Leaner and Cleaner, Westchester Square Hospital Gets a New Life

Now cracked and crumbling, the limestone slab above the old entrance to the Westchester Square Medical Center still reads “Westchester Square.” But now, a new Montefiore sign juts out onto the sidewalk. Aside from two delivery trucks, there are few other signs of life. Inside the air conditioned lobby, a snack station advertizes Starbucks coffee. A man with a bandaged head leans on the counter in the waiting room as a TV glares in the background. In March 2013, Montefiore Medical Center acquired the assets to the former Westchester Square Medical Center (WSMC) which has been bankrupt since 2006, in a $15.3 million bid.

Bronx Girl Comes Home to Head 5-2

The mood was bittersweet last week as Inspector Joseph Dowling tearfully removed his 52nd Precinct Commanding Officer’s pin and handed it off to Nilda Hofmann, a hometown girl who grew up in the community she will now oversee.

Local Dems, Hospitals Hype ‘Obamacare’ Benefits

As House Republicans attempted to demonize the Affordable Care Act in Washington, DC, local Democratic lawmakers in the Bronx began promoting the healthcare reform package, often referred to as “Obamacare,” as a significant improvement in how Americans pay for and receive health care.

Print Preview: Latest Norwood News Out Now!

The latest print edition of the Norwood News is out now on Bronx streets. This issue includes some heavy stories about the the roll out of Affordable Care Act’s new health insurance marketplace and what it looks like for New Yorkers, Montefiore’s takeover of Westchester Square Hospital, the 52nd Precinct’s new commanding officer, an update on the conroversial 86th Assembly District race and much more! Pick up your copy today in local libraries, banks, community center, hospitals, medical offices, laundromats and restaurants. Or you can download the entire issue right now. Enjoy!

Free After-School Journalism Program in the Bronx (Applications Due Friday!)

Above is a link to an interview with me, Bronx Youth Heard Director and Norwood News Editor Alex Kratz, and Lehman High School student Adonis Jimenez for a Bronx 2.0 segment that aired on Bronxnet in February. Everything I talk about in that segment remains true. Bronx Youth Heard is a fantastic program for students interested in journalism or who love to write or who want to have impact on their communities and think (like we do) that journalism is a way to make that happen.

Clinton Football Looking to Stay Undefeated This Weekend (Slideshow from Port Richmond Game)

DeWitt Clinton’s football team likes to live on the edge. The Governors have won their first three games of the 2013 season by the narrowest of margins — 6, 2 and 4-point victories — and in dramatic, come-from-behind fashion. This weekend, they plays Brooklyn Tech in a Saturday noon homecoming showdown behind the Castle on Mosholu Parkway. The photos above were taken by local photographer Adi Talwar during Clinton’s dramatic come-from-behind, double-overtime win over Port Richmond two weeks ago. Enjoy.

Fordham Plaza Another Piece of BID’s Puzzle

The Bronx’s biggest Business Improvement District (BID) is about to get bigger. The Fordham Road BID is currently under negotiations to expand its territory to cover 1 Fordham Plaza, the giant building with eye-catching blue windows located on one end of Fordham Plaza.

New Five-Two Commander To Be Introduced Tonight

Inspector Joseph Dowling is moving on from his post as commander of the Bronx’s 52nd Precinct. But first, he will introduce his replacement, Nilda Hofmann, at tonight’s Precinct Community Council meeting at St. James Episcopal Church (2500 Jerome Ave., across the street from Monroe College), which starts at 7 p.m.

Messier Becomes Face of Armory Ice Complex

In 1994, when Mark Messier helped lead the New York Rangers to the team’s first Stanley Cup title in 54 years, he was given the loftiest of nicknames: “The Messiah.” Now, after recently becoming the CEO of the Kingsbridge National Ice Center, which is poised to open inside the Kingsbridge Armory in 2017 as the largest ice sports complex in the world, he may need a new nickname: The Messenger.