NYS Legislature to Hold Hearing on Impact of Tropical Storm Isaias on New York State

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York State legislature will hold a virtual hearing on the impact of Tropical Storm Isaias on New York State on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020. On Aug. 4, the storm hit New York with heavy rain, tornadoes and winds gusting up to 70 miles per hour. Isaias left hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers without power across New York City, Long Island, Westchester, Rockland, the Hudson Valley and other areas of the state within the service territories of PSEG-Long Island, Con Edison, Orange and Rockland, National Grid, Central Hudson, New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) and other

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Life isn’t easy. Just ask Jose Ramon, a 54-year-old Parkchester resident who was diagnosed with ALS in January of this year. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is a progressive nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causing loss of muscle control. The condition is often called Lou Gehrig’s disease, after the baseball player who was diagnosed with it. On Saturday, July 25, as part of a wider fundraising initiative spearheaded by the ALS Association, Greater New York Chapter, Ramon, supported by a group of friends and supporters completed a “Walk from Home”

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Following Storm Isaias on Aug. 4, widespread power outages left thousands of Bronxites in the dark. Several days later, many residents still didn’t have their power restored. Blackouts and delayed service from Con Edison, which operates as a near-monopoly in the five boroughs, are not new according to Public Advocate Jumanne Williams. Williams recently released a report calling for a public power system for New York City to control its own electrical grid moving forward. Williams says public power would bring greater transparency and lower electricity rates to residents, and it has also shown to be more reliable

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York Lottery announced on Aug. 18 that there were multiple top-prize winning tickets sold for the Aug. 17 Take-5 drawing. The tickets were sold in both the Bronx and in Elmira, at the following locations: Jher Inc located at 3287a Westchester Ave. in The Bronx, which sold 1 prize winning ticket worth $29,651.00 E-Z Food Mart located at 502 Broadway St. in Elmira, which sold 1 prize winning ticket worth $29,651.00 Take 5 numbers are drawn from a field of one through 39. Drawings take place every evening at 11:21 p.m. Winning tickets at all prize

By DIANE S. WILLIAMS

A crew of five City lifeguards rescued a Bronx man who collapsed in knee-deep water at Orchard Beach on July 29. “We saw him wade out and suddenly he collapsed face down into the water,” said lifeguard supervisor Neil Veloz. “When we reached him and pulled him out, he had no pulse and wasn’t breathing.” Lifeguards, Andriy Kapys and Arlene Suvana, pulled the victim, Joachin Rosado, 33, from the water. Immediately, additional lifeguards, Julio Benjamin and Troy Washington, began CPR to resuscitate Rosado. However, Veloz said when they used a defibrillator, he had no shockable heart rhythm. The

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Local residents in the Norwood section of the Bronx got down to business last Monday, Aug. 10, showing up to help clean up Williamsbridge Oval Park in response to a call from elected officials, including Bronx Borough President, Ruben Diaz Jr., City Council Member Andrew Cohen, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and State Sen. Jamaal Bailey. As reported by Norwood News, a trail of devastation, including fallen trees and branches strewn across pathways and sports courts, was left in the park after Storm Isaias struck New York City on Tuesday, Aug 4, leaving 300,000 New Yorkers without electricity, some for more than

By SÍLE MOLONEY & JASON GONZALEZ

As the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic continues, public officials are listening to constituents’ concerns, and walking the talk when it comes to addressing ongoing food insecurity. A number of food drives have been held all across the borough by various elected officials in recent months, and appear set to continue as Bronxites struggle to cope with the ongoing economic crisis. The New York Times reported on July 7 that “the City’s unemployment rate is hovering near 20 percent — a figure not seen since the Great Depression.” In conjunction with the Bronx Parent Housing Network (BPHN), a

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Local residents, Mahfuja Chadani, Madiha Madani and Nusrat Tasnim, took a stroll through Williamsbridge Oval Park on July 31 to celebrate the Muslim holy festival of Eid al Adha, also known as the Feast of Sacrifice. This year, the holiday was observed from sundown on Thursday, July 30, to sundown on Friday, July 31. Chadani said typically the Muslim community have two big celebrations each year. The earlier festival of Idul-Fitr (Eid Al-Fitr) is celebrated among friends and family to mark the end of Ramadan, a month-long period during which Muslims fast during daylight hours, while offering up additional

By SÍLE MOLONEY & ISAIAH MATHEWSON

Friends of Mosholu Parkland and local volunteers braved the early evening summer heat to join Members of the City’s Parks’ department and some elected officials for a clean-up of the parkland on Monday, July 20. A group of about 30 people, young and old, met at Mosholu Parkway subway station where masks, bags, gloves and tools were distributed before the group set to work cleaning up the area on a day when temperatures hit the high nineties. Norwood News asked the participants why it was important for them to come out and volunteer their time. Aesha Valencia is