First of all, a Happy New Year to everyone out there! We here at the Norwood News are looking forward to an action-packed 2013 on our Breaking Bronx blog, where we will be ramping up our coverage of all things Bronx.

Just a quick refresher for those coming to this site for the first time: The Norwood News is a nonprofit community news organization dedicated to providing high-quality and hyper-local news and information to help build the communities we serve and empower local residents. Our primary coverage area includes all of the neighborhoods in Bronx Community Board 7 and the 52nd Precinct, which consists of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham-Bedford, Fordham, University Heights and Kingsbridge. We also cover other city and borough-wide stories and issues that are relevant to our readers in the northwest Bronx and beyond. In addition to our coverage of local schools, politics, development and crime, we have a heavy focus on community health issues.

Our Breaking Bronx blog is an evolving source of news and information with stories from our print edition mixed in with new original reporting and other features, including this, our (week)daily Bronx News Roundup, and Bronx Notes, a (week)daily post that includes useful information about local meetings, events and programs.

Now, on to the news!

Last year ended sadly on New Year’s Eve in the Bronx with a fatal early morning fire that killed three people, including 12-year-old Jahvonte Smith, 73-year-old John Debro and 71-year-old Annetta Isaac, the Daily News reports. June Debro — John’s wife, Jahvonte’s grandmother and Annetta Isaac’s sister — survived after jumping from a third-story window. Jahvonte, who’s 15-year-old sister also survived, aspired to be the next Michael Jordan, DNAinfo reports.

Also on New Year’s Eve: A 23-year-old native of Albania, Erion Mecani, was found shot and killed, execution-style, in his father Cadillac, the NY Post reports.

Bronx doctor Renee Hernandez has created the Bronx’s first distillery since Prohibition, NBC Latino reports.

Parents and students are fighting the Archdiocese plan to ax St. Jerome School, a Bronx school that is one of 26 area schools the Archdiocese wants to shutter, CBS News reports. (Our Lady of Angels in Kingsbridge Heights is also on the chopping block.)

A Bronx woman stands accused of soliciting donations under false pretenses to help aid victims of the Newtown, Conn. massacre, the Daily News reports.

An ex-con tries to help wayward youth at a South Bronx boxing gym, the NY Times reports.

Starlight Park, tucked between the Bronx River and the Sheridan Expressway and closed for the past decade, is about to re-open with a fresh new look and local residents are excited, the NY Times reports.

There was snow for last week’s Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Syracuse was apparently better prepared for the conditions and trounced West Virginia.

That’s it for today. Tune back in tomorrow and every weekday for the Bronx News Roundup. Send links and tips to us at norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org.