Risse Gardener Fights Back

By DAVID CRUZ

The plants that once belonged to Elizabeth Carson have been destroyed. And she knows who did it. It didn’t take long for Carson to know who damaged those beds at Risse Street Garden. It was an apparent team effort. At a meeting among gardeners at Risse Street Garden the morning of April 22, Carson confronted Brendan O’Regan, another gardener, over who destroyed her flower beds. “Those plants have been nicely removed,” O’Regan was captured on Carson’s cell phone video recorder saying, his arms folded as he carefully explained what happened to Carson’s flowers. “Anytime I tried to respond to

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

Free Graffiti Cleanup “Guerinos Against Graffitti” is offering one military veteran free graffiti removal in honor of Memorial Day. Those eligible be a US military veteran who was honorably discharged and wounded in combat. Applicants must submit their photo standing next to their property. Send submissions to ssg.nag@gmail.com. For more information, call (718) 600-2570. Free Immigration Service West Bronx Housing, 220 E. 204th St., provides free basic immigration services. They offer application assistance for citizenship, permanent residence Green Card applications, renewals, and other basic services. Clients can bring an interpreter, if necessary. For more information, call (718) 798-0929 to make an appointment

By MARIYA MOSELEY

A free writing workshop aims to provide a creative outlet for veterans. The Craft of War Writing is a weekly program that focuses on war narratives and offers attendees the opportunity to read curated stories, interact with guest speakers and share pieces about their personal experiences. Jeremy Warneke, a U.S. Army veteran who currently serves as district manager for Community Board 11 in the east Bronx, founded the program in 2015 after hosting a number of war reading series at a local library in the Bronx. His work has been published in the New York City Veterans Alliance, Homefront Progressives

By DAVID CRUZ

Officials representing Norwood are urging the MTA to consider building an elevator at the Mosholu Parkway subway station, which could be a boon to disabled riders who get on and off the station. In a letter drafted to authority president Andy Byford, Assembly Members Jeff Dinowitz and Nathalia Fernandez, Councilman Andrew Cohen, and state Senator Jamaal Bailey, lobbied for the station to get an elevator. The news comes as the MTA Board approved $300 million to reconfigure 18 stations to make them wheelchair accessible, adhering to a 1993 federal ruling that mandates all current and new stations across the system

You might have heard about the calorie balance: the idea that to avoid gaining weight you have to burn as many calories as you gain. This may lead you to think “Oh, I can just exercise away that sugary soda or that cookie.” But this is not true–you can’t just exercise away the sugar you eat. Sugar causes your body to release insulin, which is your body’s messenger to tell your cells to absorb the sugar that is in your blood. Sugar is a source of fuel for your body, but in high levels, it is damaging to your organs,

Dear Fellow Readers, The latest edition of the Norwood News, covering Bronx communities, is out this week! Check out these stories put together by our dedicated interns and freelancers aiming to get the conversation going across the Bronx. Our page one story focuses on the perennial issue in the Bronx–barbecuing at areas that bar the practice. Community Board 7 is once again getting ahead of the issue and is pressuring the Parks Department to have those “No Barbecue” signs where they’re supposed to be. Read mixed feelings behind this issue. Behind the cover story is another parks-related story, this time focusing

Built to be Family Friendly, Aqueduct Park Now a Haven for Vice

By MARTIKA ORNELLA

Straddled among apartment buildings and shopping squares sits Aqueduct Walk, a sectional strip of green paths, basketball courts, and playgrounds. The walkway cuts through Morris Heights and Kingsbridge, ideally offering a place for bike rides, jogging, and peaceful strolling. But during a typical trek through the five-acre walkway, the Norwood News spotted hoards of household trash, junk piles, overgrown weeds and foliage, and used syringes. Public urination and drug use were out in the open. Despite efforts by local officials and the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, Aqueduct Walk remains plagued with all the physical signifiers of

By DAVID CRUZ

Though there’s some use at Frank Frisch Field in Bedford Park, there could be more, according to community groups. It’s enough that an effort to get the word out about the field has been bouncing around. “[S]omeone’s gonna get a bright idea that they can put up another high-rise,” Barbara Stronczer, president of Bedford Mosholu Community Association said at the latest BMCA meeting on May 2. “People say, ‘Oh they’ll never do that. That’s parkland.’ I’ve seen it done in Harlem. I’ve seen it done in other places in Manhattan.” It’s one reason why community groups, including Mosholu Preservation Corporation