Opinion: A Happy Retirement to Sally Dunford

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By DAVID CRUZ

Farewells are never easy. At least not for me. There’s this propensity to think that the people in your life, be personally or professionally, will somehow be in your life forever when in truth they’re like a rotating cast of a television series. I was struck by that when I heard a few months ago that Sally Dunford, the executive director of West Bronx Housing, was retiring after 28 years of service leading the agency. Running a nonprofit with the kind of demand needed for such a service—the group helps with landlord-tenant disputes, Section 8, SCRIE/DRIE applications, and navigating the

Traffic Tie-Ups Worsen on Bainbridge Avenue

By DAVID CRUZ

The MTA has temporarily set up new bus stops in Norwood, take effect today as crews continue its work to replace underground pipes. Notices were emailed to community stakeholders alerting them to changes to the northbound Bx16, Bx34, and BxM4 bus stops. Commuters catching their bus at Bainbridge Avenue between East 212th Street and Jerome Avenue will now have to catch it on Jerome Avenue between East 212th Street and Jerome Avenue. Crews with the city Department of Design & Construction (DDC) note the change is intended to “facilitate the installation of a 72-inch Trunk Water Main.” The DDC also

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s second edition of the Norwood News for 2020 is out with plenty of community stories to read and share. We have packed 20 pages full of news from this corner of the Bronx, so let’s start with page one! Our top story looks back at the professional life of Sally Dunford, the West Bronx Housing executive director who retired in early January. Dunford leaves behind a legacy of helping thousands of renters who faced unscrupulous landlords over the years. Read what exactly she wanted to do with her life and her philosophical outlook on empowerment. Inside the

If you read part one of our seven-part series on how to get all your tax money back, we will now discuss one of the best, one of the most complicated and one of the most fruitful ways: children. According to the IRS, children are not your babies but people that are growing fast! What the IRS wants to know is whether they are your dependents. Do they produce income? Do you maintain their support? How old are they? Are you separated or divorced? Do both of you share the burden? Maybe only one? Therefore, what is a dependent? Children and

She Helped Thousands With Their Housing Cases, and Now She's Retired

By DAVID CRUZ

“I’ve always wanted to change the world,” says Sally Dunford, sitting inside a cubicle less than seven hours before capping 28 years as executive director of West Bronx Housing. It’s Jan. 7, and for Dunford—wearing a maroon shirt, black pants, and white shoes– it’s retirement day, a moment she never thought would come, capping a lifetime of housing advocacy that’s kept thousands of Bronx residents in their homes while also empowering them to reclaim their quality of life against unscrupulous landlords. Making her indispensable over the years was her encyclopedic know-how of the daunting housing system, which over the years,

The On-the-Ground Fight to Reverse Overdoses Takes Center Stage at NCBH

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

When asked the significance of visiting the Norwood area for a second time in nine months, Herbert Quinones, an overdose prevention trainer for the city Health Department, responds with a friendly attitude. “When we’re invited to speak, we go anywhere,” Quinones said before listing the five boroughs. Quinones has just wrapped up a 45-minute slideshow presentation interspersed with questions from the audience at the Opioid Overdose Education Narcan Training Event held at North Central Bronx Hospital (NCBH) on Jan. 10. The event was organized by State Senators Gustavo Rivera and Jamaal T. Bailey, Community Board 7 (CB7), and the Jerome

State of the State: What Your Bronx State Reps Had to Say

By DAVID CRUZ

Governor Andrew Cuomo delivered his tenth State of the State address that received praise and some criticism from the borough’s state legislators covering Norwood. Among Cuomo’s proposals include expanding its tuition-free state college program to families make $150,000 or less, categorizing hate crimes a type of domestic terrorism, and legalizing marijuana, a measure that received intense pushback from critics in the last session. Cuomo also reaffirmed his commitment to revitalizing Hunts Point and seeing the installation of four Metro-North stations to the Bronx. But the Governor stood silent on the issue of bail reform for misdemeanor and nonviolent felonies, where

By JOSE A. GIRALT and DAVID CRUZ

In a crowded race seeking to replace Congressman José Serrano, candidates made their pitches on why they’re the best candidate to succeed Serrano at a Tuesday night forum in the South Bronx. The forum, organized by the Bronx’s LGBT Center Destination Tomorrow, presented the candidates with three different questions of special concern to their community in addition to opening and closing remarks. At a forum largely focusing on the LGBTQ community, Councilman Ritchie Torres, who’s garnered the most donations than any other candidate, reminded the audience of his journey in becoming the first openly gay elected official from the Bronx.

Exposing Veteran/MWBE Business Owners to Emerging Tech, Courtesy of Lehman

By DAVID CRUZ

Kimberly Kendall, workforce education director for Lehman College’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies, will be the first to express her fondness over what technology of the future can do for small businesses. There’s artificial intelligence capable of replicating a customer service rep over the phone (techies call it a “chatbot”), updating one’s supply list in real time, or virtual technology that allows real estate agents to take their clients on a virtual tour of a home without having to step foot in it. “What we have to do is expose small business owners to emerging technologies, not in a