Suspects Sought on Number 4 Subway Train Robbery

By DAVID CRUZ

A trio of thieves are on the run from police for choking a subway rider and stealing his phone, wallet, rings, and a watch. Police say the incident happened June 26 just before 5 a.m. on board an uptown 4 subway train entering the East 183rd Street station. One of the men choked the 21-year-old victim while the other two took his things. The first suspect is described as a heavyset man around 18 to 22 years old. The second is described as a Hispanic man with dyed blond/orange hair around age 18 to 22, while the third man is

Cuts in College Readiness Program Inspire Social Message Video

By DAVID CRUZ

Imani Martinez sat slightly coy as a video bearing her image boomed across the East Dining Room of Lehman College. On screen, Martinez stood confident, revealing moments and milestones that have contributed to her character. “Why must I have to put double the blood, sweat and tears I normally would have to put in order to accomplish my goal? Because I’m poor, Latina and I live in the Bronx,” Martinez, who dreams a career in law enforcement, said. Martinez’s verbal purge, a raw, coming-of-age message chronicled her personal struggles, ambitions, and a love for borough, warts and all. She intertwined

Bronx Mourns Death of 46th Precinct Police Officer Miosotis Familia

By REGGIE FRANCOIS

Police have still cordoned off three square blocks, from 183rd to 182nd streets and Grand Concourse down to Jerome Avenue, following the fatal shooting of an on duty police officer. Officer Miosotis Familia, 48, of the 46th Precinct, was shot in the head early morning hours of July 5 on East 183rd Street and Morris Avenue in Fordham Heights. Familia sat in a marked command truck with her partner when Alexander Bonds approached the vehicle and fired a bullet from his revolver into the window. Police later apprehended Bonds a block from the scene, killing him after he drew his

Hate Has No Business Here Canvases Jerome-Gun Hill BID

EXPECT TO SEE more signs like this one (inset) located at Anthony’s Famous Deli, 169 E. Gun Hill Rd., hung at stores around the Jerome-Gun Hill Business Improvement District. The Norwood business strip, running along Jerome Avenue between Mosholu Parkway and East Gun Hill Road, and along East Gun Hill Road between Jerome and Webster avenues, joined a campaign dubbed “Hate Has No Business Here” to spread a message of tolerance across Bronx commercial corridors. Photos courtesy Jerome-Gun Hill Business Improvement District

De Blasio to Host Town Hall in the Northwest Bronx

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

Mayor Bill de Blasio will once again host a town hall forum in the Bronx. De Blasio, who is running for re-election, will take questions from folks living within the 14th Council District. Councilman Fernando Cabrera is the presiding councilman there. As usual, he will take questions only from the general public. De Blasio won the Bronx when he ran for mayor the first time out. Those wishing to attend must RSVP by today. The forum is scheduled for July 12 at Creston Academy, 2160 Creston Avenue, at 7 p.m. Residents are asked to come by 6 p.m. To RSVP,

Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

Dear Fellow Readers, The latest edition of the Norwood News, the award-winning publication covering all things Norwood and its surrounding Bronx communities, is out with plenty of news you can use. We start at the beginning, and on page 1. There, we have a story on the battle to preserve the character of Bedford Park and Norwood. A report yet finalized by the all Community Board 7 members was approved by the Land Use/Zoning & Housing Committee. What does this mean for the neighborhood? Read to find out more! Turning to inside-the-cover stories, the Bronx Borough President’s Office has released a

Crime File: Woman Attacked, Man Beaten with Scooter

By DAVID CRUZ

Police are trying to find a man wanted for fighting a man that subsequently led to the man’s elderly being seriously injured. Police say the 73-year-old victim fell to the ground and broke her leg during fight between the unidentified man and the victim’s 36-year-old son, which happened on July 1 at around 8 p.m. at East 194th Street and Marion Avenue in Bedford Park. The man soon fled while the woman was treated at St. Barnabas Hospital. The man is described as a heavy set Hispanic man last seen wearing a dark hat, white T-shit, red shorts and sneakers.

By REGGIE FRANCOIS

Three. Two. One. Zero. Your bus has arrived. Four bus stops in the Bronx were upgraded with Real Time Passenger Information (RTPI) countdown clocks. The corners of East Kingsbridge Road and Grand Concourse; University Avenue and West Tremont Avenue; University and West Burnside avenues; and East Burnside and Jerome avenues are the first in the Bronx to get such clocks. Councilman Fernando Cabrera announced June 26 that the clocks were being installed. “Now, our communities will have the technology tools they need to make public transit easier to use,” Cabrera, who allocated funding for the clocks, said in a statement.

Report: Give and Take for Bedford Park, Kingsbridge Heights Downzoning

By DAVID CRUZ

At its June 14 meeting, Community Board 7’s Land Use/Zoning & Housing Committee approved the findings of an independent study that would limit height restrictions on new buildings in two Bronx neighborhoods, despite the study’s author recommending more neighborhoods be assessed before submitting them to the city. For Lois Harr, a resident in Bedford Park, the motion represented a victory in preventing further construction of high-rise properties in Bedford Park and Kingsbridge Heights, the two neighborhoods studied. Concerns of overdevelopment at a rapid clip in Bedford Park had especially prompted the study. “Time is running out,” Jean Hill, committee chair,