Bronx Residents Air Out Grievances on Proposed Express Bus Cuts

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Hundreds of residents in the Bronx turned out at a town hall meeting in Riverdale to let MTA representatives, led by Craig Cipriano, acting president for the MTA Bus Company, know that service cuts to express bus service to Manhattan is unacceptable. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz moderated the Nov. 18 meeting with Councilman Andrew Cohen, both of whom represent Norwood, to discuss prospective cuts to Express bus service that include the BxM4 that goes to Manhattan. In the MTA’s final bus network redesign report, the BxM4, among four other lines, is included on the list of “least financially efficient,” and is

Special Report: The Vanishing Bronx Homeowner

By DAVID CRUZ

At the Bedford Mosholu Community Association (BMCA) meeting in October, its president, Barbara Stronczer, announced the news with some resignation: another private home came down in the neighborhood. This time it happened at 208 E. Mosholu Pkwy. S. near East 203rd Street, an aged rooming home owned by Arian Borici up until 2017, according to building records. In a few years, an eight-story apartment building will rise, thanks to the neighborhood’s decades-old zoning laws that allow for taller buildings across the community’s intricately tight streets. The home came down the same time as 3008 Perry Ave., just a few houses

Vying for an Endorsement, 81st Assembly District Candidate Says Local Club Playing Games

By DAVID CRUZ

A candidate for the Assembly seat representing Norwood is crying foul a local political club’s decision to endorse candidates the same night as it handles assignments for the club’s executive committee without fully discussing the pros or cons for such a move. George Diaz, a former staffer to former Councilman Oliver Koppell vying for the seat against long-term Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz, claims he wasn’t properly told about a Nov. 20 meeting where candidates seeking the endorsement of the Ben Franklin Reform Democratic Club can make their cases for official support from club members. “There was no prior discussion of this

Ahead of the US. Census Count, Bronx Democrats Form Club to Ensure a Proper Tally

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Democrats in the Bronx added another club Nov. 17 to grow their political power in the borough. Formally known as Northwest Bronx Democrats for Change, the group is led by Oswald Feliz, a housing lawyer and Democratic district leader for the 78th Assembly District. Locally, Feliz has been involved in representing the tenants of Bedford Park Manor in their dispute with the owner, the Stagg Group, over living conditions including broken elevators, bug infestation, and water damage inside apartments. The group was formed, according to Feliz, in response to a larger threat than just local landlords failing to deliver on

In Stretch of Two Decades, BX Sports Builds Apparel Empire (Picture)

By JEROME GUN HILL BID

The Cafaro Brothers—Alberto, Vincenzo and Angelo—is also the team behind BX Sports, a sneaker and lifestyle apparel retailer found across the Bronx, including the Jerome Gun Hill Business Improvement District. Since 1997 the trio has been hard at work building a sneaker and style empire across the Bronx. BX Sports is a “true family business” with the three brothers at the helm supported by their sister and mother. For Alberto, “family is what makes the engine run.” When Alberto’s brother Vincenzo first decided to open up a sneaker store he was just 22 years old. At the time, the brothers

Extra! Extra! Bronx Local Lobbies for Newspapers Across School System

By DAVID CRUZ

The availability of school newspapers across the the New York City system are spotty at best, with just a handful of them publishing a weekly or monthly publication. For Dawn Hunter, a Riverdale resident who teaches at City College Academy of the Arts in the Inwood section of Manhattan, the creation of a paper used as a tool for understanding media literacy in her English class made sense. It became an instant hit. “We want the kids to have a voice, and we also want them to deepen their thoughts and have them speak out and seek the truth,” said

Norwood’s Graffiti Fighter Turns Attention to Domestic Violence

By SHA-NIA ALSTON

Heather Guerino and her husband Sirio are well known for cleaning up graffiti in Norwood. Now Heather is taking on a new cause by advocating for domestic violence survivors, and putting greater attention toward the issue. “I am on the frontline of this issue because I am working with parents that have gone through domestic violence situations,” Heather said. She even mentioned still seeing the effects of abuse on men and women who are no longer with their abuser. Heather’s advocacy was inspired by the tragic story of Lisa Marie Velasquez, a young woman from the Bronx who intended to

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By MICHAEL TURAY

New York City Councilman Fernando Cabrera was joined by City Board of Elections Director Mike Ryan last Wednesday to reveal the results of New York City’s early voting, which was implemented this year in what’s considered a very sleepy election season. From Oct. 26 through Nov. 3, 60,110 people came out to the polls to participate in early voting, with 4,893 of those voters registered casting a ballot in the Bronx, the New York City Board of Elections announced at a news conference the day after Election Day. The overall number of total voters in general elections has shown an

By DAVID GREENE

Norwood residents suffered an unexpected shock when a popular Chase Bank branch quietly shut it’s doors on Oct. 22. The branch at 311 E. 204th St. would have celebrated it’s fourteenth year of business in the neighborhood next month. Many residents were furious that no notices were ever posted on the walls or windows of the bank. One longtime customer claimed they did tell customers that they were closing at the end of October. The Norwood News reported on the bank’s impending closure over the summer. Another customer recalled the “verbal warning,” recalling but admitted to never receiving a date. The