Out & About: Bronx Week Parade

Editor’s Pick Bronx Week Parade The public is invited to join the free Bronx Week Parade on Sunday, May 19 which closes out a week of borough activities and events. Marchers stroll along Mosholu Parkway from Hull Avenue starting at 11:30 a.m. to Van Cortlandt Avenue. Invited are celebrities, marching bands, community organizations, schools, sports teams and civic groups. The parade is followed by a Food & Arts Festival offering food for purchase, hand-crafted and specialty items, free health screenings and health insurance information. For more information on the week’s events, visit www.ilovethebronx.com. Onstage Bronx Library Center, 310 E. Kingsbridge

In Front of Bronx Housing Court, Advocates Bolster Benefits of Right to Counsel (Picture)

By DAVID CRUZ

As rent reform continues to be debated in the Albany Legislature, housing groups across the Bronx are spreading word on the city’s already established Right to Counsel law, which advocates say tenants may still be unaware of even as it’s helped many stay inside their home. The law, passed by the New York City Council in 2017 and fully implemented by 2022, offers tenants facing eviction with a free attorney to represent them in Bronx Housing Court. Still, families living within the Bronx zip codes of 10457, 10467, 10468, and 10462—where Right to Counsel has been activated—have still been evicted.

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s tenth edition of the Norwood News is out with plenty of great community news stories to dive into. There’s never a dull moment in the Bronx, and we’ve captured a good chunk of it. And as usual, we’ll start with page one! Our front-page story looks at the results of the annual Participatory Budgeting process that’s become a staple for Councilman Andrew Cohen. The results were unveiled on May 6, with some surprising results. Read the story by Emily Suzanne Lever and myself. Inside the cover you’ll find a piece on Assemblyman Michael Blake, who has ties

Bronx Week Underscores Borough’s Best With Three Honorees

By NORWOOD NEWS

What does a musician, prizefighter, and planetary scientist have in common? They all had roots in the Bronx. And they’re being celebrated for it by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. during the perennial Bronx Week celebration. Though the name implies seven days of highlighting the finer points of the borough, Bronx Week is actually an 11-day event that begins May 9. Diaz Jr. will be honoring the following individuals on May 19, whose names will be immortalized in the Bronx Walk of Fame located on the Grand Concourse near East 161st Street: Regina Spektor Born in the Soviet Union,

The $1 Million in Participatory Budgeting Results Are...

By EMILY SUZANNE LEVER and DAVID CRUZ

Norwood Councilman Andrew Cohen announced on May 6 that he’ll be contributing funds for bus countdown clocks, pothole repairs, and technology upgrades for public libraries as per the public through Participatory Budgeting initiative. The projects add up to $600,000, part of the $1 million the public has a direct say in spending through the initiative. The lion’s share, about $400,000, will go towards safety upgrades at Woodlawn Playground, with no specific projects for Norwood, unlike years before, which saw improvements to the Mosholu Public Library. “No projects specific to Norwood were available to vote on,” said Cohen, at a news

At French Charley’s Park, Dead Bodies Reveal Park’s Dark Side

By EMILY SUZANNE LEVER, DAVID CRUZ, and DAVID GREENE

On the morning of April 26, police found the body of a man who had apparently hanged himself from a railing on the stairs leading down into French Charley Park, the sprawling 718-acre park that connects Norwood to Allerton. He was not the first dead body to be found in that park this year. A stone’s throw away, on the Metro-North tracks that run under the bridge to the park entrance on East 204th Street and Webster Avenue, the decomposed body of another man was found, his body decayed and frozen. Though unrelated, the two deaths add to the mixed

Out & About: Specialized High School Workshop

Editor’s Pick: DOE Rep at Mosholu Library The Mosholu Library, 285 E. 205th St., hosts a NYC Department of Education representative to inform and answer all your questions about Specialized High Schools admissions on April 27 at 1 p.m. Learn about requirements for acceptance (info and to rsvp: (212) 637-8080 or email to shsat@schoolsnyc.gov). All are welcome. For more library information, call (718) 882-8239. Onstage Lehman College’s Center for the Performing Arts, 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd., W., presents Complexions Contemporary Ballet, April 27 at 8 p.m., performing Star Dust, a David Bowie Tribute (tickets: $25 to $45; $75/VIP; $10/ages to

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By EMILY SUZANNE LEVER

Toll-Free Henry Hudson for Bronxites Starting in a year, the Henry Hudson Bridge will be free through the form of a rebate for cars registered in the Bronx and equipped with an EZ pass, following an agreement secured by State Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, the Riverdale Press reports. It is currently $2.80 with an EZ pass and $7 without. The toll leads to “bridge shopping,” which causes traffic jams and exhaust fumes in Kingsbridge and Marble Hill, Dinowitz said. Dinowitz, who supports congestion pricing for lower Manhattan, said his backing the toll rebate didn’t mean he doesn’t still support public transit.

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s ninth edition of the Norwood News is out with plenty of community news you can use. There’s 20 pages full of great stories impacting the Bronx. And as usual, we’ll start with page one! Our front-page story has Mosholu Preservation Corporation (publisher of the Norwood News), asking a question: what are Norwood’s consumer needs? Norwood residents and stakeholders offered their take at a workshop that happened April16. But read about the needs from those who didn’t attend the workshop. We’ve picked up patterns. Inside the cover you’ll find a piece on Norwood Councilman Andrew Cohen