Norwood News Looks Back on The Bronx This Past Decade

By MARTIKA ORNELLA and DAVID CRUZ

The Bronx witnessed so much transformative change we’d be remiss not to mention how the borough fared this past decade. The paper pored over the last ten years to recap some of the more high-profile stories that have left a lasting impact on the Bronx. Development Within the last 10 years the Bronx has seen an enumerable population growth, coinciding with a historic development boom with lingering questions on housing security and affordability. Between 2010 and 2017, the Bronx became the fastest growing county in New York State, with over 86,000 new residents, bringing the estimated population to around 1.5

Norwood News Year in Review (Development)

By DAVID CRUZ

What a year in 2019 for the Bronx! In keeping with tradition, the Norwood News paused to look back on 2019 with a highlight of several ongoing stories we’ve followed this past year. Development Large-scale development became the operative word in 2019, with a flood of projects happening simultaneously in Norwood and Bedford Park, prompting a story recapping readers on those projects on the Vol. 32 No. 11 edition and an in-depth piece entitled “The Vanishing Homeowner” in the Vol. 32 No. 23 edition. The common denominator was simple: the Bronx has become such an attractive place for developers that it’s

Sholem Aleichem Makes Plea for Costly Roof Replacement Funds

By DAVID CRUZ

Whenever rain trickles into the Sholem Aleichem Cultural Center in Norwood, the blame is squarely put on the one-story building’s aging roof. It’s been the case for the last few years. Repairs would certainly follow, but David Braun, co-president of the center who teaches Yiddish language at Columbia University, acknowledged it was simply patchwork. A full replacement project is now in order for the small center at 3301 Bainbridge Ave. near East 208th Street, and raising the funds can’t be done alone. The nearly 71-year-old nonprofit center, which houses its institution’s archives dating back to the 1930s, is now engaged

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s first edition of the Norwood News for the new decade is out with plenty of community stories to read and share. We have packed 28 pages full of news from this corner of the Bronx, so let’s start with page one! Our top story takes a look back at 2019 with our annual Year in Review. We pored over some of the top stories that kept our attention for 2019, including some stories that barely made any news. And with 2019 closing out the decade, we decided to take a look at some impactful stories from 2010

Bronx Connections: Faces of Gun Violence (Part 5 of 5)

By NATALIE MIGLIORE

The Norwood News, in partnership with WFUV radio and BronxNet Television, concludes its five-part series on the impact gun violence has had on Bronx neighborhoods and the people who live in them. How Developing Street Smarts Begins at Bronx Schools David Caba, senior program director of Bronx Rises Against Gun Violence (BRAG), sits at his desk at the organization’s office in Wakefield. It’s the newest office for BRAG, which utilizes a cure violence model adapted from a smaller model first implemented in Chicago. The cure violence concept approaches violence like a disease in need of a cure. Caba built the

By JOSE Á. GIRALT

This week we asked families across the Bronx how they will be spending the holiday season. I’m having family over and I’m doing the cooking for the first time. I’m the big mom hosting. Family from Jamaica is coming, some family from Guyana is coming. And whoever else are nearby. And we’re just going to celebrate that way. Shauna Lee Morris Park Be with my family. Spend time with them and get a bunch of presents for my son. I got a newborn. “Snackz” Norwood I’ll probably be spending time with a few close friends and staying

The 5-2 and Community Members Look Towards a Safer 2020

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

As 2019 draws to a close, Deputy Inspector Thomas Alps, commanding officer of the 52nd Precinct, is hopeful it will end with a downward trend in crime. “We’re having a great 28-day period. We’re down 35 index crimes which is quite a lot in a period,” Alps said at the last 52nd Precinct Community Council meeting of the year. Two crime categories experiencing significant drops, according to Alps, are burglaries and car break-ins. Although these recent drops are promising the command is slightly up for the year in index crimes compared to 2018. Crimes by juveniles has become of special

Diaz Sr. Favors Keeping Rikers Island Open, Will Vote Against Neighborhood Jail Plan

By DAVID CRUZ

In his run for the 15th Congressional District Assemblyman Michael Blake secured an endorsement from the union representing the city’s municipal workforce, immediately turning the support into a fundraising plea. District Council 37 (DC37), a division of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, represents 9,000 employees in the South Bronx district he looks to run. It’s unclear, though, how many of those members are currently registered to vote. Crossing guards, social workers, and accountants, are just some of the jobs that make up DC37. Henry Garrido, executive director of DC37, said Blake’s campaign for “level playing field”

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By PROF. ANTHONY RIVIECCIO, MBA PFA

Twenty five years ago, we woke up to the phrase rapid refund! And many of the big income tax preparations companies advertised this misleading phrase–and the people ran there–to find out it was not a refund but a loan instead. New York State lawmakers declared in 2002 that so long as customers were made fully aware of what it is and sign disclosures then it was perfectly legal. And now in 2019, the tax loan/refund process has gone in full gear. You would think you’re doing your taxes with the big tax preparation companies, but sometimes I wonder if those