PS 94 Spelling Bee Competition Doubles as a Mountain of Honey

The word was “amnesia.” It served as the deciding factor in who took home the first place prize for PS 94’s annual Spelling Bee. And this year’s victor went to Fatima Ali, a 10-year-old, who leaped into the air after beating out classmate Dion Florencio in the tense competition. Aafreen Mamsa was not too far behind. She won third place. “This will go in my trophy collection,” said Fatima, holding her trophy showing her first place ranking. Last year, Fatima placed third in the same spelling bee. On top of spelling “amnesia,” Fatima also had to spell the word Dion

The Push to Expand Right to Counsel, Diaz Jr. to Retire: Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s third edition of the Norwood News for 2020 is out with plenty of community stories to read and share. We have packed 28 pages full of news from this corner of the Bronx, so let’s start with page one! Our top story focuses on a bill being championed by Councilman Andrew Cohen and housing advocacy groups that expands Right to Counsel. The act–which provides free legal counsel to those facing eviction–covers those considered extreme low income. New legislation looks to expand the income eligibility standards. Jose A. Giralt breaks it all down for us. Inside the

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s second edition of the Norwood News for 2020 is out with plenty of community stories to read and share. We have packed 20 pages full of news from this corner of the Bronx, so let’s start with page one! Our top story looks back at the professional life of Sally Dunford, the West Bronx Housing executive director who retired in early January. Dunford leaves behind a legacy of helping thousands of renters who faced unscrupulous landlords over the years. Read what exactly she wanted to do with her life and her philosophical outlook on empowerment. Inside the

The On-the-Ground Fight to Reverse Overdoses Takes Center Stage at NCBH

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

When asked the significance of visiting the Norwood area for a second time in nine months, Herbert Quinones, an overdose prevention trainer for the city Health Department, responds with a friendly attitude. “When we’re invited to speak, we go anywhere,” Quinones said before listing the five boroughs. Quinones has just wrapped up a 45-minute slideshow presentation interspersed with questions from the audience at the Opioid Overdose Education Narcan Training Event held at North Central Bronx Hospital (NCBH) on Jan. 10. The event was organized by State Senators Gustavo Rivera and Jamaal T. Bailey, Community Board 7 (CB7), and the Jerome

State of the State: What Your Bronx State Reps Had to Say

By DAVID CRUZ

Governor Andrew Cuomo delivered his tenth State of the State address that received praise and some criticism from the borough’s state legislators covering Norwood. Among Cuomo’s proposals include expanding its tuition-free state college program to families make $150,000 or less, categorizing hate crimes a type of domestic terrorism, and legalizing marijuana, a measure that received intense pushback from critics in the last session. Cuomo also reaffirmed his commitment to revitalizing Hunts Point and seeing the installation of four Metro-North stations to the Bronx. But the Governor stood silent on the issue of bail reform for misdemeanor and nonviolent felonies, where

Exposing Veteran/MWBE Business Owners to Emerging Tech, Courtesy of Lehman

By DAVID CRUZ

Kimberly Kendall, workforce education director for Lehman College’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies, will be the first to express her fondness over what technology of the future can do for small businesses. There’s artificial intelligence capable of replicating a customer service rep over the phone (techies call it a “chatbot”), updating one’s supply list in real time, or virtual technology that allows real estate agents to take their clients on a virtual tour of a home without having to step foot in it. “What we have to do is expose small business owners to emerging technologies, not in a

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

Blood Drive A blood drive will take place on Jan. 21 from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the 52nd Precinct station house at 3016 Webster Ave. For more information, call (718) 220-5824. Social Security Expanded Office Hrs. Social Security offices in the Bronx will be remain open to the public until 4 p.m. on Wednesdays, beginning Jan. 8. The nearest Social Security offices from Norwood is located at 2501 Grand Concourse. For more information, call (800) 772-1213. Comment on Bus Reroute Plan The MTA is currently accepting comments for its plan to update the Bronx’s bus route network, which

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