Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s fourteenth edition of the Norwood News is out with plenty of great community news stories to dive into and share. There’s plenty of news to report in this corner of the Bronx, and we’ve captured a good chunk of it. And as usual, we’ll start with page one! Our front-page story focuses on the results of the latest Community Board 7 elections, with board members going a different direction in voting for a new chair. Read about the new agenda for Emmanuel Martinez, the newly installed chair of Community Board 7 by myself and Síle Moloney.

Inquiring Photographer: Presidential Candidates

By DAVID GREENE

This week we asked readers their thoughts on the Democratic candidates for the 2020 presidential election including New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio. De Blasio is good to be mayor, but I don’t think he can compete for the U.S. presidential election. He’s not good, I don’t think so. I think Joe Biden has the most experience and he has a plan. All of the Democrats look good. MD Ali Washington Heights So far no one stands out. No, I don’t like [former Vice President Joe] Biden. I don’t know, I think we need new faces and

15th Congressional District Race Updates: Torres Lands First Endorsement

By DAVID CRUZ

It’ll be roughly a year from now when voters in the 15th Congressional District will decide who to send to Washington D.C. to represent them in the House of Representatives. Not even a year out, and the race is already crowed, with nine declared candidates (or least opening committees with the Federal Election Commission) laying the groundwork for what’s likely to be a very contentious race. Torres Notches First Endorsement Councilman Ritchie Torres, whose 15th Council District somewhat overlaps with the, landed the race’s first endorsement, locking in the backing of the Equality Caucus’ political agent, the Equality PAC. The

CB7 Sees Mix of New and Veteran Members to Executive Dais

By DAVID CRUZ and SÍLE MOLONEY

Community Board 7 saw a shift in civic power, as Jean Hill, who presided as chair of the northwest Bronx board, was voted out in favor of 31-year-old Norwood resident Emmanuel Martinez, a relative newcomer to the board. Several familiar faces have stayed on the executive dais, likely adding a mix of fresh ideas and institutional knowledge. Martinez currently serves as chair of CB7’s Veterans’ Committee, having recently hosted the annual Veterans’ Day Brunch, now in its third year. It’s unclear what the vote tally was as CB7 continues to ensure the proper vote count was met but 33 board

By DAVID GREENE

This week we asked readers their thoughts on the sweeping new rent laws passed last week in Albany, and if these new laws will affect and protect local residents. The new rent laws are very good; I mean, rent is too exorbitant now. It’s a serious problem. You need two people, [each with a job], just to pay the rent, otherwise you can’t survive. The new laws will protect people from being thrown out by a landlord, so it’s good that the new laws protect us. Teddy Equal Norwood I have been looking for an apartment and I’ve got

Why the CFB’s New Program Could Disrupt Purported 11th CD Race

By DAVID CRUZ

Next year will likely be an election season for the ages. And the New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB) is preparing so. With 35 New York City Council seats up for grabs, five of which are in the Bronx, more candidates will be on hand (CFB expects 500 candidates), especially those new to politics. Meantime, all five borough presidents, including Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., will have vacancies. Running campaigns is not cheap, leaving many candidates who believe they can make a difference to not even consider the thought. But CFB is looking to undo that by reminding

Bronx Tenants to New NYCHA Chair: Deliver

By CHRISTY RAE AMMONS AND SHA-NIA ALSTON

New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) recently hired Gregory Russ as the new chairman with a salary of over $400,000. Tenants in public housing and city officials are concerned. Russ has managed housing before, but never anything the size of NYCHA. In Minneapolis, he managed 6,300 units, and in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he managed 2,700. NYCHA has 400,000 New Yorkers living in 170,000 apartments, which is a difference of 163,700 units from where Russ started. “He managed a quarter of what NYCHA has,” said Linda Bailey, a tenant in Gun Hill Houses. “How are you going to manage this? What can

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s thirteenth edition of the Norwood News is out with plenty of great community news stories to dive into. There’s almost something happening in this corner of the Bronx, and we’ve captured a good chunk of it. And as usual, we’ll start with page one! Our front-page story focuses on more additions slated for the Jerome Avenue Men’s Shelter, which will now see a drug treatment center offered to those not housed at the shelter. Read the story by Jose A. Giralt. Read why the move has irked Community Board 7. Inside the cover you’ll find a piece on a barely

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

The Bronx shoreline along the Harlem River is poised to undergo a massive change within Community Board 7’s (CB7) borders if developers win approval for their projects. But the city has already said this will be a complicated process. The area just south of the University Heights Bridge was bought for $31.5 million by Dynamic Star, a Connecticut-based developer headed by CEO Gary Segal. Their goal is to invest $3.5 billion in 5 million square feet that will include 2,800 residential units, with 30 percent set aside as affordable. A 700,000 square-foot Life Science Center, esplanades, and a stadium for