Out and About

Student Filmmakers Sought for 3rd Annual NYC Public School Film Festival – Deadline March 16

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  The Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment (MOME) and NYC Department of Education (DOE) announced on March 10 that they are calling on DOE student filmmakers to conduct on-camera interviews with leading film industry professionals, as part of the 3rd Annual New York City Public School Film Festival taking place May 6, 2021. The interviews, designed to inspire young people across the city to consider careers in media and entertainment, will be available online following the festival.   Representing five distinct leadership roles in the filmmaking process, the professionals to be interviewed by student filmmakers include: Kristan Sprague, award-winning editor


Read More

Indoor Dining Increases to 50 Percent Capacity from March 19

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  Indoor dining in New York City will expand to 50 percent capacity, effective March 19, according to New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Currently, New York City and New Jersey restaurants are operating at 35 percent capacity, having been allowed expand from the initial 25 percent capacity, in the early part of 2021.   The latest decision to increase to 50 percent was made in partnership with Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey and will coincide with the State of New Jersey also expanding indoor dining to 50 percent on March 19. Other New York restaurants outside of New


Read More

Lehman College’s Turnbull Speaker Series Resonates during Women’s History Month

Some Americans may not know it, but they have a woman to thank for the N95 medical masks that have become indispensable during the pandemic. Sara Little Turnbull, one of the nation’s first female industrial designers, inspired an early prototype after noticing how frequently medical facility staff needed to adjust flimsier face masks. She reimagined her previous design for molded bra cups to conceptualize a mask that fit better—one of many inventions she’d be linked to throughout her career.   Sixty years later, a new generation of women designers is driving the innovations consumers have come to rely on. That includes


Read More

Upload a Free Dance Video Entry in the “Dare To Dance” Challenge for a Chance to Win $1,000

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  Dance Parade New York is, once again, launching its popular, “Dare to Dance” challenge, inviting choreographers and dance groups to submit videos of newly created work for cash prizes, with winning submissions broadcast during the virtual Dance Parade on Saturday, May 22, 2021, between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. EST.  The first place winner, selected by a five-person review committee receives $1,000, $500 for second place and $250 for third place.   The Dare to Dance challenge was launched last year when Dance Parade, an outdoor dance festival which brings together the dance community in New York annually, had


Read More

Update: New York Yankees Community Council Youth Leadership Award Winners Announced

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  The winners of the New York Yankees Community Council Leadership Awards for Community Board 7 were announced in April and they are Diana Rosario, Rafael Class, Shaheed Ganie, Christy Nguyen and Amelia Lobo-Jost.   The program provides a number of deserving local youth with the opportunity to receive the Youth Leadership Award, providing a $750 stipend to five youth leaders nominated by each Bronx community board. In addition, the youth leaders are recognized on-field during a pre-game ceremony at Yankee Stadium in 2021 on their respective Bronx Community Board’s Day (where applicable).   The awards were first discussed at


Read More

Inquiring Photographer: Thoughts on U.S. Forces Bombing Iran-Backed Militias in Syria

By DAVID GREENE
This week, we asked readers their thoughts on the recent bombing by U.S. forces of Iran-backed militias in Syria.   “The Biden administration’s recent decision to strike at targets in Syria by all accounts seems like a measured and proportional response to an attack on U.S. forces in Iraq. What President Biden is signaling is that while he prioritizes diplomacy, he will not be a pushover. I would have liked to see the administration consult more closely with Congress before taking such action. Congress has an important oversight role in foreign policy that I think has been overlooked the last several


Read More

Take-5, Top-Prize Lottery Ticket Sold in the South Bronx

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The New York Lottery announced one top prize-winning ticket sold for the March 1, TAKE-5 drawing. The ticket, worth $60,465.50, was purchased at Wesam Newsstand Corp, located at 2835 3rd Avenue in the South Bronx.   The five winning numbers for the TAKE 5 game are drawn from a field of one to 39. The TAKE 5 drawing is televised every day at 10:30 p.m. A Lottery draw game prize of any amount may be claimed up to one year from the date of the drawing.   About the New York Lottery The New York Lottery continues to be North America’s largest and most


Read More

MTA Metro-North Railroad Launches WhatsApp Chat Feature for Customer Service

By SÍLE MOLONEY
MTA Metro-North Railroad president, Catherine Rinaldi, announced on Monday, March 1, that Metro-North customers can now communicate with the railroad in real time using the popular messaging platform WhatsApp.   “It is important that our customers are able to communicate in real time and it’s what we’ve become accustomed to as a tech savvy society,” said Rinaldi. “We will continue to work on new ways to deliver excellent customer service as part of our Way Ahead Plan.”   Metro-North’s customer service representatives will receive messages from Metro-North customers via WhatsApp between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. daily and be able


Read More

Update: Biaggi Calls for Cuomo to Resign following Allegations of Sexual Harassment by 2nd Woman

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Bronx State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, who represents the 34th senatorial district and who is a survivor of sexual abuse, called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo, on Saturday, Feb. 27, to resign in the wake of more assertions of sexual harassment by the governor, alleged by a second former aide. Other elected officials have called for an independent investigation into the allegations.   “The assertions against Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo by Charlotte Bennett detail behavior that is unacceptable,” Biaggi said. “I am especially horrified by the comments the governor made to Charlotte about her experience with sexual assault –– comments he did


Read More