Bronx NAACP President Sees Need for Voter Education in Future Elections

By DAVID GREENE, SÍLE MOLONEY & JOSÉ A. GIRALT

The following story is an updated version of the one that appears in our latest print edition. As officials from the Bronx office of the New York City Board of Elections were busy tallying votes at their Grand Concourse headquarters to determine the outcome of the District 11 and District 15 City Council special elections a few weeks ago, the president of the Bronx NAACP, said voter education is key to the future of a free and fair society. It may also be key to a more dynamic primary election season. Biarni Burke, president of the Bronx chapter

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner, Basil Seggos, announced on Sunday, May 2, that “New York State Compost Awareness Week” is taking place from May 2-8. Compost Awareness Week raises awareness statewide of the environmental benefits of composting, and the declaration was formalized in a recent proclamation signed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. Recycling food scraps, grass, leaves, yard clippings, and other organic materials through composting reduces New York’s dependence on landfills and combustors and helps to lower climate-altering emissions while producing valuable, nutrient-rich compost that improves soil health and water quality. Seggos said New

By DAVID GREENE

This week, we asked readers their thoughts on the verdict in the George Floyd murder trial, and if they feel the verdict could be a turning point in police/community relations. “I don’t think it’s right. The government has to be more careful now, because what they did to George [Floyd] was not right, because there was discrimination. I think we’re all equal, everyone, White and Black and Spanish, all around the country, so I think the police officers have to care a little bit more about what’s going on, and do what they’re supposed to do. The verdict will help,

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Woodlawn Cemetery held an “Earth Day Celebration” on Saturday, April 24, 2021, following the official Earth Day on Thursday, April 22. The event took place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and well over 200 people attended. Both adults and children enjoyed trolley rides, tree carving, (small grey fox) tree planting workshops, tree identification walks, arts & crafts, yoga on the lawn, and a free hot dog lunch, complete with a bag of chips and bottled water. Kids did not go empty-handed either and received a goodie bag filled with the Woodlawn Arboretum coloring book and

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Cultured Kids Cuisine is a New York City-based, international, non-profit organization striving to foster cultural awareness through food. The group is currently recruiting high school and college students from the Bronx and other parts of the city for a fully funded internship opportunity. The group offers a variety of free services to children, such as virtual cooking workshops, food anthropology courses, educational podcasts, food blogs, eCookbooks, and more. While no previous experience is necessary, the organization asks that applicants be passionate about building a future of love and tolerance through food. During the internship students will be paired with

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York Lottery announced one top-prize winning ticket was sold for the April 28 TAKE 5 drawing. The ticket, worth $60,435.50, was purchased at Jannatul Ferdous, located at 49 West Fordham Rd., in the Fordham Manor section of The Bronx. The five winning numbers for the TAKE 5 game are drawn from a field of one to 39. The TAKE 5 drawing is televised every day at 10:30 p.m. A Lottery draw game prize of any amount may be claimed up to one year from the date of the drawing. The New York Lottery continues to be North America’s largest and most profitable

Opening of Lehman College Vaccination Site On Tuesday, April 20, Lehman College, CUNY formally announced that it has partnered with the City to launch the Bronx’s newest COVID-19 vaccination hub, located at the college’s APEX Athletic Center at 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West in the borough’s Kingsbridge Heights neighborhood, as reported by Norwood News. The site is being run by SOMOS Community Care, and will serve up to 300 people a day with the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. The site is open to New Yorkers aged 16 or older, as well as to non-New York City residents aged 16 or older who

Editor’s Pick Join the staff of the Van Cortlandt Library for a fun, virtual game of trivia. Each month, the library staff play a trivia game based on a different category/theme and provide book recommendations based on the categories. The theme for May will be “Pop Culture: 90s Edition,” and the game will take place on May 6, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Boost your knowledge, meet others, and get to know them! The event will take place over Google Meet. To sign up for the event, visit https://www.nypl.org/events. Events Are you interested in antique furniture? Join The

By JASON GONZALEZ

While basketball and baseball remain king in the South Bronx, a small but growing number of young athletes of color are trying their hand at “laxin,” a sport typically associated with fancy prep schools. “Laxin” is slang for playing lacrosse, a sport relatively ignored in the “Boogie-Down” until a nonprofit group, Bronx Lacrosse, started luring young players with dedicated coaching, tutoring and opportunities to shine as athletes. Youth from Mott Haven, Melrose, Longwood, Hunts Point and Port Morris are now congregating in the neighborhood of Highbridge at least four times a week to play a sport that was