Diocese of New York Launches NY Episcopal Federal Credit Union on Ascension Day

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Just days before the consecration of Bishop Coadjutor-elect Matthew Heyd on Ascension Day, Thursday, May 18, the New York Episcopal Federal Credit Union (NYEFCU) was officially launched at the campus of St. James Church in Fordham Manor. A coadjutor is a bishop appointed to assist a diocesan bishop and is also often designated as the bishop’s successor. The Rt. Rev. Andrew ML Dietsche, the 16th Bishop of New York, and Heyd were present on the day to launch the credit union and ceremonially open the first accounts. They said it marked a major milestone in enhancing financial inclusivity for those

By SÍLE MOLONEY

In honor of LGBTQ+ Pride 2023, Fordham University Lincoln Center’s Quinn Library and NYPL Belmont Branch, in partnership with the Bronx County Historical Society, opened Have a Heart, an exhibit that celebrates Bronx-born Puerto Rican activist Jesús Lebrón and his central role in struggles for LGBTQ+ rights, including marriage equality. Twenty years ago, in 2003, Jesús, with fellow activist and close friend, Brendan Fay, co-founded The Civil Marriage Trail Project, an organization that helped bring same-sex couples across borders for legal marriage. Among the couples were Edie Windsor (1929–2017) and Thea Spyer (1931–2009) who married in Toronto on May

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Resident, Helen Krim, has contacted Norwood News to raise an urgent voting issue which she believes may mislead voters of City Council District 11. Krim wrote, “I received a publication from NYCVotes.org. The about page states, ‘NYC Votes is an initiative of the New York City Campaign Finance Board, the independent city agency that ensures local elections are fair, inclusive, and open’.” Krim continued, “Page 14 of that publication announces, ‘There is no Primary Election in City Council District 11’.” She added, “This is not true. There is a very important primary election for the Bronx District Attorney

By DAVID GREENE & SÍLE MOLONEY

State committeewoman for Assembly District 78, Rachel Bradshaw, Fordham Hill Co-op board secretary, and candidate in the upcoming Democratic City Council primary election for District 14, joined a group of supporters on Saturday, May 27, as she took her campaign to unseat the incumbent, Council Member Pierina Sanchez who has held the seat since 2022, to the streets of Fordham Manor. District 14 broadly encompasses some or all of the neighborhoods of Kingsbridge Heights, Fordham Manor, Fordham Heights, Bedford Park, University Heights, Mt. Hope and Morris Heights. It is bordered to the south by the Cross Bronx Expressway.

By SARA MARTINEZ

As Bronx residents and elected officials gathered at Bronx Borough Hall on Thursday, June 1, for the annual Pride ceremony to mark the beginning of Pride Month, one northwest Bronx student was among those being honored this year. The annual tradition of honoring selected members of the Bronx LGBTQIA+ community was also an occasion to witness the raising of the Pride flag, which will fly alongside the American flag and the veterans’ Prisoner of War (POW) / Missing in Action (MIA) flag throughout Pride Month (June). On the day, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson reiterated New York’s commitment to

By YUVELCA REYES

Stillbirth is still birth. “A woman who has a stillborn child still goes through the trauma of labor and birth, and this is compounded by the loss of a child,” wrote Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson in her April 2023 Black Maternal Health Week letter to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. But right now, our Bronx representative and speaker of the New York State Assembly, Carl Heastie, seems to think it’s okay for New York to revoke a mother’s right to previously-approved paid leave and tell her to “get back to work” only days after birthing and then burying a

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx Assembly Member Karines Reyes, R.N. (A.D. 87) and Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris (S.D. 12) announced on Friday, June 9, that the State Assembly passed their new legislation (S.7394/A.7632) to expand early voting options to include an early vote by mail choice for all New Yorkers. The legislation passed the State Senate earlier this week and now heads to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s desk for approval. “We have seen how important it is to have access to mail-in voting,” said Reyes, who broadly represents the Bronx neighborhoods of Castle Hill, Unionport, Parkchester, West Farms and Little Yemen. “This critical

By SÍLE MOLONEY & SARA MARTINEZ

Three migrant construction workers in their twenties, one from Ecuador and one with a young family, who were seriously burned following a work place accident / flash fire in the Williamsbridge section of The Bronx have filed a negligence lawsuit against BE Bronx Builders, LLC, Stagg Group, and Mark Stagg. The accident occurred at 739 East Gun Hill Road, a new building under construction, on Monday, May 15, as reported. The suit alleges that the named entities are liable for failing to protect their employees from danger while using flammable waterproofing materials, and causing severe burn injuries to them,

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition. Lehman Center for the Performing Arts was the chosen Bronx venue for the 50th anniversary celebration of the birth of Hip Hop on Saturday, May 6, when the Hip Hop Fever 2023 concert kicked off in conjunction with Sal Abbatiello of Fever Records. In the early 1970s, Hip Hop was born in the South Bronx and the concert celebrated the early pioneers of the now world-famous music genre. The show featured performances by Grandmaster Melle & Scorpio, KRS-One, Kurtis Blow, the Sugar

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Diocese of New York Launches NY Episcopal Federal Credit Union on Ascension Day

Art Exhibit Celebrates “Friendship & Activism” of Puerto Rican and Irish LGBTQ+ Activists

Elections 2023: Voters in City Council Districts Where There is No Primary Should Still Vote in the Bronx DA’s Race

UPDATE Elections 2023: Bradshaw Takes Challenge of District 14 Seat to the Streets

Manhattan College Student Honored at Pride Ceremony

Op-Ed: Bring Paid Family Leave after Stillbirth to a Vote Now

UPDATE “Early Vote by Mail Act” to Enable New Yorkers to Use Mail-In Ballots for Early Voting

UPDATE EXCLUSIVE: Construction Workers Burned in Bronx Work-Place Accident Sue Stagg Group & Others

Bedford Park: Boogie Down Celebrates 50 Years of Hip Hop at Lehman