City Steps in to Aid Troubled Kingsbridge Hts. Building

By YARA PALIN

The city has aggressively stepped in to help tenants of a troubled Kingsbridge Heights apartment building who were reportedly forced to share a single bathroom for weeks. The superintendent for 60 E. 196th St., Cristian Rico, says that conditions first reported by the New York Post were exaggerated. He insists that The Morgan Group, which own the building, has only been renovating after the city ordered them to fix faulty. There are still two official stop work orders posted on the front door, however. He also says that the stop work order was given because “tenants were using one bathroom

Bronx Car Dealer Aids Puerto Rico’s Hurricane Victims

By STEPHANIE LUCIANO

LaSorsa Chevrolet Dealership announced their collection efforts for victims of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico were successful. The auto group on the corner of East Gun Hill Road and Webster Avenue in Norwod collected hurricane donations for the past two months through Oct. 27 with a portion of donations coming from the recent Hurricane Relief Concert held at East 204th Street and Webster Avenue. With the help of local residents, they’ve received an abundance of water, clothing and nonperishable goods. Satisfied with the amount of donations received, John A. LaSorsa, CEO of the dealership, told the Norwood News he was

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

Free WiFi for Students The New York Public Library offers free WiFi for eligible students in kindergarten through 12th grade who don’t have WiFi at home. A lending event, where hotspot devices can be checked out for free, takes place Nov. 2 at 6 p.m. at The Bronx Library Center, 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. A valid library card and pre-registration are required. For more information, call (718) 579-4244 or visit http://hotspot.nypl.org/. Library Fines Waived The New York Public Library has waived all library fines for children 17 and younger. High school students age 18 and over can stop by their

Latest Edition of the Norwood News Is Out!

Dear Fellow Readers, The latest edition of the Norwood News, covering the northwest portion of the Bronx, is out with plenty of community news you can use. For the sake of consistency, we begin with page one as usual and a story that keeps on giving–the Kingsbridge Armory. This time, in a move aimed at advancing the reconfiguration of the building to a massive ice center, state officials heard from the community on whether to fund give the beleaguered project a $138 million state loan to begin phase one. The findings were near unanimous. Reporter Aaron Mayorga chronicles reaction from

How to Pay for Kingsbridge Ice Center In Focus...Again

By AARON MAYORGA

The beleaguered project to convert the Kingsbridge Armory into the world’s largest ice skating center overcame a major financing hurdle as residents and community leaders backed a multi-million-dollar state loan for developers at a hearing. The state-mandated hearing represents a return to square one for backers of the Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC), an expected to be state-of-the-art ice rink that is estimated to cost $353 million. Since receiving the green light from the New York City Council in December 2013, the project has languished in delays, with construction at the Armory yet to begin. At the Oct. 12 hearing,

Free Flu Shots Free flu shots will be available on Oct. 16 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Vladeck Hall, 74 Van Cortlandt Pk. So. Participants should bring their insurance card, be at least 18 years of age or older and cannot be allergic to eggs. Residents must contact the office of Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz at (718) 796-5345 to be guaranteed a flu shot. College Fair The 10th annual College Access Fair will be held on Oct. 21 from 11 a.m. to 3:35 p.m. at Fordham University’s Rose Hill Campus, 441 E. Fordham Road with representatives from more than

By ARCY SEGURA, MA, CHES, CDE

Diabetes is so common that most people know at least one family member or friend with this chronic illness. There are roughly 30 million Americans with diabetes (about 1 in 10 people). The Bronx has very high rates with approximately one in seven people, or 15 percent of the population, diagnosed with diabetes and many more who have not yet been diagnosed. In order to help your body store and use the sugar and fat from food, your body produces insulin. Diabetes occurs when the body either produces too little insulin or when the body does not respond appropriately to

City Announces Hurricane Relief Efforts for Puerto Rico

By DAVID GREENE

City officials and members of the techno-pop music group Black Eyed Peas stood outside of FDNY’s EMS Station 26 on Boston Road, announcing New York City’s relief efforts for hurricane-torn Puerto Rico. Mayor Bill de Blasio was on hand for the Oct. 7 announcement. From now until the end of the month, the city will be accepting needed donations for the commonwealth at 17 Bronx police stations and five FDNY/EMS stations across the borough until Oct. 31. “They may be more than 1,000 miles away in terms of geography, but there right here in terms of our hearts, we are Puerto

The latest edition of the Norwood News, covering the Bronx, is out with plenty of community news you can use! We begin with a special report on the issue of homelessness crisis. Our reporters fanned out over the last two weeks interviewing the borough’s downtrodden and learn why they prefer the streets over a shelter. The story comes amid the city’s plan to bring more shelters to Norwood. It’s a can’t miss story by me, Aaron Mayorga, Yara Palin, and Adi Talwar with help from Diego Barcacel Pena and Stephanie Luciano. Be sure to check out this eye-opening story and