Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s seventeenth edition of the Norwood News is out with plenty of interesting community news stories to read and share. We have 28 pages packed full of news from this corner of the Bronx, capturing all kinds of stuff happening in the borough. And as usual, we’ll start with page one! For our front-page story, we delve into the ongoing heroin epidemic that appears to be a permanent fixture in the Bronx. A report from the New York City Health Department shows an increase in the number of opioid-related deaths in 2018, an eight percent increase. Reporter

Bronx Opioid Crisis, Still Problematic, Gets State's Senate's Attention

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Officials from the New York City Health Department announced a three percent decrease in overdose deaths from 2017 to 2018. But of the 1,444 overdose deaths citywide, the Bronx saw an increase with 391 in 2018, an eight percent increase, designating it as the only borough with more than 300 overdose deaths in 2018, continuing the unbreakable trend of opioid-related fatalities. In the written announcement, Dr. Oxiris Barbot, commissioner of the Health Department, said, “The decrease in drug overdose deaths is promising, but far too many New Yorkers are still dying.” The news came three weeks after state senators held

SEE PICTURES: North Central Bronx Hospital Host Back-to-School Fair

By DAVID CRUZ

Norwood residents came out on Aug. 21 for the annual Back-to-School Health Fair courtesy of North Central Bronx Hospital (NCBH). And it wasn’t just health- or school-related giveaways handed out at this event. Stakeholders were honored and there were numerous raffles! Settled in Norwood, NCBH is part of the New York City Health + Hospitals Corporation. The day before the health fair, hospital officials cut the ribbon on a new physician wellness center dubbed the PAGNY Physician Wellness Center. The center serves as a refuge for doctors to refresh their minds and stay connected with contemporaries. Check out these photos

SEE PHOTOS: Sports Jam at Williamsbridge Oval Park

By DAVID CRUZ

The New York City Parks Department hosted its annual Summer Sports Experience Jamboree, an all-day event on Aug. 14 that allowed kids around the Bronx to sample a variety of sports including basketball, softball, soccer, field hockey, track & field, hurdles, and wheelchair basketball. At the Oval, tried out a litany of sports but also had the chance to check out the bounce house and a play mobile. Summer is typically a time when children exercise less, making the Jamboree a critical outlet for kids to stay in shape. Check out these photos by Miriam Quinones!

Back-to-School Book Bag Giveaway Event Offers Good Start for Students

By DAVID CRUZ

Students got a good head start in preparing for school with a recent back-to-school book bag giveaway event sponsored by state Sen. Gustavo Rivera. The first of three events happened at Slattery Playground in Mt. Eden, with dozens of children picking up a backpack ahead of the new school year, which is slated for Sept. 5. The event was one of three events sponsored by Rivera’s office. Another events are scheduled for Aug. 15 and Aug. 22. Families living within Rivera’s 33rd Senate District are welcome to receive a backpack and obtain a free health screening. For more information, call

City & State Leaders Look to Reduce Hot Car Deaths Following Kingsbridge Incident

By DAVID GREENE

City and state officials are mobilizing in reducing hot car-related deaths following an incident where a pair of twins died from heatstroke after they were left in a car in Kingsbridge Heights for hours last month. The pair was left behind by their father. Councilman Fernando Cabrera, whose district represents the neighborhood where one-year-old twins were left in a hot car for hours by their father, announced legislation aimed at preventing the deaths of children left to bake in unattended vehicles. Exactly a week after one-year-old twins Luna and Phoenix Rodriguez were left for eight hours, as their father went

A sandwich has always been an easy go-to option for lunch that is easy to make on your own, or to buy anywhere in the city. For many of us, the most famous is the peanut butter and jelly sandwich we grew up eating, as it was packed in our lunch box, or offered as a quick afternoon snack. As we grow older, the sandwich is still a staple lunch item for a lot of us, but we may look for a far more “sophisticated” version than our childhood PB and J. We have options of different meats, type of

By JEROME GUN HILL BID

Mosholu Optical has been a neighborhood fixture in the Jerome Gun Hill Business Improvement District (BID) since it first opened in 1948. Originally owned by Dr. Irwin Kaskawits, Mosholu Optical has been serving patients and shoppers in the Norwood community for over 70 years. Ed Greenspan, the current owner, has been a part of the business since 1968 when he began working for Dr. Kaskawits. Ed first got his start in the optical business at the original location of Moscot eyewear in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, now one of the oldest businesses in New York City. By 1985 Ed took

By DAVID CRUZ

It was a big day for Antonia Ramos, who attended a health fair sponsored by state Sen. Gustavo Rivera and Assemblyman Victor Pichardo on July 26 at Monroe College’s Mintz Auditorium.