Day of Terror Begins in Bedford Park, Ends in New Jersey

By DAVID CRUZ

Authorities have caught up to a man wanted for allegedly stabbing his estranged wife living in Bedford Park and fleeing with his 3-year-old daughter to New Jersey. Police have charged Diomedes Valenzuela, 51, for stabbing the 31-year-old female victim on Dec. 1 just before 2 p.m. in what police dubbed a custodial incident. Valenzuela was visiting his 3-year-old at her apartment on Perry Avenue when he got into an argument with the victim, according to police. The argument became heated and Valenzuela alleged stabbed the victim multiple times to the body. Valenzuela quickly grabbed his daughter and fled in a grey

Dear Readers, Happy belated Thanksgiving Day! If you’re at home or work, you could spend some time to check out some community news you can use with the Norwood News, covering the northwest Bronx. The digital edition, and physical paper are out with news you won’t find anywhere else. Our front page focuses on an issue impacting the 63 percent of rent burdened Bronxites living in the northwest Bronx–two zoning proposals rejected by Bronx officials. Considered the DNA of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Housing New York Plan, the zoning text amendments were not well-received by Bronx elected officials and community boards.

It’s still unclear who staged a daring daytime robbery in the heart of Norwood’s commercial district on Nov. 19, but police have now released video of a suspected vehicle involved in the heist. Police in the 52nd Precinct say the robbery happened at just before 9 a.m. at an AT&T store on East 204th Street. An employee of the store was just about to open when two masked men pulled a gun on him. The suspects forced the worker to disable the alarm system and later restrained him to a chair with duct tape inside the stock room. It’s then

Representatives from a number of Bronx-based anti-violence groups gathered on Nov. 4 to discuss strategies to reduce youth violence. The meeting occurred after a few recent violent incidents in the Williamsbridge Oval Park, including a couple of large fights among students of a nearby school. But in the audience assembled in the Oval Recreation Center, there was a central demographic missing: young people. “The people who need to hear it are not here,” said Abdul “Sleep” Johnson, founder and CEO of the Community Board Athletic Leadership League, noting that all the interested people in the room could not effect change

To our faithful readers, The latest edition of the Norwood News is out and hitting the stands as we write, with plenty (and we do mean plenty) of community news you can use. We go to the epicenter of Norwood, Williamsbridge Oval Park, where football practice has to be cut short for one club that’s working on its plays without any adequate lights. Requests from club organizers have gone unchecked. Read how no lights is impacting their game. We also delve into a growing trend that’s happening across the Bronx: priced out commercial tenants. For rent signs are popping up

By DAVID CRUZ, MICHAEL BROWN and DAVID GREENE

The race for Bronx District Attorney went as expected, with Bronx voters electing its first-ever female DA. Former Bronx Supreme Court Judge Darcel Clark, a Democrat, defeated Robert Siano, a Republican, in a DA race unseen in 27 years. The position had been held by Robert Johnson, who stepped down so he can run for a state judgeship. Clark secured 85.58 percent of the vote over Siano’s combined 14.10 percent of the vote. The race, however, was viewed as a lock for Clark. With the Bronx overwhelmingly comprised of registered Democrats by 10 to 1, Siano’s chances of winning

This week we asked readers about complaints to the city’s 311 hotline and how fast they got results. [A woman claimed to be a landlord and wasn’t.] 311 responded quickly, but they just put in the paperwork saying they gave the woman a violation. On that side it went fine. But we’re still left homeless and without a place to stay because this lady took our rent money and now eight people are left in the cold. Anthony Simpson Fordham I called

By JASMINE GOMEZ

The 52nd Precinct honored its officers, community stakeholders and businesses for going above and beyond their duties over the past year at the 12th annual Fellowship Recognition Breakfast. Hosted by the 52nd Precinct Community Council, the yearly event was held at Monroe College Oct. 23 and featured a ceremony where several elected officials, NYPD officers, and community members delivered speeches. The council, a volunteer-based group, serves as a liaison between the community and Police Department. Their meetings are held the fourth Thursday of every month and addresses police matters. Inspector Nilda Hofmann, commanding officer of the 52nd Precinct, routinely

The recent spike in violent crimes in Fordham/Kingsbridge raised concerns from residents over policing tactics and deployment of resources in the neighborhoods. The September fatal shooting of 24-year-old David Hooks on Briggs Avenue and 194th Street has worried residents and civic leaders as shooting incidents have risen by 27 percent in the 52nd Precinct so far this year. Those concerns were loudly voiced at a recent town hall meeting organized by Councilman Ritchie Torres of the 15th Council District to discuss the violence in the community after Hooks’ shooting just blocks from Fordham University. The motive for the shooting is