Inquiring Photographer: Road Diet

By DAVID GREENE

This week we asked readers their thoughts on the city Department of Transportation (DOT) plans for a “road diet” which calls for converting two-way Morris Park Avenue from a double lane to a single lane each way roadway. Somewhere along the line our elected officials at City Hall forgot that they serve the people. They got into office by saying that this was a tale of two cities and now it’s a tale of one city, run by a king: [Bill] de Blasio. Start listening to what the people have to say, they’re the ones that pay your salary. It’s

Dog, Left By a Hydrant in the Cold, Seeks Owner

By DAVID CRUZ

Police at the 52nd Precinct are trying to locate the owner of a dog left tied to a hydrant in Norwood. The precinct posted a picture of the pooch on Twitter pleading for anyone to find the dog. It was found at the corner of Tryon Avenue and East 211th Street just near Williamsbridge Oval Park. It was found with a fitted coat over its back and found sometime during the day. Temperature highs on Christmas Eve were in the mid-40s. Anyone with information is asked the call the 52nd Precinct at (718) 220-5811.

Neighborhood Notes: Free Safe Oven Covers, and Crime Victims Support

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

Free Oven Safe Knob Covers The Office of Councilman Ritchie Torres is giving away free safe oven knob covers to prevent accidental fires in apartments. Free knob covers can be picked up at 2546 Hoffman St., Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. while supplies last. For more information, call the office at (718) 842-8100. Nonprofit Grants Now Available Resident-led groups in low-income communities and Title I public schools can apply for a Neighborhood Grant of up to $3,000. A workshop in how to fill out the application correctly takes place on Jan. 8 at 6 p.m. at

By DAVID CRUZ

With a partial federal government shutdown underway, there will be some changes in service should it continue, but at least two Congressional representatives will be open during the interim. Congressman Adriano Espaillat, whose 13th Congressional District covers Norwood, will have his Fordham office open as he and congressional members attempt to hammer out a spending bill without President Donald Trump’s pledge for a $5 billion border wall. Espaillat’s district office at 2530 Grand Concourse by East 190th Street, will reopen from Dec. 27 through Dec. 29 before closing once again. It will reopen Jan. 3 following observance of the New

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan to expand the Discovery program as a way of increasing enrollment of black and Latino students in the city’s elite specialized high schools has drawn the ire of Pacific Legal Foundation. The group is now suing the city in federal court, relying on an argument similar to an affirmative action case it has against Harvard University: Discovery essentially discriminates against Asian students who overwhelmingly represent the specialized high school student population. Expanding the Discovery program—essentially offering rigorous summer classes for students who missed the cutoff in passing the specialized high school test—takes effect in 2020,

By DAVID CRUZ

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., enlisting a cadre of legislators, wants Amtrak to get on board with the long-awaited plan to bring Metro-North service to the East Bronx, which was supposed to have begun in April. In a joint news conference with Westchester County Executive George Latimer, given the mutually beneficial interest in ushering more Metro-North service to the East Bronx, Diaz labeled Amtrak a Scrooge for the holdup. “This is not a new idea,” said Diaz of the project. “This is an idea that’s been kicked around for the better half of the last three decades. We have

Bronx Connections- The Gang Impact (Part 5 of 5)

By JULIA ROSE HERMAN of WFUV

In Gang Attacks, Bodegas Lobbied to Serve as Line of Defense The Norwood News, WFUV radio, and BronxNet TV conclude their five-part series on the impact of gangs in the Bronx. As gang-related spats touch off on Bronx streets, leading to bloody consequences, they can spill inside the oft-omnipresent local bodegas, putting owners and employees on the front lines. Edward Lara knows this first hand. Lara, owner of Deli Grocery in the Highbridge section of the Bronx, fended off an attack of a teen by a mob of teens on Oct. 29 at around 6:30 p.m. In that instance, he

Editor’s Pick Gift of Knowledge Event The public is invited to a Holiday “Gift of Knowledge Event” presented by Mas Productions on Dec. 22 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Lexa Grill and Garden, 357 E. 204th St. Distributed will be books, piggy banks, and school supplies (while supplies last). Refreshments will be served. For more information, call (718) 409-0109 or visit info@masproductionsny.com. Events The New York Botanical Garden offers its annual Holiday Train Show through Jan. 21, 2019, featuring miniature replicas of many NYC building replicas made from natural materials including bark, twigs, fruit and pine cones. For

By JOSEPH KONIG

Ahead of the one-year anniversary of the city’s deadliest fire in decades, Bronx Councilman Ritchie Torres called for a new law to help residents displaced by a fire find new homes in the same neighborhood. “Even in the worst of a fire, the loss of one’s home should never mean the loss of your community,” Torres said at a news conference in front of the boarded-up Belmont building that went up in flames last year. “It should be the public policy priority of the city of New York to keep people firmly rooted in their neighborhoods and their local support