Editorial: Foodtown’s Welcome Return

The absence of Foodtown in Norwood for the last 15 months has been deeply felt by thousands of local residents. The elderly, who were able to walk to the supermarket before the store burned to the ground in December 2009, were particularly burdened by the loss. But the store has emerged bigger and better with a much wider array of offerings and more room for residents with walkers, strollers and shopping carts to maneuver.

New, Improved Foodtown Rises From Ashes

Norwood’s popular Foodtown supermarket which was razed in a suspected incident of arson at the end of 2009 is back in business. The store, now 50 percent larger with many more offerings, has taken up two neighboring storefronts that were home to a diner and a dental office that were also destroyed in the blaze.

Bedford Park Seniors Facing Loss Of ‘Second Home’

Proposed budget cuts could shut down 105 senior centers citywide this year, 22 of which are in the Bronx, including the Sister Annunciata Bethel Senior Center, also known as the Bedford Park Senior Center, and the Van Cortlandt Senior Center. Local politicians are gearing up for a fight, while regulars at the Bedford Park center, on East 204th Street near Mosholu Parkway, emphasized how devastating the loss would be.

Five Schools, One Team, One Walton Campus Spirit

As the seconds ticked down to zero in the Walton Campus’s thrilling 57-53 home court victory in the first round of the boys basketball city tournament, fans, coiled from the intensity of the game, rushed the court, hugging players and coaches and each other. A group of students formed into a circle centered with spontaneous dancers near midcourt. They chanted: “Wal-Ton! Wal-Ton! Wal-Ton!”

Patrick Boyle, Who Led St. Brendan’s, Dies at 70

Monsignor Patrick Boyle, the folksy former pastor of St. Brendan’s Church in Norwood, died last week at the ageof 70 after a battle with cancer. Boyle, a Bronx native, spent almost 30 years at St. Brendan’s—first as a priest and then as pastor from 1987 to 2002.

A Street Named Inspiration

The more Allison Richardson sees and hears about her mother Phyllis Reed’s impact — on the lives she touched and the community she loved — the more she feels guilty. Last week, thanks to the efforts of Councilman Fernando Cabrera, the city officially recognized local activist Phyllis Reed’s indelible impact by re-naming the corner of Davidson Avenue and Kingsbridge Road “Phyllis Ivonne Reed Plaza.” The signage hovers over Reed’s Armory plot like a guardian angel.

Two Local Fires Cause Damage, Injuries

Firefighters at the scene of the fire at New Sweety nail salon on DeKalb Avenue. (Photo by Rachel Sander)

A pair of local fires last week, one at a nail salon near Gun Hill Road, the other at a women’s shelter on the Grand Concourse, inflicted damage to businesses and injuries to at least two small children and a firefighter. Fortunately, no one died and the damage was limited.

No Easy Fix for Gun Hill Road Congestion Problems

Earlier this month, inside Mosholu Montefiore Community Center in Norwood, local residents and traffic engineers stood over maps of Gun Hill Road, one of the city’s most congested corridors, and brainstormed ideas. Anything that might ease the flow of traffic or increase pedestrian safety was on the table. The brainstorming session followed a presentation of traffic data collected by the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT), which is using federal funds to get to the root of the congestion problems on Gun Hill Road and hopefully come up with some solutions. The presentation basically reenforced what local residents have long observed:

Cabrera Introduces Tenants Rights Bill

Bronx Councilman Fernando Cabrera introduced a bill in the City Council last week that aims to protect tenants against landlord abuse by informing them of their rights under the law.