Jerome Park Memorial Event Planned for Saturday, April 9, for those Lost to COVID-19

By SÍLE MOLONEY

A coalition of community groups and residents, including Friends of Jerome Park, will hold a memorial event to honor all those lost to COVID-19 to date, as the country surpasses a second year of the pandemic. The event takes place at University Avenue and Reservoir Avenue (at Fort Washington Walk) in Jerome Park, on Saturday, April 9, at 1 p.m. and all are welcome to attend. On Oct. 23, 2021, a tree-planting ceremony took place at the same location to memorialize all victims of the COVID-19 pandemic. Marianne Kraft, one of organizers of Saturday’s event, said trees were the

By SÍLE MOLONEY

A virtual memorial event is to be held, via Zoom, on Thursday, Feb. 24, at 6.30 p.m. to honor the memory of former Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) member, Jeffrey Hunter. Chad Royer, Bronx CB7 Veterans Affairs committee chair, Raul Gonzalez, Amjad Mujaahid, Alan Delfish and Emmanuel Martinez, chair of Bronx CB7, collectively organized the event, the details of which are included further below in a flyer. In the context of its announcement, Royer explained that some veteran partners organized the event as they wanted to honor Jeffrey Hunter. “He was a dedicated member of Bronx Community Board 7’s

By ELLEN MARY LAWRENCE

Rose Margaret Moran, long-time Bronx resident of Decatur Avenue in Norwood, passed away peacefully on Sunday, Feb. 6, 2022, at the age of 90. Born on July 20, 1931, she was the daughter of James Moran and Ellen (Neville) Moran. Rose was the epitome of the song, “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling.” As a young girl, she traveled with her mother and younger sister, Mary, by steam liner back to the family farm in Ireland. They lived there for a year, learning the culture and heritage from her beloved grandparents. Rose taught elementary and middle school for nearly

By JULIAN NAZAR

At the first Veterans Affairs committee meeting of Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) of 2022, one of the main goals of the meeting was to find out if the issues raised by Fordham Village residents at previous meetings had been addressed. As reported, residents at Fordham village had complained about a lack of cleanliness, a lack of heat and hot water on a consistent basis, an out-of-service elevator, high staff turnover, and loss of veteran staff over time. Located at 355 East 194th Street in Fordham Manor, Fordham Village was the first veterans’ community residence of its kind in

By SÍLE MOLONEY & DAVID GREENE

New York Congressman Ritchie Torres (NY-15), and New York Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09) announced that on Friday, Feb. 4, they introduced federal legislation to address manufacturing issues with space heaters. The “Safer Heat Act” (H.R. 6615) comes as a result of the recent Twin Parks North West apartment building fire that stole the lives of 17 New Yorkers, including 8 children, as reported, and one day before another 2-alarm fire was reported in the University Heights section of The Bronx on Saturday. According to Torres and Clarke’s offices, the new bill is part of a federal legislative

By SARAH HUFFMAN

Lehman College student, Sera Janneh, 27, was among the 17 victims of the Twin Parks North West residential building fire which broke out on Sunday, Jan. 9, in the Fordham Heights section of the Bronx. Janneh was a sophomore at Lehman and was majoring in psychology and minoring in early childhood education. As reported by The New York Post, Janneh’s father, Tijan Janneh, said his daughter got separated from the family, during the fire, as they tried to escape the burning building. Firefighters later told him that his daughter had died. Lehman College released a statement on Thursday,

By DAVID GREENE

Hundreds of Muslim worshipers packed the Islamic Cultural Center, located on Clay Avenue in the Morrisania section of the Bronx, on Sunday, Jan. 16, and thousands more stood shoulder to shoulder, wearing traditional Muslim clothing and face masks, to pay their respects to 15 of the 17 victims killed in the horrific Twin Parks North West fire tragedy on Jan. 9, as reported. As mourners jammed into several blocks along East 166th Street, the funeral and prayer service was attended by many high-ranking, City and State elected officials, including Mayor Eric Adams. As briefly reported, despite the frigid temperatures

By MONICA RICHARDSON & SÍLE MOLONEY

It has been almost three weeks since the deadly Twin Parks fire tragedy occurred in the Fordham Heights section of the Bronx, tragically taking the lives of 17 people, including 8 children, mostly of Gambian descent. Since then, Bronxites have mobilized to mourn and honor the victims, support the survivors, all while facing more tragedy in the form of gun violence across the borough. The NYPD confirmed 63 people were injured in the Twin Parks North West blaze, which, according to a report by The New York Times, was the deadliest since the Bronx’s Happy Land Social Club tragedy, which resulted

By SÍLE MOLONEY &. DAVID GREENE

Norwood News has received eye witness reports that around 3 people required medical assistance, possibly due to frostbite or heat or stress-related illness, during the funeral and prayer service held on Sunday morning, Jan. 16, for the 17 victims, including 8 children, of last Sunday’s tragic fire in Fordham Heights, as reported. Eye-witnesses told Norwood News during the service, which began at 10 a.m. on Sunday morning, at the Islamic Cultural Center, located at 371 East 166th Street in the Morrisania section of the Bronx, that around 3 people attended to by EMTs and reportedly treated in an ambulance,