Bronx Man Indicted for Murder of 17-Year-Old Rising Basketball Star, Brandon Hendricks

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced on Sept. 22 that a Bronx man has been indicted on second-degree murder and additional charges in the death of Brandon Hendricks, a 17-year-old high school basketball player who was shot in the Bronx by a stray bullet on June 28, 2020.   Clark said, “The defendant allegedly callously fired into a group of people and ended the life of a young, promising teen. Brandon Hendricks had just graduated James Monroe High School and was set to play college basketball when he was killed on a Morris Heights street. Since his death, Brandon’s


Read More

Bedford Park: “Food For All” Event Held

By SÍLE MOLONEY & JOSÉ A. GIRALT
  A “Food For All” event was held on Jerome Avenue on Sunday, Sept. 20, in the Bedford Park neighborhood of the Bronx. The event was organized by Aleksander Nilaj of The Albanian American Open Hand Association Inc. (AAOHA), Bake Back America, News Reporter and Photographer Miriam Quinoñes, and Melisa Subin of Subin Associates, LLP.   Around 80 boxes of dried and fresh food were given out to about 75 local residents. The AAOHA has arranged similar food drives in the Bronx in recent months, and it plans to do more in the future as food insecurity in the borough


Read More

University Heights: Street Renamed in Honor of Local Hero, Purple Heart Recipient

By DAVID GREENE
Almost two years after the death of Staff Sergeant Santiago Frias, a  local hero and army veteran who was seriously wounded during the Iraq war, a street renaming ceremony was held in his honor in the University Heights section of the Bronx last month.   Following his return to the U.S., the young man recovered from his wounds, helped raise a family, and devoted time to local children, teaching them the art of self defense. He was one semester shy of a degree in social work.   Family and friends of Frias gathered at West 183rd Street and Grand Avenue,


Read More

Bronxite Arrested in Connection with Subway Derailment, Subway Rider Hailed a Hero by MTA

By SÍLE MOLONEY
On Sunday, Sept. 20, at approximately 8.18 a.m., police responded to a train derailment at 14th Street subway station in Manhattan. An investigation revealed that a man had been seen throwing construction debris onto the northbound A train track, which caused the first car of a subway train to derail upon entering the station.   No injuries were reported by the emergency services at the time of the incident. The New York Times later reported that three people suffered minor injuries.   The A, C, D, E, and F subway line services were impacted as a result of the derailment.


Read More

Op Ed: Financial Focus – How to Clean Up Your Credit Report in Three Steps

By ANTHONY RIVIECCIO
Normally, when I have clients that want to discuss their credit score, I first let them know that there are many credit agencies out there, and each one rates you differently.   But, of course the same principle applies at each of them. Your credit score will be good or bad, depending on the interpretation of the people and institutions rating your financial situation. Of course you want your score to be high.   How do we do that? In simple terms, we get a copy of your credit report and clean it up! But, it gets much deeper. I


Read More

“Open Streets: Restaurants” Initiative Expands from Weekends to Weekdays

By SÍLE MOLONEY
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Sept. 16 the first weekday expansion of the “Open Streets: Restaurants” initiative. In the meantime, restaurant partner organizations have been organizing temporary street closures across the City to facilitate additional, weekday outdoor dining along select corridors.   Earlier this month, the administration invited BIDs, community-based organizations, and groups of restaurants to submit applications to expand the existing “Open Streets: Restaurants” initiative that combines the existing “Open Streets” and “Open Restaurants” programs. Previously, car-free hours on streets had been limited to weekends.   Expanded “Open Streets: Restaurants” locations in the Bronx which


Read More

Fee Increase for Immigration and Naturalization Services Takes Effect on October 2

By SÍLE MOLONEY
On July 31, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced a final rule (PDF) that increases fees for certain “immigration and naturalization benefit requests” to ensure that U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a service which falls under DHS, recovers the cost of the services it provides. The increases become effective Oct. 2, 2020.   According to DHS, unlike most government agencies, USCIS is fee funded. Fees collected and deposited into the Immigration Examinations Fee Account fund nearly 97 percent of its budget.   As required by federal law, USCIS conducted a comprehensive biennial fee review and determined that the


Read More

Fernandez, Other Elected Officials to Hold Rally Denouncing Hate in Community, after Mural Defacing

By SÍLE MOLONEY
On Friday Sept. 18, a mural, located at 296 East 204th Street in the Norwood section of the Bronx, painted to support Black trans lives, was found defaced with hate speech against the LGBTQ+ community. The attached photo has been cropped to exclude expletives.   This #BlackTransLivesMatter mural was created by us earlier this summer we made it with love + joy among all the hate so this all hurts we are mourning + surviving continued violence against our communities, we won't be erased, we keep us safe not the nypd #blacktransloveiswealth — BlackTransMedia (@BlackTransMedia) September 19, 2020   Assemblywoman


Read More