Thousands Mourn Slain Officer Miosotis Familia

By DAVID GREENE

More than 10,000 police officers from across the country joined community and family members to say goodbye to slain NYPD Officer Miosotis Familia in a moving ceremony held at World Changers Church on the Grand Concourse, blocks from where she was killed. Familia, a 12-year veteran of the force was shot in the head as she sat inside a mobile command center at the corner of Morris Avenue and East 183d Street in the early morning hours of July 5. The killer, Alexander Bonds, 34, quickly fled the scene but was shot dead by police minutes later. The shooting

Young Public Servant Dons CB7 District Manager’s Cap

By DAVID CRUZ

Andrew Sandler, district manager for Community Board 7, handed his resignation to the board less than a month after returning from a half year medical leave. In what’s become a recurring theme, the news once again leaves the board without a district manager. Sandler resigned officially on July 9, less than one month from the time Adaline Walker-Santiago, the board chair, announced his return. Sandler told the Norwood News that Sandler he wants to focus on recuperating from his undisclosed medical condition. Walker-Santiago, board members and director of community boards for the Bronx Borough President’s Office, Thomas Lucania, were alerted

Cuts in College Readiness Program Inspire Social Message Video

By DAVID CRUZ

Imani Martinez sat slightly coy as a video bearing her image boomed across the East Dining Room of Lehman College. On screen, Martinez stood confident, revealing moments and milestones that have contributed to her character. “Why must I have to put double the blood, sweat and tears I normally would have to put in order to accomplish my goal? Because I’m poor, Latina and I live in the Bronx,” Martinez, who dreams a career in law enforcement, said. Martinez’s verbal purge, a raw, coming-of-age message chronicled her personal struggles, ambitions, and a love for borough, warts and all. She intertwined

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

Mayor Bill de Blasio will once again host a town hall forum in the Bronx. De Blasio, who is running for re-election, will take questions from folks living within the 14th Council District. Councilman Fernando Cabrera is the presiding councilman there. As usual, he will take questions only from the general public. De Blasio won the Bronx when he ran for mayor the first time out. Those wishing to attend must RSVP by today. The forum is scheduled for July 12 at Creston Academy, 2160 Creston Avenue, at 7 p.m. Residents are asked to come by 6 p.m. To RSVP,

Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

Dear Fellow Readers, The latest edition of the Norwood News, the award-winning publication covering all things Norwood and its surrounding Bronx communities, is out with plenty of news you can use. We start at the beginning, and on page 1. There, we have a story on the battle to preserve the character of Bedford Park and Norwood. A report yet finalized by the all Community Board 7 members was approved by the Land Use/Zoning & Housing Committee. What does this mean for the neighborhood? Read to find out more! Turning to inside-the-cover stories, the Bronx Borough President’s Office has released a

Reconstruction to Begin on Step Street in Kingsbridge

By DEVIN DAE TUCKER

A so-called step street in Kingsbridge is set to undergo a $6.6 million reconstruction following years of complaints. The multi-agency operation between the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC), the New York City Department of Transportation (DOT), and local officials united to “make the necessary upgrades that will allow this step street to flourish, and create a safer, more efficient passageway for the community,” according to DOT’s Bronx Borough Commissioner Nivardo Lopez. The 230-foot long step street, comprised of ten flights of concrete steps, connects Heath Avenue and Kingsbridge Terrace. It will be given a complete

By DEVIN DAE TUCKER

Bring Citi Bike to the Bronx! That’s the call from supporters and organizers who’ve proposed a $12 million expansion plan to include the rental bikes to the Bronx and other low-income neighborhoods in New York City. The price tag accounts for .01 percent of the city’s 2018-19 Fiscal Year budget and could mean transportation availability for more than six million New Yorkers, according to organizers. The daily rental price is $12 while a three-day pass runs $24. The prospect of the bikes coming to the Bronx sparked logistical questions from Norwood resident Edward Aucay, who suspected that “lack of space

CB7 Chair Wins Third Term By Narrow Margin

By DEBORAH CRUZ

Newly re-elected Community Board 7 chair, Adaline Walker-Santiago, cheered herself as she heard the election results in the race for chair, narrowly keeping her position at the June 20 CB7 general board meeting. The news came as the Board announced its district manager is slated to return. In their last meeting before the elections, the buoyant Walker-Santiago won the race by a slim margin of 13 votes to opponent Jean Hill’s 12. Gloria Bent, another board member on the ballot, threw a wrench into the race when she withdrew her bid for chair in the last minute. “I am

By DAVID CRUZ

A Pennsylvania man is coming at an end to his visit of several Bronx community boards, having brought a message he feels is given little publicity: If you’re a victim of sex abuse by a clergy member from the New York Archdiocese, you’re entitled to compensation through a temporary program set to expire at the end of July. For Shaun Dougherty, the New York Archdiocese has done little to promote it. “They should be shouting this from the rooftops. They have the means to make it very aware,” Dougherty, the man taking his message across the Bronx, told the Norwood