Elections 2021: Dan Padernacht on People, Party & Politics

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The first thing that strikes you about Dan Padernacht, the first candidate to jump in the race for the 11th City Council District seat, is the speed at which he speaks – and not in a nervous way. Padernacht leaves you with the impression that if he could have squeezed additional information into each answer, he would have done so. Is he prepared? It would seem so, and that is precisely the platform on which he is running. Asked what differentiates him from his peers, the lifelong Bronxite cites his experience. “I was an economics major, so that was

By DAVID GREENE

A full week after New York City public schools opened for class for the first time in six months, on Tuesday, Sept. 29, “the new normal” included temperature checks before entering a building, smaller classrooms, and teachers rather than students moving from classroom to classroom. After the first week of her children’s school reopening, Norwood resident and mother, Heather Guerino, said, “Now the schools are taking more precautionary measures within [them], but they should have done that before the coronavirus.” She added, “The coronavirus has forced a lot of people to have a new way of life, a new

King Casts Himself the Victim Post-Suspension, Appears to Back Theory of a Larger Plot

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New York City Council expelled Councilman Andy King (D-Bronx) on Monday, Oct. 5, over charges he harassed and discriminated against a female employee, took a kickback from another staffer and failed to pay a fine for previous misconduct. The news was widely reported in a number of media outlets though no official press release was issued by the council regarding the decision. The New York Daily News reported that during a council meeting that was held online, Council Speaker Corey Johnson said, “All reasonable alternatives have been exhausted and drastic action is now our only option.” He added, “King’s

By DAVID GREENE & SÍLE MOLONEY

With one month to go before the 2020 presidential election, possibly the most hotly debated contest of modern times, news that President Donald J. Trump tested positive for the coronavirus was announced by the White House on Thursday evening, October 1 according to The Hill. Given the president’s apparent, past reluctance to support the science in terms of how best to contain the coronavirus, some Bronxites appear to have little sympathy for him following his diagnosis, while other Bronxites are quite demonstrative in their support for him. Belmont resident Rosa Velasquez said she believed the president would use

By SÍLE MOLONEY

President Donald Trump’s doctors said during a press briefing on Oct. 3, that the president is being administered remdesivir, a drug trialed in the Bronx to treat patients with COVID-19, as a joint research initiative by Montefiore Health System and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Einstein/Montefiore was the first New York site to take part in what is an ongoing international drug treatment study. The first iteration of the Adaptive COVID-19 Treatment Trial (ACTT) began in various locations on Feb. 21, though candidate recruitment only began in the Bronx in March. Remdesivir is described as an investigational, broad-spectrum

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Former Bernie Sanders national organizer and Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) member, Latchmi Gopal, is officially running to replace Ritchie Torres in New York City’s 15th City Council district. She join Ischia Bravo, Ischia, Elisa Crespo, Oswald Feliz, John E. Sanchez, and Julian S. Sepulveda. Gopal enters the race on the back of her experience with economic and social causes across the country as well as in the Bronx. She is currently director of communications and strategic partnerships for Unemployment Workers United, a multiracial and multigenerational movement which advocates for a new “normal” that restores dignity and guarantees a

Bronx Teen First Vaping-Related Death in New York State

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Oct. 1 the launch of an innovative technology-based tool, the COVID Alert NY, to help curb the spread of the coronavirus. “Contact tracing has been instrumental in stopping the COVID spread, and we have worked hard over these past months to establish a nation-leading testing and tracing program. Today, we are building on that effort [….] with our official Exposure Notification App created by the New York State Department of Health in partnership with Google and Apple,” the governor wrote. “With COVID Alert NY, you can use your phone to receive alert notifications if

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The annual Affordable Homeownership Summit hosted by the Center for NYC Neighborhoods will take place, virtually, over two days on Oct. 7 and 8, between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. EST. It will discuss recovery strategies from the global pandemic, Black homeownership, the racial wealth gap, and climate change. The center will bring together hundreds of leaders, policymakers, government officials, lenders and advocates, virtually, for its seventh annual summit, which will run for two days with five panels, as experts discuss innovative solutions and current best practices for low, and moderate-income homeowners. Keynote speaker Andre Perry, fellow on

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New Yorkers use an estimated 23 billion (not 23 million, 23 billion) plastic bags every year, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. That’s 1,182 bags per person, with each bag being used for about 12 minutes. Approximately 85 percent of this staggering total ends up in landfills, recycling machines, waterways, and streets. Here’s something else everyone should reflect upon. The Ecology Center (ecologycenter.org) wrote, “Like many other plastics, we can’t guarantee that plastic film is getting recycled, even if it is clean, dry, and disposed of in the “right” place. We also know that all plastic ever