Politics

UPDATE Elections 2022: Jeffrey Dinowitz Looks Forward Not Back

By SÍLE MOLONEY
As the incumbent assemblyman representing Assembly District 81 since 1994, Jeffrey Dinowitz is both a seasoned politician and candidate when it comes to election campaigns. He has seen off a number of political challengers over the course of his political career to retain his Northwest Bronx seat and appears adamant to keep it that way.   Given his many years in office, and the countless pieces of legislation on which he has worked throughout his career, Norwood News asked Dinowitz if he could speak to what he felt were the top three priorities for his current campaign. “It’s really hard


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MMCC Kids Rally Against Gun Violence as Nonprofit Celebrates its 80th Anniversary

By EMILY SAWAKED  
Dressed in orange, and carrying signs often bigger than themselves, children and teens who participate in various programs offered by Mosholu Montefiore Community Center (MMCC), took to the streets on Friday, June 3, to mark the beginning of Gun Violence Awareness Month.   Departing from the MMCC venue located at 3450 DeKalb Avenue in Norwood, the group seemed adamant to raise their voices in protest against the ongoing gun violence that plagues their lives each day in The Bronx, as well as the horrific mass shootings that have recently occurred across the nation.   As of June 5, 185 shootings


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Biaggi-Backed Bill Establishing Rape Kit Tracking System Passes Assembly & Senate

By SÍLE MOLONEY
State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi (S.D. 34) announced that on June 2 the State senate majority passed the bill she sponsored to establish a rape kit tracking system in New York State. The bill was also passed in the assembly, where it was sponsored by Assembly Member Amy Paulin, and now awaits sign-off by Gov. Kathy Hochul.   Bill S7867A/A9596 will direct the Division of Criminal Justice Services, in consultation with the State Department of Health, Office of Victim Services, Division of State Police, and the New York State Coalition Against Sexual Abuse to develop and implement a statewide electronic tracking


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UPDATE Elections 2022: All Tracey Towers Residents Will Vote Onsite After Poll Site Change Reversed

By SÍLE MOLONEY
New York City Board of Elections has said all residents at Tracey Towers can finally vote at the Tracey Towers polling site (located onsite in the community room) in the upcoming primary election on June 28, bringing relief to some senior residents who had not relished the prospect of having to travel further afield to cast their ballots. However, the precise reason for the poll site change, which came within weeks of Election Day and before a subsequent reversal of the decision, remained unclear until Wednesday, June 15.   Sallie Caldwell, a Tracey Towers resident, told Norwood News on Tuesday,


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Elections 2022: Candidates Face Off at NWBCCC Forum Ahead of June Primary Assembly Elections

By EMILY SAWAKED  
The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition.    The Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC) hosted a candidates’ forum at Monroe College on Wednesday, May 26, for candidates running in the 78th and the 81st Assembly Districts in the upcoming June Democratic primaries. Both Assemblyman José Rivera (A.D. 78), who was not present on the night, was re-elected to his seat in 2000, having previously served in the Assembly from 1982 to 1987 and who won in 2020 with over 86 percent of the vote, and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81),


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AOC Holds Virtual Town Hall for NY-14 Constituents, Discusses Redistricting

By DAVID GREENE
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14) held a town hall on Friday, May 27, to discuss how the latest redistricting maps approved by a court-appointed special master on May 20, 2022, have impacted her constituents in The Bronx and Queens.   As reported, the approval of the latest redistricting maps concludes a long and drawn out redistricting process, overseen by New York State Legislative Taskforce on Demographic Research and Reapportionment, which has been ongoing following the latest census in 2020.   Referring to the latest approved map for NY-14 as of May 20, the congresswoman thanked all those who had joined the


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NYC CFB: Voter Guide Available for Some Primary Elections Scheduled for June 28

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The NYC Campaign Finance Board (CFB) announced on Thursday, June 2, that it had released the official New York City voter guide for some of the June 2022 primary elections scheduled for Thursday, June 28. The guide is available online at NYCVotes.org and allows voters to look up the candidates on their ballot. Early voting for some primary elections starts on Saturday, June 18, and Election Day for some primary races is Tuesday, June 28.

UPDATE Inquiring Photographer: Thoughts on Security in Bronx Schools in the Context of Mass Shootings

By DAVID GREENE & SÍLE MOLONEY
  With a series of recent mass shootings taking place around the country, this week, we asked readers their thoughts on school security and if they felt Bronx Schools were prepared for a potential mass shooting in the borough.   “I work in a school, and I don’t think they’re doing enough for gun control either, and with all the mass shootings, I am concerned for myself and my family. I do have a son going to kindergarten, so I’m pretty concerned because the public schools are not too safe. I think the gun violence is terrible in The Bronx.


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Democrat, Fernandez, Runs for Biaggi’s State Senate Seat in Bronx/Westchester S.D. 34

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Your poll site may have changed. Check your voting card before you go to vote.   As expected, Bronx Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez (A.D. 80) formally announced on Thursday, June 2, her intent to run to represent the people of New York’s 34th State senate district, currently represented by Sen. Alessandra Biaggi until the end of the year, in the Democratic senatorial primary held on August 23. The senate district covers parts of both The Bronx and Westchester counties and was redrawn by a court appointed special master in May 2022. Fernandez has since won the Democratic primary nomination for redrawn


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