A Norwood Man’s “Can”-Do Attitude

By DANIELA BEASLEY

At 5 a.m. each morning, Alfonso Barbedio Puma of Norwood is out to clean some Bronx streets. To do his part. He doesn’t employ the usual broom-and-dustpan method, but uses his hands instead. Every day for the last three years, Puma picks up bottles and cans, or “latas,” an off-the-books living that he and others from Latin America have taken on throughout the borough. It’s the only job available, said Puma, not because of his status—Puma entered the U.S. from his native Ecuador legally—but his age. At 76, Puma feels the effects of ageism with no one looking to hire

The Norwood section of the Bronx was aghast with ghost, goblins and superheroes on Halloween, with separate events taking place in the community and surrounding neighborhoods. Check out these pictures from Miriam Quinones, which showcase events sponsored by the Jerome-Gun Hill Business Improvement District, the New York City Parks Department, Mosholu Preservation Corporation (publishers of the Norwood News, and Montefiore Health System. [URIS id=22069]

Hotel in Norwood Continues Burgeoning Trade in the Bronx

By DAVID CRUZ

In the span of six months, Norwood has seen an uptick in construction along Webster Avenue, a corridor that for years was primed for steady economic growth unseen in the neighborhood. New affordable housing residences complemented by a storefront pepper tiny pockets of the stretch, heavily rezoned to welcome such properties and the working to middle class families developers hope to attract. And while cafés, restaurants, and a bookstore, priority businesses, are still in waiting, other considerations have been met. Among them is a hotel, the second along the corridor. Just what kind of hotel remains to be seen.

COMMUNITY BOARD 7 committee meetings are held on the following dates at the board office, 229 E. 204th St., at 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted: Executive Committee meets on Nov. 1; Public Safety & Quality of Life Committee meets on Nov. 3; Education & Youth Committee meets on Nov. 3 at 7:30 p.m.; Senior Services Committee meets on Nov. 9; Parks & Recreation Committee meets on Nov. 9 at 7:15 p.m.; Traffic & Transportation Committee meets on Nov. 10; and the Veterans Committee meets on Nov. 10 at 7:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 933-5650. BEDFORD MOSHOLU COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION

By DAVID GREENE

Ahead of the Nov. 8 General Election, we asked readers their thoughts on the recent debate and the 2016 Presidential election. I don’t like Donald Trump, and I’m confused because I don’t know who’s doing right. They’re confusing me; it seems like they’re both dishonest. I’ve never seen an election like this, it’s crazy. I’m concerned about talk of more war and talk of implanting a chip in people that can be scanned; I don’t agree with that. Maybe I’ll vote for Hillary, I don’t know. I would only vote for her because I don’t like him. Trying to send

By ANTHONY RIVIECCIO, PFA, MBA

What’s Pay Per View again? Some time ago, I wrote a series of articles about why one should, as the phrase goes, “cut the cord.” As a society, yes, our “entertainment” (since the 1980s), has blossomed into the world of cable TV. Thirty years later, whether it is news, sports game shows or movies, we now call it “video” or “streaming.” Because of our hunger for live or video entertainment content, cable companies have expanded their channel rosters to 372 channels at a supposedly introductory price of $99.99. Now, you want to show off, that’s fine. Keep the 372-channel version.

A producer with BronxNet, commonly seen working the phones behind the scenes, is once again stepping in front of the camera to produce a show for the Latino community. Nosotros, a new program celebrating the contributions, culture and legacy of the Latino community in the United States, particularly the Bronx, is debuting on BronxNet in October. The program features intimate profiles of amazing people, highlighting their life, struggle and success in the community. The focus will be on distinguished leaders and famous personalities as well as unsung heroes. Nosotros is televised on BronxNet Ch. 67-Optimum and Ch. 33-FiOS, Tuesdays at

How do you perceive the mentally ill? Is there sympathy? Frustration? Perhaps both? For those who barely deal with the mentally ill, frustration supersedes all emotions. That frustration lies when a sufferer’s emotions or actions defy logic and social conventions. It’s particularly misunderstood by those who barely interact with the mentally ill altogether, never taught that conditions like obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, depression and bipolar disease, are the result of an involuntary chemical imbalance that renders the sufferer helpless. It’s a disease where its symptoms are not so apparent, and where the fight for normalcy happens in the cerebral arena.

By DANIELA BEASLEY

Two local kids with a passion for leading a healthy lifestyle and a desire to educate others on the importance of nourishing one’s body the right way made a splash in Norwood with the advent of a new brand of water. Princeton and Brazil Dowe, a pair of seven-year-old twins, have set out to make kids more aware of what they’re putting into their bodies with the launch of Water2Kids, a label that specifically targets children who may be unware of the health benefits of water. The product was conceived after the Dowe family watched a health news segment on