SEE PICTURES: Bronx Polar Bears Take Orchard Beach Plunge

By DAVID CRUZ

The cold temperatures this weekend were nothing compared to the icy cold waters of Orchard Beach. The Bronx’s Riviera was the scene for the annual Polar Bear Swim on Feb. 9. Check out these pictures by Miriam Quinones.

An Awareness Campaign to Combat Lead Exposure Beyond NYCHA

By EMILY SUZANNE LEVER

The fight against childhood lead exposure is about more than just lead paint. Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday announced his new initiative, LeadFreeNYC, which aims to completely eliminate lead poisoning in children throughout the city. “We mean literal eradication,” said de Blasio, at a news conference alongside health experts at North Central Bronx Hospital in Norwood. Children can experience learning and behavioral problems and delayed physical and mental development due to the toxicity of lead, with children 6 and under being the most vulnerable. To make lead exposure “one of those diseases of the past” requires a deeper look

Bedford Park Etched In History

By DAVID CRUZ and EMILY SUZANNE LEVER

Neighborhood chosen for ‘Six to Celebrate’ designation Bedford Park stepped closer towards legitimate neighborhood preservation after the Historic Districts Council (HDC), a nonprofit group specializing in maintaining neighborhoods’ familiar aesthetics and cultural heritage, placed it in its ‘Six to Celebrate’ designation. The group, which lobbies the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and touts its involvement in the creation of over 100 historic districts in its 49-year history, puts a spotlight each year on six neighborhoods it considers important to New York architecture, culture and history and in need of preservation. In a statement, HDC described Bedford Park as an

Editor’s Pick Polar Bears at Orchard Beach The Bronx Polar Bears will take their annual dip against homelessness at Orchard Beach on Feb. 9 at noon preceded by an official welcome, safety instructions and warmups. All are invited to attend but registration is requested to help raise money for BronxWorks services provided to the Bronx homeless. BronxWorks’ mission is to help individuals and families improve their economic and social wellbeing. Donations of new winter clothing may be brought to the event. For more information, call (646) 393-4002. Onstage Lehman College’s Center for the Performing Arts, 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd., W.,

By MARTIKA ORNELLA

“These are powerful American stories,” is how Susan C. Greenfield, an English professor at Fordham University, describes the collection of profiles in her new book, Sacred Shelter: 13 Journeys of Homelessness and Healing. Greenfield gathered together the narratives of 13 individuals who share the painful and isolating experience of having been homeless in New York. South Bronx native Dennis Barton, 68, spent years living on the city’s streets. He explained, “My reason for doing [Sacred Shelter] was one, to try to give people an idea of what it’s like to be homeless. And two, to help change some of the

By DAVID GREENE

This week we asked readers their thoughts on legislators currently considering the legalization of recreational marijuana—Would this be good or bad for New York City? Is pot a stepping-stone to harder drugs and would it decrease or increase crime? I’m not sure if it’s a good thing or a bad thing. It’s very complex to even think about, because there’s a lot of parts to the issue. I don’t think it leads to harder drugs. If they start to tax it, they will make money like they do on booze, but what about the effect on crime? It’s a lot

Dear Fellow Readers! The Norwood News is out with its latest edition covering the Bronx. In our third edition of the year, we bring you the latest! The front page story profiles the efforts made by the Bedford Mosholu Community Association (BMCA) to designate Bedford Park as a historic district with the goal of slowing real estate development in the neighborhood. Read what members of BMCA and the Historic Districts Council have to say. In Norwood, the suspect wanted for allegedly exposing himself to an underage boy was collared by the NYPD, and the long-planned North Bronx Islamic Center is slated to

By ALONDRA VASQUEZ

“As-Salaam-Alaikum,” Arabic for “Peace be unto you,” is what Muslims say before entering the mosque, or Masjid, at 3156 Perry Ave., whose lack of space has Norwood worshipers anticipating the opening of the North Bronx Islamic Center Inc. Located on the first floor of 261 E. 206th Street, the North Bronx Islamic Center is reserved specifically for prayer. The off-white walls are complemented by a huge portrait of the holy city of Mecca. On the left side there are multiple carpets for prayer left inside plastic wraps waiting to be spread out once the center opens. Towards the far left