Community

Lehman College Spring Fling Swings In

By EMILY SAWAKED
Bedford Park’s Lehman College hosted its annual gala and fundraiser on Wednesday, June 12, though this year it took on another moniker, the “Spring Fling.” The change in name was to make the event feel less “stuffy,” according to Lehman College President Dr. Fernando Delgado. This is the second year that the college has held an annual gala dedicated to raising money for scholarship funds and other facets of college life that require funding.

University Heights: Popular Deli, Discount Store Destroyed in Fire

By DAVID GREENE
A fire that broke out inside a popular University Heights deli and that spread to an adjacent 99 Cents store took firefighters more than 90 minutes to extinguish, FDNY officials said. The fire caused a lot of damage to the two businesses, leaving a shell of the one-story structure remaining.

BronxNet Hosts Students for Launch of New Eco Show

By ARIEL PACHECO
BronxNet hosted second-grade students from Claremont Village’s C.S. 55 The Benjamin Franklin School on May 21 at BronxNet’s South Bronx Media + Technology center for the launch of “Eco-Leaders,” a new environmental TV show for children created by local Bronx puppetry artists.

Op-Ed: Wanted: The Grinches Who Stole Pride

By AJ RAMOS
As someone who has spent many an hour, day, and literally years advocating for the Norwood / Bronx LGBTQIA+ community to finally be represented locally, witnessing a group of people film themselves commit a hate crime by destroying the rainbow balloons and decor which decorated a nationally registered historic place, the Williamsbridge Oval during the inaugural Norwood Pride festival this past June 23 was heartbreaking.

Petition Launched on Change.Org to Stop the Sale of Van Cortlandt Jewish Center

By SÍLE MOLONEY
An online petition was launched by a group called “Van Cortlandt” on June 9 on www.change.org to stop the proposed sale to a developer, as reported, of the Van Cortlandt Jewish Center (VCJC), located in the Van Cortlandt Village section of The Bronx. Though petitioners were asked to sign the petition by June 21, it appears to still be available.   

UPDATE Bernie Sanders Joins AOC, Jamaal Bowman, Unions & More in The Bronx for St. Mary’s Park Rally

By DAVID GREENE
Independent U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and twice former Democratic presidential primary candidate joined Bronx Democrats, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Rep. Jamaal Bowman (NY-16) and Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez (NY-7), who represents parts of Brooklyn, at a last-minute campaign rally organized by the Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez for Congress campaign team in St. Mary’s Park in the Mott Haven sectio of The Bronx on Saturday, June 22.

Op-Ed: Response to Ben Franklin Club VP Club Saying: “We Put Joe Biden on the Ballot”

By DANIELLE GUGGENHEIM
When you’re the local political boss (so reminds me of Tammany Hall), and have called the shots for as long as [Assemblyman] Jeff Dinowitz [A.D. 81] has, you may forget that it is “We the people.” I read with great concern the claims by Ira Bigeleisen in last week’s Riverdale Press that “Team Dinowitz” got President Joe Biden on the ballot this year.