Financial Focus: From Cat Deductions to Identity Theft

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By By ANTHONY RIEVIECCIO, MBA, PFA

During income tax season, as a financial adviser, I’m asked many questions. Some of them are great! Some of them are ” lulus.” Let me educate you to the madness called income tax season and some of the questions people ask when looking for ways to either avoid income taxation or not realizing to protect themselves from fraudent Tax preparers and possible identity theft. Should I open an account in Switzerland? Answer: In short, You could. However, since the Obama Administration started looking at “offshore accounts,” an inquiry priority, I wouldn’t risk it. I want to protest Donald Trump? Answer:

This week we asked readers if incidents like the man who died when he came in contact with a rat are being under reported or is this a growing epidemic? I think it’s been under reported. I think a lot of times incidents happen. Even if you’re not bitten, the rats are there and it’s been a problem for New York City, especially here in the Bronx. We need more politicians to bring this issue to Albany for funding. I didn’t know that rat droppings could kill you. I know that people do have allergies and they can get very

Dear Fellow Readers, The latest edition of the Norwood News, publishing Bronx community news you can use, is out at 300 stands across the northwest Bronx. We begin, as usual, with page one and a proposal to downzone Mosholu Parkway, the green pasture that doubles as a roadway. Read what Mayor Bill de Blasio had to say about development in the borough, and get a full picture of his recent town hall powwow from reporter Wendy Joan Biddlecombe. Inside the cover you’ll find stories on Norwood’s CVS pharmacy primed to closed, according to the big chain pharmacy, an investigation into

By ADELINE HANSSEN

At a rally with shades of presidential ambitions, Governor Andrew Cuomo declared that Democrats are not going to let Republicans win when it comes to doing away with the Affordable Care Act. Cuomo, rumored to make a run for the White House in 2020, addressed the powerful 1199 SEIU at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Pelham Parkway/Morris Park on Feb. 22, rallying rank and file union members. He used his platform to criticize the Republicans’ position, taking a definitive stance on health care policy. According to Cuomo, New York faces a $3.7 billion loss to the Medicaid program should

CONGRESSMAN ADRIANO ESPAILLAT (r) talks with a guest at an open house for his new office at 2530 Grand Concourse in Fordham on Feb. 22. Espaillat, who won the seat in the 13th Congressional District, follows through on a campaign promise to build an office within the Bronx portion of the district. Voters say the congressional district previously had little representation in the Bronx. The office number is (718) 450-8241. Photo by Miriam Quinones/Caption by Christine Owusu-Ampaw

Bronx Barriers: Low Voter Turnout

By ANTHONY ALI

The Norwood News and WFUV continue their five-part series profiling different types of challenges impacting the Bronx. Voter turnout remains a challenge during New York City elections. In the Bronx, that problem is amplified, consistently lagging when it comes to voter turnout, according to figures. And with a mayoral election coming up later this year, it begs the question: Why aren’t more Bronx voters heading to the polls? Multiple Challenges It’s a question city Councilman Ritchie Torres of the 15th Council District had posed back in 2014. His answer: low civic engagement, with Bronx residents

A grassroots effort to limit height restrictions for new buildings along Mosholu Parkway crossed another hurdle as city officials agreed to consider examining downzoning efforts along the parkway next year. The move comes amid Community Board 7’s independent zoning study of two neighborhoods within its borders as a way to preserve its character while stemming further development. The group won a victory at the latest CB7 Land Use/Housing Committee meeting on Feb. 15 when the New York City Department of City Planning (DCP), charged with determining the character of neighborhoods across the five boroughs, assured the community it will assess

By WENDY JOAN BIDDLECOMBE

Although Mayor Bill de Blasio’s town hall meeting was held in the Kingsbridge neighborhood of the Bronx, the mayor heard from Norwood residents, who brought issues of parking and overcrowding to his attention. Throughout the event, held at In Tech Academy on Tibbett Avenue and moderated by Councilman Andrew Cohen, the mayor addressed Bronxites’ questions on national issues as well as local concerns, including immigration, healthcare and education. “This is a city where we’re passionate people. When you look at the tabloids, you look at the news, there’s a lot of feeling, a lot of emotion. And I think we

By DAVID CRUZ

Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. once again lightly dabbled with the prospect of becoming mayor of New York City in his latest annual State of the Borough Address. Discussing citywide issues, he took aim at both Mayor Bill de Blasio and President Donald Trump. Diaz’s eighth annual speech, delivered at JFK High School in Marble Hill, drew 89 rounds of applause during his 47-minute delivery, as he summed up a number of the borough’s achievements, while it was light on new, lofty initiatives. Diaz was short on new proposals, while adding to previously announced proposals, which had included installing a deck atop a 13-acre train yard