Neighborhood Notes

Sen. Bailey Office Hrs. at MMCC Constituent service hours by the office of state Sen. Jamaal T. Bailey are now available at Mosholu Montefiore Community Center (MMCC), 3450 DeKalb Ave., every first and third Wednesday of every month from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., and every second and fourth Wednesday from 1 to 5 p.m. For more information, call (718) 547-8854. Citizenship Help Free, confidential help in obtaining citizenship and immigration information services is available via phone through CUNY Citizenship Now! through June 23 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. There will be numerous languages available. For English/multilingual services, call

Dear Fellow Readers! The latest edition of Norwood News, covering community news in the Bronx, is out with plenty of stories that will get you talking. We can start with the beginning, with page 1 and a local story on Whalen Park receiving a $2 million upgrade. We go back in time to the days that Henry Whalen, the civic activists named after the eponymous park, was alive and making a positive contribution to Norwood in the 1960s and 70s. Read what his daughter had to say about him and the pending renovations for the park. Norwood News would also like to

Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

Dear Fellow Readers! The twelfth edition of the Norwood News covering the Bronx, is out with plenty of community news you can use! While we normally begin with page one, we want to divert your attention to page 8 and the paper’s winning of a New York Press Club Award. The award went to our coverage of efforts to stop overdevelopment in Bedford Park following an eviction of building tenants. So proud of how far we’ve come to put our name out there! Especially grateful to Daniela Beasley, Deborah Cruz and Adi Talwar for sharing in the prize! Read the series that

Norwood News Wins NY Press Club Award, a First

The Norwood News was honored June 5 by the New York Press Club in the first ever Community Coverage category. The paper was recognized for its series on efforts to stop overdevelopment in the neighborhood of Bedford Park amid an eviction proceeding that went awry for residents. The award honored the paper’s editor-in-chief, David Cruz, along with former reporter Daniela Beasley, freelance reporter Deborah Cruz, and freelance photographer Adi Talwar for contributing to the series. “We wish to thank Mosholu Preservation Corporation, publisher of the Norwood News, for supporting local community journalism for nearly 29 years,” David said. Ironically, it was David who lobbied the New York Press Club’s board of governors to consider creating the award, given the large number of small but incredibly relevant community journalism outlets across the city.

Building Woes for Stagg Properties in Norwood

By DAVID CRUZ

For more than a decade, The Stagg Group, a family-owned real estate and construction firm, has been a powerhouse in building hundreds of units of affordable housing across the Bronx, becoming a saving grace to many low-income New Yorkers. But an incident at one of its Norwood sites in late April, which exposed some deviations from approved construction work, represented some setbacks for the omnipresent construction group. Meantime, residents have some environmental questions for one of the group’s other properties slated to be built in Norwood. “I think we still need to keep asking questions. We’re not making accusations, but

By DAVID CRUZ

Mayor Bill de Blasio, who held off on advancing the $350 million reconfiguration of the Kingsbridge Armory into an ice center since entering office, is expected to turn over the lease to developers once the state releases a loan needed for the first phase of the massive project. “We’re ready to move forward with all the legal paperwork to make the project happen,” said de Blasio of the latest news as first reported by The New York Post. But the city is still waiting on the $138 state loan Governor Andrew Cuomo is expected to release to developers of the Kingsbridge

Free Rain Barrels The New York City Department of Environmental Protection is giving away free rain barrels on June 3 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the office of Community Board 12, 4101 White Plains Road. Barrels MUST be reserved in advance. RSVP by calling Community Board 12 at (718) 881-4455. Tour MMCC Camps Free transportation will be provided to take a tour of Mosholu Montefiore Community Center’s Mosholu Day Camp at Harriman State Park on June 10. For more information about the camp, or to schedule the visit, call (718) 882-4000 ext. 0 or www.mosholudaycamp.com. Another tour with no

Dear Fellow Readers, It’s that time again! The latest edition of the Norwood News, covering the Bronx, is out with plenty of community news you can use. We begin with the front page and the story that impacts you the most. We’re talking about the impending return of the Community Board 7’s district manager. If you live in the neighborhoods of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham, Kingsbridge Heights, and University Heights, then the return could affect you. Read the story about Andrew Sandler, who’s been on medical leave for four months. Politics is on the mind of the Norwood News and we have a story

The Norwood News was recognized for several awards, continuing its streak in producing award-winning community journalism. The paper was recognized on May 18 at the Independent Press awards, commonly known as the “Ippies.” There, the paper took home a second place prize for Best Small Circulation Publication, adding to the first place prizes it received for the category in 2015 and 2016, a veritable 3-peat. “This feisty little bi-weekly produces an impressive variety of original stories with just one full-time staffer,” read Tom Robbins, lead judge and investigative journalist in residence for the CUNY School of Journalism, which sponsors the