Illegal Parking Takes a Back Seat Following Crackdown

By DAVID CRUZ

Van Cortlandt Village residents are getting their spots back! After months of illegal parking on Goulden Avenue by commercial vehicles for a litany of reasons, a major crackdown by the 52nd Precinct at the behest of electeds saw plenty of those vehicles not come back. The stretch on Goulden Avenue between West 197th Street and Sedgwick Avenue is close to Van Cortlandt Village’s heavy residential population, making those spots a premium. When a major, monthslong Con Edison project on Sedgwick Avenue saw a number of spots reserved exclusively for work trucks, it squeezed parking even more. “Parking is one of

By DAVID CRUZ

Two men are wanted for questioning in a case involving a stolen $8,000 watch from a Fordham jewelry store. Police say the theft happened on Feb. 19 at around 3:45 p.m. They say one of the suspects was inside 13 W. Fordham Rd. looking at a watch. Once the suspect was allowed to look at the watch, the employee let the suspect’s accomplice inside. The suspect holding the quickly ran out the store along with his accomplice holding the door open, police say. Both men took off in an unknown direction with the pricey watch. No one was hurt. Police

KNIC Founder Reaffirms Commitment to Build Project (Thumbnail)

By DAVID CRUZ

Kevin Parker, founder of the Kingsbridge National Ice Center project, told community stakeholders at a closed-door meeting today that the massive project is under way despite being stalled for four years. The meeting, held at Concourse House just blocks from the Kingsbridge Armory, the expected home of the center, was organized by State Sen. Gustavo Rivera. “I felt confident going into the meeting and I feel much more confident after I left the meeting that the project is going forward,” Rivera told the Norwood News several hours after the meeting wrapped up. “Is the [project] happening tomorrow? Sadly, no.” Much of the

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By PROF. ANTHONY RIVIECCIO, MBA, PFA

Ladies and gentleman. Identity theft and tax scamming today have become so simple. Over the course of the last several years, many sad things have happened during tax season: from mailbox fishing, where thieves “fish” for your check in the mail to the “Fake IRS Email” where thieves instruct you to pay your adjusted tax bill on their fraudulent website. Over the course of the next few articles, we want to highlight the tax scamming ways people are getting ripped off. Tax scamming can be done, in many ways. They’re made even easier once they have some of your identification

By DAVID GREENE

With the recent school shooting in Florida, we asked readers if such a tragedy could happen here. To be honest, it is possible because people get bullied a lot. I’d heard about the student who stabbed two students here in the Bronx and the killer was actually bullied. So it is possible. The victims of bullying like to take things into their own hands. When you’re in school you don’t really think about these things, but sometimes you do see signals and I’ll think about it. People need to ask a person how he feels; he could be suicidal. Friends

Editor’s Pick Flea Market Bedford Mosholu Community Association presents a giant flea market at Saint Mary’s Orthodox Church of India, 360 Bedford Park Blvd. (at Decatur Avenue), March 10 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Select from new and used items including gifts, china, lamps, bric-a-brac, jewelry, books, toys and much more. Included will be homemade cakes and cookies and a raffle. For more information, call (718) 584-1900. Onstage Lehman College, 250 Bedford Pk., Blvd. W. presents Forever Freestyle 12, March 3 at 8 p.m. featuring a variety of performances. Tickets are $55 to $65; $100/VIP. For more information, call

Four Families Displaced in Bedford Park Fire

By DAVID GREENE

FDNY Fire Marshal’s continues to investigate a fire that quickly ripped through a Bedford Park building, displacing at least four families. Firefighters were called to the three-story building at 3160 Villa Avenue at 11:40 a.m. on Wednesday, February 28. The fire quickly spread to the third-floor, prompting a second alarm response with more than 100 firefighters. The fire was brought under control within 30 minutes and no injuries were reported. The inside of the second and third floors appears gutted and the rest of the building suffered extensive water damage, including a business on the ground floor called Weston United / Bronx S.T.A.R, who’s pledge is,

By DAVID CRUZ

The fifth edition of the Norwood News, primarily covering the northwest Bronx, is out with plenty of community news. We have 16 pages full of news for you to share with your friends, family, and make you the smartest person in the room! We begin with page one and a quality of life inconvenience that is being addressed: loud parties and spurts of violence at Devoe Park in University Heights. Reporter Niall Ridgley reports that it’s the off season now, and Councilman Fernando Cabrera has ordered gates to be installed at nine of the park’s entrances. Hear what residents have

By DAVID CRUZ

Whether in grueling heat-filled days or frigid temperatures, a cadre of activists has been fighting for their communities’ soul. Their communities lie in the heart of Jerome Avenue between 184th and 167th streets. It’s there where the city looks to rezone 92 blocks, the largest rezoning for the Bronx in years. For the last three years, the valley-like neighborhoods—from Mt. Hope to the Grand Concourse—have been studied by the city. They’re home to a largely low-income Hispanic bloc and a concentration of auto mechanics that do business below the rumbling 4 subway line. Hispanics from all backgrounds make up more