Bronx District Leader & BOE Employee Charged with Bribery, Extortion, Fraud, and Identity Theft

Nicole Torres, 33, of The Bronx, an elected district leader in the borough, and an employee of the New York City Board of Elections (BOE) has been charged  with illegally demanding payments from Bronx residents to herself and a local organization (the “Bronx organization”) in exchange for selecting those individuals as poll workers, federal prosecutors announced on Aug. 28. 

Swimmers See No Danger in Bronx River Swims

Following our recent story on unsupervised swims in the Bronx River over the summer and despite some drowning incidents in New York City this summer, swimmers, mostly teens and young children, were once again observed having an unsupervised swim in the river last month. Two sources say the practice has been going on for years, if not decades.

New Protections Against Deed Theft Recently Became Law

New York Attorney General Letitia James reminded New Yorkers during the summer that a new law (S08306) establishing deed theft as a crime, and expanding the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) ability to prosecute deed theft, went into effect in mid-July.

University Heights: Building Applications Filed with DOB for New, Four-Story Building at 54 Clinton Place

Building applications have been filed with NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) for a new, four-story residential building at 54 Clinton Place in the University Heights section of The Bronx, as reported by YIMBY. Located between Grand Avenue and Aqueduct Avenue East, the lot is a 6-minute walk from the 183rd Street subway station, served by the 4 train. Alfred Cejku of 2A Mechanical Inc. is listed as the owner behind the applications.

South Bronx: Angellyh Yambo Foundation Partners for Back-to-School Giveaway

A back-to-school giveaway was held at La Central YMCA on Saturday, Sept. 7, in partnership with the Office of the Bronx Borough President, the Angellyh Yambo Foundation, Metroplus Health, RomoGIS, The Hub Third Avenue Business Improvement District (BID) and the NYPD Community Affairs Bureau. Families were invited to bring along their kids for a day of fun, games, and of course a backpack giveaway to coincide with the start of the school year.