Opinion: New York Families Unable to Mourn Inmate Deaths Properly

As we ring in the New Year and wish all a prosperous and healthy 2017, hundreds of families with loved ones behind bars could face the prospect of not knowing if their mother or father, brother or sister, son or daughter has died in a New York State prison. For instance, Lonnie Hamilton, an inmate at Marcy Correctional Facility, died in March 2016 without his family knowing. His father said in media reports that he only realized his son had died after he decided to look for his prison address on the New York State Department of Corrections and Community

Dear Fellow Readers, The Norwood News, covering the Bronx, is out with its latest edition of the community newspaper, bringing you plenty of news you can use. We begin, of course, with page one, and a retrospective look at 2016, a year filled with plenty of tumult. We look back at some key stories that the Norwood News followed over the year, along with some departures and so longs. Moving ahead into 2017, we have a story on a proposal to revert Mosholu Parkway back to the days when six-story buildings were considered tall in the grassy neighborhood. Hear about one community

By DAVID CRUZ

Continuing a tradition established for at least five years, the Norwood News took a look back at its 25 editions it puts out every year to highlight stories that consistently stood in the main pages of the paper. These stories caused plenty of readers to pause and think. Among the recurring themes playing out in 2016 was development of Norwood, which continues to be a hot commodity for wary developers. The stories were among the three following categories: Armory The Norwood News opened 2016 with the front page headline, “Ice Project Thawing Out,” referring to the Kingsbridge National Ice Center

Public & Community Meetings

COMMUNITY BOARD 7 committee meetings are held on the following dates at the board office, 229 E. 204th St., at 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted: Executive Committee meets on Jan. 3; Public Safety & Quality of Life Committee meets on Jan. 5; and Education, Youth & Libraries Committee meets on Jan. 3 at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 933-5650. BEDFORD MOSHOLU COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION meets Wednesday, Jan. 4, at 8 p.m. at 400 E. Mosholu Pkwy. So. (Apt. B1). For more information, email the group at bedfordmosholu@verizon.net.

Inquiring Photographer: What are Your New Year’s Resolutions?

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

This week we asked readers their New Year’s resolutions and hopes and wishes for 2017. I’m trying to quit smoking and make more money, if I can find a better job. I signed up with the Emergency Response Team for the snow removal with the Department of Sanitation and that pays $18 an hour. I hope that the situation with global warming gets resolved, because this weather we’ve been having is crazy. It’s cold when it should be hot and hot when it should be cold. George Morales Morris Park My hopes for 2017 is to do better than I

The Norwood News took a look back at 2016’s first editorial, “Welcoming 2016 With Predictions on New Round of Stories,” which forecasted stories for the next 12 months. With that, we look back on these predictions and what really happened: Securing the Oval: 2015 saw more and more police making arrests at Williamsbridge Oval Park, a park frequented by hundreds daily. Fires tormented police for months, but have since subsided. That’s a good thing. Safeguarding the park, a key source of entertainment for a largely working class community, is critical. If a populace fears a park, it will only signal

Dear Fellow Readers! The year’s last edition of the Norwood News is out, crammed with plenty of Bronx community news you can use. Before we begin our summary of stories, some breaking news: A Bronx judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Kingsbridge National Ice Center, which one again signals significant delays for a project envisioned as a game changer. We wrote a lengthy piece on the story that you can find here. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming: Our Page One story focuses on Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj (pronounced jo-nigh), who’s declared a run for New York City Council.

For this edition, the Norwood News embarked on a journey to understand the culture of noise, specifically incessantly loud noise in the neighborhood with a near 3,000-word article that barely scratches the surface on why the city is unable to blunt this pesky quality of life complaint. Noise, whether it’s loud parties, car horns blaring, or that infernal Mr. Softee ice cream truck that spews that annoying jingle, is pervasive. That noise, unlike the rumble of trains or daytime sirens, fly-by-night noise in the grand scheme of things, can go on for hours, seriously damaging quality of life. For residents,

By DAVID GREENE

This week we asked readers where they would be buying their holiday gifts this season. Honestly, I’m doing all of my shopping online with minor shopping in the stores because the stores are crazy right now. So most things I will get online. I will go to Bay Plaza, Fordham or Parkchester. There’s a lot of good deals, also on 125th Street there are some good deals. Diana Sawaked Van Nest I definitely have my Christmas list and I’m going to shop here in the Bronx to support our merchants and vendors. So most of my shopping will be