Serve’s Up! Tennis and Camaraderie Found at Oval Park

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Before the start of the third season of Papi Tennis at Williamsbridge Oval Park, its founder Daniel Arzuaga, is busy clearing the puddles left from an overnight rain. “There’s a real community aspect to tennis because it’s played all over the world,” says Arzuaga. As members of the group begin to appear on the nearly dried courts, the special bonds of the participants are clear as they hug, say hello, and laugh before the more advanced players start their serves accompanied by grunts and yelps. “I like to think of this group as a tennis family,” Arzuaga says. Founded in

New Anti-Gang Initiatives Added to Five-Two’s Arsenal

By DAVID CRUZ

The presence of gangs across the 52nd Precinct’s jurisdiction has become something of a staple. While the weight of the police force can put a stopgap to gang culture that leads to arrest, the agency has expanded its use of anti-gang groups that, while not necessarily falling under the NYPD, have been given carte blanche to stymie gang violence. And they’ve begun to make their way to the 52nd Precinct. David Caba, program director for Bronx Rises Against Gun Violence (BRAG), falling under the umbrella of Good Shepherd Services, leads the newest anti-gang initiative within the precinct’s borders. Introducing the

Editor’s Pick Bronx Week Parade The public is invited to join the free Bronx Week Parade on Sunday, May 19 which closes out a week of borough activities and events. Marchers stroll along Mosholu Parkway from Hull Avenue starting at 11:30 a.m. to Van Cortlandt Avenue. Invited are celebrities, marching bands, community organizations, schools, sports teams and civic groups. The parade is followed by a Food & Arts Festival offering food for purchase, hand-crafted and specialty items, free health screenings and health insurance information. For more information on the week’s events, visit www.ilovethebronx.com. Onstage Bronx Library Center, 310 E. Kingsbridge

In Front of Bronx Housing Court, Advocates Bolster Benefits of Right to Counsel (Picture)

By DAVID CRUZ

As rent reform continues to be debated in the Albany Legislature, housing groups across the Bronx are spreading word on the city’s already established Right to Counsel law, which advocates say tenants may still be unaware of even as it’s helped many stay inside their home. The law, passed by the New York City Council in 2017 and fully implemented by 2022, offers tenants facing eviction with a free attorney to represent them in Bronx Housing Court. Still, families living within the Bronx zip codes of 10457, 10467, 10468, and 10462—where Right to Counsel has been activated—have still been evicted.

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s tenth edition of the Norwood News is out with plenty of great community news stories to dive into. There’s never a dull moment in the Bronx, and we’ve captured a good chunk of it. And as usual, we’ll start with page one! Our front-page story looks at the results of the annual Participatory Budgeting process that’s become a staple for Councilman Andrew Cohen. The results were unveiled on May 6, with some surprising results. Read the story by Emily Suzanne Lever and myself. Inside the cover you’ll find a piece on Assemblyman Michael Blake, who has ties

Bronx Week Underscores Borough’s Best With Three Honorees

By NORWOOD NEWS

What does a musician, prizefighter, and planetary scientist have in common? They all had roots in the Bronx. And they’re being celebrated for it by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. during the perennial Bronx Week celebration. Though the name implies seven days of highlighting the finer points of the borough, Bronx Week is actually an 11-day event that begins May 9. Diaz Jr. will be honoring the following individuals on May 19, whose names will be immortalized in the Bronx Walk of Fame located on the Grand Concourse near East 161st Street: Regina Spektor Born in the Soviet Union,

The $1 Million in Participatory Budgeting Results Are...

By EMILY SUZANNE LEVER and DAVID CRUZ

Norwood Councilman Andrew Cohen announced on May 6 that he’ll be contributing funds for bus countdown clocks, pothole repairs, and technology upgrades for public libraries as per the public through Participatory Budgeting initiative. The projects add up to $600,000, part of the $1 million the public has a direct say in spending through the initiative. The lion’s share, about $400,000, will go towards safety upgrades at Woodlawn Playground, with no specific projects for Norwood, unlike years before, which saw improvements to the Mosholu Public Library. “No projects specific to Norwood were available to vote on,” said Cohen, at a news

At French Charley’s Park, Dead Bodies Reveal Park’s Dark Side

By EMILY SUZANNE LEVER, DAVID CRUZ, and DAVID GREENE

On the morning of April 26, police found the body of a man who had apparently hanged himself from a railing on the stairs leading down into French Charley Park, the sprawling 718-acre park that connects Norwood to Allerton. He was not the first dead body to be found in that park this year. A stone’s throw away, on the Metro-North tracks that run under the bridge to the park entrance on East 204th Street and Webster Avenue, the decomposed body of another man was found, his body decayed and frozen. Though unrelated, the two deaths add to the mixed

Out & About: Specialized High School Workshop

Editor’s Pick: DOE Rep at Mosholu Library The Mosholu Library, 285 E. 205th St., hosts a NYC Department of Education representative to inform and answer all your questions about Specialized High Schools admissions on April 27 at 1 p.m. Learn about requirements for acceptance (info and to rsvp: (212) 637-8080 or email to shsat@schoolsnyc.gov). All are welcome. For more library information, call (718) 882-8239. Onstage Lehman College’s Center for the Performing Arts, 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd., W., presents Complexions Contemporary Ballet, April 27 at 8 p.m., performing Star Dust, a David Bowie Tribute (tickets: $25 to $45; $75/VIP; $10/ages to