AG James Blocks Trump Administration’s Changes to SNAP

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New York Attorney General Letitia James announced on Monday, Oct. 19, that a federal court yesterday granted a motion for summary judgment, permanently blocking the Trump Administration’s attempts to deny food assistance to hundreds of thousands of Americans by changing the rules for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). “At a time of national crisis, this decision is a win for common sense and basic human decency,” said James. “This Trump Administration rule was cruel to its core and ran counter to who we are and what we represent as a nation. If implemented, this rule would have not

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Staff members of the Office of New York City Public Advocate, Jumaane D. Williams, announced on Oct. 19 that they have formed a union and will be represented by the Campaign Workers Guild. They said their unionization drive has the support of Office staff, with more than two-thirds of eligible workers signing authorization cards with the Campaign Workers Guild. The union covers all non-managerial staff in the Office, and it has formally submitted a demand for voluntary recognition to the Public Advocate. “Our groundbreaking union is made up of grassroots community organizers and advocates who live in a City

By SÍLE MOLONEY

With the deadline for the U.S Census now set for Oct. 16 at 6 a.m., several Bronx public charter schools are encouraging communities throughout the Bronx to ensure they fill out the census and get counted. Across the country, there are attempts to undercount communities of color and the most vulnerable. The future of the Bronx and of New York City depends on an accurate count of its residents, which will determine how much federal support it receives for the next decade. Now more than ever, the stakes of being counted have never been higher: Nearly $1 trillion in

By DAVID GREENE

A “Justice for Breonna Taylor Rally” was scheduled to be held in the Riverdale section of the Bronx on Tuesday, Sept. 29, but was postponed at the last minute due to expected rainfall. The rally was due to take place at the Bell Tower Park at West 239th Street and Riverdale Avenue in tribute to Taylor, a 26-year-old emergency medical technician. Taylor was shot and killed by police in Louisville, Kentucky when they executed a search warrant on her home earlier this year, on March 13. One police officer was charged with firing recklessly into her apartment, but no

By SÍLE MOLONEY

At noon on Wednesday, Oct. 14, NYC Census 2020 and partners hosted an emergency virtual press conference to raise awareness about the shortened timeline for the completion of the census which now ends Oct. 15, and to mobilize the community in a final sprint to respond and encourage their neighbors, friends, and family to do so also. On Friday, Sept. 24, U.S. District Court Judge Lucy Koh had ordered the Census Bureau to keep conducting the census count until Oct. 31 but a subsequent Supreme Court ruling allowed the Trump administration to end the 2020 Census on Oct. 15.

By SÍLE MOLONEY

On Tuesday, Oct. 13, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea announced a new partnership with Arva Rice, president and CEO of the New York Urban League; Jennifer Jones Austin, CEO and executive director of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies; and Wes Moore, CEO of Robin Hood, “to engage communities and people who live, work and serve throughout the city in the department’s ongoing effort to ensure public safety that is fair, responsive to, and considerate of all New Yorkers.” In partnership with the mayor’s office, the NYPD announced a department-wide undertaking to transform New York City policing to be safer

By NORA THOMAS & SÍLE MOLONEY

Norwood News, in partnership with WFUV radio and BronxNet Television, presents a five-part series on national issues affecting voters in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election, seen through the local lens of Bronx neighborhood communities. Part 2 looks at crime and criminal justice. New York State and City officials have drawn a lot of criticism from President Donald Trump this election cycle. In a Sept. 2 memo to the Department of Justice, drafted to review federal funding for certain state and local governments, Trump said New York City officials were “permitting anarchy, violence, and destruction,” in

By SÍLE MOLONEY

A coalition of community groups and local leaders are holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Mott Haven Community Refrigerator official launch on Monday, October 12, 2020 at 12 p.m. in Mott Haven at the intersection of 141st Street and Saint Ann’s Avenue in The Bronx. The Bronx Community Foundation, State Assembly candidate, Amanda Septimo, (D/WFP-84), and leaders from The American Dream Charter School, have joined forces to establish the first community refrigerator in Mott Haven. Co-organizers Daniel Zauderer and Charlotte Alvarez, both sixth-grade teachers at the American Dream School, say the community refrigerator is a freestanding outdoor refrigerator

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York State Department of Taxation and Finance have reminded New Yorkers of two important deadlines: Taxpayers who obtained a filing extension must submit their personal income tax returns on or before Thursday, October 15; and Some 538,000 New Yorkers who haven’t claimed the federal Economic Impact Payment that they’re eligible to receive from the IRS must do so by November 21. “With less than two weeks before the deadline for filing personal income tax returns on extension, we’re reminding taxpayers to take advantage of online guidance and free tax filing software available on our website,” said

Norwood News

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Politics

AG James Blocks Trump Administration’s Changes to SNAP

Public Advocate Staff Members Announce Unionization

Bronx Public Charter Schools Urge Community To Get Counted Before Census Deadline

North Bronx Racial Justice Group Hold Rally To Remember Breonna Taylor

Census Deadline Cut Short to October 15 following Supreme Court Ruling

New NYPD Community Partnership Initiative Launches to Transform Future of NYC Policing

Bronx Connections: 2020 Election Local Lens (Part 2 of 5) Crime & Criminal Justice

Community Coalition Opens First Community Refrigerator in Mott Haven

NYS Tax Department Reminds New Yorkers of Oct. 15 Deadline to File Income Tax Returns