Vol. 76, No. 12
What’s inside?
Thursday, March 19, 2026
Leaders push for senior transit funds Michelle Mullen mmullen@riverdalepress.com
Shooting suspects indicted
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Community Board 8 is once again urging the city to fund wheelchair-accessible buses for senior centers in the district, elevating the need to one of its top capital priorities in the preliminary fiscal year 2027 budget. The board ranked senior transportation needs third this year, up from fifth last year, reflecting what members describe as a widening gap between a rapidly aging population and the services needed to support it. In its response, the
New York City Department for the Aging said it supports the request but cannot fund it in the capital budget. On the ground, providers say the consequences have long been visible and have taken on new urgency following last year’s closure of the Key Food supermarket in North Riverdale, which had served as a reliable, walkable source of groceries for many seniors in the area. Just around the corner from the site of the former supermarket is the Riverdale Y’s older adult center, New Beginnings. Reserved for those 60 and up, it provides a wide range of offerings, from programs
like Mah Jongg for socialization to mental health resources available on site. But New Beginnings’ director, Sharon Asherman, said older residents are increasingly dependent on the center’s free meal programs and organized shopping trips, all of which require transportation to access. “Some people who live in this neighborhood have no way of getting food,” Asherman said. “There’s more of a need for shopping trips, because there’s no local source of food.” The center’s transportation fleet consists of two older vans, one from 2012 and
another from 2015, that are frequently in need of repair after years of heavy use on Riverdale’s notoriously hilly streets. “They’re in the shop more than they’re out on the streets,” Asherman said. Without additional funding, replacing or expanding transportation fleets is largely out of reach. NYC Aging estimated a new mini-bus would cost about $75,000. For New Beginnings, which needs two new vehicles, staff are left to rely on aging vans or turn away participants who cannot get there on their own. Continued on page A4
Streets stay dark as residents await streetlight repairs
Police increase presence Page A3
By Michelle Mullen mmullen@riverdalepress.com
Arrest made at church Cannabis products seized Page A3 Michelle Mullen
Literacy in Community held this year’s first “Diversity in Literacy” event at the Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling in the Bronx March 14.
Literacy in Community celebrates immigrants and working families By Michelle Mullen mmullen@riverdalepress.com
Second grader sets pace Joah Henry is running champion Page A5
At the Kingsbridge Library this month, young readers are setting off on a literary journey. For some, it’s a chance to embrace their own stories. For others, it’s a chance to discover someone else’s. It’s part of this year’s Diversity in Literacy campaign, an annual initiative by the nonprofit Literacy in Community, or LINC, which uses children’s books to introduce young readers and their families to stories that reflect the many languages, traditions and backgrounds that make up the five boroughs. This year’s theme, “A Love Letter to NYC Immigrants & Working Families,” aims to create space for children from immigrant and working families to recognize themselves in the stories they read, while
allowing others to learn about cultures beyond their own. The program is designed for families with children up to age five, a stage when early exposure to books can shape how children approach reading for years to come. Launched in partnership with Fidelis Care, the campaign will run through April 4 with eight literacy events scheduled across New York City. For organizers like Riverdale resident and LINC’s chief program officer, Laura Walsh, the goal extends beyond teaching young children to read. It is also about helping them see themselves reflected in the stories they encounter. “In order to ensure that our goal is met, that every child is reading, we need to make sure that the literature that our families and our children are exposed to are reflective of who they are,” she said. “We’re
really passionate about getting books in the hands of children, but we’re also really passionate about literacy as a vessel for storytelling, for advocacy.” Walsh described this idea through “mirrors and windows.” The concept is that books can serve as mirrors when children see aspects of their own lives reflected in stories where their languages, families or traditions appear on the page. “That window piece is really powerful,” she said. “Because it helps children understand and appreciate cultures that might be outside of their own.” The Kingsbridge event will feature a visit from children’s author Ashley Woodfolk, whose picture book “Beach Hair,” illustrated by Nina Mata, explores identity through the experience of a multiracial child learning to embrace her natural hair. Continued on page A4
A growing number of streetlights across greater Riverdale have remained dark for months, prompting residents to turn to Community Board 8 with mounting frustrations and pleas to urge the city to address the issue. CB8 officials say outages span numerous streets and corridors throughout the district, including large swaths of the heavily-used Henr y Hudson Parkway ser vice roads. Many of the outages have been reported to the city through the 311 system, but despite the repeated complaints, the New York City Department of Transportation, who is responsible for streetlights, have yet to bring timely repairs. “We provided the DOT with a list of all the lights that are out,” said Debbie Allen, chair of CB8’s Traffic and Transportation Committee. “They wanted more information. We provided them with all the 311 calls that people in the area have provided us and for warded.” When a resident reports a broken streetlight through 311, the request is logged and routed to the DOT, the agency told The Press, which then sends the report to a repair contractor responsible for inspecting the problem and carr ying out the necessar y work. The contractor has 10 days to inspect the site and determine the type of repair needed. Some outages, officials said, require more complex infrastructure repairs and cannot be fixed immediately during the initial inspection. But that process can stretch on for months when outages pile up. “It’s disheartening, and it’s frustrating dealing with DOT,” Allen said. “I really feel they haven’t been responsive.” Among the list of outages the board shared with city officials are lights reported to be out to the DOT since the summer of 2025. They include the strip along West 238th Street between Greystone Avenue and Fieldston Avenue near MacLaughlin Park, along the Henr y Hudson Parkway ser vice roads between West 239th and West 250th streets and near the Bell Tower Memorial in the Riverdale Monument area. Additional complaints have been filed for lighting near Ewen Park and along Palisade Avenue between West 254th Continued on page A4
Cruising for Christ with the Least of Saints By Michelle Mullen mmullen@riverdalepress.com
The roar of motorcycle engines can carry a certain reputation. Leather vests, stitched patches and tightly organized riding groups often conjure images of outlaw biker culture. But members of the Least of Saints Motorcycle Club, like Riverdale resident David Ramos, said their mission points in a different direction. “We’re Christ-centric,” Ramos, a 62-year-old pastor who serves as the club’s national chaplain, said. “We’re about the Kingdom of God.” The Least of Saints Motorcycle Club is a Christian riding organization that blends the traditions of motorcycle club culture with faith and service. Members wear the
familiar leather “cuts,” follow the same protocols that govern many motorcycle clubs and ride together with chapters around the country. But the group’s central purpose, Ramos said, is ministry. Founded by three brothers and their father, the club takes its name from a passage in the book of Ephesians in which the apostle Paul refers to himself as “less than the least of all saints.” The founders were searching for a name when one of their sons came across the verse while reading the Bible. The phrase captured the humility the group hoped to embody. Today the club operates within the broader traditions of what riders call Motorcycle Club, or MC, culture, a system Continued on page A4
GARY JEAN-JUSTE
David Ramos, now 62, purchased his first motorcycle at 58.