Update: Mass Vaccination Site Opens at Co-Op City

By SÍLE MOLONEY
A mass vaccination site opened on Thursday, March 4, at Bronx’s Co-Op City, the largest single residential development in the United States. The vaccination site is open to all eligible COVID-19 vaccination recipients, and reserved 200 vaccinations exclusively for residents on Thursday. The site will be open Monday to Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.   The site, which is run by the New York City Department of Health, will administer approximately 500 vaccines each day to start, and eventually 1,000 shots per day when the program is fully ramped up, with continued vaccinations reserved for Co-Op City residents.


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Bedford Park: Application Filed for New 8-Story Residential Building at 173 East 205th Street

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Applications have been filed with the NYC Department of Buildings for the construction of an eight-story residential building at 173 East 205th Street in the Bedford Park section of The Bronx, as reported by YIMBY.   Located between Grand Concourse and Lisbon Place, the interior lot is three blocks north of the Bedford Park Boulevard subway station, serviced by the B and D trains. 2074 Walton Realty LLC is listed as the owner behind the applications.   The proposed 74-foot-tall development will yield 44,019 square feet, with 39,966 square feet designated for residential space. The building will have 64 residences,


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Affordable Housing Lottery Closing for 2010 Walton Avenue in Tremont

By SÍLE MOLONEY
As reported by YIMBY on Sunday, March 5, the housing lottery closes in three days for units at 2010 Walton Avenue, an eight-story residential building in Tremont, The Bronx.   Designed by Fred Geremia Architects and Planners, the building has 13 units available on NYC Housing Connect for residents at 130 percent of the area median income, ranging in eligible income from $44,400 to $159,640.    

Update: Man Fatally Shot Outside Deli in East Bronx

By DAVID GREENE
Police are looking for the gunman who fired at least one fatal shot into the head of another man outside a deli in the East Bronx.   According to the NYPD, police officers from the 43rd precinct were called to G & K Deli and Grocery, located at 1541 Rosedale Avenue at the corner of Bronx River Avenue, at 5:16 p.m. on Friday, March 5.   The unnamed police official stated, “Upon arrival, officers determined that a 35-year-old male was found lying unconscious and unresponsive at the location with at least one gunshot wound to the head.”   The still-unidentified


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NYPD Release Bodycam Video of 44th Precinct Officer-Involved Shooting from July 7, 2019

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  On Friday, March 5, the NYPD released the body-worn camera footage from an officer-involved shooting that occurred on July 7,  2019 in the 44th precinct, which covers Grand Concourse, Bronx Terminal Market, and Yankee Stadium. Agency officials said the video includes available evidence leading up to the incident as well as during the incident, and the department is releasing the video for clear viewing of the totality of the incident.   All NYPD patrol officers are equipped with body-worn cameras. Department officials said the benefits of cameras are clear: transparency into police activity, de-escalation of police encounters and accountability


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Elections 2021: Carlton Berkley on Equality, Policing & Being the Underdog Candidate

By MICHAEL HOROWITZ
Carlton “Chucky” Berkley, a retired NYPD detective, who is seeking election in the 11th City Council District, is someone who doesn’t accept that the status quo has to remain as it has always been. As a case in point, Berkley doesn’t accept that the winner of the district’s upcoming special election has to be from Riverdale, just because District 11 council members have hailed from that neighborhood for decades.   Berkley, who lives in Wakefield with his wife, has a history of battling against the system, sometimes emerging victorious either for his own benefit or for the benefit of his


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Illegal Gas Line Eyed as Cause of Paulding Avenue Explosion that Injured Nine

By DAVID GREENE
At least nine people were injured in Westchester Heights, including several children and one firefighter, after a gas explosion inside a multi-unit residential home shook the building’s foundation and blew out many of the windows and doors. Two of the victims were reported in serious condition.   The explosion occurred inside 1522 Paulding Avenue in the Westchester Square section of the Bronx at 3:20 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 18. At the scene, FDNY Deputy Chief John Sarrocco issued a brief statement that was later released on Twitter. “We received a call for an explosion,” he said. “Units arrived on scene


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Upload a Free Dance Video Entry in the “Dare To Dance” Challenge for a Chance to Win $1,000

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  Dance Parade New York is, once again, launching its popular, “Dare to Dance” challenge, inviting choreographers and dance groups to submit videos of newly created work for cash prizes, with winning submissions broadcast during the virtual Dance Parade on Saturday, May 22, 2021, between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. EST.  The first place winner, selected by a five-person review committee receives $1,000, $500 for second place and $250 for third place.   The Dare to Dance challenge was launched last year when Dance Parade, an outdoor dance festival which brings together the dance community in New York annually, had


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Update: New Schools Chancellor Offers Hope to Second-Chance Students

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The following article is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition.   Shanti Sledge was 24 when he took the courageous step to return to education after a seven-year absence, attempting, once more, to obtain his high school diploma, having dropped out of public school in his mid-teens. “I feel like the first time around, I wasn’t as motivated or felt like I really paid attention,” he said. “I was just all over the place. I had dropped out of high school and I went to Job Corps to pursue my trade, my career.


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