Inquiring Photographer: New Year, New Laws

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By DAVID GREENE

This week we asked readers their thoughts on several new laws that took effect in New York State on Jan. 1, which included Paid Family Leave, an income tax cut for 4.4 million New Yorkers, and a minimum wage increase to $12 for New York City residents. I feel like some of these laws are good. The raise is great, but I wonder if it will raise the cost of everything else with inflation. But overall a lot of these new laws are good for the residents of New York State and the City of New York. With all

Michael Cotto of Norwood, along with his wife and two kids, are among those lucky to be alive in the Knox Place blaze that disrupted them and the lives of many others on Dec. 27. They escaped the four-alarm inferno unscathed. When compared to the devastating fire at Prospect Avenue in Belmont that claimed 12 victims a day later, the Cottos were presented with a silver lining. The fire happened at 3414 Knox Pl. a building notorious for its subpar living conditions, according to the New York Public Advocate’s Office. For the last few years, the city has placed the

By DAVID CRUZ

With seats on the city and state level up for grabs in 2018, several faces both familiar and in the background, have emerged well before the political season truly gets under way in the Bronx. All this comes as the Bronx Borough President welcomed his new second-in-command. Special Elections With Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj having vacated his post at the 80th Assembly District to become the next Councilmember for the 13th Council District, his Norwood seat is up for grabs. And though Governor Andrew Cuomo hasn’t formally announced it yet, he is expected to call for a special election sometime in

By DAVID CRUZ

The Norwood News produced a total of 284 stories (not counting Public & Community Meetings, Neighborhood Notes and Out & About) throughout the 25-issue print run for 2017. The issues the paper called attention to ranged, though some stories bore greater urgency in the hopes action from local legislators could be taken. Below are some topics that surfaced and resurfaced throughout the last 12 months, and are once again highlighted in the Norwood News’ annual Year in Review: Homeless Crisis Norwood was not immune to homelessness, an issue that continues pressing across the city. In the 25 Norwood News issues

Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, As you stay snug in your homes or brave the temperatures in your winter coats, you might want to check out the latest edition of the Norwood News. The first issue of 2018 is packed with plenty of Bronx community news. We begin the first issue of 2018 by looking back at 2017 in our annual Year in Review write-up anchoring the paper. Our two-page spread takes you back to some of the more pressing stories of the year, with some numbers to support it. If there’s a local story we missed, be sure to send us a

By DAVID GREENE

This week we asked readers their New Year’s resolutions and hopes and wishes for 2018. I don’t want to be a downer for the New Year, but honestly, we have a lot of work to do. There’s a lot of corruption going on politically speaking and a lot of money that’s influencing politicians. [A]nd with the Net neutrality–the FCC voted 3-2, which means the Internet can change possibly, because all of these big Internet companies are trying to monopolize the Internet. So I hope we just focus on peace, love and more positivity because a lot of people are depressed,

This year could once again be characterized as transitional for Norwood, full of business closures and nascent construction projects. The neighborhood crossed off another year with more bulldozers dotted around the once sleepy community. On a stretch of Webster Avenue between Gun Hill Road and East Mosholu Parkway, four construction projects are well under way. The assumption is clear: more construction means more people are moving into to a neighborhood that is waking up to the realities of overdevelopment. Greater interest in Norwood is a good thing, though a population boom in the next few years should signal greater concern

Norwood Man Brings the Bronx to Cannes Film Festival

By DIEGO BARCACEL PENA

If anyone would describe Matt Raimo of Norwood, they’ll likely describe a resident with a true love for neighborhood. “Norwood born, Norwood bred, Norwood ‘til the day I’m dead,” Raimo says, talking to the Norwood News from the Keeper’s House. Those who know Raimo will also describe a budding filmmaker whose passion for the silver screen goes back to the 1990s. Today, with help from his job at Empire City Casino in nearby Yonkers, Raimo’s love for film has reached another echelon—entering his movies to the prominent Cannes Film Festival. Three of his films–In God We Trust, Kharon’s Fare, and

By ANTHONY RIVIECCIO, MBA, PFA

What was hailed as a simplification idea is anything but simple. This Trump tax bill has three effects: a good effect, scheduled for Feb 1, 2018; a bad effect, scheduled for Jan. 1, 2018; and an ugly that should start Jan 1, 2019 when you start to have your 2018 (the following year) taxes prepared. The Good Effect: Individuals will be receiving on average a three percent tax cut. The average New Yorker making $50,000 a year will receive back $1500, and through your paychecks (say biweekly) $58. The Bad Effect: Your eligibility to deduct for lifestyle items: job expenses, dependents (exemptions), moving expenses, alimony, advisory and tax preparation