Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The 22nd edition of the Norwood News , covering the Norwood section of the Bronx and its surrounding neighborhoods, is out! You can find them at 300 locations across the borough. We begin, of course, with page one and the election of now Councilman-elect Mark Gjonaj. Gjonaj, the Democratic nominee in the race for the 13th Council District, won his seat after spending $1 million. That number is significant since Council races ever get to that threshold. Find out who are some possible contenders for the soon-to-be vacant Assembly seat covering Norwood. Other inside the cover stories include Bronx

New St. Philip Neri Principal a Familiar Face in Norwood

By DAVID CRUZ

In the space of five minutes, Ajeia Beebe, new principal at St. Philip Neri Catholic School in Bedford Park, escorted a timid student out of a classroom, received a hearty “good morning Mrs. Beebe” from uniformed children walking down the hallway, and gave a top-down tour of the 104-year-old school. It’s been almost two months since Beebe came to the school, and she’s already feeling at home. In many ways, she is. It helps that a number of her old students at the school she’s previously worked at have now transferred to St. Philip Neri, making for a smooth transition.

Mary Vallati, Bedford Park Stalwart, Dies at Age 102

Mary Vallati was considered a gem in Norwood. She was seen as a fixture in the community and recognized for her devotion to bettering the neighborhood until her passing earlier this year. Now, members of the community are working to have a street renamed in her honor. Barbara Stronczer, president of the Bedford Mosholu Community Association, is urging community members to sign the petition in order to have the street renamed. She looks to take those signatures to present to Community Board 7 (CB7) to begin the process. She says, “We need 100 [signatures] in order for CB7 to give

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By DAVID GREENE

This week we asked readers exiting voting sites about their general experience on this Election Day. It was good because I came out early today, so I was in and out. They were very helpful. They had me in the back, and I’m all done. I’m not sure about the voter turnout today, and I don’t like the mayor. Jacqueline Alvarez Pelham Bay They were very helpful and had no lines. It was very organized, and the process was equally distributed in terms of workload so it was very efficient. No, I didn’t see any Russians. I don’t know

By WENDY JOAN BIDDLECOMBE

All that cash ultimately paid off. Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj, who set a new record for City Council spending, was elected to represent the 13th Council District on Election Night, securing 49 percent of the vote, and effectively opening his Norwood Assembly seat. Gjonaj, an Albanian American from Morris Park, defeated Republican challenger John Cerini, an accountant and community leader from Throggs Neck, as well as Marjorie Velazquez, the 82nd Assembly District Female Leader and Community Board 10 treasurer who ran on the Working Families Party ticket. Velazquez was backed by the current holder of the seat, the term-limited Councilman Jimmy

Garbage Truck Slams into Pedestrian in Norwood, Killing Him

By DAVID CRUZ

Detectives from the NYPD’s Collision Investigation Squad are still putting together the events leading up to an early morning truck accident that took the life of the still-unidentified man. Police say the victim was struck and killed by a dump truck, at 5:06 a.m. on Nov. 7, at the intersection of Jerome Avenue and East Gun Hill Road in Norwood. He was pronounced dead at the scene. After a preliminary investigation, investigators determined, “a 33 year-old male was operating a 2010 Peterbilt dump truck when the unidentified male mounted the front step (of the truck) and attempted to hold onto the right

Getting Into Nitty Gritty of Kingsbridge Ice Project Loan

By AARON MAYORGA

State officials are in the midst of finalizing a $138 million capital loan to the developers of the Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC) after a five-member board approved the measure during their latest meeting. During its Oct. 18 meeting, the Public Authorities Control Board (PACB), which supervises the activities of New York’s numerous public benefit corporations, unanimously approved the general project plan outlined by the state’s Empire State Development (ESD) agency. In addition to the $138 million loan commitment, the ESD plan also includes $26.4 million in historic tax credits and an additional $20.7 million in “other preferred equity.” All

Editorial: Who Will You Hire This Election Year?

Nov. 7 will be the day you exercise your right to vote. In the Bronx there are 11 contests (not counting citywide), most of which have already been won, thanks to the power the September primary has on the Bronx. The general election simply formalizes those victories. The race for Mayor is largely along the same line. In the August 31-September 13 edition of the Norwood News, we wrote that the incumbent, Mayor Bill de Blasio, is likely going to win the general election namely since the two challengers, Republican Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis, and Independent Richard “Bo” Dietl, carry very

By DAVID CRUZ

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. got an earful from scores of residents, merchants and even doctors largely opposed to the Jerome Avenue Rezoning plan, a complex and sweeping proposal intended to create more affordable housing across the west and southwest sections of the Bronx. The plan, now in the middle of a public review, is in the hands of Diaz who held a hearing Nov. 2 on the issue. The lofty proposal looks to rezone 92 blocks of Jerome Avenue between 184th and 167th streets. The plan covers a two-mile stretch along its commercial and major transit corridors within