Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson to Seek Judicial Nomination, Potentially Ending Run as DA

By DAVID CRUZ

Bronx District Attorney Robert Johnson is looking to step down after a 26-year stint as the borough’s lead prosecutor, opting instead for a judgeship should the Bronx Democratic Party back him. “It is time for a change in my life,” said Johnson, in a prepared statement. Now, Johnson, has prepared a run for Justice of the New York State Supreme Court asking the Bronx Democratic County Committee (BDCC) for support. “The judicial position will allow me to make a career move that provides the change that I seek without giving up public office,” continued Johnson. For years Johnson served as

By DAVID CRUZ The latest edition of the Norwood News is out with plenty of community news you can use. We begin with some unexpected news: the resignation of Community Board 7’s District Manager. Read how Community Board members reacted to his resignation. Before we begin with the inside-the-cover stories, we want to remind parents that the Norwood News is accepting applications for a FREE, that’s right, FREE afterschool journalism program called Bronx Youth Heard. It’s a cool writing workshop that lasts through December, and it teaches the fundamental of journalism to Bronx high school students. Check out the link here: http://bit.ly/BYHFall2015. Now

By DAVID GREENE

The half dozen homeless people who sleep on park benches along Jerome Avenue, near East Gun Hill Road say they were unaware about the city’s new homeless outreach program, acknowledged by officials nearly three-weeks after the program quietly began. The city has so far identified 80 homeless encampments across the five boroughs and has begun to dismantle them, as trained professionals from nine city agencies attempt to assist some of the homeless. The City of New York estimates that 60,000 individuals are currently homeless, and the new program began on August 17, seeking to reduce that number. Jerome Avenue was not identified as an encampment because the closely-knit group has

PLAINCLOTHES COPS FROM the NYPD’s Transit Bureau nab Devin Scott, an alleged subway swiper. They say he used a MetroCard to illegally sell admission to the underground subway station at the Bedford Park station on Sept. 4. Locals have long griped over so-called swipers lurking near turnstiles, hoping to convinced hurried straphangers to pay them $2 or more to swipe their MetroCard to let them through. Oftentimes, the MTA crooks deliberately damage a MetroCard dispenser to force customers to a swiper. Photo by David Greene

Bronx Youth Heard: Bolstering Civic Engagement

By DAVID CRUZ

The latter part of the program is spent writing news stories students had developed, incorporating journalistic principles they learned.

After Fix, Smoother Strides on Bainbridge Ave.

By HAYDEE CAMACHO

After reports of numerous falls on the broken sidewalk in front of 2845 Bainbridge Ave., including one of an elderly woman who died there last year, Steven Bussell, vice president of the 52nd Precinct Community Council, was hitting brick walls in his attempts to get the sidewalk repaired. But a call to a local lawmaker kicked the project into gear. The sidewalk had been uprooted by two large trees in front of the property. “Half the people would walk in the street to walk around the trees,” said Bussell. A 42-year resident of the neighborhood, Bussell has been on the Five-Two

By DAVID CRUZ

The newest edition of the award-winning Norwood News is out with plenty of community news you can use. We begin in Bedford Park with yet another homeless shelter sneaking into the neighborhood, only there’s a twist: the tenants won the fight! Read up on suspicions by tenants and what conditions were like inside the building. Switching to lighthearted fare, with an article by salesperson/reporter extraordinaire Vivian Carter on results of the Norwood News survey we asked neighbors to take over the summer. We crunched the numbers and the results were pretty surprising. Definitely worth a read. Next, Jasmine Gomez takes a look at a

COMMUNITY BOARD 7 will hold its general board meeting on Sept. 15 at 6:30 p.m. at the Bedford Park Senior Center, 243 E. 204th St. CB7 committee meetings are held on the following dates at the board office, 229A E. 204th St. at 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted: Public Safety & Quality of Life, Sept. 3; Environment & Sanitation, Sept. 8; Health & Hospitals, Sept. 8 at 7:30 p.m.; Senior Services, Sept. 9; Parks & Recreation, Sept. 9 at 7:15 p.m.; Traffic & Transportation, Sept. 10; and Veterans, Sept. 10 at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 933-5650.

New Look, Same Spirit: Norwood News Upgrades Website

The Norwood News has upgraded its website, following several weeks of brainstorming, trial and error, and tinkering. Some of the bigger revisions to the site include a slider window prominently featuring the latest news stories impacting Norwood News’ coverage area, which primarily includes Bedford Park, Kingsbridge, Fordham, and University Heights. “The community newspaper had long sought to convert the existing site, which leaned towards a blog format, to a more traditional news website look,” said David Cruz, editor-in-chief of the Norwood News, who collaborated with his website designer, Neil deMause, to bring the site to life. The truest change can