Norwood News Looks Back on The Bronx This Past Decade

By MARTIKA ORNELLA and DAVID CRUZ

The Bronx witnessed so much transformative change we’d be remiss not to mention how the borough fared this past decade. The paper pored over the last ten years to recap some of the more high-profile stories that have left a lasting impact on the Bronx. Development Within the last 10 years the Bronx has seen an enumerable population growth, coinciding with a historic development boom with lingering questions on housing security and affordability. Between 2010 and 2017, the Bronx became the fastest growing county in New York State, with over 86,000 new residents, bringing the estimated population to around 1.5

Norwood News Year in Review (Development)

By DAVID CRUZ

What a year in 2019 for the Bronx! In keeping with tradition, the Norwood News paused to look back on 2019 with a highlight of several ongoing stories we’ve followed this past year. Development Large-scale development became the operative word in 2019, with a flood of projects happening simultaneously in Norwood and Bedford Park, prompting a story recapping readers on those projects on the Vol. 32 No. 11 edition and an in-depth piece entitled “The Vanishing Homeowner” in the Vol. 32 No. 23 edition. The common denominator was simple: the Bronx has become such an attractive place for developers that it’s

Bronx Connections: Faces of Gun Violence (Part 5 of 5)

By NATALIE MIGLIORE

The Norwood News, in partnership with WFUV radio and BronxNet Television, concludes its five-part series on the impact gun violence has had on Bronx neighborhoods and the people who live in them. How Developing Street Smarts Begins at Bronx Schools David Caba, senior program director of Bronx Rises Against Gun Violence (BRAG), sits at his desk at the organization’s office in Wakefield. It’s the newest office for BRAG, which utilizes a cure violence model adapted from a smaller model first implemented in Chicago. The cure violence concept approaches violence like a disease in need of a cure. Caba built the

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s final edition of the Norwood News is out with plenty of community stories to read and share. We’ve crammed plenty of news into this 28-page paper, so let’s begin with page one! Our top story focuses on improving safety at DeWitt Clinton Campus in the aftermath of a stabbing that happened on Nov. 20. Hear what the commanding officer has to say on the plan to keep students secure. Inside the cover we update you on the 15th Congressional District race, and a much-needed endorsement for candidate Samelys Lopez. Read up on why the New York City

The stabbing of a 16-year-old boy outside DeWitt Clinton Campus was the talk of the four schools housed in that storied campus: DeWitt Clinton High School, World View High School, a D75 school, and Bronx Collaborative High School, where the victim’s enrolled. The stabbing stood at the heart of an hour-long discussion into ways violence can be reduced outside the school, with the commanding officer of the 52nd Precinct, Thomas Alps, taking a pragmatic look at the situation he’s tasked to quell. It was a frank discussion given the belief that no reporter was expected to show (Sirio Guerino, the

In Fight to Debunk Census Myths, MMCC Secures Grant (Picture)

By DAVID CRUZ

Mosholu Montefiore Community Center (MMCC) is among the 150 groups slated to receive a financial boost in its quest to ensure everyone is counted in the U.S. Census, which is slated to touch off in March under new methods of getting counted amid the political climate that’s been hostile to undocumented immigrant communities such as Norwood. Lenora Sealey, MMCC’s director of support services, is mapping out what the organization will do with the $150,000 boost it received from New York City as part of a coordinated effort in ensuring New Yorkers are counted. So far, the monies will be earmarked

A Solemn Goodbye to a Community Activist, MTA Reroute Bus Plan, and More: Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

By NORWOOD NEWS

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s twenty-fourth edition of the Norwood News is out with plenty of community stories to read and share. We have 28 pages packed full of news from this corner of the Bronx, so let’s start with page one! Our top story focuses on the death of well-known community activist Heidi Marie Schloegel Hynes. Hynes lost her battle with cancer at 51 years old on Nov. 24. Though she may have passed, her legacy will continue to inspire many activists across the Bronx, according to her supporters. Inside the cover you’ll read a piece on the MTA’s proposed bus route revamp

Heidi Hynes, A Model for Community Activism, Passes Away at 51

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Heidi Marie Schloegel Hynes, 51, executive director of the Mary Mitchell Family and Youth Center [MMC] in Crotona died on Nov. 24 after a battle with cancer. She lived in Bedford Park with her husband Brian and daughter Frieda, leaving behind a legacy of community service that inspired many activists across the Bronx. Heidi was born on Jan. 19, 1968 in Kansas City, MO. She married Brian Hynes in 1995 and lived in Bedford Park since then. “I think the key to understanding Heidi and her commitment to activism came from the realization that there was nothing wrong with the

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

Trail Volunteer Sign up to join the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance’s Volunteer Trails Restoration Crew for Dec. 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The service helps train volunteers to work alongside trails professionals to develop skills in various areas of trail construction while improving the trails in Van Cortlandt Park. For more information, and to sign up, contact john@vancortlandt.org. Must be 18 years of age to join. Toy Drive The Bronx Zoo is accepting donations of unwrapped toys for its annual toy drive to distribute to local veterans and active-duty members of the military and their families. Anyone donating