Norwood Man, Imprisoned for 38 Years, Becomes the Face for Early Release

By MICHAEL TURAY

Jose Saldana was 27-years-old when he was arrested and found guilty for attempted murder of an NYPD sergeant in 1980. He was sentenced to 25 years to life, a conviction that would change his life forever. Saldana served his sentence at Green Haven Correctional Facility in Dutchess County. From behind bars, Saldana, 66, who lives in Norwood, watched inmates around him grow old and eventually die. In January 2018, roughly 38 years later, Saldana, was released from prison at the age of 65 after being denied parole four times. Saldana was given a second chance and is among a select

A Special Report on the Vanishing Homeowner, Railing Against Express Bus Service Cuts: Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s twenty-third edition of the Norwood News is out with 28 pages packed full of news from this corner of the Bronx. Let’s begin with page one! Our top story looks at the problem of homeownership in the Bronx, or the growing lack thereof, with more and more limited liability companies snatching up one- to four-family homes across the borough. The Norwood News spent two months delving into the topic, and we’ve got some interesting findings to share. Inside the cover you’ll read a piece on a Norwood man’s mission to change the way the prison

Bronx Connections: Faces of Gun Violence (Part 2 of 5)

By BRIANNA LYMAN of WFUV

Shootings Continue in the City, But It’s Not a Legal Gun Owner’s Fault The Norwood News, in partnership with WFUV radio and BronxNet Television, continues its five-part series on the impact gun violence has had on Bronx neighborhoods and the people who live in them. New York State’s gun laws are notorious for being some of the toughest in the nation. But in New York City, legally obtaining a gun permit for use in the city could be even more challenging, thanks to century-old gun laws that apply to this day. And the city appears to favor these laws as

By DAVID CRUZ

A GROUP OF community residents rolled up their sleeves to clean up Devoe Park in Fordham on Nov. 16. Formally known as Friends of Devoe Park, the group hauled out trash, raked leaves, and swept up parts of the massive park, and raked leaves. The group also received help from officers at the local 52nd Precinct and residents from the Bowery Residents Committee. Photo courtesy Rachel Bradshaw

Two Stabbed Outside DeWitt Clinton Campus

Two Stabbed Outside DeWitt Clinton High School

EMS officials confirmed that two teens were stabbed just before 3 p.m. outside DeWitt Clinton Campus. EMS provided few details except that two were stabbed and were rushed to the hospital. The injuries appear to be life threatening, according to an FDNY spokesman. The campus was immediately was locked down, according to one student. Though EMS said two teens were stabbed, the New York City Department of Education referenced only one student in its statement on the incident. Barbot Miranda, a spokesperson for the New York City Department of Education, said, “NYPD and EMS immediately responded to a serious incident

By MICHAEL TURAY

With Thanksgiving Day on the horizon, it’s the time of the year where generational recipes will be prepared and plates will be filled. Unfortunately for some, Thanksgiving groceries can be hard to come by, but last week the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center (MMCC) hosted their annual Turkey Giveaway Event, filling a need for underserved Bronx residents. MMCC board members along with their loved ones all came out to lend a hand to dish out Thanksgiving goodies during a two-day giveaway event that saw lines of residents waiting to get a bird and some trimmings to go with it. In the

Bronx Residents Air Out Grievances on Proposed Express Bus Cuts

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Hundreds of residents in the Bronx turned out at a town hall meeting in Riverdale to let MTA representatives, led by Craig Cipriano, acting president for the MTA Bus Company, know that service cuts to express bus service to Manhattan is unacceptable. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz moderated the Nov. 18 meeting with Councilman Andrew Cohen, both of whom represent Norwood, to discuss prospective cuts to Express bus service that include the BxM4 that goes to Manhattan. In the MTA’s final bus network redesign report, the BxM4, among four other lines, is included on the list of “least financially efficient,” and is

Special Report: The Vanishing Bronx Homeowner

By DAVID CRUZ

At the Bedford Mosholu Community Association (BMCA) meeting in October, its president, Barbara Stronczer, announced the news with some resignation: another private home came down in the neighborhood. This time it happened at 208 E. Mosholu Pkwy. S. near East 203rd Street, an aged rooming home owned by Arian Borici up until 2017, according to building records. In a few years, an eight-story apartment building will rise, thanks to the neighborhood’s decades-old zoning laws that allow for taller buildings across the community’s intricately tight streets. The home came down the same time as 3008 Perry Ave., just a few houses

Vying for an Endorsement, 81st Assembly District Candidate Says Local Club Playing Games

By DAVID CRUZ

A candidate for the Assembly seat representing Norwood is crying foul a local political club’s decision to endorse candidates the same night as it handles assignments for the club’s executive committee without fully discussing the pros or cons for such a move. George Diaz, a former staffer to former Councilman Oliver Koppell vying for the seat against long-term Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz, claims he wasn’t properly told about a Nov. 20 meeting where candidates seeking the endorsement of the Ben Franklin Reform Democratic Club can make their cases for official support from club members. “There was no prior discussion of this