX-4NYC (877-829-4692) New York State: https://am-i-eligible.covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/ or call 1-833-NYS-4-VAX (1-833-697-4829) VaccineTogetherNY: https://vaccinetogetherny.org/Pages/default.aspx or call 646-697-VACC To schedule an appointment, go to: https://vax4nyc.nyc.gov/patient/s/. To find a vaccination site, go to: https://vaccinefinder.nyc.gov/locations. Your physician or local

By DAVID GREENE

This week, we asked readers for their thoughts on the recent District 11 and District 15 City Council special elections which took place on March 23, and the use of the new Ranked Choice Voting (RCV) system. “I didn’t know about the special election and now, it’s too late. I wish I would have known because I would have voted in this City Council race. I just thank God that the coronavirus in New York is getting better. I heard about Ranked Choice Voting and I think it’s better to have more choices today.” Delphine Sanders, Norwood “Ranked

By DAVID GREENE

One day after burying her 20-year-old daughter in Woodlawn cemetery, a Norwood mother said she has been threatened by gang members, has fled her home of ten years, along with her family, and has gone into hiding at a Bronx hotel. Cynthia Duffy, mother of Delila Vásquez, 20, confirmed her daughter died at Jacobi Medical Center just before midnight on Wednesday, March 17. As reported by Norwood News, she was discovered with a gunshot wound to her head inside a third-floor apartment at 3339 Hull Avenue, near East 209th Street in Norwood at 10:09 p.m. the same night.

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Alexis Rose, a 35-year-old Bronx man, was arraigned Wednesday, March 31, in Westchester County Court for the murder, on March 5, of Shaun Hutchinson at the home of Rose’s ex-girlfriend on Warburton Avenue in Yonkers. Rose’s presence at his ex-girlfriend’s home was in violation of an order of protection issued by Yonkers City Court. He fled after shooting Hutchinson but was arrested approximately two hours later, following collaborative efforts between the Yonkers, Mount Vernon and New York Police Departments. He is charged with second degree murder, and is being held at the Westchester County Jail. Hutchinson, 41, a