UPDATE: Three Further Residential Fires Reported in the Bronx over the Weekend

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Video of a reported Parkchester fire on July 31, 2021, courtesy of Citizen Three additional residential fires were reported over the weekend in the University Heights, Fordham Heights and Parkchester neighborhoods of the Bronx, though only two were referenced by the FDNY in their Twitter alerts. We are currently waiting on the FDNY to confirm the third, as well as providing further details on all three incidents. Norwood News recently reported on three separate reported fires which occurred in the borough on Friday, July 30. According to the Citizen’s App, one fire occurred at 5 Metropolitan Oval in

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Video of Norwood fire courtesy of Citizen FDNY called for All Hands to respond to three fires in The Bronx on Friday, July 30, according to various Twitter alerts. One fire broke out at a private home at 3231 Rochambeau Avenue in the Norwood section of the Bronx on Friday afternoon and was brought under control at 3.58 p.m., according to a tweet from the FDNY. It is unknown, at this time, if there were any injuries or what caused the fire. The incident was reported on the Citizen’s App at approximately 3.23 p.m. An FDNY alert

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The Norwood News team is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Marisa White, a longtime stalwart of the BronxNet family and Lehman College professor, who died on Wednesday, July 21. Michael Max Knobbe, executive director of BronxNet Television, said it was with heartfelt sympathy and deep sadness that he was informing us that BronxNet had lost a longtime, beloved BronxNet family member. “Our condolences go out to her husband, two daughters and the entire family,” Knobbe wrote. “Marisa served in many different roles at BronxNet since the 1990s, most recently as the director of creative services,”

By DAVID GREENE

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and First Lady Charlene McCray made a special appearance on Tuesday, June 29, at Destination Tomorrow, The Bronx’s LGBTQ+ Center, located on East 149th Street in the South Bronx, in celebration of Pride Month. McCray, the first speaker of the program, told a crowd of about 50, “This is really a wonderful day. As I look around at all of you, I feel hope, I feel possibilities, I feel dreams crackling in the air.” After watching a recent episode of the FX series “Pose,” McCray recalled, “During the show, I saw

By AUGUSTINA KWAFO BAIDOO

Drink water! Your body needs it to survive! We read and hear this often, especially during the hot summer, and as the temperature rises, we do need to stay hydrated, whether we are playing sports, traveling, or simply sitting in the sun. But why does staying hydrated matter? How much do we really need to drink to stay hydrated, and what should we be drinking? According to the American Heart Association, drinking water helps the heart pump blood easily through the blood vessels to the muscles, which helps the muscles work more effectively. In fact, water provides many

UPDATE What Does the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act Mean for Bronxites?

By DAWN CLANCY

Considered a major win by progressives when it was passed by New York State legislators, the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) was the subject of a virtual community discussion hosted by The Bronx Defenders on Tuesday, July 6, in conjunction with local Assemblywoman Nathalia Fernández (A.D. 80). The purpose of the discussion was to explain to Bronxites what the new law means for them. According to its website, The Bronx Defenders is a public defender nonprofit that is “radically transforming how low-income people in the Bronx are represented in the justice system and in doing so, transforming the

By SARAH HUFFMAN & MIRIAM QUIÑONES

The first, public edible garden in Norwood sits at one end of the Williamsbridge Oval park on Reservoir Oval East, next to the historic Keeper’s House. For Zoë Arcidiacono, a volunteer coordinator with Friends of Mosholu Parkland (FOMP), the garden became a haven during the COVID-19 pandemic, and she felt nurtured by the atmosphere which FOMP created around it. “I was volunteering a little before the pandemic, but I got laid off and this group has taught me so much,” Arcidiacono told Norwood News. “I moved to the Bronx four years ago. Before that, I was in Queens, and

By JEFFREY JACOMOWITZ

The ever so popular Clarence Duncan from the South Bronx turned 101 on July 9, happily celebrating yet another birthday milestone surrounded by his family at the Beth Abraham Center, in Allerton. Mr. Duncan arrived at the large 448-bed nursing and rehabilitation center just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit New York City on March 27, 2020. Like so many other seniors, Mr. Duncan was unable to be around his family amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic while visitor restrictions were in force at care homes. Once families were, once again, able to intermingle with their loved ones and mark

COVID-19 Updates Restrictions COVID-19 restrictions are now lifted, as 70% of adults have received their first dose of the vaccine. New York State’s health guidance and industry specific guidelines are now optional across commercial and social settings. Effective May 19, New York State has adopted the CDC’s Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People for most businesses and public settings. See more information here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html. See New York’s guidance for implementing the new CDC recommendations on https://forward.ny.gov/. Front Line Healthcare Workers Mayor Bill de Blasio announced this week that more than 40,000 workers in city-run hospitals and health clinics