News Briefs: Deadline for Site Safety Improvements

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

Site Safety The city Department of Buildings (DOB) is implementing new safety training procedures for construction workers and supervisors working on large construction projects beginning Dec. 1. Workers are now expected to obtain 30 hours and supervisors are expected to obtain 62 hours of site safety training as required by a 2017 law. This comes a few months after a partial building collapse in Norwood that killed 48- year-old Segundo Huerta, a construction worker at the site on 94 E. 208th Street on Aug. 27. Huerta was on site when the building’s third floor collapsed, crushing and killing him. By

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s twenty-second edition of the Norwood News is out with plenty of community news stories to read and share. We have 28 pages packed full of news from this corner of the Bronx, so let’s start with page one! Our top story focuses on what’s happening at Bronx Community Charter School on Webster Avenue. There, students took on an ambitious project to understand the neighborhood of Norwood, the players and the issues. Read about one student, Blessing Owusu, who delved deeply into the controversial topic of gentrification. It’s a true story of the power of community

Major Construction Along East Mosholu Parkway North Hurting Local Businesses

By MICHAEL TURAY

Several rows of sewer pipes, stacked wood, and metal lay on the sidewalks of East Mosholu Parkway North heading toward Jerome Avenue. A loader operated by a construction worker swiftly scoops up dirt and places it on top of newly placed pipes. A second worker waves an orange flag alongside a sign that reads, “Road closed local & emergency traffic only,” directing drivers to turn right onto Kossuth Avenue, which has been converted to a one-way street in the opposite direction. Located near the Mosholu Parkway #4 train entrance, this active construction site is visible to many in the community.

Opinion: A Love Letter to the Bronx Should Serve as an Inspiration

By DAVID CRUZ

For anyone who hasn’t had the chance to catch HBO’s documentary, The Bronx, USA, I have two words: see it. For 90 minutes you’ll be spellbound by the essence of the Bronx, captured beautifully in this dazzling documentary that follows famed Seinfeld producer George “Georgie” Shapiro, and his Bronx buddy Carl Golub, who travel back to Norwood, embracing its halcyon past. The documentary is a parallel story of sorts, with a portion of the documentary dedicated to Shapiro’s adolescent days in Norwood (strangely, the neighborhood isn’t referred to as Norwood, but “the neighborhood”) and the other to a group of

At Bronx Community Charter School, a Question: "What Does Norwood Mean to You?"

By DAVID CRUZ

In the space of six weeks, Amanda Vasquez, a seventh grader at Bronx Community Charter School (BCCS) learned that pigeons are vital to Norwood’s ecosystem, especially near Tracey Towers. Inban Devadoss and Grace Ildefonso, second grade students at BCCS, familiarized themselves with A&A Grocery at East 204th Street, learning that the 24-hour deli’s marquee dish is its bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich. Inban took what he learned a step further, proudly showing off replicas of the deli’s bacon, egg, and cheese meal and Goya cans on display using Model Magic Clay, visualizing his takeaways. For BCCS, the study served as

Inquiring Photographer: Early Voting in New York City

By DAVID GREENE

This week we asked readers their thoughts on early voting, allowing them several days to cast a ballot ahead of Election Day. I was aware of it, and I think it will help a lot of people. I’m used to going on Election Day; I’ve been doing it for 40 years, so I will continue to do it on Election Day. But it’s convenient for some people who can’t vote because it’s late, or they rush, or some people don’t take it seriously. Now some people will say they have time before the big day, so it’s convenient. Melvin Roseborough

On Halloween, 14-Year-Old Shot in Kingsbridge Heights

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

The early morning conversations at Giant Sam Laundromat on Jerome Avenue and East 196th Street revolved around last night’s shooting of a 14-year-old boy in Kingsbridge Heights, hitting him in the leg. “This neighborhood is being overrun by tigres,” said a woman in Spanish while doing her laundry. The woman, who did not want to be identified, used the Spanish word for ‘tiger’ as slang for thug or hoodlum. The shooting happened within the vicinity, with reports from WABC-TV saying the boy was shot near East 193rd Street near St. James Park. The precinct’s ShotSpotter system had gone off, alerting

By NATALIE MIGLIORE of WFUV

When Gun Violence Becomes Personal The Norwood News, in partnership with WFUV radio and BronxNet Television, presents a five-part series on the impact gun violence has had on Bronx neighborhoods and the people who live in them. Shootings across the Bronx have increased so far this year, with 156 reported cases where a gun went off versus 148 shootings at the same time last year, according to NYPD statistics. The alarm on gun violence has sounded, and advocates have heard it, working toward the common goal of reducing gun violence. Some have never met, yet their lives have been changed

A Civics Lesson on Impeachment, Courtesy of Norwood’s Congressman

By DAVID CRUZ

Constituents within the 13th Congressional District, which covers Norwood, got a lesson on impeachment from Congressman Adriano Espaillat, who spent more than an hour covering the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump. Espaillat, a Democrat who sits on the Foreign Affairs Committee, one of three bodies conducting the impeachment probe on Mr. Trump, outlined the process of on impeachment at a forum on Oct. 17. “I hope that this process will be expedited but that it will be fair and that it will be one where the American people gain a level of confidence in government again,” said Espaillat. In