15th Congressional District Candidates to Appear at LGBTQ Center Forum

Neighborhood Notes: Free Immigration Service

By DAVID CRUZ

The Democratic candidates for the 15th Congressional District race will be showing up to a forum tomorrow night to explain their positions. The Bronx’s LGBT Center Destination Tomorrow extended invitations to all the candidates, with Samelys Lopez, Melissa Mark-Viverito, Frangell Basora, Assemblyman Michael Blake, David Philip Franks Jr., Councilman Ritchie Torres, Jonathan Ortiz, and Chivona Newsome, despite not yet filing paperwork to run for the seat, are confirmed. “We hope to focus on…poverty, homelessness, survival sex work, immigration, and police interaction in LGBT communities,” said Redemption L’Ouverture, the forum organizer, who began organizing the discussion back in September. The group,

By DAVID CRUZ

The killing of Edgar Perez in August has finally produced a person of interest. Police at the 52nd Precinct are now tracking the whereabouts of 20-year-old Alexis Flores (pictured left), wanted in the shooting death of Perez during the overnight hours of Aug. 25. Perez had been shot while outside a baptism party for his granddaughter being held at the Church of the Holy Nativity on Bainbridge Avenue between Rochambeau Avenue and East 204th Street. The new lead comes three months after Perez’s son, Edgar Jr., said the police have given him little in the way of an update. Edgar

Tracey Towers Residents Wonder How Their Complex Became Little Ghana

By DAVID CRUZ

Tracey Towers is known for its robust representation of Ghanaian Americans new to the country or second or third generation. And their ample presence—complete with their own tenants association and yearly events highlighting the colorful culture of the West African country—has earned it a cute name among residents: “Little Ghana.” The fun fact has extended beyond the looming towers and to published works, where one book, African & American: West Africans in Post-Civil Rights America, mentions Tracey Towers as being home to “literally hundreds of Ghanaians and became the basis for the development of the most recognizable physical enclave of this

By DAVID CRUZ

As the 15th Congressional District race gets closer to its midpoint, it’s at this point (or perhaps even sooner) where Democratic candidates have laid out a platform they hope can resonate with voters of the district that covers virtually the entire Bronx. The Norwood News reviewed all the positions of confirmed candidates to that were made available on their websites. Here’s the list, which out of fairness, is an unedited, straight cut-and-paste look at their positions, complete with syntax and grammatical errors: Ydanis Rodriguez: Rodriguez’ campaign website, doesn’t explicitly lay out a policy agenda, though the language used on his site

By MARTIKA ORNELLA and DAVID CRUZ

The Bronx witnessed so much transformative change we’d be remiss not to mention how the borough fared this past decade. The paper pored over the last ten years to recap some of the more high-profile stories that have left a lasting impact on the Bronx. Development Within the last 10 years the Bronx has seen an enumerable population growth, coinciding with a historic development boom with lingering questions on housing security and affordability. Between 2010 and 2017, the Bronx became the fastest growing county in New York State, with over 86,000 new residents, bringing the estimated population to around 1.5

Sholem Aleichem Makes Plea for Costly Roof Replacement Funds

By DAVID CRUZ

Whenever rain trickles into the Sholem Aleichem Cultural Center in Norwood, the blame is squarely put on the one-story building’s aging roof. It’s been the case for the last few years. Repairs would certainly follow, but David Braun, co-president of the center who teaches Yiddish language at Columbia University, acknowledged it was simply patchwork. A full replacement project is now in order for the small center at 3301 Bainbridge Ave. near East 208th Street, and raising the funds can’t be done alone. The nearly 71-year-old nonprofit center, which houses its institution’s archives dating back to the 1930s, is now engaged

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s first edition of the Norwood News for the new decade is out with plenty of community stories to read and share. We have packed 28 pages full of news from this corner of the Bronx, so let’s start with page one! Our top story takes a look back at 2019 with our annual Year in Review. We pored over some of the top stories that kept our attention for 2019, including some stories that barely made any news. And with 2019 closing out the decade, we decided to take a look at some impactful stories from 2010

Diaz Sr. Favors Keeping Rikers Island Open, Will Vote Against Neighborhood Jail Plan

By DAVID CRUZ

In his run for the 15th Congressional District Assemblyman Michael Blake secured an endorsement from the union representing the city’s municipal workforce, immediately turning the support into a fundraising plea. District Council 37 (DC37), a division of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, represents 9,000 employees in the South Bronx district he looks to run. It’s unclear, though, how many of those members are currently registered to vote. Crossing guards, social workers, and accountants, are just some of the jobs that make up DC37. Henry Garrido, executive director of DC37, said Blake’s campaign for “level playing field”

By DAVID CRUZ

Following years of requests from Bronxites, the MTA is now committed to installing three more elevators along the 4 and B/D lines, complementing an already announced project slated for the 4 line’s Mosholu Parkway station in Norwood. The MTA announced that the Kingsbridge Road and Burnside Avenue stations on the 4 line are expected to receive the elevators. The Tremont Avenue station on the B/D line will also get a station. The news builds on the number of stations slated to receive the wheelchair-accessible equipment, which originally had been set to 48. On Dec. 19, MTA New York City Transit