Winner of Vol. 76, No.4
the Pulitzer Prize
Thursday, January 8, 2026
What’s inside?
$1.00
Are you flu-ish? Flu season is upon us with a new, more virulent strain. Are you protecting yourself and your family?
Coach’s award An IN-Tech teacher and coach has been recognized for his dedication to his kids. Page A3
By MICHELLE MULLEN mmullen@riverdalepress.com
Cheer wasn’t the only thing being spread this holiday season. New Yorkers are catching the flu at record rates as the city is grapples with one of its most severe flu seasons in more than a decade, overwhelming emergency rooms, straining pharmacies and infecting those under 17 with drastic frequency. Preliminary hospital data from the New York City Department of Health shows more people visited emergency departments for “flu-like illness” in the week ending Dec. 20 than during any other week since 2016, underscoring the scale of this winter’s outbreak. Health experts say the timing is no coincidence, like Dr. Maja Castillo, a Healthfirst insurance company medical director.
Local tourism TheKRVC is launching a magazine to promote tourism in Riverdale and Kingsbridge. Page A3
Continued on page A4
Pushing to make a greenway a safe way By OLIVIA YOUNG oyoung@riverdalepress.com
What’s on? The holidays may be over but there’s still plenty to do and see at local institutions. Pages A8-9
The Department of Transportation announced on Dec. 18 it had completed a bike lane along Bailey Avenue, a street project that is part of the plan for a continuous, seven-mile path from Van Cortlandt Park to Randall’s Island Park, known as the Harlem River Greenway. The two-way bike lane runs from Van Cortlandt Park South to West 225th Street, spanning about 0.9 miles each way. Raised islands for pedestrians and bus riders, as well as other intersection upgrades, were
also added in an effort to improve safety. Since 2020, Bailey Avenue has been the site of two fatalities and nearly 200 injuries, according to the department. The city’s planning process for the greenway began in 2023, but local advocacy from groups like the Bronx Council for Environmental Quality stretches back nearly three decades. Robert Fanuzzi, president of the council and Community Board 8 member, said a lot of the city’s planning for the greenway was done with road safety in mind. While this is a positive, the push for infrastructure that is environmentally-conscious will continue.
What will it take to bring gloss to North Riverdale? By MICHELLE MULLEN mmullen@riverdalepress.com
Since launching more than a decade ago, the Riverdale Main Streets Alliance, or RMSA, has worked to restore North Riverdale to its former glory. On Jan. 2, the nonprofit marked its 14th year. The milestone comes as Riverdale Avenue, the neighborhood’s main commercial corridor, remains marked by empty storefronts and frequent business turnover, even as south Riverdale has seen restaurant expansion, new openings and growing commercial investment. “We all want to live in a beautiful neighborhood,” said Denis Haxhija, the alliance’s secretary. “We all want to go to school and go support our local shops and, you know, restaurants and cafes with beautiful streets, you know, clean sidewalks, trees, flowers, planters, etc.” Founded in 2012, the volunteer-led organization has remained focused on im-
proving conditions along Riverdale Avenue and nearby commercial strips, a mission Haxhija said reflects a refusal to accept neglect as inevitable. “We don’t want to just settle for the bare minimum and allow litter and trash flowing,” he said. Christopher Rizzo, a founding board member and attorney, said the alliance emerged in response to a stark imbalance across greater Riverdale. “I think there’s this incredibly problematic disconnect between the condition of our main street, Riverdale Avenue, and the amazing other parts of Riverdale,” Rizzo told The Press. Rizzo first became involved in 2011, after learning of early efforts to bring local businesses together to improve the avenue. Despite having lived in the neighborhood for less than a year, he stepped in to offer legal assistance, work that he estimates has since totaled more than 1,000 hours of pro bono service. Continued on page A4
“We want to make sure that future greenways and future islands incorporate more greenspace,” Fanuzzi said, later adding, “But it’s an added step towards [the council’s] goal of a continuous, linear greenway.” The first step for the activists, however, is the resurfacing of Tibbetts Brook, as well as an extension of the Putnam Trail along the brook. The brook starts in Yonkers, flows south into Van Cortlandt Park and into the lake, before dipping underground beneath Tibbett Avenue until it empties into the Harlem River, according to the Department of
Parks and Recreation. During storms, rainwater from the brook mixes with sewage from the pipes and dumps pollution into the river. This is referred to as combined sewage overflows, or CSOs. The city implemented the resurfac- “After ing of the brook — a process known ascreased daylighting — in its plan for the Harlemwith the River Greenway, and were finally able tobehind u purchase the strip of land needed to go foraccelerat ward with it in 2024. The Department of Environmentalsee a spi Protection said that year construction wasJanuary, anticipated to begin in early 2026, but a“Colder Continued on page A4more ti
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