Speaker Says Letter Calling for Budget Cuts Signed By Gibson and Dromm is Fake

By SÍLE MOLONEY

City Council Speaker Corey Johnson released a statement on Saturday, Aug. 22 about a letter circulating on social media that purports to be from his office, is apparently signed by Johnson, Finance Chair Danny Dromm, and Bronx City Councilwoman and Subcommittee on Capital Budget Chair Vanessa Gibson. The letter purports to identify city agency cuts through layoffs. Johnson said the letter is fake. “A letter is being circulated that purports to be from my office and signed by me, Finance Chair Danny Dromm and Subcommittee on Capital Budget Chair Vanessa Gibson identifying city agency cuts through layoffs. This letter

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

The line of people with rolling carts and hand trucks waiting to receive boxes of food filled the sidewalk of Hull Avenue. It started at the intersection of East 204th Street, and on its southern tip ended just short of East Mosholu Parkway North. Although the food event was scheduled to last an hour, the boxes were gone in less than 30 minutes. Promoted as a Food Box Giveaway and spearheaded by Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez, the outdoor event highlighted an ongoing worrisome issue in Norwood: food insecurity. “The turnout today was great,” Fernandez said. “A lot of people

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Check out the latest SummerStage Anywhere hip-hop programming for the weekend. This week there is more programming with DJ Kool Herc & Cindy Campbell, DJ Rich Medina, and Pete Rock & The Soul Brothers with Buddy! More info below: Friday, August 21st: Culture Talk Artist: DJ Kool Herc & Cindy Campbell Time: 7:00PM ET Where to Watch: SummerStage Instagram, SummerStage YouTube, Facebook page and Twitch Info: Join one of hip-hop’s forefathers Kool Herc & his sister, the self-proclaimed “First Lady of Hip-Hop”, Cindy Campbell, for a historic walk through of the home of hip-hop around Cedar Park, and the now-legendary 1520 Sedgwick Avenue.

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Sistas and Brothas United (SBU), the youth organizing arm of the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, a 46-year-old organization of students, parents, clergy and community members across the Bronx are organizing a rally to take action against school policing, and what the organization says are all the practices and policies that criminalize young people in schools. For the last two decades SBU has been working to dismantle the school-to-prison pipeline, organizing to eradicate suspensions, arrests, metal detectors, and school safety agents in schools that the organization says pushes young people out of school and into the prison system.

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The non-profit, Abbot House, is to honor Daanyal Agboatwalla with the Joseph M. Pastore, Jr. Difference-Maker Award for his work in the community. Agboatwalla is a senior at Horace Mann School in the Bronx and is fiercely committed to supporting marginalized communities and fighting inequality wherever it exists. His passion led him to Abbott House, where he spent a summer working with migrant children as a teacher’s assistant in its Transitional Resource for Children (TRC) school. Abbott House is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization working with children, families and adults with complex needs. It supports nearly 2,800 children in

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

On Aug. 14, in the Parkchester section of the Bronx, associates from Montefiore Westchester Square Campus were joined by State Sen. Luis Sepulveda, Assembly Member Michael Benedetto, and Council Member Mark Gjonaj to distribute masks, hand sanitizers, and lunch to the local community at their Raymond’s Avenue location. Lunch was provided by Montefiore cafeteria staff, and information on the importance of going to the ER for health emergencies was distributed to those in attendance, including information about how the staff at Montefiore are keeping Westchester Square COVID safe for their community. Thank you to our healthcare heroes at @MontefioreNYC

By SÍLE MOLONEY

On Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020 at 10.55 p.m., an on-duty NYPD detective was arrested and charged within the confines of the 83rd precinct in Brooklyn. Samuel Lallave, 53, was charged with petit larceny (theft).

Norwood: Search for Missing 14-Year-Old Girl

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD is seeking the public’s assistance in locating a missing teenager within the confines of the 52nd Precinct. A photograph of the missing girl is attached. It was reported to police that Yessica Nivarrez Castro, 14, was last seen on Monday, August 17, 2020 inside her home at 323 East Mosholu Parkway North in the Norwood section of the Bronx at approximately 11 p.m. She is described as a female, Hispanic, 5 feet, 2 inches tall, weighs 95 pounds, and was last seen wearing all dark clothing. Anyone with information with regard to this incident is

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York State legislature will hold a virtual hearing on the impact of Tropical Storm Isaias on New York State on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020. On Aug. 4, the storm hit New York with heavy rain, tornadoes and winds gusting up to 70 miles per hour. Isaias left hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers without power across New York City, Long Island, Westchester, Rockland, the Hudson Valley and other areas of the state within the service territories of PSEG-Long Island, Con Edison, Orange and Rockland, National Grid, Central Hudson, New York State Electric and Gas (NYSEG) and other