Signs of Life at Long-Abandoned Decatur Avenue Home

By WENDY JOAN BIDDLECOMBE

The long-abandoned two-family house at 3259 Decatur Ave., next to PS 56’s recess yard and considered an eyesore for nearly a decade, is once again legally reoccupied, but is far from fixed up. Elisabeth Von Uhl, a resident in the Norwood neighborhood, has been concerned for a while that the home is an unsafe property that could put school children in harm’s way. Like other neighbors, she’s called 311, and Von Uhl said she reached out to the police and wrote letters to local officials pleading they do something to address the neglected home. A tenant has moved in since

Editor’s Pick Elvis Is in the House The public is invited to go down memory lane with Elvis Presley in one of his best films, “Jailhouse Rock,” on Jan. 7 at 2:30 p.m. at The Bronx Library Center, 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. For more information, call (718) 579-4244/46/57 or visit www.nypl.org. Onstage The Bronx Library Center, 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd.,

Dear Fellow Readers, The Norwood News, covering the Bronx, is out with its latest edition of the community newspaper, bringing you plenty of news you can use. We begin, of course, with page one, and a retrospective look at 2016, a year filled with plenty of tumult. We look back at some key stories that the Norwood News followed over the year, along with some departures and so longs. Moving ahead into 2017, we have a story on a proposal to revert Mosholu Parkway back to the days when six-story buildings were considered tall in the grassy neighborhood. Hear about one community

By DAVID CRUZ

Anthony Rivieccio, a community activist known to harangue developers chipping away at Bedford Park’s past and present, has a surefire way to stem development: restricting building size. That idea is already being examined by Community Board 7, which hired an urban planning consultant to gather testimonials on neighborhood needs, which appear to trend towards a more suburban-like setting. Her hiring was intended to follow up on a promise the New York City Department of City Planning made to the community in 2011, ensuring that it would revisit a proposal to downzone parts of Bedford Park, which include Mosholu Parkway, the

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

COMMUNITY BOARD 7 will hold its general board meeting on Jan. 17 at the Bronx Library Center, 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd., at 6:30 p.m. CB7 committees are held on the following dates at the board office, 229A E. 204th St. at 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted: Public Safety & Quality of Life Committee, Jan. 5; Education/Libraries & Youth Services Committee, Jan. 5 at 7:30 p.m.; Senior Services Committee, Jan. 11; Parks & Recreation, Jan. 11 at 7:15 p.m.; Traffic & Transportation, Jan. 12; and Veterans Committee, Jan. 12 at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 933-5650.

Thief Sought for Burglary Crime Pattern in 52nd Precinct

By DAVID CRUZ

The 52nd Precinct needs help finding a burglary suspect who brazenly sneaks into fire escapes and makes off with victims’ belongings. Police say the thief was reported to have struck six times from Oct. 6 through Nov. 24. In each crime, the thief enters the apartment through the fire escape, in some cases with the victims sleeping inside, and steals items. The thief snuck into apartments on Valentine Avenue and Grand Concourse between the hours of 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. In all, the thief made off with purses, credit cards, sneakers, watches, Apple products, a Beats headphones set, video

The Festival of Lights was aglow at the Van Cortlandt Jewish Center, which celebrated its annual Chanukah Celebration on Dec. 27. Check out the photos from Miriam Quinones.

Cashless Tolls Coming to Bx. Bridges in Fall

Toll attendants will be a thing of the past this year. The MTA is expected to roll out cashless tolls for the Bronx’s Whitestone and Throggs Neck bridges in Fall 2017, applying even for drivers who don’t use EZ-Pass to pay for a toll. Non-EZ-Pass drivers will have a bill mailed to them, a practice already in effect at the Henry Hudson Bridge. While non-EZ-Pass drivers pay the full rate, drivers with the tag get a reduced rate. Toll beaters will be subject to stiffer fines starting in February, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s Office.

After Oval Rec Center Vandalized, Parks Steps Up Patrols

By DEBORAH CRUZ

The start of the holiday weekend was interrupted when the doors of the Williamsbridge Oval Park Recreation Center were vandalized during evening hours of operation. The front doors of the Williamsbridge Oval Park Recreation Center were shattered when rocks and cinderblocks were thrown at the door, by what many believe to be adolescent thugs, leaving the entryways partially destroyed. The incident happened around 6 p.m. on Dec. 24. While initially thought to be a direct attack to the center, a few people who asked not to be identified fearing reprisal said there appeared to be a fight between members of