Tonight: 33rd Senate District Candidates Debate!

The Bronx News Network (which the Norwood News is a member of) will be moderating a debate tonight at 7 p.m. at Fordham Evangelical Lutheran Church, 2430 Walton Ave. (just south of Fordham Road) between candidates of the 33rd Senate District. | Read More

Students at the Mary Mitchell Family and Youth Center in Crotona enjoy daily meals cooked on the premises. The center pays for food independently of the DOE, so is not subject to the same food rules.

The Quest for a Healthier School Lunch

French Fries are not vegetables.

That's the message that Tyshawn Davis, a teacher at IN-Tech Academy, wants to drill into his students. The apples in the school cafeteria sit untouched for days on end, he said, until they're thrown away. | Read More

Carlos de la Cruz (foreground) and other members of the UBA Horticulture Program, work to remove fallen trees in Rosewood Park after a July storm.

After Struggles, Back to Work and Beautifying Bronx

After years toiling in employment limbo and struggling with inner demons, David Scott and Lawrence Carrington spent the last six months working with their hands - chopping, cleaning, pruning, digging and planting in Bronx parks. | Read More

Carlos Laboy, Beloved Drama Teacher, Dies

When doctors told Carlos Laboy this spring that he had a rare blood cancer, he didn't cry-he was his usual upbeat self, cracking jokes to lighten the mood and make those around him laugh. The only time his illness got to him was when he was told that, because of treatment, he would have to leave his job at the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center (MMCC), where he's directed the drama program for nearly 15 years.

Laboy passed away Sunday after a months-long battle with Mantle cell lymphoma, a non-Hodgkins lymphoma. He was 59. | Read More

Gustavo Rivera talks with Norwood resident Herbert Williams while campaigning last week.

Groups See Gustavo Rivera As Best Shot to Oust Espada

Aside from the fact that he's running for the 33rd District Senate seat currently held by Pedro Espada Jr., here's something you may not know about Gustavo Rivera: the guy is a huge Trekkie.

"Dude, I was a mega nerd," said Rivera, a 34-year-old native of Puerto Rico who has picked up a slew of institutional support over the past several weeks in his bid to unseat Espada in the Democratic primary | Read More

A livery cab attempted to avoid hitting a minivan and jumped the curb, killing one and injuring six pedestrians and two drivers.

One Dead, 8 Injured in Kingsbridge Road Accident

One man was killed and eight others were injured on Aug. 10 when a livery taxi driver violently crashed into a bus stop after swerving to avoid a minivan making an illegal U-turn on busy West Kingsbridge Road. | Read More

Mayor Reminds Us What We're Made Of

Mayor Bloomberg, in perhaps the most courageous move of his mayoralty, got it precisely right when he stood up for religious freedom to support the creation of a mosque and community center in lower Manhattan.

It's unfortunate that we have to remind ourselves of freedoms so elemental to our Constitution and national DNA, not to mention to the gloriously diverse and tolerant city we all call home.

How can it be that we would consider depriving members of any religion the right to worship wherever they please as long as they adhere to the law?

"We would betray our values - and play into our enemies' hands," Bloomberg said with the Statue of Liberty as his backdrop, "if we were to treat Muslims different than anyone else."

This debate has been fueled by the demagoguery of national politicians like Sarah Palin and Newt Gingrich, who regularly demonize New York. It would be a grave mistake to bow to them. | Read More