Bronx Times

11/19/2025

An early campaign ad by Michael Blake, who is challenging Rep. Ritchie Torres for the District 15 Congressional seat, caught the attention of two prominent Bronx Democratic clubs, who accuse Blake of political opportunism and stoking divisiveness.

Blake's two-minute video includes social media clips of people denouncing Torres' staunch support of Israel — among them being 19-year-old Guy Christensen, who previously posted a now-removed video in which he appeared to support the May fatal shooting of two Israeli embassy staffers in Washington, D.C.

The video has been removed from Blake's campaign website, and his campaign did not respond to question as to why it was taken down. But the ad remains pinned to the top of his account for X, formerly known as Twitter.

Democratic clubs are accusing Michael Blake, who is challenging Rep. Ritchie Torres for the District 15 seat, of stoking political divisiveness.

11/19/2025

Environmental advocates with the Stop the Cross Bronx Expansion Coalition and Bronx elected officials on Tuesday called on Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Department of Transportation to look beyond their plans to repair the Cross Bronx Expressway and commit, not just to reconstruction, but to traffic reduction and solutions to stop polluting.

"Hunts Point's new marine terminal shows exactly what the Bronx needs: smart freight solutions that get dirty trucks off our streets,"said Siddhartha Sánchez, executive director of Bronx River Alliance. "After suffering decades of pollution and sickness from the Cross Bronx and other major highways, moving goods onto blue highways will clean our air without breaking the bank."

Advocates with the Stop the Cross Bronx Expansion Coalition and Bronx elected officials called on the state to look for solutions to end pollution.

11/19/2025

Aufgang Architects announced they are in the early stages of working on two new 100% affordable housing projects totaling 336 units in the Bronx, at 860 Concourse Village E. and 1810 Randall Ave.

Formerly the site of a parking lot, 860 Concourse Village E. will have two towers spanning 201,031 square feet and standing 18 stories tall. This project will account for 266 of the housing units, including 148 studios, 60 one-bedroom units, 47 two-bedroom units and 11 three-bedroom units.

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11/18/2025

It's that time of the year when colorful stringed lights brighten the streets, people warm their bellies with cups of hot chocolate and festive music plays in stores and restaurants across the city. Most everyone is getting into the spirit of the season, including the New York Botanical Garden as they bring back their 34th annual Holiday Train show filled with nostalgia and wonder.

As visitors enter, they are greeted with a loud "all aboard" by train conductors holding lanterns and wearing all blue uniforms.

Familiar buildings make a cameo: the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, the Stephen A. Schwartzman Library on Fifth Avenue with two new structures unveiled this year.

The New York Botanical Garden is showcasing their 34th annual Holiday Train Show filled with nostalgia and wonder.

11/18/2025

Members of the state Gaming Facility Location Board, which holds the power to award up to three New York City area casino licenses, visited the sites of all remaining bids on Nov. 17 for a firsthand glimpse into each project's potential impact on the neighborhood.

The 10-member group started their day at Bally's Links in Ferry Point Park before proceeding to the proposed sites for Metropolitan Park in Flushing and Resorts World in Ozone Park, Queens.
In just weeks, the board is expected to announce a decision about which of these projects —if any— will receive a highly sought-after casino license.

The company projects that the Bally's resort-casino, if approved, would attract 9.3 million visitors per year, with the vast majority coming from outside the Bronx.

Members of the state Gaming Facility Location Board, visited the sites of all the remaining casino bids. In the Bronx, they visited Bally's.

11/17/2025

Five Lehman College students will spend summer 2026 on the New Jersey coast balancing business and hospitality through a new paid internship program with Bally's Casinos.

The new internship program will include housing and transportation, and offer the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of a range of professional career paths in the gaming and resorts industry, like accounting, human resources, hospitality and management.

"Returning to Lehman College always reminds me where my own journey began. The students embody the same grit and drive that define the Bronx borough, and it's inspiring to see their potential," Bally's Chair Soo Kim said. "I'm thrilled Bally's can play a small part in helping them take the next step toward bright and impactful careers."

Bally’s Chairman, Soo Kim, announced a paid summer 2026 internship program for five Lehman College students.

11/17/2025

Bronx leaders gathered Nov. 14 at Boone Playground in Longwood to the $8.4 million transformation to the park which will create a more inclusive, safe and environmentally friendly space.

The Longwood play area, triangled between Sheridan Boulevard, West Farms Road and Boone Ave., last received significant investment in the late 1990s.

Assembly Member Emerita Torres said that the tough reputation of Bronxites comes from the fact that "we have to fight for years, for decades, for generations for green space, for playgrounds that suit us, for cultural spaces that meet our needs."

As for Daniel Boone Playground, "This is a fight that we won," Torres said.

Bronx leaders gathered Nov. 14 at Boone Playground to break ground on the $8.4 million transformation to the park.

11/17/2025

In the Bronx, concerns of affordability, party loyalty and last minute voter registration propelled Mamdani to victory

Caro Salguero, a Mamdani voter, told the Bronx Times that she supports Mamdani's strong focus on affordability, and says it's important to everyone in her community.

"Food prices and rent prices are definitely at the top of the list for me," Salguero said.

"I feels good for honestly the first time in my life to have voted for someone that I think actually has a chance to win as a candidate that I actually like and not just a decision that I made begrudgingly because of choosing between the lesser of two evils," Salguero said.

Mamdani’s win is attributable to party loyalty in the borough with well over half a million active registered Democrat voters.

11/15/2025

Instead of marching down Fifth Ave, Mayor-elect Mamdani chose a quieter Veterans Day: pasta, green beans, and real talk with Bronx veterans.

Critics called it “anti-parade,” but the vets who met him described something else entirely — surprise, honesty, and conversations about rent, housing, and what the next mayor needs to fix first.

Read the story behind the visit at bxtimes.com

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11/14/2025

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani chose to skip the popular Veterans Day Parade down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan in favor of spending the holiday with veterans in the Bronx.

Bronx veterans were surprised and pleased with Mamdani's visit Tuesday, telling the Bronx Times that the soon-to-be mayor was receptive and listened to their thoughts.

"I have to be honest with you, I haven't thought all that much about parades," Mamdani said to press outside the lunch. "I wanted to ensure that on Veteran's Day, I actually got the time to sit down with veterans and hear from them. Some of the stories that I heard from men who have served this country and given everything they could to protect this nation is that they have often been left behind and forgotten by this same nation, by this same city."

The Mayor-elect’s choice to forego the popular Veterans Day Parade down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan in favor of spending the holiday with veterans in the Bronx sparked criticism from conservative media, with the New York Post dubbing him “anti-parade.”

11/13/2025

Dalourny Nemorin, a public defense attorney and member of Bronx Community Board 1, launched her campaign Nov. 12 for the borough's 15th Congressional District, which includes a wide swath of the southern and central Bronx.

The district of approximately 715,000 residents has been represented by Ritchie Torres since 2021, but three candidates have thus far announced they will challenge him in the 2026 primary: Nemorin, Democrat Michael Blake, a former Assembly Member who, most recently, ran unsuccessfully for mayor; and Andre Easton, another socialist candidate and high school teacher.

Dalourny Nemorin, a public defense attorney and member of Bronx Community Board 1, launched her campaign to run for the borough’s 15th Congressional District.

11/13/2025

At the Cary Leeds Center for Tennis & Learning, residents from the Bronx gathered at an event which taught local residents how to advocate for more parks and green spaces in their neighborhoods.

Events like these emphasize the ways residents can be a part of the solution regarding environmental injustice and quality of life. The Bronx has a complex relationship with green spaces.

There's historically been a lack of access to the waterfront, zoning practices that build more housing which limits the use of and access to green spaces and poor air quality. This is a result of large infrastructure projects, redlining, limited funding and uneven distribution of parks despite the borough having the most green spaces.

Residents from the Bronx gathered at an event which taught local residents how to advocate for more parks and green spaces in their neighborhoods.