A Greener and Cleaner Vision for Bronx’s Hilltop Green

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

“Make it green. Make it clean.” Those two requests were repeated many times by residents of Van Cortlandt Village as they met inside Vladeck Hall to discuss how to make best use of the parcel of land known as Hilltop Green. Bounded by Van Cortlandt Park South – East Mosholu Parkway South – Sedgwick Avenue – and Dickinson Avenue, the unused greenspace touching the Van Cortlandt Village. area is owned by the city Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). The area has been described by the DEP as underutilized and providing “ample potential for green infrastructure.” More than just an effort

By DAVID GREENE

This week we asked readers who’s to blame for the partial government shutdown, President Donald Trump or the Democrats? I blame the President because he wants his stupid wall. I feel like it’s wrong and he’s making everything worse. He wants to build a wall that’s unnecessary at the moment. There’s bigger problems right now, like three wars. I think it’s going to end very, very badly and a lot of things are going to happen because of these little mistakes. Sandra Velez Allerton Donald Trump is to blame for everything since he became President. He’s cashing in, doing

Schumer to Amtrak: Get on the Train for Penn Station Access

By DAVID CRUZ

U.S. Senator and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer is jumping into the latest campaign to press Amtrak into speeding up its negotiations over an expansion plan that would see four Metro-North stations in the Bronx. Schumer is among the growing number of elected officials pushing Amtrak to clear Metro-North to start the long-awaited project dubbed Penn Station Access. “I get a lot of money for Amtrak I am maybe its leading defender in the congress and I am asking Amtrak to step up to the plate,” said Schumer, standing outside Co-Op City’s Section 5, which overlooks Pelham Bay Bridge. “The

Editor’s Pick Last Licks to Extend Holiday Season New York Botanical Garden’s annual Holiday Train Show, featuring miniature replicas of many NYC building replicas made from natural materials including bark, twigs, fruit and pine cones; and All Aboard With Thomas & Friends, featuring a fun-filled sing-along mini-performance adventure (two to four performances daily); end on Jan. 21. For more detailed information, show schedule, rates, and tickets, call (718) 817-8700. Onstage Lehman College’s Center for the Performing Arts, 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd., W., presents Ballet Hispánico, Jan. 19, featuring contemporary dance with a Latin program (tickets are $25 to $55; $75/VIP;

Editorial: Bedford Park Locals Should Consider a No Solicitation Zone

By DAVID CRUZ

Bedford Park stepped closer towards legitimate neighborhood preservation after the Historic Districts Council (HDC) placed it in its ‘Six to Celebrate’ designation. The move will provide community stakeholders free consultation in how it to preserve the neighborhood’s historic side. “This was one way that we could bring publicity to the neighborhood, there will be a lot of work involved but we’re on top of that,” said Barbara Stronczer, president of the Bedford Mosholu Community Association (BMCA). “Unless we preserve some of the best of the past we’re going to be left with no future,” said Simeon Bankoff, executive director of HDC.

Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers! The Norwood News is out with its latest edition covering the Bronx. In our second edition of the year, we bring you the latest! The front page story revisits the Bedford Park Manor, where several tenants have ramped up efforts for improved quality of life. Read what the owner of the properties has to say. In Norwood, two separate corners of the neighborhood saw the discovery of two dead bodies in two separate cases. David Greene looks into this for us. Speaking of crime, the NYPD crime stat figures were released for 2018. It looks like the

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

Tenant Support Unit The Mayor’s Tenant Support Unit offers tenant outreach help to New Yorkers at risk of displacement or tenant harassment. Residents can get connected to free legal services, learn about their rights, get help applying for rent freeze programs and more on Jan. 17, 24 and 31, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Office of Assemblyman Victor Pichardo, 2175 Jerome Ave.; Jan. 17, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at UNHP Refuge House, 2715 Bainbridge Ave.; and Jan. 18, 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Office of Assembly Member Jose Rivera, 1 Fordham Plz. For more

Rocking the H-o-u-s-e at the PS 94 Spelling Bee

By EMILY SUZANNE LEVER

The atmosphere was electric in the auditorium at PS 94 Kings College on Wednesday morning while fourth- and fifth-graders faced off in the Norwood school’s yearly spelling bee. A spellbound audience of over 300 students watched for two hours as their peers nailed words like “revolutionary,” “responsibility,” “visualize,” and “microphone.” After seven rounds of competition, the 31 contestants, who had been preparing for weeks for the contest, had been narrowed down to three: fourth-graders Fatima Ali, Mohammed Ali (no relation) and Samuel Yeboah. Fatima Ali, 9, wearing light-up sneakers, secured third place and bowed out after attempting to spell “technique.”

By PHONZ L. REYES

With record number of homelessness still an issue across the city, the Department of Homeless Services (DHS) is once again requesting New Yorkers volunteer to help the agency’s annual Homeless Outreach Population Estimate (HOPE) Survey happening at the end of the month. The overnight HOPE Survey on Jan. 28 provides the agency a chance to collect data that will aid outreach teams in year-round efforts to address street homelessness while providing accurate estimates of un-sheltered homeless individuals in the city, particularly during the year’s coldest of nights when temperatures drop below 30 degrees. “Thanks to increased investment, enhanced coordination, and