Following Through on a Promise, Norwood Shelter to Get Peace Officers

By SHA-NIA ALSTON

The Jerome Avenue Men’s Shelter (JAMS) in Norwood will finally receive peace officers following efforts from Councilman Andy Cohen, Community Board 7, and several other elected officials, following through on a promise made by the New York City Department of Homeless Services for some. “I am really pleased they’re coming. I am very optimistic that they are going to reduce the overall impact of the shelter on the community,” said Cohen in a telephone interview with the Norwood News. DHS hopes the peace officers, who are expected to report for duty on Oct. 1, will relieve the 52nd Precinct from constantly

By DAVID CRUZ

Energy Drink Robbery The NYPD needs the public’s help in identifying a man possibly linked to stealing three-dozen cans of Monster Energy at a store in Fordham after threatening the clerk with a hypodermic needle. Police in the 52nd Precinct got the call around 5 p.m. on Aug. 24 at the Rite Aid store at 49 W. Fordham Rd. The 38-year-old suspect was stopped by the clerk until he flashed the needle. The suspect soon fled on foot on Grand Avenue. Police describe him as Hispanic, around 35 to 45 years old, weighing 170 pounds, and last seen wearing a

The Norwood News stopped by Wakefield on Aug. 30 for a back-to-school event complete with a backpack giveaway to local students ahead of the Sept. 5 start of public schools. Check out these photos by Miriam Quinones.

Back-to-School in Norwood

By MICHAEL TURAY

The onslaught of homework and pop quizzes will soon be on the agenda for young people as the first day of school approaches. Students are scheduled to return to the classroom on Sept. 5, which means parents should double check their school supply lists and preferred bookbag requests. Thousands of students in the Norwood area are preparing to attend one of the 11 local schools in School District 10. School officials have taken baby steps to chip away at its overcrowding issue. A 2016 capital projects report by the School Construction Authority (SCA), a city construction entity tasked to build

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

Back-to-School Health Fair A free back-to-school health fair is scheduled on Sept. 4 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, 1400 Pelham Pkwy. S., at the Pirate Ship Playground at Building 8 Courtyard. Free back-to-school supplies, music, and giveaways will be on hand. Anyone interested in signing up for affordable health insurance can do so. For more information, call Pitrina Moseley at (646) 335-8645. Free Paper Shredding Shred sensitive paperwork at a free shredding event happening on Sept. 8 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Office of Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz at 3107 Kingsbridge Ave.

Editor’s Pick Freebies at the Oval Williamsbridge Oval (info: (718) 543-8672) presents the following free events: Aug. 30 from 11 a.m. to noon – Puppet Show – Bessie’s Big Shot Aug. 31 at 8:30 p.m. – Outdoor film – “Uncle Drew” Onstage Woodlawn Cemetery holds free outdoor concert featuring Boricua Legends performing the music of Queen of Salsa, Celia Cruz and other Latin American artists, Sept. 15 from 3 to 5 p.m., rain or shine. Bring chair or blanket; chairs will not be provided. Bags are subject to search. The Celia Cruz and Pedro Knight mausoleum will be open for

GoFundMe Page Set Up for Man Killed in Norwood Building Collapse

By DAVID CRUZ

Family members of the man killed in the partial building collapse in Norwood are turning to the public for help in paying for their loved one’s funeral. A GoFundMe page has been set up for Segundo Huerta, the 48-year-old worker crushed to death while working on a building that was under construction at 94 E. 208th St. near Steuben Avenue in Norwood. Huerta, a father of five, immigrated from his home country of Ecuador. “They need desperate help with the funeral expenses in the Bronx, and the burial expenses back home to Ecuador,” wrote the account’s organizer, Juana Guazhco. The

By JOSE A. GIRALT

Bronx constituents of the 13th Congressional District now have a new district office location. Congressman Adriano Espaillat, whose coverage area also covers Norwood, has moved his Bronx office into the same location as his former colleague, state Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz at 3107 Kingsbridge Ave., just north of West 231st Street in Kingsbridge. Since 2017, when he was sworn in, Espaillat’s Bronx district office was located at 2530 Grand Concourse inside what was originally known as the Dollar Savings Bank, near Fordham Road. Renovation work inside the landmark building forced the congressman to find another location. Espaillat said that the landmark

By DAVID CRUZ

While political observers await news of former New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn will actually run for New York City mayor, which would have made her the first woman to launch a mayoral run in 2021, a Bronx-based nonprofit director has already made up her mind, with eyes of being the first woman mayor serving the five boroughs. Dianne Morales, CEO and executive director of Phipps Neighborhoods in the South Bronx, announced a run for Gracie Mansion on the Democratic ticket early this month, telling the Norwood News the city’s approach to helping the marginalized is broken. Solidifying that