Cuomo Announces Resumption of Metro-North-Penn Station Access Project

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Thursday, May 13, the resumption of the Metro-North Penn Station access project, which had been paused by the COVID-19 pandemic and MTA funding uncertainty. According to government officials, the reopened process will select a firm to design and build four new Metro-North Railroad stations and make track upgrades in the Bronx. The MTA had identified three consortia, qualified to bid for the project in February 2020, three weeks before COVID-19’s arrival in New York raised questions about funding the historic 2020-2024 capital program. Devastating financial losses and uncertainty related to the pandemic led

Editor’s Pick The end of Bronx Week 2021 will be marked by a Drive-in concert and awards presentation on Saturday, May 15, from midday to 6 p.m. The newest Bronx Walk of Fame inductees, Joe Conzo Jr., Sal Abbatiello and Kid Capri will be honored amid performances by Frankie Negron, Ja Rule, Coro and DJ Ted Smooth. This is a ticketed event and registration is required on http://bronxtourism.wpengine.com/bronx-week/. EVENTS As part of Bronx Week 2021, a Day of Remembrance will be held on Thursday, May 13 to remember those lost to COVID-19. Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. has

By DAWN CLANCY & SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) will hold a public hearing in accordance with the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) concerning an application by the Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) regarding a proposed site selection (C 210338 PSX) for a Community Technical Assistance Center (CTAC) at the Old Fordham Library building in Fordham Manor on Tuesday, May 18, at 6.30 p.m. The existing building is located at 2556 Bainbridge Avenue. As reported earlier this year by Norwood News, DCAS had proposed to Bronx CB7 to convert the second floor of the currently vacant Old Fordham Library into a new

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. kicked off Bronx Week 2021 last week, and during the opening ceremony, he announced that The Woodlawn Cemetery & Conservancy will receive the Tourism Award from The Bronx Tourism Council on Saturday, May 15th at Orchard Beach. “Woodlawn Cemetery is one of our most important cultural institutions and is a rich source of information on people who helped shape our city and country,” said Diaz Jr. “In The Bronx, we all know how special Woodlawn Cemetery is, and The Bronx Tourism award recognizes the work and commitment they have contributed to our borough.”

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Under dark, gray skies, with an intermittent drizzle falling, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. announced the resumption of Bronx Week 2021 on Wednesday, May 6, another welcome sign of things slowly returning to normal, after last year’s celebrations were cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions. Usually, Bronx Week is an annual 10-day series of events whereby The Bronx celebrates the best of the borough. “The fact of the matter is, what we’ve been going through, the last 13/14 months, there was an uncertainty,” Diaz Jr. said. “We weren’t able to do Bronx Week last year. [Now] we’re doing all

The closure of the Bronx High School of Science mass vaccination site, effective April 15, was a blow to local seniors in the Bronx Community Board 7 district and beyond, as reported last week by Norwood News. A new COVID-19 vaccination site opened at Lehman College on Wednesday, April 14, though details of the new site had initially been scant. Happily, further information has since become available. On Saturday, April 17, Bronx BP Ruben Diaz Jr. confirmed that the following Bronx sites, including Lehman College, would be vaccinating New Yorkers aged 50 and older, without an appointment: Bronx Co-Op

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Sydney House, located at 839-843 Tilden Street in the Williamsbridge section of the Bronx debuted as Habitat for Humanity’s largest completed housing project worldwide, according to YIMBY, the architecture, construction, and real estate website on Friday, April 16. Designed by Union Street Studios, the seven-story building is the first project to be completed as part of New York City’s “Open Door” affordable homeownership program. The City’s Housing Preservation and Development (HPD)’s Open Door program funds the new construction of cooperative and condominium buildings affordable to moderate and middle income households. Where dictated by lot size, the program

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. announced his endorsement of City Council Speaker, Corey Johnson, as the City’s next comptroller on Monday, March 29, during a campaign stop on Arthur Avenue in the Little Italy section of the Bronx. The announcement marked the first by the borough president in a competitive 2021 citywide race. After the formalities, Johnson and Diaz Jr. spent time along The Bronx’s iconic Arthur Avenue hub, greeting voters and speaking to local business owners. Diaz Jr. said the COVID-19 pandemic has decimated the residents of The Bronx, and that the people are going to need experienced

By DAVID GREENE

State Sen. Luis Sepúlveda has been stripped of his title as Chair of the Senate Committee on Crimes, Crime Victims and Corrections following a domestic dispute during which he is alleged to have attempted to choke his estranged wife. As reported by the Norwood News, according to NYPD detective and spokeswoman, Sophia Mason, officers from the 48th precinct responded to a 911 call regarding a domestic incident at 5:45 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 9, at Sepúlveda’s Daily Avenue home in West Farms. “Police were met by a 40-year-old female and a 56-year-old male who both stated the other party