Schumer to Amtrak: Get on the Train for Penn Station Access

By DAVID CRUZ

U.S. Senator and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer is jumping into the latest campaign to press Amtrak into speeding up its negotiations over an expansion plan that would see four Metro-North stations in the Bronx. Schumer is among the growing number of elected officials pushing Amtrak to clear Metro-North to start the long-awaited project dubbed Penn Station Access. “I get a lot of money for Amtrak I am maybe its leading defender in the congress and I am asking Amtrak to step up to the plate,” said Schumer, standing outside Co-Op City’s Section 5, which overlooks Pelham Bay Bridge. “The

Editor’s Pick Last Licks to Extend Holiday Season New York Botanical Garden’s annual Holiday Train Show, featuring miniature replicas of many NYC building replicas made from natural materials including bark, twigs, fruit and pine cones; and All Aboard With Thomas & Friends, featuring a fun-filled sing-along mini-performance adventure (two to four performances daily); end on Jan. 21. For more detailed information, show schedule, rates, and tickets, call (718) 817-8700. Onstage Lehman College’s Center for the Performing Arts, 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd., W., presents Ballet Hispánico, Jan. 19, featuring contemporary dance with a Latin program (tickets are $25 to $55; $75/VIP;

Editorial: Bedford Park Locals Should Consider a No Solicitation Zone

By DAVID CRUZ

Bedford Park stepped closer towards legitimate neighborhood preservation after the Historic Districts Council (HDC) placed it in its ‘Six to Celebrate’ designation. The move will provide community stakeholders free consultation in how it to preserve the neighborhood’s historic side. “This was one way that we could bring publicity to the neighborhood, there will be a lot of work involved but we’re on top of that,” said Barbara Stronczer, president of the Bedford Mosholu Community Association (BMCA). “Unless we preserve some of the best of the past we’re going to be left with no future,” said Simeon Bankoff, executive director of HDC.

Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers! The Norwood News is out with its latest edition covering the Bronx. In our second edition of the year, we bring you the latest! The front page story revisits the Bedford Park Manor, where several tenants have ramped up efforts for improved quality of life. Read what the owner of the properties has to say. In Norwood, two separate corners of the neighborhood saw the discovery of two dead bodies in two separate cases. David Greene looks into this for us. Speaking of crime, the NYPD crime stat figures were released for 2018. It looks like the

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

Tenant Support Unit The Mayor’s Tenant Support Unit offers tenant outreach help to New Yorkers at risk of displacement or tenant harassment. Residents can get connected to free legal services, learn about their rights, get help applying for rent freeze programs and more on Jan. 17, 24 and 31, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Office of Assemblyman Victor Pichardo, 2175 Jerome Ave.; Jan. 17, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at UNHP Refuge House, 2715 Bainbridge Ave.; and Jan. 18, 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Office of Assembly Member Jose Rivera, 1 Fordham Plz. For more

Editorial: De Blasio Ratchets Up Progressivism to Pad Resume Ahead of 2020

In the days leading up to his annual State of the City address, Mayor Bill de Blasio turned up the volume on Democratic progressivism, announcing NYC Care, an initiative that offers super affordable healthcare to New York City’s low-income earners, roughly 600,000 in all. Half of those New Yorkers are undocumented immigrants. The announcement happened in the Bronx. The plan will kick off in the Bronx. In his State of the City address this year, de Blasio outlined an overdue but vague plan to draw the “best and brightest” teachers to public schools. The schools to receive new teachers will

By DAVID CRUZ and JOSEPH KONIG

Residents of three fairly new buildings on Webster Avenue that are owned and operated by The Stagg Group have gotten the ear of Community Board 7, which plans to hear from residents at its next Housing, Zoning & Land Use Committee meeting in February. The Stagg Group, a construction and development company with multiple ongoing projects in Bedford Park and Norwood, told the Norwood News they will be sending a representative to the meeting to hear out the tenants’ concerns. The news is the latest in a fight waged by tenants over conditions at the buildings at 2985, 2987, and 2999 Webster

Bronx Projects Take Center Stage in State of the City

By DAVID CRUZ

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s fifth State of the City address saw the immediate creation of a Mayor’s Office to Protect Tenants, a plan for increased worker protections, expanded 3K program, while also promoting a plan for guaranteed healthcare and a paid two-week vacation proposal for employees. Surprisingly, there were some specifics for the Bronx, a point that was not lost on Democratic colleagues like Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., who’s expressed interest in running for mayor in 2021. Still, Diaz criticized de Blasio’s proposal to take buildings away from landlords with a history of harassment and poor building management.

Bronx Gets Priority in de Blasio's NYC Care Initiative

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a plan that would guarantee healthcare for 600,000 low-income New Yorkers, with Bronx residents expected to get priority. Coverage will also apply to undocumented immigrants. But how to pay for it became the biggest question during de Blasio’s announcement. “Health care is a human right. In this city we are going to make that a reality in this city we are taking that ideal and putting it into practice. From this moment on in New York City everyone is guaranteed the right to health care,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio, sitting alongside advocates and First