Schools

Concerns over Trash Around the Reservoir Oval Continue

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Concerns over trash around the Reservoir Oval East in Norwood continue. What appear to be bags of household trash were seen and photographed between parked cars and the retaining wall around the Reservoir Oval by Wayne Avenue on July 7. The discovery follows previous complaints by residents in June of residual trash by the retaining wall seen in the same vicinity of the Reservoir Oval in Norwood which some residents allege is not being regularly swept.

Sanchez Announces $1 Million in “Participatory Budgeting” Projects

By ARIEL PACHECO
District 14 City Council Member Pierina Sanchez announced a million-dollar investment in various quality-of-life improvements going to schools, libraries, and senior centers in the district on June 20. The funding came by way of New York City Council’s participatory budgeting (PB) process which, according to New York City Council, is a democratic process in which community members directly decide how to spend part of a public budget.   According to the council, the concept originated in Porto Alegre, Brazil in 1989. Today, there are more than 3,000 participatory budgeting processes around the world, most at the municipal level. PB was launched


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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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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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UPDATE Elections 2023: Council Member Marjorie Velázquez Endorsed by NYC PBA in Re-Election BID in District 13

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  District 13 City Council Member Marjorie Velázquez announced on Wednesday, June 21, that she received the endorsement of the New York City Police Benevolent Association (NYC PBA) in her bid for re-election in the upcoming Democratic primary on June 27. The councilwoman won her seat in 2021. Her team said the endorsement highlights what they described as “Velázquez’s unwavering commitment to public safety and her dedication to supporting law enforcement officers who serve and protect the residents of New York City.”   Representatives for the union, which represents over 24,000 active and retired police officers, said they recognize Velázquez as


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Fordham Manor: Two Arrested and One Sought following Store Robbery

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The NYPD is asking for the public’s help locating the person seen in the attached photo who department officials say is sought in connection with a robbery that occurred in Fordham Manor.   Police said that on Tuesday, June 13, at approximately 4.41 p.m., three people approached a business located at 2441 Jerome Avenue. They said one member of the group remained at the door as a lookout, while the other two entered the business. “Once inside, one of the individuals displayed a firearm at a 31-year-old male employee while demanding property,” a police spokesperson said.   “The individuals then


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Bronx Teachers Demand New Contract, Higher Pay; Tentative Agreement Reached

By DAVID GREENE
Several hundred public school teachers and NYC Department of Education (DOE) employees gathered in Parkchester on May 24, as other school employees assembled at similar rallies across the City the same day, to demand a new employment contract with the City, a salary increase, less bureaucracy and smaller class sizes.   The United Federation of Teachers (UFT) union held rallies in all five boroughs as Bronx teachers and staff gathered at Virginia Park, located between the Cross Bronx Service Road and Westchester Avenue. “Lisa,” a School District 8 special education teacher, told Norwood News, “We’ve been without a contract since the last school year if I’m not mistaken. We’re looking for better pay,


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UPDATE Elections 2023: Bradshaw Takes Challenge of District 14 Seat to the Streets

By DAVID GREENE & SÍLE MOLONEY
State committeewoman for Assembly District 78, Rachel Bradshaw, Fordham Hill Co-op board secretary, and candidate in the upcoming Democratic City Council primary election for District 14, joined a group of supporters on Saturday, May 27, as she took her campaign to unseat the incumbent, Council Member Pierina Sanchez who has held the seat since 2022, to the streets of Fordham Manor.   District 14 broadly encompasses some or all of the neighborhoods of Kingsbridge Heights, Fordham Manor, Fordham Heights, Bedford Park, University Heights, Mt. Hope and Morris Heights. It is bordered to the south by the Cross Bronx Expressway.  


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Manhattan College Student Honored at Pride Ceremony

By SARA MARTINEZ
As Bronx residents and elected officials gathered at Bronx Borough Hall on Thursday, June 1, for the annual Pride ceremony to mark the beginning of Pride Month, one northwest Bronx student was among those being honored this year. The annual tradition of honoring selected members of the Bronx LGBTQIA+ community was also an occasion to witness the raising of the Pride flag, which will fly alongside the American flag and the veterans’ Prisoner of War (POW) / Missing in Action (MIA) flag throughout Pride Month (June).   On the day, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson reiterated New York’s commitment to


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