Positive Change Blooms at Mosholu Parkland

By ELIZABETH QUARANTA

This year was a turning point for the Friends of Mosholu Parkland (FOMP), which managed to organize two community visioning sessions on Mosholu Parkway’s only two on-site playgrounds. Now we have our first annual Fall Festival on the parkway, not to be confused with the Jerome-Gun Hill Business Improvement District’s Annual Fall Festival, which celebrated its 15th year on Sept. 17 (see pictures on page 8). The effort and summary of the Kossuth visioning led to its funding of $1.4 million towards the Kossuth Playground upgrades. The visioning of the Mosholu Playground at the corner of East Mosholu Parkway South

By DAVID GREENE

For the second time in as many weeks a pair of bandits has broken into a local GNC store and police and passersby were baffled to learn that the intruders were of the 4-legged kind. Police were called to the vitamin supplement shop at 3453 Jerome Ave. along the Jerome-Gun Hill Business Improvement District at 9 a.m. on Sept. 29, for an “animal incident,” involving raccoons. A dispatcher quickly reported it had “one in custody.” The four officers met the employee, who watched as the pair of furry creatures scurried about the store’s counter-tops and shelves in a search for food. Asked

Tenant Assistance The Office of Senator Gustavo Rivera offers assistance on tenant-related issues every Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. by appointment at 2432 Grand Concourse. For more information or to make an appointment, call (718) 933-2034. Free Flu Shots Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Montefiore Health System, Walgreens Pharmacy, and others, are sponsoring free flu shots at Vladeck Hall, 74 Van Cortlandt Pk. So. on Oct. 6 and at the Riverdale YM-YWHA, 5625 Arlington Ave. on Oct. 27. Members of the community must be 18 years of age or older to participate, and cannot be allergic to eggs. For more

By DAVID GREENE

With recent convictions of several guards at the Rikers Island prison, we asked readers their thoughts on the troubled prison and its suspected culture of corruption. I’ve been at Rikers before and it’s not a good place. I was held there for like two days and what I saw in those two days, it’s not good. And I feel like they need to stop all of it. Shut the whole thing down. They should move all the prisoners out and build up a whole new jail with a whole new staff, everything. They have female COs bringing in contraband to

Editor’s Pick Friends of Mosholu Parkland presents its 1st annual fall festival on Oct. 8 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Kossuth Playground, East Mosholu Parkway North between Jerome and Van Cortlandt avenues. Activities include a giant spider web obstacle, games, crafts and prizes, daffodil planting, and guitar by Steve Oates. All are welcome. Onstage The Bronx Library Center, 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd., presents Rafael Hernandez Music Festival, Oct. 9 at 2 p.m., featuring music performed by various Latin artists. For more information, call (718) 579-4244/46/57 or visit www.nypl.org. Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance (BAAD), 2474 Westchester Ave.,

Staffers with Councilman Andrew Cohen, representing Norwood, led a workshop session at the Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center on Participatory Budgeting, an initiative that empowers residents to offer input on how a portion of capital monies should be spent. The process on choosing a project can take months. Staffers helped civic-minded residents figure out what could work as a potential project. Photos by Miriam Quinones [URIS id=21876]

Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

By DAVID CRUZ

Hello fellow readers, The newest edition of the Norwood News is out with 20 pages of Bronx community news you can use. We begin with a familiar story: The Kingsbridge Armory. The latest in this poor, ongoing saga is the Kingsbridge National Ice Center’s attempt at wanting to purchase the enormous property from the City of New York. Read about those attempts by the developers attorneys who are using every legal maneuver in the book to grab a hold of the property. Here in Norwood, we feature a story on the District Manager of Community Board 7, Andrew Sandler, facing the possibility

By DAVID CRUZ

Emily Flores’ conviction is so strong she’s willing to take on injustices all on her own. So when she saw that her building management company initially stood ready to jack up her monthly parking bill 84 percent with not much notice or discussion, she mobilized…herself. “I gotta take the bull by the horns because I’m not having it,” Flores said. It took management some convincing to bring the rate down from its original monthly charge of $280, a fee Flores thought was just way too high for Norwood’s working class. It was a good thing then that the management company

The Jerome-Gun Hill Business Improvement District celebrated its 15th Annual Fall Festival, attracting hundreds to the festivities that put a spotlight on some 200 stores open for business at the BID. HealthFirst was a major sponsor. All photos courtesy Jerome-Gun Hill BID [URIS id=21847]