National Weather Service: Severe Thunderstorm Watch Issued April 1 from 5:10 p.m. to 10 p.m.

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The National Weather Service storm prediction center issued a severe thunderstorm watch on April 1 which they said is in effect from 5:10 p.m. until 10 p.m. on April 1. Officials said the thunderstorm watch is in effect for the following New York counties: Albany, The Bronx, Columbia, Dutchess, Fulton, Greene, Herkimer, Kings, Montgomery, Nassau, New York (Manhattan), Orange, Putnam, Queens, Rensselaer, Richmond, Rockland, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Suffolk, Ultster and Westchester. Residents are advised to take precaution when traveling as visibility may be poor. Meanwhile, New York City Department of Buildings (DOB) is reminding all builders, contractors,

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and the commissioner of the New York City Office of Labor Relations (OLR), Renee Campion, hailed District Council (DC) 37 for voting to ratify its contract with the City on March 31 — passing with 97 percent of all members voting in favor. The five-plus year contract is the first reached under the Adams administration, according to government officials and will cover roughly one-quarter of the city’s total unionized workforce, providing annual raises of 3 percent in the first four years, and 3.25 percent in the fifth year, as well as a one-time

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Nine people were charged following a long-term, wiretap investigation into the manufacturing and interstate trafficking of counterfeit oxycodone pills containing fentanyl, stemming from drug-related activity that allegedly took place in The Bronx, Manhattan, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor (SNP) in Manhattan Supreme Court announced on March 29. The investigation resulted in the seizure of over 26,000 pills containing fentanyl; 2 kilograms of powdered fentanyl; nearly 50,000 pills, weighing about 41 pounds, containing methamphetamine; and 3 kilograms of powdered cocaine. The estimated street value of the drugs seized is approximately $2.5 million. Bridget

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Jetson Electric Bikes LLC, of Brooklyn, New York, announced the recall of about 53,000 42-volt, Jetson Rogue, self-balancing scooters/hoverboards on March 30, due to a fire hazard and two deaths. According to CPSC and Jetson, the lithium-ion battery packs in the self-balancing scooters/hoverboards can overheat, posing a fire hazard. In the context of the recall, representatives of CPSC and Jetson, said a 10-year-old girl and her 15-year-old sister died from a fire on April 1, 2022 in Hellertown, Pennsylvania and that the Hellertown Borough Fire Marshal determined that a 42-volt Jetson

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is asking for the public’s help in locating Kaniya Graham, a 12-year-old girl reported missing from Staten Island, and in getting her home safely. NCMEC representatives said Kaniya has been missing since March 16, and has never gone missing before. According to police, she was last seen on the day she went missing on surveillance footage walking in Lower Manhattan around Beaver Street and Broad Street. Police said she was wearing a white sweat suit which had cartoon characters on it and pink UGG boots. Kaniya is described as being

By DAVID GREENE

An unidentified man was stabbed in the head just outside of the main entrance to Van Cortlandt Park close to Manhattan College in the Fieldston section of The Bronx, and now detectives are looking for two men and a woman who are wanted in connection with the crime. According to officials the victim was assaulted at 4:18 p.m. on Thursday, March 23, opposite 5979 Broadway at West 242nd Street, just north of the Kingsbridge / Fieldston border. In NYPD radio transmissions obtained by Norwood News, a female police dispatcher is heard telling officers, “A male stabbed to the

By JULES WEBBER & DAVID GREENE

District 12 City Councilman Kevin Riley teamed up once again with the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) to host the 2nd Annual Black History Month Celebration last month. The event was held on Wednesday, Feb. 22, in NYBG’s Garden Terrace room, located at 2950 Southern Boulevard, and was billed as a community fellowship brunch, a curated program which included a keynote address by Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson. The event celebrated local community leaders who have dedicated years to creating a stronger community. In a two-minute video advertising the event ahead of time, Riley said, “Thank you to

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York Lottery announced Thursday, March 30, that one top-prize winning ticket was sold for the March 29 TAKE 5 MIDDAY drawing. The ticket, worth $19,075.50, was purchased at He & Jay Stationery LLC, located at 123 Einstein Loop in the Baychester section of The Bronx. Lottery officials said TAKE 5 players with midday and evening draws on the same ticket must check their numbers at nylottery.ny.gov to determine if they have the winning numbers for the corresponding midday or evening drawing. They said TAKE 5 numbers are drawn from a field of one through 39. The drawing is televised

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD is seeking the public’s help locating a 14-year-old girl from University Heights who has been reported missing. Police said it was reported to them that Chantal Vazquez Fong Ruby of 1 North Street was last seen on Friday, March 24, at around 8.05 a.m. at her school, located at 2392 Jerome Avenue in Fordham Heights. She is described as female, is around 5 feet, 2 inches tall, is Hispanic, weighs around 120 pounds, has brown eyes and black hair. Chantal was last seen wearing a black, hooded sweatshirt, a white t-shirt displaying an angel graphic, black

Norwood News

Serving Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights

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National Weather Service: Severe Thunderstorm Watch Issued April 1 from 5:10 p.m. to 10 p.m.

DC 37 Ratify New Contract with City with 1/4 of City’s Workforce Receiving a Raise & One-Time Bonus

Nine Charged in $2.5M Drug Operation in The Bronx, Manhattan, Rhode Island & Pennsylvania

Feds Recall 53,000 Scooters/Hoverboards Made by Brooklyn Company Due to Fire Hazard & Deaths of Two Children

Search for 12-Year-Old Girl from Staten Island Missing Since March 16

Man Stabbed in the Head Outside Van Cortlandt Park

Councilman Kevin Riley Honors Local Community Leaders at Black History Month Brunch at NYBG

New York Lottery: TAKE 5 Top-Prize Winning Ticket Sold in The Bronx

University Heights 14-Year-Old Girl Reported Missing, Last Seen at her School