Two Arrested in Hostage Situation in Bedford Park. That Includes the Hostage

By DAVID CRUZ and DAVID GREENE

Police have charged both a man and woman, believed to be the man’s hostage, involved in a dramatic standoff with police that only ended after heavily armed officers stormed an apartment. Seized in the house was a makeshift claw resembling those attached to the Marvel Comics character Wolverine. According to a police source, officers from the 52nd Precinct were called to a second-floor apartment at 3180 Villa Ave., at just after 2 p.m. on Nov. 30. “Upon arrival, the occupants refused to come out of the apartment and officers suspected someone was being held against their will inside of the

The $1 Million in Participatory Budgeting Results Are...

By DAVID CRUZ

When it came to the New York City Council’s Participatory Budgeting initiative—which lets constituents decide how $1 million in capital monies—one couldn’t find a stauncher advocate than Councilman Andrew Cohen. But after six years on the Council, and two more years to go as the representative for the 11th Council District, Cohen is no longer running the months long, bureaucratic program. “It doesn’t feel fresh anymore,” Cohen told the Norwood News in a phone interview. The process begins in October, lasting through May following meeting upon meeting of what exactly the needs were for the communities Cohen reaches, which include

By JONATHAN CUSTODIO

Patients, staff, and community residents crowded near a triad of first floor elevators inside North Central Bronx Hospital (NCBH) as they awaited the unveiling of a collaborative mural dubbed “The Cycle of Caring” on Nov. 25. A component of the New York City Health + Hospitals’ Arts in Medicine program, the project was funded by the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, a 12-year-old organization that offers supportive grants to tackle long-term issues in the city. “[NCBH] is a wonderful place to work but inherently working in a hospital is stressful,” says Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund executive director Rick Luftglass,

By GREGG BISHOP

The holiday season is upon us and we all know the temptation of online shopping. The ease of getting the things we want at the click of a button might seem harmless, but it has major consequences for local small businesses. Shopping online takes away from the livelihood of local residents and strips the community of its extraordinary businesses. E-commerce also means you don’t have the ability to inspect your purchases before receipt, you have to go through the hassle of repackaging and returning your item and you’re depriving yourself of getting to know the business owners on your block.

Questions, Some Answered, on MTA’s Proposed Bus Revamp in NW Bronx

By DAVID CRUZ

There were more jeers than cheers from northwest Bronx residents over the MTA’s proposed bus network redesign plan, calling out modifications they say can hurt not help their commuting experiencing at a town hall-style meeting. Those feelings were backed by Community Board 7, which approved a motion calling on the MTA to modify its overhaul plan. At the latest Community Board 7 general board meeting that doubled as a seemingly rushed town hall-style meeting on the proposed changes, where some service changes to buses that run through the northwest Bronx were glossed over (another meeting is scheduled for Dec. 5),

Inquiring Photographer: Thanksgiving Thoughts

By DAVID GREENE

This week we asked readers their plans for Thanksgiving, what’s on the menu, and how they hope to spend the day. Well, my plans are to visit my sister, her husband and family, and my other sister and her husband and family up in White Plains. I’ll have some turkey and watch the football game. It’s either Dallas or Detroit. And of course will have all the trimmings. Robert Rowe Morrisania I’ll probably be at home. Yes, I hope to be eating on Thanksgiving Day; my vegan Thanksgiving with Portobello mushrooms and cranberry-orange relish and cauliflower rice and a glass

With the holiday season in full swing, loved ones are looking forward to sending and receiving some gifts in the mail. But mailbox fishing–where thieves steal checks and potentially someone’s identity by using an adhesive to “fish” out mail from mailboxes–can lead some victims to seeing their bank accounts dry up. The holidays are usually heightened mail fishing season and those in Norwood are on high alert for any suspicious activity. Mailbox fishers usually work to steal mail filled with money orders, checks, credit cards, debit cards, and gift cards. In some cases, a check can be found, tampered by

Street Honor for Late Bronx Arts Ensemble Founder

By DAVID GREENE

Residents joined members of the Bronx Arts Ensemble (BAE) for a street re-dedication in honor of the late William J. Scribner, founder of the Bronx Arts Ensemble (BAE). The unveiling of a new street sign bearing his name on Nov. 15. It’s at the intersection of Hillman Avenue and Van Cortlandt Park South, just near the Amalgamated Houses, where William J. Scribner Way can be seen. Scribner founded the BAE in 1972, which brings different performances and styles of music free to public spaces. In 1993, BAE launched Arts-In-Education, bringing artists inside Bronx schools. BAE currently brings 14,000 art classes

SEE PICS: Ahead of Thanksgiving, NCBH and Carpenters Union Dole Out Turkeys

By DAVID CRUZ

North Central Bronx Hospital was the place for a turkey giveaway event where local elected officials joined members of the New York City District Council of Carpenters helped distribute turkeys to staffers on Nov. 25 ahead of Thanksgiving. The union also donated the turkeys. Check out these pictures by Miriam Quinones.