Green Bronx Machine

By AURÉOLE RIBES

As a youngster in the Sixties and Seventies, Stephen Ritz and his friends would drill a hole in a quarter, put a fishing string through it, and play infinite pinball games at Larry’s Luncheonette on the corner of Gun Hill Road and Tryon Avenue in Norwood. They got away with it for a few weeks. Ritz recalls this little ploy with fondness and has an amalgam of other memories as well. He remembers learning basketball at Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, building little tree houses in Reservoir Oval Park, biking down Gun Hill Road, and meeting the Duncan “YoYo”

By ISAIAH MATHEWSON, MIRIAM QUINOÑES & SÍLE MOLONEY

Following reports on Sept. 18 of the defacing of a mural painted in support of Black trans lives on 204th Street and Perry Avenue in the Norwood section of the Bronx, reaction from allies and various public officials was swift. Their message? Hate has no place in Norwood. The following day, a rally was organized at the mural location by Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernandez, who was joined by a group of about 30, comprising members of the Black trans community, allies, and local leaders for the purpose of “denouncing hate and the defacing of a mural supporting Black trans lives.”

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx native, attorney, and board member of Northwest Bronx Democrats 4 Change, Oswald Feliz, is clear on what his top three issues are in running for City Council in the 15th District. “Number one, I will work to racially and economically desegregate our public-school system,” he said. “We actually have the most racially and economically segregated system in the country, and that has to change.” Feliz said that in a city which has the largest public-school system in the country, with over 1.1 million students, where 70 percent are from minority communities, it is unjust that only a

By DANIELA BEASELY

Mosholu Preservation Corporation (MPC) is partnering with Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) NYC to support local, small businesses in the Norwood and Wakefield neighborhoods through the LISC NYC Small Business Relief & Recovery Fund. The Fund will provide grants of $10,000 to minority-owned, small businesses, in response to their needs to successfully retool and adapt to new business guidelines and a changing marketplace, in the wake of COVID-19. LISC NYC embraces an inclusive, economic development agenda that prioritizes targeted investments in public infrastructure, human talent, innovation, diverse enterprises, and community organizations. This aligns with MPC’s efforts to advance the health

By DAVID GREENE

Three firefighters were injured after an early morning fire broke out engulfing a row of shops along East Gun Hill Road between Jerome Avenue and DeKalb Avenue in the Norwood section of the Bronx on Thursday, Sept. 24. Three of the shops were completely destroyed. According to fire department officials, the fire broke out inside the D’Amigos Restaurant and Bar, a one-story building located at 12 East Gun Hill Road, at 1.27 a.m. The fire quickly spread to two adjacent stores, P & S Wigs and Jewelry at 14 East Gun Hill and a beauty supply shop at 10

By DAVID GREENE & SÍLE MOLONEY

Catholic school children enrolled in schools in the Archdiocese of New York returned to class on Wednesday, Sept. 9 for the first time since March when the pandemic forced most of the city into lockdown. However, the return to school was quite different, and not just because of mask wearing. Children of all ages returned to their cathedrals of education at St. Raymond Academy for Girls in Castle Hill, Immaculate Conception in Olinville, St. Philip Neri School in Bedford Park, St. Brendan’s School in Norwood and dozens of others. Students were greeted with warm “hellos” as well as temperature

By SÍLE MOLONEY

A new study at Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine will compare the outcomes of people with COVID-19 who are monitored at home by wearable technology, to people who receive standard outpatient care. The investigators hope to determine if Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) can be used successfully to track symptoms and flag people at risk for getting severely ill, and why. Jonathan D. Leff, M.D., FASE, vice chair, Faculty & Academic Affairs and chief, Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology, Montefiore and professor of anesthesiology and of cardiovascular & thoracic surgery, Einstein, is leading the study, which will include 150 people being monitored remotely

By CARLOS TEJEDA

Flu season is approaching quickly. This year, it is especially important to get the flu vaccine to help you stay healthy and reduce the severity of COVID-19 symptoms should you get sick. This season, it is essential to take extra steps to protect yourself and others by getting the flu shot and practicing good hygiene. To help your loved ones stay safe in the upcoming months, follow these tips: Monitor Your Health Daily Both the flu and COVID-19 are contagious respiratory diseases that share similar symptoms. Pay close attention to your health and see a medical professional if

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Sept. 23, that the City will furlough all managerial and non-union represented City employees, totaling 9,000 people. This announcement expands on an announcement made last week by the City of a week of furloughs of mayoral office employees which will take place between October and March. The de Blasio administration said the expanded furloughs announced on Sept. 23 will save the City $21 million. The administration clarified to Norwood News that under the previously announced furlough arrangement, also reported by Norwood News, which affects mayoral office employees, these employees will