Editorial: Sector Stats are Back, But Legislation Stalls

Just before the Norwood News went to press for this issue (Oct. 4-17), we received a letter with a packet of valuable information from the New York City Police Department. Almost exactly five months after we filed a Freedom of Information Law request, the NYPD had delivered crime statistics for each of the sectors within the 52nd Precinct, which includes all of the neighborhoods in our primary coverage area — Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham, as well as University and Kingsbridge Heights. That means we now have crime statistics on your specific neighborhood, not just the monolithic precinct as a whole. We will be analyzing this data and offering it to you in coming editions of the paper.

Media Stars Offer a ‘Salute to the Bronx’

The event, called “Salute to the Bronx,” held on Sept. 26 in the library’s basement auditorium, was led by two Bronx natives — MSNBC host Chris Hayes alongside Darlene Rodriguez from NBC-4 New York.

Op-ed: Medicare Part D Works

As the founder of Women in Progress, a nonprofit in the Bronx that helps women who are rebuilding their lives, I am greatly concerned about proposed changes to Medicare Part D. This is a program that is not only helping women I serve, but is a crucial benefit that provides for the people that serve as their support system — mothers, fathers, aunts, uncles, and grandparents. Medicare Part D has radically improved the healthcare of over 43 million seniors in America.

Op-ed: To the Men of the Bronx, Mentors Wanted

For many of us, summer brings to mind childhood memories of baseball games, barbeques and trips to the beach. But for thousands of young people in the Bronx who grow up below the poverty line in single-parent households, summer is just another reminder of what they don’t have.

Bronx Biz: Fordham BID Expands Sanitation Services

In plans unveiled at a press conference in September, the Fordham Road Business Improvement District (BID) announced plans to expand its sanitation services east on Fordham Road to Washington Avenue to include One Fordham Plaza (the property) as well as the outdoor vendors’ market. The services are also being offered north on Webster Avenue to include Cookies Department Store.

Passage: Reflecting on My Father in the Bronx

Michael Popowich Sr. was born on March 14, 1944, and lived until June 15, 2012. It is my sad opportunity to share this with his friends and neighbors in the Bronx. Dad grew up in Manhattan, and was raised by my Uncle Walter Kunick, who also lived in the Norwood section of the Bronx by the Reservoir Oval — the same neighborhood where I lived with my father for over 40 years.

Crime Watch: Police Video of Suspected Bedford Park Cell Phone Bandit

Since Aug. 27, police say one young man has robbed seven women, between the ages of 16 and 52, of their cell phones in Bedford Park. The suspect is being described by police as black, between 20 and 25 years old, between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs between 130 and 160 pounds. Police have video of the suspect (shown above) and are looking for help identifying and locating him.

Letter to the Editor: Stop “Stop and Frisk”

With respect to the front page story in your March 8 – 21 issue regarding “stop and frisk,” it seems that for a police officer to use his authority to stop and search anyone at random and without cause is truly reprehensible. No one should be subjected to random frisking at the whim of a policeman merely because he can. Ditto for detaining anyone for questioning without any good cause. There have already been numerous stories in the dailies about police overstepping their authority and this issue is no different. There are those who may call this racial profiling, but


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