HRA Now Reviewing Shelter Contracts, With DHS Approving

New York City Human Resources Administration (HRA) is picking up some responsibilities normally handled by the New York City Department of Homeless Services (DHS), coming amid city’s booming homeless crisis. Participating in a panel at the CUNY School of Journalism’s Center for Community & Ethnic Media, New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer revealed the HRA, a homeless prevention agency that provides social services to the impoverished, is now reviewing a number of unregistered contracts from homeless shelter providers. Stringer has remained a staunch critic of DHS, having rejected several DHS-approved contracts he deemed unworthy of city monies. His remarks suggested little

By DAVID CRUZ

Community news is alive and well here at the Norwood News, serving up another edition filled with plenty of community news you can use. We take you to Bedford Park first and speculation surrounding investment speculation on Webster Avenue that’s revolving around a tiny piece of property currently occupied by the US Postal Service. Reporter William Mathis digs up what is happening at the post office that’s making residents worry. Going inside the award-winning newspaper, and a story on the Norwood News crunching some numbers on the number of 311 complaints Community Board 7 has logged. The results surprised us. And this

By DAVID CRUZ

Greetings, loyal readers! As expected, the digital edition of the Norwood News is out with, as you guessed it: Plenty of Community News You Can Use! We begin with a story that’s 25 years in the making: pilot access to the Jerome Park Reservoir, long a source of majesty for the Bronx, yet only experienced by a handful. Advocates are pushing, step by step, to grant access to parkgoers who have yearned to take a stroll around the man-made reservoir. Worth a read from our own Adedamola Agboola. Inside, you’ll find a story 76 years in the making: the closing of Freilich

By DAVID CRUZ The latest edition of the Norwood News is out with plenty of community news you can use. We begin with some unexpected news: the resignation of Community Board 7’s District Manager. Read how Community Board members reacted to his resignation. Before we begin with the inside-the-cover stories, we want to remind parents that the Norwood News is accepting applications for a FREE, that’s right, FREE afterschool journalism program called Bronx Youth Heard. It’s a cool writing workshop that lasts through December, and it teaches the fundamental of journalism to Bronx high school students. Check out the link here: http://bit.ly/BYHFall2015. Now

By DAVID CRUZ

The latter part of the program is spent writing news stories students had developed, incorporating journalistic principles they learned.

Digital Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

By DAVID CRUZ

The newest edition of the award-winning Norwood News is out with plenty of community news you can use. We begin in Bedford Park with yet another homeless shelter sneaking into the neighborhood, only there’s a twist: the tenants won the fight! Read up on suspicions by tenants and what conditions were like inside the building. Switching to lighthearted fare, with an article by salesperson/reporter extraordinaire Vivian Carter on results of the Norwood News survey we asked neighbors to take over the summer. We crunched the numbers and the results were pretty surprising. Definitely worth a read. Next, Jasmine Gomez takes a look at a

COMMUNITY BOARD 7 will hold its general board meeting on Sept. 15 at 6:30 p.m. at the Bedford Park Senior Center, 243 E. 204th St. CB7 committee meetings are held on the following dates at the board office, 229A E. 204th St. at 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted: Public Safety & Quality of Life, Sept. 3; Environment & Sanitation, Sept. 8; Health & Hospitals, Sept. 8 at 7:30 p.m.; Senior Services, Sept. 9; Parks & Recreation, Sept. 9 at 7:15 p.m.; Traffic & Transportation, Sept. 10; and Veterans, Sept. 10 at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 933-5650.

CB7 Chair Appoints New Members of KNIC Council Days Before First Meeting

By DAVID CRUZ

Community Board 7’s handpicked appointees for the Kingsbridge National Ice Center’s Community Advisory Council have been removed by the presiding CB7 chair, which included a previous CB7 chair and another who ran against her in June. The timing came days before the full CAC was to hold its first meeting. The unilateral decision came last Friday. Adaline Walker Santiago, chair of CB7, informed members of the decision, citing stipulations in the Community Benefits Agreement (CBA), which allow the sitting CB7 chair to decide who will be on the panel. The original CAC members–Paul Foster, Lowell Green, and William Francis–were replaced by

The Norwood News has upgraded its website, following several weeks of brainstorming, trial and error, and tinkering. Some of the bigger revisions to the site include a slider window prominently featuring the latest news stories impacting Norwood News’ coverage area, which primarily includes Bedford Park, Kingsbridge, Fordham, and University Heights. “The community newspaper had long sought to convert the existing site, which leaned towards a blog format, to a more traditional news website look,” said David Cruz, editor-in-chief of the Norwood News, who collaborated with his website designer, Neil deMause, to bring the site to life. The truest change can