Neighborhood Notes

Free Legal Services The Office of Councilman Andy King is hosting a free civil legal services mobile van for Bronx residents in front of his district office, 940 E. Gun Hill Rd., on Nov. 22 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Lawyers will be on hand to assist with family issues, immigration, and more. To set up a required appointment, call (718) 684-5509. Grants for Nonprofits Cleanup and improvement project grants valued at $1000 are available to neighborhood groups who apply. Applications are due Nov. 7. To apply, visit www.citizensnyc.org/grants/love-your-block or call (212) 822-9563. Gjonaj Mobile Van The Office of

The East 204th Street and Bainbridge Avenue Merchant Association, a business group representing the long line of mom-and-pop shops along East 204th Street and Bainbridge Avenue, put their heads together for their annual meeting. Community stakeholders, including Mosholu Preservation Corporation (publisher of the Norwood News) were on hand to lend support to the merchant group, with representatives from city agencies offering tips to keep streets clean and avoid penalties. Merchant associations are usually a precursor to a full blow business improvement district, which receives a budget for official marketing and extra sanitation services for the corridor. Check out the photos from Miriam

Editor’s Pick : Halloween Happenings The public is invited to an evening of Halloween fun on Oct. 31 for a party with music by DJ Krazy Rob, and featuring a costume contest and games with prizes at the plaza on Jerome Avenue and Mosholu Parkway North at 4 p.m.; and a trick-or-treat parade through the stores on Jerome Avenue and Gun Hill Road at 6 p.m. For more information, call (718) 324-4641. See additional listing of holiday ‘happenings’ under Halloween Events. Onstage Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance (BAAD), 2474 Westchester Ave., presents An Evening of Dance, featuring contemporary dance and folkloric

By JALEESA BAULKMAN

Stories telling of the exponential growth of the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center (MMCC) under the leadership of Donald Bluestone will no longer be the only way to remember the executive director after he retires in 2017. On Oct. 20, board members unveiled the renaming of a central point of one of MMCC’s campgrounds in upstate after Bluestone, sealing Bluestone’s enduring legacy that saw the neighborhood center impact the lives of thousands of young Bronx residents. “We decided that the best way to honor Donald was the camp,” longtime MMCC board member Natly Esnard said at a dinner honoring Bluestone. The

Hello Fellow Readers! The latest edition of the Norwood News, covering Norwood and its surrounding Bronx communities, is out with plenty of community news you can use. There’s plenty of news in this 16-page packed paper, so let’s get to it. We begin with a story on the internal politics happening at the local Community Board 7, which covers the Norwood section. Read about members extending the probationary period of its district manager, and learn what may have really triggered this animosity. Inside the cover, we look into the impact the NYPD fatal shooting of Deborah Danner of Castle Hill

By DANIELA BEASLEY

It was the kind of crucible Andrew Sandler thought he passed, only by the end of the night he realized he had more to go. Eight months after Sandler, Community Board 7’s District Manager, was hired, members voted on Oct. 18 to extend his probationary period into February 2017, continuing the fractious relations members have had with the rotation of its district managers in the last four years. Prior to the vote at the community board meeting, several people defended Sandler, criticizing the board’s experience with Sandler’s predecessors. Since 2013, CB7, which covers Norwood, Bedford Park, Kingsbridge Heights, Fordham, and

By DAVID CRUZ

The head of the city’s homeless services agency has launched a full investigation into the death of a newborn baby inside a pop-up shelter in the Riverdale section of the Bronx. Steven Banks, commissioner for the New York City Social Services Department, appearing at a forum with the CUNY Journalism School’s Center for Community and Ethnic Media, said the probe into the four-month-old’s death, is underway. The baby’s death is unclear, Banks told a room full of reporters that “we should await an outcome from the Medical Examiner’s report.” The body of Duane Pollard Jr. was found unconscious at the

By DAVID CRUZ

A somber Mayor Bill de Blasio told reporters that the NYPD fatal shooting death of a 66-yearold mentally ill woman from the Bronx “should never have happened,” citing the incident could have been avoided. And the questions kept coming: Why was a gun used over a Tazer, which the officer had? Why wasn’t Emergency Services Unit, which handles the mentally ill, brought in? “It’s not for lack of training,” de Blasio told reporters at a news conference that focused on the shooting. “There were decisions made that should have been made differently.” De Blasio condemned the actions of the shooter,

By Daniela Beasley

A beloved flea market run by the Bedford Park Congregational Church is back and better than ever, offering bargains on a number of items as part of its Annual Fun Fair set for Oct. 22. The fair runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at 3008 Bainbridge Ave. next to East 201st Street. This is the church’s major fundraiser of the year and has been running for several decades. The fair doubles as an opportunity for the community to contribute to the church, as well as a fun way for people to buy things uncommon in mainstream stores. “It’s