How Will a Blue Albany Look Like?

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

Nationally, whether the gains Democrats made in statehouses and in Congress count as a blue wave will continue to be debated in the coming weeks. But here in New York the results are clear: voters are ready for a completely blue Albany. After a decade of playing footsy with the idea – delayed, in part, by the actions of legislators from the Norwood neck of the Bronx (see: Pedro Espada and Jeff Klein) – New Yorkers voted definitively for a Democratic majority in the Senate, positioning state Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins of Yonkers to be the first woman and second African

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers! The Norwood News is out with its latest edition covering Bronx communities. With 24 pages packed into this paper let’s get into the coverage! The front page focuses on the longstanding issue of mailbox fishing. The practice has become the ire of the NYPD, now trying to curb it with a new offensive. The Norwood News interviewed the lead cop at the 52nd Precinct behind the initiative. We also have an editorial on the NYPD’s tough task. The paper also has results on the General Election. The outcomes made the September primary official with some new faces going

By JONATHAN CUSTODIO

@BOENYC only one machine out of 6 working at my polling place. District assembly 80. Need some IT people to fix the others — ☀️curly☀️ (@sunshinelova11) November 6, 2018 Amid malfunctioning machines, long lines, and ballot confusion, a hearing on the New York City Board of Elections’ (BOE) handling of the midterm elections is expected in the near future. At Scott Towers on Paul Avenue, the situation was described by at least one voter as “borderline chaotic,” though poll workers kept cool as ballot scanners were being repaired. Machines ceased working at approximately 10:19 a.m. on Tuesday, jamming the

Past and present faces of the Norwood News came to break bread and hail the paper’s 30-year milestone with a celebration at Lehman College on Nov. 1. The event drew roughly 130 guests to the college’s Faculty Dining Room in the Music Building, which included an awards program and keynote address by Errol Louis of NY1. Opening the ceremony was Jennifer Tausig, executive director of Mosholu Preservation Corporation (MPC), the not-for-profit that produces the Norwood News. Dr. José Luis Cruz, president of Lehman College, and Dr. Peter Semczuk, executive director of Montefiore Health System’s Moses Campus, spoke of the paper’s

By JOSEPH KONIG

Punditry and speculation about winners and losers was rampant nationwide ahead of Tuesday’s election. In the Bronx, however, virtually every race saw the winner of the September Democratic primary come out on top. Democratic-socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez cruised to victory over Republican Anthony Pappas, an economics professor at St. John’s University recently disavowed by the Bronx and Queens Republican parties after party officials learned of domestic violence allegations against Pappas (which he denies). Ocasio-Cortez, at age 28 and representing Congressional District 14, is the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. She officially beat her opponent, Congressman Joseph Crowley, who ran on the Working Families

WWII Tribute for Dominican-Born Soldiers Unveiled at BCC

By JOSEPH KONIG

Bronx elected officials welcomed 10 diplomatic officials from the Dominican Republic at the Nov. 2 grand opening of the nation’s first monument for Dominican veterans of World War II. The monument, funded in part by $400,000 in state and local funding secured by Councilman Fernando Cabrera, is located on the campus of Bronx Community College (BCC) in University Heights. “More than 300 Dominican men and women risked and sacrificed their lives for the United States during World War II,” Cabrera, who is part Dominican, said. “These soldiers have been largely left out of U.S. history and I believed their rightful and

By By JULIA AGOS of WFUV

On a blustery October evening, in a park in Soundview, Alessandra Biaggi stood ready to canvas inside a residential building. She wore pink jeans and a leather jacket. With minimal makeup and long brown hair, she looked more like an activist than a woman running for New York State Senate for the 34th District. “Many industries, including the political sphere, have created a story about how women should look without women really having an input,” she said. The 32-year-old political newcomer is ready to take control of her own narrative and be true to herself. Early in her campaign, Biaggi

By By NATALIE MIGLIORE of WFUV

The Norwood News, WFUV radio, and BronxNet Television present a special report profiling several candidates ahead of the November general election. Walking around Astoria Park on a chilly Saturday afternoon, Anthony Pappas talks about the path that brought him to run on the Republican ticket for Congress against Democratic rival Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, particularly in a district that is largely Democratic. “To get an idea of my childhood, you can go back to one of the world famous movies that was filmed on the street where I grew up,” he says as he talked about West Side Story. “I don’t claim

VOLUNTEERS WITH THE Citizenship Project help foreign-born Bronx residents properly fill out their federal applications for U.S. citizenship status. The group was at Tracey Towers on Oct. 13 at the event sponsored by Councilman Andrew Cohen (right).