In the Public Interest

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By DAVID CRUZ

Blake Announces PA Run Assemblyman Michael Blake, who, along with representing the 79th Assembly District while pushing a national Democratic agenda as vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee, is throwing his hat into the race for New York City Public Advocate. The Public Advocate’s seat will officially be up for grabs come November since the current advocate, Letitia James, won the Democratic nomination for state attorney general. With an overwhelmingly Democratic state, James’s shot at winning the AG seat is all but secured. Should Blake win the advocate seat, it will open the door for his Assembly seat. The

Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

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 there’s plenty of news to share. So let’s get to page one. The front page focuses on The Bedford Manor, which opened in 2016 and is already showing signs of decay. A tour by the Norwood News given by one resident shows a breakdown of services. Reporter Joseph Konig got word from the landlord. Read what he has to say. Other stories include the city Environmental Protection playing defense over poor water pouring out of northwest Bronx homes. We

Flanked By Bronx Electeds, Schumer Rails Against CSX Land Deal Talks

By JOSEPH KONIG

U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and a slew of Bronx lawmakers slammed rail transportation giant CSX for walking away from a deal to sell unused land in Kingsbridge to the city so it can be converted into a greenway and bike path. “We cannot allow this project to be delayed just because CSX wants to squeeze a few more pennies out of the community,” Schumer said at a news conference Oct. 17 held at the West 238th Street overpass near Broadway. “We are telling them, asking them to come back to the table or else.” What “or else” meant was unclear

Dear Fellow Readers, The latest edition of the Norwood News is out with plenty of community news you can use. We have 20 pages of news and lots to cover. Our front page cover story focuses on comments made by the head of NYC Health + Hospitals offering assurances that North Central Bronx Hospital is here to stay. The Norwood News heard directly from the top person at NCBH and some ideas batted around for expansion. The Norwood News is also excited to announce our 30th anniversary celebration is three weeks away! Save the date for Thursday, November 1. We will be honoring Sally Dunford,

Ocasio-Cortez, Among the Like-Minded, Touts Criminal Justice Reform

By JOSEPH KONIG

“It makes no difference if you voted for me or if you voted for my opponent,” Biaggi told the crowd, many of whom had attended an endorsement meeting earlier in the year where both candidates spoke. “What I’m excited to do is unite everybody and talk to you and to hear… what your concerns are.”

Ocasio-Cortez, Among the Like-Minded, Touts Criminal Justice Reform

By JOSEPH KONIG

With just over a month before the general election, Democratic congressional candidate for the 14th District, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, co-hosted a town hall at Parkside Houses focusing on criminal justice reform. Ocasio-Cortez spoke on ending cash bail, closing Rikers, and ways to turn activism into governance alongside activists and community leaders. “I don’t want us to do what I believe happened in the aftermath of the Obama presidency,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “We were like amazing, hope, change… he’s going to take care of it. It doesn’t work like that. We have to have each other’s backs.” The event was the first of a series of town halls she will host in the run-up to

Norwood News Celebrates 30 Years with Nov. 1 Gala

By NORWOOD NEWS

The Norwood News is celebrating 30 years covering Norwood and its surrounding communities with an anniversary night on Nov. 1 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Lehman College and we would like you to join us. As a community-based newspaper, the publication has striven to provide first-rate journalism and in-depth coverage of the neighborhood. Our mission to inform readers has guided our success throughout the past three decades and with your continued support, we will do so for years to come. Errol Louis, political anchor for NY1 news, will keynote the event that will also feature a trip down memory

By JOSEPH KONIG

The mother of Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz and City Councilman Ritchie Torres announced that a cease and desist letter from the state has been sent to a known con-artist who posed as a government official in an attempt to defraud Junior’s family. The subject of the cease and desist letter, Dr. R.A. Gregg, is a 38-year-old Staten Island native with a track record of scams stretching back over a decade. According to Torres, Gregg approached Feliz in August and convinced her to sign a letter giving him power to raise funds on behalf of the family in the aftermath of her

More New York City Students Passing State Test, But Bronx Still Lags

By DAVID CRUZ

Test scores for New York City students from third through eighth grade have gone up this year, but the Bronx still lags. Scores released by the state Department of Education show 46.7 percent of all New York City public students met proficiency standards in the English test, according to city officials. They also saw 42.7 percent of students pass the math test. A borough breakdown shows 32.3 percent of Bronx students from third to eighth grade passed their English test, according to raw data by the state Education Department. This year represents a “reset moment” as Mayor Bill de Blasio