NYPD Photo Released: Daring Daytime Heist in Norwood

It’s still unclear who staged a daring daytime robbery in the heart of Norwood’s commercial district on Nov. 19, but police have now released video of a suspected vehicle involved in the heist. Police in the 52nd Precinct say the robbery happened at just before 9 a.m. at an AT&T store on East 204th Street. An employee of the store was just about to open when two masked men pulled a gun on him. The suspects forced the worker to disable the alarm system and later restrained him to a chair with duct tape inside the stock room. It’s then

By JASMINE GOMEZ

A snapshot of Community District 7’s health status has just been released by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, offering glimmers of hope and areas of concern. The agency compiled health profiles for each of the city’s 59 Community Districts, which included statistics ranging from life expectancy rates, leading causes of death, and the effects of housing and air quality on one’s health. Each profile also highlighted comparisons in each district to the Bronx and city overall. The average life expectancy of residents in Community District 7, covering Kingsbridge Heights, Bedford, Fordham, University Heights, and Norwood,

By FRIDA JOHANNES

Most of New York is still riding high on the Halloween sugar rush, but one section of the Bronx took a healthier alternative approach on Halloween day. Local businesses in the Fordham section of the Bronx closed off Decatur Avenue and organized a community block party where kids and adults engaged in healthy eating and living. Nonprofit organizations such as Provident Loan Society of New York, passed out granola bars, fruits and other snacks that didn’t contain unhealthy corn syrup. “It’s really important for us to contribute to our local community. We all have a responsibility to make our neighborhoods

Heating Assistance Available This winter, the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) offers eligible households of low-income and elderly New Yorkers to receive a one-time benefit of up to $625 depending on income, household size, and heating source. Households may begin applying for assistance Nov. 16. Applications for emergency benefits for those in danger of losing heat will be accepted starting Jan. 4, 2016. For more information and requirements, go to http://otda.ny.gov/programs/heap. Yankee Leadership Awards Applications are available for the Youth Leadership Awards. Nominees are expected to perform 50 hours of leadership/volunteer services as a tutor, mentor, community unity developer, and/or

By DAVID CRUZ

Bronx officials have formally rejected Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan to change zoning laws to help build 80,000 units of housing in the city, dealing a blow to the de Blasio Administration’s signature policy initiative. The unanimous 0-19 vote against de Blasio’s Housing New York proposal happened at the Nov. 19 Bronx Borough Board, a body made up of a cadre of chairs and district managers of community boards and the borough’s New York City Council Delegation. “I vote in the negative,” said Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., saying “one size does not fit all.” The $41 billion plan looks

CREWS FROM THE New York City Parks & Recreation Department have begun repairs caused from a wall collapse at the north side of Williamsbridge Oval Park. It’s still unclear what caused the wall to collapse and has since been cordoned off while crews make repairs. A video showing the initial repair work can be found on www.norwoodnews.org. Photo by Jasmine Gomez

IDNYC Service Offered at NCBH

By JASMINE GOMEZ

For about another week, Bronxites have another location where they can go to apply IDNYC, an ID card offering free and discounted services from the city. The pop-up site at North Central Bronx Hospital (NCBH) will be accepting appointments and walk-ins based on availability for IDNYC applications through Nov. 24. At a news conference on Nov. 17 at NCBH, Councilman Andrew Cohen and members from the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs and NCBH, a city hospital, were thrilled to be able to offer the pop-up service at the heart of Norwood. Cohen noted some have had to endure two to

By DAVID CRUZ

A 13-story, mixed-use residential high-rise with a twist is slated to go up near the mouth of the Kingsbridge Armory, the Norwood News has learned. Alan Bell of Bell Urban LLC and B&B Supportive LLC, is expected to build the site at 2700 Jerome Ave. for an estimated $59 million. Until recently the site was a defunct car wash and nightclub, which were now bulldozed. In all, 137 units for low to mid-income will be built, along with a mandated indoor garage at the barren block. Bell’s project is a rare one. With 15 percent of the units set aside

FATHER MARK ZITTLE, O.CARM., a chaplain at Fordham University, leads a special mass at St. Patrick’s Home Rehabilitation and Health Care Center on Nov. 7 honoring the home’s past and present clients who died between October 2014 and November 2015. The ceremony is a yearly tradition at the Van Cortlandt Village home at 66 Van Cortlandt Pk. So. Parishioners at the solemn gathering were also accompanied by Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, the founders of the home. Photo by Miriam Quinones