Elections 2021: Jessica Haller on Climate, Motherhood and Investment

By SÍLE MOLONEY

With the announcement of Councilman Andrew Cohen’s nomination to the Bronx Supreme Court on Aug. 10, the race to fill his District 11 City Council seat just got a whole lot more urgent. Currently, there are six candidates vying to replace Cohen, with five having formally declared their intent with the City’s Campaign Finance Board. Jessica Haller, a tech entrepreneur, environmentalist and mother of four, announced her candidacy in late January, expecting at that point to spend much of her time in one of her favorite places – outside – knocking on doors. When the coronavirus pandemic hit

By SÍLE MOLONEY

A small but spirited protest was held on Saturday morning, Aug. 22, to save Jerome Station Post Office, located at 2540 Jerome Avenue in Kingsbridge Heights, from potential closure. Local resident, Pereta Rodriguez Ph.d., who said she relies on the post office for essential mail, initially asked three people to join her in saving her local branch, in solidarity with others around the country as part of a national day of protest to save the United States Postal Service. “I wanted to make sure that everyone knew what was at stake,” Rodriguez said. “It’s not just the ballots,

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York Public Library is hosting outdoor tabling events at several branches throughout the Bronx, Manhattan, and Staten Island, staffed with Census representatives to help New Yorkers complete the 2020 Census before the extended census deadline of Sept. 30. The events are designed to encourage and support response rates in New York City, which currently stands at 56.5 percent. Federal funding is determined by Census response rates and Census information is used to determine New York City’s fair share of $675 billion in federal funds for public education, public housing, infrastructure, and more each year—as well as the

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Public Prep, the nation’s first non-profit network that exclusively develops exceptional, tuition-free PreK and single-sex elementary and middle public schools, is launching the new school year and welcoming students back to virtual classrooms with an annual tradition – a Male Heroes Walk on their first day at Boys Prep Bronx located in the Concourse Village section of the Bronx. This event began seven years ago as a way for scholars to interact with their heroes whether they are family members, professionals, or school staff. They give out high-fives on their way to class as they kick off the school

By DAVID GREENE

With the current pandemic, economic halt, and growing food shortage foremost in everyone’s mind, members of The Love Legacy Chapel, based at Westchester Square in the Bronx, recently embarked on an ambitious, “Feed a Thousand” campaign, whereby they hope to eventually feed 1,000 hungry Bronxites each week. According to Pastor Christopher Garcia, the church, located at 2500 St. Raymond’s Avenue, began the program in early July with a half dozen volunteers who handed out some 200 meals consisting of chicken and rice, potato salad, as well as fruits and vegetables. The church purchases food through donations, and food

By SÍLE MOLONEY

City Council Speaker Corey Johnson released a statement on Saturday, Aug. 22 about a letter circulating on social media that purports to be from his office, is apparently signed by Johnson, Finance Chair Danny Dromm, and Bronx City Councilwoman and Subcommittee on Capital Budget Chair Vanessa Gibson. The letter purports to identify city agency cuts through layoffs. Johnson said the letter is fake. “A letter is being circulated that purports to be from my office and signed by me, Finance Chair Danny Dromm and Subcommittee on Capital Budget Chair Vanessa Gibson identifying city agency cuts through layoffs. This letter

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

The line of people with rolling carts and hand trucks waiting to receive boxes of food filled the sidewalk of Hull Avenue. It started at the intersection of East 204th Street, and on its southern tip ended just short of East Mosholu Parkway North. Although the food event was scheduled to last an hour, the boxes were gone in less than 30 minutes. Promoted as a Food Box Giveaway and spearheaded by Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez, the outdoor event highlighted an ongoing worrisome issue in Norwood: food insecurity. “The turnout today was great,” Fernandez said. “A lot of people

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Check out the latest SummerStage Anywhere hip-hop programming for the weekend. This week there is more programming with DJ Kool Herc & Cindy Campbell, DJ Rich Medina, and Pete Rock & The Soul Brothers with Buddy! More info below: Friday, August 21st: Culture Talk Artist: DJ Kool Herc & Cindy Campbell Time: 7:00PM ET Where to Watch: SummerStage Instagram, SummerStage YouTube, Facebook page and Twitch Info: Join one of hip-hop’s forefathers Kool Herc & his sister, the self-proclaimed “First Lady of Hip-Hop”, Cindy Campbell, for a historic walk through of the home of hip-hop around Cedar Park, and the now-legendary 1520 Sedgwick Avenue.

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Sistas and Brothas United (SBU), the youth organizing arm of the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, a 46-year-old organization of students, parents, clergy and community members across the Bronx are organizing a rally to take action against school policing, and what the organization says are all the practices and policies that criminalize young people in schools. For the last two decades SBU has been working to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline, organizing to eradicate suspensions, arrests, metal detectors, and school safety agents in schools that the organization says pushes young people out of school and into the prison system.