Inquiring Photographer: State of the Borough

By DAVID GREENE

This week we asked readers their thoughts on Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.’s State of the Borough address and their thoughts on the borough’s state. The speech was good, but life in the borough could be better because in this borough there still are numerous train stations that still aren’t wheelchair-accessible. There are some railroad stations that are wheelchair-accessible. He mentioned bringing the Metro-North New Haven Line to this borough. No. That should be a subway train line, not a railroad train line, because that means we will have to pay a premium fare. He also needs to advertise

State of the Borough Pores Over Decade of Change for the Bronx

By JOSEPH KONIG

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. gave his tenth “State of the Borough” speech on Thursday taking credit for nearly a decade of crime reduction and increased economic investment, while acknowledging the borough’s housing and transit challenges. He also indirectly addressed comments made recently by his father, that caused a greater political divide between the two. “The Bronx is thriving,” Diaz Jr. said. “Almost ten years ago, I gave my first ever State of the Borough address. I spoke about the need for better paying jobs, to fight crime in our streets, encouraging new development of all types, and the

This week we asked readers living in New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) developments in the Bronx about the recent decision for Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to oversee NYCHA, and the city’s $2.2 billion commitment for NYCHA repairs over the next decade. I’m all for that because right now we don’t even have heat in the building, no heat at all. We have running hot water, but no heat. We’ve had no heat since yesterday. It comes on and off. They keep saying they’re repairing it. The elevator keeps breaking down. Sometimes we have to go up and down

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s fourth edition of the Norwood News with plenty of community news you can use. We’ve packed 20 pages full of useful information. As usual, we’ll begin with page one! Our front-page story takes you to Bedford Park where locals are reeling over news the local Rite Aid has closed. This is troubling news for seniors living at Serviam Heights and Serviam Gardens, which serve senior citizens. Reporter Alondra Vasquez talks to a whole horde of residents over what this means for them and access to their prescriptions. Inside the cover you’ll find a two-page informative piece

Snow Postpones Stagg Meeting at Community Board 7

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Snow and ice caused the cancellation of Community Board 7’s Housing, Land Use & Zoning committee meeting of Feb. 12, in which residents from 2985, 2987, and 2999 Webster Ave., owned by the Stagg Group, were prepared for a heated confrontation with the landlord’s representatives. As previously reported in the Norwood News, residents of the three buildings have intensified their complaints over repairs not being tended to, security cameras not working, dirty hallways not being regularly cleaned, and just the overall difficulty of getting the management team to respond. Led by Zxavier Simpson, from 2985 Webster Ave., residents are joining

Rite Aid Closure Stuns Bedford Pk. Locals

By ALONDRA VASQUEZ

Gloria Murray, 70, a resident at the Serviam Gardens senior home in Bedford Park, will no longer be able to pick up her prescriptions at her local Rite Aid. The sign taped to the pharmacy’s front door at 239 E. 198th St., just two blocks from the affordable housing complex, said it all: “Hello Rite Aid Customers. We are closing at 7 p.m. today. Thanks for choosing us as your favorite store. Sorry for the inconvenience.” The sign was posted Feb. 5, the date the store permanently closed. The closure adds a greater layer of inconvenience for residents at Serviam

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By EMILY SUZANNE LEVER

New York City’s decades-long housing crisis continues, and it’s hitting the northwest Bronx the hardest. Fordham and Bedford Park were among the neighborhoods with the most evictions in the city, according to a report released by the office of City Council Speaker and interim Public Advocate Corey Johnson. From January 2017 through 2019, the Bronx led in evictions, in one eviction for every 79 units. That’s more than twice as much as in the next-most affected borough, Brooklyn, which saw one eviction in every 180 units. The 10458 and 10468 zip codes, which encompass Bedford Park, Fordham and other neighborhoods,

By DAVID CRUZ and EMILY SUZANNE LEVER

Neighborhood chosen for ‘Six to Celebrate’ designation Bedford Park stepped closer towards legitimate neighborhood preservation after the Historic Districts Council (HDC), a nonprofit group specializing in maintaining neighborhoods’ familiar aesthetics and cultural heritage, placed it in its ‘Six to Celebrate’ designation. The group, which lobbies the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and touts its involvement in the creation of over 100 historic districts in its 49-year history, puts a spotlight each year on six neighborhoods it considers important to New York architecture, culture and history and in need of preservation. In a statement, HDC described Bedford Park as an

By MARTIKA ORNELLA

“These are powerful American stories,” is how Susan C. Greenfield, an English professor at Fordham University, describes the collection of profiles in her new book, Sacred Shelter: 13 Journeys of Homelessness and Healing. Greenfield gathered together the narratives of 13 individuals who share the painful and isolating experience of having been homeless in New York. South Bronx native Dennis Barton, 68, spent years living on the city’s streets. He explained, “My reason for doing [Sacred Shelter] was one, to try to give people an idea of what it’s like to be homeless. And two, to help change some of the