Neighborhood Notes: Food Drives, Heat Help, and More

Canned Food Drive Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz holds annual Holiday Canned Food Drive until Dec. 13. Donations, which are given to Bronx non-profits for families in need, can be dropped off at his office, 3107 Kingsbridge Ave. For more information, call (718) 796-5345. Community Grant Community-based groups can learn how to apply for a grant of up to $3,000 by attending an information session on Dec. 6 at 6 p.m. at Eastchester Presbyterian Church, 3154 Fishman Ave. RSVP is required. To RSVP, call (718) 654-6539 or email rileyk@nyassembly.gov. Excelsior Scholarship The Excelsior Scholarship application for students to attend SUNY or CUNY


Read More

Health Check: November is Diabetes Month

Type 2 diabetes, the most common type of diabetes, is caused when your body does not use insulin, a hormone produced by your pancreas, well. There is no cure for Type 2 diabetes, but maintaining a healthy lifestyle will help manage it. Know Your ABCs A1C: A blood test ordered by your doctor that measures your average sugar levels over a three-month period. The goal is to keep your A1C level below seven percent. Blood Pressure: Measures the force of blood flow inside your blood vessels. The goal is to keep your blood pressure as close to 120 systolic over


Read More

Out & About: Tree Lighting in the Bronx

Editor’s Pick  Tree Lighting Community Board 7 presents its annual tree lighting on Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. at Mosholu Parkway and Bainbridge Avenue. Events include CB7 choir and Mount St. Ursula and PS/MS 20 choirs. Refreshments will be served. For more information, call (718) 933-5650. Onstage Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W., presents salsa superstar vocalist Oscar D’León and his orchestra, Nov. 25 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $50 to $65 and $100/VIP which includes reception and pre-concert drinks and d’oeuvres at 6:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 960-8833. Lehman College, 250 Bedford


Read More

Bronx Borough Board Approves Jerome Ave. Rezoning

The Jerome Avenue Rezoning proposal came one step closer to reality as the Bronx Borough Board voted in favor of the massive project. But some strings came attached to the massive plan, which looks to rezone 92 blocks of Jerome Avenue in hopes of ushering more affordable housing. The Board, made up of the chairs and district managers of each Bronx community board along with New York City Council members serving the Bronx, voted in favor of the proposal at its monthly meeting Nov. 27. The plan covers a two-mile stretch within the west Bronx community boards 4, 5 and


Read More

At Fordham Church, Doors Open For Thanksgiving Meal

A large group of volunteers spent the night before Thanksgiving cooking hot meals in their homes before feeding hundreds of residents at the Fordham United Methodist Church, on Marion Avenue in the Fordham Manor section. The crowd turned out on Thanksgiving Day as members of the church hosted their 15th annual Thanksgiving dinner. Edward Koku, a parishioner and member of the church’s board of trustees, said that 54 volunteers served 454 meals during the course of the day. “Some of them are parishioners, some are from Fordham University and many volunteers are from a group of Korean parishioners,” said Koku


Read More

MMCC and G.O.S.H. Spread Some Thanksgiving Cheer

A thunderous applause filled the second floor hallway of the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center (MMCC), which was aligned with decorated tables full of canned good and Thanksgiving goodies. It was on Nov. 18 where the Norwood center’s hallways were filled with a group of volunteers standing there in service to its low-income recipients who came to collect a turkey for a Thanksgiving feat. Volunteers led families through the conveyor belt-like hallway where they would be given a bundle of products to take home. For low income families, one turkey can go a long way for a Thanksgiving dinner. “You know


Read More

The Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

The 23rd edition of the Norwood News, covering the Norwood section of the Bronx, is out. We begin with page one and the worst landlords in Norwood. Public Advocate Letitia James released the annual list of 100 worst landlords in New York City and Narsinh Desai came in at number 70, making him the worst landlord in Norwood. This edition also features the Kingsbridge National Ice Center, for which a state loan has been approved, a crime file about a wanted serial robber who has attacked at least eight women in Norwood and surrounding neighborhoods, and a movement by Community


Read More

Financial Focus: Ready for Bitcoin?

I am humbled enough for the last seven years of my life to apply my 26 years of experience as a financial advisor, now to students, in the public educational and university system. A very interesting discussion happened recently in one of my classes, where the average age is 34. “So, bitcoin is now better currency than the US Dollar. Do you see how much it has gone up in the last year? My local brokerage company says I can buy some from them today and I’m thinking about it! Don’t you agree Prof. Rivieccio?” Bang! That truly was a


Read More

USPS Can’t Access Some Buildings, Compromising Delivery

This holiday season, you might miss out on that Christmas package you’ve been expecting. The United States Postal Service admits that its carriers can’t deliver packages to some 2,000 apartments in the Bronx. “Carriers cannot get into buildings,” said Diane Jones, a USPS customer relations coordinator, at the latest meeting of Community Board 7’s public safety committee. “And we’re going to have an issue once the holidays come in and the packages start coming.” The issue arises from a lack of keys. While letter carriers typically have the keys to all of the buildings along their route, package carriers do


Read More