BP Report: Total Bronx Investment at $3 Billion

Just more than $3 billion in residential, commercial and institutional projects have been pumped into the Bronx in 2016, according to a newly released report, signaling a continued trend of a Bronx on the mend. But the report hedges its bets somewhat, throwing in its report the Kingsbridge National Ice Center project, which was mired in delays and near extinction last year. Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., which drafted the report and presented it at a forum focusing on development projects in the Bronx, included the $350 million project in the report nonetheless. The KNIC project stalled after developers

Brooklyn Man Charged in Shooting Death of Norwood Man

By DAVID CRUZ

Police from the 52nd Precinct have charged a 32-year-old man wanted in the shooting death of a Norwood man during the overnight hours of March 29. Jamal Burnel of the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn was charged with shooting the victim, identified as 46-year-old Michael Vermong, killed outside his home at 3110 Bainbridge Ave. at the corner of East 205th Street just before 3 a.m., according to police. He was pronounced dead at Montefiore Medical Center a few hours later. Police told the Daily News the incident started over drugs, and intensified with violence, with Burnel brandishing a gun and opening fire.

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By DAVID CRUZ

Montefiore Health System was stunned to learn the deaths of two patients who took their own lives a week apart. “We are deeply saddened by these recent events and our hearts go out to the affected families and staff,” a spokesperson for the widely utilized hospital, said. “In the wake of these two unrelated events, staff and family members are being offered grief counseling services. We will continue to monitor and support the families and our associates through this difficult time.” The latest incident happened March 28 at Montefiore’s Moses Campus in Norwood, which admits and releases a whopping 47,000

By DEBORAH CRUZ

Mixed emotions engulfed a recent Community Board 7 Housing/Land Use and Zoning Committee meeting when the Stagg Group, a housing development firm, sat down to present plans for a 13-story building to be built at the crossroads of Norwood and Bedford Park. Mark Stagg, CEO of the Stagg Group, and the firm’s executive vice president, Adolfo Carrion, laid out the plans for the Mosholu Grand, a 153-unit residence to be built at 150 Van Cortlandt Ave. The building gets its name from its proximity to Mosholu Parkway and the Grand Concourse. “We think this is a tremendous opportunity at the

Participatory Budgeting is once again under way in Councilman Andrew Cohen’s 11th Council District, which includes Norwood and Bedford Park, partially shifting a process that’s usually tasked by elected officials in a representative government and placing it into the hands of the electorate. The question posed to the public is simple: If you had $1 million to put towards physical improvements in your neighborhood, what would they be? For the past six months, a handful of residents have bounced that question around, coming up with a list of projects that can benefit their communities. During the last week of March,

By DAVID GREENE

A sea of blue intertwined with thousands of New Yorkers paying their final respects to fallen EMT, Yadira Arroyo, in a funeral procession on March 25. Arroyo died after being run over by a crazed man who hijacked her ambulance in the Soundview section of the Bronx on March 16. Thousands of firefighters and paramedics from several states lined University Avenue outside of the St. Nicholas of Tolentine Roman Catholic Church, at the corner of University Avenue and West Fordham Road in the Fordham section of the Bronx, to say goodbye to the 14-year veteran of the FDNY. Maria Perez,

By DAVID GREENE

With the recent closing of the CVS Pharmacy in Norwood, this week we asked readers their thoughts on the future of brick and mortar business and the impact the Internet is having on local businesses. I’m a cook professionally; businesses are always going to take losses regardless. Even in the cooking industry when you order food, you have to automatically look at that. Yes, businesses are in danger because people rely on technology too much. So what’s going to happen is people won’t be able to take care of their families, because there’s not going to be any work. We’re

Participatory Budgeting Residents age 14 and over, and living within the 11th Council District, which includes Norwood and Bedford Park, can vote for up to five construction projects proposed for the district under Participatory Budgeting. To vote, log on to http://council.nyc.gov/pb/. Immigration Forum The Legal Aid Society will host a Know Your Rights immigration forum on April 3 at 9 a.m. at Montefiore Health System’s Moses Campus, Cherkasky Auditorium, 111 E. 210th St. (East Gun Hill Road entrance). Free Gardening Classes The New York Botanical Garden will host a free home gardening program on April 2 from 9:30 to 11

By DAVID CRUZ

A major sewer project in Norwood is slated to have round the clock work taking place to speed up the process, which could be disruptive to residents’ sleep and their drinking water. Community Board 7 members approved the idea by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, where crews from the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC) have spent seven months excavating roads to replace century-old sewer pipes along Bainbridge Avenue. The approval clears DDC to obtain a nighttime work permit from the New York City Department of Transportation, which holds oversight on any work happening