Inquiring Photographer: Bronx Blizzard 2016

This week we asked readers about the city’s response to the recent record-breaking blizzard Jan. 23-24, compared to last year’s cleanup efforts. I guess it was better for what we got slapped with this year. Some places got like 20 inches, you know? It actually doesn’t look too bad, it’s only been a couple of days. I actually got an e-mail about helping out shoveling, so I do like the fact that they were reaching out to residents to help out. Kyante Adams Hollis, Queens For me it was fast enough, they did a good job. I remember last year,

STATE OF THE CITY REMARKS BY MAYOR DE BLASIO, AS PREPARED FOR DELIVERY One New York: Working for Our Neighborhoods Thank you to everyone here tonight, everyone watching at home, and all our friends here at Lehman College. Thanks for hosting us. And thank you to Ausar. The future of our city is in the hands of young people like you, Ausar, and we’re very proud of you tonight. For too long, many of our young men weren’t treated like our future. They were treated as something less. But we are changing that. We are lifting up our young people.

[URIS id=20221] In his third State of the City address, that once again captured the tenor of inequality, Mayor Bill de Blasio offered a synopsis of citywide initiatives while unveiling a short list of goals specific to the Norwood and Mott Haven sections of the Bronx. Presenting his evening address at Lehman Center for the Performing Arts in the Bronx, the first for de Blasio, Mr. de Blasio summarized policies that he points have raised quality of life for New Yorkers, particularly the city’s downtrodden. Without the help of a teleprompter, Mr. de Blasio’s speech seemed to be refresher on

Editor’s Pick For the Hot-Blooded The public is invited to join the Bronx Polar Bears for a dip in the brisk waters of Orchard Beach, Feb. 6 at 11 a.m. Soup will be served to participants at 12:30 p.m. BronxWorks offers transportation pickup outside the #6 Pelham Bay subway station at 10:30 a.m. Bring new gloves, socks, hats or scarves to donate to BronxWorks homeless services program or drop them off through 5 p.m. Feb. 12 at Bronxnet Television, Lehman College Campus, 2790 Goulden Ave., Carman Hall room C19B. For more information and additional drop-off locations, visit www.bronxnet.org. Onstage Lehman

By WENDY JOAN BIDDLECOMBE

Though federal and city officials officially cut the ribbon on Fordham Plaza earlier this month, neighborhood residents shouldn’t expect vendors to move into the enormous concession area and kiosks for at least a year. The $34 million plaza in the largest transit hub in the Bronx includes a new bus depot, access to the Metro-North and a sitting area for pedestrians. The plaza also features a main concession area near the Metro-North stairways, and three smaller, newsstand-style booths, as well as a bathroom. The plaza could stand as boon for the BID, given the near 80,000 people who travel through

The Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC) is edging close to actual construction at the Kingsbridge Armory, with progress in the form of the state’s financial support towards the project. Not much of a sound was heard about the Armory in 2015, though developers insisted plenty was going on behind the scenes. That’s true, and it’s thanks to the working relationship between Governor Andrew Cuomo and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. Since the early part of 2015, the pair has forged an ever-strengthening bond that’s allowed Diaz to check off some items (though not yet achievements since certain projects haven’t

Hello readers! As usual, as promised, and right on time–the latest edition of the Norwood News is out with plenty of Bronx community news for you to share. This week the paper heads to Bedford Park for a proposal by the New York Botanical Garden to convert its large space into a multi-used site, with the possibility of a hotel added to the fold. Only residents worry any new development could knock out the existing supermarket. Find out what one top official from NYBG has to say about that. We move from one development to another in Kingsbridge–the Kingsbridge National Ice

By DAVID GREENE

Residents and visitors to Jerome Avenue in Norwood were both shocked and saddened by the sudden closure of the local McDonald’s restaurant in early January, closing the book on a business with plenty of neighborhood history. It was on Friday, Jan. 8, when longtime resident Evelyn Perez noticed the establishment’s sign was gone and the doors were locked of the once thriving business. Outside stood a handwritten sign reading, “No Food, Closed.” Alice Kulick, the property owner and chair of the Jerome-Gun Hill Business Improvement District (JGH-BID), said at a recent JGH-BID meeting that the restaurant owner “just closed up.”

By JASMINE GOMEZ

When one car door closes, another one opens. At least this was the case for one Norwood pastor who received a car donation from a Fordham dealership after his van was stolen. The 1997 Dodge minivan belonging to Pastor James Miller of the Good News Christian Church was filched from a parking spot near Reservoir Oval West on about Jan. 12. The van was special because it was not only Miller’s personal van, but it was also used for his parish’s work that included charity missions such as coat drives and shuttling people to and from church. Parishioners and friends