On National Fentanyl Awareness Day, Bronx DA & NYC Drug Prosecutor Warn of Evolving Opioid Crisis

By SÍLE MOLONEY

National Fentanyl Awareness Day, marked on Tuesday, May 9, underscores the deadly public health crisis afflicting the nation, New York City and The Bronx. According to law enforcement, local prosecutors and health officials, fentanyl and other synthetic drugs, such as xylazine, are widely distributed in mixtures and quantities that significantly raise the risk of overdose deaths. In New York City, Bronx County has the highest rate of overdose deaths, and is also a main distribution hub for illegal drugs, according to law enforcement officials. On Tuesday, Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark and New York City’s Special Narcotics Prosecutor

By DAVID GREENE

MOTORIZED BIKE AND ATV riders take over Grand Concourse at Van Cortlandt Avenue in the Bedford Park section of The Bronx on Sunday, March 26, 2023, later crossing Mosholu Parkway and into Norwood. Video by David Greene via YouTube Nearly a year after the NYPD rolled out a new initiative to help crack down on illegal All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) dirt bikes, and scooters, the NYPD’s Community Response Team is back with over 300 officers from around the city, and are now working together to track riders caught using them. During a press conference covering several different crime-related topics on

By MIRIAM QUIÑONES

Jerome Gun Hill Business Improvement District (BID) held a free Earth Day event, together with Friends of Mosholu Parkland (FOMP), at the Jerome Garden Plaza under Mosholu Parkway subway station by Jerome Avenue in Norwood on Saturday, April 22, 2023. From noon to 3 p.m., volunteers joined kids and BID and FOMP representatives for a community clean-up, beautification, giveaways, healthy food, and other activities. Elizabeth Quaranta, executive director of FOMP and who also runs the Keeper’s House Community “Edible” Garden on the Reservoir Oval in Norwood, is recovering from a knee injury but didn’t miss the event.

Editor’s Note: Check back for more updates as we add more events. Editor’s Pick The Office of the Bronx Borough President & partners, will host the Bronx Week 2023 parade on Sunday, May 21, at 10 a.m. on the Grand Concourse between 158th Street and 167th Street. All are welcome. EVENTS The Office of the Bronx Borough President & partners, will host Bronx Week 2023 Food & Arts Festival on Sunday, May 21, from noon to 5 p.m. on the Grand Concourse between 164th Street and Lou Gehrig Plaza. All are welcome. There will also be a Bronx

By DAVID GREENE

Police are looking for two men wanted in connection with a stabbing reported in front of 2527 Valentine Avenue, between East 196th Street and East Fordham Road on Tuesday, April 18. Police officials say the 28-year-old male victim was walking southbound at 2.25 a.m. when he was approached and stabbed by two assailants. The victim was stabbed in the abdomen and calf before the suspects fled the scene, an NYPD spokesperson said. “The victim was removed to St. Barnabas Hospital and was said to be in stable condition,” the spokesperson said. Police have not made any arrests in

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The Bronx Museum of the Arts Teen Council is organizing an exhibition of teen art and is inviting teenage artists to submit artworks that engage with the theme of community. Everyone has a different perspective of what community is; what community means for someone can be completely different from what another person considers community. The museum is hoping to share teens’ creative interpretations on this theme. Selected artworks will be shown at The Bronx Museum of the Arts from May to June 2023. Submission Information & Requirements New York City-based teens ages 13-19 are eligible to submit works. Each person

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson hosted her administration’s 2nd Annual Greek Heritage Month celebration in Kingsbridge on Friday, March 24, in conjunction with sponsors, Ponce Bank and the Bronx Terminal Market. There was food, cake, musical and dance performances, as well as the presentation of proclamations to a list of honorees. Held at St. Peter the Apostle Greek Orthodox Church, located at 3245 Kingsbridge Avenue, the event was emceed by mistress of ceremonies, Aravella Simotas, a former New York State assemblywoman who represented parts of Queens and alongside whom Gibson had previously served in the State legislature. The invocation

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, in association with Sal Abbatiello of Fever Records, celebrates the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop on Saturday, May 6, at 8 p.m. with the Hip Hop Fever 2023 concert. In the early 1970s, Hip Hop was born in the South Bronx and the concert will celebrate the early pioneers of the now world famous music genre. The show will feature performances by Grandmaster Melle & Scorpio (“The Message”), KRS-One (“Step Into A World”), Kurtis Blow (“The Breaks”), Sugar Hill Gang (“Rappers Delight”), Nice N Smooth (“Hip Hop Junkies”), Soul Sonic Force (“Planet Rock”),

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Local nonprofit Up Life foundation held an Easter celebration in the Williamsbridge Oval park in Norwood on Sunday, April 9, complete with a DJ, MC, balloons, games, goodie bags, dancing, and more for local families to enjoy. Kids were seen running around with bunny ears, blowing bubbles, flying balloons, and coloring “Up Life” on the park’s pavement in bright colors on what was a sunny Easter Sunday. Up Life founder, Robert Salkey, said of the event, “This is my community so I wanted to give back, and make sure I get everybody to learn how to network with each other,

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Out and About

On National Fentanyl Awareness Day, Bronx DA & NYC Drug Prosecutor Warn of Evolving Opioid Crisis

Community Goes Green as Earth Day is Celebrated in Norwood and Fordham Manor

UPDATE Out & About: 50 Years of Hip Hop, Bronx History Series, Shakespeare in the Oval & More!

Fordham Manor: Man Stabbed on Valentine Avenue in Stable Condition

May 7 Deadline for Applications to Bronx Museum from Teens for Works on “Unmasking Community”

Greek Heritage Month Celebrated in Kingsbridge ahead of Greek Independence Day Parade in Manhattan

HIP HOP FEVER! Celebrate 50 Years of Hip Hop in The Bronx!

“Up Life” Easter Celebration Held in Oval as Man Who Found Freedom Intends to Keep It