Bronx CB6 Wants Answers on Fordham Plaza Reconstruction as City Assesses Fordham Corridor Needs

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Extremely concerned members of Bronx Community Board 6 (CB6) sent a letter dated Feb. 20 to Keith Kalb, interim commissioner at the Bronx borough office of NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) on “the current state of Fordham Plaza.” In it, they refer to what they describe as DOT’s prior eviction of vendors and businesses previously operating in the Plaza, located in Belmont on the border with Fordham Heights and Fordham Manor, to facilitate reconstruction works at the site. The works were completed in 2016, according to CB6. At the time, CB6 members said DOT committed to filling the newsstands

By DAVID GREENE & SÍLE MOLONEY

Angellyh Yambo was a 16-year-old high school student with dreams of becoming a doctor when she was shot and killed as she walked home from school with friends in Mott Haven on April 8, 2022. On Tuesday, Jan. 24, on what would have been Angellyh’s 17th birthday, her family and friends gathered at her mausoleum in Woodlawn cemetery to mark the official launch of The Angellyh Yambo Foundation. During the emotional event, different colored balloons were released into the air marking the exact moment of her birth, 17 years earlier. Later, the family confirmed that the foundation’s website was

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

At a ceremony attended by many local elected officials, judicial dignitaries, and well-wishers, Ischia Bravo, former district manager of Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7), was sworn in as the first woman and first Latina to hold the position of Bronx County clerk and commissioner of jurors on Feb. 9. The ceremony took place at Gould Memorial Library on the campus of Bronx Community College in University Heights, with Bravo sworn in by Rolando T. Acosta, presiding justice of the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department. Among those in attendance for the occasion were NYS Attorney General

By DAVID GREENE

This week, we asked readers their thoughts on the Chinese spy balloon and the 3 additional “unidentified flying objects” shot down in recent weeks over North American airspace by the U.S. military. “As an American, I am very concerned about the security of our nation that has decreased over the years. I think the government is not as vigilant with security. I do believe that it was a spy balloon from China that was collecting data, and the other three balloons were also spy balloons. The U.S. government needs to do better in this area. We don’t need to

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

To mark Black History Month, we’re spotlighting the history and contribution of members of the Black community in The Bronx who are positively impacting the lives of others. In the early 1980s, Sean Ebony Coleman didn’t see much empathy for a community that was being ravaged by AIDS. “A lot of my friends were victims of the HIV-AIDS epidemic, so we were watching a bunch of our friends die [and we were] trying to figure out what we could do better,” Coleman said in an interview with Norwood News. Over time, the epidemic hit very close to home.

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Belmont native, The Hon. Yadhira González-Taylor, a lawyer, veteran, educator, retired firefighter, children’s author, and mother of three, was formally inducted as a civil court judge of the City of New York for Bronx County on Sunday, Jan. 29 at Monroe College. It followed her November 2022 general election win when, as reported, she garnered 23.30 percent of the vote, along with fellow Democrats, the Hon. Michele Davila who won 22.82 percent of the vote, the Hon. Sophia Hershman who won 20.11 percent and the Hon. Cynthia Isales who won 19.56 percent. Among the attendees were Bronx District Attorney Darcel

By JIM FAIRBANKS

Glaude’s title of “Begin Again” [Crown Publishing, 2020] calls us to renewed action for racial justice. He gives hopeful examples of past Black rights gained, such as the civil rights laws during Reconstruction after the Civil War, and during the Black Power movement of the 1960s. Yet, he writes that each effort was followed by White backlash Baldwin calls the “After Times.” We are again living in the “After Times” now! This book is not a hopeful story of change; this is a sobering book. Glaude Jr. quotes American sociologist, socialist, historian, and Pan-African civil rights activist, W.E.B.

By DAVID GREENE

This week, in recognition of Black History Month, we asked readers their thoughts on the proposed bipartisan African American History Act bill, introduced to Congress once again by Democratic co-sponsors, U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman (NY-16) and U.S. Sen. Corey Booker (NJ) as reported, and which, if passed, would invest $10 million over the next 5 years to promote and support education programs dedicated to African American history. “I think they should sign this legislation with the hope that all Black and brown communities will also have their stories told. Truth be told, as a Puerto Rican-American, our story has

By ARIEL PACHECO

Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) hosted his annual State of the District address on Jan. 29 at The Forum at Columbia University in front of a packed auditorium with many more waiting outside. As usual, the event was an occasion to highlight the congressman’s legislative victories and present his legislative agenda for the 118th Congress. During his address, Espaillat, a Democrat, committed to increasing funding for public safety, community and cultural programs, infrastructure development, and educational initiatives. “We created and passed legislation to create jobs, to help small businesses, to address climate change, to lower the cost of healthcare,

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Politics

Bronx CB6 Wants Answers on Fordham Plaza Reconstruction as City Assesses Fordham Corridor Needs

Family of Angellyh Yambo Launch Foundation in her Memory on her 17th Birthday

Ischia Bravo Sworn in as First Woman and First Latina to Serve as Bronx County Clerk

Inquiring Photographer: Thoughts on the Chinese Spy Balloon & UFOs

Sean Ebony Coleman Leads the Way Serving the Bronx’s LGBTQ Community

Yadhira González-Taylor Inducted as Civil Court Judge at Monroe College Ceremony

Book Review: “Begin Again, James Baldwin’s America and its Urgent Lessons for Our Own,” by Eddie S. Glaude Jr.

Inquiring Photographer: Thoughts on Proposed Bipartisan African American History Act

Espaillat Delivers State of the District Address for NY-13