Is It Trespassing? Norwood Neighbors Wage Fight Over Construction Rights

By MICHAEL TURAY

When Michael Acton saw his neighbor digging holes just at the foot of his home, he left his house, and it wasn’t pretty. Police were called to 271 Van Cortlandt Ave. E. and Acton was given a court order for trespassing. And in the space of a month, the feud between Acton and his neighbor, Nazmul Alam had gone from bad to worse after Alam removed the 100-year-old retaining wall that separates the neighbors’ homes. This happened without the approved city Department of Building (DOB) permits, resulting in the agency issuing a full stop work order. For Acton, much of

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

The discovery of two more cases of Legionnaires’ disease at Tracey Towers is creating two opposing reactions at the sprawling apartment complex. There are now four confirmed cases of the waterborne illness at 20 W. Mosholu Pkwy. S. but none at its twin site, 40 W. Mosholu Pkwy. S. Since the initial announcement more than two weeks ago of a second tenant being infected with Legionnaires’ within a 12-month period, some residents have attended multiple meetings organized by the city Department of Health (DOH) held at the building. DOH regulations mandate an investigation whenever a second case of Legionnaires’ disease

Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s eighteenth 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. We’re actually veering from our page one, and moving to page two! Our other top story focuses on a Legionnaires’ scare impacting Tracey Towers. The New York City Health Department is now investigating how the bacteria caused two residents to contract the disease. Reporter Jose A. Giralt stopped by a meeting to get a complete breakdown. Back

City to Pick Up Tab on Tree-Damaged Sidewalks Near Homes

By DAVID CRUZ

Homeowners will be getting a reprieve from the city which will begin fixing sidewalks damaged by uprooted trees, a constant headache for homeowners. “It will not happen overnight. I mean as much as I appreciate the gratitude, I also know my colleagues and I are all realistic,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference on Sept. 10. He was joined by Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and state Sen. Jamaal Bailey, who represents Norwood, for the announcement at Community Board 12 in Wakefield. The Department of Transportation (DOT) holds oversight of sidewalks. In the past, if a city-owned tree

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

In July 2018, Whalen Park was reopened amid fanfare with family members of the park’s namesake present. At a cost of $1.8 million, Councilman Andrew Cohen said at the time, “Today we have a park that’s as good as any park in the city.” Now, some residents are worrying over activities inside the park that go beyond just “hanging out,” with some fears the playground may revert back to the days when vagrancy was such a normal occurrence. Indeed, the park had been such an eyesore that it left then-Deputy Borough President Aurelia Greene to declare it was once “plagued

By MICHAEL TURAY

Over two dozen construction workers gathered at the site where a partial building collapsed to honor Segundo Huerta, a construction worker from Ecuador who died in the collapse that crushed him on Aug. 27. The workers assembled a vigil at 94 E. 208th St. near Steuben Avenue, the site of the collapse, that included candles, flowers, a hard hat, and a T-shirt memorializing him. The crowd circled around the very spot Huerta took his last breaths. He was a father of five and had been working alongside other family members at the time of the accident. He was also the

By DAVID CRUZ

The city Department of Health (DOH) is investigating how two people contracted Legionnaires’ Disease in the Bronx’s largest Mitchell-Lama properties, the Norwood News has learned. A meeting is now being scheduled tonight to discuss the investigation. DOH staffers slipped notices underneath the apartment doors of tenants living in Tracey Towers, specifically 20 W. Mosholu Pkwy. S., in Bedford Park alerting them of the investigation, where two people in one of the massive towers were determined to be infected with the fatal disease that is known to be water borne. The bacteria is known to remain active in cooling towers, which has

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

Worker Dies After Being Crushed in Norwood Building Collapse

By MICHAEL TURAY

A building under construction at 94 E. 208th St. near Steuben Avenue collapsed, leaving one worker dead and two injured. Police and fire crews flocked to the scene within minutes. The incident took place just before noon on Aug. 27. Multiple eyewitnesses recalled hearing a loud noise, but assumed it was a normal construction protocol. However, cries for help from the workers confirmed otherwise. “Three of them [workers] ran out. The initial person who told us to call 911, he had lacerations to the head, a lot of blood leaking down on his face. I think he was trying to