NYC Parks & FDNY Rename Blackrock Playground in Honor of EMT Yadira Arroyo

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Friends and family members of the late Yadira Arroyo were joined by community members and elected officials to officially rename Blackrock Playground, in Unionport, in honor of the FDNY Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) on Thursday, May 27. Arroyo, a 14-year FDNY Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), was a dedicated leader and public servant who gave her life for the community. She was tragically killed in the line of duty on March 16, 2017, one block from Blackrock Playground. NYC Parks First Deputy Commissioner Liam Kavanagh joined FDNY Commissioner Daniel Nigro, State Assembly Member Karines Reyes, and Community Board 9

By SÍLE MOLONEY

With a series of sunny, yet smaller-than-usual, diploma ceremonies held on the Rose Hill campus of Fordham University, as well as a university-wide commencement videocast, streamed on Saturday, May 22, graduates of the university were honored for their bravery and determination amid the pandemic, and Fordham flipped the script on an unprecedented year, offering the Class of 2021 a chance to celebrate their resilience, and look forward with hope. During the videocast, Joseph M. McShane, S.J., president of Fordham, officially conferred degrees upon nearly 5,500 graduates from ten different college schools, while acknowledging that it was not the commencement

By DAVID GREENE & SÍLE MOLONEY

A host of local elected officials joined former tenant lawyer and Hostos Community College adjunct professor, Oswald Feliz, as he was sworn in as city councilman of the 15th Council District, following his win in the March 23rd special election. Feliz assumes the seat left vacant for a few months following the resignation of the former councilman, now Congressman Ritchie Torres, after the latter won the 15th congressional race in November 2020. The swearing in ceremony for Feliz was held on Sunday, May 2, at the Serviam Gardens, located at 2848 Bainbridge Avenue in Bedford Park. Officials in attendance included

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

The transformation of the South Bronx continued Thursday, May 20, with a groundbreaking ceremony for a new museum which will memorialize the history of hip-hop in the borough, part of a $349 million development known as Bronx Point. With shovels in hand and scooping dirt from a pile of earth, elected officials, including Mayor Bill de Blasio, State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., joined hip-hop legends, Grandmaster Flash, Slick Rick, LL Cool J, Chuck D, Nas, and Fat Joe, in marking the ceremonial foundation of the museum’s construction. The 22-story building

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York Lottery announced there were multiple top-prize winning tickets sold for the May 24 TAKE 5 drawing, with winning tickets sold in The Bronx and Brooklyn at the following locations: 1701 Grocery Corp located at 1701 Unionport Road in the vicinity of Van Nest in The Bronx, which sold one prize-winning ticket worth $27,933.50 Clary Deli Grocery Corp located at 85 Euclid Avenue in Brooklyn, which sold one prize-winning ticket worth $27,933.50 TAKE 5 numbers are drawn from a field of one through 39. Drawings take place every evening at 10:30 p.m. Winning tickets at all prize levels may be cashed up

Latest Updates on Vaccine Eligibility According to New York State Department of Health, all individuals 12 years of age and older who reside in the United States are eligible to receive the vaccine, for free. While the vaccination process is underway, residents should continue to follow prevailing public health guidelines. FDA fact sheets for recipients and caregivers on each vaccine are available here: Pfizer-BioNTech: https://www.fda.gov/media/144414/download Moderna: https://www.fda.gov/media/144638/download Johnson & Johnson/Janssen: https://www.fda.gov/media/146305/download COVID-19 vaccines are now widely available at pharmacies, local health departments, clinics, Federally Qualified Health Centers, and other locations across the state. Visit https://www.vaccines.gov/search/ to find appointments near you or contact your local pharmacy

By DAVID GREENE

This week, we asked readers how they felt about unmasking, if fully vaccinated against COVID-19, knowing that the vaccination rate in the Bronx remains the worst in the city. As of May 24, only 33 percent of Bronxites were fully vaccinated, while 40 percent have had one shot. “Everyone has to wear a mask because you don’t know if the next person has the coronavirus and then they give it to you. No, I can’t trust some people because I don’t know who’s vaccinated. When I’m among people, I wear the mask regardless of vaccinations or not.” Richard

By RACHEL DALOO & SÍLE MOLONEY

Editor’s Pick Looking to start a new piece of writing or a creative project? Longing to get back to the page, but finding yourself blocked? Join the NYCWP’s Generative Writing Boot Camp from June 1 to June 3, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., for three days of generating your own creative writing! Over this three-day “boot camp,” writers will have the opportunity to engage with a variety of prompts, and participate in micro-studies of various craft elements, creative forms, and model readings. To register or for more information, visit https://www.lehman.edu and go to “All Events” or email jane.higgins@lehman.cuny.edu. Registration

As coronavirus restrictions are slowly being lifted and slightly larger gatherings are, once again, being held, Assemblyman Victor Pichardo and District Leader Yudelka Tapia, recently co-hosted an event honoring various mothers for their service to the community in University Heights. Both organizers represent the 86th A.D. in The Bronx. Held outdoors in Devoe Park at West Fordham Road and Andrews Avenue on Saturday, May 15, a few dozen community members sat side by side on lawn chairs under a tent, to observe the proceedings. Some chose not to wear face masks following the recent easing of CDC guidelines, as

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Out and About

NYC Parks & FDNY Rename Blackrock Playground in Honor of EMT Yadira Arroyo

Commencement Ceremonies at Fordham, Lehman Celebrate Student Resilience

Big Guns Turn out for Swearing in Ceremony for Oswald Feliz as New District 15 City Councilman

Politicians, Hip-Hop Legends Break Ground on New Universal Museum in South Bronx

Take-5, Top-Prize Lottery Ticket Sold in The Bronx

Inquiring Photographer: Thoughts on Unmasking with just 33 Percent of Bronxites Vaccinated

Out & About: Family Fitness Festival, Revolutionary Walking Tour, Streams of Black Music & More!

Update: Mother’s Day Celebration Held at Devoe Park in University Heights