Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie Holds Christmas Celebration in Williamsbridge

By SÍLE MOLONEY & MIRIAM QUIÑONES

New York State Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie, in conjunction with Bridgefield Civic League Inc., hosted a Christmas Celebration at the league’s center at 3551 Laconia Avenue in Williamsbridge on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021. The event featured a toy giveaway, food & drinks, games, story time and general entertainment for the local community. It was supported by NYC Health & Hospitals Test & Trace Corps, Metro Plus Health Plan, Gloria Bent, registered dietician and nutritionist, and author, Harlem Holiday, among other volunteers. Speaking to Norwood News at the event, Bent said, “The holiday season is a season for giving,

By SÍLE MOLONEY & MIRIAM QUIÑONES

The folks at Transportation Alternatives Bronx Activist Committee, headed up by Kevin Daloia, held their annual, novel, festive bike ride around the borough on Thursday, Dec. 16, in the lead up to the year-end holidays, all in an effort to spread some much-needed holiday cheer and spirit, amid the then-latest wave of coronavirus infections caused by the omicron variant. Volunteers saddled up, dressed in festive outfits and took a late bike ride around some of the various tree-lighting displays in Belmont and Morris Park, before finishing up at Metropolitan Circle in Parkchester. The event kicked off at Poe Park, at

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx Assembly Member Nathalia Fernández (A.D. 80) and her team held one of several toy giveaways which were organized by various elected officials, local community groups and police precincts, in the lead up to the holidays. The event which was held on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, was for children in the local Norwood and Bedford Park areas, and included special guest, Santa Clause. The event was held outside Lexa Express, located at 347 East 204th Street in Norwood, and the assemblywoman said she and her team of volunteers rushed to start the giveaway early, such was the line of

By DAVID GREENE

Over 300 Bronxites turned out for a day of learning, planning, and healing, as dozens of local organizations converged on The Mary Mitchell Center, located at 2007 Mapes Avenue in the Crotona section of the Bronx, for “The Bronx People’s Festival” on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021. Participating groups included Mothers on The Move, Banana Kelly Community Improvement Association, Laborers International Union of North America, The Point, The Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC), the Bronx Cooperative Development Initiative and others. The various groups were on hand to provide guests with assistance, as well as free gifts, as

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx CB7 Mourns Passing of Former Members Bronx CB7 extends its most sincere condolences to the families of both Carmen Miranda, former CB7 Education Committee chair, and Jeffrey Hunter, former member of the Veterans Committee, on their recent passing. “We are heartbroken over the loss of two of our board members,” the board said in a joint statement. “The community has lost dedicated advocates and true community leaders. Carmen Miranda was a mother and activist who was invested in making sure the youth in our community had a voice; and Jeffrey Hunter was not only a Veteran but someone who continuously gave back to our community, and [was] a staunch

By DAVID GREENE

This week, amid the latest omicron variant wave, we asked readers about their recent experience of either getting tested on-site for COVID-19 or of waiting for free, home test kits. “I went to get tested because my granddaughter was COVID positive. I waited 48 hours before visiting the LevelUp Urgent Care on East 204th Street and lucky me I wasn’t cold, because it was a warm day. I was in line from 6 a.m. until 10 a.m., but because I was negative, it didn’t mess up my plans. Some folks came with entire families and at 5:45 [a.m.] there were already twenty

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York City Police Department announced on Dec. 30, a number of street closures, outlined further below, related to the New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square. Street closures and parking restrictions are expected to cause traffic delays, and NYPD officials said the use of public transportation is highly recommended. Beginning at 4 a.m. on Friday, Dec. 31, Times Square will be closed to vehicular traffic. At approximately 3 p.m. attendees will be directed by police officers to gather in separate viewing sections. When one section reaches capacity, people will be directed to the next viewing section. As

By SÍLE MOLONEY

In the spirit of holiday giving, St. Brendan School, a Catholic, elementary school, located in the Norwood section of the Bronx, in the Archdiocese of New York, recently held its annual toy drive for Catholic Guardian Services (CGS). CGS cares for over 1,000 children in need ranging in age from infancy to 21. This year, according to school representatives and thanks to the generosity of the school’s students and their families, St. Brendan’s was able to collect 23 bags of toy donations for children to enjoy in time for Christmas.

UPDATE Friends of Devoe Park Celebrate the Holidays at Tree-Lighting Event

By SARAH HUFFMAN

Friends of Devoe Park (FODP) hosted the group’s annual tree-lighting event on Saturday, Dec. 11, in Devoe Park, located in the Fordham Manor section of the Bronx. Attendees at the event were treated to hot chocolate, munchkins, and sugared cookies provided by FODP. The group also handed out Christmas-themed masks, candy canes, and jingle bells to community members. Assemblyman José Rivera (A.D. 78) was also in attendance. Rachel Miller-Bradshaw, founding member of FODP, said the group wanted to host the event because there wasn’t really any such event marking the holiday season in their local neighborhood.