At State of the Borough, BP Highlights Fixes and Needs

At State of the Borough BP Highlights Fixes and the Needs (Web Picture)

By MARY MELLON

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. delivered his ninth State of the Bronx address before an audience of supporters, well-wishers, and fellow elected officials. For nearly 45 minutes, Diaz stood composed as he delivered a speech that largely underscored the borough’s positives while lambasting the city’s shortcomings. But read between the lines, Diaz’s speech also showed his sights set on higher office. “Look at how different things are in this borough today than just a decade ago,” Diaz said. “We have set the bar for the entire nation on transformative urban renewal and development. We are the new standard

Securing Kingsbridge Ice Center Funding a Waiting Game

By DAVID CRUZ

The founder of the Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC) is expected to appear at a closed-door meeting with community stakeholders March 2 to discuss the long delayed project. Kevin Parker, founder of KNIC, has been a mere no-show at community meetings since the city announced his project would be housed in the cavernous Kingsbridge Armory, which has been vacant since the 1990s. Mark Messier, the NHL legend and face of the project, serves as president of the KNIC and has made the rounds since the project was approved nearly five years ago. His appearance was confirmed by Senator Gustavo Rivera’s office,

Nathalia Fernandez Gets on Special Election Ballot (Web Picture)

By DAVID CRUZ

Nathalia Fernandez, the former chief of staff to then Assemblyman turned Councilman Mark Gjonaj, won support from her fellow committee members, securing a nomination for a special election for the 80th Assembly District slated for April 24. Her name on the Democratic ticket all but secures her place as the next interim Assembly member before the September Primary. Committee members from the Bronx Democratic County Committee’s of the 80th Assembly District unanimously voted in favor of Fernandez. The vote was quick with no other challengers coming forward. “The community will be seeing me at community meetings, I got a lot

By DAVID GREENE

Ahead of Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.’s State of the Borough speech on Feb. 22, this week we asked readers what they think is the current state of the Bronx. I haven’t really seen too much improvement, to be honest with you. Maybe it’s a little better, they’ve opened more businesses in the area and that brings more jobs. Housing is still a big problem too, you have two families living in a two-bedroom apartment, which causes overcrowding. When they distribute the funds, we get what trickles down and the Bronx doesn’t get much–it don’t. I believe they’re cutting

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The latest edition of the Norwood News, covering the Bronx, is out with plenty of community news you can use. We’ve published 16 pages worth of great information for the borough’s residents, so let’s get into it. We begin, of course, with page one and an interesting development regarding a homeless shelter plan for Norwood. It seems the New York City Department of Homeless Services responded to pressure from the community by relocating a planned shelter to a different part of Norwood. But now concerns have surfaced over the new location of the shelter, which isn’t exactly near

Bronx Disability Backlog Part of ‘National Disgrace’ (Thumb Picture)

By MARY MELLON and NIALL RIDGLEY

“You are all going to be rejected,” cautions Clarence Sessoms, a U.S. Air Force veteran and Morrisania resident who first filed for disability in 2004. His matter has not been resolved. He hopes his third appeal hearing this month can finally secure him benefits he’s been seeking the last 14 years. Genevieve Machado, a Castle Hill resident and former medical assistant who stopped working due to fibromyalgia and a torn meniscus, the latter occurring during a slip and fall and the former surfacing during her career, also feels hoodwinked. She has been working the appeal process and has been unable

By DAVID CRUZ

Nathalia Fernandez, a the former chief of staff to former Norwood Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj, has officially announced she’s running for her old boss’s seat in a special election slated for April 24. “I really take my credit to my experience working in the Assembly District,” Fernandez, a Democrat, said in a phone interview with the Norwood News shortly after her campaign staff released a statement announcing her run. Fernandez’s start in politics began in 2012, when she began working on Gjonaj’s campaign for Assembly. In early 2017, Fernandez took a job serving as the Bronx Regional Representative for Governor Andrew Cuomo, a

By DAVID CRUZ

When it came to the more than 15,000 complaints logged to 311 in the Norwood section of the Bronx, tenants at 3525 Decatur Ave. had the most contact with the data-gathering system in 2017, with the bulk of complaints caused by noise. Those were some of the findings determined in an analysis by the Norwood News which reviewed 311 calls filed in Norwood last year. Some questions answered included how long it took a 311 complaint to close, the top 10 buildings with the most 311 complaints in Norwood, what days were most popular to open and close a 311 complaint, and

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By NIALL RIDGLEY

Councilman Andrew Cohen has requested that the future come to Norwood through a proposed electric vehicle (EV) charging hub. Cohen drafted a proposal for Mayor Bill de Blasio on Jan. 10 having had his constituents in the 11th Council District express interest to be part of de Blasio’s plan to develop 100 new EV fast charging stations across the city in 2018. Cohen believes the northwest Bronx has ample locations conducive to charging hub installation. “I believe a number of locations, both public and private, would be feasible for EV charging. They include the parking lot for the Van Cortlandt