UPDATE Norwood: 17-Year-Old Shot, Taken to Jacobi Hospital

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD confirm a 17-year-old male was shot in Norwood on Tuesday, March 15. The incident was reported at around 8 p.m. at 3366 Decatur Avenue. The youth was shot in the leg and brought to Jacobi Medical Center in stable condition. The investigation is ongoing. A female resident of the building who declined to be identified said of the incident on Tuesday night, “Someone was shot in front of my building about a half hour ago, after several shots were fired. My building has cameras all over the building, even outside and in the courtyard.” She later

Police have confirmed a 63-year-old man has died following a road collision in the Wakefield section of The Bronx. Police said officers responded to a 911 call on Monday March 14, at approximately 10.06 p.m. regarding a motor vehicle collision, which involved a gas-powered scooter, in the vicinity of East 241st Street and Richardson Avenue, in Wakefield. Upon arrival, the responding officers encountered an unconscious 63-year-old man, unconscious and unresponsive, lying on the roadway with trauma to the head. EMS responded to the location and transported the aided man to Jacobi Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased.

The NYPD is asking for the public’s assistance identifying the individual seen in the attached surveillance photo who is sought regarding an assault that occurred in Mt. Eden. It was reported to police that on Thursday, March 10, at approximately 7 p.m., in front of 50 West Mount Eden Avenue, a 76-year-old female victim was walking eastbound, when she was approached from behind by an unknown assailant. The assailant forcibly squeezed her breasts and buttocks, and when the victim screamed for help, he pushed her to the ground and fled in an unknown direction. The victim

The NYPD is asking for the public’s assistance locating a 34-year-old woman who was reported missing from Bedford Park, located in the 52nd precinct, on Monday, March 14. Beatriz Matos-Rodriguez, 34, of 320 East 197th Street, Apartment 1A, in the Bedford Park section of The Bronx, was last seen at her home at 00.01 a.m. on Monday, March 7. She is described as an Hispanic, Black woman, is 5 feet, 7 inches tall, and weighs 200 pounds. She was last seen wearing a gray coat, a black dress and black sneakers. Anyone with information regarding this incident is

By SÍLE MOLONEY & DAVID GREENE

The following story is an extended version of the story that appeared in our latest print edition. Around two and half hours after students and teachers were evacuated from The Bronx’s P.S. 20 due to a bomb threat on Friday, March 4, the building was, thankfully, declared clear by police and safe for reentry. However, according to some P.S. 20 staff members, the incident served to highlight what some say is a dysfunctional environment at the school, especially given a reported delay with the initial evacuation. In the meantime, three further bomb alerts have been reported at the school, on

Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced on Thursday, March 10, that a New Rochelle man has been charged with second-degree murder and additional charges for fatally shooting a man during a bloody melee in Bedford Park which also left the defendant’s brother dead. Clark said the defendant, Wayne Smith, 28, of New Rochelle, NY, was arraigned on Thursday on charges of second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, first-degree gang assault, two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon, and criminal possession of a firearm before Bronx Supreme Court Justice Steven Barrett. She said, “The defendant and several other

By JULIAN NAZAR

One hundred and fifty Bronx-area high school students filed into Monroe College’s Mintz auditorium in Fordham Manor on Wednesday, Feb. 9, for the second annual Bronx event, celebrating the nonprofit, My Brother’s Keeper Alliance (MBK). As “The Champion” played on a loop before the event got underway, on top of each table were small water bottles, snack bars, yellow Monroe College folders, and framed inspirational quotes from notable figures like basketball legend, Michael Jordan, and rapper, songwriter and record producer, Kendrick Lamar. Four TV monitors projected various PowerPoint presentations during the event. Launched in February 2014 by former

By SARAH HUFFMAN

Nearly two out of three children affected by systemic poverty cannot read at grade level, according to Literacy Incorporated (LINC), a New York City nonprofit focused on early childhood literacy. The organization said children who cannot transition from “learning to read” to “reading to learn” by third grade are 13 times more likely not to graduate on time from high school. Childhood literacy, along with resources for youth, schools and libraries formed the main topics of discussion at last month’s Bronx Community Board 7’s education committee meeting, held on Feb. 2, and the first of the year to be

By JULIAN NAZAR

The following story is an updated version of the one that appears in our latest print edition. On a brisk Thursday afternoon, George Diaz Jr. descends the steps of Norwood’s 205th Street subway station, located at East 205th Street and Perry Avenue. After swiping his metro card, Diaz shares with Norwood News what changes he would like to see in the station. “We need an elevator,” he said. “Feasibly, it is probably better to make the elevator by this entrance because when you step out, you see Whalen playground, a City park. It should be easier for the MTA