Mayor Bill de Blasio

Con Ed Estimates 8.30 p.m. for Restoration of Remaining Bronx Power Outages following Storm

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Con Edison crews are continuing the repair of equipment and the restoration of power for customers affected by the recent four-day heat wave and subsequent storm, the company confirmed on Thursday, July 1.   Con Ed officials said their crews have worked non-stop, often in extreme heat conditions, in order to return power to customers who experienced outages over the course of the recent heat wave. About 1,000 customers remained out of service as of the Thursday afternoon, out of a total of 3.5 million customers, meaning the majority of customers were unaffected by the heat and the storm.  


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Update: City’s $98.7 Billion Budget for FY2022 Passes in Council after Earlier Agreement with Mayor

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  The New York City Budget of $98.7 billion for the Financial Year 2022 was voted on in-person at the Council on Wednesday, and has passed, with 39 in favor, 6 against, and 4 not present.    New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, finance committee chair, Danny Dromm, capital budget subcommittee chair, Helen Rosenthal, and Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the billion dollar budget agreement earlier on Wednesday, June 30, during a press conference. The Council said it includes major investments and restorations in education, seniors, youth and quality of life enhancements like sanitation services.   The Council said the budget


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City Council Passes Law to Create NYC Mayor’s Office of Ethnic & Community Media

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The City Council approved legislation on Thursday, June 17, to create the NYC Mayor’s Office of Ethnic and Community Media, making it the first mayor’s office in the country dedicated to strengthening the relationship between city government and ethnic and community outlets.   The legislation, known as Intro. 2313, was sponsored by Council Speaker Corey Johnson, Manhattan Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez, Bronx Council Member Oswald Feliz (C.D. 15), and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams. Johnson is currently running for city comptroller, and on June 19, was endorsed as second-choice candidate for the role by the Bronx Democratic Party, which had


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Fernández Secures $10,000 for each of Four Local Libraries, including Mosholu in Norwood

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Assemblywoman and candidate for Bronx borough president, Nathalia Fernández (A.D. 80) announced the allocation of $10,000 in funding to each of four local libraries in the 80th Assembly District, on Thursday, June 10, during a press conference held outside Pelham Parkway-Van Nest Library, located at 2147 Barnes Avenue in The Bronx. The other three beneficiaries are Morris Park Library, Allerton Library, and Mosholu Library, located at East 205th Street in Norwood.   Speaking at the event, Fernández said libraries were the cornerstones of healthy communities. “They are safe havens for so many people, and provide many valuable resources beyond just


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June 14 Bronx Public Hearing on 10 Preliminary Recommendations re Property Tax Reform

By SÍLE MOLONEY
A public hearing for Bronxites on property tax reform will take place on Monday June 14.   In 2018, Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson established an advisory commission to develop recommendations to make the City’s property tax system simpler, clearer, and fairer. City officials said they did so while ensuring there was no reduction in the revenue used to fund essential City services. In early 2020, the Commission released a preliminary report, which included ten initial recommendations for property tax reform.   The preliminary report also included a brief history of New York City’s property


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Biaggi Addresses Victim-Blaming of Female Rape Survivors as Poll Finds Men Twice as Likely to Binge Drink

A majority of women, when under the influence of alcohol, are more likely to be raped. The data has been out there since 2004 when a study published by the National College of Medicine found that roughly one in 20 women surveyed reported being raped, and nearly three quarters of the victims were raped while intoxicated.   Despite this, almost twenty years later, New York State law still stigmatizes victims of sexual crimes, protecting only those victims who become mentally incapacitated through intoxication at the hands of a third party e.g. through a date-rape drug. Some Albany lawmakers are aiming


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NYC will Pay Youth $1,200 to Take Online Courses This Summer, Application Deadline June 15

By SÍLE MOLONEY
New York City will pay youth from designated city areas $1,200 to take online courses this summer, following the success of the NeON Summer initiative which was launched in 2020. Mayor Bill de Blasio recently announced the 2021 initiative will enroll 2,700 youth in six weeks of online instruction. It is hoped the program will help the city’s youth build skills, focus their career goals and express their creativity.   According to City officials, participating eligible New Yorkers will receive a stipend, and could earn up to $1,200. NeON Summer is open to three groups: young people aged 14 to


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Politicians, Hip-Hop Legends Break Ground on New Universal Museum in South Bronx

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


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NYC “Vaccine for All Corps” is Hiring to Help with Local Vaccination Roll-Out Efforts

By SÍLE MOLONEY
In his recent State of the City address, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the creation of “Vaccine for All Corps,” an initiative that aimed to create jobs for 2,000 New Yorkers, by supporting vaccination efforts across the five boroughs. On March 10, the City announced that it is now hiring for the first of these positions via nyc.gov/vaccinejobs.   Recruitment for the “Vaccine for All Corps” jobs is being led by the Workforce1 Career Center System operated by the NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS), and is targeting candidates from those communities hardest hit by COVID-19.


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