Staten Island

Search for 12-Year-Old Girl from Staten Island Missing Since March 16

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is asking for the public’s help in locating Kaniya Graham, a 12-year-old girl reported missing from Staten Island, and in getting her home safely.   NCMEC representatives said Kaniya has been missing since March 16, and has never gone missing before. According to police, she was last seen on the day she went missing on surveillance footage walking in Lower Manhattan around Beaver Street and Broad Street. Police said she was wearing a white sweat suit which had cartoon characters on it and pink UGG boots. Kaniya is described as being


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AG Announces Prison Sentences for Five Bronx Gun & Heroin Trafficking Ring Members

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  New York Attorney General Letitia James announced the sentencings of five people on Wednesday, March 29, for their role in a gun trafficking operation which resulted in the illegal sale of 16 guns in The Bronx. She said the five defendants, who were charged with trafficking numerous assault weapons, high-capacity feeding devices, semiautomatic pistols, and more than 300 rounds of ammunition, all pled guilty and were sentenced for their respective crimes.   Additionally, two of the defendants, Luis Alsina and Michael Alsina, were also sentenced for their roles in the sale of heroin, officials said. Altogether, all five defendants


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Norwood Students, Parents Rally to Save St. Brendan School

By DAVID GREENE
Nearly 200 young students and parents rallied outside of St. Brendan School in Norwood to protest plans by the Archdiocese of New York to close 12 Catholic schools across the City, including six in The Bronx, as well as the merger of four additional Catholic schools in The Bronx into two, at the end of the 2022-23 academic year.   The rally was held on Friday, Feb. 24, outside the East 207th Street school, founded in 1908. As previously reported, the rally was organized in response to a decision taken by the Archdiocese of New York in mid-February to close St.


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UPDATE Parents & Supporters of St. Brendan School Ready to Fight as Archdiocese Closes 12 Catholic Schools

By DAVID GREENE, SÍLE MOLONEY & SARA MARTINEZ
Norwood parents are gearing up for a fight to keep beloved St. Brendan Catholic School open following an announcement on Feb. 15 that the Norwood school, founded in 1908, will close its doors at the end of the 2022-23 academic year, along with 11 others across the City. Meanwhile four, additional Catholic schools in The Bronx will merge into two.   The news follows the previous closure of six Catholic schools in The Bronx in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic due to declining income, as reported at the time. Of the twelve impacted schools set to close this year, six


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Inquiring Photographer: Thoughts on the Mayor”s Progress Since Taking Office

By DAVID GREENE
  As New York City Mayor Eric Adams approaches the end of his first year in office, this week we asked readers to grade the mayor on his performance so far.   “Grade?… No, he doesn’t get an A. I give him a D, that’s right. He just talks a lot and does nothing. I’d like to see him stop the crime. Get the community and pull people together and let us build a bigger and brighter city. Stop all this smoking [of weed] wherever you go…in the park, I know it’s the law! Yeah, in the hallways and buildings, man.


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City Council Lodges Appeal to Court Decision that Stops Non-Citizens from Voting in Municipal Elections

By SÍLE MOLONEY
New York City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams issued a statement on Friday, July 22, on the City’s file of appeal to the New York State Supreme Court ruling overturning the 2021 municipal voting law for non-citizens. On Friday, the City of New York filed a notice of appeal indicating its intention to fight the Richmond County judge’s ruling last month invalidating Local Law 11 of 2022. According to the City Council, members said they believe the judge erred in finding that the law was inconsistent with the State constitution, election law, and the municipal home rule law, and they are


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UPDATE Court Overrules Decision to Allow Non-Citizens the Right to a Path to Vote in Municipal Elections

By SÍLE MOLONEY
A court has overruled a New York City Council vote taken in December 2021, which would allow non U.S. citizens the right to a path to vote in municipal elections in New York City. As reported in April, LatinoJustice PRLDEF, community partners, and pro-bono counsel, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, collectively filed a motion to challenge a lawsuit which sought to reverse the recently approved municipal voting rights bill in New York City, which extended the right to vote to eligible non-citizens in municipal elections.   In the case of Fosella v. Adams, a group of Republican voters and elected


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Coalition Seeks to Stop Republican-Led Lawsuit Challenging the “Our City, Our Vote” Bill

By SÍLE MOLONEY
LatinoJustice PRLDEF, community partners, and pro-bono counsel, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, announced on Tuesday, April 12, that they have collectively filed a motion to challenge a lawsuit which seeks to reverse the recently approved municipal voting rights bill in New York City, a bill which would extend the right to vote to eligible non-citizens in municipal elections. The move constitutes the first time LatinoJustice and partners will act jointly on the matter before a New York State judge.   According to its website, LatinoJustice PRLDEF works to create a more just society by using and challenging the rule of


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Bronx BP Vanessa Gibson Weighs in on Historic Vote by Amazon Workers to Unionize

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson weighed in on the announcement on Friday, April 1, by Amazon workers on Staten Island of their decision to unionize, the first successful U.S. organizing effort in the retail giant’s history, as reported by the Associated Press (AP).   “Today, we saw an incredible accomplishment with Amazon workers on Staten Island voting to unionize for the first time in Amazon`s 27-year history,” Gibson said. “Current and former workers rallied together and organized to form a union to fight for improved working conditions, standardized labor wages, and job protections. These workers have provided nonstop essential services


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