The Week in Rewind spotlights some of the editorial work of the Bronx Times for the week of Jan. 1- Jan. 6. 

Wakefield community mourns loss of 5-year old in devastating Barnes Avenue fire

The Wakefield community is mourning the loss of a 5-year old boy who died as a result of a tragic fire on Barnes Avenue Wednesday evening.

Police initially responded to a 911 call pertaining to a fire at 4011 Barnes Ave., located between East 226th and East 227th streets, on Wednesday, Jan. 3, at around 5:20 p.m., before the FDNY personnel responded and extinguished the fire at the location, according to the FDNY.

Two of those individuals were identified as an 83-year old and a 26-year old, both females, who were also transported to Jacobi in stable condition and were treated for smoke inhalation.

A police spokesperson told the Bronx Times that as of Friday morning, there is no information to suggest that the two women are related to Marquis at this time. Multiple sources have reported that another minor was also injured in the inferno.

A notice placed next to the front door of the address shows that the American Red Cross of the Greater New York region had visited the affected location offering assistance following the fire.

Fordham Heights man fatally stabbed inside of his home: NYPD

A Fordham Heights man was fatally stabbed inside of his home early Friday morning, according to authorities.

Police from the 46th Precinct responded to a 911 call of a man assaulted inside of 2415 Creston Ave. at approximately 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 5 and, upon their arrival, officers found the 61-year-old victim — later identified as Tyrone Padilla — in the stairwell with multiple stab wounds to his neck and torso.

EMS arrived at the scene and transported Padilla to Saint Barnabas Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to authorities. The investigation is ongoing.

ULURP process for Metro-North project will begin soon, city says

The land use review process for four new Metro-North stations coming to the Bronx will begin with an information session on Jan. 10, according to the city.

The project, already years in the making, is about to take a major step toward becoming reality with the start of the rezoning process.

Casey Berkovitz, the press secretary for the Department of City Planning, told the Bronx Times that the Jan. 10 session is a precursor to the official city Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) — which he said is set to kick off within the next month, although he declined to provide a specific date. ULURP is the city’s formal public review of prospective land use and development applicants.

During the ULURP process — which takes about seven months — community boards and the borough president weigh in on the project, then it goes to the level of the City Planning Commission and City Council. The input is considered in binding votes by those last two groups, which will ultimately give the project a vote of yes or no, with or without modifications. An outright “no” vote would mean the project is scrapped.

The four new Metro-North stations are a larger part of the Penn Access project — a multi-billion dollar feat that aims to cut down commute times to and from midtown Manhattan’s Penn Station by upwards of 50 minutes, better connect the East and South Bronx with Westchester County and Connecticut, and develop the neighborhoods of Hunts Point, Parkchester/Van Nest, Morris Park and Co-Op City that are getting new train stations.

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has been spearheading the Penn Access initiative for years, touting the project as a win for the Bronx — which many consider to be a transit desert.

Bronx Assemblymember Latoya Joyner announces resignation

Assemblymember Latoya Joyner, who represented the 77th district covering Claremont, Concourse, Mount Eden, Highbridge and Morris Heights, abruptly announced her resignation from office on Thursday. Her resignation is effective as of Jan. 8.

Joyner has served in the State Assembly since 2014 and is chair of the labor committee. She is moving on to a new opportunity outside of public service that has yet to be announced.

During her time in the Assembly, Joyner sponsored bills to establish a maximum allowable temperature inside school buildings; to create a task force to examine affordable housing lotteries; and to prevent rent increases due to improvements made to accommodate disabled tenants, among numerous others. She is an attorney and member of the New York State Bar.

State report shows that food insecurity affects 39% of Bronx adults

A new report from the state’s Department of Health found that 40% of Bronx adults — the highest percentage among the five boroughs — self-reported that they were “always, sometimes, or usually worried or stressed about having enough money to buy nutritious meals in the past 12 months.”

The research, conducted county-by-county throughout the state, painted a grim picture of health in New York. Within the boroughs, Staten Island (Richmond County) reported the lowest percentage of food insecurity, but still came in at just over 22%. Statewide, food insecurity was reported by nearly one in four adults.

“Hunger stresses the body and mind, and can result in malnutrition, inability to concentrate, anxiety, and depression,” State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said in a statement. “In addition, adults who experience food insecurity are more likely to report chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, asthma, and cancer.”

The problem of food insecurity has become even more urgent in the Bronx and nationwide, as SNAP (Supplemental Food and Nutrition Program) benefits that were boosted during the pandemic lapsed back in February — effectively cutting the aid to low-income families.

Three subway stabbings occur in the Bronx within ten-day period, including incidents on Christmas Eve, New Years Day

Stabbings on subways in the Bronx have become a reoccurring theme following a string of incidents at multiple stations throughout the borough over the past 10 days during the peak of the holiday season.

Dating back to Sunday, Dec. 24, there have been three occurrences involving stabbings within the NYC subway system, according to the NYPD.

These incidents include an incident in the Mosholu Parkway station, where an adult male was beaten and stabbed by a group of attackers on Christmas Eve, as well as a separate incident that occurred on a subway near the Tremont Avenue station, which victimized a 16-year old, and a third incident on New Year’s Day in which another adult male was stabbed in the neck at the Grand Concourse and East 182nd Street station.

According to NYPD, police officers within the confines of the 52nd Precinct received a report at approximately 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 24 pertaining to five unknown individuals who initially approached a 44-year old male in the mezzanine area of Mosholu Parkway station, located in the Norwood section of the Bronx, on the MTA’s 4 subway line. Following a verbal dispute, the individuals struck and stabbed the victim multiple times before stealing his cell phone and fleeing the location on foot to parts unknown following the incident, according to the NYPD.

Four individuals, including three males and one female, each between 20 to 25 years old with dark complexions, are being sought by police in connection to the beating and stabbing, according to authorities.

Police also provided a photo from a nearby camera which captured footage of the individuals who are currently being pursued.

The 44-year old male victim was transported by EMS to St. Barnabas Hospital in stable condition, according to the NYPD.

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