Debate for Norwood Assembly Seat Tonight

By DAVID CRUZ

The Norwood News is a media sponsor for tonight’s televised debate between Democrat Nathalia Fernandez and Republican Gene DeFrancis for Special Election in the 80th Assembly District seat left vacant by Councilman Mark Gjonaj. But while Fernandez will lay out her platform on television, you won’t find it on the city Campaign Finance board’s special election guide. Fernandez, who previously worked for Gjonaj, secured the Democratic nomination for the district, which covers Norwood, parts of Bedford Park, Morris Park, Van Nest, and Pelham Parkway. The nomination put her on the Democratic ticket. The Bronx is overwhelmingly Democratic. The Special Election Guide

Norwood News Wins Four Prizes at NYPA Awards

By THE NORWOOD NEWS

Four awards went to the Norwood News took by the New York Press Association (NYPA), the best number in recent memory. David Cruz, editor-in-chief of the paper, took home a First Place prize in the News Story category at the Better Newspaper Contest, for his piece on rent histories questioned by a nonprofit housing advocacy group. The story was written in March. Judges called the story, “Fundamental reporting at its best.” Though the prize put him at the top, it was Adi Talwar’s Third Place award for Photographer of the Year that stood out. Talwar beat out 17 other photographers

Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The latest edition of the Norwood News, spanning the northwest section of the Bronx, is out with its latest edition for 2018! There is tons of news to cover so let’s get right into it! Our front page story focuses on Bailey Houses, part of the stock of troubling properties owned by NYCHA. The chair of the New York City Council’s public housing committee visited the Kingsbridge complex, finding conditions problematic. Her visit came as the agency’s chair announced her resignation. Read what tenants have to say about the lumbering repair process. The timing will shock you.

By DAVID CRUZ

Democrats in the Albany Senate are looking forward to April 16 when Bronx Senator Jeff Klein, who as head of the Independent Democratic Conference (IDC) had caucused with Republicans for years, and will now caucus with his counterparts after agreeing to disband the IDC. The IDC wielded some of the greatest political power in Albany for nearly six years when Klein formed it in 2011 as a way to fix Albany dysfunction. Its largest criticism came when the group—comprised of eight Democratic senators—routinely caucused with Republicans, effectively broadening the IDC’s and Republicans’ influence on legislation. But with a critical November

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

In the wake of the Trump administration’s plan to ask Americans about their citizenship status in the 2020 census, city officials say answering the question is actually a way of fighting back. On April 3, J. Phillip Thompson, New York City Deputy Mayor for Strategic Policy Initiatives; Marisa Lago, director of the City Department of City Planning; and Bitta Mostofi, Acting Commissioner for the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, spoke at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism’s Center for Community & Ethnic Media to discuss the impact of the Trump administration’s latest move, which they say is politically motivated. Thompson,

A Tour of Bailey Houses Comes Amid NYCHA Changes

By DAVID CRUZ

Teisha Jones shows no signs of stopping her quest to increase the standard of living at her building managed by the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the beleaguered agency that recently received a rare $550 million infusion of state funds and the resignation of its CEO. Jones has taken on NYCHA before, with a Bronx jury awarding a $57 million judgment against NYCHA for failing to inspect her apartment at Fort Independence Houses for lead. Conditions left her four-year-old daughter developmentally delayed. Jones’s daughter had lead levels 10 times the normal rate. She’s since left Fort Independence Houses,

Torres Plugs Free Tax Service Warns Against Predatory Tax Prepararers

The warning from Councilman Ritchie Torres was dire: take advantage of his office’s free tax preparation service or risk being exploited by a predatory tax preparer. “Residents of the Bronx paid hundreds of dollars of their own pockets for tax prep services that we provide for free,” said Torres, standing outside his Hofmann Street office to plug the service by Urban Upbound, which has prepared taxes at the office for four years. “And so no longer do residents have to subject themselves to predatory tax prep.” With an April 17 tax preparation deadline looming, Torres urged locals to take advantage of his

Housing Matters: Chipping Away at School Segregation

In the school cafeteria of PS 73 in the Concourse section of the Bronx on March 8, a discussion on how to improve diversity across the city’s public school system had finally put the issue of school desegregation at the forefront. It was the first of five town hall discussions on the topic, a product of the city Department of Education’s (DOE) Equity & Excellence for All plan. The plan, announced last year, seeks ways to promote a healthier mix of ethnicities across the borough. The plan was also the product of Bronx Councilman Ritchie’s Torres’ bill he co-authored with

By DAVID CRUZ

It could be another 8 to 10 months until developers of the Kingsbridge National Ice Center could see shovels in the ground. Those are some of the new details outlined in a letter drafted on March 5 that recapped a closed-door meeting between Kevin Parker, founder of the project, and community stakeholders tied to the project on March 2. The Norwood News obtained a copy from a source who asked for anonymity as they are not authorized to speak on the project. “[T]he bottom line is that KNIC has basic agreements for the financing for Phase I and Phase II but