New Head of NCBH Has Some Ideas for Expanded Services

By JOSEPH KONIG

North Central Bronx Hospital (NCBH) will “absolutely” stay open for the foreseeable future, NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Dr. Mitchell Katz said during a “Newsmakers Q&A” roundtable discussion at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism on Sept 27. Katz said he planned on expanding services at the Norwood hospital. “If it’s going to be closed, it should be closed. If it’s going to be open, it should be open,” Katz said. “So now I’ve looked at it and we’re going to expand services to the North Central Bronx.” But New York City Health + Hospitals has not

Bedford Park Garage, Once Partially Collapsed, is Demolished

By DAVID CRUZ

A public garage in Bedford Park that partially collapsed in early 2017 has come down via demolition. A posted sign indicates the property will be converted into retail space, nixing the prospect of a garage once again. Owners plan to rebuild the space at 3000 Jerome Ave. just near Bedford Park Boulevard. Residents passing by the clear lot hope owners consider a parking lot. As it stands finding a spot can take upwards to an hour in the evening. The garage, once known as Dr. Parking Garage, had at one point charged customers an overnight rate of $11 for the

Norwood News Celebrates 30 Years with Nov. 1 Gala

By NORWOOD NEWS

The Norwood News is celebrating 30 years covering Norwood and its surrounding communities with an anniversary night on Nov. 1 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Lehman College and we would like you to join us. As a community-based newspaper, the publication has striven to provide first-rate journalism and in-depth coverage of the neighborhood. Our mission to inform readers has guided our success throughout the past three decades and with your continued support, we will do so for years to come. Errol Louis, political anchor for NY1 news, will keynote the event that will also feature a trip down memory

With an Uptick in Homeless, Is Anyone Paying Attention

By JONATHAN CUSTODIO

With a cigarette hedged between his fingers, the plainly-clothed man spoke of hardship. The man, whose name is being withheld by the Norwood News out of concern over any reprisals, is a resident at the recently opened men’s only homeless shelter at 3600 Jerome Ave., in front of Van Cortlandt Park. The 200-bed shelter, which opened this past summer, houses the homeless who are mentally ill. A curfew is set at 10 p.m. and only clients who work late nights are allowed to skip it. “The shelter’s not ready,” said the inside source. “Where is the security? There’s no maintenance

By RACHEL MILLER-BRADSHAW

The bus was filled with anxious Fordham Hill Owners Corporation (FHOC) shareholders on the way to the Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) meeting set to take place that morning on Sept. 19, 2017. Empowering conversations on what the corporation could do to advocate for improvements to uplift University Heights was the discussion during the ride. Fordham Hill’s Community Engagement Committee (CEC) had to quickly galvanize and coordinate their shareholder community after learning that oil giant BP resubmitted an application to build a gas station at 205 W. Fordham Rd. In addition to getting shareholders to send in emails before

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By JOSEPH KONIG

North Central Bronx Hospital (NCBH) will “absolutely” stay open for the foreseeable future, New York Health + Hospital President Dr. Mitchell Katz said following longstanding rumors that the Norwood hospital will eventually close. In fact, Katz says, services will expand. “If it’s going to be closed, it should be closed. If it’s going to be open, it should be open,” Katz, appearing at a “Newsmakers Q&A” at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism Sept. 27, said. “So now I’ve looked at it and we’re going to expand services to the North Central Bronx” New York City Health + Hospitals,

A Rapidly Rising Company Settles in Norwood

By CHRISTY RAE AMMONS

After 35 years working as a taxi driver, Mario Sena started his own driving company. But he never dreamed of how far it would go. Taking his understanding of the vehicle-for-hire business to work for him, Sena and his wife, Olga, operated a Non-Emergency Medical Transportation (NEMT) service from a makeshift office in their apartment in Pelham Bay. In 2012, he only had three customers and one driver, Sena himself. Now, Agape Luxury, Corp. books an average of 5,000 trips per day. Last year, Agape drove over one million patients to and from medical appointments, and in the last three

The Sept. 13 primary in the Bronx is one for the ages. It’s usually a tough one for challengers, but in the year when the reckoning on establishment Democrats reached its peak, no one was safe. Not even the state’s most powerful senator, Jeff Klein, ousted as the Democratic representative for the 34th Senate District by Alessandra Biaggi, a candidate with a Democratic platform that translates to a complete condemnation against President Donald Trump. The people made their voices heard in a race that should be seen as an example of what happens when there’s a more engaged voting bloc

By JOSEPH KONIG

“Right now, the Bronx is prime real estate. Prime, prime real estate.” Those are the words of Joseph Governali, a Norwood resident and realty investor who said he recently entered into contract to purchase four homes in Bedford Park. Governali and his Brooklyn-based partner, Emmanuel Marshall, are part of a larger movement of investors and developers buying up Bronx homes, and tearing them down to replace them with tall buildings, exploiting existing zoning laws. The section of Bedford Park–bordered by Grand Concourse, Mosholu Parkway, East 198th Street and Webster Avenue–saw 28 properties sold between January and August of 2018 (see