Cuomo throws out 9% threshold, angers UFT
Coronavirus cases are on the rise again citywide, but many schools remain open
Keeping the country’s largest public school system running during a pandemic is no mean feat. But it might be easier now that one variable that could single-handedly shut those schools down has gone out the window.
Writing on the wall
Rats, trash, broken elevators plague nabe’s ‘worst’ building
When a typical New York City apartment dweller has something that needs fixing — a water leak, or the heater isn’t working — it’s normally addressed with a quick call to the superintendent or landlord. That’s not the case for handyman Nelson Talavera. There’s no calling anybody. If he need something in his apartment fixed, he fixes it himself.
Dream come true for Lauren Wechsler
She only wants to help others the same way her nurses help her right now
For most of Lauren Wechsler’s life, the odds have been stacked against her. But Lauren survived it all. And through her seemingly never-ending health ordeals, she maintained a positive attitude and an indomitable spirit. That didn’t go unnoticed.
FIRST ONLINE
Haller now out-raising Dinowitz in council race, Lora starts strong
As the March 23 special election race heats up for the city council seat once held by Andrew Cohen, environmental activist Jessica Haller is an early winner among the five candidates in the race — at least when it comes to fundraising.
Off-campus students aren’t quite ‘good neighbors'
‘Twas a few nights after Christmas and all through the house, a party lasted for hours, awakening even the smallest mouse. That was the case one evening in The Majestic. The building at 3660 Waldo Ave., is popular with Manhattan College students wanting to live off campus. And according to some of their immediate neighbors inside the building, some student apartments are infamous for causing a racket at all hours of the night.
City council candidates get some respite from COVID
Gov. Andrew Cuomo finally heeded calls to lower the petition signature threshold allowing city council candidates to qualify for special election ballot access — well sort of.
Carlton Berkley wants to give a voice to the voiceless
In a time when racial justice protests have taken hold of the country, Carlton Berkley says it’s already been his life’s work. A former New York Police Department detective and a criminal justice advocate, “Chucky” — as many call him — jumped into a crowded special election race late last year, hoping to replace Andrew Cohen on the city council.
FIRST ONLINE
Cuomo reduces petition signatures, but is it enough?
Petitioning to get on the ballot for the March 23 city council special election is well under way, but Gov. Andrew Cuomo has stepped in to reduce some of that burden in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. Just not by a lot.
And they’re off ... kinda
Petitioning during COVID forces two out of race
The field for the special election to replace Andrew Cohen on the city council narrowed Tuesday as Abigail Martin and Marcos Sierra both dropped out of the race. But it doesn’t mean they don’t still have hopes of becoming a member of the city council. Both said they’re going to wait to run in the June primary for the seat, and leave the March 23 special election to fill Cohen’s last year of his term to someone else.
Bowman ready to make progressive waves on Hill
It might not be the kind of news House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants to hear, but The Squad — an unofficial group of progressive members of Congress led by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez — expanded a bit this election cycle with a few new members, including the newly sworn in U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman.
CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL ELECTION
Candidates band together versus Ben Franklin Club
Just a few weeks ago, all seven candidates looking to replace Andrew Cohen on the city council visited with members of the Ben Franklin Club — virtually — in the hopes to get that endorsement. But as of Monday, only one is left seeking it — the one many felt was going to get it anyway, thanks to his strong family connections.
FIRST ONLINE
BronxNet, Press hosting February city council debate
Now that Mayor Bill de Blasio has made the special election to replace Andrew Cohen on the council official, two Bronx-based media outlets are creating a forum allowing the five candidates a chance to debate.
FIRST ONLINE
Elderly man dies in Spuyten Duyvil apartment fire
Police are investigating an early-morning fire Wednesday that claimed the life of a Spuyten Duyvil senior citizen.
Covering for a community when the big chair’s empty
What happens when a city council district doesn’t have a city council member? That’s the question some were asking even before Andrew Cohen stepped down from his city council seat Dec. 31 to become a Bronx Supreme Court judge. His departure leaves the greater Riverdale and Kingsbridge area, as well as Norwood and Wakefield without representation until after a March 23 special election.
David Moore: A businessman on a mission for humanity
Those who have heard of David Moore probably know him from his professional endeavors. For instance, he’s the chair and chief executive of Moore Holdings. But there’s something else that some might find just as commendable, even though it may not catch as much attention: David Moore is on a mission for humanity.
Opinion
-
Donald Trump: Sore loser
-
A special thanks to all of our letter writers in 2020
-
Wave Hill riverfront plan deserves enthusiastic praise
-
One political club that's feeling a lot like Trump
Fall of Tammany Hall
Many aspiring politicians work their way through city and state office on their way to Washington. But not William Magear Tweed.
Obituaries
-
Spanish, French teacher Vivienne Skloot, 95
-
Elizabeth Landau, woman of faith loved by RKA students, dies at 68
-
Anne Kelly, who loved her family
-
Claddagh County Galway's Patrick Conneely, 86
Emma Schlossman, who will live in our hearts forever, 91
Emma Schlossman, 91, a longtime Riverdale resident, passed away with her family by her side, on Jan. 1, 2021, of natural causes.
Letters/Op-Ed
POLICE BEAT
Robbing one store just wasn’t enough
A hungry burglar decided he needed a little more than breaking into one Broadway store just before Christmas. He decided to break into two.
POLITICAL ARENA
Dinowitz is Ben Franklin Club choice
As expected, Eric Dinowitz has earned the endorsement of the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club, picking up 117 of a possible 143 votes.
PRESS POINTS
Developers getting busy in the nabe
The new year is still quite young, but yet real estate developers have been super-busy — especially in this part of the Bronx.
SCHOOL DESK
Alma mater condemns Giuliani
In the eleventh hour of the Trump presidency, many higher education institutions are rescinding honorary degrees or taking other actions against the president and his inner circle — especially in the wake of the pro-Trump riot that stormed the Capitol building Jan. 6.
Coronavirus
-
More population groups now eligible for COVID vaccine
-
Dem club leaders ... forever and ever?
-
School doors reopen, for some all week
-
Return to campus ushers in new COVID testing policies
City council candidates say election laws put them in COVID danger
Dan Padernacht — joined by others seeking to succeed Councilman Andrew Cohen — called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio to suspend the need to collect petition signatures in order to get on the ballot. None of them feel the middle of a pandemic is the best time to fulfill that requirement.