Congress Designates August 11 “Hip Hop Celebration Day”

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Congressman Jamaal Bowman (NY-16) and Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer announced Thursday that the Senate unanimously passed a resolution designating Aug. 11, 2021 as “Hip Hop Celebration Day,” August 2021 as “Hip Hop Recognition Month,” and designating November 2021 as “Hip Hop History Month.” Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) joined Bowman as an original co-sponsor of the resolution in Congress. According to the congressman’s office, Hip Hop, now a world-wide phenomenon, had humble beginnings in New York City. On Aug. 11, 1973, at a “Back-to-School-Jam,” held in the recreation room of 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Morris Heights section of

By SÍLE MOLONEY

District 11 City Councilman Eric Dinowitz released a statement on Monday, July 26, in support of over 50 professors at the City University of New York who resigned from their union, the Professional Staff Congress of CUNY (PSC-CUNY), in response to a resolution passed by the union on June 10 which condemned Israeli government actions against Palestinians during the latest wave of violence which occurred in Gaza in May and June 2021. Dinowitz said that in the resolution, PSC-CUNY called Israel an “apartheid” state and considered supporting the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, a movement which, according

By SÍLE MOLONEY

All New Yorkers aged 14 to 25 are invited to provide their thoughts and concerns about voting and local government at a public hearing streamed live on the “NYC Votes” Facebook page. The third annual “We, the Young People” youth-led Voter Assistance Advisory Committee (VAAC) hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 18, starting at 5.30 p.m. All New Yorkers may RSVP in advance to view the hearing live. Young people who are interested in testifying should contact Olivia Brady, the youth coordinator for NYC Votes, at obrady@nyccfb.info. “Youth voices are often excluded from conversations on civic participation, so

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The U.S. National Weather Service, New York has advised New Yorkers to take precautions to beat the heat. High heat and humidity are in the forecast from Wednesday, Aug 11 through the weekend, with an average high of 84 degrees. To help New Yorkers beat the heat, New York City will open cooling centers throughout the five boroughs. Attendees must wear face coverings inside all cooling centers and adhere to social distancing guidelines. Cooling center locations may have changed from last year. To find a cooling center, including accessible facilities closest to you, call 311 (212-639-9675 for Video Relay

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD is seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the man seen in the attached photo who is sought in connection with a forcible touching incident that occurred in the 50th precinct. On Saturday, June 12, at approximately 10.00 a.m., the person followed a 49-year-old woman into a residential building in the vicinity of 233rd Street and Bailey Avenue, west of Jerome Park Reservoir. The man entered an elevator with the victim and as he did so, grabbed her buttocks before fleeing the location in an unknown direction. The victim was not injured as a result of the incident. A

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York Lottery announced on Wednesday, Aug. 11, that one top-prize winning ticket was sold for the August 10 TAKE 5 drawing. The ticket, worth $10,971.00, was purchased at H&M Deli & Grocery, located at 901 Burke Avenue in the vicinity of Gun Hill Houses and the Parkside Housing Project. The five winning numbers for the TAKE 5 game are drawn from a field of one to 39. The TAKE 5 drawing is televised every day at 10:30 p.m. A Lottery draw game prize of any amount may be claimed up to one year from the date of the drawing. New

COVID-19 Updates Transmission Rates & Trends As of August 9, all five New York City counties have community transmission considered substantial or high by the CDC. On July 27, the CDC issued an updated recommendation that all people, regardless of vaccination status, should return to wearing masks in indoor, public spaces in areas of high COVID-19 infection rates. To see the risk of transmission in your area, visit covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view. Delta Variant An internal CDC document leaked by The Washington Post revealed that further research proved that the Delta variant causes more severe illness than other variants and is as

Bronx Teen First Vaping-Related Death in New York State

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx and other elected officials reacted on Tuesday, Aug. 10, to the resignation, also on Tuesday, of New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo, one week after the release, on Tuesday, Aug. 3, of the findings of an independent investigation by Attorney General Laetitia James into allegations of sexual harassment by the governor, allegations which the governor has repeatedly denied, as reported. The governor explained his resignation in a video statement which can be watched here, courtesy of CNN. Cuomo said, “I think that given the circumstances, the best way I can help now is if I step aside and

By DAVID GREENE

A Pelham Garden neighbor of 91-year-old, Nicholas Rappa, has reacted to the eventual arrest, on Monday, of 32-year-old Luis Bonilla for Rappa’s murder. The arrest follows a police investigation and announcement last week of a reward of $10,000 for anyone who had any information regarding the fatal incident which occurred at the senior’s home. As reported, police arrested Bonilla, 32, of East 197th Street in Bedford Park, on Monday, Aug. 9, for the murder of the 91-year-old senior, who had been discovered by his neighbors inside the garage of his Pelham Gardens home at 2400 Wickham Avenue on Tuesday,