Emmanuel Martinez

Bronx Community Board 7 Members Attend Flagging Event at Woodlawn Cemetery

By DAVID GREENE
  Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) members joined residents for the annual “flagging of the graves” event on Wednesday, May 24, ahead of Memorial Day weekend, Volunteers at Woodlawn Cemetery on Webster Avenue on the Norwood-Woodlawn border also participated by locating the gravesites of U.S. veterans and placing an American flag at each grave.   As CB7 members arrived, with invited guests, Bonnie Morales, army veteran and support coordinator at NY Outreach Services, and Ronald Downs, suicide prevention community engagement & partnerships coordinator for the local VA hospital in Fordham Manor, they were greeted by Meg Ventrudo, executive director of Woodlawn Conservancy.


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UPDATE Bronx CB7 Looks Forward to Subway Upgrades & More in 2023  

By ARIEL PACHECO
Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) held their final board meeting of 2022 on Dec. 13, following a successful annual tree-lighting event in Bedford Park on Dec. 8. The meeting was attended by around two dozen people, updates were shared by the different CB7 committee chairs and concerns of some community members were also heard.   The meeting was the first to be presided over by recently elected Bronx CB7 chair, Yajaira Arias, following her election to the position on Nov. 15. As reported, Arias, the incumbent CB7 secretary, succeeds Emmanuel Martinez, who stepped down as chair in the summer of 2022.


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Veterans’ Plaque Grounded After 1st Veterans’ Flagging Event Held at Bronx Victory Memorial

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  A plaque commemorating Bronx veterans, located at the Bronx Victory Memorial on Mosholu Parkway in Bedford Park, was photographed on the ground some time before Saturday, Dec. 10. It is unknown if the plaque fell over due to bad weather or if it was purposefully knocked down.   As reported, in honor of Veterans’ Day 2022, Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) recently held the first veterans’ flagging event at the Bronx Victory Memorial site, on Nov. 19.   In attendance at that event, among others, were Karla Cabrera Carrera, Bronx CB7 assistant district manager, Bronx CB7 Veterans Committee chair,


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UPDATE Bronx CB7 Holds 1st Veterans’ Flagging Event at Bronx Victory Memorial in Bedford Park

By MIRIAM QUIÑONES & SÍLE MOLONEY
The following is an extended and updated version of the story that appears in our latest print edition.   In honor of Veterans’ Day 2022, Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) held the first veterans’ flagging event on Nov. 19, at the Bronx Victory Memorial on Mosholu Parkway in Bedford Park.   In attendance, among others, were Karla Cabrera Carrera, Bronx CB7 assistant district manager, Bronx CB7 Veterans Committee chair, Chad Royer, Northwest Bronx Democrats founder and veteran, Anthony Rivieccio, Bedford Mosholu Community Association (BCMA) president and Bronx CB7 parks committee chair, Barbara Stronczer, Guerinos against Graffitti* president, Sirio Guerino, veteran,


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Yajaira Arias Elected as Bronx Community Board 7 Chair

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) secretary, Yajaira Arias, was elected as the board’s new chairperson at the November general meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 15. Arias succeeds Emmanuel Martinez, who stepped down last summer from the role. Parks chair, Barbara Stronczer, had been acting as interim board chair until the board’s election took place.   Arias told Norwood News that at age 5, her parents moved to The Bronx to 196th Street and Morris Avenue. She attended the P.S. 86 Annex, and later, P.S. 86. At 12, her family moved to the South Bronx where she lived until the age


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1199SEIU Endorses George Alvarez, A.D. 78 Democratic Nominee, in General Election

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The powerful healthcare workers’ union, 1199SEIU, has endorsed George Alvarez in his candidacy for the 78th Assembly District in the upcoming general election. The union represents some 450,000 members across the east coast, including 300,000 members in New York.   “George is the real deal,” said Dell Smitherman, 1199SEIU downstate political director. “We can say, unequivocally, that he brings the leadership we need right now in The Bronx.” Smitherman added, “George has been a fighter for Bronx families, advocating for public safety, better education, affordable housing, and for good pay jobs. We, today, face uncertain times in New York, and we


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Elections 2022: Candidates Face Off at NWBCCC Forum Ahead of June Primary Assembly Elections

By EMILY SAWAKED  
The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition.    The Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC) hosted a candidates’ forum at Monroe College on Wednesday, May 26, for candidates running in the 78th and the 81st Assembly Districts in the upcoming June Democratic primaries. Both Assemblyman José Rivera (A.D. 78), who was not present on the night, was re-elected to his seat in 2000, having previously served in the Assembly from 1982 to 1987 and who won in 2020 with over 86 percent of the vote, and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81),


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Elections 2022: Louella Hatch Democratic Club Presents Candidates Forum on Tuesday, May 24

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  The Louella Hatch Democratic Club announced that it will be interviewing 6 candidates running for office in separate, upcoming elections during a candidates’ forum on Tuesday May 24.   “The Bronx is in a critical stage of transition, and it is important for residents to know the candidates who will be leading the community,” the club members said. Candidates in attendance will be: State Assembly Member Yudelka Tapia (86th AD), State Committeeman Emmanuel Martinez (78th AD), State Assembly Candidate Pooi Stewart (86th AD), Bronx Civil Court judicial candidates, Yadhira Gonzalez-Taylor, Taisha L. Chambers, and Sophia Hershman.   The event will take


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Kingsbridge Armory Back to Square One, as Annexes See $10 Million Renovation for Military Use

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT & SÍLE MOLONEY
The following is an extended version of the story that recently appeared in our latest print edition.   Big news about what’s going to happen to the Kingsbridge Armory is nothing new at Community Board 7 (CB7) meetings. Discussions on the seemingly ill-fated development have been dragging on for years. At a recent CB7 general board meeting held on Feb. 22, Emmanuel Martinez, chairman of CB7, announced plans to gather input, once again, from the community on what will happen to the landmark building located on Jerome Avenue and West Kingsbridge Road.   “I want to make the board aware


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