SELECTED BRONX TIMES WORK
3/21/25 Community Board 10 votes down Bally’s casino proposal after ejecting public from meeting
https://www.bxtimes.com/bronx-community-board-rejects-ballys-casino-project/
Despite Bally’s $625 million community benefits package to accompany its proposed casino-hotel complex, the local community board voted it down 29 to 5 during a raucous meeting that ended when the chairman dropped an angry f-bomb at the crowd as they heckled the Bally’s chairman and hundreds of community members were ushered out of the room.
3/17/25 Exclusive: Bally’s Foundation bids $8.5M for Preston High School property, but Sisters rejected offer
https://www.bxtimes.com/ballys-foundation-bid-for-preston/
The philanthropic arm of Bally’s, the gaming corporation seeking to build a $4 billion hotel-casino in the East Bronx, gave the Bronx Times exclusive details on how it tried to save Preston HS with an $8.5 million offer to buy. Amid public opposition to their casino proposal, buying the school would have kept it open while showing good faith to Throggs Neck residents. But the Sisters of the Divine Compassion rejected the offer and said no other offers would be entertained to keep the school open.
3/13/25 Preston High School closure sparks outcry as community demands transparency
https://www.bxtimes.com/preston-high-school-closure-sparks-outcry-as-community-demands-transparency/
The Preston High School community was rocked by the sudden news that it will close at the end of the school year, after the school’s failed effort to purchase the property from the Sisters of the Divine Compassion. Electeds, students, alumni and staff have banded together in a desperate effort to save the school, accusing the nuns of greed and a lack of transparency.
2/24/25 Longtime Army veteran fired from Bronx VA under Trump federal workforce cuts
https://www.bxtimes.com/longtime-army-veteran-fired-from-bronx-va/
The story of Luke Graziani, who served four combat tours over 20 years in the Army and was abruptly fired from the Bronx VA amid drastic federal staffing cuts. This story was viewed tens of thousands of times as his story gained a national audience.
2/21/25 South Bronx residents organize against notorious landlord
https://www.bxtimes.com/south-bronx-tenants-organize-against-notorious-landlord/
Tenants under one of the city’s top ten worst landlords have been living for years with mold, pests, water damage, no locks on the front door and other problems. They’ve now begun organizing to fight for better conditions.
1/15/25 South Bronx officials push back against city’s plan for massive migrant shelter
Following the city’s announced plan to open a 2,200-bed migrant shelter in the South Bronx while closing dozens of other city shelters, an outpouring of opposition and concerns came from elected officials and residents who say the borough is becoming a city dumping ground.
12/20/24 Local nonprofit abruptly loses $5.1 million contract with ACS
https://www.bxtimes.com/nonprofit-iraise/
I spoke with the CEO of I’RAISE, an NYC-based provider of in-school mental health services, who said she has not received a clear explanation as to why her organization’s multi-year contract with the city was suddenly terminated.
12/13/24 Interview with The Kid Mero
https://www.bxtimes.com/the-kid-mero/
In what will surely go down as one of my all-time favorite interviews, I met for hours with The Kid Mero, who talked about Bronx pride, his split from comedy partner Desus Nice, NY sports and his current work in uplifting talented people from often-overlooked areas.
12/5/24 Local pet store owners react to retail pet sales ban
For this piece, I spoke with local pet store owners who fear the new state law banning the sale of pets in retail stores will end up fueling the puppy mills and ruin their businesses.
11/26/24 Bronx nonprofits struggle with late city payments
https://www.bxtimes.com/bronx-nonprofits-city-contracts/
Bronx nonprofits say they are stuck waiting months to be paid for services contracted with the city. One large organization, BronxWorks, said they are waiting on $9 million from the city — and had to borrow against a line of credit to make recent payroll — and the Bronx Defenders are waiting on $1 million. While the problem is not new, these orgs said this year is worse than ever before.
11/22/24 Struggles in the NYC craft beer industry (syndicated to AMNewYork)
https://www.amny.com/lifestyle/eat-and-drink/nyc-craft-beer-industry-sees-sobering-challenges/
Following my exclusive story (below) on the merger between the Bronx Brewery and Westchester-based Captain Lawrence Brewing Co., I took it citywide and reported on other closures, consolidations and changes within the NYC craft beer world.
11/11/24 Trump’s victory
After Trump’s stunning win, Bronx conservatives are looking to seize the momentum — and get their candidates elected. For this story, I talked with leaders from the Bronx Republican and Conservative parties about their efforts to recruit more voters and challenge Dems at every level of office.
9/11/24 Westech closure
After the abrupt closure of Westech Security and Investigations, a group of former employees gathered outside the Bronx office to demand their missing paychecks, which they never received. Looking into the company, I learned Westech was in deep debt and facing questions, even lawsuits, from investors big and small. This piece received over 20,000 views on our website.
10/4/24 follow-up, in which I reported on several of the people who reached out to me with more concerns about Westech.
10/3/24 Bronx Brewery merger
In a move that was never publicly announced, the Bronx Brewery shut down beer production and merged that aspect of the business with another brewery based in Westchester County. The change upset some current and former employees who believed the move signaled a turn away from the company’s culture and values.
July 2023 Ichan Charter School staffing debacle
https://www.bxtimes.com/icahn-charter-contracts/
https://www.bxtimes.com/icahn-charter-schools-superintendent-resigns-following-staffing-controversy/
I received a tip from a former J-school professor whose friend had a child attending one of the Bronx’s seven Icahn charter schools. On the last day of school in 2023, a large number of teachers were laid off midway through the day and not even allowed to finish out the year with students. Many parents, staff and children were upset, and a few even withdrew from the school. For this story, I interviewed teachers and parents about the debacle, and some said the campus that suffered the layoffs was getting the short end of the stick compared to others in the network. I read financial documents and found glaring disparities in resources among the Icahn schools — the campuses in wealthier neighborhoods had three times the assets of those in the poorer neighborhoods. The superintendent resigned a few months after the publication of my story.
7/26/24 Mitchell-Lama housing woes
https://www.bxtimes.com/park-reservoir-new-board-of-directors/
In these two long pieces, I reported on the worsening financial challenges of Mitchell-Lama developments in the Bronx, specifically at Park Reservoir and Jamie Towers. Residents say they have faced steep increases in their carrying charges in return for decreased services and quality of life — but managers say they’re only doing what they must in the face of rising insurance, labor and maintenance costs.
5/2/24 Parkchester community concerns with Metro-North expansion
www.bxtimes.com/parkchester-metro-north/
Parkchester residents push back against certain provisions of the planned Bronx Metro-North expansion project, which they fear will result in the loss of parking spaces and put undue strain on local services and infrastructure.
5/24/24 Trump Bronx rally and counter-rally
https://www.bxtimes.com/trump-bronx-rally/
As Trump rallied thousands of supporters in Crotona Park, I covered the response across the street, where a smaller yet vocal group gathered to oppose his presence in the borough.
6/25/24 Democratic Primary coverage of 16th Congressional District race
https://www.bxtimes.com/bronx-primary-results-june-2024/
https://www.bxtimes.com/i-have-work-to-do-george-latimer-on-representing-the-bronx/
Following up on my June 2024 primary night coverage of George Latimer’s defeat of incumbent U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman, I interviewed Latimer about how he planned to represent the tiny sliver of his district that includes the Bronx.
6/17/24 Camp Junior
https://www.bxtimes.com/bronx-youth-camp-junior/
Camp Junior, a summer camp for Bronx youth, was named after 15-year-old Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz, who was murdered in 2018. For this piece, I interviewed his mother, Lesandra, at her apartment, which was filled wall-to-wall with artwork, photos, school certificates and other memorabilia of her son.
4/10/24 From the Bronx to Broadway
https://www.bxtimes.com/bronx-native-shines/
Feature piece on Pierre Jean Gonzalez, a gay Dominican native of the Bronx, who had a lead role in the musical “Hamilton” and co-produced the Broadway revival of “The Wiz.”
3/28/24 South Bronx opera star
https://www.bxtimes.com/south-bronx-opera/
Feature piece on Linda Collazo, a 28-year-old opera singer from the South Bronx.
6/7/24 HBCU tour
https://www.bxtimes.com/bronx-students-hbcu-colleges/
For this piece, I interviewed Bronx high schoolers who went on a bus trip to tour historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Two students had already been accepted to their top-choice schools following the tour, where they got a glimpse of college life and connected with mentors from the strong nationwide network of HBCU students and alumni.
5/22/24 Bronx’s most famous Albanian restaurant
https://www.bxtimes.com/cka-ka-qellu/
I ate a very large, comforting and delicious lunch at Ca Ka Qellu, an Albaian restaurant in the Bronx’s Little Italy, which was named to the New York Times 100 Best Restaurants list. Afterwards, I barely stayed awake to write about it.
2/6/24 Street safety
https://www.bxtimes.com/bronx-deadliest-street-report/
From doing this story, I learned that one of NYC’s deadliest roadways for motorists and pedestrians is right near my home. East 138th Street, which only runs about 1.5 miles through the South Bronx, has the city’s highest rates of death per mile. I spoke to a few people in the area who could commiserate about trying to get through the hot mess of traffic that continually overtakes East 138th Street and Bruckner Boulevard.
3/29/24 Ghost gun manufacturer lawsuit
https://www.bxtimes.com/angelly-yambo-family-lawsuit-ghost-gun/
I wasn’t living in New York when 16-year-old Angellyh Yambo of the South Bronx was shot and killed by another teen, but I’ve connected with her family and followed up with a few stories on the impact of her death. This piece reports on the family’s decision to sue the manufacturer of the “ghost gun” that killed her, arguing that the ready-to-assemble kits make it too easy for teens or others to obtain guns without any restrictions.
7/15/24 Free Admission Campaign
https://www.bxtimes.com/more-free-days-bronx-zoo-city-attractions/
Several NYC cultural attractions, including the Bronx Zoo, NY Botanical Garden and Met Museum, should be free every day to New Yorkers, as argued by a local advocate and the attorneys she hired to research the history and intent behind these organizations. For this piece, I reported on the “Free Admission Campaign” and arguments in favor of opening up these places to more local people, especially in low-income areas like the Bronx.
2/21/24 Sale of Van Cortlandt Jewish Center
https://www.bxtimes.com/van-cortlandt-jewish-center-sale/
I reported on the looming sale of a historic Jewish center, which also housed a daycare and frequently-used senior center. While residents feared the move would create expensive housing and displace community groups, managers said there was no feasible way to keep the congregation intact while also keeping the building.
8/22/23 Arrest of local anti-violence leader
https://www.bxtimes.com/bronx-anti-gun-violence-drug-trafficking/
A shocking story from my Bronx Times internship days about the executive director of a local anti-violence group, Bronx Rises Against Gun Violence (B.R.A.G.), who was himself arrested on gun and drug charges.
Summer 2023 Allerton street vendors
https://www.bxtimes.com/allerton-street-vendors/
https://www.bxtimes.com/allerton-avenue-street-vendors/ *
I reported twice on street vendors in the Allerton neighborhood — some of whom have been there for decades — as they battled with DSNY over repeated tickets and confiscations. *This piece won a third place award from the New York Press Assocation.