Inquiring Photographer: City Control of Subway System

By DAVID GREENE

With New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson recently proposing the city take control of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), amid the agency’s plan to raise weekly and monthly fares, we asked readers if this would make a difference in terms of service. If they fixed things I would pay a little more. They always say the same thing, but you never see the improvements. Maria Fermin Norwood Yes, I think that would be a good idea. It’s always very slow, both the bus and trains and they’re always fixing it. The problem is too many people not working

Struggling Kingsbridge Heights Strip Could Get Leg Up With Small Business Bills Package

By EMILY SUZANNE LEVER

With evictions of business tenants on the rise across the city, particularly in the Bronx, City Council members looked toward solutions during a meeting of the Committee on Small Business on March 18. And the benefits could be felt in Kingsbridge Heights’ financially squeezed business corridor. In a preliminary budget hearing, the committee discussed some bills aiming to protect commercial tenants by passing laws similar to those protecting residential tenants. Other proposals focused on information-gathering, such as a proposal for a database tracking empty storefronts. “These businesses are key to the ability to start a new life and eventually enter

With Live-in Super, Stagg Tenants Scratch Off Major Grievance

By JOSE A. GIRALT

After an unrelenting pressure campaign on the owner of 2985, 2987, and 2999 Webster avenues to provide a live-in super to respond to complaints quickly, tenants finally got one, rectifying one of their biggest complaints spoken about over the last few months. In a growing list of grievances by tenants against the Stagg Group, owner of the three-building complex, collectively known as Bedford Park Manor, many of those revolved around the lack of an on-site super to attend to maintenance and repair issues in a timely manner. Austin Graham, director of business development at the Stagg Group, said, “We want

Complaints Grow on Much-Delayed Jerome Avenue Retaining Wall Project

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Walking along Parkview Terrace parallel to Jerome Avenue, there is no shortage of people complaining about the $15 million construction project that has inconvenienced them since fall 2015. The complaints range from limited crosswalks, to excessive noise, to lost patience in city promises of quickly finishing the project, which began nearly four years ago. As Kevin Gonzalez walks his Doberman along Parkview Terrace, he points to the orange and white concrete barriers that narrow the space enough for a vehicle to pass through. “I was almost hit by a car right there,” says Gonzalez. Gonzalez has similar complaints of

By DAVID CRUZ

It was a dramatic scene on Webster Avenue near Fordham Road as crews battled a raging fire that destroyed a 24-hour Laundromat and several other businesses. The fire happened at noon on March 22, with fire crews saying it began at Express Laundry, a 24-hour Laundromat that’s been there for nearly 20 years. Fire crews were spotted on the ladder hosing down the property that included a Domino’s Pizza. A beauty parlor, deli store, and a locksmith business suffered some flooding damage. Fire can be smelled as far away as Lehman College. More than 160 firefighters and EMS personnel responded

By DAVID CRUZ

The NYPD is looking for a man who sucker-punched an 89-year-old man in Hull Avenue on March 9. Police say the incident happened that day at around 1 p.m. when the suspect and victim got into an argument. The argument intensified after the suspect was seen on video punching the victim, and pushing him to the ground. He then took off in an unknown direction. Reports say the suspect was a pizza delivery man, carrying what appeared to be a pizza delivery bag. The victim suffered a busted lip, and declined medical attention. Meantime, the suspect is described

SEE PICTURES: Cardinal Dolan Visits Norwood Head Start Program

By NORWOOD NEWS

Cardinal Timothy Dolan came to Norwood last week to visit young children at the Msgr. Boyle Little Angels Head Start on Perry Avenue. The Cardinal is celebrating a decade as serving as head of the Archdiocese of New York, the Catholic Church’s second largest diocese in the United States. It’s comprised of nearly 300 parishes that serve around 2.8 million Catholics. Photos were taken by Jose A. Giralt.

Pressure Campaign Leads to On-Site Super at Bedford Park Manor

Snow Postpones Stagg Meeting at Community Board 7

By JOSE A. GIRALT

After mounting pressure on the owner of 2985, 2987, and 2999 Webster avenues to provide an on-site super, tenants will have one within the next 30 days, according to an email announcement by the Stagg Group, which owns the properties. In a growing list of complaints by tenants against the Stagg Group, many of them revolved around the lack of an on-site super to attend to maintenance and repair issues in a timely manner, the announcement by the Stagg Group addresses the issue directly. “It is our goal that with a live-in super, your apartment repairs will be tended to

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By PROF. ANTHONY RIVIECCIO, MBA PFA

Did you know a junkyard owner can deduct the cost of cat food as a business expense? Did you know if you have a service animal or guide dog you can deduct the cost of buying, training, and maintaining it? Finally, did you know if your pet becomes an Internet sensation you might be able to deduct related costs as business expenses? Now, noticed I wrote business expenses? Yes, we can deduct our animals! But! Your pet’s activities must be considered a business–not a hobby–for expenses to be deductible. The IRS has a very strict multi-step procedure they use to