Editorial: A Tale of Two JHSs 80

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

It’s hard to tell what’s really happening at JHS 80, a school that became fodder for the New York Post and touched off responses from legislators and the city Department of Education. The Op-Ed submitted to the Norwood News about the school itself (see below) has generated more than 100 comments. There’s the one story where JHS 80, under the leadership of principal Emmanuel Polanco, has been saved from academic ruin; then there’s the story that describes JHS 80 as a “hellhole.” That storyline has been emphasized by a $2 million lawsuit against Polanco as described in the Post’s recent

By ANTHONY RIVIECCIO, MBA, PFA

So is it really true? Will the new tax bill that put caps on mortgage interest and property taxes stop people from buying a home? Will it prevent them from receiving numerous tax deductions? Well, according to the IRS, the caps on these areas will only affect four percent of the nation. Now, while I’m sure, many (including me) question this number, their next projection might be more accurate: In high state areas like New York this will effect over 60 percent of home ownership. “Capping” deductible areas like mortgage interest and property taxes are designed to shift you from being

By ROSSE MARY SAVERY

As a sixth grade teacher at MS 80, I was deeply disheartened to see recent negative news stories that have attacked our students, staff and community. Our students are upset and hurt that they have been made to look like delinquents. Simply put, what has been written about MS 80 is false—if you take the time to talk to our students and teachers, it is easy to see that there are amazing opportunities and programs at our school. Not only are teachers coming in prepared to provide the strongest academic experience possible, students are eager to learn each and every

By DAVID GREENE

This week we asked readers their thoughts on several new laws that took effect in New York State on Jan. 1, which included Paid Family Leave, an income tax cut for 4.4 million New Yorkers, and a minimum wage increase to $12 for New York City residents. I feel like some of these laws are good. The raise is great, but I wonder if it will raise the cost of everything else with inflation. But overall a lot of these new laws are good for the residents of New York State and the City of New York. With all

Michael Cotto of Norwood, along with his wife and two kids, are among those lucky to be alive in the Knox Place blaze that disrupted them and the lives of many others on Dec. 27. They escaped the four-alarm inferno unscathed. When compared to the devastating fire at Prospect Avenue in Belmont that claimed 12 victims a day later, the Cottos were presented with a silver lining. The fire happened at 3414 Knox Pl. a building notorious for its subpar living conditions, according to the New York Public Advocate’s Office. For the last few years, the city has placed the

By DAVID CRUZ

The Norwood News produced a total of 284 stories (not counting Public & Community Meetings, Neighborhood Notes and Out & About) throughout the 25-issue print run for 2017. The issues the paper called attention to ranged, though some stories bore greater urgency in the hopes action from local legislators could be taken. Below are some topics that surfaced and resurfaced throughout the last 12 months, and are once again highlighted in the Norwood News’ annual Year in Review: Homeless Crisis Norwood was not immune to homelessness, an issue that continues pressing across the city. In the 25 Norwood News issues

Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, As you stay snug in your homes or brave the temperatures in your winter coats, you might want to check out the latest edition of the Norwood News. The first issue of 2018 is packed with plenty of Bronx community news. We begin the first issue of 2018 by looking back at 2017 in our annual Year in Review write-up anchoring the paper. Our two-page spread takes you back to some of the more pressing stories of the year, with some numbers to support it. If there’s a local story we missed, be sure to send us a

This year could once again be characterized as transitional for Norwood, full of business closures and nascent construction projects. The neighborhood crossed off another year with more bulldozers dotted around the once sleepy community. On a stretch of Webster Avenue between Gun Hill Road and East Mosholu Parkway, four construction projects are well under way. The assumption is clear: more construction means more people are moving into to a neighborhood that is waking up to the realities of overdevelopment. Greater interest in Norwood is a good thing, though a population boom in the next few years should signal greater concern

By ANTHONY RIVIECCIO, MBA, PFA

What was hailed as a simplification idea is anything but simple. This Trump tax bill has three effects: a good effect, scheduled for Feb 1, 2018; a bad effect, scheduled for Jan. 1, 2018; and an ugly that should start Jan 1, 2019 when you start to have your 2018 (the following year) taxes prepared. The Good Effect: Individuals will be receiving on average a three percent tax cut. The average New Yorker making $50,000 a year will receive back $1500, and through your paychecks (say biweekly) $58. The Bad Effect: Your eligibility to deduct for lifestyle items: job expenses, dependents (exemptions), moving expenses, alimony, advisory and tax preparation