Taking Up Space, Illegal Vendors Narrow JGHBID Sidewalks

By KIMBERLY C. JACOBS As one of the busiest shopping corridors in the Bronx, the Jerome-Gun Hill Business Improvement District in Norwood is an attractive area for vendors, both licensed and unlicensed, to set up pop-up businesses on the sidewalk.

Bronx Bracing For 2015 ‘Historic’ Blizzard

By David Cruz The relatively dormant winter is slated to unleash a record snowstorm along the tri-state area, and the Bronx is no exception.

Neighborhood Notes

Donate Blood St. Brendan’s Church will host its annual Day After the Super Bowl Blood Drive on Feb. 8 at the St. Brendan’s School cafeteria, 268 E. 207th St. from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 881-5313. Clothing Drive Winter clothes are needed for victims of a fire at 3971 Gouverneur Ave. Jackets, sweaters, hats, scarves, gloves, and other basic necessities are needed. Items can be dropped off through Jan. 28 at three locations: Community Board 8, 5676 Riverdale Ave., Suite 100; 50th Precinct, 3450 Kingsbridge Ave.; and Engine 81, 3025 Bailey Ave. For more information,

by David Cruz The latest digital edition of the Norwood News is now available to read and share with your friends. Check it out via your smartphone or the convenience of your home. Our second edition of the year features surprising news from developer Mark Stagg, owner of The Stagg Group. The cat was let out of the bag this week when we learned the large-scale developer recently purchased a trio of new properties along Webster Avenue, complementing the other three Stagg properties slated to open. Find out which deeds Stagg took over along the burgeoning corridor The Stagg Group has purchased

Bronx Youth Heard (Winter application deadline January 29.) The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Heard (formerly known as the Bronx Youth Journalism Initiative), a free after-school journalism program for Bronx high school students. There are two sessions each school year: one in the fall and another in the spring. We are currently accepting applications for our winter/spring 2015 semester, which is scheduled to start on Thursday, February 5. Classes are held at Hostos Community College, 450 Grand Concourse, on Thursday afternoons from 4 to 6:00p.m., and run for 12 weeks. [ATTENTION: Winter applications are DUE THURSDAY, January 29. Download your application now!] Students learn the

Property owners make its second major purchase along desirable corridor By DAVID CRUZ The large-scale developer building up Webster Avenue has purchased another chunk of property along the burgeoning corridor.

Accepting Applications for Winter/Spring Session Bronx Youth Heard

The award-winning Bronx community newspaper the Norwood News is now accepting applications for the spring semester of Bronx Youth Heard, an after-school journalism program for high school students. The program is free and open to any high school student who lives or goes to school in the Bronx. Throughout the course of the semester, students learn the fundamentals of writing, reporting, and photojournalism through classroom instruction and hands-on reporting in their own neighborhoods. They learn about community activism and civic responsibility, how their neighborhoods work (or don’t), who has power, who doesn’t and why. We take them on field trips

Opinion: “Why I am Visiting Israel”

by Ruben Diaz Jr., Bronx Borough President The people of the United States have stood strong with the people of Israel from the day that country was founded in 1947. As the only democracy in the Middle East, and as our key ally in the fight against terrorism, Israel holds a special place in the hearts and minds of Americans. This is especially true in New York City, which has shared a unique and significant relationship with the Jewish people and the state of Israel for decades.

Bronx News Roundup: Stories From Bronx Journalists

by David Cruz The Norwood News is putting its aggregator cap on to bring you Bronx News Roundup, a collection of some of the stories Bronx journalists around the borough are working on. First up, in light of the freezing temps we’ve been feeling around the borough lately, News 12 The Bronx is reporting on sub-zero conditions at International Leadership Charter School that’s compounded by a running air conditioner. Over in Hunts Point, food workers are threatening to walk off the job at the Hunts Point Produce Market if they’re denied a $5 raise, reports the Daily News. Winnie Hu of the New