New CB7 District Manager on the Job

By Justin McCallum Community Board 7 has picked its new district manager, and he came from within.

Business Beat – White Plains Road BID on the Rise

By DAVID CRUZ Joe Thompson sat at the Rainbow Diner, his regular 24-hour eatery, ordering “the usual” black cup of coffee. Normally, it’s a quick stop before his daily walkthrough along the White Plains Road Business Improvement District, where he serves as its executive director.

Print Preview: Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

Has two weeks passed already!?! In the interim, the Norwood News gathered several noteworthy news items that makes up this latest edition. Inside you will find several interesting top stories on the Croton Water Filtration Plant and the impending Bronx Day in Albany that will spark a conversation. Check out our In The Public Interest, Inquiring Photographer, Out & About, Neighborhood Notes and our Business Beat. This time we took a trip to Pelham Parkway to spotlight the White Plains Road Business Improvement District, making great strides. So spread the word on the Norwood News, and view the digital edition. Also, if

By DAVID CRUZ Assaf Gal stood on a sidewalk on 205th Street near Webster Avenue one afternoon in January, promoting his newest venture—a Crunch Fitness gym in the Bronx. He spotted a mailwoman, handing her a Crunch ad that caused her to jolt.

5-2 Vows to Come Down Hard on ‘Pooper-trators’

By JUSTIN MCCALLUM It’s a frequent topic for Community Board 7’s Environment and Sanitation Committee and universally disgusting–dog poop littering the streets year round. Whether along the greenways of Mosholu Parkway and Reservoir Oval, or other bustling thoroughfares such as Jerome Avenue, the prevalence of poop has certainly raised concerns. “People not picking up behind their dog is really a problem in our district, and I really don’t see any enforcement,” an anonymous complainant told the March 18 general meeting. But thanks to a recent addition to the 52nd Precinct’s Community Affairs office, the issue may finally come to

by DAVID CRUZ The charcoal scent still lingers along a stretch of small businesses on East Burnside Avenue just a week and a half after a three-alarm fire damaged them. Crews have since erected a scaffold, while police from the 46th Precinct have set up a barricade, fencing off the property from pedestrians and any would-be squatters. Passersby assess the rubble at some stores, staring pitifully at some of the establishments that have been gutted.

Learning the Three R’s With a Touch of Technology at a Kingsbridge Charter School

By David Cruz It’s a 21st century school for a 21st century world. Call that the mantra for Tech International Charter School in Kingsbridge Heights, a middle school settled in a relatively new ten-story office building on Corlear Avenue. Since the Norwood News first reported on the school back in 2011, TI Charter School has now added a seventh grade to its roster to its already established sixth grade, making up a student body of 215. An eighth grade class slated for the 2014-2015 school year will bump the population to over 300.

Business Beat – Belmont BID: Selling Authentic Italian Traditions

By JUSTIN MCCALLUM For Bronxites and beyond, traveling to the Bronx’s Little Italy is often compared to a trek to the old country. It’s a destination. The smell of seasoned Italian sausage, blended with sights of Italian-named eateries and singers greeting its customers make the area a must-see. And behind a push to attract visitors to the destination is the Belmont Business Improvement District, the agency tasked to promote the epicenter for Italian fare. Unlike most BIDs, which usually promote merchandise stores, Belmont’s marquee draw is its neighborhood, intertwined with tradition and Italian fare. After all, its woven into their sales

By DAVID CRUZ The eagle has landed at the Bronx’s biggest business improvement district. Shoppers at the Fordham Road Business Improvement District, where an estimated 80,000 people bypass the corridor daily, recently noticed the soft opening of American Eagle Outfitters. The high-end clothing retail store opened its doors with little fanfare, settling just across the street from another mega-clothing retail store, The GAP. The store is known for its chic graphic-Ts, low-cut jeans and Henley shirts, catering mostly to the age 15 to 25 demographic. The apparel store’s pick of Fordham is fitting, given Fordham University is just blocks away.