Cuomo: Updated Quarantine Guidelines, Extended Unemployment Benefit & Activation of Paid Sick Leave

Bronx Teen First Vaping-Related Death in New York State
By SÍLE MOLONEY
Gov. Andrew Cuomo confirmed on Tuesday, Dec. 29, that New York has updated its quarantine guidelines to align with the CDC’s recommendations. Individuals exposed to COVID-19 can now end their quarantine after ten days without a testing requirement, as long as they report no symptoms during the quarantine period.   After day 10, individuals must continue monitoring for symptoms through day 14 and if any develop, those individuals should immediately self-isolate, and contact their local health department or their health care provider to report the changes and determine if they should get tested.   “Unemployed New Yorkers will begin receiving


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Short Film Shot in Woodlawn Cemetery with Local Talent available to View for Free through Jan. 12

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  “Brooklyn Burial” is a new short film, shot in Woodlawn Cemetery, which co-stars and is written and directed by Christine Sloan Stoddard, who plays opposite Disnie Sebastien.  The film follows two friends, Cammy and Victrice, during an exchange which takes place in a cemetery after Cammy’s broken engagement. The film asks how Victrice will react to Cammy invoking a poetry spell to address her heartache.   Following a successful Facebook fundraiser, and shot in November 2020 using New York City talent from the Bronx and Brooklyn, the film is now available to watch, password-free, here through Jan. 12.   After


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Padernacht Calls on City & State to Halt Special Election Petitioning Process amid Pandemic

By SÍLE MOLONEY
On Tuesday, Dec. 29, District 11 City Council candidate, Dan Padernacht, announced that he and some of the other City Council candidates in the District 11 race will be holding a press conference on Dec. 29 to call on Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio to immediately waive the signature requirements for two NYC Council special elections that are to be called on or about Jan. 1, 2021, due to what Padernacht described as the inherent dangers associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.   To qualify for the ballot, each candidate in these special elections [in Districts 11 and


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NYS Division of Consumer Protection Warns New Yorkers against COVID-19 Vaccination Scams

By SÍLE MOLONEY
On Tuesday, Dec. 29, the New York State Division of Consumer Protection (DCP) issued a notice alerting consumers about scammers who are taking advantage of COVID-19 vaccinations to steal personal information. Scammers are using techniques that typically arise with a major global event, such as falsely claiming to be online sellers of the vaccination, sending fake emails and texts that contain harmful links designed to steal your personal information, and using robocalls to pitch vaccination information. People should be on the lookout for scammers looking to take advantage of public interest surrounding vaccinations.   “The arrival of the COVID-19 vaccination


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Clason Point: Search for Missing 16-Year-Old Girl

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The NYPD is seeking the public’s assistance in locating Saniya Williams, 16, of 1689 Randall Avenue in the Clason Point section of the Bronx, who was reported missing in the 43rd precinct.   Saniya was last seen on Thursday, Dec. 24, at her home, at around 4.20 in the afternoon. She is described as female, Black, 5 feet, 9 inches tall, weighs 220 pounds, has brown eyes and black hair, and was last seen wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, a royal blue coat, black jeans, and black/gold sneakers.   Anyone with information in regard to this missing person is asked


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Housing Justice Activists Rallied Outside Assemblyman’s Home During Jewish Holiday

By DAWN CLANCY
In efforts to push Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz for support of the Housing Justice for All Rent Relief Package of 2020, members and supporters of the Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC) organized a caroling rally outside the assemblyman’s home on Thursday, Dec. 17. The three-bill package, drafted by a number of State senators and assembly members, and supported by the Housing Justice for All coalition, aimed to address the statewide eviction, rent, and homelessness crisis in New York, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.   Had it passed the state and assembly, the package would have instituted a universal eviction


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Cuomo: Possible COVID-19 Vaccine Fraud, Eviction Moratorium to be Extended

Bronx Teen First Vaping-Related Death in New York State
By SÍLE MOLONEY
As efforts continue to distribute the COVID-19 vaccine throughout New York State, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Monday, Dec. 28, that a new issue has come to light —possible vaccine fraud by a health care provider. The State Department of Health was made aware of reports that an Orange County health provider may have fraudulently obtained COVID-19 vaccines and diverted them to members of the public, contrary to the State’s guidance to first administer the vaccine to frontline health care workers, as well as nursing home residents and staff. The State Department of Health is assisting the State Police in


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Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Recruit Apprentices

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The New York State Department of Labor announced on Dec. 28, that the Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee for Bricklayers & Allied Craftworkers Local Union #1, will conduct a recruitment session from Jan. 29, 2021 through December 17, 2021 (excluding July 2021 and August 2021) for 25 bricklayer-mason apprentices; 25 pointer, caulker & cleaner apprentices; ten stone mason apprentices; and ten plasterer apprentices.   Applications and affidavits will be available online at www.bricklayersandalliedcraftworkerslocal1ny.org for 24 hours a day on the following dates: 1/29/21, 2/26/21, 3/26/21, 4/30/21, 5/28/21, 6/25/21, 9/24/21, 10/29/21, 11/19/21, and 12/17/21. Applications and affidavits must be printed, filled


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Chief Nilda Hofmann, on 30 Years of Climbing the Blue Ladder & an Ever-Evolving NYPD

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  The following feature story is an extended version of the one which appeared in our recent print edition.   Growing up at 2746 197th Street and Decatur Avenue in the Bronx, Nilda Irizarry Hofmann said she had no connections with the NYPD nor any inkling that, one day, she would end up as one of the highest-ranking women in the largest police department in America. Following her retirement at the end of October, marking 30 years of service, the former chief told the Norwood News one thing she knew she never wanted to do when she grew up was


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