In Front of Bronx Housing Court, Advocates Bolster Benefits of Right to Counsel

By DAVID CRUZ

As rent reform continues to be debated in the Albany Legislature, housing groups across the Bronx are spreading word on the city’s already established Right to Counsel law, which advocates say tenants may still be unaware of even as it’s helped many stay inside their home. The law, passed by the New York City Council in 2017 and fully implemented by 2022, offers tenants facing eviction with a free attorney to represent them in Bronx Housing Court. Still, families living within the Bronx zip codes of 10457, 10467, 10468, and 10462—where Right to Counsel has been activated—have still been evicted.

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s tenth edition of the Norwood News is out with plenty of great community news stories to dive into. There’s never a dull moment in the Bronx, and we’ve captured a good chunk of it. And as usual, we’ll start with page one! Our front-page story looks at the results of the annual Participatory Budgeting process that’s become a staple for Councilman Andrew Cohen. The results were unveiled on May 6, with some surprising results. Read the story by Emily Suzanne Lever and myself. Inside the cover you’ll find a piece on Assemblyman Michael Blake, who has ties

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

When the housing lottery became available last spring for the Norwood Gardens, the newly-built 11-story property in Norwood, Christina Donkor wasn’t sure about her chances to get an apartment. But she submitted her paperwork and let to process play out. During the ribbon cutting event on April 9, Mark Stagg, CEO and founder of the Stagg Group, acknowledged Donkor and fellow resident Latoya Wilson who were present and praised them for their perseverance during the selection process. “I’m grateful that it all worked out because I was looking for a place like this,” Donkor said. The building–a modern-looking building whose

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By EMILY SUZANNE LEVER

Toll-Free Henry Hudson for Bronxites Starting in a year, the Henry Hudson Bridge will be free through the form of a rebate for cars registered in the Bronx and equipped with an EZ pass, following an agreement secured by State Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, the Riverdale Press reports. It is currently $2.80 with an EZ pass and $7 without. The toll leads to “bridge shopping,” which causes traffic jams and exhaust fumes in Kingsbridge and Marble Hill, Dinowitz said. Dinowitz, who supports congestion pricing for lower Manhattan, said his backing the toll rebate didn’t mean he doesn’t still support public transit.

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s ninth edition of the Norwood News is out with plenty of community news you can use. There’s 20 pages full of great stories impacting the Bronx. And as usual, we’ll start with page one! Our front-page story has Mosholu Preservation Corporation (publisher of the Norwood News), asking a question: what are Norwood’s consumer needs? Norwood residents and stakeholders offered their take at a workshop that happened April16. But read about the needs from those who didn’t attend the workshop. We’ve picked up patterns. Inside the cover you’ll find a piece on Norwood Councilman Andrew Cohen

Norwood News Wins Honors at Deadline Club and Society of the Silurians

By NORWOOD NEWS

The Norwood News will be among those honored next month at two journalism awards contests, adding to the growing number of honors the Bronx paper has received over the last few weeks. Nice news for me: Happy to be a finalist for the @deadlineclub annual awards for my series dubbed “Housing Matters”. Beyond happy standing in the company of talented journalists, particularly @TomZambito and @AsburyParkPress. Congrats everyone! pic.twitter.com/etNZbzcELz — David Cruz (@CWEBCRUZER) April 8, 2019 Editor-in-Chief David Cruz is being honored by both the Deadline Club and the Society of the Silurians for his work on a three-part series dubbed “Housing

Norwood Okays Projects With a Stroke of a Pen Thanks to PB

By DAVID CRUZ

Inside tower one at Tracey Towers, volunteers man a small table inside the lobby. It’s the day before Participatory Budgeting—an initiative that allows residents within a Council District to decide how $1 million in capital funds should be used—and some tenants stop to make their voices heard on paper. It’s the afternoon of April 4, and Delores Edwards and Evelyn McDonald, lure some familiar faces to complete ballots featuring the list of Participatory Budget projects residents spent months hammering out. The projects would impact the neighborhood, part of the 11th Council District that’s represented by Councilman Andrew Cohen. For the

Free Bird Walk Tours Free bird walks are offered every Saturday beginning at 9 a.m. from April 27 through July 20 at the Van Cortlandt Nature Center. Bird watchers can look for various species of residents and migrants and discuss a wide range of avian topics. For more information, email Joseph McManus at mcmnaus638@aol.com. No registration necessary. No limit. Free thanks to grant by Councilman Andrew Cohen. Summer Youth Police Academy Young people between the ages of 10 and 15 can sign up to train with police officers at the Summer Youth Police Academy. The program is free, runs five

Bronx BP Blasts NYCHA for Evicting Newly Elderly Tenant

By DAVID CRUZ

In a continued rebuke against the New York City Housing Authority, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. lashed out at the beleaguered agency for kicking out a senior citizen tenant from his apartment for not paying his rent while he was recuperating from a leg amputation elsewhere. But hours after Diaz’s news conference, NYCHA is slated to reinstate the tenant. “He’s a good tenant,” said Diaz at a news conference April 11, calling NYCHA out for evicting Bienvenido Martinez, a 72-year-old resident at NYCHA’s Union Avenue Consolidation, a nine-story residential building, in Longwood for the last 14 years. Martinez was