Suffering through a pandemic-ridden 2020, 2021 was supposed to be a return to normalcy. Yet, there was more of the same as the COVID-19 pandemic continued to take its toll on the borough. There were some glimmers of change, however, with the rollout of the COVID vaccines citywide, the election of a new NYC mayor and a new historic Bronx borough president — the first female and first Black candidate elected to the position. The Bronx also had its fair share of protests, rallies and street renamings in what can only be described as an eventful, newsworthy year.
Here are just some of the headlines that appeared in the pages of the Bronx Times and Bronx Times Reporter in 2021.
January
Bronx business leaders started off the year unsupportive of a new measure. Since the cap on the number of food vendor permits has been the same since the ’80s and many vendors operate illegally, NYC was hoping to change this with legislation that would nearly double permits. On Jan. 28, the council approved Intro-116, a bill to increase permits from 5,000-9,000, create an office of street vendor enforcement and establish a street vendor advisory board.
