Off Duty School Crossing Guard Arrested for Endangering Welfare of Child

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Police said an off-duty New York City employee was arrested on Friday, April 7, in the 49th Precinct, which covers the neighborhoods of Allerton, Morris Park, Van Nest, Pelham Parkway, Eastchester Gardens, and Pelham Gardens. According to the NYPD, Sanija Kurtovic, 46, an NYPD school crossing guard, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and harassment. A person arrested and charged with a crime is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

Elections 2023: Irene Estrada Lays Out her Case for her City Council Run in District 13

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Former Democratic female district leader for the 80th assembly district and Democratic candidate for city council in District 13, Irene Estrada, briefly broke down why she is running for the seat against incumbent, City Councilwoman Marjorie Velázquez when we spoke to her at the 25th Throggs Neck St. Patrick’s Day parade on March 12. Estrada, whose two daughters serve with the NYPD, and who is on the clergy council of the 49th Precinct, said, “Our streets are a mess with crime.” She added, “We also need to bring back the school safety task force. They took it away after COVID.

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Plenty of happy faces (as well as the occasional, green one!) were seen at the 25th Throggs Neck St. Patrick’s Day Parade held this year on Sunday, March 12. Parade organizers said they were proud to have Mrs. Lois Harr and Mr. Roger Slattery leading the marchers down the parade route as this year’s grand marshals. To the rousing sound of pipe and marching band music, the parade kicked off around noon from the corner of East Tremont and Lafayette Avenues and the route, lined by revelers and well-wishers, bedecked in the obligatory green, was just about a mile

By SÍLE MOLONEY

A group of eight State lawmakers held a press conference at the entrance to Rikers Island jail on Thursday, April 6, amid, they said, reports of “continued unsafe and inhumane conditions,” at the jail. The visit was scheduled as legislators awaited updates from three-way budget negotiations, and in the context of those negotiations, they allege Gov. Kathy Hochul was “pushing civil rights rollbacks that would result in many more people being held at Rikers without being convicted of a crime.” Among the group were State Sen. Nathalia Fernandez (S.D. 34) who represents parts of The Bronx, State Sen.

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Ondray Cleveland completed two tours of duty in Vietnam between ‘68 and ’71. The Soundview resident said his transition back to civilian life on his return to the U.S. was not plain sailing. Later, he would join the navy for two years, before ultimately leaving the armed services for good. “[I] wasn’t doing too good once I came out of Vietnam because…stereotypes and all that stuff,” he said. “Then I got myself together and came back out…ups and downs but it’s been good.” Though many years have passed since then, Cleveland was one of over 60 veterans who found

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx elementary students from P.S. 152 in Soundview joined District 18 City Council Member Amanda Farías and others last month for the launch of a new art exhibit featuring bold watercolor paintings of sunflowers painted by the students in honor of Ukraine. The exhibit was created in partnership with “Studio in a School NYC,” an initiative which brings visual arts education to students from 3K to 12th grade in public schools and to community based organizations across all five boroughs. It is intended to showcase local talent, while also highlighting the role art can play in stress reduction and

By DAVID GREENE $ SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson and New York City Mayor Eric Adams joined members of the Bronx Bangladeshi Muslim community at different Iftar gatherings, daily, fast-breaking meals and gatherings held at nightfall, during the holy month of Ramadan until the festival of Eid al-Fitr falls and Ramadan ends. Gibson and some members of her team delighted a group of about 75 to 80 Muslim leaders from the Northwest Bronx, which included members of the Norwood Bengali community and INCA Relief, on Wednesday, March 29, when they joined the community at Curry & Kebab, located at 3111 Bainbridge Avenue, for

By LIZ SPURRELL-HUSS

In honor of the 75th anniversary of the creation of the World Health Organization (WHO), April 7 marks World Health Day! This year’s theme is “Health for All” which envisions that all people have good health for a fulfilling life in a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world. The WHO is dedicated to the well-being of all people, and champions global efforts to give everyone, everywhere an equal chance to live a healthy life. Unfortunately, we are not quite there yet. Some groups have been given fewer opportunities to be healthy and therefore have poorer overall health. This includes

By DAVID GREENE

This week, we asked readers their thoughts on the possibility of banning assault weapons, and what is driving the opposition by some to banning the use by civilians of weapons of war. “Assault weapons or machine guns shouldn’t be in the hands of regular citizens; they should only be used by the military, but all citizens should be able to own handguns and rifles. No one should be dying. Lawmakers should just take some action. They should just make the right choice. My thinking is if you know the history of how the police first began, they were