New Protections for Domestic Workers Under NYC Human Rights Law Take Effect March 12

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York City Commission on Human Rights announced that, effective March 12, New York City Human Rights Law (NYCHRL) employment protections will apply to all domestic workers, including nannies, home care workers, housecleaners, and any other worker who is employed in a home providing childcare, eldercare, companionship, or housekeeping services in New York City. Most full-time and part-time workers are covered. The commission provided a list of frequently asked questions for workers and their employers, covering different areas of employment and how the new protections affect them. Hiring and References 1. Can an employer run a

By SÍLE MOLONEY & DAVID GREENE

New York Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15), and New York Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) announced that on Friday, Feb. 4, they introduced federal legislation to address manufacturing issues with space heaters. The “Safer Heat Act” (H.R. 6615) comes as a result of the recent Twin Parks North West apartment building fire that stole the lives of 17 New Yorkers, including 8 children, as reported, and one day before another 2-alarm fire was reported in the University Heights section of The Bronx on Saturday. According to Torres and Clarke’s offices, the new bill is part of a federal legislative

By SARAH HUFFMAN

Lehman College student, Sera Janneh, 27, was among the 17 victims of the Twin Parks North West residential building fire which broke out on Sunday, Jan. 9, in the Fordham Heights section of the Bronx. Janneh was a sophomore at Lehman and was majoring in psychology and minoring in early childhood education. As reported by The New York Post, Janneh’s father, Tijan Janneh, said his daughter got separated from the family, during the fire, as they tried to escape the burning building. Firefighters later told him that his daughter had died. Lehman College released a statement on Thursday,

By DAVID GREENE

Hundreds of Muslim worshipers packed the Islamic Cultural Center, located on Clay Avenue in the Morrisania section of the Bronx, on Sunday, Jan. 16, and thousands more stood shoulder to shoulder, wearing traditional Muslim clothing and face masks, to pay their respects to 15 of the 17 victims killed in the horrific Twin Parks North West fire tragedy on Jan. 9, as reported. As mourners jammed into several blocks along East 166th Street, the funeral and prayer service was attended by many high-ranking, City and State elected officials, including Mayor Eric Adams. As briefly reported, despite the frigid temperatures

By MONICA RICHARDSON & SÍLE MOLONEY

It has been almost three weeks since the deadly Twin Parks fire tragedy occurred in the Fordham Heights section of the Bronx, tragically taking the lives of 17 people, including 8 children, mostly of Gambian descent. Since then, Bronxites have mobilized to mourn and honor the victims, support the survivors, all while facing more tragedy in the form of gun violence across the borough. The NYPD confirmed 63 people were injured in the Twin Parks North West blaze, which, according to a report by The New York Times, was the deadliest since the Bronx’s Happy Land Social Club tragedy, which resulted

By DAVID GREENE

Over 300 Bronxites turned out for a day of learning, planning, and healing, as dozens of local organizations converged on The Mary Mitchell Center, located at 2007 Mapes Avenue in the Crotona section of the Bronx, for “The Bronx People’s Festival” on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021. Participating groups included Mothers on The Move, Banana Kelly Community Improvement Association, Laborers International Union of North America, The Point, The Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC), the Bronx Cooperative Development Initiative and others. The various groups were on hand to provide guests with assistance, as well as free gifts, as

By SÍLE MOLONEY

On Thursday, Jan. 20, the New York City Council appointed recently elected, Bronx, District 14 City Council Member, Pierina Sanchez, as chair of the council’s powerful housing & buildings committee, which has jurisdiction over New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the Department of Buildings (DOB), as well as rent regulation policies and practices. HPD is responsible for promoting the quality and affordability of the city’s housing by developing new, affordable housing, enforcing the housing maintenance code, and engaging neighborhoods in planning. DOB is the primary regulator of the construction and real estate industries in

By SÍLE MOLONEY &. DAVID GREENE

Norwood News has received eye witness reports that around 3 people required medical assistance, possibly due to frostbite or heat or stress-related illness, during the funeral and prayer service held on Sunday morning, Jan. 16, for the 17 victims, including 8 children, of last Sunday’s tragic fire in Fordham Heights, as reported. Eye-witnesses told Norwood News during the service, which began at 10 a.m. on Sunday morning, at the Islamic Cultural Center, located at 371 East 166th Street in the Morrisania section of the Bronx, that around 3 people attended to by EMTs and reportedly treated in an ambulance,

By SÍLE MOLONEY & DAVID GREENE

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) addressed the Senate floor on Monday, Jan. 10, regarding the devastating fire that broke out at the Twin Parks North West housing complex, located at 333 E 181st Street in the Fordham Heights section of The Bronx on Sunday, Jan. 9. As reported, seventeen people lost their lives in the tragedy, including eight children, despite the reported valiant efforts by 200 firefighters at the scene. According to the NYPD, at approximately 10.55 a.m., police responded to a 911 call regarding the incident. Upon arrival, officers encountered FDNY personnel attempting to suppress a large