New York City now has more miles of ‘Open Streets’ than any other city in America

The City will open 12 more miles of streets and an additional nine new miles of temporary protected bike lanes to pedestrians and cyclists starting tomorrow, May 14. The combined 21 new miles brings the City total to 30 miles of Open Streets since the program was announced on Apr. 27.

Mary Kay Sales Director Donates over 100 Pampering Sets To NCB Essential Workers

Jacqueline Acevedo-Villanueva, Mary Kay Sales Director, along with her colleagues Marina Lopez and Areliz Diaz, made a special trip to North Central Bronx Hospital (NCB) on Wednesday, May 20, to donate 100 ‘Satin Hands’ care packages to front line essential workers as a pampering treat. Acevedo-Villanueva, who was born and raised in the Bronx, and who leads a team of over 50 women in her role at Mary Kay, a global beauty brand, donated the care packages as a thank you gesture to NCB nurses, and to all who she described as “the heroes on the front lines”.

By Síle Moloney

A group of dental assistants employed by Union Community Health Center in the Bronx, who were terminated after being transferred to St. Barnabas Hospital, and reassigned to care for COVID-19 patients, abruptly cancelled a planned protest which was due to take place on Friday, May 22 at 12:30PM. The rally was planned to highlight what activists say were unjust terminations, and lack of transparency at both Union Community Health Center and at St. Barnabas Hospital. The dental assistants – members of 1199SEIU- were told they were being transferred from Union Community Health Center, then put on a

By Síle Moloney & David Greene

Jason Holloman, 42, has lived in Norwood for the last 15 years. He is a husband, father and recently became a grandfather. He was furloughed in March from his care coordinator role at BHRAGS Home Care Corp., where staff was initially cut by a quarter after the pandemic hit, and later by half. “We help seniors find aides to help them in their home,” he said, explaining that he often works with seniors in low-income neighborhoods, who are on dialysis or who can’t cook, clean or get around at home. Holloman said [prior to the pandemic] he would

On Thursday, 21 May, at 2:00 p.m., Voices Of Community Activists & Leaders (VOCAL-NY) will be joined by members of the City Council who have pledged to advance a call for a new vision and drastic realignment in City budget priorities. VOCAL-NY are calling for the creation of a housing, public health and social services workforce. The group also wants to see a collaborative effort by the Department of Social Services, Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, and Housing Preservation and Development, to tackle issues of incarceration, homelessness, overdose, substance use and mental health. VOCAL-NY is a statewide

The Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement are asking the public to join them today at 10:00 a.m., Thursday, May 21, for a virtual rally and socially distant actions to demand the legislature pass #HALTsolitary, Elder Parole, and Fair and Timely Parole. People can register for the Zoom here, read this pdf flyer and this png flyer, and amplify action using this social media and call-in guide. Activists are asking anyone who can travel safely, to join in person (with masks and gloves, and at least six feet apart) outside the offices of Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie,

By PROFESSOR ANTHONY RIVIECCIO, MBA PFA

On Sunday, May 17, Jerome Powell, Federal Reserve Board Chair, was interviewed on the TV show, 60 Minutes. “The Fed” is a governmental body in charge of interest rates and money in our economy. President Donald Trump, wanting a new person to lead the Fed, nominated Powell in 2018, but since then, has been critical of his work. Trump has been pushing hard to lower interest rates further while Powell wants to take a more moderate approach. Then, in February of 2020, the pandemic hit. In Sunday’s interview, Powell said that the pandemic is the biggest threat to

By Anisah Sabur

We are in the midst of the gravest humanitarian, economic, and social crisis in at least a generation, and one that is disproportionately harming Black and Brown people, poor people, and other marginalized people and communities. Over 27,600 New Yorkers have died from COVID-19 already and many more are projected to die. Hundreds of thousands of people are out of work. People cannot afford to pay their rent or their medical bills. Many are going hungry. The police are brutalizing Black and Brown people in the street and forcing people who are homeless out of the subway –

By Ndeye Thioubou

I am Ndeye Thioubou. I’m 17 years old, and a first generation Senegalese American. As a rising sophomore, I knew I wanted to do something with my summer. An internship and other summer programs would be difficult to secure because I had only finished my first year of high school. So, I applied to the only option I knew about: NYC’s Summer Youth Employment Program. Some summer experiences are unpaid, which means students have to choose between compensation and the value of a summer job. But with a simple lottery you can get both through SYEP and also choose