The Bronx feels New Jersey earthquake that rattled New York City
“Jesus is coming for us!” Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson said on social media after Friday morning’s earthquake rattled New York City. “That was crazy!!!!”
At around 10:30 a.m. on April 5, a reported 4.7 magnitude earthquake centered about 3 miles northeast of Lebanon, New Jersey, caused shaking throughout the Bronx and New York City.
John Doyle, president of the nonprofit City Island Rising, told the Bronx Times via text message that the quake on the island in the East Bronx was a “wild experience.” He said today’s earthquake was the first he’s felt in his lifetime.
“I was home in my apartment and everything started shaking,” he said. “At first I thought it was something local (there’s a house two doors down being fully reconstructed) but by the time I got outside I realized it was an earthquake.”
Bronxites vote overwhelmingly for Biden in this week’s presidential primary, as expected
More than 60,000 Bronxites came out to vote in the Presidential Primary Election on April 2 and preliminary results show that the vast majority of them voted for incumbent President Joe Biden in the Democratic race.
In the four Congressional Districts represented in the Bronx’s Democratic Primary — CD 13, 14, 15, and 16 — Biden secured an average of about 92% of all 50,127 votes cast on April 2, according to unofficial state results. Current candidate and former President Donald Trump won the Republican Primary in the Bronx with an average of about 83% of the vote; however, only 10,459 people cast ballots in that race.
Bronx Assembly Members Benedetto and Zaccaro Jr. take aim at unlicensed cannabis shops
Assembly Members Michael Benedetto and John Zaccaro Jr. have joined forces in an effort to shut down unlicensed cannabis shops that have proliferated throughout the state.
At a weekend press conference, the lawmakers pushed for the SMOKEOUT Act, sponsored by Jennifer Rajkumar of Queens and co-sponsored by Benedetto, Zaccaro Jr. and others, to be included in the state budget.
According to Rajkumar’s office, there are about 36,000 shops throughout the state and 1,500 in New York City that sell cannabis illegally.
The bill would grant authority to local authorities throughout the state — including New York City — to immediately shut down unlicensed smoke shops and seize illegal products. As the law currently stands, the NYPD and sheriff’s office can only inspect shops that have tobacco licenses.
Community unites against gun violence after toddler injured in Fordham Heights shooting
The Fordham Heights community came together to rally against gun violence on Tuesday evening following a shooting that left a 2-year-old boy with serious injuries on Saturday.
Members of Good Shepherd Services, a local youth and family-based organization, as well as participants in its anti-gun violence program, Bronx Rises Against Gun Violence (B.R.A.G.), held a rally April 2 against gun violence in response to the March 30 shooting that took place in Fordham Heights that resulted in a toddler being hit by a stray bullet. The 2-year-old was last listed in stable condition.
Those who attended the rally — including local residents and community leaders, along with local anti-violence advocates who denounced the shooting — spoke out against the perpetrators of gun violence and senseless shootings, particularly on Bronx streets and public areas where innocent bystanders, particularly children, can be struck by an errant bullet.
Tuesday’s rally was held on the corner of Grand Concourse and East Fordham Road in front of the TD Bank located at 148 E. Fordham Road, which is near the site where the 2-year-old was struck.
A new art installation scores a ‘Home Run’ ahead of opening day at Yankee Stadium
Friday is opening day at Yankee Stadium and the Lou Gehrig Plaza is celebrating with a “Home Run.”
Flanked between the Bronx Supreme Court and Joyce Kilmer Park on 161st Street, the pedestrian square named after the late, great Yankee first baseman has been a venue for several art installations over the years. From now through May, the plaza will be home to yet another, honoring the inaugural home game of the Yankees.
“This is our baseball bench,” Trey Jenkins, executive director of the 161st Street Business Improvement District, said Thursday, April 4, at the unveiling of the plaza’s newest sculpture.
Composed of wood and stainless steel, “Home Run” by LeMonde Studio — a Canadian design firm with an eye towards sustainability — is a multi-faceted art installation featuring a larger-than-life baseball bat, a baseball with indented grooves for sitting, a large home base and two circle patches of artificial grass along Walton Avenue. As one walks east, they will find a life-size photo frame with light bulbs around the perimeter. With the manipulation of a hand crank, the frame lights up and an old-time radio announcer voice exclaims, “Take me out to the ballgame!”
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