Financial Focus: Did You Plan Your Tax Refund in Advance?

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By PROF. ANTHONY RIVIECCIO, MBA, PFA

So why is tax planning, this time of year, even more important than tax preparation? Several reasons! First, you are living in 2019, not 2018. As you are reading this, because tax laws took effect on Jan. 1 you want to tax change your life as soon as possible to take advantage in the change in tax laws. Tax planning, in it’s simplest sense, is when one learns, strategizes, and executes their tax plan 2019 just before–or after “tax preparation, 2018,” so you can make sure knowing that Jan. 1, 2020 you are prepared to get a big hefty refund

By THERESA SCHLIEP

At $1200 a Month, Managing Diabetes Puts a Dent on Bronx Family’s Budget The Norwood News, WFUV Radio, and BronxNet Television present a five-part series on health-related struggles affecting residents of the Bronx. Elbia Cabral of Highbridge knows a lot about insulin. She knows the different kinds of long-acting and short-lasting insulin, the cheap brands, and the pricier brands. It’s been a year and a half since 12-year-old Elizabeth was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. And it’s been an adjustment for the whole family. Now, Elbia worries about her daughter’s health, and has plenty of questions on her management. “[I]s

By SHA-NIA ALSTON

DeWitt Clinton High School alumnus Kid Mero of Morris Heights, whose birth name is Joel Martinez, and his co-host Desus Nice of Wakefield, whose birth name is Daniel Baker, have had a lot of success these days, branching from Twitter to their podcast, the “Bodega Boys,” and now a late night television program on Showtime. Norwood News reporter Sha-Nia Alston caught up with the pair, ahead of their Showtime premiere Feb 21. for a brief Q&A that focused on their Bronx roots. NN: Who are Kid Mero and Desus Nice? Describe yourself. DN: We’re just two guys from the Bronx

By PROF. ANTHONY RIVIECCIO, MBA PFA

So, when will you get your tax refund? Let’s start with the official answer: if you’re electronically depositing the funds into a personal or savings account in which you are the title holder or holders, it should take two to three weeks Now that’s the official answer! Now my answer: balderdash. Firstly, remember the government shutdown? Think again, it’s not over! The shutdown, to the IRS, is still feeling the effects. Having all personnel off for three weeks, not in tune with current adjustments means that the average IRS representative is already five weeks late on any processing paperwork. Yes,

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s fifth edition of the Norwood News with plenty of community news you can use. We’ve packed 20 pages full of useful information. As usual, we’ll begin with page one! Our front-page story brings you to Norwood and the temporary, though inconvenient, closure of the local post office. This is the third time the Van Cott Station closed, forcing residents to utilize other post offices. David Greene hears from the the United States Postal Service and residents, who fear a stinky situation has brewed. Inside the cover you’ll find a recap of the latest State of the

Norwood Once Again Sees its Local Post Office Closed

By DAVID GREENE

For the third time in three months the Van Cott Station of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) located at 3102 Decatur Ave. off East 204th Street closed, with a temporary mobile office providing limited services during the interim. The small, but popular post office will remain closed indefinitely—and Norwood residents bracing for a longer walk to another nearby post office say this closure “stinks” to high heaven. USPS spokesman Xavier Hernandez confirmed the temporary closure that began on Feb. 21, citing a concern for “safety and sanitation.” In a follow-up email several days later, Hernandez did not elaborate what those safety

By BOB KAPPSTATTER

Two young men were under arrest as police hunted for a third suspect in connection with what police sources called a revenge stabbing death of a Fordham teenager earlier this month. Seventeen-year-old Pompey “Blizz” Pernell became the 52nd Precinct’s first homicide victim of the year after he was attacked by three young males shortly after 7 p.m. on Feb. 13, near East 193rd Street and Decatur Avenue, a known gang and narcotics sales area in the precinct. Police said the three attackers surrounded Pompey and one of them stabbed him multiple times in the chest. He staggered down the block into

Norwood Among Nabes Targeted for Lead Awareness Campaign

By EMILY SUZANNE LEVER

City health officials are sounding the alarm about lead poisoning that comes not from peeling paint but everyday foods and cosmetics. The city Department of Health & Mental Hygiene announced a lead prevention awareness campaign—which will include flyers, trainings and outreach through community organizations—targeted specifically at South Asian immigrants, who are particularly at risk. The rollout is part of LeadFreeNYC announced at North Central Bronx Hospital on Jan. 28 by Mayor Bill de Blasio, who pegged it as a roadmap to the “literal eradication” of childhood lead exposure. The initiative includes free blood lead level testing and lead inspections for

Securing Kingsbridge Ice Center Funding a Waiting Game

Much of the talk across the city has been focused on its failed attempt to keep Amazon locked into a deal that would have brought a state-of-the-art campus to Long Island City, Queens. Critics wanted more than the estimated 25,000 jobs it promised to bring. The outright resentment over how the deal was rushed through with very little input from the existing residents who live in New York City, according to reports, riled progressive Democrats to organize. Hindsight being 20-20, perhaps Amazon’s stakeholders could’ve headed the northernmost borough in the city to find how communities are won over by massive