Inquiring Photographer

By DAVID GREENE This week we asked readers their thoughts on the recent protests for NYPD reforms and what they think demonstrators are trying to achieve. I think it’s horrible. These [police officers] are innocent people. If you want to do it, do non-violent protests. I’m from India and the father of our nation, Mahatma Gandhi, got independence from non-violent protests. Like Martin Luther King, he followed the steps of Gandhi. The Justice Department is investigating and they will analyze what happened to Eric Garner and Michael Brown and will take whatever steps need to be taken.–Mohammad Ziauddin I

By DAVID CRUZ Behind the holiday lights strung throughout four commercial strips, a blueprint for bolstering economic fervor along a major thoroughfare, and a revamped Norwood News, the Mosholu Preservation Corporation (MPC) has overseen it all. And that’s just in 2014.

Norwood News’ 2014 Year In Review

By HAYLEY CAMACHO The northwest Bronx has seen quite a batch of news stories that have gripped, intrigued and caused quite a stir during 2014. The Norwood News tracked many of these stories this year, and in some cases, broken them. As part of a yearly tradition, we look back at some of the top stories of 2014.

After Shooting of Brooklyn Officers, the Bronx Presses the Need for Unity

by David Cruz A push for calm in the aftermath of two cops fatally shot in Brooklyn has reverberated in the Bronx, with legislators siding with Mayor Bill de Blasio’s stance for unity following weeks of tensions and strained relations. In Kingsbridge Heights, legislators and residents stood outside the 50th Precinct, pushing for a more tempered city two days after Police Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu were gunned down by Ismaaiyl Brinsley, a mentally ill Baltimore man bent on killing police officers. Brinsley would later kill himself while on the platform of a subway station.

Hector Aponte, Bronx Parks Commissioner, to Retire

by David Cruz Hector Aponte, the long serving Bronx Commissioner for the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, is slated to retire. The agency confirmed to the Norwood News of Mr. Aponte leaving office after spending ten years as Bronx parks chief. It’s unclear when Mr. Aponte’s retire date is effective. Mr. Aponte, who grew up in the Bronx, was appointed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg to serve as the Bronx Parks Commissioner. His first year in the Bronx came amid the early construction phase of the Croton Water Filtration Plan in Van Cortlandt Village, a massive water project tied to a

Bronx News Roundup: Lawsuits, protests and pop-up cafe

By David Cruz Thursday brings you another installment of Bronx News Roundup, where we take you around the Bronx to see what our fellow roving reporters are gathering for you. From what we’ve see there’s plenty to write about: Several outlets are reporting that the Archdiocese of New York is considering the closure of more parishes next year. Preliminary lists show St. Simon Stock Church at 2195 Valentine Avenue may merge with St. Joseph’s Church at 1949 Bathgate Avenue. The New York Times explores the current state of New York State-operated nursing homes following the aftermath death of Frank Mercado

Death at University Nursing Home

by Anton K. Nilsson A 77-year old resident of the University Nursing Home in University Heights died last Monday after sustaining injury to the lower rear torso. One aide has been arrested, suspected of criminal negligent homicide and felony assault. Police say the deceased, Frank Mercado, a patient for UNH, was involved in a “physical altercation” inside the nursing home, at 2505 Grand Avenue. The incident occurred at around 11.30 on the morning of Monday, Dec. 8. He was rushed by private ambulance to the Montefiore Medical Center where he passed away. The Medical Examiner rules the incident a homicide. Cherrylee Young,

by David Cruz Thursday ushers in the latest edition of the Norwood News, available at nearly 300 locations throughout the northwest Bronx. This week we delve into a five-year cluster site in Norwood that’s apparently worn out its welcome, according to rent paying tenants. The Norwood News spoke to both sides, who largely feel misunderstood. We also look at the Stagg Group as it edges closer to opening its three-building complex along Webster Avenue. By and large the buildings are deemed the linchpin to the building boom happening along the northwest Bronx corridor. Hear what residents have to say about the market rate

By David Cruz Staying helplessly fixated on heroin often comes with an urge to ignore the drug’s risks that transcend addiction. Using with impunity can often make one look the other way, disregarding that tinge of an STD lingering on the tip of a commune needle. Jerome Sanchez sees the risks, and has stepped in to help, though he prefers not to call it that. Call him a guide. “They keep themselves alive for another day,” said Sanchez. “That’s a success.”