WWII Tribute for Dominican-Born Soldiers Unveiled at BCC

By JOSEPH KONIG

Bronx elected officials welcomed 10 diplomatic officials from the Dominican Republic at the Nov. 2 grand opening of the nation’s first monument for Dominican veterans of World War II. The monument, funded in part by $400,000 in state and local funding secured by Councilman Fernando Cabrera, is located on the campus of Bronx Community College (BCC) in University Heights. “More than 300 Dominican men and women risked and sacrificed their lives for the United States during World War II,” Cabrera, who is part Dominican, said. “These soldiers have been largely left out of U.S. history and I believed their rightful and

Five-Two Part of New Major Offensive Against Mailbox Fishers

By JOSEPH KONIG

Crime Prevention Officer Frank Pacella has spent much of the last few weeks visiting at least 60 U.S. Postal Service (USPS) mailboxes within the 52nd Precinct. At each stop, Pacella pulls out a clipboard and jots down the locations of nearby security cameras he’s spotted. The initiative is the most recent step taken by the NYPD to combat mail fishing, a tactic thieves use to steal checks and commit identity fraud. The order came down from the NYPD’s Crime Prevention Division ahead of the start of the holiday season, when rates of mailbox fishing and other mail fraud typically increase.

From Internship to Job, How MMCC Trains Young Workforce

By CHRISTY RAE AMMONS

The modest basement room at Mosholu Montefiore Community Center (MMCC) was packed with young people, some there to celebrate their accomplishments and some to congratulate their peers. The mothers who sat in the corner beamed with pride while they took photos on their phones of the ceremony. After 12 weeks, this group of young adults, ages 17 to 24, was graduating from MMCC’s Intern and Earn, a program funded by the city Department of Youth and Community Development. Among the crowd was Peyton Wendell. After attending Mount Saint Michael Academy in Wakefield, Wendell was unsure if enrolling in college was

By JOSEPH KONIG

Latin pop icon Gloria Estefan came to DeWitt Clinton High School on Oct. 30 to talk about an urban farming program she hopes to export to her hometown of Miami. The Norwood campus has the largest student-run hydroponic farm in New York City, supported in part by Teens for Food Justice, a New York-based non-profit. Estefan is working with Teens for Food Justice to bring the program to public schools in Miami. “I can envision this growing. I can only imagine how great it would be if all our public schools had some kind of [urban farming program],” Estefan said.

SEE PICTURES: Thousands Attend Tour de Bronx

An estimated 6,000 bicyclists took to the streets on Sunday, October 28, during the 24th Annual Tour de Bronx, that kicked off at East 163rd Street and the Grand Concourse. The free event hosted by the Bronx Borough President’s office gave cyclists two courses: a 25-mile or 40-mile tour around the Bronx. Both tours ended at the New York Botanical Garden on Southern Boulevard, who held an ‘after ride’ festival with free pizza and live music. The tour allowed residents and out-of-towners to check out the borough’s many hilly and flat-land neighborhoods. As emphasized, the tour was considered just

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

Bedford Park Photos Wanted The Bedford Mosholu Community Association is accepting photos of the Bedford Park neighborhood to go with its application to the Historic Districts Council. The application seeks to begin an effort to preserve Bedford Park from further development. Photos can be sent to bedfordmosholu@verizon.net. Canned Food Drive The office of Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, 3107 Kingsbridge Ave., is accepting canned goods for its annual food drive. Thanksgiving donations will be accepted before Nov. 14; donations for the Chanukah, Christmas and Kwanzaa seasons will be accepted through Dec. 12. All proceeds will be delivered to Kingsbridge Heights Community Center

By By ELIOT SCHIAPARELLI of WFUV

Credible Messengers to Bring Cautionary Tales of Gang Life to Belmont The Norwood News, WFUV radio, and BronxNet Television have partnered to bring you a five-part series on gangs in the Bronx and their implications to their communities. This past summer, Lesandro “Junior” Guzman-Feliz was brutally murdered by gang members affiliated with the Trinitarios in a case of mistaken identity in Belmont, drawing massive media attention and spurring the hashtag #JusticeforJunior Freddy “June” Charles Jr., a so-called “credible messenger” at the Morrisania-based “Release the Grip” (RTG), said no one should die like that. When news of Junior’s murder broke, he

VOLUNTEERS WITH THE Citizenship Project help foreign-born Bronx residents properly fill out their federal applications for U.S. citizenship status. The group was at Tracey Towers on Oct. 13 at the event sponsored by Councilman Andrew Cohen (right).

In the Public Interest

By DAVID CRUZ

Blake Announces PA Run Assemblyman Michael Blake, who, along with representing the 79th Assembly District while pushing a national Democratic agenda as vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee, is throwing his hat into the race for New York City Public Advocate. The Public Advocate’s seat will officially be up for grabs come November since the current advocate, Letitia James, won the Democratic nomination for state attorney general. With an overwhelmingly Democratic state, James’s shot at winning the AG seat is all but secured. Should Blake win the advocate seat, it will open the door for his Assembly seat. The