Neighborhood Notes

Crafty Seniors R.A.I.N. Boston Secor Senior Center, 3540 Bivona St, presents a free exhibition of crochet creations by the seniors on June 23 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call (718) 671-8550. Rent Freeze Meeting A Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) workshop will be held on June 29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Serviam Gardens, 323 E. 198th St. Those eligible may be able to receive a rent freeze, and can receive help completing their applications and collecting all documents needed for this program. Seniors must be at least age 62 or disabled, have

COMMUNITY BOARD 7 committee meetings are held on the following dates at the board office, 229 E. 204th St., at 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted: Community Relations/Long Term Planning Committee meets June 28; Economic Development Committee meets June 28 at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call the Board office at (718) 933-5650. THE 52nd PRECINCT COMMUNITY COUNCIL meets June 23 at 7pm at the Botanical Gardens Auditorium. The entrance is on Mosholu Parkway opposite the Botanical Gardens Train Station. Editor’s Note: Starting in July, local Community Board 7, Bedford Mosholu Community Association, and the 52nd Precinct Community Council will be

By DANIELA BEASLEY

The 52nd Precinct officially rolled out the Neighborhood Coordination Officer program (NCO), part of the NYPD’s overall Neighborhood Policing Program. Eight patrol officers and one sergeant, referred to as neighborhood coordinating officers (NCOs), make up the precinct’s NCO program. They’re offered the chance to create their own schedules while also provided with a smartphone for residents to stay connected to them at all times. “I guarantee that if you have a persistent problem, these cops will take care of it,” said Assistant Chief Larry Nikunen, referring to the roundtable of NCOs at the front of Mintz Auditorium in Monroe College

At 13th Congressional District Debate, Minus Three Candidates, a Tamer Joust

By DAVID CRUZ

The candidates for the 13th Congressional District race squared off in a penultimate debate before the June 28 primary, this time focusing more on policy and staving off mudslinging. The debate, hosted and televised on BronxNet, saw six of the nine Democratic candidates—Sam Sloan, Clyde Williams, Adam Clayton Powell IV, Suzan Johnson Cook, and Mike Gallagher–take prepared questions from Gary Axelbank, the moderator. Three of the candidates—Assemblyman Guillermo Linares, Senator Adriano Espaillat, and Yohanny Caceres–were unavailable. Espaillat said last-minute business in the Albany Legislature, particularly talk on mayoral control, compelled him to stay. Linares and Caceres did not offer an explanation on their

By DANIELA BEASLEY

A proposal for a new BP gas station on West Fordham Road was met with strong opposition and little support from the community board whose jurisdiction covers the gas station. The gas station would be replacing a 55-space parking lot at 205 W. Fordham Rd. by Sedgwick Avenue. The plan lays out the gas station as having five pumps, a canopy and three curb cuts serving as entrances and exits. The placement of the curb cuts is what troubled Community Board 7’s Land Use/Housing Committee with respect to driver safety. West Fordham Road, a major thoroughfare, has cars traveling past

DOUG CONDIT OF Norwood poses with state Sen. Ruth Hassell-Thompson after receiving a nomination to be included in the NYS Senate Veterans Wall. Condit is a veteran of the US Navy, having served for close to four years. Congratulations to Mr. Condit! Photo courtesy New York State Senate

A Gripping Simulator at Monroe College Signals Talk on Police Shootings

A witness called in the incident—shouting between two sisters inside a home. In a neighborhood of one-story ranch houses and serene weather, it’s not exactly the scene of a domestic dispute. But Gloria Bent, a member of Community Board 7, goes in. One of the sisters, abutting her front door, urges Bent to get her other sister out of the house. The woman’s tics and moaning drawl suggests she’s high and agitated. She fidgets with a pair of scissors. Bent notices her voice growing more impatient. “She’s in here, she’s bothering me; she’s telling me she wants me to get

By WENDY JOAN BIDDLECOMBE

If you’ve noticed more bees zipping and swarming along the Mosholu Parkway greenway, you’re not imagining things. The Risse Street Community Garden, at the corner of Risse Street and Grand Concourse just tipping Mosholu Parkway, is now home to thousands of honeybees working to pollinate the plants in the community garden and beyond. The hive was installed in April by resident beekeeper Brendan O’Regan, a contractor by trade. “I would have done this years ago if I had a place to put them, absolutely,” O’Regan said. “I didn’t know anything about keeping bees, but I did know that it wasn’t