Business, But Not as Usual in Norwood

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

As a steady stream of customers enters Craft Empanadas on East Gun Hill Road, the blue tape on the floor reminds them to stay six feet apart. “We are an essential business and I’m happy we can stay open,” said Ricky Rodriguez. Along with his wife, Shary, the couple prepare 188 different flavors of empanadas at the Norwood location that opened in June 2018. Although happy to stay open for business, Rodriguez acknowledges that the restrictions associated with the coronavirus have severely reduced his daily sales. “Before, we used to average about 400 empanadas a day, but now

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Wednesday, April 8, during his daily COVID-19 briefing that all New Yorkers would be able to apply for an absentee ballot for the June 23 primary and special elections. The governor’s still-pending executive order is expected to codify the third and final component of legislation circulated by Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81), which called for expanding absentee ballot eligibility to include registered voters who are, “unable or averse to appear personally at polling places due to imminent, impending or urgent disease outbreak, including but not limited to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).” Dinowitz

By Síle Moloney

New York State retains its status as the epicenter of the coronavirus in the United States. During his daily press briefing on April 2, Gov. Andrew Cuomo confirmed the latest number of COVID-19 positive cases in New York State as 92,381. As of April 2, the City had lost 1,562 New Yorkers from the virus. The Bronx still has the third highest number of positive cases per borough after Queens and Brooklyn, with 9,343 recorded cases, representing 19 percent of the City’s total case numbers. Meanwhile the citywide count of positive cases stood at 49,707 as of April 2, according

An unnamed female committee chair on Bronx Community Board 7 has tested positive for COVID-19 and is currently in quarantine. The news was confirmed during a virtual board meeting on March 24. One meeting participant requested confirmation of whether all people who had been in recent contact with the affected board member had been notified. The question was noted for follow-up action by the board. With all Community Board 7 voting currently on hold, the primary purpose of the virtual meeting was to inform those in attendance about the various federal, state, city and community responses to the unfolding

By Síle Moloney

Further to the announcement of the initial New York State PAUSE executive order by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on March 20, the order has since been extended for a further two weeks, a measure that signals the ongoing necessity to halt the spread of the deadly disease among New Yorkers. “I don’t care how smart, how rich or how powerful you think you are. I don’t care how young, how old,” the governor said during his daily press briefing on March 31, the day it was announced his brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, tested positive for COVID-19. “This

Farewell: I Will Miss The Readers (Picture)

By DAVID CRUZ

I never thought I’d reach this moment; writing a farewell article in the Norwood News, which is my last as editor-in-chief. After painstakingly trying to find where to start, I realized I was suffering from writer’s block. To undo that, I took some inspiration from what my predecessor for the Norwood News, Alex Kratz, wrote in his personalized farewell to readers. His exit came as the paper reached its 25-year milestone. “Here’s to the next 25 years of the Norwood News giving voice to the voiceless and a grand purpose to another editor looking for a job,” wrote Alex. Not

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s sixth edition (and my final one as editor-in-chief) of the Norwood News is out with plenty of interesting community news stories to read and share. In a rare instance, which we hope will be a regular thing moving forward, we’ve packed a whopping 32 pages into this community paper! So let’s start with page one! Our top story focuses continues our look into the changing Bronx political landscape, which shifted once again after Assemblyman Marcos Crespo announced he will not seek re-election for his seat. The story looks at a number of upcoming races, including two

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By JASON CARABALLO

The 2020 Census kicks off on March 12 with nearly every household in the country receiving an invitation to complete the census online, over the telephone, or by mailing in a paper form, all in an effort to count every person residing in the United States. The decennial census is a requirement of the United States Constitution and the results determine a number of very important things, including the number of seats each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives, congressional and state legislative districts, school districts, voting precincts, and the annual allocation of $675 billion dollars of federal

The Changing Bronx Political Landscape Both Big and Small

By DAVID CRUZ

It began at the top. Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., who’s helmed the borough presidency for 10 years, announced in late January that he will no longer seek the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor, dashing the hopes of many that Diaz would be the first Latino mayor in city history. Just over a month later, as many political observers were still processing the Diaz news, one of his closest allies and power player, Assemblyman Marcos Crespo, who happens to be the Bronx Democratic Party boss, announced he’ll be done with public life, opening his seat for the Democratic