Clergy and Bronx Electeds Slam Trump Immigration Policy

By ANGEL MINDANAO

Clergy, community leaders and Democratic elected officials interlocked arms as they sang “We Shall Overcome” at a prayer vigil and rally on June 22, calling for the reunification of immigrant families detained at America’s southern border. The event saw legislators from the city, state and federal governments weighing in on a policy that, up until June 20, saw families of illegal immigrants separated. It was a policy done away with by an Executive Order President Donald Trump had signed. Legislators saw this as a moment to pounce on Mr. Trump despite the reversal. “There is no substitution for the care

By NORWOOD NEWS

The Norwood News, the community publication covering the Bronx and celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, won a first place prize once again for Best Small Circulation Publication at this year’s Ippies Awards. The contest, now in its sixteenth year, celebrates the work of community and ethnic media outlets across the city. The Center for Community & Ethnic Media, which has its offices at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, has organized the show since its inception. Tom Robbins, investigative reporter in residence at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, cited the paper’s 2016 February 16 to March 1 edition

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The latest edition of the Norwood News, covering the Bronx, is out and packed with plenty of Bronx news coverage. We begin our journey with page one and our front page story. This one focuses on Jean Hill, the newly voted chair of Community Board 7. The headline says it all: Hill’s stature is risen from her ascension to the role of board chair. Hear what Hill had to say on her expectations from Board members come September. We then head inside the cover and the local debate on the Specialized High School Admissions Test and a

New CB7 Chair a Rising Leader (Web Picture)

By MARTIKA ORNELLA, JOSE GIRALT, and DAVID CRUZ

Jean Hill, a Community Board 7 member, was officially voted in as the new chair of CB7, humbly rising from her seat with a declaration to members: “[W]hen you come back in September you be ready to work.” “Everyone here has a job to do,” Hill told members at the latest general board meeting on June 19 at the New York Botanical Garden’s Ross Hall. “You know I can’t do this all by myself.” A round of applause soon followed, kick started by Ischia Bravo, CB7’s district manager. The two were seen sitting together. Hill fills out the term left

Local Debate Begins on Future of Specialized High School Test

By DAVID CRUZ

Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie’s decision to delay discussion on whether to keep or reject the Specialized High Schools Admissions Test (SHSAT) opens the door for a yearlong conversation. And at least two local legislators look to keep the test, with one requesting add-ons be included. Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz and state Senator Jamaal Bailey told the Norwood News that keeping the test is vital to the selection process of the city’s most prestigious schools. Dinowitz and Bailey both attended the Bronx High School of Science in Bedford Park, a highly sought-after specialized high school for placement. Questions over whether to outright

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers! The latest edition of the Norwood News is out with plenty of Bronx news to spread around. We’ve packed 12 pages of original reporting by our talented rotation of reporters we hope you’ll find insightful. For now, let’s begin with page one and a long-awaited project. That project falls in the heart of Norwood, Williamsbridge Oval Park. It’s there where a ceremonial groundbreaking of the highly anticipated skate park took place to the pride of many stakeholders involved. Read the city Parks Commissioner’s comments on this latest project. Read also why some will view this project as

Ground Formally and Finally Broken for Oval Skate Park

By MARTIKA ORNELLA and JOSE A. GIRALT

“Today is a big day for the Norwood community,” said city Parks Department Commissioner Mitchell Silver, standing at a podium in front of the future site of the neighborhood’s first skate park. “We’re starting construction on something we’ve been waiting for for a very long time: A skate park right here in Williamsbridge Oval [Park].” Together, with a number of skateboarding enthusiasts in the Bronx, local officials and community leaders gathered at a ceremonial groundbreaking on June 5 to usher in construction of the long-awaited skate park. Councilman Andrew Cohen, representing Norwood, funded $750,000 in capital money towards the construction

Oval Skate Park Project Quietly Gets Under Way

By DAVID CRUZ

Without much of a notice, the bulldozers came to the west side of Williamsbridge Oval Park to break ground on the long-awaited skate park. A large patch of soil blankets the area once used for a dog run, with crews ready to spend until winter of next year to complete the project. But the council member who funded the project is planning a formal celebration. Councilman Andrew Cohen secured $750,000 in capital funding for the project in 2014, holding a news conference on the funding soon after. The price of the project eventually went up to $888,000. It was among

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By CHRISTY RAE AMMONS

A law that offers free legal help for low-income residents fighting eviction should be expanded faster, said Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. In late May, Diaz sent a letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio urging him to speed up the availability of the Right to Counsel Act, suggesting de Blasio move the provision by 2020 instead. Right to Counsel is already in effect in some parts of the Bronx. It would be in full effect by July 2022. But Diaz, an early contender for Mayor in 2021, finds the matter more pressing. “Our City’s tenants simply cannot wait,” Diaz insisted