Making the Grade: How Norwood and Bedford Park Eateries Fare

By WENDY JOAN BIDDLECOMBE

More restaurants in New York City are earning more A grades than they have since the city Department of Health started issuing restaurants letter grades in 2010, according to numbers released by the city in late May.

Out & About: Night Out at the Oval

Editor’s Pick Night Out at the Oval The 52nd Precinct invites the public to a free National Night Out at Williamsbridge Oval, on Aug. 1 from 3 to 6 p.m. Meet and greet the precinct’s officers and executive staff and enjoy snacks and drinks. Events include pony rides, face painting, music, bingo, and raffles. For more information, call (718) 220-5824. Onstage Bronx Council on the Arts presents free concert, Aug. 2 from 7 to 9 p.m., featuring John Benitez and his Salsa Band, at the Amalgamated Train Park, Orloff Avenue and Gale Place. For more information, call (718) 931-9500. Bronx

Sen. Jamaal Bailey Opens Norwood Office, Extending Presence

By REGGIE FRANCOIS

A satellite office for State Senator Jamaal Bailey of the 36th District opened at the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center with a ceremonial red-ribbon cutting to mark the occasion. The Norwood center will reserve the new office every Wednesday so that constituents may discuss issues they are dealing with to Bailey’s staff, namely Kenny Agosto, deputy chief of staff for Bailey. Agosto serves as the community liaison between the senator and locals. The office, found on the first floor, will be open the first and third Wednesday of the month from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and every second and

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By DAVID CRUZ

Following the city’s announcement to combat rats through a $32 million initiative, this week we asked readers how bad the rat population is across the Bronx. I just saw one run into Van Cortlandt Park and run down a hole. I see them sometimes; they come out of an alley and run onto Gun Hill Road. I do think it’s an epidemic. They say they don’t have enough inspectors, so they should hire some more. It’s ridiculous. There are kids in this park and people enjoying cookouts. It’s a beautiful park, but people see that and they’re afraid to come

By DEVIN DAE TUCKER

The latest edition of the Norwood News, covering the Bronx, is out with plenty of community news you can use. Our 15th edition of the year runs for four weeks as the Norwood News takes a break from producing its print publication. With that out of the way, we can start with the beginning…and page one! This week we look at illegal barbecues that swept through Mosholu Parkway during the July 4 weekend, and longtime residents rage over NYPD not enforcing the rules along the parkway. We hear from park advocates and police on could be done about it in the near

As Shelter-Housing Rises, Fordham Hill Shareholders Mobilize

By DAVID CRUZ

Mayor Bill de Blasio may have received the Bronx political machine’s endorsement, but he could have lost hundreds of votes from shareholders of a Fordham cooperative after telling its representatives at a town hall that an impending homeless shelter/affordable housing development just blocks from their home will be there to stay. In an exchange with Chad Royer, secretary for the Fordham Hill Owners Cooperative board, de Blasio backed the shelter project by the Bowery Residents Committee (BRC). The setup is unique: a 200-bed men’s only homeless shelter will double as a 135-unit affordable housing complex for low-income residents. The

At Town Hall Forum, de Blasio Hears Bronx Matters

By DEVIN DAE TUCKER

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s latest town hall in the Bronx once again saw the mayor bring an impromptu, though somewhat scripted, approach, batting around his ambitions while tackling issues of rats, public housing, and crime. The issues were on the minds for those living within the 14th Council District, where the town hall was held. Councilman Fernando Cabrera hosted the forum with de Blasio, with commissioners from key city agencies on tap. The two began the evening offering support for the Bronx community and NYPD following the death of Dr. Tracy Tam in the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital shooting rampage and the

The city is opening a temporary IDNYC center at Norwood’s community center. Representatives from the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs (MOIA) will set up an office at Mosholu Montefiore Community Center (MMCC) for the week to get Norwood residents signed up to the city’s official identification card. The card comes with several perks, including 50 percent off prescription medications at participating pharmacies, discount movie theater tickets, and free membership to 35 of the city’s museums. Representatives will be there first thing Monday morning, July 17 through Friday, July 21 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Appointments are absolutely necessary. To