1961 Freshman Graduates from Bronx Community College and She’s Just Getting Started!

By EMILY SAWAKED

Donning a green cap and gown, and cheered on by countless family members, one Bronx native had an extra special reason to celebrate receiving her associate degree from Bronx Community College (BCC) last month. Having first embarked upon her collegial path in 1961, Mercedes Yordan walked, for the first time, in a college graduation ceremony this past June, following a long life and varied career. Yordan said she got married and had children soon after she started her studies the first time around. She said it meant she had to leave college, bringing her foundational time in academia to a

By DAVID GREENE & SÍLE MOLONEY

A 59-year-old man was murdered in cold blood outside a smoke shop in University Heights on Saturday afternoon. Police said the incident unfolded on Saturday, July 30, at around 12.07 p.m., when officers responded to a 911 call regarding a man who had been stabbed at Magic 7 Smoke Shop, located at 174 West Fordham Road in the 52nd Precinct. “Upon arrival, officers observed 59-year-old male, unconscious and unresponsive male with a stab wound to the neck,” a police spokesperson said. “EMS responded and transported the aided male to NYC Health and Hospitals/Jacobi where he was later

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Eight days after the tragic and fatal stabbing of Tracey Towers mother, Monica Akua, neighbors, community members, church friends, and elected officials gathered at the Jerome Park twin-tower housing complex to remember a beloved resident. The memorial follows a candlelit vigil, also held at the towers, in memory of Akua on Monday, July 18, organized by “We All Really Matter (W.A.R.M.)” a Harlem-based organization supporting people affected by domestic violence. Akua’s daughter, Doris, flew in from Georgia to attend the July 22 memorial and grieve along with her brother, Joel, who, we understand, lives in New York. Their

By SÍLE MOLONEY & DAVID GREENE

Extreme weather brought three thunderstorms, a heatwave and flooding during one crazy week in The Bronx which also saw a van disappear down a sinkhole in Morris Park. As reported, each of the three thunderstorms that hit The Bronx on July 18, July 21, and July 25, brought wind gusts of 60 mph and flooding. The worst flooding was on July 18, amid a reported two and half inches of rainfall, with some minor traffic chaos observed as seen in the attached video and photos. Norwood News photographer, Miriam Quiñones captured a lightning rod seemingly striking Tracey

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Police said a 29-year-old man was arrested following a stabbing at 3300 Bailey Avenue in Kingsbridge Heights. Based on the accounts of residents of the building, the incident appears to have been domestic in nature. Police said the stabbing occurred on Saturday, July 23, at around 10.30 p.m., and that Gilbert Abraham Lopez, 29, of 3044 Bailey Avenue (an address about two blocks away from the location of the assault) was arrested and charged with alleged assault, menacing, criminal possession of a weapon, and harassment. Norwood News spoke with two residents, one female and one male, on condition of

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced on Friday, July 29, that two leaders of the “Los Sures” set of the Trinitarios gang have been found guilty of second-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz, 15, on June 20, 2018. In the context of the announcement, Clark said, “These men, leaders of a Trinitarios set, commanded their members to go out and commit violence. The order ended the life of a promising 15-year-old boy, Lesandro ‘Junior’ Guzman-Feliz. One of the defendants stood and watched as gang members attacked Junior with knives and a machete outside a

By SÍLE MOLONEY

District 14 City Council Member Pierina Sanchez will host a community block party on Morris Avenue, between 181st Street and Burnside Avenue, on the border of Fordham Heights and University Heights on Saturday, July 30, from noon to 4 p.m., during which she is expected to announce a number of investments in the district. With a large variety of activities, food, and more, according to the councilwoman’s office, District 14 residents are welcome to attend. The event is being hosted in partnership with the Committee for Hispanic Children and Families (CHCF), Fidelis Care, and the Union Community Health Center

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark and Jocelyn E. Strauber, NYC Department of Investigation commissioner (DOI), announced on Monday, July 25, that an NYC Department of Correction (DOC) captain and three DOC Officers have been charged for failing to help an incarcerated individual who had attempted suicide by hanging himself in a holding cell in Rikers Island in 2019. The inmate suffered significant brain damage. Clark said of the case, “The defendants ignored their duty as correction officers to maintain custody, care and control of the person incarcerated, by allegedly waiting nearly eight minutes until they rendered assistance to

By EMILY SAWAKED & SÍLE MOLONEY

The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition. Nearly 1,500 people are recorded as being homeless every month in The Bronx, according to City data, with many living in shelters located around the borough. According to State Sen. Gustavo Rivera (S.D. 33) and one city agency representative we spoke to, various non-profits, government representatives, elected officials and some candidates running for office have been pushing over many years to reduce these numbers and raise awareness of the homelessness crisis in the city. One positive result of these sustained local efforts

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Archive

1961 Freshman Graduates from Bronx Community College and She’s Just Getting Started!

University Heights: Man Murdered outside Smoke Shop on Fordham Road

Memorial Held at Tracey Towers for Beloved Neighbor, Monica Akua

Extreme Weather Brings Thunderstorms, Flooding & a Heatwave in One Crazy Week

UPDATE Kingsbridge Heights: 29-Year-Old Man Arrested following Apparent DV-related Stabbing

Trinitarios Gang Leaders Found Guilty of Murder of 15-Year-Old Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz

Pierina Sanchez to Announce Community Investments at Block Party on Saturday, July 30

DOC Captain & Three Officers Charged with Reckless Endangerment of Rikers Island Inmate

UPDATE Project Renewal’s Longtime Venture, Bedford Green House, Officially Opens