It’s the Invasion of Raccoons in Norwood

By DAVID CRUZ & DAVID GREENE

For the second time in as many weeks a pair of bandits has broken into the GNC store in Norwood. Police and onlookers were stunned to learn the intruders were of the 4-legged kind. And the pesky, masked-covered raccoons, commonly spotted in more suburban settings, have already made themselves at home just one block north of the vitamin shop, becoming unruly neighbors. Police were called to the vitamin supplement shop at 3453 Jerome Ave. at 9 a.m. on Sept. 29, for an “animal incident,” involving the raccoons. A dispatcher quickly reported it had “one in custody,” shortly after the furry fiends slipped into

By DAVID CRUZ

What does Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue and the Bronx’s Arthur Avenue have in common? They’re both considered great streets. Bronx residents will tell you they already knew that, but not the American Planning Association (APA). Until now. The 38-year urban planning nonprofit group officially named the busy Belmont strip known as Little Italy one of America’s “Great Streets,” a distinction that helps slowly chip away the nagging image of a Bronx in blight. It’s the first such distinction for the borough. “This is a big deal,” Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. said at a news conference announcing the honor. Diaz’s

By CATHERINE CLARKE

Community-based groups in the northwest Bronx care for their senior citizens! Significant local efforts to assist low-income seniors include the creation of new affordable housing for seniors, the promotion of city programs to keep rents affordable to seniors and a wide array of health, social and recreational services offered by religious institutions, community groups and senior centers. Affordable, safe and decent housing remains an urgent need for all Bronx residents, and more so for seniors who have limited incomes and often growing physical needs in terms of accessibility and safety. New York City recently increased the income limits for its

By ELIZABETH QUARANTA

This year was a turning point for the Friends of Mosholu Parkland (FOMP), which managed to organize two community visioning sessions on Mosholu Parkway’s only two on-site playgrounds. Now we have our first annual Fall Festival on the parkway, not to be confused with the Jerome-Gun Hill Business Improvement District’s Annual Fall Festival, which celebrated its 15th year on Sept. 17 (see pictures on page 8). The effort and summary of the Kossuth visioning led to its funding of $1.4 million towards the Kossuth Playground upgrades. The visioning of the Mosholu Playground at the corner of East Mosholu Parkway South

By DAVID GREENE

For the second time in as many weeks a pair of bandits has broken into a local GNC store and police and passersby were baffled to learn that the intruders were of the 4-legged kind. Police were called to the vitamin supplement shop at 3453 Jerome Ave. along the Jerome-Gun Hill Business Improvement District at 9 a.m. on Sept. 29, for an “animal incident,” involving raccoons. A dispatcher quickly reported it had “one in custody.” The four officers met the employee, who watched as the pair of furry creatures scurried about the store’s counter-tops and shelves in a search for food. Asked

By DAVID GREENE

With recent convictions of several guards at the Rikers Island prison, we asked readers their thoughts on the troubled prison and its suspected culture of corruption. I’ve been at Rikers before and it’s not a good place. I was held there for like two days and what I saw in those two days, it’s not good. And I feel like they need to stop all of it. Shut the whole thing down. They should move all the prisoners out and build up a whole new jail with a whole new staff, everything. They have female COs bringing in contraband to

Staffers with Councilman Andrew Cohen, representing Norwood, led a workshop session at the Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center on Participatory Budgeting, an initiative that empowers residents to offer input on how a portion of capital monies should be spent. The process on choosing a project can take months. Staffers helped civic-minded residents figure out what could work as a potential project. Photos by Miriam Quinones [URIS id=21876]

Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

By DAVID CRUZ

Hello fellow readers, The newest edition of the Norwood News is out with 20 pages of Bronx community news you can use. We begin with a familiar story: The Kingsbridge Armory. The latest in this poor, ongoing saga is the Kingsbridge National Ice Center’s attempt at wanting to purchase the enormous property from the City of New York. Read about those attempts by the developers attorneys who are using every legal maneuver in the book to grab a hold of the property. Here in Norwood, we feature a story on the District Manager of Community Board 7, Andrew Sandler, facing the possibility

Securing Kingsbridge Ice Center Funding a Waiting Game

By DAVID CRUZ

Vacant Armory purchase price assessed at $17 million, says KNIC In the last year, progress at the Kingsbridge Armory, which was expected to house a large ice skating complex by next year, has stalled with nary a shovel in the ground. A lawsuit by developers of the Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC) against the New York City Economic Development Corporation prompted the stall. Attorneys for KNIC have since regrouped with a new tactic to settle the case: an offer to buy the landmark Armory. In a two-page letter obtained by the Norwood News, KNIC, the developer picked by the city