UPDATE Eric Dinowitz Urges DOE to Provide COVID-19 Testing for All in Schools, City Announces New Measures

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Days before New York City public school kids were dismissed for their winter recess, a few council members requested New York City Department of Education (DOE) and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to make more COVID-19 testing available at public schools. At a press conference on Dec. 20, originally scheduled to take place in City Hall Park but which was switched to an online event due to the latest surge of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, District 11 city councilman, Eric Dinowitz, pointed to past instances of rising numbers of infections following holidays as a

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

July 1, 2022, will mark the start of another fiscal year for New York City government, designated as FY 2023 (FY23). Although still seven months away, community boards across the city have started the process of submitting their annual Capital and Expense Budget Requests which inform the borough president, city council, and mayor about the priorities in each community district. Officially known as the Statement of Community Needs and Community Board Budget Requests Fiscal Year 2023, the 37-page document identifies the most pressing concerns in each local community. On Nov. 30, Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) voted on, and

By SÍLE MOLONEY

There was plenty of holiday cheer to be had on Mosholu Parkway and Bainbridge Avenue on Tuesday, Dec. 7, as the annual, holiday, tree-lighting event, organized by Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) and Friends of Mosholu Parkland (FOMP), made a welcome return. Amid the ongoing pandemic, and prior to the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out, last year’s tree-lighting event was carried out discreetly, with no formal gathering. This year, the event which took place on the Bedford Park/Norwood border, where masks were required, saw about 200 people gather in front of a large stage set-up specifically for the occasion. They

By DAWN CLANCY

Six years ago, Tina Padilla, 53, had to learn how to walk again after emergency back surgery left her with a metal rod implanted along her spine, but all traces of her painful past were seemingly gone as the fifth-grade teacher danced with a swarm of students to celebrate the return to in-person learning at P.S. 94’s “Welcome Back” bash held on Saturday, Oct. 16, in Norwood. The outdoor event, held on the school’s grounds, located at 3530 Kings College Place, attracted over 150 parents, students, and teachers, all eager to celebrate the school’s reopening after COVID-19 forced

By DAVID GREENE

Proclaiming that New York City was back open, after an almost 18-month long shutdown amid the coronavirus pandemic, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Monday, Sept. 13, that recreation centers across the city were once again open. However, at least one center in the Bronx has remained closed to the public as of Friday, Oct. 1. Speaking at the Sept. 13 press conference, De Blasio told New Yorkers, “We’re coming back, and we’re coming back in so many ways, and it’s not just about work.” He added, “It’s about the ways we have fun, and the ways that

By DAVID GREENE

Having been canceled last year due to prevailing restrictions on large gatherings amid the coronavirus outbreak, the Bronx Columbus Day Parade returned for the 44th time, taking place along Morris Park Avenue in the Morris Park section of the Bronx on Sunday, Oct. 10. Participating in his last parade as Mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio joined Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, Assemblyman Michael Benedetto (A.D. 82), Councilman Mark Gjonaj (C.D. 13), and Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson (C.D. 16), Democratic nominee for Bronx borough president and Democratic Female District Leader Irene Estrada (A.D. 80) as they made their

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced on Monday, Sept. 13, that security cameras have been installed at all 472 subway stations across New York City. Cameras were deployed on Sept. 11 at the 472nd station, Broadway station, on the G line, and officials said thousands of cameras have since been deployed systemwide. The initiative to expand security camera coverage was accelerated last year by interim president of New York City Transit, Sarah Feinberg, who identified a new class of camera that could be deployed more quickly, and at much lower cost than traditional cameras. As a result, officials said

By DAVID GREENE

Video by David Greene A crowd of about 100 turned out for an anti-gun violence rally in Belmont on July 14, near the site where 13-year-old Jaryan Elliot was shot and killed on Sunday, July 11, as reported. A man believed to be Jaryan’s godfather used a bullhorn to temporarily disrupt the press conference held by elected officials which preceded the rally. The event was organized by recently elected, District 15 City Councilman Oswald Feliz, District 16 Councilwoman and Democratic nominee for Bronx borough president, Vanessa Gibson, and Assemblyman José Rivera (A.D. 78) and was held at the corner

By DAVID GREENE

Police have made an arrest following the fatal shooting in July of 13-year-old Jaryan Elliot in Belmont. After several days of rain, and several weeks after the lifting of COVID-19 movement restrictions, hundreds of residents had gathered at one end of Belmont to watch the final of a European soccer tournament, while at the other end of the neighborhood, another large crowd watched, in horror, the aftermath of a shooting that took the life of the Belmont teen. According to police, and as previously reported, the shooting took place at 3:18 p.m. on Sunday, July 11, outside 743