Press Points

Familia earns NYPD’s medal of honor

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The New York Police Department posthumously awarded Miosotis Familia with its medal of honor — NYPD’s most prestigious award.

It’s been bestowed to deserving officers since 1871 for acts of “gallantry and valor performed above and beyond the call of duty with full knowledge of the risk involved.”

Familia was shot in the early morning hours of July 5, 2017, near the corner of Morris Avenue and East 183rd Street while doing paperwork in a mobile command unit.

Her accused killer, 34-year-old Alexander Bonds, was later shot and killed by police. 

A mother of three who lived off Sedgwick Avenue near Jerome Park, Familia was an officer in the 46th Precinct. 

She was one of 70 NYPD officers and civilians honored for their service during a June ceremony who displayed a significant act of heroism — including the ultimate sacrifice.

“Today we honor those who gave their lives for the people of this city, and we also recognize those whose remarkable courage, instinct and skill carried them through situations that would have panicked most other people,” police commissioner James O’Neill said, in a statement. “But we can’t forget that cops are regular people, too. People with families and hopes and fears, just like everyone else.” 

Familia was posthumously promoted to detective jat her funeral last year. 

— Zak Kostro

 

Press jumps into summer with two new interns

Two new summer interns have joined the ranks of The Riverdale Press, bringing their brand of storytelling to these pages while also gaining some important newsroom experience.

Graciano Clause is about to enter his final semester at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism in Manhattan. He’s always been fascinated by meaningful stories and being able to tell them.

“For one, this career is not routine, and that’s what I love,” Clause said. “To be able to explore and bring light to a situation that informs many is rewarding.”

Although his future goal is to be a sports broadcaster, he also enjoys news, arts and entertainment. Clause has focused on being a well-rounded journalist, taking on all kinds of work, all with the hopes of making an impact.

Also checking in this week is Annie Lord, a rising senior at Phillips Academy Andover, where she has worked for The Phillipian, the school’s student-run weekly newspaper, and the oldest continuously run preparatory school paper in the United States.

Currently, she is one of two managing digital editors, helping to establish the paper’s multilingual section, translating stories into Korean, Japanese, and both simplified and traditional Chinese. 

Lord started in the sports department, working her way up to sports associate editor in 2017, where she managed more than 30 writers on a weekly basis, helping design the section each week.

Born and raised in New York City, Lord first fell in love with journalism in the third grade when she created The 3D Times, a hand-drawn newspaper that reported on her class.

Though short-lived, The 3D Times cemented Lord’s passion for reporting, producing news, and managing teams.

 

Eliot gets into Westchester children’s facility

He couldn’t get into the Rising Ground facility in Yonkers, but U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel finally got to see firsthand how children being separated from their parents at the Mexican border are being treated.

Engel joined U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey and a handful of other congressional members to door Children’s Village in Dobbs Ferry last week, according to Patch. It’s one of four facilities in the county holding children, according to reports.

Press Points, Michael Hinman