Mayor Sets March 23 Special Election Date for 11th & 15th City Council Races

By SÍLE MOLONEY

On Monday, Jan. 4, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio set March 23 as the Special Election date for the 11th and 15th City Council races in the Bronx. Announcing the date, the mayor did not comment in the press release on recent calls to both the mayor and the governor, as reported by Norwood News, to waive the 450 minimum signatures needed by candidates from residents to get their names on the ballot. Some candidates have said such a waiver would reduce mass person-to-person contact during a time of rising COVID-19 cases across the city. “I am

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Stop & Shop, the neighborhood grocery store chain, announced the opening, on Dec. 31, of its first pick-up location in the Bronx, located at 1720 Eastchester Road, in Morris Park. The store said shoppers can now place their orders online at www.stopandshop.com, or via the Stop & Shop mobile app, select “pick-up” at their preferred store, head to the store at the pick-up time, park at the designated pick-up spot, and let the store’s team know once they have arrived. A Stop & Shop associate will load the purchased groceries into the customer’s car, minimizing both delays and physical contact

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Citing a 7-day average COVID-19 positivity rate that surpasses 9 percent in New York City, the solidarity caucus of the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) is calling for the New York City Department of Education (DOE) to follow through on the Governor’s guidance and transition to fully remote learning for all NYC public schools. The UFT wrote in a press release dated Jan. 3 that both Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio recently suggested ditching the 9 percent threshold, a move the union finds alarming. “Governor Andrew Cuomo remarked that data shows schools are ‘almost without exception’

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York City Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in locating Mohammed Barry,16, of 1521 Sheridan Avenue, Apt C8C in the Claremont section of the Bronx, who was reported missing in the 44th precinct. Mohammed was last seen at his home residence on Thursday Dec. 31 at 6 p.m. He is described as male, Black, 16, 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighs 125 pounds, has brown eyes, black hair and was last seen wearing gray sweatpants and a black jacket. Anyone with information in regard to this individual is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York City Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in locating Yasmin Moreno, 17, of 1215 Grand Concourse in the Bronx who was reported missing in the 44th precinct. Yasmin was last seen at her home on Saturday, Jan. 2, 2021 at 1 p.m. She is described as female, Hispanic, 5 feet tall, weighs 110 pounds, has brown eyes, black hair and was last seen wearing a black jacket, black pants, pink blouse and white sneakers. Anyone with information with regard to this individual is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477)

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York City Police Department is asking for the public’s assistance identifying the individual who appears in the attached surveillance video who is wanted for questioning in connection with a reckless endangerment incident that occurred in the 52nd precinct. On Friday, Jan. 1, 2020 at around 4.56 a.m., inside 2842 Grand Concourse in the Jerome Park section of the Bronx, a group of individuals were engaged in a dispute, following a small-scale gathering. During the dispute, an unidentified man fired a gunshot inside the location. He did not strike anyone and there were no reported injuries as a

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York City Police Department is seeking the public’s assistance in locating Ishaliqua Johnson, 16, of 2555 Bainbridge Avenue from the Fordham Manor section of the Bronx who was reported missing on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020, in the 52nd precinct. Ishaliqua was last seen at her home on Tuesday, Dec. 29, 2020 at approximately 10 a.m. She is described as female, Black, approximately 5 feet, 6 inches tall, weighs 160 pounds, has a thin build, black hair and black eyes. Anyone with information with regard to this missing person is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers

By SÍLE MOLONEY

District 11 City Council candidate, Dan Padernacht, and a number of other City Council candidates held a press conference on Tuesday, Dec. 29, where they discussed different proposals to mitigate against the health risks associated with campaigning in the Northwest Bronx in the era of COVID-19, as reported by Norwood News. The candidates called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio to waive the minimum 450-signature requirement to qualify to place their names on the ballots in the District 11 and District 15 special elections, which are expected to be announced on or about Jan. 1, 2021

By SÍLE MOLONEY

On Jan. 1, the New York City Police Department issued a notice advising the media that they were seeking the public’s assistance in locating Mary Brown, 72, of 2325 Williamsbridge Road, Apt. 1C in the Bronx, who was reported missing in the 49th precinct. Brown had last been seen in her home on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020 at 12.40 in the afternoon, and was described as female, Black, 5 foot, 2 inches tall, weighs 110 pounds with brown eyes. On Jan. 2, her daughter confirmed that Brown had been found. “She was found by me, her daughter, at