Politics

Cops Join Puzzle Life & Students & Teachers from P.S. 168 to Walk for Autism Acceptance

By SÍLE MOLONEY
A group of around 200 people, including many kids, joined together for a walk in Norwood to promote autism acceptance, unity, and inclusion on Friday, June 16. The event was organized by the group Puzzle Life in conjunction with Norwood’s P.S. 168 and the 52nd Precinct.   Kyle McClean and his wife, Liza, who live in Soundview, launched Puzzle Life, a group which aims to promote acceptance of people living with autism. Kyle told Norwood News, “Well, my wife and I, we have a beautiful princess on the spectrum and it’s the third year in a row we wanted to


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Community Awards Presented at Last BMCA Meeting before Summer Amid Noise & Package Theft Concerns 

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Joy Syeeda Lafontaine and Police Officer Stephen Echevarria were each presented with awards for their service to the community during the final meeting, before the summer break, of Bedford Mosholu Community Association (BMCA) on June 7, the same day the air quality in New York City was badly affected by Canadian wildfires.   Lafontaine, secretary of BMCA, was awarded the Mary Vallati Memorial Award in recognition of her exceptional volunteer service over the year, while Echevarria, community affairs officer at the 52nd Precinct, was awarded the Jack Kelly Memorial Award in recognition of his outstanding service to the community.  


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Local School Hosts 2nd Annual Juneteenth Celebration in the Williamsbridge Oval Park

By MIRIAM QUIÑONES
  A Juneteenth celebration hosted by the social justice committee of Bronx Community Charter School in Norwood was held at the Williamsbridge Oval park in Norwood on Monday, June 19.   The school, located at 3170 Webster Avenue in Norwood, first launched what they intend to be an annual celebration last year, as reported. Held from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., the event included musical performances, reading, arts and crafts, and reflections on the meaning of the holiday.   One little girl seated on a beanbag was seen lost in a book during the event.   Other children were assisted


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Smiles All Around at National Puerto Rican Day Parade’s Annual 152nd Street Cultural Festival

By MIRIAM QUIÑONES
The National Puerto Rican Day Parade’s Annual 152nd Street Cultural Festival was held on Saturday, May 27, under glorious sunshine in the South Bronx and drew a host of City and borough elected officials along with around one thousand festival goers to celebrate the occasion.   The festival is a free, family-friendly event that celebrates Puerto Rican culture and heritage, held on 152nd Street between Jackson and Tinton Avenues, with food, music, games, live entertainment and lots of Boricua pride! Soundboy Ariel Cartagena, a Latin Hip Hop artist, had everyone on their feet during his lively performance. The festival is


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Kingsbridge Heights Community Center Holds 10th Annual Neighborhood Festival

By MIRIAM QUIÑONES
Kingsbridge Heights Community Center (KHCC) hosted its 10th Annual Neighborhood Festival on Friday, June 16, celebrating both Pride and Juneteenth. The event was held at the center located at 3101 Kingsbridge Terrace.   KHCC is a settlement house founded in 1974 by community activists Janet Athanasidy, Patricia Burns, and Mary McLoughlin, serving the Kingsbridge Heights neighborhood and the Bronx. KHCC offers programs and services in multiple sites for more than 4,500 people annually from English language classes to childcare to early head start programs, a food pantry, gardening, a day summer camp and more. A planned barbecue was brought inside on the day due to a thunderstorm, but the


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Bronx Town Hall Touts Public Banking Benefits to Locals

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT
  At a public meeting billed as a “Boroughwide Town Hall on Public Banking,” representatives from ten Bronx-based groups joined various elected officials to push for State and City legislators to build upon efforts to promote worker-owned businesses, increase community land trusts, and facilitate access to more local credit unions as an alternative to big commercial banks.   On May 11, inside the auditorium of the Bronx Library Center, located in Fordham Manor, attendees viewed video and slide presentations describing how these actions could improve economic conditions in the borough.   Listed as expected attendees on the press release announcing


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UPDATE ELECTIONS 2023: Unofficial Results of Bronx Primary Races on Election Night & Ranked Choice

By SÍLE MOLONEY, MIRIAM QUIÑONES & DAVID GREENE
After the polls closed on Tuesday, June 27, NYC Board of Elections released the initial, unofficial results of the primary elections which took place that day, based on a percentage of returned poll site scanners.   The initial results cover both early votes and election day votes. Absentee and overseas ballots still have to be counted, as do the remaining scanners. Below is a summary of the unofficial results for The Bronx. The latest updated results as of June 28 are also now included below.   Democratic incumbent, Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark led with 72.72 percent of votes


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Art Exhibit Celebrates “Friendship & Activism” of Puerto Rican and Irish LGBTQ+ Activists

By SÍLE MOLONEY
In honor of LGBTQ+ Pride 2023, Fordham University Lincoln Center’s Quinn Library and NYPL Belmont Branch, in partnership with the Bronx County Historical Society, opened Have a Heart, an exhibit that celebrates Bronx-born Puerto Rican activist Jesús Lebrón and his central role in struggles for LGBTQ+ rights, including marriage equality.   Twenty years ago, in 2003, Jesús, with fellow activist and close friend, Brendan Fay, co-founded The Civil Marriage Trail Project, an organization that helped bring same-sex couples across borders for legal marriage. Among the couples were Edie Windsor (1929–2017) and Thea Spyer (1931–2009) who married in Toronto on May


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New Bronx Research Shows Poor Air Quality Leads to Longer Hospital Stays for Children with Asthma

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  Children with asthma spend more time in the hospital when there is a greater amount of “particulate matter” (PM 2.5) i.e. tiny pieces of solids or liquids, and Ozone (O₃), a colorless gas, in the air, according to a new study by researchers at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) in Norwood. The study was published in the Journal of Asthma just days after New York City was blanketed in wildfire smoke from the recent Canadian wildfires, as reported.   In what was described as a first-of-its-kind study in children led by pediatric hospitalist Elissa B. Gross D.O., M.P.H, the investigators


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