Out & About: Fireworks for the Fourth

Editor’s Pick Fireworks for the Fourth The public is invited to an American Fireworks Extravaganza at Orchard Beach on June 30 after 9 p.m. in an early celebration of Independence Day. The event is sponsored by the Office of the Bronx Borough President. All music will feature Bronx artists. For more information, visit www.ilovethebronx.com. Events The artwork of Suzanne Axelbank will be featured Sunday, June 26, from 12 to 4 p.m. at Tilila, 3648 Bailey Ave, as part of its Bronx Artist Brunch. The brunch will also feature performances by the Paul Carlon Jazz Trio. For more information, call (929)

Dear Fellow Readers, It’s that time again! The latest edition of Norwood News is out, featuring plenty of community news you can use! We begin, of course, with the front page story on a new program rolled out by the 52nd Precinct dubbed the Neighborhood Coordination Officer program. Find out how this program, in the works for nearly a year, can do with improve the fraught relationship between the community and police. On page 2 you’ll find our take on what can make the program a true success. More inside-the-cover stories include the latest in several key political races in the

The 52nd Precinct rolled out its Neighborhood Coordination Officer (NCO) program, falling under its Neighborhood Policing Plan, a commendable patrol program in which a handful of cops will permanently stay within a segment of a precinct to derail crime (see the front page story on the introduction of the program). The new role officers have adopted is nearly akin to a small-town sheriff—they know everyone and everyone knows them. For the pair of officers immersing themselves in the respective neighborhoods of Norwood, Bedford Park, University Heights, Fordham and Kingsbridge Heights, interfacing with the public can be awkward, maybe uncomfortable for

Crafty Seniors R.A.I.N. Boston Secor Senior Center, 3540 Bivona St, presents a free exhibition of crochet creations by the seniors on June 23 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call (718) 671-8550. Rent Freeze Meeting A Senior Citizen Rent Increase Exemption (SCRIE) workshop will be held on June 29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Serviam Gardens, 323 E. 198th St. Those eligible may be able to receive a rent freeze, and can receive help completing their applications and collecting all documents needed for this program. Seniors must be at least age 62 or disabled, have

By DAVID CRUZ

The candidates for the 13th Congressional District race squared off in a penultimate debate before the June 28 primary, this time focusing more on policy and staving off mudslinging. The debate, hosted and televised on BronxNet, saw six of the nine Democratic candidates—Sam Sloan, Clyde Williams, Adam Clayton Powell IV, Suzan Johnson Cook, and Mike Gallagher–take prepared questions from Gary Axelbank, the moderator. Three of the candidates—Assemblyman Guillermo Linares, Senator Adriano Espaillat, and Yohanny Caceres–were unavailable. Espaillat said last-minute business in the Albany Legislature, particularly talk on mayoral control, compelled him to stay. Linares and Caceres did not offer an explanation on their

DOUG CONDIT OF Norwood poses with state Sen. Ruth Hassell-Thompson after receiving a nomination to be included in the NYS Senate Veterans Wall. Condit is a veteran of the US Navy, having served for close to four years. Congratulations to Mr. Condit! Photo courtesy New York State Senate

A Bronx Bee Story: Honeybees Now Buzzing in Norwood

By WENDY JOAN BIDDLECOMBE

If you’ve noticed more bees zipping and swarming along the Mosholu Parkway greenway, you’re not imagining things. The Risse Street Community Garden, at the corner of Risse Street and Grand Concourse just tipping Mosholu Parkway, is now home to thousands of honeybees working to pollinate the plants in the community garden and beyond. The hive was installed in April by resident beekeeper Brendan O’Regan, a contractor by trade. “I would have done this years ago if I had a place to put them, absolutely,” O’Regan said. “I didn’t know anything about keeping bees, but I did know that it wasn’t

By DANIELA BEASLEY

[URIS id=21279] Guests both young and old, created and celebrated art last Thursday in Montefiore Medical Center’s West Garden at the Moses Campus in Norwood, where The Hanging Garden exhibition was unveiled. The Hanging Garden is the second exhibition in the Gallery in the Gardens series; some flowers within the artwork represent breast cancer as well as autism awareness. The artist, Ruth Marshall, was joined by some of her students who contributed to the project, including those from the Boston Secor Senior Center. Marshall, with the help of her students, taught other students from St. Ann’s catholic school how to

In the tail end of the magic hour, neighbors brought out the lawn chairs, blankets and snacks, kicking back at Williamsbridge Oval Park in Norwood, the scene for a free screening of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on June 11. The event, sponsored by the New York City Parks Department, drew several dozen residents. This awesome picture was taken by professional photographer, and neighbor, Adi Talwar.