Hello…Goodbye; School Lifts, Then Restores Cell Phone Ban After Rules Broken

By KWESI SAMPAH

The ban on cell phones in New York City public schools was lifted by the de Blasio Administration on March 22, 2015. Although the ban was lifted, school principals were given discretion over lifting or keeping the ban in their respective schools. Bruce Abramowitz, the principal of the High School of Computers and Technology, one of six small schools at the Evander Childs Educational Complex in the Williamsbridge section of the Bronx, lifted the phone ban in his school on the condition that they would be used during lunch, after school or when given permission in a class by a

By AMBER PEREZ

Christian Garcia would’ve turned 21 on March 15, 2016. Last August, friends and family held a candlelight vigil in his memory in the Soundview neighborhood of the Bronx, where Garcia had lived. He was shot in the chest and killed at a park in Soundview on Aug. 2, 2015, a victim of street violence. Since he died, a hole has been left in the hearts of his family and many friends. “I didn’t think it was real. Like, I had just spoke to him a couple hours before he died. Then all of a sudden I get a call that

By DAVID GREENE

Detectives from the 52nd Precinct are searching for four individuals are said to be connected to the stabbing death of a young man in broad daylight on a street in the Bedford Park section of the Bronx. Police were called to the side entrance of St. Mary’s Orthodox Church along Decatur Avenue off Bedford Park Boulevard at 7 p.m. on May 11. The victim was discovered lying on his back a few feet from a bicycle. Investigators say the victim, identified as Daniel Peña, was attacked in the courtyard of 2953 Decatur Ave. before escape his attacker. Peña, who lived a block away from where police had

By DANIELA BEASLEY

After learning of the recent down zoning of a portion of streets in the neighborhood of Woodlawn, the Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation (FBHC) is now fighting even more for portions of Bedford Park to receive the same outcome. A request was put into the New York City Department of City Planning (NYCDCP) to down zone 202nd and 203rd streets five years back when other areas of Bedford Park underwent rezoning. The request called for R5B or R7B zones to be adopted on these narrow streets, mandating developers to put up structures at the same height as the century-old houses that

Dear Loyal Readers, The latest edition of the Norwood News, covering all things northwest Bronx, is out with plenty of community news you can use. We begin, as always, on page 1 with an in-depth story on the 52nd Precinct’s newest commanding officer, Deputy Inspector Peter Fiorillo, who succeeds Inspector Nilda Hofmann. Read where Inspector Hofmann landed (it’s a very interesting place), and her thoughts on the borough she had once called home. Inside the cover you’ll read results on participatory budgeting, politics in the Bronx, and the latest in the Kingsbridge Armory saga. We’ll also bring you Bronx Youth

COMMUNITY BOARD 7 will hold its general board meeting on May 17 at the Rain Bailey Senior Center, 2660 Bailey Ave., at 6:30 p.m. CB7 committees are held on the following dates at the board office, 229A E. 204th St., at 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted: Traffic & Transportation Committee meets on May 12; Veterans Committee on May 12 at 7:30 p.m.; Housing/Land Use & Zoning Committee meets on May 18; Environment & Sanitation Committee meets on May 25. For more information, call the Board office at (718) 933-5650. THE 52ND PRECINCT COMMUNITY COUNCIL meets May 26 at a to

Candidates in the race for the 13th Congressional District seat, sprinting to secure votes ahead of the June primary, gathered to address community concerns in a debate framed as a town hall forum. Organized by the Muslim community, the forum featured two hours of outbursts, gang-ups, and comings and goings. The crowded field of candidates, including Mike Gallagher, Clyde Williams, ambassador-at-large Suzan Johnson Cook, state Senator Adriano Espaillat, Sam Sloan, Adam Clayton Powell IV, state Assemblyman Keith Wright, and Yohanny Caceres, converged at the Sanctuary Grand Hall at 2773 Webster Ave. in Norwood to plead their stances at the event

By NOAH BERMAN

Oh baby! In a combined initiative by the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), NYC Health + Hospitals/North Central Bronx (NCB) has been deemed “baby friendly.” “The ‘Baby Friendly’ designation demonstrates that North Central Bronx provides the highest levels of care to both mothers and babies,” acting hospital chief executive officer Maureen Pode said. “Patients are in the best hands from the moment they walk through our doors as we set the standard in supporting and maintaining excellence in maternity and neonatal care,” she said. The label was designed to recognize hospitals that demonstrate

By DAVID GREENE

In light of a major gang bust in the Bronx, this week we asked readers their thoughts on street gangs in the Bronx and how to fix this major issue. I had a problem with gangs and I had to move in 1986 from my place on Westchester Avenue and Jackson Avenue. It’s different now; it’s much better now. Everyone does everything now quiet, but there are more gangs today. You don’t see it like you did in the 1980s. I don’t see any gang movement today, but we have a lot of drugs in the area. Rafael Ojeda Bedford