Gotham City Panthers Founder Aims to Uplift Local Youth Through Basketball

By JULIAN NAZAR

51-year-old Eric King has observed that the parks near Fordham Manor aren’t as busy as they used to be. “When I was young, it was a different era,” King said. “The kids were outside playing freeze tag. People were playing basketball on the basketball courts.” Nowadays, he sees kids walking down the street, cell phone in hand, texting. “Everyone in this computer age is comatose,” King said. “They are walking, living robots. The energy is not there to the level it was back in my time.” To address this issue, in December 2020, King launched an amateur, youth

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced on Wednesday, April 27, that a Bronx woman and her boyfriend were charged with murder and manslaughter in the context of the June 2021 death of the woman’s eight-year-old, autistic son. According to the investigation, the defendants, Sharay Barney, 30, of East 166th Street in Morrisania, who was the biological mother of the child, and Michael Ransom, 33, of the same address and who was the child’s stepfather, were the sole caretakers of Joseph Barney, 8, a child who was autistic and non-verbal. On June 1, 2021, Joseph was found

By DAVID GREENE

For the first time since 2019, before a once-in-a-century pandemic put a stop to most large gatherings, several hundred children and their parents gathered at the Williamsbridge Oval in Norwood for the Parks department’s 5th Annual Spring Easter Egg Hunt. Held opposite the Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center, located at 3225 Reservoir Oval East, on Saturday, April 16, youngsters enjoyed an egg hunt as well as games, arts and crafts and face-painting. A dozen or more businesses and organizations were on hand on the day, passing out free information. DJ Rob, provided by Montefiore Hospital, was at the turntables

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The Family Wellness Suite at Tremont Neighborhood Health Action Center reopened for in-person services on Wednesday, April 13, having been closed amid the pandemic during which time it provided virtual services only. The reopening coincided with the beginning of Black Maternal Health Week as well as the reopening of in-person services at the City’s other wellness centers which are located in East Harlem and Brownsville, Brooklyn. Tremont Neighborhood Health Action Center, located at 1826 Arthur Avenue in Tremont, provides mothers and their families with a safe, welcoming, and supportive space where they can participate in a range of

By SARAH HUFFMAN

Every Friday afternoon for the past few months, about 20 P.S. 340 students gather in the school cafeteria to learn the art and sport of fencing. Taught by an elite coach who has competed both nationally and internationally, the Kingsbridge Heights public school students are learning the basic terminology and footwork associated with the combat sport, all while donning impressive, protective fencing gear and getting to handle a sword, for fun! The school’s new fencing program was made possible by Amy Turchiaro, the school’s psychologist, who pushed to find a way to bring fencing to the students. “A long

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Lyft/Citi Bike will offer free one-day passes to new riders as part of New York City Department of Transportation’s Car-Free Earth Day celebration on Saturday, April 23. New riders will be able to use the code “CARFREE22” in the Citi Bike app to receive unlimited, 30-minute rides on a classic Citi Bike for 24 hours. Riders in The Bronx can also sign up at the Citi Bike tent at Roberto Clemente Plaza at 530 Willis Avenue in the South Bronx. “More New Yorkers than ever choose Citi Bike for a fun, sustainable way to get from Point A

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The Jerome Gun Hill Business Improvement District (BID), in partnership with Bronx Bound Books, play:groundNYC, PEN America, and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81), will be hosting an Earth Day celebration on Friday, April 22, from 2.30 p.m. to 5.30 p.m. at the Jerome Gun Hill BID parklet space located at 3498 Jerome Avenue. The BID will be distributing Earth Day giveaways to help shoppers and residents use less plastic straws and other plastics in their day-to-day lives, such as reusable bags, water bottles, and straws. Bronx Bound Books mobile library will be distributing free, new and gently-used books, featuring books by

Editor’s Pick Local nonprofit, “We Aim Higher,” which focuses on holding “human service” events to help communities, is organizing a Bronx clean-up event in honor of Earth Day, Friday, April 22. Click here for more information. EVENTS Bronx-based nonprofit, Freedom Youth NYC Family Justice Center, is holding a Black & Gold fundraiser to support the organization’s anti-trafficking work on April 30 at 5 p.m. at 22 East 125th Street in Manhattan with honoree, Mayor Eric Adams. Further details can be found in the flyer, which can be found further below. To celebrate the 125th anniversary of DeWitt Clinton

By SARAH HUFFMAN

Latanya DeVaughn loves books. Her love of books can be traced back to her childhood, from watching her grandmother read to neighbors who couldn’t, and from scouring yard sales for used books with her aunt. Years later, that love manifested in the mobile bookstore, Bronx Bound Books.