After Six Years, Cohen Opts Out of Participatory Budgeting

The $1 Million in Participatory Budgeting Results Are...

By DAVID CRUZ

When it came to the New York City Council’s Participatory Budgeting initiative—which lets constituents decide how $1 million in capital monies—one couldn’t find a stauncher advocate than Councilman Andrew Cohen. But after six years on the Council, and two more years to go as the representative for the 11th Council District, Cohen is no longer running the months long, bureaucratic program. “It doesn’t feel fresh anymore,” Cohen told the Norwood News in a phone interview. The process begins in October, lasting through May following meeting upon meeting of what exactly the needs were for the communities Cohen reaches, which include

Questions, Some Answered, on MTA’s Proposed Bus Revamp in NW Bronx

By DAVID CRUZ

There were more jeers than cheers from northwest Bronx residents over the MTA’s proposed bus network redesign plan, calling out modifications they say can hurt not help their commuting experiencing at a town hall-style meeting. Those feelings were backed by Community Board 7, which approved a motion calling on the MTA to modify its overhaul plan. At the latest Community Board 7 general board meeting that doubled as a seemingly rushed town hall-style meeting on the proposed changes, where some service changes to buses that run through the northwest Bronx were glossed over (another meeting is scheduled for Dec. 5),

By MICHAEL TURAY

Jose Saldana was 27-years-old when he was arrested and found guilty for attempted murder of an NYPD sergeant in 1980. He was sentenced to 25 years to life, a conviction that would change his life forever. Saldana served his sentence at Green Haven Correctional Facility in Dutchess County. From behind bars, Saldana, 66, who lives in Norwood, watched inmates around him grow old and eventually die. In January 2018, roughly 38 years later, Saldana, was released from prison at the age of 65 after being denied parole four times. Saldana was given a second chance and is among a select

A Special Report on the Vanishing Homeowner, Railing Against Express Bus Service Cuts: Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s twenty-third edition of the Norwood News is out with 28 pages packed full of news from this corner of the Bronx. Let’s begin with page one! Our top story looks at the problem of homeownership in the Bronx, or the growing lack thereof, with more and more limited liability companies snatching up one- to four-family homes across the borough. The Norwood News spent two months delving into the topic, and we’ve got some interesting findings to share. Inside the cover you’ll read a piece on a Norwood man’s mission to change the way the prison

Bronx Connections: Faces of Gun Violence (Part 2 of 5)

By BRIANNA LYMAN of WFUV

Shootings Continue in the City, But It’s Not a Legal Gun Owner’s Fault The Norwood News, in partnership with WFUV radio and BronxNet Television, continues its five-part series on the impact gun violence has had on Bronx neighborhoods and the people who live in them. New York State’s gun laws are notorious for being some of the toughest in the nation. But in New York City, legally obtaining a gun permit for use in the city could be even more challenging, thanks to century-old gun laws that apply to this day. And the city appears to favor these laws as

Bronx Residents Air Out Grievances on Proposed Express Bus Cuts

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Hundreds of residents in the Bronx turned out at a town hall meeting in Riverdale to let MTA representatives, led by Craig Cipriano, acting president for the MTA Bus Company, know that service cuts to express bus service to Manhattan is unacceptable. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz moderated the Nov. 18 meeting with Councilman Andrew Cohen, both of whom represent Norwood, to discuss prospective cuts to Express bus service that include the BxM4 that goes to Manhattan. In the MTA’s final bus network redesign report, the BxM4, among four other lines, is included on the list of “least financially efficient,” and is

Vying for an Endorsement, 81st Assembly District Candidate Says Local Club Playing Games

By DAVID CRUZ

A candidate for the Assembly seat representing Norwood is crying foul a local political club’s decision to endorse candidates the same night as it handles assignments for the club’s executive committee without fully discussing the pros or cons for such a move. George Diaz, a former staffer to former Councilman Oliver Koppell vying for the seat against long-term Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz, claims he wasn’t properly told about a Nov. 20 meeting where candidates seeking the endorsement of the Ben Franklin Reform Democratic Club can make their cases for official support from club members. “There was no prior discussion of this

Ahead of the US. Census Count, Bronx Democrats Form Club to Ensure a Proper Tally

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Democrats in the Bronx added another club Nov. 17 to grow their political power in the borough. Formally known as Northwest Bronx Democrats for Change, the group is led by Oswald Feliz, a housing lawyer and Democratic district leader for the 78th Assembly District. Locally, Feliz has been involved in representing the tenants of Bedford Park Manor in their dispute with the owner, the Stagg Group, over living conditions including broken elevators, bug infestation, and water damage inside apartments. The group was formed, according to Feliz, in response to a larger threat than just local landlords failing to deliver on

Norwood’s Graffiti Fighter Turns Attention to Domestic Violence

By SHA-NIA ALSTON

Heather Guerino and her husband Sirio are well known for cleaning up graffiti in Norwood. Now Heather is taking on a new cause by advocating for domestic violence survivors, and putting greater attention toward the issue. “I am on the frontline of this issue because I am working with parents that have gone through domestic violence situations,” Heather said. She even mentioned still seeing the effects of abuse on men and women who are no longer with their abuser. Heather’s advocacy was inspired by the tragic story of Lisa Marie Velasquez, a young woman from the Bronx who intended to