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The Push to Expand Right to Counsel, Diaz Jr. to Retire: Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

The Push to Expand Right to Counsel, Diaz Jr. to Retire: Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!
By DAVID CRUZ
Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s third edition of the Norwood News for 2020 is out with plenty of community stories to read and share. We have packed 28 pages full of news from this corner of the Bronx, so let’s start with page one! Our top story focuses on a bill being championed by Councilman Andrew Cohen and housing advocacy groups that expands Right to Counsel. The act–which provides free legal counsel to those facing eviction–covers those considered extreme low income. New legislation looks to expand the income eligibility standards. Jose A. Giralt breaks it all down for us. Inside the


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Is Cabrera Blurring Legislative Commitment With Campaigning?

CM Fernando Cabrera
By DAVID CRUZ
It’s something of an open secret: political incumbency serving as an entryway for incumbents to poke into matters happening within the district they seek to represent in the near future. And it’s a controversial tact that Councilman Fernando Cabrera, the 14th Council District representative, appears to have adopted, with one questionable trick in his employ. Cabrera is now seeking the 14th Congressional District seat occupied by Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who, given her massive campaign war chest and national popularity with uber-left Democrats (Ocasio-Cortez is now in Iowa to campaign with Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders), gives her a well-defined competitive


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Body Cam Videos Reveal Moment That Lead to Fatal 52nd Precinct Shooting in October

Body Cam Videos Reveal Moment That Lead to Fatal 52nd Precinct Shooting in October
By DAVID CRUZ
Three months after a sergeant from the 52nd Precinct fatally shot a Yonkers man following a traffic stop, the NYPD released body cam footage of the incident leading to the moments that went from jovial to chaotic in a matter of seconds. The videos, released on Jan. 24 and posted onto YouTube, shows three angles recorded by the body cameras worn by the sergeant, identified as Sgt. Jonathan Rivera, and two officers, Edward Barrett and Michelle Almanzar, on Oct. 17, 2019 just before 3 p.m. The three had pulled over Allen Feliz, who police say was driving his 2018 Volkswagen


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Cohen Backs Bills to Expand Right to Counsel, Which Could Benefit Thousands

Cohen Backs Bills to Expand Right to Counsel, Which Could Benefit Thousands
By JOSE A. GIRALT
Bronx residents in fear of landlords’ common use of initiating eviction proceedings are waiting for two bills before the City Council to pass soon. And while few New York City Council members from the Bronx have committed to backing the bill, they have support from Norwood’s Councilman Andrew Cohen. The two bills—Intros 1529 and 1104—look to expand Right to Counsel not only geographically but also economically. The bills, signed into law in 2017, are collectively known as Right to Counsel (RTC). New York City was the first in the country to implement them. On Jan. 15, local residents joined housing


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Financial Focus: The Path to a Bigger Tax Refund for 2021 – Business & Self-Employment (Part 4 of 7)

Crime File: Who's Wanted In the Bronx?
By PROF. ANTHONY RIVIECCIO, MBA, PFA
If you have been keeping track of our income tax deduction series, you should have learned much already on our first two subjects: children and itemized deductions. Please go to our prior issues to look up these subject matter specifically, this issue will be special, geared toward the world of small business and self employment. Whether you own a storefront or provide goods or services in your home for other income, entrepreneurship, over the last 30 years, has helped to spur economic growth. And in the last two years, the federal government has lowered business tax rates, significantly even more,


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In Stunner, Bronx BP Ruben Diaz Jr. Withdraws From Mayor’s Race

Bronx Projects Take Center Stage in State of the City
By DAVID CRUZ
The chances of the Bronx seeing one of its own run City Hall–and being the city’s first Latino mayor–have come to an end. Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. announced he is withdrawing his run for Mayor of New York City and not seeking any other elected title when his current tenure ends in 2021, an unexpected move as many believed his entire career was built for a mayoral run. The news, first reported by The New York Times, sent shockwaves throughout the Bronx political landscape. Diaz Jr. cited his need for spending more time with his family as a


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As Blake Gets Backing from 1199SEIU and 32BJ, Mark-Viverito Endorsed By Former Employer

As Blake Gets Backing from 1199SEIU and 32BJ, Mark-Viverito Endorsed By Former Employer
In his quest for the 15th Congressional District race, Assemblyman Michael Blake picked up the endorsement of the city’s biggest labor unions. Meantime, his rival, former Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito received the endorsement from a political action committee where she once served as interim president. The two unions, 1199SEIU and 32Bj, endorsed Blake for the South Bronx seat, with 1199SEIU president George Gresham telling the New York Daily News him an “advocate for healthcare, jobs, wages, social justice, and equity for Bronxites.” The union has heavy influence in New York City politics as it has 19,000 members in the district Blake looks


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Andy Byford, NYC Subway Chief Who Championed Bronx Bus Redesign, Resigns

Andy Byford, NYC Subway Chief Who Championed Bronx Bus Redesign, Resigns
By DAVID CRUZ
Andy Byford, the New York City Transit Authority chief credited for helping to turn around the subway system while overseeing a plan to revamp the Bronx bus network, has resigned today. His resignation comes two years after he signed on. Byford’s resignation was first reported by Politico. At today’s MTA Board meeting, Byford said a few words of thanks. “I’d like to say a big thank you to Governor [Andrew] Cuomo for giving me this opportunity, but also Governor Cuomo and the legislature for having the courage to pass congestion pricing, but also get the funds that I know will


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