Ischia Bravo Endorsed by NYS Senators Alessandria Biaggi & Jessica Ramos for City Council

By SÍLE MOLONEY

District manager for Bronx Community District 7, Ischia Bravo, received a boost, on Dec. 8, to her campaign to replace Councilman, and now Congressman-elect, Ritchie Torres, in the District 15 City Council race, following the endorsement of New York State Senators, Jessica Ramos and Alessandra Biaggi. Both Ramos and Biaggi assumed office in 2019 after defeating long time incumbents, and members of the Independent Democratic Conference, a group of senate Democrats who caucused with Republicans to give the GOP a majority in the chamber. Both senators represent the new era of Democratic activism in the State Senate, ushering

By DAVID GREENE

A pair of local, elected officials joined housing advocates and attorneys in taking a bow during a recent virtual discussion, following the passage of “Jashawn’s Law,” which establishes deadlines for landlords to make court-ordered repairs to buildings. State Sen. Robert Jackson joined Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz in a Zoom conference call on Monday, Nov. 16, along with officials from the Legal Aid Society and housing advocacy groups, Take Root Justice and the Fordham-Bedford Housing Corporation. The bill was put forward by Dinowitz in 2003 in response to the Aug. 6, 2002 blaze at 3569 DeKalb Avenue in Norwood that

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

In her campaign to replace incumbent councilman and congressman-elect, Ritchie Torres, on the City Council, Elisa Crespo wants to focus on the issues affecting the residents of the 15th District more than on her candidacy. Among the most pressing issues, she finds, is the high rate of unemployment. “We are at Great Depression level [un]employment rates in the Bronx,” Crespo told the Norwood News in a phone interview. “In some parts of this council district, there’s a 30 percent unemployment rate.” Together with her mom and siblings, Crespo, 30, experienced job and housing insecurity growing up in Brooklyn,

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

In the lead up to Thanksgiving, on Nov. 19, Lehman College partnered with the Foodbank of New York and Montefiore Health System for an annual food produce distribution event. About a dozen folding tables were set up inside the students’ parking lot at Lehman College, where volunteers filled up paper grocery bags with several thousand pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables, including apples, bananas, corn, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, onions, carrots, and zucchinis. The produce was delivered directly from the Hunts Point Market that same morning and the bountiful grocery bags were later delivered to 20 different community groups

By DAVID GREENE

This week, we asked readers if they agree that presidential pardons should be given when a president leaves office. Is it right and just? “That’s a good question. I believe that if you have a lot of proof, proof like they have on this person, Michael Flynn, there’s so much proof that this guy didn’t do anything wrong, so yeah, I believe in the pardons, even if the president is leaving office. Hey, he still has the ability. He’s still the president, yeah.” Dawn Marie, Indian Village “That’s a very interesting question. I don’t know if it’s

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

The race to replace Councilman Andrew Cohen in the 11th City Council District has widened in recent months with Mino Lora making her announcement to run on Oct. 9. Lora said her platform is focused on justice for all: racial justice, justice for immigrants, health, economic, housing, education and cultural justice, as well as criminal justice reform. Announcing her candidacy via a press release, Lora said in October, “We are a community of dreamers and doers who make the Bronx home, and keep this city running.” She added, “This campaign is fueled by our joy, our pain, and our passion.”

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Eric Dinowitz, a special education public school teacher and candidate for City Council in the 11th District, has been endorsed by Congressman Adriano Espaillat. Espaillat is a New York City progressive, and was both the first formerly undocumented immigrant and first Dominican elected to Congress. Dinowitz had previously been endorsed by the United Federation of Teachers. “I am excited to endorse Eric Dinowitz for City Council. As a special education public school teacher and community activist, Eric has devoted his life to bettering our neighborhoods and empowering others,” said Espaillat via a press release. “He has been a consistent

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx cyclists and bus commuters were given a boost on Friday, Nov. 20, when officials from the de Blasio administration announced that the City’s Department of Transportation (DOT) completed a major transformation of the Edward L. Grant Highway in the Highbridge section of the Bronx. Administration officials, elected officials and advocates cut the ribbon on signature transit and bicycle safety improvements to the corridor, including a combined 2.4 miles of dedicated red, center bus lanes and green protected bike lanes (PBL). Both lane types will run in both directions and the center bus lanes will serve 56,000 riders every

By SÍLE MOLONEY

As the number of hospitalizations due to COVID-19 continues to rise across New York City, during a press conference on Tuesday, Nov. 24, the De Blasio administration outlined the steps that will be taken in the coming months to address the increase in the context of the upcoming holidays, including the consequences for those who do not comply with quarantine restrictions if traveling. Health Commissioner Dr. Dave A. Chokshi paid tribute to front line workers, asking New Yorkers to remember that those same front line workers will be working through the holiday period and will not be able to

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Politics

Ischia Bravo Endorsed by NYS Senators Alessandria Biaggi & Jessica Ramos for City Council

“Jashawn’s Law” Passed After 18 Years; Honors 8-Year-Old Tragically Killed in 2002 Fire

Elections 2021: Elisa Crespo on the Economy, Housing & Criminal Justice

Montefiore, Lehman College, Food Bank of NY Partner to Address Food Insecurity

Inquiring Photographer: Thoughts on Presidential Pardons

Elections 2021: Mino Lora on Justice, Immigration & Meeting the Moment

Congressman Adriano Espaillat Endorses Eric Dinowitz for City Council

Highbridge: Bus and Bike Lanes Added to Bronx Corridor – Hub for Cyclist Injuries

De Blasio Outlines Quarantine Enforcement, Pays Tribute to Former NYC Mayor David Dinkins