We wish our readers a happy and safe 4th of July, 2020
Vol. 55 No. 27
Saturday, July 4, 2020
$1.25
Co-op City mourns the tragic death of a gifted student and young rising basketball star By ROZAAN BOONE
The Co-op City community, its Board of Directors, Management and employees join in extending our profound condolences to General Manager Noel Ellison and his family on the tragic loss of his 17 year old nephew, Brandon Hendricks Ellison, a son of Co-op City who was destined for great things. Brandon was shot and senselessly killed on Sunday night, June 28, 2020 in the Bronx while attending a friend’s birthday celebration. He had graduated from James Monroe High School in the Bronx just two days before he lost his life. At James Monroe, in addition to being a stellar student, Brandon was a outstanding basketball star and point guard who sported jersey #5 and captained the Eagles for the last two years leading them to the playoffs both seasons. He was considering offers from a number of colleges and leaning towards heading West to California to play basketball
for West Hills College. Brandon got his start on the courts of Co-op City where he honed his skills at a very young age and was often singled out for his keen ability to listen to his coaches and follow their instructions on the court. Although he lived with his mother, Eve Hendricks, in the Melrose section of the Bronx, he also spent a lot of time with his dad, Kevin, and his Uncle Noel and his family in Co-op City, especially in his formative years. Being a basketball fan and a player himself, Noel helped introduce Brandon to the game and expose him to clinics and workshops held on the basketball courts in Coop City and elsewhere. The two shared a very special and tight bond. Noel was exceptionally proud of his nephew and made sure to attend as many of Brandon’s games as he could and to support his nephew and his aspirations. (Continued on page 2)
Brandon Hendricks Ellison
Indoor dining no longer included in Phase 3 reopenings Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio announced this week that indoor dining would no longer be included in New York City’s Phase 3 of reopening. The announcement comes as recent spikes in COVID-19 cases across the US appear to weigh By BRANDON ORTIZ
heavily on the minds of New York health officials as well as both state and city government. Scheduled to begin Phase 3 on July 6, New York City was originally slated to provide indoor dining in restaurants at 50% capacity as part of the plan. Having indoor dining added to Phase 3 was aimed at providing
Lottery drawing for Summer Youth Grounds positions A lottery drawing was held earlier this week for community youth ages 16 to 22 to work during the summer in the Riverbay Grounds department. In photo at right, Riverbay’s Executive General Manager Bob Klehammer (right), is shown pulling a ticket from the spinner in the random drawing. Some of the young people have worked previously in the Riverbay Institute Summer Internship Program. This year, the program has been significantly scaled back because of COVID-19 concerns. “For some of the youth, new skills will be learned. For others, new talents will be realized. And for others, skills and talents already learned and/or acquired will be strengthened,” said Riverbay’s Human Resources Director Inelle Cooper (left). The program begins on Monday, July 6, and ends on Aug. 21. There will be orientation sessions where the young people will receive important safety training and other information about Riverbay Corporation, with groups being set up to esnure proper social distancing. They will each be provided with face mask and gloves and other PPE as required by the duties to which they are assigned, and will be expected to adhere to all safety guidelines implemented by Riverbay Management. During their employment, the youth will perform general upkeep of sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, fountains, planters, or other grounds features including sweeping, raking, pulling up weeds and debris as well as gathering and removal of trash and litter. They will water, mulch, aerate, de-weed, remove thatch, trim or edge around flower beds, walks, or walls, and dig up soil to plant seeds, bulbs, foliage, and other plants. Photo courtesy of HR
more income for the thousands of restaurants and eateries in the city who have been struggling to stay afloat amidst the pandemic. However, Governor Cuomo removed indoor dining in restaurants and bars from Phase 3 on Wednesday when he told CBS News, “There are dark storm clouds on the horizon.” He went on to say, “We particularly see problems revolving around people going back to bars and restaurants indoors. Indoors is the problem more and more. The science is showing it more and more. So I want to make it very clear, we cannot go ahead at this point in time with indoor dining in New York City.” Gov. Cuomo also acknowledged that this modification to Phase 3 is specific to New York City because of the city’s size, population density and numerous tourist (Continued on page 2)
CCPD investigates ballistics found in Co-op City
Over the weekend of June 27, officers from Co-op City’s Public Safety Department responded to a call of fireworks and gun shots being heard in the community. Although officers didn’t witness the shooting, after later returning to the area, detectives found several spent rounds from a firearm and immediately notified NYPD for ballistic processing. An investigation is underway. --Toriea McCauseland