Riley Leads Press Conference at City Hall to Close Rikers

By SÍLE MOLONEY

District 12 City Council Member Kevin Riley and District 33 City Council Member Lincoln Restler lead a rally entitled, “A Pathway to Closing Rikers Island and Ending Mass Incarceration in NYC,” by safely reducing the jail population at City Hall in Manhattan on Tuesday, April 11, together with other council members and advocates for the incarcerated. As reported, Rikers Island jail has been plagued with bad press for many years due to, among other reasons, the number of people who have died while in custody, awaiting trial, and the number of violent incidents involving both detainees and NYC Department of

By SÍLE MOLONEY

A man dressed in black and riding a blue fairly heavy looking motorbike up and down the path beside the running track in the Williamsbridge Oval in Norwood on Wednesday, April 12, while kids and seniors were playing / relaxing close by. At different stages, as he was racing, the man elevated the bike at the front, balancing it just on its back wheel. He slowed down when he saw us and asked us not to record him. As reported, since Aug. 1, 2022, tickets are being issued to drivers who breach the 25 mph citywide speed limit by exceeding

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Percy Barber of Back Office Management Group is tabling outside the Bainbridge Avenue entrance to the 205th Street subway station in Norwood (at East 206th Street) on Wednesday, April 12, offering free phones and tablets to eligible persons. “This is a government program where we give life lines like free phones and tablets to those on government assistance, whether it’s food stamps, Medicaid, SSI, WIC, public housing… anybody that’s basically in need of an extra push and that’s what we do,” he said. Barber said he works with Insurance Wireless but he, himself, works for Back Office Management

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Police said they have made an arrest in the case of the recent fatal shooting of a 17-year-old male youth in Olinville. As reported, according to the NYPD, the shooting took place on Monday, April 10, at around 10.05 p.m. A police spokesperson said officers from the 47th Precinct / Transit District 12 responded to a 911 call regarding a male who had been shot inside Burke Avenue subway station, located on White Plains Road, serving the 5 and the 2 lines. “Upon arrival, police observed two 17-year-old males with gunshot wounds,” the spokesperson said. The first

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Fire department officials said one elderly female resident was hospitalized following an “all hands” fire at 2364 Tiebout Avenue in Fordham Heights on Tuesday, March 28. An FDNY spokesperson said the department received a report of smoke and a fire on the 4th floor of the 6-story, multiple dwelling at 1:16 p.m. on the day of the blaze. Twelve fire units, comprising 60 personnel arrived at the scene, according to the FDNY. “One civilian in serious condition [was] transported to Jacobi Hospital,” the spokesperson later said, adding that the fire was brought under control at 2.22 p.m. and the

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York City Police Department is asking for the public’s help identifying the person seen in the attached video in connection with an assault that occurred at the East Gun Hill Road subway station in Olinville on March 26, 2023. The New York City Police Department is asking the public’s help identifying and locating the person seen in the attached video in connection with an assault that occurred in Olinville at Gun Hill Road subway station, serving the 2 train. It was reported to police that on Sunday, March 26, at around 11.39 a.m., a 38-year-old

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Norwood and other local Bronx residents were heartbroken to learn on Sunday, April 2, of the death of beloved, active community member, Doug Condit, Jr., a Vietnam veteran who, among other roles, was one of the main drivers behind the opening, in 2018, of Norwood’s Williamsbridge Oval Skate Park. Fellow veteran and member of Friends of Mosholu Parkland (FOMP), Lorita Watson, one of many friends who had been visiting Condit in recent months as he underwent hospice care for colon cancer at his Wayne Avenue home, said, “Doug was a great guy with a lot of grit. He lived an

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Kingsbridge Armory Survey The working group behind the redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Armory, Together for Kingsbridge, is requesting the public to provide their input on what they would like to see in place in the armory by completing a survey which can be found here, and which is available in both English and Spanish. See also our latest story on the armory. Tours of the army are ongoing also, as below. Yankee Youth Leadership Award The New York Yankees and Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) are looking for youth leaders who reside within the boundaries of Bronx Community District

By SÍLE MOLONEY & DAVID GREENE

Police said a man is being treated at an area hospital after he was shot in Norwood on Saturday, April 8. A police spokesperson said the incident occurred at around 6.16 p.m. at the corner of East 209th Street and Hull Avenue. The spokesperson said, “We have an individual [who] was shot one time in the right buttocks while sitting in a car.” He said the victim transported himself to Montefiore Medical Center in Norwood, and is in a stable condition. We asked if the person was sitting with the car door closed or open when the shooting occurred. “I