New Van Cortlandt Library, Twice The Size of Its Former Depository, Opens

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The grand opening of the new Van Cortlandt library, a quarter mile from its old site, took place on July 15, having officially closed its former smaller premises in June. To mark the occasion, colorful helium balloons swayed in the summer breeze and attendees tucked into a celebratory buffet while a human-sized, furry lion mingled playfully among staff, children, visitors and elected officials including Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Councilman Andrew Cohen, and Congressman Adriano Espaillat. “This was in the making for many years,” said Dinowitz. The new library, once a two-story apartment

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The City Department of Transportation (DOT) announced the Phase 3 expansion of its Citi Bike initiative on July 16, which will bring bike sharing to various South Bronx neighborhoods including Mott Haven, Melrose, Port Morris, Highbridge, Claremont, Morrisania, Longwood, Concourse, and Mt. Eden in the next year. Community Board consultation will start this fall and stations will be installed in 2020. DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg confirmed that a $100 million investment to expand the bike program through 2023 has been made by Lyft (Citi Bike’s parent company) which will also cover previously under-served neighborhoods in northern Manhattan, Brooklyn and

NYC Prepares for Impending ICE Raids. What You Should Know.

By SÍLE MOLONEY

With Norwood home to a burgeoning Bangladeshi and established Hispanic community, and the Trump administration’s promise for a major ICE raid of roughly 2,000 undocumented immigrants this Sunday, Mayor Bill de Blasio reaffirmed the city’s ongoing commitment to protecting immigrants by informing them of their rights, providing free legal services should they require them and reassuring immigrants that city agencies would not cooperate in any way with ICE officials. Speaking on the Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC on July 12, de Blasio said, “If anyone is afraid or concerned, you know, they can, whether their kids go to a school,

By SÍLE MOLONEY

NYC Health + Hospitals has confirmed that it plans to operate Jacobi Medical Center (Jacobi) and North Central Bronx Hospital (NCBH) under one license, subject to the approval of the state Department of Health (DOH). The news could make it easier for patients to be seen a lot faster, by cutting down wait times for patient transfers between the two publicly-funded hospitals. “The license merger will streamline the transfer process between hospitals for patients and the credentialing process for our clinicians,” said John Doyle, spokesman for NYC Health + Hospitals, “In short, it allows us to better navigate some regulatory

A Bengali Womens’ Empowerment Group Walks A Tightrope in Norwood

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Sanjana Khan and Ayesha Akhtar grew up just a block apart in Norwood. Both their families hail from the city of Sylhet in eastern Bangladesh on the Surma River. Yet, it took a Bronx Narratives event last August at the Bronx Museum of the Arts for the two to finally meet. A month later, they founded LAAL, a non-profit group supporting Bengali women in Norwood live healthy, engaged, joyful lives. The two women spent June 23 “womanning” the group’s table stand at the “Bangla Bazzar Street Fair”, which took place at Decatur Avenue and East 204th Street in Norwood. Together, with

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s fourteenth edition of the Norwood News is out with plenty of great community news stories to dive into and share. There’s plenty of news to report in this corner of the Bronx, and we’ve captured a good chunk of it. And as usual, we’ll start with page one! Our front-page story focuses on the results of the latest Community Board 7 elections, with board members going a different direction in voting for a new chair. Read about the new agenda for Emmanuel Martinez, the newly installed chair of Community Board 7 by myself and Síle Moloney.

By SÍLE MOLONEY

What’s happening in the southeast corner of Van Cortlandt Park? That’s what local residents and activists were asking since barricades were spotted in recent weeks along Jerome Avenue by East 212th Street in an area adjacent to the now infamous Croton Water Filtration Plant (CWFP), the most expensive public works project ever built by the city, one which went years behind schedule, cost taxpayers roughly $4 billion when it was finally completed in 2015, and now supplies the city with between 10 and 30 percent of its water. After some back and forth with various city agencies, it turns out

CB7 Sees Mix of New and Veteran Members to Executive Dais

By DAVID CRUZ and SÍLE MOLONEY

Community Board 7 saw a shift in civic power, as Jean Hill, who presided as chair of the northwest Bronx board, was voted out in favor of 31-year-old Norwood resident Emmanuel Martinez, a relative newcomer to the board. Several familiar faces have stayed on the executive dais, likely adding a mix of fresh ideas and institutional knowledge. Martinez currently serves as chair of CB7’s Veterans’ Committee, having recently hosted the annual Veterans’ Day Brunch, now in its third year. It’s unclear what the vote tally was as CB7 continues to ensure the proper vote count was met but 33 board

Merchants falling in the Jerome Gun Hill Business Improvement District (JGHBID), and supporters were on hand for the first-ever Small Business Recognition Barbecue hosted by the BID on June 21. The event honored longstanding or active merchants of the BID. Check out these fantastic shots by Síle Moloney