civil rights

Olinville: Six People Injured in Bronx Partial Wall Collapse at Construction Site

By SÍLE MOLONEY
FDNY officials said following what was described as a major technical rescue from a Bronx construction site in the Olinville section of the borough, six people suffered injuries, including three who were hospitalized.   FDNY officials said they received a call at 4.07 p.m. on Tuesday, July 11, and units responded to 3073 Barker Avenue for reports of a partial wall collapse. “Members were able to determine that the incident had occurred at a construction site a that location,” FDNY officials said. “There were six patients.”   They said three were treated at the scene but refused transportation to hospital,


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Local School Hosts 2nd Annual Juneteenth Celebration in the Williamsbridge Oval Park

By MIRIAM QUIÑONES
  A Juneteenth celebration hosted by the social justice committee of Bronx Community Charter School in Norwood was held at the Williamsbridge Oval park in Norwood on Monday, June 19.   The school, located at 3170 Webster Avenue in Norwood, first launched what they intend to be an annual celebration last year, as reported. Held from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., the event included musical performances, reading, arts and crafts, and reflections on the meaning of the holiday.   One little girl seated on a beanbag was seen lost in a book during the event.   Other children were assisted


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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


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

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


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

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


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

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.  


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Manhattan College Student Honored at Pride Ceremony

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


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

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


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

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


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