Endless Construction at Bedford Pk. Building

By MICHAEL BROWN JR. “Expected Occupancy Summer 2014,” reads the sign at a Bedford Park building.

Standoff in Throggs Neck Ends With Arrest, Elderly Woman Found Dead

by David Greene New Year’s morning saw the second homicide in the borough happening the quietest of places.

Inquiring Photographer

By DAVID GREENE This week we asked readers their thoughts on the recent protests for NYPD reforms and what they think demonstrators are trying to achieve. I think it’s horrible. These [police officers] are innocent people. If you want to do it, do non-violent protests. I’m from India and the father of our nation, Mahatma Gandhi, got independence from non-violent protests. Like Martin Luther King, he followed the steps of Gandhi. The Justice Department is investigating and they will analyze what happened to Eric Garner and Michael Brown and will take whatever steps need to be taken.–Mohammad Ziauddin I

By DAVID CRUZ Behind the holiday lights strung throughout four commercial strips, a blueprint for bolstering economic fervor along a major thoroughfare, and a revamped Norwood News, the Mosholu Preservation Corporation (MPC) has overseen it all. And that’s just in 2014.

Out & About, Post-Holiday Events for the Whole Family

Editor’s Pick Free Music at NYPL The Bronx Library Center, 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd., presents Doo Wop featuring the New York Exceptions performing music from the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s, Dec. 27; and Madame Butterfly, performed by the New York Opera Forum, Jan. 3; both at 2:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 579-4244/46/57 or visit www.nypl.org. The Mosholu Library, 285 E. 205th St., offers Music by Josué Pagán, performing classical guitar, Jan. 3 at 2:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 882-8239.

Norwood News’ 2014 Year In Review

By HAYLEY CAMACHO The northwest Bronx has seen quite a batch of news stories that have gripped, intrigued and caused quite a stir during 2014. The Norwood News tracked many of these stories this year, and in some cases, broken them. As part of a yearly tradition, we look back at some of the top stories of 2014.

Editorial: Making Sense of KNIC’s Yearlong Holdup, And a Possible Delay

As we close 2014, the Norwood News wants to take you back to Dec. 2013 when the New York City Council, led by its Bronx delegation, overwhelmingly voted in favor of re-purposing the Kingsbridge Armory into the world’s largest ice skating rink. The fervor was exciting for the Kingsbridge National Ice Center. History had unfolded. The community was happy thanks to its legally binding Community Benefits Agreement. Many elected officials praised the project as the start of a new frontier for the Bronx—the rise of a burgeoning borough-wide sports Mecca. A smart first step as the borough dominated in the economic

by David Cruz A push for calm in the aftermath of two cops fatally shot in Brooklyn has reverberated in the Bronx, with legislators siding with Mayor Bill de Blasio’s stance for unity following weeks of tensions and strained relations. In Kingsbridge Heights, legislators and residents stood outside the 50th Precinct, pushing for a more tempered city two days after Police Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were gunned down by Ismaaiyl Brinsley, a mentally ill Baltimore man bent on killing police officers. Brinsley would later kill himself while on the platform of a subway station.

Hector Aponte, Bronx Parks Commissioner, to Retire

by David Cruz Hector Aponte, the long serving Bronx Commissioner for the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, is slated to retire. The agency confirmed to the Norwood News of Mr. Aponte leaving office after spending ten years as Bronx parks chief. It’s unclear when Mr. Aponte’s retire date is effective. Mr. Aponte, who grew up in the Bronx, was appointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to serve as the Bronx Parks Commissioner. His first year in the Bronx came amid the early construction phase of the Croton Water Filtration Plan in Van Cortlandt Village, a massive water project tied to a