Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

Dear Fellow Readers, The latest edition of the Norwood News, covering the northwest Bronx, with dropoff locations at 300 places, is out with plenty of community news you can use. We begin, of course, with page one, and some mea culpas. The front page story focuses on West Bronx Housing’s attempt to shed light on what they believe is a nagging issue across the Bronx–landlords using deceptive tactics to pump up rents on unsuspecting new tenants. Read why the group’s executive director take on these rent registration forms and the state agency tasked to keep track of them. Before going

By ADELINE HANSSEN

A Bronx representative wants to make so-called “ghost guns” disappear. “[They] are called ghost guns because they are oftentimes completely untraceable, assembled using a receiver that does not have a serial number, and are almost impossible to be tracked by law enforcement,” Congressman Adriano Espaillat, who represents Norwood and has introduced a bill to close the loophole, said. “These guns are more often used in violent crimes and pose serious safety concerns to our communities and law enforcement.” Espaillat announced the introduction of the Ghost Guns Are Guns Act on March 1, with Illinois Congressman Brad Schneider co-sponsoring the bill.

Crime File

Elderly Man Attacked An 88-year-old man was attacked on a Bedford Park street on March 6. Police say the victim was walking at the intersection of Briggs Avenue and East 196th Street when a young man between the ages of 15 and 20 randomly attacked him, hitting the victim in the face and taking off on foot. Nothing was stolen and the victim turned down any medical attention at the scene. The suspect is described as a male Hispanic with a medium complexion, brown eyes and black hair. He was last seen wearing a dark blue jacket, blue hooded

By REBECCA LEWIS of WFUV

The Norwood News and WFUV continue their five-part series profiling ongoing challenges impacting the Bronx. The life of Bronx resident who only went by Mitchell could have taken a different turn had he known his rights. Mitchell, who is 22, was just 14 years old when he entered the criminal justice system, arrested on a gun possession charge. He was living in the Crotona section of the Bronx and said he was on his way to the local precinct to drop off a gun he had found for a gun buyback program. But a recent stabbing in the area had

By DYLAN CROLL

During a New York City Council hearing last year, the NYPD addressed claims over the abuse of police placards displayed on a civilian car’s dashboard, indicating that the owners are police officers or emergency personnel looking to avoid getting a ticket. The police asserted it was a very minor problem of infrequent occurrence. Little did they know that a skeptical audience member was watching with every intention of holding them accountable, going on to create a Twitter page wholly dedicated to tracking abuse of police placards. Since early 2016, the “Placard Corruption” page has almost 5,000 followers and 6,000 tweets.

By DEBORAH CRUZ

With fears of deportation engulfing immigrant communities, an information session addressing those concerns was organized, with a veteran immigration lawyer telling a Norwood crowd to get organized. Sharron Williams, a former Norwood resident who now runs the California-based JINA Immigration Legal Services, led the Feb. 23 workshop at Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center. She reiterated the uptick in raids launched by agents from Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE), which have rattled communities comprised of the foreign-born. For immigrants to get ahead of this, Williams ran through some of the many visas that the government offers, as well as some that might

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

This week we asked readers if incidents like the man who died when he came in contact with a rat are being under reported or is this a growing epidemic? I think it’s been under reported. I think a lot of times incidents happen. Even if you’re not bitten, the rats are there and it’s been a problem for New York City, especially here in the Bronx. We need more politicians to bring this issue to Albany for funding. I didn’t know that rat droppings could kill you. I know that people do have allergies and they can get very

Dear Fellow Readers, The latest edition of the Norwood News, publishing Bronx community news you can use, is out at 300 stands across the northwest Bronx. We begin, as usual, with page one and a proposal to downzone Mosholu Parkway, the green pasture that doubles as a roadway. Read what Mayor Bill de Blasio had to say about development in the borough, and get a full picture of his recent town hall powwow from reporter Wendy Joan Biddlecombe. Inside the cover you’ll find stories on Norwood’s CVS pharmacy primed to closed, according to the big chain pharmacy, an investigation into

By WENDY JOAN BIDDLECOMBE

Although Mayor Bill de Blasio’s town hall meeting was held in the Kingsbridge neighborhood of the Bronx, the mayor heard from Norwood residents, who brought issues of parking and overcrowding to his attention. Throughout the event, held at In Tech Academy on Tibbett Avenue and moderated by Councilman Andrew Cohen, the mayor addressed Bronxites’ questions on national issues as well as local concerns, including immigration, healthcare and education. “This is a city where we’re passionate people. When you look at the tabloids, you look at the news, there’s a lot of feeling, a lot of emotion. And I think we