As Blake Gets Backing from 1199SEIU and 32BJ, Mark-Viverito Endorsed By Former Employer

In his quest for the 15th Congressional District race, Assemblyman Michael Blake picked up the endorsement of the city’s biggest labor unions. Meantime, his rival, former Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito received the endorsement from a political action committee where she once served as interim president. The two unions, 1199SEIU and 32Bj, endorsed Blake for the South Bronx seat, with 1199SEIU president George Gresham telling the New York Daily News him an “advocate for healthcare, jobs, wages, social justice, and equity for Bronxites.” The union has heavy influence in New York City politics as it has 19,000 members in the district Blake looks

Inquiring Photographer: New Legislative Season Begins

By DAVID GREENE

With state lawmakers from the Bronx back to work for the new legislative session, we asked readers what are some of the current issues our local politicians should be addressing? Well, believe it or not, there is still a lot of racism here still. And it’s not just white people, it’s Africans and Dominicans; so it’s not a white thing. It’s all the races. And they’re (the NYPD) are doing the stop and search again that they were ordered not to do. Yes, they’re starting it again. You can thank [President] Trump for all of this and half the people

Lt. Govenor Outlines State's Vision for 2020 at Montefiore

By DAVID CRUZ

Days before Governor Andrew Cuomo’s preliminary budget announcement, his second-in-command paid a special visit to Montefiore Health System on Jan. 16, reiterating Cuomo’s State of the State address, which includes the promise of seeing four Metro-North stations built in the East Bronx. Mixing policy with shtick, Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul–introduced by newly appointed President and CEO for Montefiore Health System, Dr. Philip O. Ozuah–broke down a bevy of initiatives spearheaded by Cuomo that have statewide interest. That includes combating domestic violence, ferreting out hate crimes, adding greater protections for gig workers, reducing taxes, reducing the unemployment rate in the Bronx,

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s second edition of the Norwood News for 2020 is out with plenty of community stories to read and share. We have packed 20 pages full of news from this corner of the Bronx, so let’s start with page one! Our top story looks back at the professional life of Sally Dunford, the West Bronx Housing executive director who retired in early January. Dunford leaves behind a legacy of helping thousands of renters who faced unscrupulous landlords over the years. Read what exactly she wanted to do with her life and her philosophical outlook on empowerment. Inside the

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

If you read part one of our seven-part series on how to get all your tax money back, we will now discuss one of the best, one of the most complicated and one of the most fruitful ways: children. According to the IRS, children are not your babies but people that are growing fast! What the IRS wants to know is whether they are your dependents. Do they produce income? Do you maintain their support? How old are they? Are you separated or divorced? Do both of you share the burden? Maybe only one? Therefore, what is a dependent? Children and

State of the State: What Your Bronx State Reps Had to Say

By DAVID CRUZ

Governor Andrew Cuomo delivered his tenth State of the State address that received praise and some criticism from the borough’s state legislators covering Norwood. Among Cuomo’s proposals include expanding its tuition-free state college program to families make $150,000 or less, categorizing hate crimes a type of domestic terrorism, and legalizing marijuana, a measure that received intense pushback from critics in the last session. Cuomo also reaffirmed his commitment to revitalizing Hunts Point and seeing the installation of four Metro-North stations to the Bronx. But the Governor stood silent on the issue of bail reform for misdemeanor and nonviolent felonies, where

By JOSE A. GIRALT and DAVID CRUZ

In a crowded race seeking to replace Congressman José Serrano, candidates made their pitches on why they’re the best candidate to succeed Serrano at a Tuesday night forum in the South Bronx. The forum, organized by the Bronx’s LGBT Center Destination Tomorrow, presented the candidates with three different questions of special concern to their community in addition to opening and closing remarks. At a forum largely focusing on the LGBTQ community, Councilman Ritchie Torres, who’s garnered the most donations than any other candidate, reminded the audience of his journey in becoming the first openly gay elected official from the Bronx.

Exposing Veteran/MWBE Business Owners to Emerging Tech, Courtesy of Lehman

By DAVID CRUZ

Kimberly Kendall, workforce education director for Lehman College’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies, will be the first to express her fondness over what technology of the future can do for small businesses. There’s artificial intelligence capable of replicating a customer service rep over the phone (techies call it a “chatbot”), updating one’s supply list in real time, or virtual technology that allows real estate agents to take their clients on a virtual tour of a home without having to step foot in it. “What we have to do is expose small business owners to emerging technologies, not in a

Tracey Towers Residents Wonder How Their Complex Became Little Ghana

By DAVID CRUZ

Tracey Towers is known for its robust representation of Ghanaian Americans new to the country or second or third generation. And their ample presence—complete with their own tenants association and yearly events highlighting the colorful culture of the West African country—has earned it a cute name among residents: “Little Ghana.” The fun fact has extended beyond the looming towers and to published works, where one book, African & American: West Africans in Post-Civil Rights America, mentions Tracey Towers as being home to “literally hundreds of Ghanaians and became the basis for the development of the most recognizable physical enclave of this