Discovering Bronx Roots in 17th Century Sweden

By JANET NORQUIST-GONZALEZ

It’s been nearly four decades since I last visited Sweden. In 1976 my college roommate, Elisabet, suggested I visit her in Stockholm. It sounded like a good way to explore my Swedish roots for a few months, so I gladly accepted the invitation. I ended up staying nearly two years, long enough to fall in love with the culture. For years after returning to the U.S.A., I subscribed to the children’s comic book, Bamse, to keep in touch with the language. Would I be able to communicate in Swedish with real people after such a long time? I was determined

COMMUNITY BOARD 7 will hold its general board meeting on Oct. 20 at 6:30 p.m. at the Bedford Park Senior Center, 243 E. 204th St. CB7 committee meetings are held on the following dates at the board office, 229A E. 204th St. at 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted: Housing/Land Use & Zoning Oct. 21; Community Relations/Long Term Planning Oct. 27; and Economic Development Oct. 27 at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 933-5650.

Latest Edition of the Norwood News Is Out!

By DAVID CRUZ

Community news is alive and well here at the Norwood News, serving up another edition filled with plenty of community news you can use. We take you to Bedford Park first and speculation surrounding investment speculation on Webster Avenue that’s revolving around a tiny piece of property currently occupied by the US Postal Service. Reporter William Mathis digs up what is happening at the post office that’s making residents worry. Going inside the award-winning newspaper, and a story on the Norwood News crunching some numbers on the number of 311 complaints Community Board 7 has logged. The results surprised us. And this

By DAVID CRUZ

With slabs of concrete leaving one giant mess, the collapse of an aging stone wall and staircase at the northeast side of Williamsbridge Oval has sparked plenty of speculation on just what caused it to cave. Yet from all the conjecture and guessing games, there haven’t been many clear cut answers, bewildering soccer players, dog walkers and parents of young children playing at the heavily used park. As it stands, police have cordoned off the damaged concrete staircase leading to the park’s lower level. But the fallen yellow tape and tipped-over NYPD fences haven’t done much for park goers who

By DAVID CRUZ

Greetings, loyal readers! As expected, the digital edition of the Norwood News is out with, as you guessed it: Plenty of Community News You Can Use! We begin with a story that’s 25 years in the making: pilot access to the Jerome Park Reservoir, long a source of majesty for the Bronx, yet only experienced by a handful. Advocates are pushing, step by step, to grant access to parkgoers who have yearned to take a stroll around the man-made reservoir. Worth a read from our own Adedamola Agboola. Inside, you’ll find a story 76 years in the making: the closing of Freilich

By JASMINE GOMEZ

I was always a fan of the current Pope, El Papa Francisco. Everything I read about him somehow always made me like him a little more. Stories about him getting out of his Popemobile to be among the people despite security concerns, and his statements of compassion towards the gay community made me feel proud to be a Catholic. When I heard Pope Francis was coming to New York, I didn’t intend to take part in the official events, preferring the flawless view I could probably get on my TV of his New York travels. But then, my father

This week we asked readers their thoughts on a proposal to raise the New York State minimum wage to $15 per hour for all hourly workers by 2021 (in the city, the $15 wage would take effect in 2018). It should be $15 an hour, but they’re talking about raising it to $10 [by Dec. 31 of this year]. People can’t live on that. So they really should get off their butts and try and help us out a little bit more. Chris Gardella Bedford Park I like it; they should do it all at once. It shouldn’t

By DAVID CRUZ The latest edition of the Norwood News is out with plenty of community news you can use. We begin with some unexpected news: the resignation of Community Board 7’s District Manager. Read how Community Board members reacted to his resignation. Before we begin with the inside-the-cover stories, we want to remind parents that the Norwood News is accepting applications for a FREE, that’s right, FREE afterschool journalism program called Bronx Youth Heard. It’s a cool writing workshop that lasts through December, and it teaches the fundamental of journalism to Bronx high school students. Check out the link here: http://bit.ly/BYHFall2015. Now