More Beat Cops Hit the Streets

By DANIELA BEASLEY

The 52nd Precinct officially rolled out the Neighborhood Coordination Officer program (NCO), part of the NYPD’s overall Neighborhood Policing Program. Eight patrol officers and one sergeant, referred to as neighborhood coordinating officers (NCOs), make up the precinct’s NCO program. They’re offered the chance to create their own schedules while also provided with a smartphone for residents to stay connected to them at all times. “I guarantee that if you have a persistent problem, these cops will take care of it,” said Assistant Chief Larry Nikunen, referring to the roundtable of NCOs at the front of Mintz Auditorium in Monroe College

By DAVID CRUZ

The candidates for the 13th Congressional District race squared off in a penultimate debate before the June 28 primary, this time focusing more on policy and staving off mudslinging. The debate, hosted and televised on BronxNet, saw six of the nine Democratic candidates—Sam Sloan, Clyde Williams, Adam Clayton Powell IV, Suzan Johnson Cook, and Mike Gallagher–take prepared questions from Gary Axelbank, the moderator. Three of the candidates—Assemblyman Guillermo Linares, Senator Adriano Espaillat, and Yohanny Caceres–were unavailable. Espaillat said last-minute business in the Albany Legislature, particularly talk on mayoral control, compelled him to stay. Linares and Caceres did not offer an explanation on their

By DANIELA BEASLEY

A proposal for a new BP gas station on West Fordham Road was met with strong opposition and little support from the community board whose jurisdiction covers the gas station. The gas station would be replacing a 55-space parking lot at 205 W. Fordham Rd. by Sedgwick Avenue. The plan lays out the gas station as having five pumps, a canopy and three curb cuts serving as entrances and exits. The placement of the curb cuts is what troubled Community Board 7’s Land Use/Housing Committee with respect to driver safety. West Fordham Road, a major thoroughfare, has cars traveling past

DOUG CONDIT OF Norwood poses with state Sen. Ruth Hassell-Thompson after receiving a nomination to be included in the NYS Senate Veterans Wall. Condit is a veteran of the US Navy, having served for close to four years. Congratulations to Mr. Condit! Photo courtesy New York State Senate

A Gripping Simulator at Monroe College Signals Talk on Police Shootings

A witness called in the incident—shouting between two sisters inside a home. In a neighborhood of one-story ranch houses and serene weather, it’s not exactly the scene of a domestic dispute. But Gloria Bent, a member of Community Board 7, goes in. One of the sisters, abutting her front door, urges Bent to get her other sister out of the house. The woman’s tics and moaning drawl suggests she’s high and agitated. She fidgets with a pair of scissors. Bent notices her voice growing more impatient. “She’s in here, she’s bothering me; she’s telling me she wants me to get

By WENDY JOAN BIDDLECOMBE

If you’ve noticed more bees zipping and swarming along the Mosholu Parkway greenway, you’re not imagining things. The Risse Street Community Garden, at the corner of Risse Street and Grand Concourse just tipping Mosholu Parkway, is now home to thousands of honeybees working to pollinate the plants in the community garden and beyond. The hive was installed in April by resident beekeeper Brendan O’Regan, a contractor by trade. “I would have done this years ago if I had a place to put them, absolutely,” O’Regan said. “I didn’t know anything about keeping bees, but I did know that it wasn’t

By TATYANA TURNER

The NYPD needs help identifying a suspect accused of assaulting a 22-year-old man in Bedford Park. The suspect and the victim got into an argument at East 203rd Street and Valentine Avenue around 10:15 p.m. on June 12. The argument soon broke up, but the suspect found the victim again and stabbed him in the torso. The victim was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital and was listed in stable condition. The offender is described as a slim-built Hispanic man between the ages of 20 and 30. He was last seen wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt and blue jeans. Anyone with

By DANIELA BEASLEY

[URIS id=21279] Guests both young and old, created and celebrated art last Thursday in Montefiore Medical Center’s West Garden at the Moses Campus in Norwood, where The Hanging Garden exhibition was unveiled. The Hanging Garden is the second exhibition in the Gallery in the Gardens series; some flowers within the artwork represent breast cancer as well as autism awareness. The artist, Ruth Marshall, was joined by some of her students who contributed to the project, including those from the Boston Secor Senior Center. Marshall, with the help of her students, taught other students from St. Ann’s catholic school how to

In the tail end of the magic hour, neighbors brought out the lawn chairs, blankets and snacks, kicking back at Williamsbridge Oval Park in Norwood, the scene for a free screening of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on June 11. The event, sponsored by the New York City Parks Department, drew several dozen residents. This awesome picture was taken by professional photographer, and neighbor, Adi Talwar.