SPARX Program Ignites Interest of Coding to Young Girls

By DAVID CRUZ

Zaleen Julia, 12, stood carefully monitoring the group of 10 young girls staring intently at their Dell computers. They sat inside the boxy computer lab at St. James Park Recreation Center in Fordham, learning how to code, or giving a computer program a voice. But the tedious work transformed into a thrilling exercise for the girls, utilizing a program dubbed Python, software that helps visualize the coding process. There were girls as young as 10 years old in the class, all decked out in pink T-shirts. Zaleen, a student at MS 244, wants to be a dancer, but she’s certainly

Senior Homeowners Fair The Parodneck Foundation in partnership with University Neighborhood Housing Program hosts a free Senior Homeowners Fair on March 15 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Serviam Gardens Bldg., 323 E. 198th St. Seniors can meet with certified housing counselors and attorneys for free financial and legal advice. For more information and to RSVP, call (212) 431-9700 ext. 391. Free Tax Services Councilman Ritchie Torres hosts free tax preparation services for Bronx residents at his office, 573 E. Fordham Rd., from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., every day except Thursdays and Sundays; Mondays till 7 p.m. For

By JASMINE GOMEZ

For a few moments, Elizabeth Quaranta sat in the middle of a big pile of dirt where a beloved tree stump once stood. Found along Mosholu Parkway South between Bainbridge and Marion avenues, the tree base once decorated with lilies and other ornaments was removed by the New York City Department of Parks on Feb. 18. The uprooting of the stump, once dubbed by Quaranta as the “Giving Tree,” left many community members mournful. To many, the tree stump served as the communal arbor for neighborhood residents, where many often met up to sit and chitchat. “The community saw it

By VIVIAN CARTER

You could call Cody Childs and The Ladies of Soul the “staple singers” of local public libraries. For at least a decade, the quartet’s wildly popular performances paying tribute to classic soul artists like Nat “King” Cole, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield, and groups from The Shirelles to The Temptations, have become outer borough mainstays, particularly in the Bronx and Queens. Judging from the diverse and enthusiastic standing-room-only crowd that filled Bronx Library Center’s auditorium to hear Childs and his backup trio on Feb. 27, the group’s following is in no danger of dwindling. Cody Childs and The

Editor’s Pick BMCA Flea Market The Bedford Mosholu Community Association will host their annual flea market on March 5, at St. Mary’s Orthodox Church, 360 Bedford Pk. Blvd. (at Decatur Avenue) from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Kitchen items, books, and other knickknacks will be sold at deep discounted prices. Proceeds go to the organization’s yearly operating budget. For more information, call (718) 584-1900. Onstage The Albert Einstein Symphony Orchestra presents Gilbert and Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore, March 13 at 2 p.m. at Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s Robbins Auditorium in the Forchheimer Building, 1300 Morris Pk. Ave. Contributions are suggested.

Hello Faithful Readers: The Norwood News brings you the latest edition of the community newspaper, with plenty of Bronx news you can use. With 24 packed pages, it’s tough determining where to begin. Well, we’ll go to page one and a recent spike in crime at the local 52nd Precinct, which is dealing with a spike in burglaries. Thieves hit several stores around the busy Jerome-Gun Hill Business Improvement District, with some taking the news in stride while others deeply concerned. Check out the nifty map detailing where the crimes have occurred. We also bring you some sad news of a

By DAVID CRUZ

Business at one of Norwood’s key shopping strips has returned to normal following a string of rare robberies and burglaries that shook up several establishments since January. Seven stores were randomly hit with cash stolen. In every incident, the suspects fled, leaving the question over whether the thieves are gone for good or plan to strike again. Troubling shopkeepers more is the rarity of these crimes in Norwood, a largely calmer community within the 52nd Precinct, whose jurisdiction falls within this neighborhood. Since then, patrols have been stepped up around the East Gun Hill Road area. “[W]e are proactively seeking

SEVERAL DOZEN BRONX park activists came out in support of their beloved green spaces at the 22nd annual Bronx Parks Speak Up held at Lehman College Feb. 20. The event drew volunteer groups representing parks from Norwood and Bedford Park, including Friends of Mosholu Parkway and Friends of the Williamsbridge Oval. The event was sponsored by the Bronx Coalition of Parks and Green Spaces, a grassroots organization that holds the yearly networking conference.

A Discussion of the Soul of a People at Beso Lounge

In honor of February’s Black History Month, an event held at Beso Lounge Feb. 18 discussed the African-American experience. “The Soul of a People 2016”, organized by Your Miracle Skin Grow, featured original slam poetry presentations and sample demonstrations held by the skin cream group and 320 Body Art. [URIS id=20323]