News Briefs: Bronx Parks Preservation Grant

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By ALONDRA VASQUEZ

Bronx Parks Preservation Grant The Bronx River Alliance, along with the New York Botanical Garden and the Bronx Zoo, is getting extra help preserving the woodsy Bronx Parks forest through an in-kind grant by the Natural Areas Conservancy (NAC) nonprofit. NAC will offer consulting on forest management, expert knowledge, materials, training and long-term planning. Maggie Scott Greenfield, executive director of the Bronx River Alliance said the group will work in “harmonious partnership to protect, improve and restore the Bronx River corridor.” An NAC report found that the city’s forests are exposed to many threats including invasive plants, dumping, and unauthorized

SEE IT: Suspects Wanted in Beating of 17-Year-Old in Norwood

By DAVID CRUZ

It’s been nearly a month since police got a report of a 17-year-old boy beaten with the very same bat two suspects wanted for the attack stole, and now they need the public’s help. Police say it happened at the Montefiore Medical Center visitor parking garage at 3325 Rochambeau Ave. by East 210th Street on March 12. Police released video of the incident on April 9, showing an image of the two suspects. Police say the victim got into an argument with the two suspects before he was attacked. The victim was taken to Jacobi Medical Center and was listed

Parking. Rent. Congestion Pricing. Topics Explored at Norwood Town Hall

By JOSEPH KONIG

Fresh off passing the state budget in Albany this week, legislators returned to their districts to laud their successes and discuss their next moves at a town hall specifically geared for Norwood residents. State Sen. Jamaal Bailey, Assembly Members Nathalia Fernandez and Jeffrey Dinowitz, joined Councilman Andrew Cohen in getting those ideas out. Guests in the Cherkasky Auditorium submitted questions covering everything from the plastic bag ban (Dinowitz: “We didn’t need them 35 years ago, we don’t need them today.”), to parking, congestion pricing and marijuana legalization (Bailey: “Conversations continue to be ongoing… my main concern with legalization is impacted

By PROF. ANTHONY RIVIECCIO, MBA, PFA

Where’s my tax money? Well, after now, our recent two-year experience with the change in the tax code we now know: Many things! From the new IRS postcard to the new formulas and worksheets. Of course, many people were happy with the front end of the new tax bill when passed by Congress in 2017. In 2018, on average, everyone received a two percent tax cut. Yes, you did. If you got paid , every two weeks, yes you probably received it. And, for example, on $50,000 of income, that would be a $1,000 total tax cut. And yes, evidence

3425 Gates Pl. Tenants Strike Against MCI Increase

By DAVID CRUZ and SHA-NIA ALSTON

When construction work on Phoenicia Herbert’s kitchen and bathroom was under way, she was expecting some kind of inconvenience. She just didn’t think it would turn out the way it did. It was at 3425 Gates Pl. in Norwood in 2016 where Herbert was forced to share a bathroom and kitchen with other tenants while work inside the apartments, which also included the installation of new windows and a front door, was under way. “They allowed one apartment that was already empty to be used per floor.” She even had to wait over half a day for a bathroom, causing

Resistance Mounts Towards Third Co-Location at DeWitt Clinton Campus

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Students, parents, and teachers at DeWitt Clinton High School are once again being asked to share their campus with another school waiting in the wings. The new school, known as PS X721 Stephen McSweeney School, is comprised of students diagnosed with autism, intellectual or multiple disabilities as determined by their Individualized Education Program (IEP). The school would be part of District 75 (D75), where students from the district are already enrolled at DeWitt Clinton Campus, albeit in smaller classroom settings. And with the Panel for Educational Policy (PEP), the governing body comprised of mayoral appointees and slated to vote on

Norwood News Grabs Eight Awards at Statewide Journalism Contest

By NORWOOD NEWS

The Norwood News had a good year at the statewide Better Newspaper Contest awards ceremony, picking up eight awards for its coverage of the Bronx last year. Among the big awards was the Thomas G. Butson Award for In-Depth Reporting, where editor-in-chief David Cruz placed third in a widely competitive category. “Thorough reporting,” read the judge’s comments on the story examining the complexities behind affordable housing in New York City, and the repercussions. The series, dubbed “Housing Matters,” was made possible through a fellowship with the Marguerite Casey Foundation. Other awards included a second place prize for Feature Story, which

Bronx Night Market Brings Evenings of Music and Food to Fordham

By DAVID CRUZ

The city is restarting the vetting process for a manager overseeing the massive $34 million Fordham Plaza, after the neighboring business improvement district could not agree to the city’s stipulations. The Fordham Road Business Improvement District (BID), the largest BID in the Bronx, was on the cusp of signing a multi-year contract that would have allowed it to oversee Fordham Plaza, built in 2016 and complete with a café along with three vendor kiosks. The city Department of Transportation, which manages the plaza and was involved in talks, offered a tailored deal that included the city’s offer to fix and

Electeds Want Your Questions for Town Hall Forum in Norwood

By DAVID CRUZ

Norwood’s representatives on the city and state level want you to bring your gripes to a town hall forum they’ve organized for tomorrow. The legislators–Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, state Sen. Jamaal Bailey, Assemblywoman Nathalia, and Councilman Andrew Cohen–will be on hand for the forum starting at 7 p.m. at Montefiore Medical Center’s Cherkasky Auditorium. The forum allows residents to share any community concerns with the four representatives. For Dinowitz, this represents his fourth town hall since November, which has drawn roughly 100 residents on average. “I’m hoping we get a good crowd. We have, in the past, trouble getting crowds,” said