UPDATE Bronxites Honor Victims of Sept. 11th Attacks, 20 Years Later

By DAVID GREENE

On the 20th anniversary of 9/11, Bronxites gathered at various memorial events across the borough to honor the memories of those lost during the September 11th attacks in 2001. They joined family members, friends, and strangers across the City to pause and remember the 2,977 people killed when two hijacked jetliners crashed into the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan twenty years ago, as well as those who subsequently died as a result of the events of that day. On Saturday, Sept. 11, Bronxites gathered at the 9/11 memorial monument, erected on the grounds of Jacobi Hospital on Pelham

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Ridgewood Savings Bank (“Ridgewood”) announced Wednesday, Sept. 1, that its Sedgwick Avenue branch, located at 3899 Sedgwick Avenue in the Van Cortlandt Village section of the Bronx, will finally remain open. In May, the bank had announced the branch was expected to close, as reported, much to the disappointment of residents. “We are very pleased to make this announcement,” said Leonard Stekol, Ridgewood Savings Bank chairman, president and CEO. “It’s truly exciting to remain a part of this great community and to continue to provide the award-winning banking services and community programming to which our customers are accustomed.”

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Lehman College has received a $1 million allocation in city capital funding through Bronx Borough President Rubén Díaz Jr.’s office to upgrade several of its most heavily used lecture halls. The funding was authorized July 1 as part of New York City’s $98.7 billion budget for fiscal year 2022. It will cover the costs of lighting, power, heating, and ventilation system upgrades and new furniture and equipment for six lecture halls, five in Carman Hall, and one in Gillet Hall, that serve more than 1,140 students. The renovation project is currently in the design phase. “We’re grateful for

By MIRIAM QUIÑONES, SHANIA DEGROOT & SÍLE MOLONEY

The 20th annual Morrison Avenue Festival returned with gusto to the Soundview section of The Bronx on Saturday, June 12, having been cancelled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. District 18 City Councilman Ruben Diaz Sr., along with H.O.G.A.R., (Housing Options and Geriatric Association Resources, Inc.) Bronx County Expo Association, and Freddy Perez Jr. of FPJ Amusements and Entertainment Services Inc. hosted the popular event which, though well attended, saw smaller crowds than the original 5,000 expected for a joy-filled day of music, dancing, fun, as well as a bit of political rallying thrown in for good

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Housing developers celebrated the completion of two new affordable housing properties within the sprawling La Central residential complex in the Melrose section of the Bronx, earlier this week, as reported by YIMBY. Located at 556 and 600 Bergen Avenue, buildings A and B comprise nearly 500 income-restricted units, a new YMCA, a production studio for BronxNet, a rooftop farm operated by GrowNYC, and a mix of retail businesses. Within both buildings, residential layouts range from studios to four-bedroom apartments, and are available exclusively to residents earning between 30 percent and 100 percent of the Area

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The COVID-19 pandemic hit the Bronx harder than any other borough by several measures, according to an economic analysis released on June 8 by the New York State comptroller, Thomas P. DiNapoli, with one finding showing that only 61.3 percent of households had reliable internet, compared to a range of 69.5 to 78 percent across the city, as previously reported by Norwood News. To address this, the comptroller’s office reported that as part of a recent deal, the City expects fiber-optic infrastructure to reach 500,000 new households citywide (no deadline was specified), including households in Norwood, Fordham, University Heights, Bedford

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The United African Coalition (UNAC) announced its endorsement on Friday, June 4, of Assemblywoman for the 80th A.D., Nathalia Fernández, in her run for the position of Bronx borough president. Bukola Shonuga, executive director of the organization said that in the aftermath of the COVID-19 carnage that has further exposed inequality in America, and has disproportionately impacted the poor, and black and brown communities, it was time to elect progressive candidates who genuinely care about the community, and who are not afraid to stand up to the status quo and fight for socio and economic justice for Bronxites.

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

The transformation of the South Bronx continued Thursday, May 20, with a groundbreaking ceremony for a new museum which will memorialize the history of hip-hop in the borough, part of a $349 million development known as Bronx Point. With shovels in hand and scooping dirt from a pile of earth, elected officials, including Mayor Bill de Blasio, State Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., joined hip-hop legends, Grandmaster Flash, Slick Rick, LL Cool J, Chuck D, Nas, and Fat Joe, in marking the ceremonial foundation of the museum’s construction. The 22-story building

By DAVID GREENE

Family and friends paid their final respects to the Hon. Aurelia Greene, the former New York State assemblywoman and Bronx deputy borough president, who died on Saturday, May 8, as reported by Norwood News. The former deputy borough president lay-in-state in the Rotunda of the Bronx County Courthouse from Monday, May 17 until Wednesday, May 19. A service was held on Thursday, May 19, at the Bronx Christian Charismatic Prayer Fellowship at 1069 Morris Avenue, the same church where her husband, the late Dr. Jerome Greene, had been pastor. A homegoing service was then held on Thursday, May