Out & About: Free Flea Market

Editor’s Pick Free Flea Market Bedford Mosholu Community Association is sponsoring a free flea market at Saint Mary’s Orthodox Church of India (corner of Bedford Park Boulevard and Decatur Avenue), March 9 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Available will be new and used items including gifts, china, bric-a-brac, jewelry, books, toys, housewares, electronics and more. Homemade cakes and cookies as well as a raffle will be available. For more information, visit bedfordmosholu@verizon.net. Onstage Lehman College’s Center for the Performing Arts, 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd., W., presents Currents by Mayumana, directly from Israel, March 3 at 4 p.m., inspired by

By SHA-NIA ALSTON

DeWitt Clinton High School alumnus Kid Mero of Morris Heights, whose birth name is Joel Martinez, and his co-host Desus Nice of Wakefield, whose birth name is Daniel Baker, have had a lot of success these days, branching from Twitter to their podcast, the “Bodega Boys,” and now a late night television program on Showtime. Norwood News reporter Sha-Nia Alston caught up with the pair, ahead of their Showtime premiere Feb 21. for a brief Q&A that focused on their Bronx roots. NN: Who are Kid Mero and Desus Nice? Describe yourself. DN: We’re just two guys from the Bronx

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By PROF. ANTHONY RIVIECCIO, MBA PFA

So, when will you get your tax refund? Let’s start with the official answer: if you’re electronically depositing the funds into a personal or savings account in which you are the title holder or holders, it should take two to three weeks Now that’s the official answer! Now my answer: balderdash. Firstly, remember the government shutdown? Think again, it’s not over! The shutdown, to the IRS, is still feeling the effects. Having all personnel off for three weeks, not in tune with current adjustments means that the average IRS representative is already five weeks late on any processing paperwork. Yes,

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s fifth edition of the Norwood News with plenty of community news you can use. We’ve packed 20 pages full of useful information. As usual, we’ll begin with page one! Our front-page story brings you to Norwood and the temporary, though inconvenient, closure of the local post office. This is the third time the Van Cott Station closed, forcing residents to utilize other post offices. David Greene hears from the the United States Postal Service and residents, who fear a stinky situation has brewed. Inside the cover you’ll find a recap of the latest State of the

By SHA-NIA ALSTON

The family of a Belmont teen horrifically stabbed to death joined Councilman Ritchie Torres and members of NYPD Explorers program in a street renaming ceremony less than a year from the time the teen was killed. The corner of East 183rd Street and Bathgate Avenue in Belmont was renamed Junior Guzman-Feliz Way, in memory of Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz, who was killed directly across where the sign bears his name. Junior, 15 at the time, was stabbed last summer outside of a local bodega allegedly by members of the Trinitarios gang. Video surveillance shows Junior being pulled out of

Norwood Once Again Sees its Local Post Office Closed

By DAVID GREENE

For the third time in three months the Van Cott Station of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) located at 3102 Decatur Ave. off East 204th Street closed, with a temporary mobile office providing limited services during the interim. The small, but popular post office will remain closed indefinitely—and Norwood residents bracing for a longer walk to another nearby post office say this closure “stinks” to high heaven. USPS spokesman Xavier Hernandez confirmed the temporary closure that began on Feb. 21, citing a concern for “safety and sanitation.” In a follow-up email several days later, Hernandez did not elaborate what those safety

By JOSEPH KONIG

Brooklyn City Councilman Jumaane Williams is the new Public Advocate for New York City, winning Tuesday’s special election with 33 percent of the vote in one of the more crowded political races in recent memory, according to unofficial tallies provided by the city’s Board of Elections. Queens City Councilman Eric Ulrich finished in second with 19 percent of the vote. Williams ran in the special election for public advocate after falling short in the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor in September, losing to incumbent Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul 53.3 percent to 46.7 percent. “This campaign has been relatively short, but

By BOB KAPPSTATTER

Two young men were under arrest as police hunted for a third suspect in connection with what police sources called a revenge stabbing death of a Fordham teenager earlier this month. Seventeen-year-old Pompey “Blizz” Pernell became the 52nd Precinct’s first homicide victim of the year after he was attacked by three young males shortly after 7 p.m. on Feb. 13, near East 193rd Street and Decatur Avenue, a known gang and narcotics sales area in the precinct. Police said the three attackers surrounded Pompey and one of them stabbed him multiple times in the chest. He staggered down the block into

Norwood Among Nabes Targeted for Lead Awareness Campaign

By EMILY SUZANNE LEVER

City health officials are sounding the alarm about lead poisoning that comes not from peeling paint but everyday foods and cosmetics. The city Department of Health & Mental Hygiene announced a lead prevention awareness campaign—which will include flyers, trainings and outreach through community organizations—targeted specifically at South Asian immigrants, who are particularly at risk. The rollout is part of LeadFreeNYC announced at North Central Bronx Hospital on Jan. 28 by Mayor Bill de Blasio, who pegged it as a roadmap to the “literal eradication” of childhood lead exposure. The initiative includes free blood lead level testing and lead inspections for