St. Philip Neri School Honors First Responders

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Students at St. Philip Neri School in Bedford Park want first responders to know how much their service means to them. On Jan. 31, more than 50 first responders, including police officers, firefighters, and EMTs were invited to attend a special mass at St. Philip Neri Church, located right next to the school. The first responders ate breakfast with students in the parish hall, and later went on a tour of the school. “It was fun,” said sixth grader Katherine Mundo, who had a very personal reason to be appreciative of those assigned with protecting the community. “My mom’s

By MIRIAM QUIÑONES & SÍLE MOLONEY

Two people were injured following a two-car collision at the intersection of Jerome Avenue and Van Cortlandt Avenue in Jerome Park on Tuesday, April 4, emergency services said. An EMS representative said they received the call at 2.46 p.m. on the day of the collision. (At this time, most of the world was tuning in to watch former President Donald J. Trump being indicted in Lower Manhattan.) They said one of the injured parties refused medical attention at the scene and the second was brought to St. Barnabas Hospital. The cause of the accident is under investigation, according

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Police said an off-duty New York City employee was arrested on Friday, April 7, in the 49th Precinct, which covers the neighborhoods of Allerton, Morris Park, Van Nest, Pelham Parkway, Eastchester Gardens, and Pelham Gardens. According to the NYPD, Sanija Kurtovic, 46, an NYPD school crossing guard, was charged with endangering the welfare of a child and harassment. A person arrested and charged with a crime is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.

Elections 2023: Irene Estrada Lays Out her Case for her City Council Run in District 13

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Former Democratic female district leader for the 80th assembly district and Democratic candidate for city council in District 13, Irene Estrada, briefly broke down why she is running for the seat against incumbent, City Councilwoman Marjorie Velázquez when we spoke to her at the 25th Throggs Neck St. Patrick’s Day parade on March 12. Estrada, whose two daughters serve with the NYPD, and who is on the clergy council of the 49th Precinct, said, “Our streets are a mess with crime.” She added, “We also need to bring back the school safety task force. They took it away after COVID.

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Ondray Cleveland completed two tours of duty in Vietnam between ‘68 and ’71. The Soundview resident said his transition back to civilian life on his return to the U.S. was not plain sailing. Later, he would join the navy for two years, before ultimately leaving the armed services for good. “[I] wasn’t doing too good once I came out of Vietnam because…stereotypes and all that stuff,” he said. “Then I got myself together and came back out…ups and downs but it’s been good.” Though many years have passed since then, Cleveland was one of over 60 veterans who found

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx elementary students from P.S. 152 in Soundview joined District 18 City Council Member Amanda Farías and others last month for the launch of a new art exhibit featuring bold watercolor paintings of sunflowers painted by the students in honor of Ukraine. The exhibit was created in partnership with “Studio in a School NYC,” an initiative which brings visual arts education to students from 3K to 12th grade in public schools and to community based organizations across all five boroughs. It is intended to showcase local talent, while also highlighting the role art can play in stress reduction and

By SÍLE MOLONEY

After nearly 200 young students and parents rallied outside of St. Brendan School in Norwood on Feb. 24 to protest plans by the Archdiocese of New York to close the Catholic school in September 2023 due to declining income, one of 12 Catholic schools across the City, including six in The Bronx, scheduled to close, parents received a letter dated March 30 from the school’s representatives, confirming that the site has been leased to a Charter school which will open in September. The letter reads in part, “After our sad announcement in February that St. Brendan’s Regional School would

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced on Monday, April 3, that City Hall and two additional municipal buildings, including Bronx Borough Hall, would be lit turquoise, pink and purple the same evening to raise awareness of the hosting by New York City of the “Made By Dyslexia’s World Dyslexia Assembly” on April 3 at the David Geffen Hall in the Lincoln Centre in Manhattan. “Made By Dyslexia has made it their mission to train every teacher and help every workplace to spot, support, and empower every dyslexic mind,” said Adams. “As a student, I struggled with identifying my

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York Lottery announced Thursday, March 30, that one top-prize winning ticket was sold for the March 29 TAKE 5 MIDDAY drawing. The ticket, worth $19,075.50, was purchased at He & Jay Stationery LLC, located at 123 Einstein Loop in the Baychester section of The Bronx. Lottery officials said TAKE 5 players with midday and evening draws on the same ticket must check their numbers at nylottery.ny.gov to determine if they have the winning numbers for the corresponding midday or evening drawing. They said TAKE 5 numbers are drawn from a field of one through 39. The drawing is televised