“Jashawn’s Law” Passed After 18 Years; Honors 8-Year-Old Tragically Killed in 2002 Fire

By DAVID GREENE
A pair of local, elected officials joined housing advocates and attorneys in taking a bow during a recent virtual discussion, following the passage of “Jashawn’s Law,” which establishes deadlines for landlords to make court-ordered repairs to buildings.   State Sen. Robert Jackson joined Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz in a Zoom conference call on Monday, Nov. 16, along with officials from the Legal Aid Society and housing advocacy groups, Take Root Justice and the Fordham-Bedford Housing Corporation.   The bill was put forward by Dinowitz in 2003 in response to the Aug. 6, 2002 blaze at 3569 DeKalb Avenue in Norwood that


Read More

Elections 2021: Elisa Crespo on the Economy, Housing & Criminal Justice

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT
In her campaign to replace incumbent councilman and congressman-elect, Ritchie Torres, on the City Council, Elisa Crespo wants to focus on the issues affecting the residents of the 15th District more than on her candidacy.  Among the most pressing issues, she finds, is the high rate of unemployment.   “We are at Great Depression level [un]employment rates in the Bronx,” Crespo told the Norwood News in a phone interview. “In some parts of this council district, there’s a 30 percent unemployment rate.”   Together with her mom and siblings, Crespo, 30, experienced job and housing insecurity growing up in Brooklyn,


Read More

Body Camera Footage Released of Police-Involved Shooting in October in The Bronx

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  The NYPD released body-worn camera footage on Friday, Dec. 4, from an officer-involved shooting that occurred on October 22, 2020, in the 41st precinct, which covers Hunts Point and Longwood.   The video includes available evidence leading up to the incident as well as during the incident. The NYPD said it was releasing the video for clear viewing of the totality of the incident.   All NYPD patrol officers are equipped with body-worn cameras. The police said the benefits of cameras are clear: transparency into police activity, de-escalation of police encounters and accountability for police officers, through an independent


Read More

Montefiore, Lehman College, Food Bank of NY Partner to Address Food Insecurity

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT
  In the lead up to Thanksgiving, on Nov. 19, Lehman College partnered with the Foodbank of New York and Montefiore Health System for an annual food produce distribution event. About a dozen folding tables were set up inside the students’ parking lot at Lehman College, where volunteers filled up paper grocery bags with several thousand pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables, including apples, bananas, corn, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, onions, carrots, and zucchinis.   The produce was delivered directly from the Hunts Point Market that same morning and the bountiful grocery bags were later delivered to 20 different community groups


Read More

Health Check: Stay Healthy in 2021, Enroll in Insurance Today

By MELISSA CEBOLLERO
The COVID-19 pandemic brought healthcare into the spotlight this year. If you haven’t already done so, take time to enroll in a 2021 health plan through New York State of Health, the state’s official marketplace. Open Enrollment is happening now. You can enroll until Dec. 15 for coverage that begins Jan. 1, 2021.   If we talk to our friends, family and neighbors, we can help families get the coverage they need to take care of their health.   Why use NY State of Health? The digital marketplace allows anyone to shop and compare quality affordable health plans. Once you


Read More

Inquiring Photographer: Thoughts on Presidential Pardons

By DAVID GREENE
This week, we asked readers if they agree that presidential pardons should be given when a president leaves office. Is it right and just?   “That’s a good question. I believe that if you have a lot of proof, proof like they have on this person, Michael Flynn, there’s so much proof that this guy didn’t do anything wrong, so yeah, I believe in the pardons, even if the president is leaving office. Hey, he still has the ability. He’s still the president, yeah.”   Dawn Marie, Indian Village   “That’s a very interesting question. I don’t know if it’s


Read More

Elections 2021: Mino Lora on Justice, Immigration & Meeting the Moment

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT
The race to replace Councilman Andrew Cohen in the 11th City Council District has widened in recent months with Mino Lora making her announcement to run on Oct. 9. Lora said her platform is focused on justice for all: racial justice, justice for immigrants, health, economic, housing, education and cultural justice, as well as criminal justice reform.   Announcing her candidacy via a press release, Lora said in October, “We are a community of dreamers and doers who make the Bronx home, and keep this city running.” She added, “This campaign is fueled by our joy, our pain, and our passion.”


Read More

Williamsbridge: Noise Complaints Soar as Police Monitor House Parties to Stop COVID Spread

By GABRIEL POBLETE
Amid the ongoing, opening hour restrictions imposed on clubs, bars and restaurants, currently subject to a 10 p.m. closure, one Bronx district is experiencing skyrocketing, loud music complaints. Since moving to Williamsbridge in the upper Bronx, Venus Carey has had to endure unbearably loud music from neighbors’ parties. She said it has gotten so bad, at times she and her roommate have resorted to booking a hotel to get some respite.   “It’s affecting my productivity,” said Carey, 38. “It’s affecting my mood. It’s affecting my sleep,” she added. “If it happens on a weekend, even on a Saturday, I


Read More

Update: 10-Year-Old Missing Girl, Leila Aracena, Found Safe & Reunited with Family in Norwood

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Police reported that Leila Aracena was found “safe and in good condition”, Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020, at approximately 12.20 p.m. She has been reunited with her family.   On Wednesday, Dec 2, 2020, at approximately 10.52 p.m., there was an unofficial report on the Citizen’s App of an incident on E. Gun Hill Road and Perry Avenue that police were searching for a 10-year-old girl, described as Latina, 5 foot, 2 inches tall, with hair in pigtails, and last seen wearing gray sweatpants, a red T-shirt and red sandals.   According to the app, at 11.09 p.m., police reportedly requested


Read More