Kiss Goodbye: Beso Lounge in Norwood Closes

By REGGIE FRANCOIS

A popular bar lounge in Norwood had its final hurrah the weekend of June 9, closing its doors after its restaurateur couldn’t agree on a lease renewal deal with the building’s owner. Gino Pacheco, owner of Beso Lounge, said the nighttime bar underwent renovations for three years and had been promised a lease for five more years. Despite a new owner buying the building for more money, Pacheco negotiated the lease in hopes for a similar lease deal he had when he first opened the business. The lounge’s original rent was $3,000 and the new building owner doubled the rent

Ahead of Mayoral Control of Schools Fate, Bronx BP Releases Report on G&T Inequity Fix

By DAVID CRUZ

Under a cloud over whether the fate of mayoral control of schools will be killed by the Albany Legislature, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and his Brooklyn counterpart released a report outlining ways to equalize the public school system’s gifted and talented program (G&T), claiming it grossly excludes minority students. “We are totally optimistic…that before 12 o’clock strikes tonight the Legislature will come up with mayoral control expansion,” Diaz, standing next to Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, said at a press conference in front of the New York City Department of Education (DOE) headquarters. “Should we go back to

Inspirational Stencils, Courtesy of Bronx Community Charter School Students

By DEVIN DAE TUCKER

Six graders from Bronx Community Charter School (BCCS) are taking on a year-end street art project, creating stencil art to be displayed around Norwood. They feel their artworks will have a powerful impact on the community. “I think any time kids have an opportunity to do something authentic and real in their own community, the benefits are huge,” said Kendra Sibley, sixth grade teacher at BCCS leading the class. “It is incredibly empowering to them to know that their work is appreciated and that their voices can be heard.” Students were able to incorporate their stencil art with a

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By DAVID CRUZ

A Pennsylvania man is coming at an end to his visit of several Bronx community boards, having brought a message he feels is given little publicity: If you’re a victim of sex abuse by a clergy member from the New York Archdiocese, you’re entitled to compensation through a temporary program set to expire at the end of July. For Shaun Dougherty, the New York Archdiocese has done little to promote it. “They should be shouting this from the rooftops. They have the means to make it very aware,” Dougherty, the man taking his message across the Bronx, told the Norwood

Plans Looks to Preserve Small Business Sector in Kingsbridge Heights

By REGGIANIE FRANCOIS

Members from different advocacy groups and small businesses owners took to the steps of City Hall Wednesday morning to speak on the lack of legal protections for commercial tenants and access to affordable spaces within their neighborhoods. This also includes the neighborhood of Kingsbridge Heights, where an impending ice hockey center at the Kingsbridge Armory threatens the existing commercial landscape, according to local shopkeepers. Christian Ramos, a member of the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition and vice president of the Kingsbridge Road Merchants Association, is originally from Ecuador and has been living in the Bronx since 2001. He opened

Greener Days in Hopes of Healthy Lifestyles at DeWitt Clinton HS

By DEBORAH CRUZ

The rainy weather could not keep students from DeWitt Clinton High School and volunteers to venture out and plant 35 fruit trees along the high school’s garden as part of a project to broaden healthier lifestyles in Norwood. Raymond Pultinas, the teacher and coordinator of the daylong event, applied for a grant from The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation three years ago. This year they were awarded a grant through Vitafusion to begin the massive planting. The initiative is part of a broader effort to encourage healthier lifestyles in a borough that’s still struggling in reversing the unhealthy trend. Pultinas, who’s

Ground Finally Breaks for Whalen Park Renovations

By DEVIN DAE TUCKER, DAVID CRUZ, and REGGIANIE FRANCOIS

Whalen Park in Norwood will finally undergo a near $1.7 million transformation it was promised years ago. The improvements are likely intended to revitalize the ‘dilapidated’ Bronx park. Officials and community organizers gathered Tuesday morning to officially break ground. “We want to make sure it’s multi-generational,” said Mitchell Silver, commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks, on hand for the groundbreaking ceremony. The renovated park, which is located on Perry Avenue between 205th and 208th streets is expected to include game tables, a playhouse, climbing rocks, a bicycle rack, new seating areas, a spray shower and a water fountain, according

Prepping for Mayoral Debate, Media Seeks Out Bronx Residents

By DAVID CRUZ

Media outlets from print, radio and television visited Lehman College on June 12 to hear what a handful of Bronx residents want to ask candidates in the New York City race for mayor. The questions will be used for several upcoming debates heading into the election season. Questions on homelessness, street policing, and double parking were on the minds of residents, with WCBS-TV’s Marcia Kramer, WCBS-AM’s Peter Haskell, and Daily News City Hall Bureau Chief Jillian Jorgensen hearing them out. The event was part of the citywide Debate Program organized by the New York City Campaign Finance Board (NYCCFB). Amy

Bronx Photographers Put on the Spotlight

A group of Bronx photographers are turning the cameras on themselves, with an extensive art show titled “Capturing the Bronx.” Among the photographers whose work is on display is Miriam Quinones, a freelance photographer for the Norwood News. The exhibit served as a kind of chronicle of the Bronx, with neighborhoods explored and recorded. An exhibit program noted that the reality of neighborhoods could change in the next few years. “[W]e also know that what is true today will be different, perhaps radically different for us and for the Bronx in a few years or even a few months,” read