The Twin Parks Tragedy: What’s Next?

By MONICA RICHARDSON & SÍLE MOLONEY

It has been almost three weeks since the deadly Twin Parks fire tragedy occurred in the Fordham Heights section of the Bronx, tragically taking the lives of 17 people, including 8 children, mostly of Gambian descent. Since then, Bronxites have mobilized to mourn and honor the victims, support the survivors, all while facing more tragedy in the form of gun violence across the borough. The NYPD confirmed 63 people were injured in the Twin Parks North West blaze, which, according to a report by The New York Times, was the deadliest since the Bronx’s Happy Land Social Club tragedy, which resulted

Editor’s Pick Join Elizabeth Cooney, Woodlawn Cemetery & Conservancy’s coordinator of educational programming for Woodlawn’s Lovers Trolley tour of the cemetery, located at 4199 Webster Ave, Bronx, NY 10470, on Sunday, Feb. 13, the day before St Valentine’s Day, at 2 p.m., at the Jerome Avenue entrance, and visit the sites of Woodlawn’s notable lovers. Tour stops include Irene and Vernon Castle, Ida and Isidor Straus, and Celia Cruz and Pedro Knight. Adults $25 and Students/Seniors $20. All guests are required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccinations and will be asked to wear a mask on the trolley. For tickets, go to: https://www.woodlawn.org/conservancy/tours-events/, and

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Local People Reported Missing in Recent Weeks A 14-year-old girl was reported missing in the Fordham Manor section of the Bronx. Click here for more details. An 85-year-old woman was reported missing in Mt Hope section of the Bronx. Click here for more details. A 74-year-old man was reported missing in the Fordham Manor section of the Bronx. Click here for details. A 56-year-old man was reported missing in the Allerton section of the Bronx. Click here for more details. A 60-year-old woman was reported missing in the Olinville section of the Bronx. Click here for more details. A

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Concerns over growing piles of trash, suggestions for tenant education around fire safety, and the end of the eviction and foreclosure moratorium drew much of the attention at various community meetings held locally in January. Bedford Mosholu Community Association (BMCA) addressed four sanitation issues that continue to plague the area at their latest meeting on Jan. 5. As previously reported, the underpass on Webster Avenue by the 52nd precinct in Norwood, on the Bedford Park border, has been used for years as an ad hoc parking lot for cars wrecked in vehicle collisions, which await further investigation by precinct

By SÍLE MOLONEY & MIRIAM QUIÑONES

New York State Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie, in conjunction with Bridgefield Civic League Inc., hosted a Christmas Celebration at the league’s center at 3551 Laconia Avenue in Williamsbridge on Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021. The event featured a toy giveaway, food & drinks, games, story time and general entertainment for the local community. It was supported by NYC Health & Hospitals Test & Trace Corps, Metro Plus Health Plan, Gloria Bent, registered dietician and nutritionist, and author, Harlem Holiday, among other volunteers. Speaking to Norwood News at the event, Bent said, “The holiday season is a season for giving,

By SÍLE MOLONEY & MIRIAM QUIÑONES

The folks at Transportation Alternatives Bronx Activist Committee, headed up by Kevin Daloia, held their annual, novel, festive bike ride around the borough on Thursday, Dec. 16, in the lead up to the year-end holidays, all in an effort to spread some much-needed holiday cheer and spirit, amid the then-latest wave of coronavirus infections caused by the omicron variant. Volunteers saddled up, dressed in festive outfits and took a late bike ride around some of the various tree-lighting displays in Belmont and Morris Park, before finishing up at Metropolitan Circle in Parkchester. The event kicked off at Poe Park, at

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Bronx Assembly Member Nathalia Fernández (A.D. 80) and her team held one of several toy giveaways which were organized by various elected officials, local community groups and police precincts, in the lead up to the holidays. The event which was held on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, was for children in the local Norwood and Bedford Park areas, and included special guest, Santa Clause. The event was held outside Lexa Express, located at 347 East 204th Street in Norwood, and the assemblywoman said she and her team of volunteers rushed to start the giveaway early, such was the line of

By DAVID GREENE

Over 300 Bronxites turned out for a day of learning, planning, and healing, as dozens of local organizations converged on The Mary Mitchell Center, located at 2007 Mapes Avenue in the Crotona section of the Bronx, for “The Bronx People’s Festival” on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021. Participating groups included Mothers on The Move, Banana Kelly Community Improvement Association, Laborers International Union of North America, The Point, The Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC), the Bronx Cooperative Development Initiative and others. The various groups were on hand to provide guests with assistance, as well as free gifts, as

By SÍLE MOLONEY

On Thursday, Jan. 20, the New York City Council appointed recently elected, Bronx, District 14 City Council Member, Pierina Sanchez, as chair of the council’s powerful housing & buildings committee, which has jurisdiction over New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the Department of Buildings (DOB), as well as rent regulation policies and practices. HPD is responsible for promoting the quality and affordability of the city’s housing by developing new, affordable housing, enforcing the housing maintenance code, and engaging neighborhoods in planning. DOB is the primary regulator of the construction and real estate industries in

Norwood News

Serving Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights

Latest

Out & About: Woodlawn Lovers Trolley Tour, International Salsa, NYC Compost Project & More!

Neighborhood Notes: Mosholu Pkwy Mobility Workshop, Public Service Fellowship, COVID Testing Sites Reopened & More!

Trash, Fire Safety & Housing are Priorities for Norwood & Bedford Park Residents in New Year

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie Holds Christmas Celebration in Williamsbridge

Transportation Alternatives Bronx Activist Committee Holds Christmas Bike Event

Norwood: Assembly Member Natalia Fernández Holds Toy Giveaway

NWBCCC Bids Fond Farewell to Karen Washington at The Bronx People’s Festival

Sanchez Chairs Council Committee on Housing & Buildings, as Women Comprise Council Majority