Free Virtual Career Service Launched to Help Job Seekers

Bronx (Fordham Rd), West Farms, and Hunts Point Workforce Career Centers are currently closed, but have launched virtual services to help job seekers during this time. Workforce1 helps New Yorkers prepare for and connect to jobs across New York City’s five boroughs in every sector of the economy.   Through their Virtual Workforce1 Career Center system, the career centers can connect candidates via web or phone to one-on-one help from professionals, including help with the following:   Job Opportunities Individual Career Advice Resume & Interview Preparation   All of the services are provided at no cost and do not require


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IRS launches New Tool to Help Non-Tax Return Filers Register for Economic Impact Payments

The IRS and the Treasury Department launched a new web tool on Apr. 15, 2020 to allow quick registration for Economic Impact Payments for those who don’t normally file a tax return. A second tool, due to be released next week, will provide taxpayers with a payment delivery date and provide direct deposit information.    The non-filer tool, developed in partnership between the IRS and the Free File Alliance, provides a free and easy option designed for people who don’t have a tax return filing obligation, including those with too little income to file. The feature is available only on


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Resources Available for People with Disabilities during Coronavirus Pandemic

City authorities announced on Apr. 14 that information has been gathered specifically to inform people with disabilities, access and functional needs about the resources available to them during NYC’s response to the COVID-19 outbreak.   The resources cover a wide range of topics from meal delivery to transportation, and from home health care providers to mental health resources, and can be accessed here.   Anyone who has specific questions or concerns about this information should contact the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities directly: Voice Phone: 212-788-2830 Video Phone: 646-396-5830 MOPD COVID-19 Feedback Form   For the most up-to-date information


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Business Leaders Call for Relief Package Amid PPP delays

  The City’s business community and their partners have called on New York’s elected leaders to implement an economic relief package called The Blueprint to Save Small Business to help small businesses cope with the unexpected economic pressure resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. It outlines four key policies which the group hopes will help resuscitate the thousands of ailing small businesses that make up the economic and social fabric of New York City, and help revamp the economy.   In a letter dated Apr. 13, 2020, the business community outlined the proposed measures and presented them to Gov. Andrew Cuomo,


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Alternate Side Parking Suspended for Additional Two Weeks

City authorities said on Apr. 13 that Alternate Side Parking will be suspended for an additional two weeks through Tuesday, Apr. 28, 2020. New Yorkers can still use their cars but are being asked to stay at home as much as possible, and to maintain social distancing while out on foot, and to wear a face mask or face covering like a scarf or bandana.  

The Week in Photos During a Global Pandemic

It’s hard to believe that it’s been less than three months since the first person was diagnosed with COVID-19 in the United States on Jan. 20, 2020, or that it’s been less than a month since New York was declared a federal disaster area.   Officials reported on Apr. 10, that the daily death toll resulting from the coronavirus in New York State fell for the first time, indicating a possible sign of the long-awaited “flattening of the curve” officials had been expecting. In that one 24-hour period, 777 deaths were reported, down from the previous day’s high of 799.


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Op-Ed, Financial Focus: You Have a New Job – The Unemployment Telephone Line

When people got laid off in an earlier time, you would never see any lines at the unemployment exchange. They were in cyberspace. States would process unemployment claims by telephone and via the internet.   While success varied from state to state, I’m sure many would say, except for some minor glitches, people would start to receive assistance within three weeks of applying. Welcome to Coronavirus 2020 – where now it might take you three weeks – just to apply.   The phone lines are jammed. You might get disconnected. Even worse, when completing the application online, you may find


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BronxNet Host Shares Family’s Extra Pain of Losing Mom Amid Pandemic

Born on Sep. 4, 1928, Muriel, “Mickey” Axelbank, beloved mother to the always upbeat, and popular BronxNet TV host, Gary Axelbank, died early on Saturday, Apr. 4. A stalwart figure in her local community, Mrs Axelbank, 91, was active in the Kingsbridge Riverdale Van Cortlandt Development Corporation, leading events at the Van Cortlandt Jewish Center, and on the Joint Community Activities Council at Amalgamated Housing Cooperative, where she helped serve holiday meals and lead a games program for senior citizens.   Under normal circumstances, Axelbank, along with his brothers Arthur and Jeffrey, would have envisaged a large gathering at his


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Mickey Axelbank, 91, Dies; Beloved Grandmother, Community Icon, Nursery School Educator

Muriel “Mickey” Axelbank, 91, who was beloved by her devoted family and the broader community and well-respected as an early childhood educator, died early Saturday, Apr. 4, 2020. Mickey led a stellar life of more than nine decades and was widely revered as an exceptional woman with a big heart that touched everyone around her.   Mickey’s mother immigrated to America alone on a boat at the age of 16. Mickey’s father died when she was just two, and she was raised with her older sister in a building across the street from the George Washington Bridge by her mother and


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