Bronx Car Dealer Aids Puerto Rico’s Hurricane Victims

By STEPHANIE LUCIANO

LaSorsa Chevrolet Dealership announced their collection efforts for victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico were successful. The auto group on the corner of East Gun Hill Road and Webster Avenue in Norwod collected hurricane donations for the past two months through Oct. 27 with a portion of donations coming from the recent Hurricane Relief Concert held at East 204th Street and Webster Avenue. With the help of local residents, they’ve received an abundance of water, clothing and nonperishable goods. Satisfied with the amount of donations received, John A. LaSorsa, CEO of the dealership, told the Norwood News he was

By ANTHONY RIVIECCIO, MBA, PFA

Let me first get my conflict of interest out of the way. As a former U.S. Navy man, I was honored to take part in “reserve duty” in the Kingsbridge Armory in the late 1970s and even more excited, taking part in spending my money at the Armory watching many closed circuit boxing fights in the 1980s back before pay-per-view was in vogue. I also protested for the city to bring “schools to the Armory” after it closed in 1997, after it was re-purposed into a women’s homeless shelter that was so bad it had closed. And 20 years later,

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By DAVID GREENE

This week we asked readers the best locations to enjoy the fall foliage in the Bronx and beyond. I would say by the Bronx Zoo. I also know they have a spot in Yonkers, but I’m not sure of the exact location. Also going towards Throggs Neck in some spots; there are some really nice spots along Pelham Parkway; going towards City Island is really nice. This time last year there was ice on the ground, so we get to embrace the surroundings and get to smell the trees a little bit longer and enjoy Mother Nature. Ronald McDaniel, Throggs Neck

Free WiFi for Students The New York Public Library offers free WiFi for eligible students in kindergarten through 12th grade who don’t have WiFi at home. A lending event, where hotspot devices can be checked out for free, takes place Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. at The Bronx Library Center, 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. A valid library card and pre-registration are required. For more information, call (718) 579-4244 or visit http://hotspot.nypl.org/. Library Fines Waived The New York Public Library has waived all library fines for children 17 and younger. High school students age 18 and over can stop by their

CAUGHT: Alleged Daytime Rapist in Norwood

By DAVID CRUZ

NYPD officers apprehended a suspect wanted in the rare daytime rape of a woman just a block from North Central Bronx Hospital. Police arrested and charged German Otero, 36, of the Inwood section Manhattan, for raping the victim on Oct. 24 at an obscure spot on DeKalb Avenue and East 208th Street. Cops say the woman engaged in brief conversation with the suspect before luring her to an obscure spot in the area. That’s where he punched her in the face and raped her, according to police. Police released video of the suspect. He was described as having a light

Editor’s Pick Happy Halloween The Jerome-Gun Hill BID invites the public to its Halloween Dance Party and Parade, Oct. 31 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Meet at Mosholu Parkway and Jerome Avenue. There will be free candy, music and pumpkins. For more information, call (718) 324-4646. (See “Holiday Events” below for more.) Onstage The Williamsbridge Oval presents Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, Nov. 4 at 1 p.m. in the Rec Center. For more information and to RSVP, call (718) 543-8672. Events The Williamsbridge Oval offers a variety of free classes for youth ages 6 to 12, after school and Saturdays, including

By DAVID CRUZ

Police are on the hunt for a daytime rapist who lured a woman to an alley not too far from North Central Bronx Hospital. The rape happened on Oct. 24 at around 4 p.m. near DeKalb Avenue and East 208th Street, according to cops. They say the perp led the woman to an obscure spot where he punched her then raped her. The victim went to North Central Bronx Hospital with a nose injury. The perp had ran off and hasn’t been seen since. The man was captured on surveillance video. He’s described as having a light complexion, about

Latest Edition of the Norwood News Is Out!

Dear Fellow Readers, The latest edition of the Norwood News, covering the northwest portion of the Bronx, is out with plenty of community news you can use. For the sake of consistency, we begin with page one as usual and a story that keeps on giving–the Kingsbridge Armory. This time, in a move aimed at advancing the reconfiguration of the building to a massive ice center, state officials heard from the community on whether to fund give the beleaguered project a $138 million state loan to begin phase one. The findings were near unanimous. Reporter Aaron Mayorga chronicles reaction from

How to Pay for Kingsbridge Ice Center In Focus...Again

By AARON MAYORGA

The beleaguered project to convert the Kingsbridge Armory into the world’s largest ice skating center overcame a major financing hurdle as residents and community leaders backed a multi-million-dollar state loan for developers at a hearing. The state-mandated hearing represents a return to square one for backers of the Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC), an expected to be state-of-the-art ice rink that is estimated to cost $353 million. Since receiving the green light from the New York City Council in December 2013, the project has languished in delays, with construction at the Armory yet to begin. At the Oct. 12 hearing,