Long Time Resident Killed in Decatur Blaze

A Saturday afternoon fire on the top floor of a five-story Decatur Avenue building in Norwood claimed the life of 37-year-old resident Chris Podesta who died of smoke inhalation, according to the medical examiner’s office.

New Program Targets Bronx Asthma Rates

Local State Sen. Jeff Klein is teaming up with the Department of Education to combat sky-high childhood asthma rates in the Bronx, saying the breathing disorder is not only hazardous to children’s health but to their education, as the ailment is a leading cause of chronic absences in schools.

Norwood Walks Aim to Build Community, Commerce

Hosted by Community Board 7 and Mosholu Preservation Corporation, Summer Streets is a city initiative designed to bring community and commerce together on streets throughout the five boroughs.

At New Dance Studio, Empowerment in Pole Dancing

Jeanette Cardona originally planned on naming her new Webster Avenue dance studio and boutique Casa Cardona. But considering the studio’s offerings, which include instruction in both belly and pole dancing, Cardona decided instead to take a risk and be bold, maybe even a little risqué, in naming her new business. Armed with a catchy new name, RizzQue Studio and Boutique, and a diverse arsenal of dance clothing as well as traditional, risqué and kid-friendly dance classes, Cardona’s Norwood-area studio is thriving. “Yes, I make sexy clothes, but it’s not about being erotic,” she says, “it’s about pushing yourself and unleashing


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Missing Piano Helps Nabe Find Its Voice

By JORDAN MOSS
As the Norwood News reported two weeks ago, the pop-up piano provided by the nonprofit, Sing for Hope, in Williamsbridge Oval Park was reported stolen after consulting with local Parks Department staffers . But a few days later, detectives from the 52nd Precinct learned from witnesses in the park that that a Parks Department sanitation crew picked up the piano, thinking it was a discarded instrument.

A Place Where Mexican Cowboys Can Suit Up

Along the ethnically-diverse enclave that is the stretch of the Grand Concourse between 182nd Street and Fordham Road, lies Mario Martinez’s shop Rudy El Vaquero, a palce where Mexican Cowboys can buy clothing.

Woodlawn Cemetery Named National Landmark

On June 30, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that Woodlawn Cemetery, along with 13 other sites across the country, was designated a National Historic Landmark.

Govt. Hopes Gruesome Warnings Will Scare Off Smokers

A series of new and graphic warning labels will start appearing on cigarette packages this fall, part of a federal effort to encourage more Americans to quit smoking and deter new smokers from taking up the habit.