Neighborhood Notes

Editor’s Note: If you have an item you would like to submit for Neighborhood Notes please email dcruz@norwoodnews.org. Legal Workshop State Sen. Gustavo Rivera presents a “Know Your Rights Legal Workshop: Stop and Frisk” on Wednesday, April 9 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Renaissance Youth Center, 3485 Third Ave. For more information or to RSVP (required), call (718) 933-2034 or email RSVPSenatorRivera@gmail.com. Crime Prevention Workshops The Bronx DA’s Crime Victims and Community Affairs Units will sponsor several free workshops, for adults ages 21+ only, honoring Crime Prevention Week, at Community Board 12’s Carriage House, 4101 White Plains Rd.: “Protecting

Out & About – Quintent, Flamencos and Zumba

Compiled by Judy Noy Onstage Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W. presents Lehman Brass Quintet, featuring classical and original music, April 10 at 11 a.m.; and Lehman Woodwind Quintet, featuring classical music, April 13 at 2 p.m. (both in the Music Building’s Recital Hall); and The Met: Live in HD, featuring Puccini’s La Boheme, April 5 at 12:55 p.m. in the Lovinger Theatre (all free); TAO: Phoenix Rising, April 6 at 4 p.m., featuring Taiko drumming from Japan (tickets: $25 to $35); and Russian National Ballet: Don Quixote, April 13 at 4 p.m. (tickets $25

By David Cruz They poured into Community Board 7’s headquarters on April 3, frustrated and searching for answers. But they’ve only arrived at one conclusion—the crime and disrepair at 2922 Grand Concourse is deliberate, and it’s okay with management.

Business Beat – First Crunch Fitness Gym Wants to Pump You Up!

By DAVID CRUZ Assaf Gal stood on a sidewalk on 205th Street near Webster Avenue one afternoon in January, promoting his newest venture—a Crunch Fitness gym in the Bronx. He spotted a mailwoman, handing her a Crunch ad that caused her to jolt.

Bronx Religious Groups Urge Mayor de Blasio to Allow Them To Worship In Schools

by David Cruz Clergy leaders are hopeful Mayor Bill de Blasio reverses a city Department of Education mandate that forbids them to practice their religion inside empty public school. The rallying cry comes a day after a federal court panel ruled it unconstitutional for so-called mobile churches to practice inside schools.

Judges: Thou Shalt Not Worship In School

by David Cruz Church groups may have to look elsewhere if they were to celebrate Easter or Passover inside an available public school. A federal court has sided with the city Department of Education in ruling that religious practice in public schools is unconstitutional. The decision, part of a decades-long lawsuit brought by several Bronx church groups, now jeopardizes any Easter/Passover plans made by church groups. “Mayor [Bill de Blasio] with a single swipe of his pen can offer immediate relief to thousands of his fellow New Yorkers who now face the prospect of not knowing if they will have

The latest edition of the Norwood News is out with some noteworthy stories that can get the conversation going. First up, the Norwood News follows the aftermath of a three-alarm fire that knocked out several businesses in Mt. Hope. What are their options in rebuilding? Better read to find out. Next, some stinky news that is the bane of Bronxites–dog mess! It’s on the sidewalks, parks, you name it. All the reason why the 52nd Precinct has put this quality of life issue on the forefront, vowing to issue summonses. Check out what sparked the talk here. And finally, the first-ever Crunch Fitness

By JUSTIN MCCALLUM It’s a frequent topic for Community Board 7’s Environment and Sanitation Committee and universally disgusting–dog poop littering the streets year round. Whether along the greenways of Mosholu Parkway and Reservoir Oval, or other bustling thoroughfares such as Jerome Avenue, the prevalence of poop has certainly raised concerns. “People not picking up behind their dog is really a problem in our district, and I really don’t see any enforcement,” an anonymous complainant told the March 18 general meeting. But thanks to a recent addition to the 52nd Precinct’s Community Affairs office, the issue may finally come to

by DAVID CRUZ The charcoal scent still lingers along a stretch of small businesses on East Burnside Avenue just a week and a half after a three-alarm fire damaged them. Crews have since erected a scaffold, while police from the 46th Precinct have set up a barricade, fencing off the property from pedestrians and any would-be squatters. Passersby assess the rubble at some stores, staring pitifully at some of the establishments that have been gutted.