Kingsbridge Heights: Elected Officials Show Up for Senior Night

Assembly Member George Alvarez (A.D. 78) and Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) held a Senior Night to celebrate local seniors at Caridad Kingsbridge, located at 135 West Kingsbridge Road in Kingsbridge Heights on Thursday, Oct. 26, from 5 to 9 p.m.

Elections 2023: Democratic CM Marjorie Velázquez Concedes District 13 Race to Republican Kristy Marmorato

Democratic District 13 City Council Member Marjorie Velázquez conceded the general election in her district held Nov. 7 to her Republican opponent, Kirsty Marmorato, on Thursday, Nov. 9. As reported, Marmorato had a narrow lead on Velázquez on Election Night at poll closure with 49.97 percent of the vote to Velázquez’s 49.25 percent, but a few hours later, with 98.33 percent of voting scanners returned, Marmorato’s lead had stretched to 52.46 percent (6,571 votes) to Velázquez’s 46.81 percent (5,863 votes), based on Election Day and early votes. The Republican candidate who ran a campaign based on quality of life and public safety concerns, declared victory in the race later that night.

Congestion Pricing Tolls One Step Closer to Reality

Bronx drivers should brace for impact as officials at NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) are a big step closer to hitting drivers entering Midtown Manhattan from The Bronx with the new ‘congestion pricing’ toll. DOT work crews have already begun working on the installation of cameras.  

Inquiring Photographer: Thoughts on the Number of Illegal Smoke Shops Opening Up in The Bronx

This week, we asked readers their thoughts on the proliferation of illegal cannabis stores opening up in Bronx communities. As reported, Assembly Member John Zaccaro Jr. recently carried out two different raids in Assembly District 80, targeting illegal stores, as community boards across the City continue to assess the situation in efforts to balance everyone’s rights in the context of the license application process. 

Gillibrand Calls for Humanitarian Aid to Address Emergency Needs in Gaza

Democratic U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a member of the U.S. senate armed services committee and of the U.S. senate committee on intelligence, is calling on the Biden administration to contribute to the United Nations’ emergency appeal of $294 million to address the immediate humanitarian needs in the West Bank and Gaza in Palestine, in the wake of an escalation of violence in the region following the Hamas attacks on Israel on Saturday, Oct. 7. Gillibrand is joined by 33 of her colleagues in the push, which is led by U.S. Senator Chris Murphy, a Democrat from Connecticut.  

Rivera & Colleagues Introduce Bill to Fund Safe Evacuation of New Yorkers from Israel & Palestine

State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33), Brooklyn-based State Sen. Julia Salazar (S.D. 18), and Brooklyn-based Assembly Member Emily Gallagher (A.D. 50) introduced Bill S7716 on Wednesday, Oct. 18, to allow New York State to financially reimburse New Yorkers who are trying to evacuate from Israel and the Palestinian territories during the ongoing crisis in the Middle East since tensions escalated on Saturday, Oct. 7, following an attack by Hamas on southern Israel, which prompted a bombing of the Gaza Strip by the Israel Defense Authority. 

Health Check: Answering Community Questions About Depression

Carlos Tejeda, community health specialist at Montefiore’s Office of Community and Population Health interviews psychologist Dr. Brenda Boatswain, wellbeing manager at Montefiore Einstein and assistant professor at the Department of Family and Social Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. They discuss questions from the community about depression.

Inquiring Photographer: Thoughts on Funding Family Members to Care for their Children at Home

This week, we asked readers their thoughts on a proposal to include funding in the City budget to pay family members who don’t wish to leave their kids at a daycare to care for young children directly. As reported, the proposal was made by Otoniel Feliz-Samboy, the father of one-year-old Nicholas Dominici, who tragically died after he was apparently fatally poisoned with fentanyl at Divino Niño Daycare Center in Kingsbridge Heights on Friday, Sept. 15, as reported.