Out & About: Black History Month Celebration

Editor’s Pick Black History Month Celebration The public is invited to North Central Bronx Hospital, 3424 Kossuth Ave. to celebrate Black History Month, Feb. 21 from 12:30 to 2 p.m. on the 17th floor. The keynote speaker is Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, the first African American Assembly Speaker in NYC history. Info: NCBPublicAffairs@nychhc.org. Events Tracey Towers, 20 W. Mosholu Pkwy. So., Community Room A, holds Election 2020 Town Hall, Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. Event includes discussion on early voting, voter registration, poll worker job opportunities, and the upcoming presidential election. Info: John Zaccaro, Jr. at John.ZaccaroJr@gmail.com. Church of

Inquiring Photographer: State of the Bronx

With Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. set to deliver his State of the Borough address on Feb. 20, we asked readers to offer their take on the state of the Bronx. Right now, the main thing I’m concerned about is police actions. Other than that, the Bronx is a good place to live. Yeah, they’re still doing stop and frisk. They stop people for anything: weed, guns. I don’t mind them getting the guns off the street, but stopping everyone is harassment … I do worry about gentrification and that’s scary because it pushes the poor people right out of

By DAVID CRUZ

Councilman Ritchie Torres grabbed his ninth labor endorsement in his run for the 15th Congressional District race, which inches closer to petitioning season. This time Torres received the official backing from International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 3 (IBEW Local 3), representing electrical workers across New York City. “When it comes to fighting for working people, Ritchie Torres doesn’t just talk a good game, he takes action and he delivers. From standing with our members who have been on strike for years against Spectrum’s corporate greed to fighting for better wages for all his constituents, there’s no question Ritchie is the

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

In an effort to authorize an additional story and nine feet to its construction project at 2856 Webster Ave., New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) appeared before the Community Board 7 Housing/Land Use and Economic Development Committee monthly meeting on Tuesday. They requested a letter from CB7 certifying support for the height increase. Before presenting a slide show in conjunction with Douglaston Development, Aaron Bouska, NYBG’s vice president for community and government relations, publicly notified CB7 of its development plans. “Tonight, I’m here to announce the partnership between NYBG, Cherry Valley Supermarket, Douglaston Development, and Fordham Bedford Housing to construct and

More Questions for MTA’s Bus Route Redesign Plan

By DAVID GREENE

More than five dozen Bronxites attended a town hall meeting hosted by Community Board 7 and state Sen. Gustavo Rivera where Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) officials once again presented their Bronx Bus Network Redesign plan that would update most bus routes across the borough in the name of savings and efficiency for the cash-strapped agency. Joining Rivera at the Feb. 1 meeting at Mercy College was MTA representative Rashid Dolor who had appeared at a CB7 general board meeting a few months before to discuss the plan. His last presentation a few months back was rolled into the general board

Bankruptcy Issues Push Back Bedford Green House Completion

By HENRY MCEACHERN

An impending residential building spearheaded by Project Renewal in Bedford Park has would-be tenants lining up at the door. But despite a sign reading the project would be completed by fall 2019, the project deadline is now being pushed back, delaying any plans for prospective residents to move in. The Bedford Green House’s path to completion may be rocky for Project Renewal, and applicants are still waiting, but their contingency plans could have the building completed soon enough to have tenants feeling a warm breeze from their rooftop garden, surrounded by fruits and fish ponds. It was thought that the

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s fourth edition of the Norwood News for 2020 is out with plenty of community stories to read and share. We’ve loaded up 24 pages full of news from this corner of the Bronx, so let’s start with page one! Our top story focuses on a long-awaited project announced by the New York Botanical Garden, which is now entering the residential housing market. The affordable housing residences, with one set aside exclusively to seniors, will soon pop up along Webster Avenue. The area had been rezoned in ten years, clearing the path for projects such as this.

By DAVID CRUZ

Orchard Beach may be off season now, but it didn’t stop some brave Bronxites to take a dip into the freezing waters for the annual Bronx Polar Bear Swim at Orchard Beach. Co-hosted by BronxNet Television and BronxWorks, the annual Dip Against Homelessness on Feb. 9 doubled as a donation drive for the homeless during the coldest time of the year. Check out photos by Miriam Quinones in the Norwood News Facebook link below.

Jules Ira Rubenstein, the Original Inquiring Photographer, Dies at 74

By DAVID GREENE

Life-long Van Cortlandt Park resident Jules Ira Rubenstein, the original “Inquiring Photographer” who produced that popular feature for the Norwood News for 14 years until his retirement more than a decade ago, died from complications of pneumonia. He was 74. A source at Montefiore Hospital, where Rubenstein had been hospitalized since October, stated he had died on Feb. 4, confirming that at around 4:30 a.m., he was found unresponsive. “They tried to resuscitate him [but] he expired,” the source added. Rubenstein was the Norwood News’ first “roving reporter” who covered local breaking news events such as police and fire department activity. He was first hired by