Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, As you stay snug in your homes or brave the temperatures in your winter coats, you might want to check out the latest edition of the Norwood News. The first issue of 2018 is packed with plenty of Bronx community news. We begin the first issue of 2018 by looking back at 2017 in our annual Year in Review write-up anchoring the paper. Our two-page spread takes you back to some of the more pressing stories of the year, with some numbers to support it. If there’s a local story we missed, be sure to send us a

This year could once again be characterized as transitional for Norwood, full of business closures and nascent construction projects. The neighborhood crossed off another year with more bulldozers dotted around the once sleepy community. On a stretch of Webster Avenue between Gun Hill Road and East Mosholu Parkway, four construction projects are well under way. The assumption is clear: more construction means more people are moving into to a neighborhood that is waking up to the realities of overdevelopment. Greater interest in Norwood is a good thing, though a population boom in the next few years should signal greater concern

Dear Fellow Readers, The latest edition of the Norwood News, covering the Norwood section of the Bronx and its surrounding neighborhoods, is out with its last edition of 2017! It’s certainly been a ride. To refresh your memory of some of this year’s happenings, we encourage you to take a look at our editorial. It’s worth a read. But let’s get back to the beginning and page one! On Dec. 19, Bronx Community Board 7 finally found another district manager. This time it’s Ischia Bravo, who becomes the first female district manager since the late Rita Kessler. Her hiring was met

Cohen’s Construction Accountability Bill Clears Council

By DIEGO BARCACEL PENA

A bill that will increase accountability for roadwork has been passed by the New York City Council and awaits the mayor’s signature. Norwood Councilman Andrew Cohen, who represents the 11th Council District, co-sponsored the bill. He has noticed the amount of construction work around the area as of late. Norwood has seen work along East 208th Street and DeKalb Ave. and pockets of East Gun Hill Road. “Obviously, there’s a number of different people who tear up the street, whether it’s Con Ed, or DEP [Department of Environmental Protection],” said Cohen. “I’m sure the Norwood News has observed that there

COMMUNITY BOARD 7, covering Norwood, Bedford Park, Kingsbridge, Fordham and University Heights sections of the Bronx will hold its monthly board meeting on Dec. 19 at Kittay House, 2550 Webb Avenue, at 6:30 p.m. CB7 committee meetings are held on the following dates at the board office, 229 E. 204th St., at 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted: Housing, Land Use & Zoning Committee meets on Dec. 12; and Executive Committee meets on Dec. 14. There will be no Parks Committee meeting as it’s happening on Dec. 7, the same time as the CB7 Annual Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony. For more information,

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

The following letters to the editor were published in the Norwood News December 7-20, 2017 edition Shelter Needs More Checks and Balances The title of the article from the Nov. 9-22 issue (“Fordham Shelter Housing Site Here to Stay”) written by Reggie Francois gives the impression that FHOC [Fordham Hill Owners Corporation] and the neighborhood were defeated when in fact FHOC played a vital role in mobilizing our community so that our voices could be heard. It was written recklessly and in an insensitive tone, where fear was invoked in the commentary. Francois mentioned many of the local legislators present

Council Speaker Takes a Bow, But More Work Lies Ahead (Picture)

By DAVID CRUZ

As the first New York City Council Speaker of Puerto Rican descent, Melissa Mark-Viverito placed a high priority on immigration issues that have helped raise her national profile as a staunch Democratic supporter of immigrant rights and vocal critic of the Trump administration. And as she finishes her last month in office and as speaker, Mark-Viverito, representing the 8th Council District in the South Bronx and Harlem, sees herself lobbing even more criticism at the Trump administration sans a political pulpit. “That’s why we have to fight so hard,” Mark-Viverito said. “There’s so much at stake.” Those were some

“Bill Finger Way” Honors the Bronx Mind Behind Batman

By AARON MAYORGA

Much like his most-famous creation Batman, Bill Finger spent much of his life cloaked in the shadows of others. But on the morning of Dec. 8, Finger was at the center of attention in his hometown. It’s there were superfans of the Dark Knight assembled at the corner of East 192nd Street and the Grand Concourse to rechristen the cross street in honor of Finger, the man who many do not know is the co-creator of the Dark Knight. “It’s pretty surreal,” said Benjamin Cruz, the great-grandson of Finger, whose contributions to the creation of Batman have largely gone overlooked.

Dear Fellow Readers, The latest edition of the Norwood News, covering the Norwood and the surrounding Bronx communities, is out with our second to last issue before year’s end (time flies when you’re having fun). With 16 pages of news from end to end, it’s best we get into it. We begin with page one, of course, and the issue of the Jerome Avenue Rezoning plan still in the making. The plan has received the blessing from the Bronx Borough Board, though with stipulations attached. Critics say it does not go far enough. Read what reporter Aaron Mayorga dug up. Inside