Bedford Park Livable Neighborhoods Program Draws Big Crowd

By WENDY JOAN BIDDLECOMBE

How do we demystify the Bronx as being “thuggish”? How do you get more employees from Montefiore Medical Center to spend their hard earned dollars on Jerome Avenue during their lunch hour? How can we attract businesses that aren’t 99 cent stores? For the roughly 90 residents attending the Bedford Park Livable Neighborhoods Program on March 26, these were pertinent questions. The event, sponsored by Bronx Community Board 7’s Long Term Planning and Community Relations Committee, the Municipal Arts Society and New York City Small Business Services, had residents spend several hours learning how to better their neighborhoods. Presenters broke

By NOAH BERMAN

On a rainy Good Friday, Catholics from all over the Bronx gathered at the now merged Church of St. Brendan and St. Ann in Norwood in remembrance of the Catholic tradition of commemorating the death of Jesus Christ. The reenactment of the Stations of the Cross, a series of 14 images that depict Christ on the day he was crucified by the Romans, is marked by a solemn annual procession. It was first time parishioners of the now closed Shrine Church of St. Ann took part in the ceremony since the church closed last July. The live portrayal served

Editor’s Pick Circus Comes to the Bronx UniverSoul Circus will take place from March 30 through April 10 at 50 E. 150th St. (across from the Bronx Terminal Market at 149th Street and Exterior Street, next to the bridge). Events include motorsports, canines, bicycles, dancing elephants, aerial acts and more. Tickets range from $16 through $40 depending on venue and day. For more information and schedules, visit www.universoulcircus.com. Onstage Lehman College’s Center for the Performing Arts, 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W., presents Lehman Woodwind Quintet, performing classical music, featuring audience participation, April 3 at 2 p.m., in the Recital Hall;

By DAVID GREENE

Attending her first meeting of the 52nd Precinct Community Council in Norwood, newly elected Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark reiterated several new plans and initiatives for the borough to combat crime, while also shedding light into the continued backlog of cases at Bronx criminal courts. During the March 24 meeting at the 52nd Precinct stationhouse on Webster Avenue, Clark, the first female DA in the borough, admitted, “In the Bronx, we have the worst backlog and I’m working through that trying to make the office more effective and efficient.” Clark explained how she intends to restructure the office so one prosecutor takes a case from arraignment to prosecution,

By David Cruz

They’re back. More nighttime blazes have been reported at Williamsbridge Oval Park, after a mostly quiet winter. It was an item of discussion at the latest 52nd Precinct Community Council meeting on March 24, where Lieutenant Kevin Maloney pleaded with the public to help officers identify any suspect or suspects. Maloney cautioned a tightly packed room inside the stationhouse that “it’s only going to get bigger” if residents don’t report keep their eyes open. In all, six fires were reported to police. In some instances, arsonists used trash as a fire starter. No one has been injured. Reports of brush

Dear Loyal Readers, The Norwood News, the Bronx community newspaper bringing you plenty of community news you can use, is out with its seventh edition of 2016! This week we once again go back to Kingsbridge Heights and a faceoff brewing between city officials and developers of the Kingsbridge National Ice Center. Apparently, the city is not satisfied with an explanation from KNIC saying it has money committed for the project. The New York City Economic Development Corporation is asking, “Show us the money!” Ice developers now have 30 more days to present funds. We also bring you stories on the

By DANIELA BEASLEY

Police have arrested a woman, shown in a surveillance video, walking away with a purse left in a dressing room at The Gap store on Fordham Road. The suspected thief lived within 20 minutes of walking distance of the clothier. On Feb. 7 at around 1:30 p.m., Lissett Jimenez of Fordham is seen entering the dressing room where a 20-year-old woman left her purse behind. Video shows Jimenez later leaving the dressing room with the victim’s purse in hand. Jimenez was charged with grand larceny just over a month after the store reported the stolen purse taken from the store

New zoning laws championed by Mayor Bill de Blasio with the approval of the City Council now make it easier for developers to build affordable housing without the addition of parking units, which could vastly impact the hundreds of drivers who rely on street parking in Norwood. The complex zoning laws, falling under Zoning for Quality & Affordability (ZQA), and Mandatory Inclusionary Housing (MIH), are considered the DNA of de Blasio’s lofty Housing New York plan introduced in May 2014. The plan seeks to build 80,000 new units of affordable housing while repairing 120,000 more affordable units over the next

By DAVID CRUZ

For years, city officials and developers of the Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC) have been on the same page with respect to the impending project at the Kingsbridge Armory: They would like to see an ice center built. But until recently, the city has raised questions over whether KNIC has the proper financing needed to move forward with construction despite KNIC’s position that it does. KNIC was told to show it has the funding by March 25. But the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), the city’s real estate arm, is not convinced. It’s now given developers another month