Julian Sepulveda Suspends Campaign in 15th City Council race, Endorses Elisa Crespo

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Julian Sepulveda announced on Friday, Nov. 13, that he will be suspending his campaign for the 15th District City Council seat and has endorsed Elisa Crespo. In a video shared to Twitter, Sepulveda said, “Supporting Elisa was an easy decision. She is a Bronxite and a Latina, who was raised by a working-class mother. Her lived experience is rooted in the complex struggles that many in our community live day-to-day.” Sepulveda continued, “Her campaign is an opportunity to make history by building a movement that empowers the Latinx community while building LGBTQ power in the Bronx. I know

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Following reports on Saturday, Nov. 7, by various media outlets, on both sides of the political divide, that former Vice President Joe Biden was the projected winner of the 2020 presidential election, we asked residents in Norwood for their reaction to the news. Dr. Rohit Reddy is a fourth year neurology resident at Montefiore Medical Center. He said he was just really happy that Biden won. “As a health care worker, it’s really awesome that someone who actually has a plan about dealing with the pandemic, and actually respects healthcare workers, is actually going to take office next year,”

By DAVID GREENE

As the country entered the ninth month of a coronavirus pandemic that has, so far, claimed nearly a quarter of a million American lives, a fact rarely mentioned by a Trump administration that, instead, touts its deft handling of the crisis, New Yorkers took to Times Square on Saturday to celebrate former Vice President Joe Biden’s likely victory over President Donald J. Trump, as if it were New Year’s Eve, Super Bowl Sunday and the Fourth of July all rolled into one. Less than an hour before The Associated Press reported that the Democratic candidate had been declared victorious

Diaz Sr. Favors Keeping Rikers Island Open, Will Vote Against Neighborhood Jail Plan

By SÍLE MOLONEY

City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, and Oversight and Investigations Committee Chair Ritchie Torres released a Council Oversight and Investigations report on Nov. 6, containing substantial evidence pointing to the identity of an anonymous online persona responsible for “numerous and repeated unacceptable and disgusting online posts.” In the report, they said the evidence reveals that the anonymous poster, who went by the name “Clouseau” on what was described as a vitriolic public online message board known as “Law Enforcement Rant,” appears to be Deputy Inspector James Francis Kobel. They also said Kobel was the commanding officer of the NYPD’s

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The following is an overview of some of the more pertinent, local election results released so far in the Northwest Bronx general election races (as well as a few others) held on Election Day, Nov. 3, 2020. Bronx Judicial Election Updates Wanda Negron won with 54.5 percent of the vote in the general election for New York City Civil Court Bronx 2nd Municipal Court District. There was no incumbent. She previously defeated Linda Poust Lopez in the primary.The count for other Bronx judicial races, including three seats in the Supreme Court 12th Judicial District race has not yet been finalized.

By DAWN CLANCY

Norwood’s residents braved the first chill of fall on Tuesday, Nov. 3, to cast their votes on Election Day 2020. Despite the convenience afforded by early voting this year, there was a clear driving force behind a solid local Election Day turnout that saw long lines meandering through parking lots, and pouring out onto nearby streets. That driver? The pandemic. “COVID has leaped over all my other voting issues,” said Jan Vanlier, 55, an executive assistant. “My mental and physical health can’t take another four years of this.” It’s a sentiment that has spread aggressively throughout the Bronx, as

By DAVID GREENE

This week, we asked readers their thoughts on early voting and the 2020 presidential election. “I think that the process was very effective, I’m hoping. I watched the press conference of Governor [Andrew] Cuomo, that he’s going forward with this in the future, so I think this was a very effective and efficient way of having this opportunity of early voting. The line was about sixty feet, and I was able to get in and out in twenty minutes. It only took me ten minutes to vote. I think the most critical issue is bringing people together. The divisiveness we’re

By ELIOT SCHIAPARELLI

Norwood News, in partnership with WFUV radio and BronxNet Television, presents a five-part series on national issues affecting voters during the 2020 presidential election, seen through the local lens of Bronx neighborhood communities. Part five looks at housing and education. It’s no secret that the Bronx has challenges, that its richer neighbors to the North and South do not. It ranks last among New York counties in terms of health outcomes, has some of the poorest school districts, and some of the highest air pollution rates, but it also has people who care fiercely about it, people who want

By AURÉOLE RIBES

Mia Payne, a 16-year-old Bronx student from Talent Unlimited HS, became interested in criminal justice after watching the Ava DuVernay’s documentary “13th,” which outlines the history of the carceral system in the United States, and its correlation with slavery. Being a young Black woman, criminal and racial justice launched her interest in social justice issues, which is how she ended up joining a six-week criminal justice course at YVote. “It was really just crazy to me how you’re being affected, and you don’t even really know,” Payne said. Founded in 2017, YVote is a NY-based, non-profit organization that