Report: Majority of Kingsbridge Road Merchants Rent Burdened

By EMILY SUZANNE LEVER

Evy Viruet started to think something was up when she kept getting phone calls from business owners on Kingsbridge Road about people coming around and taking pictures. “We figured they were up to something,” said Viruet, a small business organizer for Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition (NWBCCC). Owners of Kingsbridge corridor businesses soon found ads on the real estate listing site Loopnet.com that offered 2 through 12 W. Kingsbridge Rd. and 2647 through 2659 Jerome Ave. up for sale, specifying that “existing tenants are month to month.” Many tenants in those buildings also have no commercial leases at all.

By MARTIKA ORNELLA

The Bronx Buccaneers youth football team has regained rights to practice on Saturdays this spring at Williamsbridge Oval Park. An official permit was issued in the Bucs’ name by the city Parks Department’s Bronx office. For the Bucs and the community supporting them, the permit is a welcomed end to their months-long battle to stay at the Oval. In December, the Buccaneers’ coach, Keith Spivey Jr., shared an online petition detailing the Bucs’ removal from the Oval by their former vice president, Richard Hernandez, current commissioner to the Corsairs Football League, the long-time permit holder. The Bucs were to be

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

Heating Assistance Applications for the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) for older adults and low- and middle-income New Yorkers will be accepted by local departments of social services. Eligibility is based on income, household size and how the home is heated. Residents can apply online at https://on.ny. gov/2Fn062M and mail it to NYC DSS/HRA/ HEAP, P.O. Box 1401, Church Street Station, New York, NY 10008. For more information, call (212) 331-3126. Free Tax Prep Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, 3450 DeKalb Ave. offers free tax return service Mondays through Fridays from 4 p.m. Those who made $54,000 or less in 2018

Contest Looks to Tap Into Bronx’s Culinary Talents on Salad Dressing

By DAVID CRUZ

Throw in a dash of community gardens, a pound of culinary imagination, and a cash prize and you have a recipe for a contest seeking the next great salad dressing. The Bronx Canasta, a contingent of Bronx-based food and social justice groups, has announced a contest that seeks Bronx residents to create their own salad dressing and marinade recipe. Contestants will craft their recipes using ingredients grown at local community gardens grown across the Bronx. Organizers have taken the pains of prepping a recipe by simply having them submit them online. The contest has drawn interest from elected officials, including

By DAVID CRUZ And ALONDRA VASQUEZ

DeWitt Clinton High School’s alumni association is troubled over a proposal by the city Department of Education to add a special education high school to the campus for the next school year. While the group doesn’t object to the program, they’re worried it will significantly diminish the Norwood school’s presence as it begins to hit its stride. DOE spokesman Doug Cohen confirmed to the Norwood News the agency’s consideration, writing in a statement that it will “continue to work closely with the [Community Education Council] and the entire school community throughout this process to address any feedback and ensure we’re

Editor’s Pick Free Flea Market Bedford Mosholu Community Association is sponsoring a free flea market at Saint Mary’s Orthodox Church of India (corner of Bedford Park Boulevard and Decatur Avenue), March 9 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Available will be new and used items including gifts, china, bric-a-brac, jewelry, books, toys, housewares, electronics and more. Homemade cakes and cookies as well as a raffle will be available. For more information, visit bedfordmosholu@verizon.net. Onstage Lehman College’s Center for the Performing Arts, 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd., W., presents Currents by Mayumana, directly from Israel, March 3 at 4 p.m., inspired by

By SHA-NIA ALSTON

DeWitt Clinton High School alumnus Kid Mero of Morris Heights, whose birth name is Joel Martinez, and his co-host Desus Nice of Wakefield, whose birth name is Daniel Baker, have had a lot of success these days, branching from Twitter to their podcast, the “Bodega Boys,” and now a late night television program on Showtime. Norwood News reporter Sha-Nia Alston caught up with the pair, ahead of their Showtime premiere Feb 21. for a brief Q&A that focused on their Bronx roots. NN: Who are Kid Mero and Desus Nice? Describe yourself. DN: We’re just two guys from the Bronx

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s fifth edition of the Norwood News with plenty of community news you can use. We’ve packed 20 pages full of useful information. As usual, we’ll begin with page one! Our front-page story brings you to Norwood and the temporary, though inconvenient, closure of the local post office. This is the third time the Van Cott Station closed, forcing residents to utilize other post offices. David Greene hears from the the United States Postal Service and residents, who fear a stinky situation has brewed. Inside the cover you’ll find a recap of the latest State of the

By SHA-NIA ALSTON

The family of a Belmont teen horrifically stabbed to death joined Councilman Ritchie Torres and members of NYPD Explorers program in a street renaming ceremony less than a year from the time the teen was killed. The corner of East 183rd Street and Bathgate Avenue in Belmont was renamed Junior Guzman-Feliz Way, in memory of Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz, who was killed directly across where the sign bears his name. Junior, 15 at the time, was stabbed last summer outside of a local bodega allegedly by members of the Trinitarios gang. Video surveillance shows Junior being pulled out of