Raising up 198th Street Via the Livable Neighborhoods Program

By WENDY JOAN BIDDLECOMBE

It’s past 8 p.m. on a Friday night. But Samelys Lopez, chair of Community Board 7’s Long Term Planning and Community Relations Committee and second vice-chair of the executive board, hits the 198th Street business corridor near the Grand Concourse hoping to entice neighbors to attend an upcoming event. And it’s not the regulars she’s after, but residents who barely make it to community meetings or are simply disengaged. As far as Lopez is concerned, the marginally involved are the ones she seeks the most for a workshop event set for March 26. “It’d be great to get some residents

By NORWOOD NEWS

Jasmine Gomez, one of the longer-serving interns at the Norwood News, is bidding farewell to the community paper and hello to journalism grad school. Her tenure ends a yearlong expedition into the world of community journalism, improving upon her craft while opening doors to other opportunities. Gomez, a Bronx native, was recently accepted to high-ranking Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications on a full scholarship. The Norwood News wants to publicly thank her for her contributions to the publication. Gomez began at the Norwood News on the recommendation of an employee at Mosholu Preservation Corporation. She had graduated from

Former Ambassador Suzan Johnson Cook, running to succeed Congressman Charles Rangel of the 13th Congressional District, holds a meet and greet at Tracey Towers. Cook was previously a US Ambassador for Religious Freedom at large, a domestic policy adviser to former President Bill Clinton and is now the only female candidate running for this seat in Congress. Photo courtesy Campaign for Suzan Johnson Cook

Bronx County Dems Back Wright for Congress

By DAVID CRUZ

The Bronx Democratic County Committee has officially endorsed Assemblyman Keith Wright, a Democrat representing Harlem, in the hugely crowded race for the 13th Congressional District, a seat long held by Congressman Charles Rangel. BDCC’s chair, Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, said Wright “will fight for our families, advocate for our needs, and speak up for our community.” Wright, who attended high school in the Bronx, has made little campaign stops in the borough, focusing mainly on Manhattan’s side of the 13th Congressional District, which covers 80 percent of the district. The rest covers the northwest Bronx, including Norwood. Wright hasn’t won the

By DAVID GREENE

Six deliverymen from local Chinese takeout restaurants have been robbed at the same Bedford Park block on the Grand Concourse since December, highlighting the oft dangerous work deliverymen take on. In the latest incident, a deliveryman from the Ka Wah Chinese Restaurant on Valentine Avenue was robbed at knifepoint inside 2894 Grand Concourse on March 4. The owner said this was his second deliveryman robbed in the past two weeks. Recalling a similar account at the same building as another victim, the deliveryman explained, “When I got to the fifth floor, I was ringing the bell, but no one opened the door, so I called again. They came up from downstairs, two big guys with big knives.” The victim reported that

Hello Faithful Readers! The digital edition of the latest Norwood News, bringing you plenty of Bronx community news you can use, is out and hitting stands as I write. So many stories, it’s hard to know where to begin. We can start at the front page, with a missing persons case that’s rattled Bedford Park, Kingsbridge Heights and the Bangladeshi communities in the Bronx. Mahfuza Rahman, an aspiring nurse and mother, has not been seen since December. Police are now looking to question the husband, who flew back to his native Bangladesh with their 9-year-old daughter. Find out what representatives from

Eamonn McDwyer celebrated 50 years at the helm of his business, McDwyer’s Pub, at the corner of East 204th Street and Hull Avenue. Some bars in the Bronx have been under family ownership for longer, but McDwyer the barkeep says his is the only one that’s been managed by the same person for five straight decades. Known to regulars as “Eddie,” (Eamonn is Gaelic for “Edward”), McDwyer presides over his low-key, friendly watering hole like a watchful grandfather. He moves slowly from one end of the bar to the other, topping off a Guinness at the tap, and mixing cocktails

By DAVID CRUZ & DANIELA BEASLEY

With the whiny tunes of bagpipes bellowed throughout, Rambling House once again hosted an Irish Heritage Celebration that underscored the Bronx’s Gaelic heritage. [URIS id=20474]

(Advertorial) Financial Focus: Is Netflix Tax-Deductible?

By Staff of the Financial Advisors Group

Boy, this time of the year, the questions get wonderfully crazy for financial advisors during tax season. Boy I wish some of the Presidential candidates can hear some of these: “I just had my nails done, is this tax deductible?” * I had to take my friend to a concert because I owed him a favor. Can I write it off as a business expense or as charity?” Well, there are just too many “good” questions like this to answer them all in this article. But guess what? The IRS (and your representative in U.S. Congress) must be listening. Let us