Ischia Bravo

A Look Back on Legislative Actions Taken on the 2nd Anniversary of the Twin Parks Fire

By ARIEL PACHECO & SÍLE MOLONEY
As Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson organized a reflective memorial ceremony on Tuesday, Jan. 9, to honor the 17 people, including 8 children, mostly of Gambian descent, who lost their lives in one of the deadliest fires in New York City’s history two years ago, we take a look back at the various legislative actions taken since then. The wreath-laying ceremony took place at Bronx Borough Hall on the second anniversary of the tragic Twin Parks fire which broke out in the Fordham Heights section of The Bronx on a fateful, cold Sunday, Jan. 9, 2022, as snow lay on the roofs of cars and along the street.

Fordham Manor: AM George Alvarez Opens New Constituency Office at 2633 Webster Avenue

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  Under a dark Sunday afternoon downpour, Democratic Assembly Member George Alvarez (A.D. 78), elected as a rookie State assembly member last year after beating incumbent assemblyman José Rivera who held the seat for around two decades, opened a new, highly visible, street level constituency office at 2633 Webster Avenue in Fordham Manor on April 30.   Alvarez, a DR native, told those gathered that when he started his new role in January 2023, he inherited “an elegant, safe, cool office” on the 10th floor of a building located on Fordham Plaza. “It was safe because you had to get through


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UPDATE Karla Cabrera Carrera is New CB7 District Manager, Residents Disappointed at Bronx Week Parade Move

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  Karla Cabrera Carrera, the former assistant district manager of Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7), was elected as the new district manager for the board during CB7’s general board meeting held April 27. Cabrera Carrera was voted in following 20 votes in the affirmative and 6 abstentions.   She has been hired at a salary of $96,000 per annum. As reported, the position of district manager had been vacant since the departure of former district manager Ischia Bravo who stepped down at the end of last year to take up a new role as Bronx County Clerk.   Cabrera Carrera


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Ischia Bravo Sworn in as First Woman and First Latina to Serve as Bronx County Clerk

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT
At a ceremony attended by many local elected officials, judicial dignitaries, and well-wishers, Ischia Bravo, former district manager of Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7), was sworn in as the first woman and first Latina to hold the position of Bronx County clerk and commissioner of jurors on Feb. 9. The ceremony took place at Gould Memorial Library on the campus of Bronx Community College in University Heights, with Bravo sworn in by Rolando T. Acosta, presiding justice of the New York State Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Department.   Among those in attendance for the occasion were NYS Attorney General


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Bronx BP Launches Digital Community Board Application Process, CB7 Hiring District Manager

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson announced on Jan. 24 the launch of the Bronx’s first-ever online community board application process, available in English and Spanish, adding that the launch was an effort to prioritize fairness, equity, and broader participation that, according to Gibson, mirrors the diversity in all 12 Bronx community boards.   Each year, the Office of The Bronx Borough President accepts applications from city residents who reside, work, and/or have professional or other significant interests in the borough. According to Gibson, the new digital application process should make applying easier, more accessible, and should ensure the Office


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Victims of Twin Parks Fire Tragedy Remembered on First Anniversary

By SÍLE MOLONEY
The first anniversary of the Twin Parks fire tragedy which ripped through the towering housing development in Fordham Heights on Jan. 9 2022, was marked by a somber ceremony on Monday, Jan. 9. As reported extensively at the time, the tragic event claimed the lives of 17 Bronxites, including 8 children, mostly of Gambian descent. The cause of the fire was found to be a combination of a “malfunctioning space heater” and reportedly malfunctioning self-closing fire doors.   With legal proceedings against the Twin Parks building owners still pending, Mayor Eric Adams and other Bronx elected officials attended the private


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Bedford Park: Phase II Construction Begins at Bedford Greene

By JULIAN ROBERTS-GRMELA
  Construction of Bedford Green House II, located at 2880 Jerome Avenue in Bedford Park, the second of a two-phase, supportive housing development, began on Friday, Dec. 9. The first building, constructed under Phase I of the development and located on the adjacent lot at 2865 Creston Avenue, was completed last winter and residents started moving in in January 2022. A formal ribbon-cutting opening ceremony took place in July.   As reported, Mayor Eric Adams, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson, State. Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33), Adolfo Carrión Jr., NYC Department of Housing, Preservation & Development (HPD) commissioner, Eric Rosenbaum,


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

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  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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Yajaira Arias Elected as Bronx Community Board 7 Chair

By SÍLE MOLONEY
  Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) secretary, Yajaira Arias, was elected as the board’s new chairperson at the November general meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 15. Arias succeeds Emmanuel Martinez, who stepped down last summer from the role. Parks chair, Barbara Stronczer, had been acting as interim board chair until the board’s election took place.   Arias told Norwood News that at age 5, her parents moved to The Bronx to 196th Street and Morris Avenue. She attended the P.S. 86 Annex, and later, P.S. 86. At 12, her family moved to the South Bronx where she lived until the age


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