Uprooted Trees in Mosholu Park Reignites Debate over Golf Club-House Site Boundary

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Just like her neighbors, 74-year-old Norwood resident, Silvya Parodi relies on the leafy surroundings of Mosholu Park for her physical and mental well being. Prior to the enactment of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s statewide PAUSE order, the vast, tree-lined, green zone served as a welcome sanctuary from the City’s daily hustle and bustle. When the shelter-in-place restrictions came into effect in March, that lifeline to nature became even more vital to Parodi, and a local community craving some semblance of normalcy amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “Sometimes I go sit in the park and talk to some old person that is

By Síle Moloney

District Manager, Ischia Bravo, is calling on Bronx Community Board 7 residents to complete a brief survey, to better assess the needs of residents and match them to services and/or resources during the pandemic. The collated feedback will help the Board to get resources to those who need them. Click here to access the survey.

City Takes Steps to Improve Safety at Shelter. But Where’s the Data?

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Peace officers trained by the NYPD have been assigned at the Jerome Avenue Men’s Shelter (JAMS), but it’s unclear whether it has made a difference since city data provided shows an overall decline of crime around shelters in the Bronx. Previously, the 200-bed men’s shelter for the mentally ill had contracted a security team of eight guards from a private company to ensure safety at the facility. The new peace officers from the New York City Department of Homeless Services (DHS) are overseen by NYPD and are considered better trained to deal with security issues including arrest procedures and restraining

By JOSEPH KONIG, DAVID CRUZ, and CHRISTY RAE AMMONS

A non-profit housing developer is open to reducing the size of planned projects on long-contested lots on East 202nd and East 203rd streets after pushback from Community Board 7, according to a revised proposal draft obtained by the Norwood News. The new proposal would shorten the building on East 202nd Street from 11 stories to 9 stories, shrinking the number of units from 164 to 139. In the original proposal, the East 203rd Street building was planned to be 8 stories with 164 units. It is unclear if the revised proposal will reduce the size of the 8-story building, but

Dear Fellow Readers, The latest edition of the Norwood News, covering the Norwood section of the Bronx and its surrounding neighborhoods, is out with its last edition of 2017! It’s certainly been a ride. To refresh your memory of some of this year’s happenings, we encourage you to take a look at our editorial. It’s worth a read. But let’s get back to the beginning and page one! On Dec. 19, Bronx Community Board 7 finally found another district manager. This time it’s Ischia Bravo, who becomes the first female district manager since the late Rita Kessler. Her hiring was met

Community Board 7 Finds New District Manager...Again

By DAVID CRUZ

Ischia Bravo, the former executive director of the Bronx Democratic County Committee (BDCC), was hired as the new district manager for Community Board 7, becoming the fifth district manager for the board in the last five years. Her hiring was met with some questions over whether she was truly fit for the job. Bravo, who’s hiring was approved by the board 16 to 3 with nine abstentions, succeeds the late Andrew Sandler, who resigned from the job three weeks before passing away from cancer in August. “Helping my neighbors on behalf of the community board is deeply personal for me,” Bravo,

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

The Norwood News took a look back at 2016’s first editorial, “Welcoming 2016 With Predictions on New Round of Stories,” which forecasted stories for the next 12 months. With that, we look back on these predictions and what really happened: Securing the Oval: 2015 saw more and more police making arrests at Williamsbridge Oval Park, a park frequented by hundreds daily. Fires tormented police for months, but have since subsided. That’s a good thing. Safeguarding the park, a key source of entertainment for a largely working class community, is critical. If a populace fears a park, it will only signal

By DAVID CRUZ, WENDY JOAN BIDDLECOMBE, and JALEESA BAULKMAN

The Bronx political landscape stayed on course in the northwest part of the borough, with incumbents and frontrunners predictably winning in the September Democratic Primary, a contest that closely predicts the outcome of Bronx races in November’s General Election. The victories once again signaled the party machine at work, as major support and campaign money helped secure victories for the favorites. 36th Senate District The 36th State Senate District, covering Norwood, Bedford Park, Wakefield, Edenwald, Co-Op City, and Mount Vernon in Westchester County, saw Jamaal T. Bailey edge out four other contenders in a decidedly easy victory for the young

By TATYANA TURNER

While plans for the Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC) are on a holding pattern pending lawsuits, Bronx residents affiliated with labor unions are making sure that jobs for the $350 million project go to them. Union representatives, community advocates, and residents marched around the Kingsbridge Armory, the expected home of KNIC, chanting “Let’s Keep the Fight” in response to the pending decision of whether or not union jobs will be used to help repurpose the 750,000-square-foot space. The Clean Slate, Rebuilding America, and Laborers International Union of North America were some of the unions represented at the protest on June