Winner of Vol. 72, No. 1
What’s inside?
Thursday, February 11, 2021
n New York Health Act has new life thanks to Joe Biden taking over the White House estarkmiller@riverdalepress.com
PS 24 parents say they like the idea of adding bike lanes along Independence. Page A3
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Universal health care finally on horizon? By ETHAN STARK-MILLER
A yea for bicycles?
the Pulitzer Prize
There have been more than 120,000 confirmed coronavirus cases in the Bronx, leading to 5,500 deaths. Those who live through COVID-19 could face months, if not years, of lingering effects, burdening already strained budgets. But what if cost wasn’t an issue? What if every single person living in the Bronx — and across the rest of New York — were guaranteed health coverage without paying a cent out of pocket. Some believe the pandemic’s effects would have been much different in that
scenario. Maybe fewer infections — maybe even fewer deaths. Certainly less suffering. There is no better time for finally passing the long-stalled New York Health Act, say some of its most ardent supporters, a bill in the state legislature that aims to aLeSSandra replace employer-based bIaggI private health insurance with guaranteed state-run coverage for everyone. And 2021 might be its year, not just because of COVID-19, but also because of who voters put in the White House. “If there ever was a moment to make sure that people had access to health care, it would be during a global pandemic,” said state Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, one of the bill’s co-sponsors. “And I think that CO-
VID has really proven to all of us how dangerous — and also damaging — our patchwork system of health insurance is.” Low-income communities of color in the Bronx have been hit especially hard by the virus, says state Sen. Gustavo RiguSTaVo vera, the health act’s lead sponsor, because many rIVera of them have pre-existing health issues that formed before the pandemic. Conditions like diabetes and asthma which in many cases, according to Rivera, could’ve been prevented with access to proper health care. “Many of us believe that they will be a friendlier administration than the regime that existed before,” Rivera said, making passing reference to the now-departed
That empty feeling
Seniors face roadblocks in efforts to vaccinate n Registering online, regular cancellations make process harder for the over-65 crowd
Working together Jessica Haller teams up with Mino Lora as they tackle a whole new way to vote for city council. Page A7
By ROSE BRENNAN rbrennan@riverdalepress.com
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Holding multiple smaller services on Shabbat instead of one large service is one way The Hebrew Institute of riverdale has kept members safe during the pandemic. richard Langer, the synagogue’s executive director, says smaller groups means more congregants can attend in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Saying a little prayer to end COVID n Houses of worship find Perfect ways to grow their home art new pandemic congregations You don’t have to stay home and watch TV. There’s plenty of art available right at your fingertips, thanks to some local creators. Page A6
Trump administration. Although the New York Health Act is a state-level action, Donald Trump still found a way to block its path. The health act only works if the federal government grants New York a Medicaid waiver to fund the bill, Biaggi said. That’s something Trump never considered doing. But Trump is gone, replaced by President Joe Biden. Yet, Biden didn’t campaign on universal health care. Instead, his push was to strengthen Obamacare on the federal level, which still heavily depends on private insurance companies. However, Biden’s choice to lead the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, supports Medicare For All, the federal equivalent of the New York Health Act proposed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. “I look forward to (Becerra) getting HEALTH CARE, page A4
By ETHAN STARK-MILLER estarkmiller@riverdalepress.com
What will life be like after the coronavirus? That’s a question on the minds of many seeking pre-pandemic normalcy inside a society that may have been permanently changed. It was certainly a question on the minds of Richard Langer and Oren Hiller during a recent conference with other Jewish leaders. Langer runs the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale. Hiller, the Riverdale Jewish Center. And both networked with their counterparts from 400
other Orthodox Union synagogues from across the country wondering aloud what 5781 — or 2021 for most everyone else — will bring. Yet, while some might expect this to be a long dialogue of “troubling times,” Langer instead trumpeted one silver lining in the dark COVID-19 cloud: Allowing synagogues like his to evolve in meaningful ways. “It’s an opportunity, as we restart, to question things that might have been done by habit before,” Langer said. “However we organize services, however we organize youth activities, however we organize lifecycle celebrations, there’s an opportunity here for a more purposeful examination as we head back.” More recently, with synagogue doors allowed to reopen again, The Bayit on Henry Hudson Parkway adapted to
‘There’s something different and nice about seeing people who might not have connected otherwise with the community because they don’t live here.’
— Richard Langer
Hebrew Institute of Riverdale multiple smaller services, Langer said, instead of one larger one. Each service is able to put together a minyan — a minimum of 10 Jewish men that is traditionally required for prayer among many COVID PRAYER, page A4
The world has been a scary place for many over the past year, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic. But people like Judith Green and Bernice Harris had much more to fear not just because of the virus’ high mortality rate, but also because they’re senior citizens. More than 340,000 people older than 65 have died from complications related to COVID-19 in the United States since the pandemic started, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That represents nearly 80 percent of the country’s total death toll. The disease presented a profound risk to the elderly, leading many to SeLIna sigh in relief when seng niors became eligible for the coronavirus vaccine last month. But in addition to vaccine shortages, it’s proving more difficult than expected to vaccinate the city’s older population numbering more than 1.2 million. Selina Ng gets phone calls every day from seniors asking for help to register for the vaccine. A shortage of vaccine supplies isn’t helping, and the RSS-Riverdale Senior Services social worker says her clients are finding it difficult to even find an opening to get their first dose — whether they’re registering online or over the phone. “It’s very, very hard to navigate, wait for hours and hours, and they keep on saying, ‘Please log back in and check again,’” Ng said. “I had somebody waiting (on the phone) for six hours. And then they wind up saying VACCINATE, page A4
Post Road construction rocks neighbors with noise and dust n Stagg Group says it’s committed to addressing any complaints that might crop up over 7-story building By MICHAEL HINMAN mhinman@riverdalepress.com
There’s a lot of history along Post Road — from visits by iconic generals to its significance in keeping early New York connected with the rest of the country. So it might be easy then to almost dismiss the rock excavation at 5278 Post Road almost as an archeological dig. But it’s not. Instead, Stagg Group is building a seven-story residential building on the site, and all that rock is just in the way.
BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL 4705 Henry Hudson Pkwy, Apt. 3K 2 BD | 1.5 BA // $385,000 ALISON BARTLETT Alison.Bartlett@sothebyshomes.com
“We have to level off the rock,” Jay Martino, Stagg’s senior construction vice president, told Community Board 8’s land use committee at a recent meeting. “We have to sort of take the top of that knob off to get to a point to see what’s going to come next.” The rock chipping has been the source of some complaints by neighbors — but more because of claims it was being done off-hours, rather than a normal working day. And the geography on this part of Post Road, not far from where Broadway meets the Henry Hudson Parkway, is much different from Fort Independence Street near Kingsbridge Heights, where construction work a few years ago ricocheted loud jackhammering sounds all throughout the neighborhood. So far, however, the Post Road rock chipping is POST ROAD, page A4
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rock chipping is expected to continue for some weeks at 5278 Post road, where Stagg group is erecting a seven-story residential building. Yet, for the most part, neighbors have offered few complaints.