Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The latest edition of the Norwood News, covering Bronx communities, is out this week! Check out these stories put together by our dedicated interns and freelancers that can get the conversation going. We begin, of course, with page one! The political season came early this year as a special election impacting Norwood happened on April 24, with Democrat Nathalia Fernandez becoming the interim Assembly Member for the 80th Assembly District. Learn Fernandez’ goals and whether others are gunning for the seat. It will be interesting to see who throws their hat into this seat. Other stories include the

Dog Waste Stations Now Available Along Mosholu Parkway

By DAVID CRUZ

Bag It! The Parks Department says 16 dog waste bag stations have been installed across Mosholu Parkway by the New York City Parks Department. The stations contain clean plastic bags intended for dog owners to pick up after their pooches. A Parks Department spokesperson said the installation project was finalized two weeks ago costing roughly $1400. “This will be a perfect opportunity now for us to educate the public even further,” wrote Elizabeth Quaranta, president of Friends of Mosholu Parkland, a volunteer advocacy group for the park side of the parkway, in a letter to the Parks Department outlining her

Editor’s Pick Free Concert at NYPL The Bronx Library Center, 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd., presents Sonida Costeño Trio in Concert, featuring Latin music, April 28 at 2:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 579-4244/46/57 or visit www.nypl.org. Onstage Lehman College’s Center for the Performing Arts, 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd., W., presents the following concerts: Bobby Valentin, performing Latin music, with his orchestra, April 28 at 8 p.m. (tickets: $50 to $75; $125/VIP includes orchestra seats, pre-concert drinks and hors d’oeuvres at 6:30 p.m.); Texture Man, presented by Festival of Praise, featuring a variety of performers, April 29 at 6 p.m.

By NIALL RIDGLEY

Luis Diaz, a Bronx resident, is overjoyed as he shakes Councilman Andrew Cohen’s hand. He asks for a picture, saying, “I want to show people that, you know, I know big people.” A photo was snapped at Unique People Services (UPS), located at 3510 Bainbridge Ave. Diaz has been getting assistance there since 2014. He’s since moved into a role as a pantry volunteer. Diaz put the need for pantries in clear terms, saying, “It’s more than just food, it’s being aware.” The Bainbridge UPS pantry was founded in 2009 and operates via discretionary funds from the New York City

BronxNet Nosotros Program Profiles Bronx Judge

By MARTIKA ORNELLA

Judge Llinet Rosado sat down with Yeila Lluberes of BronxNet’s Nosotros on April 25 at 9:30 p.m. The pair discussed Rosado’s journey from having grown up in housing projects on the Lower East Side to her election as a Bronx County Civil Court judge. Rosado was born in the Dominican Republic and immigrated to the United States as a young child. She worked at the Bronx Legal Aid Society and as a family law attorney. Nosotros is a Spanish language program that profiles prominent members of the Bronx community, with in-depth discussions meant to inspire and connect. Rosado’s Nosotros episode

By DAVID CRUZ

Nathalia Fernandez was so used to working behind the scenes. Now she’s front and center. Fernandez secured her victory on the April 24 special election for the 80th Assembly District seat, allowing her to soundly defeat Republican challenger Gene DeFrancis, founder of the Allerton International Merchants Association. Fernandez, winning by more than 1500 to DeFrancis’s 300 (official numbers by the Board of Elections won’t be available for a few weeks) now succeeds her former boss, former Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj. Her win automatically makes her the district legislator serving Norwood, parts of Bedford Park, Allerton, Pelham Parkway, Morris Park, and Van

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By DAVID CRUZ

The 52nd Precinct’s first homicide in 2018 happened at a six-story building in Norwood. Police report a 38-year-old took a few shots to the body just before 4 p.m. on April 23 inside 3152 Hull Ave., a largely residential section just off East 204th Street. The victim, unresponsive, was taken to St. Barnabas Hospital’s trauma unit where he was pronounced upon arrival. So far the police have no reported leads on who may have killed the victim. His name is being withheld until the family is notified. The shooting ranks as the first reported homicide of the year. Around the

State Strong-arming Park Reservoir Houses into Loan Tenants Say

By DAVID CRUZ

Rosa Perez, 61, a retired social worker, has called Park Reservoir Houses (PRH) home for the last 30 years calling it a “hidden gem of the city.” Like all cooperators, she pays her monthly maintenance fees for the state-funded Mitchell-Lama complex in Van Cortlandt Village. But those fees could skyrocket by 100 percent if the state Department of Housing and Community Renewal (DHCR), which regulates Mitchell-Lama buildings, gets its way. “Many have spoken to me indicating that they will need financial support from their family and friends to make up the difference of the proposed increases because of DHCR delays,”

By DAVID GREENE

It took four hours and nearly 200 firefighters to knock out a massive blaze that destroyed seven businesses in Fordham. Fire officials say the blaze broke out at 5:28 a.m., on April 24, inside JaveMTS Income Tax, at 316 E. 194th St., between Marion and Bainbridge avenues. The blaze then spread to stores on either side of the income tax business, gutting the blaze was the Spin City Laundromat, 3 Sisters Pizza, Marion Pharmacy, the Unisex Barbershop, the Hnos Perez Beauty Salon, and the Fu Wang Chinese Restaurant. Plumes of smoke spread across the neighborhood, permeating into neighboring Kingsbridge Heights. A