CVS Store in Norwood’s East Gun Hill Road to Close March 4

By DAVID CRUZ

Customers at a CVS store in Norwood were shocked to learn one the pharmacy on East Gun Hill Road will close its doors. Stephanie Cunha, a spokesperson for CVS, confirmed the store at 310 E. Gun Hill Rd. near Perry Avenue will close on March 4. citing “a business decision.” “Customers will not experience any disruption in service,” Cunha said in a statement, adding the CVS Pharmacy at 732 Allerton Ave. will continue to “provide convenient pharmacy services to our customers.” There the pharmacy can “quickly and easily transfer their prescriptions to any other CVS location.” Outside the pharmacy, Hilda Nieves,

By DAVID CRUZ

Nearly three years after the Archdiocese announced the closure of Shrine Church of St. Ann, church officials announced it will close the school resting above the now-defunct church. In a message posted on its website, the Archdiocese of New York announced the Bainbridge Avenue school will “cease operations at the end of the current academic year,” citing a cost-saving move. The school is one of three Bronx catholic parishes set to close by the end of the school year. “St. Ann School, Visitation School, and St. Mary School students will have the opportunity to continue their Catholic education at St.

By DAVID GREENE

A steady stream of customers old and new have been paying their respects for the last several weeks, as the news spread that Norwood’s iconic McDwyer’s Pub would be closing after half a century. Eamonn McDwyer, or “Eddie” to his friends, was just 29 years old when he opened his saloon on St. Patrick’s Day, 1966, at the corner of East 204th Street and Hull Avenue. In the final days, he was surrounded by friends as workers removed a television and pinball machine, a rarer find in the Bronx. Jeffery Cohen, an attorney who represented McDwyer in his failed battle

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

By WENDY JOAN BIDDLECOMBE

The days of grabbing a pint at the last Irish bar in Norwood might be numbered. A dispute between McDwyer’s Pub and its landlord, 3120 Hull Realty Corp., has been working its way through Bronx Housing Court all this summer. A trial to determine whether Eamonn McDwyer’s neighborhood saloon can stay or go is scheduled for Sept. 15. McDwyer’s Pub opened at 331 E. 204th St. at the corner of Hull Avenue in 1966. McDwyer’s attorney, Jeffrey Frank Cohen, said that the landlord is claiming that the bar is on a month-to-month lease. Cohen, who agreed to discuss aspects of

By DAVID CRUZ

With loudspeakers booming, hundreds of Muslims in the northwest Bronx converged onto Williamsbridge Oval Park en masse on Sept. 12 for the fifth annual celebration commemorating Eid-Ul Adha. Muslims, dressed in religious wear and kneeling to the north, heard the words of the local imam, Masjid Ikbal, for an hour-long ceremony on the grounds of the multi-use field. The holiday, known as the “sacrifice feast,” is the holiest Muslim holiday of the year and tells the story of the Prophet Abraham’s dedication to Allah. After Abraham sacrificed his son, Allah replaced Abraham’s son with a ram. The story has inspired

By DAVID GREENE

Students and fellow teachers gathered to say goodbye to a beloved Norwood teacher who passionately pushed scores of students to follow their dreams and pursue their goals. Ramon Cabrera Mojica, 52, was a teacher by trade. He taught art and fashion design and was the fashion designer and coach to contestants of the Miss Puerto Rico Pageant at the National Puerto Rican Day Parade in Manhattan. “His death is a loss to the entire community,” said Benjamin Torres, Mojica’s best friend and roommate. According to Torres, Mojica battled liver cancer and died in Manhattan on Aug. 5. Mojica taught at

A popular deli in Norwood has reopened after being shuttered for six days following an alleged food stamp fraud scheme, shocking residents who frequent the eatery. But the owner and his associates who are all related still face a slew of charges after several family members were arrested in an early morning raid on June 24, followed by a second raid the following day at the man’s home. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office confirmed that five family members face grand larceny and conspiracy charges for allegedly bilking the federal government out of $296,000 worth of food stamps. Police stormed into the

By DAVID GREENE

The owner of a popular deli in Norwood faces a slew of charged after he and several others were arrested in an early morning raid last week, followed by a second raid the following day at the man’s home. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office confirms that the entire family has been charged in a $296,000 food stamp fraud scheme. Police stormed into the AKS Halal Deli and Grill at 319 E. 204th St. on June 24. The popular deli boasts a large spread of hot food for its regulars and passersby. Police say the owner, Ali Shahzad, 61, was taken into