Demand Already High for Norwood’s Newly Opened Islamic Center

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Twenty-five years ago, Mohammed Iqbal Hussaine, 71, moved to Norwood from Queens and was surprised by the number of Irish neighbors he met. “They treated me very well,” Hussaine recalls. After spending two years traveling to Parkchester for the closest mosque, Hussaine, his friend Syed Jamin Ali and a few others founded the North Bronx Islamic Center (NBIC) inside the basement of a private house at 3150 Perry Ave. Today, as the neighborhood continues to undergo a cultural transformation, Hussaine, now retired, volunteers as the secretary of the NBIC with a new four-story building serving as the mosque, or Masjid,

By DAVID CRUZ

Kossuth Playground in Norwood was blasted to the Middle Ages as the Friends of Mosholu Parkland (FOMP) hosted the first-ever Renaissance Festival on Oct. 5. Participants were clad in medieval wear for the family-friendly festival that included games, music, and some arts and crafts. FOMP also got some assists from the 52nd Precinct NYPD Explorers, BuildON, Cardinal Spelman High School, and local military veterans through the Mission Continues group. Photos by Miriam Quinones.

Cleanup of Legionnaires’ Under Way at Tracey Towers, Could Take Weeks

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

At a community meeting held by the city Department of Health (DOH), residents of 20 W. Mosholu Pkwy. S. were told that the water supply system in their building has tested positive for the Legionella bacteria. Although the findings by DOH were announced late last week, this meeting was the first time since then that residents were able to ask questions in person to Ricky Wong, director of Community Affairs with DOH, about actual remediation steps. “The management has submitted a short-term plan to disinfect the water supply. And it’s been approved,” Wong said. RY Management handles the maintenance at

By MICHAEL TURAY

The proposal to convert the old Sam’s Carpeting on Webster Avenue into an annex for the local 52nd Precinct has been scrapped, with speculation the property will be converted to some type of housing. The news comes after Councilman Andrew Cohen committed $40 million to repair the 52nd Precinct and have the NYPD possibly lease the former carpet store that lies diagonally across from the precinct to serve as an annex. The three-story precinct currently houses over 200 police officers, and is overcapacity. At the latest Community Board 7 meeting on Sep. 25, Cohen confirmed that the annex idea will

Bainbridge Avenue Sewer Project on Hold For Several More Weeks

By DAVID CRUZ

Those living or traveling through Norwood will once again have to brace for another round of patience-challenging congestion and temporary bus route changes as the city will finally resume . completion of a massive sewer replacement project in the neighborhood. It was supposed to start this week, but the city has put it off for another few weeks. The project would’ve been completed a lot sooner, with the city placing the holdup on the state’s largest utility, while also pointing to the contractors’ ongoing talks with the MTA over the temporary bus stops. The epicenter of the project will once

Bronx Teen First Vaping-Related Death in New York State

A Bronx teen has died from a vaping-related illness, marking the first such death in the state, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo, who has taken up the issue of vaping, announced the death at a news conference. “This vaping is a public health crisis. It is affecting our young people. It has been marketed to young people,” Cuomo told reporters. The teen was rushed to Montefiore Medical Center after the teen became ill, according to published reports. The Journal News, citing the state Health Department, reports the teen was admitted in early September for a vaping-related respiratory illness, released, then

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By PROFESSOR ANTHONY RIVIECCO, MBA PFA

It’s been nearly 100 years in the making. For over 90 years, if one wanted to experiment with the financial markets, all one had to do was call their non-salaried “broker,” place a trade, charge a commission, and off you go. Until the commissions became too high. Then, by the revolution of financial planning in the 1990s, Wall Street mucky mucks came up with another idea: clients would pay financial “brokers” a fee for constructing portfolios and financial planning, typically a percentage of assets under management, and custodians collected interest on clients cash and margin, distribution fees from mutual funds and,

By DAVID GREENE

The son of a man killed outside of a Norwood church is speaking out for the first time–as police continue to hunt for the suspect, five weeks after the homicide. Edgar Perez, 46, was hosting a late-night baptism party on Aug. 25 around 3:20 a.m. in the basement of Holy Nativity Episcopal Church on Bainbridge Avenue when a man who had attempted to crash the party earlier in the evening shot Perez outside the church. Edgar Perez, Jr., 22, said his family moved out of their home in the days after the killing, but still reside in Norwood. “They haven’t

Is It Trespassing? Norwood Neighbors Wage Fight Over Construction Rights

By MICHAEL TURAY

When Michael Acton saw his neighbor digging holes just at the foot of his home, he left his house, and it wasn’t pretty. Police were called to 271 Van Cortlandt Ave. E. and Acton was given a court order for trespassing. And in the space of a month, the feud between Acton and his neighbor, Nazmul Alam had gone from bad to worse after Alam removed the 100-year-old retaining wall that separates the neighbors’ homes. This happened without the approved city Department of Building (DOB) permits, resulting in the agency issuing a full stop work order. For Acton, much of