Man Arrested for Bronx Brick Attack during Passover as Elected Officials Step Up Efforts to Curb Hate Crimes

Police said a 29-year-old man from Pelham Parkway has been arrested on hate crime and other charges for tossing a brick through the window of his neighbor’s building during the Passover holiday on April 7, as reported.   Upon investigation, police attributed the attack to the fact that the victim, longtime Matthews Avenue resident Rochelle Shapiro, had displayed an Israeli flag and a pro-Israel sign in the window. The incident was reported at 2.45 p.m. on Friday, April 7, when Shapiro said she was standing in front of the window of her first-floor apartment at 2121 Matthews Avenue.   She


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Electeds Join Community Members for Rally Opposing New Kingsbridge Charter School

The following is an extended version of the story published in our latest print edition. Following concerns by some Kingsbridge residents over plans by the International Leadership Charter High School (ILCHS) to open a new, 7-story, middle school at 306 West 232nd Street in Kingsbridge, one block away from its existing school site at 3060 Riverdale Avenue, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81), District 11 City Councilman Eric Dinowitz, and State Sen. Robert Jackson (S.D. 31) joined a group of local residents and members of the Construction and General Building Laborers union on Saturday, April 15, for a rally to oppose


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Dinowitz & BetaNYC Launch New Map Showing Accessible City Playgrounds

District 11 City Council Member Eric Dinowitz, in partnership with BetaNYC, has launched a new mapping tool which shows the level of playground accessibility for residents near their homes and schools. The map was designed to provide an easy way for residents and their families to locate playgrounds that are safe and accessible and to accommodate those with disabilities.   The new mapping tool includes detailed information about each playground throughout New York City, including the types of accessible features that are available at each playground. According to the councilman’s office, Dinowitz, a former teacher who represents the Northwest Bronx


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Norwood’s P.S. / M.S. 20 Hydroponic Farm Program Expands to 20 Schools

Members of NY Sun Works, a non-profit that builds innovative science labs in urban schools, through its Greenhouse Project Initiative to educate students and teachers about the science of sustainability, joined Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson at Norwood’s P.S. / M.S. 20‘s hydroponic farm on Wednesday, Jan. 25, to announce the expansion of hydroponics farm technology to 20 local schools.   According to verticalroots.com, put simply, hydroponics is a way to skip the soil, sub in a different material to support the roots of the plant, and grow crops directly in nutrient-rich water.   The $2.5 million boroughwide project would


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Bronx Borough Hall Lit Yellow for International Holocaust Remembrance Day

Bronx Borough Hall was lit in yellow in recognition of International Holocaust Remembrance on Friday, Jan. 27, along with all municipal buildings across the the City. Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson said on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, the City commemorated the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest German Nazi concentration and extermination camp, adding, “We remember and honor the six million Jewish victims of the Holocaust and the many others that were murdered.”   Gibson continued, “Today, seven people were killed in a terror attack inside a synagogue in Jerusalem. We will not tolerate these horrendous acts of


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UPDATE Benjamin Franklin Reform Dems to Consider Endorsement of Bronx District Attorney

  Representatives of The Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club (BFRDC) have announced that the club will hold club leadership elections during its annual meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 25, at 7 p.m. via Zoom.   In addition to some club business, club representatives said the following endorsement will be considered: Shall the Club Make an Endorsement for Bronx District Attorney? They added that if the answer is yes, recognized candidates, Darcel Clark and Tess Cohen, will speak and answer questions.   Club representatives said members of the public are invited to view the meeting via Zoom. They clarified that only club


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UPDATE Bronx CB7 Looks Forward to Subway Upgrades & More in 2023  

Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) held their final board meeting of 2022 on Dec. 13, following a successful annual tree-lighting event in Bedford Park on Dec. 8. The meeting was attended by around two dozen people, updates were shared by the different CB7 committee chairs and concerns of some community members were also heard.   The meeting was the first to be presided over by recently elected Bronx CB7 chair, Yajaira Arias, following her election to the position on Nov. 15. As reported, Arias, the incumbent CB7 secretary, succeeds Emmanuel Martinez, who stepped down as chair in the summer of 2022.


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Nurses Strike Against Montefiore and Mount Sinai Ends After Three Days as Deal is Struck

Editor’s Note: The following is an updated version of the story that appears in our latest print edition which went to press prior to the announcement regarding the end of the strike action.   The nurses strike led by the New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) against both Montefiore Health System and Mount Sinai Health System, which has been ongoing for three days since Monday, Jan. 9, has ended, according to a statement released by NYSNA on Thursday, Jan. 12. Gov. Kathy Hochul joined New York State representatives of The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO),


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Annual Tree-Lighting Event Brings Joy to Bronx Community District 7

  The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition.   Smiles and laughter were seen and heard in abundance during a fun-filled, joyous gathering on Mosholu Parkway lawn on Thursday, Dec. 8, for the annual holiday tree-lighting ceremony, hosted by Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) and Friends of Mosholu Parkland (FOMP).   Families and residents gathered at the usual location at the intersection of Mosholu Parkway and Bainbridge Avenue on the Norwood/Bedford Park border and were treated to snacks, hot chocolate, hot cider, peppermints and goodie bags as they mingled through stands,


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