Bronx Man Charged with Sex Trafficking, Rape & Attempted Strangulation Released on Bail

By SÍLE MOLONEY

A Bronx male sex offender, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in May 2022, had been released on bail in January 2021 despite having been hit, as a co-defendant, just four months earlier with 22 charges, including sex trafficking of a child and promoting prostitution and separately, for rape, a criminal sex act, unlawful imprisonment, and attempted strangulation. Upon release on bail, he attempted to traffic a previous victim and was rearrested the following month. Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced on May 16 [2022] that the defendant, Reginald Cooke, AKA Reggie, 33, last of Anderson

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD is asking for the public’s help locating the person seen in the attached surveillance video and photo who is sought for questioning in connection to a non-fatal shooting that occurred in Bedford Park, located in the 52nd precinct. On Wednesday, June 8, at around 2.20 p.m., a 22-year-old male victim was in a vehicle (as a passenger), located opposite 214 East Mosholu Parkway South, when he encountered the unidentified shooter. The gunman shot the victim in the back, and then fled on foot westbound along East 203rd Street, toward Valentine Avenue. “The victim was removed

By EMILY SAWAKED

The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition. The Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC) hosted a candidates’ forum at Monroe College on Wednesday, May 26, for candidates running in the 78th and the 81st Assembly Districts in the upcoming June Democratic primaries. Both Assemblyman José Rivera (A.D. 78), who was not present on the night, was re-elected to his seat in 2000, having previously served in the Assembly from 1982 to 1987 and who won in 2020 with over 86 percent of the vote, and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81),

By By DR. MICHELLE COLLINS-OGLE

During the month of June, the LGBTQIA community celebrates across the world with various events, to recognize the many positive ways LGBTQIA people have contributed significantly to every country and every community. June is chosen as Pride month in memory of the Stonewall Riots which happened in 1969. Patrons and supporters of the Stonewall Inn in New York City staged an uprising to resist the police harassment and persecution to which LGBTQ Americans were commonly subjected. This uprising marked the beginning of a movement to outlaw discriminatory laws and practices against LGBTQ Americans. The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore has

By EMILY SAWAKED

Preschool aged children with special needs at the New York Institute for Special Education’s readiness program were busy putting on their helmets ahead of a three-lap ride around their school on Tuesday morning, May 24, and it was all in aid of cancer research. Bikes and tricycles of various sizes and functionalities were lined up along the walls ahead of the event, with aides, physical therapists, and occupational therapists assisting the kids mount their respective “wheels.” A red ribbon held high in the air by Deborah Korn, one of the readiness program’s occupational therapists, signaled the end of

By DAVID GREENE & SÍLE MOLONEY

With a series of recent mass shootings taking place around the country, this week, we asked readers their thoughts on school security and if they felt Bronx Schools were prepared for a potential mass shooting in the borough. “I work in a school, and I don’t think they’re doing enough for gun control either, and with all the mass shootings, I am concerned for myself and my family. I do have a son going to kindergarten, so I’m pretty concerned because the public schools are not too safe. I think the gun violence is terrible in The Bronx.

By SÍLE MOLONEY, EMILY SAWAKED, DAVID GREENE & MIRIAM QUIÑONES

The NYPD is asking for the public’s help in providing further information on the individual seen in the attached photo who was arrested for allegedly possessing multiple pornographic images of sex acts with children. Silfredo A. Castillo Martinez, 32, of Decatur Avenue in The Bronx was employed at a daycare center located at 3525 Decatur Avenue #1AA & 1AB in Norwood, between July 2011 and May 2022. He was arrested and charged with violating New York State penal code 263.15, “promoting a sexual performance by a child when, knowing the character and content thereof, he produces, directs or

By SÍLE MOLONEY & JULIAN NAZAR

The following is an updated version of the story that appears in our latest print edition. Bronx Week 2022 kicked off informally on Monday, May 2, at the Northeast Bronx YMCA as its sponsors, supporters and organizers gathered to give the media a taste of what was to come, following a two-year hiatus from large-scale physical gatherings, celebrating the annual festival. Hosted by the Bronx Tourism Council, the Office of the Bronx Borough President, and the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, the 10-day festival was packed with several events relevant to every sector of the community, including senior

By DAVID GREENE

This week, we asked readers their thoughts on the possibility of Roe v. Wade being struck down and whether, in their view, such a Supreme Court decision could potentially lead to the banning of contraception. “I do believe everyone has a right to their own bodies, especially women. I also believe people have rights to do whatever they want with their bodies, but sometimes too many rights are given to people and it’s misused. Let’s just say, for example, if a woman is pregnant at a certain stage, that pregnancy should not be terminated, you understand? If the

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Bronx Man Charged with Sex Trafficking, Rape & Attempted Strangulation Released on Bail

Bedford Park: Search for Gunman following Non-Fatal Shooting, Residents Want Cameras for P.S. 8

Elections 2022: Candidates Face Off at NWBCCC Forum Ahead of June Primary Assembly Elections

Health Check: Gender-Affirming Care for Pediatric and Adolescent Youth, Pride in Our Kids

New York Institute for Special Education Students Pedal for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

UPDATE Inquiring Photographer: Thoughts on Security in Bronx Schools in the Context of Mass Shootings

UPDATE Norwood: Police Appeal for More Information on Man Arrested on Charges Related to Child Pornography

Bronx BP Heralds Success of Bronx Week 2022 Despite Turbulent Beginning to Year for the Borough

Inquiring Photographer: Thoughts on the Possibility of the Overturning of Roe vs. Wade Expanding to a Potential Ban on Contraception