Smiles All Around at National Puerto Rican Day Parade’s Annual 152nd Street Cultural Festival

By MIRIAM QUIÑONES

The National Puerto Rican Day Parade’s Annual 152nd Street Cultural Festival was held on Saturday, May 27, under glorious sunshine in the South Bronx and drew a host of City and borough elected officials along with around one thousand festival goers to celebrate the occasion. The festival is a free, family-friendly event that celebrates Puerto Rican culture and heritage, held on 152nd Street between Jackson and Tinton Avenues, with food, music, games, live entertainment and lots of Boricua pride! Soundboy Ariel Cartagena, a Latin Hip Hop artist, had everyone on their feet during his lively performance. The festival is

By DAVID GREENE & SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD is asking for the public’s assistance identifying and locating the people seen in the attached photos further below who department officials say are sought in connection with an assault in Olinville on June 30 in which a 5-year-old girl was shot in the back. Police said that on Friday, June 30, at around 7 p.m. in the vicinity of East 213th Street and White Plains Road, two people displayed firearms and discharged numerous rounds. As reported, a 5-year-old girl was struck in the left side of her back during the incident and was removed by EMS to

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The condition of a seemingly injured person seen lying on East Gun Hill Road in Norwood in a video filmed by a bystander on Thursday afternoon, June 29, is currently unknown. A video posted to the Citizens’ App on Thursday, June 29, at around 1.30 p.m. shows a person lying on Gun Hill Road by the intersection with DeKalb Avenue, surrounded by bystanders, some using walking canes. According to unverified reports by users of the Citizens’ App, the person was hit by a car at 47 E Gun Hill Road around 1 p.m. Users of the app

By MIRIAM QUIÑONES

Kingsbridge Heights Community Center (KHCC) hosted its 10th Annual Neighborhood Festival on Friday, June 16, celebrating both Pride and Juneteenth. The event was held at the center located at 3101 Kingsbridge Terrace. KHCC is a settlement house founded in 1974 by community activists Janet Athanasidy, Patricia Burns, and Mary McLoughlin, serving the Kingsbridge Heights neighborhood and the Bronx. KHCC offers programs and services in multiple sites for more than 4,500 people annually from English language classes to childcare to early head start programs, a food pantry, gardening, a day summer camp and more. A planned barbecue was brought inside on the day due to a thunderstorm, but the

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced on Thursday, June 29, that defendant Pedro Hernandez was sentenced to six years in prison after a jury found him guilty of first-degree burglary and third-degree criminal mischief for breaking open a Bronx building door while he and his friends chased two men they had been fighting with in 2019. Clark said in the context of the sentencing, “The defendant, Pedro Hernandez, has been sentenced to six years in prison for breaking into a building after he and his friends chased two men after a fight. He then tried to

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced on Thursday, June 29, that a Rikers Island inmate was charged with starting a large fire on Rikers Island that injured 12 detainees and correction officers with smoke inhalation. In the context of the announcement, Clark said, “The defendant allegedly started a blaze that sent thick smoke billowing through the jail, causing detainees and correction officers to suffer smoke inhalation, and putting dozens of lives at risk. Thankfully, first responders were able to put the fire out quickly to prevent further harm.” Clark said Marvens Thomas, 30, was charged with with

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

At a public meeting billed as a “Boroughwide Town Hall on Public Banking,” representatives from ten Bronx-based groups joined various elected officials to push for State and City legislators to build upon efforts to promote worker-owned businesses, increase community land trusts, and facilitate access to more local credit unions as an alternative to big commercial banks. On May 11, inside the auditorium of the Bronx Library Center, located in Fordham Manor, attendees viewed video and slide presentations describing how these actions could improve economic conditions in the borough. Listed as expected attendees on the press release announcing

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Just days before the consecration of Bishop Coadjutor-elect Matthew Heyd on Ascension Day, Thursday, May 18, the New York Episcopal Federal Credit Union (NYEFCU) was officially launched at the campus of St. James Church in Fordham Manor. A coadjutor is a bishop appointed to assist a diocesan bishop and is also often designated as the bishop’s successor. The Rt. Rev. Andrew ML Dietsche, the 16th Bishop of New York, and Heyd were present on the day to launch the credit union and ceremonially open the first accounts. They said it marked a major milestone in enhancing financial inclusivity for those

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The MTA has announced service changes for the Fourth of July holiday weekend. The MTA has added weekend service on the , , and lines. Starting this weekend, June 30, and every weekend going forward, average wait times for trains will be reduced by up to 4 minutes, with trains arriving every 8 minutes, and trains arriving every 8-10 minutes (instead of every 10-12 minutes as before), meaning less time traveling. Meanwhile, because of urgent track repairs, trains aren’t running between Broad Channel and Far Rockaway all weekend, and are replaced by free shuttle buses. The silver lining is