UPDATE Police Say 23-Year-Old Man from Norwood No Longer Missing

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD said on Tuesday, Jan. 7, that a 23-year-old man from Norwood who had been reported missing has been located. Prior to being located, it had been reported to police that Lino Cruz Ballinas Jr. of Webster Avenue had last been seen on Monday, Jan. 30, at around 11.34 a.m., inside St. Barnabas Hospital. He was described as being around 5 feet, 10 inches tall, weighing 190 pounds, with a light skin complexion, brown eyes, black hair and a beard. Prior to being located, he had last been seen wearing a red jacket, gray jeans, neon

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The New York City area may experience severe weather including freezing temperatures from an arctic cold front and potential wind gusts of up to 40 mph, starting Friday, Feb. 3, and continuing into Saturday, Feb. 4, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). Accordingly, NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) is reminding all builders, contractors, crane operators, and property owners to secure their construction sites, buildings, and equipment. Department officials said DOB will be performing random spot-check inspections of construction sites around the City, and if sites are not secured, DOB officials will take immediate enforcement action, issuing violations and

By SÍLE MOLONEY

City Hall has convened a Task Force with relevant City agencies to address overnight truck parking in NYC and to assess potential solutions. According to City officials, existing regulations prohibit commercial vehicles from parking on residential streets overnight, but the problem has persisted, particularly in outer borough neighborhoods. They said that with the increased use of freight and expected industry growth, the City needs to examine the trends and data, and come up with solutions that will be long term and sustainable. To this end, a Please click here for Overnsurvey. has been launched to collect information on the topic.

By SÍLE MOLONEY

City health officials announced on Wednesday, Feb. 1, an end to the MPV [monkeypox / “mpox”] outbreak. The news comes as transmission remains “very low” in the City for two consecutive months health officials said, adding that the declaration followed the successful vaccination of more than 100,000 New Yorkers, and community partnerships in education and behavior change. The City had been the epicenter of the outbreak last year but according to health officials, DOH launched a number of successful response strategies to curb transmission. The declaration of the end of the outbreak also comes as the U.S. public

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD said a 12-year-old girl from Marble Hill who was reported missing on Tuesday, Jan. 31, has returned home and is “in good health.” It was reported to police that, prior to returning home, Dayana Vazquez of Adrian Avenue in the Marble Hill section of The Bronx was last seen on Tuesday, Jan. 31, at around 7.47 a.m., leaving Prospect Park station in Brooklyn. She was walking toward M.S. 442 Carroll Garden School for Innovation, located at 500 19th Street. She was described as female, 5 feet, 4 inches tall, Hispanic, weighing around 140 pounds, with

By DAVID GREENE

The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition. A Bronx mother is still seeking answers more than five weeks after her son, a Norwood resident, was shot and killed in Fordham Manor just seven days before Christmas, as reported. The mother of the victim alleges she was told at St. Barnabas Hospital her son was shot 17 times. An NYPD spokesperson said officers responded to a 911 call regarding a man who had been shot inside 2650 Briggs Avenue on Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022, at 11.13 a.m. “Upon arrival, they discovered

By SÍLE MOLONEY, MIRIAM QUIÑONES & DAVID GREENE

The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition. Longtime Bedford Park resident, Joy LaFontaine, told Norwood News she is fed up complaining to both 311 and her landlord about various, ongoing maintenance problems she is encountering in her Decatur Avenue building, including a lack of heat, dampness, flooding, disruptive neighbors, and alleged rat sightings, saying she has seen little in the form of results for her efforts. Based on 311 public data, LaFontaine’s complaints are emblematic of those logged by thousands of other New Yorkers, particularly tenants on the federal housing

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The 15-year-old male gunshot victim who was fatally shot in the Longwood section of the Bronx on Jan. 19, as reported, has provided the gift of life, via organ donation, saving seven people, according to LiveOnNY. The latter is a nonprofit, federally designated organ procurement organization (OPO) dedicated to saving lives, providing comfort, and strengthening legacies through organ, eye, and tissue donation. Working closely with transplant centers and hospitals, LiveOnNY coordinates transplants, educates the public and healthcare professionals about donation and transplantation, and promotes the importance of signing up on the New York State Donate Life Registry.

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The first anniversary of the Twin Parks fire tragedy which ripped through the towering housing development in Fordham Heights on Jan. 9 2022, was marked by a somber ceremony on Monday, Jan. 9. As reported extensively at the time, the tragic event claimed the lives of 17 Bronxites, including 8 children, mostly of Gambian descent. The cause of the fire was found to be a combination of a “malfunctioning space heater” and reportedly malfunctioning self-closing fire doors. With legal proceedings against the Twin Parks building owners still pending, Mayor Eric Adams and other Bronx elected officials attended the private