Politics

UPDATE Fordham Manor: 21-Year-Old Woman Reported Missing Now Found

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The NYPD said on Thursday night, Nov. 10, that a 21-year-old woman who lives in Fordham Manor who had been reported missing has been found safe.   Prior to being located, police officers from the 52nd Precinct said it was reported to them that Michelle Morales of 2605 Grand Concourse had last been seen on Monday, Nov. 7, at 11.47 a.m. in the vicinity of 4422 Third Avenue in the Belmont section of the borough. Morales was described as female, 5 feet, 4 inches tall, with brown hair, Hispanic, and had last been seen wearing a purple tank top and


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UPDATE Hispanic Voters Encouraged to Report any Voter Intimidation or Wrongdoing at Polling Sites

By SÍLE MOLONEY
One day before Election Day, Nov. 8, LatinoJustice PRLDEF voting rights advocates say they will be on the ground and at the polls this midterm election, ensuring eligible Latino voters have access to the polls. The group will also be on the lookout for any voter suppression, intimidation, disinformation, language access issues or any other barriers that might prevent Hispanic voters from casting their ballot.   According to the organization, “Cada Voto Cuenta” (Every Vote Counts) is a nonpartisan bilingual voter protection initiative that first launched in 2016. As part of the initiative, volunteers are deployed to protect voters’ rights


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UPDATE NAACP Bronx Branch to Voters: “Take Your Souls to the Polls & Vote Full Ballot”

By SÍLE MOLONEY
In the final days of the 2022 election season, the Bronx branch of the NAACP continues asking senior female voters to lead Bronx voters away from what they say is a disempowering habit of partial ballot voting.   NAACP representatives say partial ballot voting is when voters do not vote in each race or on each proposal on the ballot. They say such partial ballot voting surrenders the voter’s power when it comes to deciding who will manage each level and branch of government.   According to the NAACP, the political industry routinely places senior female voters in the “prime


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Elections 2022: Conservative Party Candidate, Kevin Pazmino on Govt Oversight, Crime and Housing

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Freelance filmmaker and former District 11 city council candidate, Kevin Pazmino, is, as reported, running on the Conservative Party ticket in the upcoming general election on Nov. 8 in Assembly District 81. The seat is currently held by incumbent assemblyman and Democrat, Jeffrey Dinowitz, and covers much of the Northwest Bronx.   The candidate ran unsuccessfully on the Republican Party and Conservative Party lines in the 2021 district 11 city council general election which was ultimately won by now Councilman Eric Dinowitz, son of the assemblyman. Pazmino did not avail of the public matching funds program when he ran for


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Elections 2022: Jeffrey Dinowitz Looks Forward Not Back ahead of General Election

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Editor’s Note: The following story was first published by Norwood News ahead of the June 2022 Primary Election. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz is currently running as the Democratic nominee in the upcoming general election on Nov. 8 in Assembly District 81.    As the incumbent assemblyman representing A.D. 81 since 1994, Jeffrey Dinowitz is both a seasoned politician and candidate when it comes to election campaigns. He has seen off a number of political challengers over the course of his political career to retain his Northwest Bronx seat and appears adamant to keep it that way.   Given his many years


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Elections 2022: Jessica Altagracia Woolford Runs on Working Families Party Ticket in General Election

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  The following story was first published on June 26, 2022, by Norwood News ahead of the June 2022 Democratic Primary for Assembly District 81, when Jessica Altagracia Woolford ran, ultimately unsuccessfully, in that primary race against incumbent assemblyman, Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81). Altagracia Woolford is currently running for office in the upcoming general election on Nov. 8 on the Working Families Party ticket, once again, in Assembly District 81.    Growing up in Kingsbridge, Jessica Altagracia Woolford is a community organizer who previously worked for the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand’s office, and campaigned for


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Will Credit Unions Solve the Affordable Financial Services Crisis?

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT
When Sonya Ferguson started to do the math on how much it was costing her to fill up her pre-paid debit card, she wondered if there was a better way. Her main method of banking consisted of check cashing outlets and pawn shops. Recalling a recent experience, she said, “I asked for a pre-pay card, and they said ‘$10.’ I said ‘Ok, I want to put $100 on it.’ They said ‘$5, you have to pay to put $100 on your pre-pay card.’ I said, ‘But it’s my card!’”   Ferguson said she realized she didn’t have enough money for


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Cops Flood Subways to Combat Rising Crime Amid “Cops, Cameras, Care” Program

By DAVID GREENE
About two weeks before Election Day, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams announced the NYPD was adding an extra 1,200 overtime shifts to its department roster each day. This constitutes about 10,000 additional patrol hours, with officers deployed to over 300 subway stations across the City during peak hours.   During the announcement of the new program called, “Cops, Cameras, Care,” on Saturday, Oct. 22, at Grand Central Station in Manhattan, officials laid out a plan that included “Safe Operations Support Units,” units dedicated to providing assistance to people experiencing homelessness on the streets and subway.   The units


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