Bedford Park: Search for 34-Year-Old Missing Woman

The NYPD is asking for the public’s assistance locating a 34-year-old woman who was reported missing from Bedford Park, located in the 52nd precinct, on Monday, March 14. Beatriz Matos-Rodriguez, 34, of 320 East 197th Street, Apartment 1A, in the Bedford Park section of The Bronx, was last seen at her home at 00.01 a.m. on Monday, March 7. She is described as an Hispanic, Black woman, is 5 feet, 7 inches tall, and weighs 200 pounds. She was last seen wearing a gray coat, a black dress and black sneakers. Anyone with information regarding this incident is

By SÍLE MOLONEY & DAVID GREENE

The following story is an extended version of the story that appeared in our latest print edition. Around two and half hours after students and teachers were evacuated from The Bronx’s P.S. 20 due to a bomb threat on Friday, March 4, the building was, thankfully, declared clear by police and safe for reentry. However, according to some P.S. 20 staff members, the incident served to highlight what some say is a dysfunctional environment at the school, especially given a reported delay with the initial evacuation. In the meantime, three further bomb alerts have been reported at the school, on

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced on Thursday, March 10, that a New Rochelle man has been charged with second-degree murder and additional charges for fatally shooting a man during a bloody melee in Bedford Park which also left the defendant’s brother dead. Clark said the defendant, Wayne Smith, 28, of New Rochelle, NY, was arraigned on Thursday on charges of second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, first-degree gang assault, two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and criminal possession of a firearm before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Steven Barrett. She said, “The defendant and several other

By JULIAN NAZAR

One hundred and fifty Bronx-area high school students filed into Monroe College’s Mintz auditorium in Fordham Manor on Wednesday, Feb. 9, for the second annual Bronx event, celebrating the nonprofit, My Brother’s Keeper Alliance (MBK). As “The Champion” played on a loop before the event got underway, on top of each table were small water bottles, snack bars, yellow Monroe College folders, and framed inspirational quotes from notable figures like basketball legend, Michael Jordan, and rapper, songwriter and record producer, Kendrick Lamar. Four TV monitors projected various PowerPoint presentations during the event. Launched in February 2014 by former

By SARAH HUFFMAN

Nearly two out of three children affected by systemic poverty cannot read at grade level, according to Literacy Incorporated (LINC), a New York City nonprofit focused on early childhood literacy. The organization said children who cannot transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn” by third grade are 13 times more likely not to graduate on time from high school. Childhood literacy, along with resources for youth, schools and libraries formed the main topics of discussion at last month’s Bronx Community Board 7’s education committee meeting, held on Feb. 2, and the first of the year to be

By JULIAN NAZAR

The following story is an updated version of the one that appears in our latest print edition. On a brisk Thursday afternoon, George Diaz Jr. descends the steps of Norwood’s 205th Street subway station, located at East 205th Street and Perry Avenue. After swiping his metro card, Diaz shares with Norwood News what changes he would like to see in the station. “We need an elevator,” he said. “Feasibly, it is probably better to make the elevator by this entrance because when you step out, you see Whalen playground, a City park. It should be easier for the MTA

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The Washington Metropolitan Police announced on Twitter on Tuesday morning that they have arrested a suspect sought for the shooting of various homeless people in New York City and Washington D.C. The news was also confirmed by the NYPD in a tweet on Tuesday. The NYPD had been asking the public’s assistance identifying the man seen in the attached photos who is wanted for questioning in connection with two shooting incidents that occurred in Manhattan in the 1st and 5th precincts. The man is believed to be targeting homeless people who are sleeping on the street. Mayor Eric Adams

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York City Department of Sanitation (DSNY) has issued a winter operations advisory for Saturday, March 12, beginning at 1 a.m. This type of advisory is the department’s “lower level” winter weather message, as opposed to the “higher level” snow alert. Officials said a wintry mix of rain and snow is expected throughout the day Saturday, and depending on exact timing and temperature, New York City may receive up to one inch on paved surfaces, and up to three inches on unpaved surfaces. They said even after the rainfall stops, temperatures will continue to fall throughout Saturday evening

By SÍLE MOLONEY

One fire truck and a handful of firefighters responded to a report of a brush fire that broke out in Whalen playground at East 205th Street and Perry Avenue in the Norwood section of The Bronx on Friday afternoon, March 10. A brush fire is a fire involving low-growing plants. Eyewitnesses said some people had already tried to put out the fire a bit, before the FDNY arrived at around 3.44 p.m., as it had started to spread. The FDNY later said they were alerted to the incident at 3.38 p.m., that there were no reported injuries, and