Winner of Vol. 71, No. 23
What’s inside?
the Pulitzer Prize
Thursday, July 16, 2020
$1.00
Construction more than a bump in the night Neighbors can’t figure out why work must last into the very wee hours By CHEYENNE R. UBIERA Intern
Getting equal CB8 is getting a racial equity committee, but is it what one member who started it all is looking for? Page A3
Summer nights haven’t been peaceful for some of the residents of 2601 Henry Hudson Parkway. No, it’s not leftover fireworks from Fourth of July. Instead, it’s construction crews ripping up old asphalt along the busy parkway into the wee hours of the night — keeping many awake with loud noises and bright floodlights ruining bedtime. Numerous complaints have been made to 311, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority — which oversees the work — hasn’t offered much of a reply. The lack of communication has increased tensions among neighbors who seek some kind of relief. Even visitors are getting tired of the
Courtesy of David Handschuh
Construction trucks backing up on the Henry Hudson parkway are the main source of the noise keeping many of its neighbors up, according to those very same residents. The culprit? The Metropolitan Transportation Authority. commotion. Rather than working from his home in New Jersey, David Handschuh has been staying with a friend in Spuyten Duyvil. The noise, he said, has led to countless sleepless nights, with the main culprits
the constant beeping of trucks backing up. The sounds are so loud that Handschuh says it can even wake him from a deep sleep. “Sometimes I think, ‘Is that my alarm?’”
Handschuh said. “Then I realize that it’s just another truck on the Henry Hudson Parkway.” He says neighbors in the building are just as fed up as he is. And the worst part? It doesn’t have to be this way. Late-night construction means less traffic and cooler summertime temperatures. However, the coronavirus pandemic has led to some of the lowest traffic levels in American history, and New York City traffic isn’t any different. Because of that, Handschuh believes a lot of that work can be moved to the daytime, when people are at work, or at least awake. Typically, commercial and highway construction is allowed in the cities on weekdays between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m.. Work can occur after hours and on the weekends if it is emergency work that is necessary for public safety and cannot be completed during normal hours. But Handschuh says this isn’t an emergency. “Fixing up severe potholes is an emergency, but putting down a new roadway CONSTRUCTION, page A4
More coronavirus victims
Parents seek new options after school closes
St. John’s School was the last Catholic school open in Kingsbridge Anxious times The coronavirus is bad for our health, but not just the physical kind. Efforts are being made to address mental issues, too. Page A6
Is it open yet? Parks are slowly coming back to full force, but there are some things you can’t expect for a while. Page A11
By ROSE BRENNAN rbrennan@riverdalepress.com
When the more than 260 students poured out of the doors of St. John’s School in mid-March as the coronavirus pandemic bore down on the state, they likely thought they would return soon. If not this academic year, then per- ‘Children haps the next? At least by 2021, even in the are always worst-case scenario. But it now seems the most that departure from innocent the Kingsbridge Avenue school was the victims of final one. St. John’s is any crisis, one of 20 in the city and surrounding area and this the Archdiocese of New York has closed COVID-19 permanently. pandemic The affected schools were not only is no in the Bronx, but also exception.’ in other parts of New — Cardinal York City as well as Westchester, Rock- Timothy Dolan land, Orange and Dutchess counties. In a letter to parents, Cardinal Timothy Dolan blamed the massive tuition revenue loss caused by the coronavirus pandemic, a loss that now impacts some 2,500 students and 350 faculty members. St. John’s was among six schools closed in the Bronx, along with Nativity of Our Blessed Lady in Eastchester, Our Lady of
JULIUS CONSTANTINE MOTAL / File
The Archdiocese of New York says it’s closing 20 Catholic elementary schools, including St. John’s School in Kingsbridge. Now its students must find a new home before the academic year begins in September. the Assumption School in Pelham Bay, St. Luke School in Mott Haven, Sts. Philip & James School in Williamsbridge, and St. Thomas Aquinas School in West Farms. All 20 of the affected institutions were primarily elementary schools, although many taught students up to eighth grade.
“Children are always the most innocent victims of any crisis, and this COVID-19 pandemic is no exception,” Dolan said, in a release. “Too many have lost parents and grandparents to this insidious virus, and now thousands will not see their beloved school again.”
Virus is no match for Bronx ‘machine’
The pandemic had an impact on Catholic schools for several reasons, Dolan said in a separate letter to parents. Most of the affected schools were parochial, and their respective churches have not been open for religious services. This meant SCHOOL CLOSING, page A4
After last-minute budget vote, city scrambles to restart programs By KIRSTYN BRENDLEN
By MAYA KATZ
kbrendlen@riverdalepress.com Intern
I
t’s been made clear there is a correlation between healthy eating and success in education for kids. And that’s exactly what fuels Stephen Ritz, a long-time educator from Riverdale who wants to transform society into small, resilient communities. To make that happen, he founded Green Bronx Machine in 2011, an all-volunteer organization that incorporates a healthy eating initiative in schools where kids may have more limited options while providing fresh produce to lower income areas. The organization touches 50,000 students across 500 schools all over the country every day. “Children will never be well-read
Courtesy of Green Bronx Machine
Green Bronx Machine founder Stephen Ritz has worked to provide students with healthy foods while learning how to grow their own produce — all in an effort to cultivate a healthy lifestyle. if they’re not well-fed,” Ritz said. “So giving children access to healthy learning paradigms and healthy, fresh food is critical now more than ever.” Green Bronx Machine specializes in indoor academic learning gardens. Students from the elementary to college level cultivate produce using
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90 percent less water and 90 percent less space. Each of these “edible classrooms” can grow enough food to feed 450 people. “No one can do everything, but everyone can do something,” Ritz said. “We believe we are at the forefront of a movement locally grown GREEN MACHINE, page A4
It’s an annual process that generally doesn’t get a lot of attention: The city council and Mayor Bill de Blasio negotiate a budget to fund New York City for the next 12 months to the tune of tens of billions of dollars. In 2020, though, the city found itself in the middle of more than one historic event. The coronavirus pandemic — which has had the city slowed down and, until recently, completely shuttered — has put thousands out of work while draining money from city coffers — money needed to keep many of New York City’s programs continuing for the coming year. Then, in May, George Floyd died at the hands of police in Minneapolis, prompting what has turned into weeks of nationwide outrage, including daily protests across New York City. BUDGET VOTE, page A4