Norwood Okays Projects With a Stroke of a Pen

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

Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s eighth edition of the Norwood News with plenty of community news you can use. We’ve packed 20 pages full of great stories impacting the Bronx. And as usual, we’ll begin with page one! Our front-page story looks at the contentious issue of bringing another high school into the DeWitt Clinton Campus. Students and staffers of DeWitt Clinton High School oppose the decision by the New York City Department of Education. Jose A. Giralt was there for a hearing where there was more opposition than support. Find out why this is happen at a critical point in

Norwood News Grabs Eight Awards at Statewide Journalism Contest

By NORWOOD NEWS

The Norwood News had a good year at the statewide Better Newspaper Contest awards ceremony, picking up eight awards for its coverage of the Bronx last year. Among the big awards was the Thomas G. Butson Award for In-Depth Reporting, where editor-in-chief David Cruz placed third in a widely competitive category. “Thorough reporting,” read the judge’s comments on the story examining the complexities behind affordable housing in New York City, and the repercussions. The series, dubbed “Housing Matters,” was made possible through a fellowship with the Marguerite Casey Foundation. Other awards included a second place prize for Feature Story, which

Electeds Want Your Questions for Town Hall Forum in Norwood

By DAVID CRUZ

Norwood’s representatives on the city and state level want you to bring your gripes to a town hall forum they’ve organized for tomorrow. The legislators–Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, state Sen. Jamaal Bailey, Assemblywoman Nathalia, and Councilman Andrew Cohen–will be on hand for the forum starting at 7 p.m. at Montefiore Medical Center’s Cherkasky Auditorium. The forum allows residents to share any community concerns with the four representatives. For Dinowitz, this represents his fourth town hall since November, which has drawn roughly 100 residents on average. “I’m hoping we get a good crowd. We have, in the past, trouble getting crowds,” said

Bronx Connections: The Impact of Legal Weed (Part 1 of 2)

By JULIA RIST and THERESA SCHLIEP of WFUV

The Norwood News, WFUV Radio, and BronxNet Television present a two-part series on the debate to legalize recreational marijuana use in New York State. In 2003, 17-year-old Anthony Posada was thrown against a wall and held at gunpoint by two plainclothes NYPD detectives in Jackson Heights, Queens. With no uniform, Posada initially thought he was being robbed by two men. “The feeling of powerlessness was stunning,” Posada said. “It was paralyzing. My experience with law enforcement up to that day was already one where I couldn’t say or do anything.” The plainclothes detectives found a small amount of marijuana in

At E. 204th Street and Bainbridge Avenue, Changes to its Retail Landscape

By SHA-NIA ALSTON

Change is always a constant at commercial strips, and the line of small businesses along Bainbridge Avenue and East 204th Street is no exception. The last 12 months have seen changes at the corridor that’s home to mom and pop, regional, and national retailers. From construction of new housing and office space, to the expansion of some businesses, to the establishment of new ones. All this comes amid the ongoing presence of empty storefronts that yearn to be occupied. The vacancies are certainly on the mind of Daniela Beasley, program manager at Mosholu Preservation Corporation (MPC, publishers of the Norwood

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s sixth edition of the Norwood News with plenty of community news you can use. We’ve packed 20 pages full of great stories impacting the Bronx. As usual, we’ll begin with page one! Our front-page story focuses on progress at the The Bedford Park Manor, which will now be occupied with a live-in super. The tenants have been fighting the landlord, The Stagg Group, for several months over the conditions at the building. Jose A. Giralt spoke to all sides. We also hear from West Bronx Housing, which breaks down the unconventional approach by tenants. Inside the cover