November General Election Seals Fate for September Primary Winners

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By JOSEPH KONIG

Punditry and speculation about winners and losers was rampant nationwide ahead of Tuesday’s election. In the Bronx, however, virtually every race saw the winner of the September Democratic primary come out on top. Democratic-socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez cruised to victory over Republican Anthony Pappas, an economics professor at St. John’s University recently disavowed by the Bronx and Queens Republican parties after party officials learned of domestic violence allegations against Pappas (which he denies). Ocasio-Cortez, at age 28 and representing Congressional District 14, is the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. She officially beat her opponent, Congressman Joseph Crowley, who ran on the Working Families

It’s difficult to quantify the large amounts of money lost from mailbox fishing, the subject of our front page story. The problem is not new. Mailbox fishing has victimized scores of people who depend on the mail to send out their rent check, money orders for utilities, or even a gift card for a loved one. Yet, it hasn’t abated, and the NYPD continues to face a tough task in nailing mailbox fishers. The NYPD could be helped in curbing this kind of fraud that’s blanketed the Bronx. Yet, when reading that a bank won’t give up surveillance video of

WWII Tribute for Dominican-Born Soldiers Unveiled at BCC

By JOSEPH KONIG

Bronx elected officials welcomed 10 diplomatic officials from the Dominican Republic at the Nov. 2 grand opening of the nation’s first monument for Dominican veterans of World War II. The monument, funded in part by $400,000 in state and local funding secured by Councilman Fernando Cabrera, is located on the campus of Bronx Community College (BCC) in University Heights. “More than 300 Dominican men and women risked and sacrificed their lives for the United States during World War II,” Cabrera, who is part Dominican, said. “These soldiers have been largely left out of U.S. history and I believed their rightful and

Five-Two Part of New Major Offensive Against Mailbox Fishers

By JOSEPH KONIG

Crime Prevention Officer Frank Pacella has spent much of the last few weeks visiting at least 60 U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mailboxes within the 52nd Precinct. At each stop, Pacella pulls out a clipboard and jots down the locations of nearby security cameras he’s spotted. The initiative is the most recent step taken by the NYPD to combat mail fishing, a tactic thieves use to steal checks and commit identity fraud. The order came down from the NYPD’s Crime Prevention Division ahead of the start of the holiday season, when rates of mailbox fishing and other mail fraud typically increase.

By NORWOOD NEWS

A person was stabbed just before 7 a.m. on Nov. 6 by East Gun Hill Road and Wayne Avenue, according to paramedics. It’s unclear what sparked the stabbing, though paramedics arrived at 6:53 a.m. and transported the victim to Montefiore. It’s unclear what condition the victim was in.

Bedford Park Bishop Faces Decades-Old Molestation Accusation

Bedford Park Bishop Faces Decades-long Molestation Accusation

By DAVID GREENE

The stunned community on the Bedford Park – Kingsbridge border remain shocked and left with many unanswered questions less than a week after its beloved clergyman, Bishop John Jenik, 74, stepped down as pastor of Our Lady of Refuge Church, after an allegation of sexual misconduct with a minor was deemed “credible and substantiated” by an investigative body of the Catholic Church three decades later. Jenik, one of four Auxiliary Bishops for the Archdiocese of New York, gained substantial notoriety in the late 1980s and 90s as the Bronx battled the crack epidemic. Jenik attracted media attention in the mid

On Halloween, a Stabbing at Norwood D Train Station

By DAVID CRUZ

Three men are wanted for stabbing a teen on Halloween in an incident that ended at the Norwood/East 205th Street subway station. Police said the incident happened at around 9:30pm when the three suspects approached the victim as he was heading to the station. A chase ensued, with the victim entering the station’s East 205th Street/Bainbridge Avenue entrance. The victim was stabbed multiple times in the stomach and upper right arm. They then took off on foot. The victim was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital and is listed in stable condition. The three men were captured on surveillance footage by

From Internship to Job, How MMCC Trains Young Workforce

By CHRISTY RAE AMMONS

The modest basement room at Mosholu Montefiore Community Center (MMCC) was packed with young people, some there to celebrate their accomplishments and some to congratulate their peers. The mothers who sat in the corner beamed with pride while they took photos on their phones of the ceremony. After 12 weeks, this group of young adults, ages 17 to 24, was graduating from MMCC’s Intern and Earn, a program funded by the city Department of Youth and Community Development. Among the crowd was Peyton Wendell. After attending Mount Saint Michael Academy in Wakefield, Wendell was unsure if enrolling in college was

By JOSEPH KONIG

Latin pop icon Gloria Estefan came to DeWitt Clinton High School on Oct. 30 to talk about an urban farming program she hopes to export to her hometown of Miami. The Norwood campus has the largest student-run hydroponic farm in New York City, supported in part by Teens for Food Justice, a New York-based non-profit. Estefan is working with Teens for Food Justice to bring the program to public schools in Miami. “I can envision this growing. I can only imagine how great it would be if all our public schools had some kind of [urban farming program],” Estefan said.