Keeping DeWitt Clinton Campus Safe, NYC PA Reveals Worst Landlord Watch List: Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

By DAVID CRUZ

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s final edition of the Norwood News is out with plenty of community stories to read and share. We’ve crammed plenty of news into this 28-page paper, so let’s begin with page one! Our top story focuses on improving safety at DeWitt Clinton Campus in the aftermath of a stabbing that happened on Nov. 20. Hear what the commanding officer has to say on the plan to keep students secure. Inside the cover we update you on the 15th Congressional District race, and a much-needed endorsement for candidate Samelys Lopez. Read up on why the New York City

Gates Place Tenants Unveil Anti-MCI Sign, Ratcheting Up Against Landlord

By DAVID CRUZ

The banner sign that hung diagonally above Silvia Estulillo captured her fellow tenants’ story: “Rent Strike; No Mas MCIs,” referring to Major Capital Improvements that took effect shortly after the landlord’s $1.9 million, top-down renovation of the six-story building on Gates Place in Norwood. It wasn’t easy for Estulillo—who’s joined in the MCI strike—to share her story, bursting into tears after speaking openly on the ongoing strife she and a handful of tenants, fueled by gumption, have had to endure. Last year, the tenants decided not to pay for the MCI fees they say are too costly. “We’re working. We’re

In Fight to Debunk Census Myths, MMCC Secures Grant (Picture)

By DAVID CRUZ

Mosholu Montefiore Community Center (MMCC) is among the 150 groups slated to receive a financial boost in its quest to ensure everyone is counted in the U.S. Census, which is slated to touch off in March under new methods of getting counted amid the political climate that’s been hostile to undocumented immigrant communities such as Norwood. Lenora Sealey, MMCC’s director of support services, is mapping out what the organization will do with the $150,000 boost it received from New York City as part of a coordinated effort in ensuring New Yorkers are counted. So far, the monies will be earmarked

Carmen Corrigan, 40-Year Norwood Stalwart with Love for Mosholu Parkway, Dies at 79

By DAVID CRUZ

Carmen Corrigan, a longtime Norwood resident who carved a life for herself in the neighborhood–married and raising two sons, one of whom went on to an established movie and television career– while also establishing herself as a prolific artist mesmerized by the neighborhood, died on Nov. 30 at age 79 after a long fight with cancer. Corrigan is best known for her body of work that immortalized the borough’s landscapes, notably Mosholu Parkway, the lush greenway serving as the cornerstone to the neighborhood’s character. Over the years, Corrigan became something of a loving stalwart for Norwood, updating her old neighbors

By DAVID CRUZ and JONATHAN CUSTODIO

Perhaps this commercial should’ve done some fact-checking before releasing this video out. A heartwarming commercial by Nike featuring the highly utilized Williamsbridge Recreation Center and its impact on young people aired some glaring mistakes on the Norwood center run by the New York City Parks Department. Intended to promote the center in partnership with the Parks Department, the ad features multiple youth, who are presented as representing the Bronx, described as a “Williamsburg local.” Though it is a popular area of Brooklyn, there is no Williamsburg section of the Bronx. There was once a Williamsbridge section of the Bronx, which

Extra Police Incremental Dismissals Ideas on School Safety Bounced Around After Stabbing

By DAVID CRUZ

The 52nd Precinct’s commanding officer pledged to maintain safety outside DeWitt Clinton Campus during dismissal time following the stabbing of a 16-year-old boy on Nov. 20 shortly after school, prompting a meeting between engaged parents, elected officials and their representatives, and officers two weeks following the incident. The meeting was called by Sirio Guerino, the former PTA president for Bronx Collaborative High School, which is housed inside the campus along with DeWitt Clinton High School (DWCHS) and Worldview High School. The city Department of Education recently approved the opening of a D75 school to operate in the campus. For Guerino,

Samelys Lopez Gets Endorsement From NYC Democratic Socialists of America

By DAVID CRUZ

Giving her candidacy a much-needed boost, Samelys Lopez received the backing of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America (NYC-DSA) in the race for the South Bronx’s 15th Congressional District seat. The endorsement, coming roughly six months before voters head to the polls, comes with a heavy volunteer base that’s ready to pound the pavement for Lopez, whose campaign is among those on a shoestring budget. The New York chapter currently boasts a membership of 5,500. “In a country with unsustainable levels of income inequality, worsening health outcomes and profound housing insecurity, and in a world with dangerously rising

A Solemn Goodbye to a Community Activist, MTA Reroute Bus Plan, and More: Latest Edition of the Norwood News is Out!

By NORWOOD NEWS

Dear Fellow Readers, The year’s twenty-fourth edition of the Norwood News is out with plenty of community stories to read and share. We have 28 pages packed full of news from this corner of the Bronx, so let’s start with page one! Our top story focuses on the death of well-known community activist Heidi Marie Schloegel Hynes. Hynes lost her battle with cancer at 51 years old on Nov. 24. Though she may have passed, her legacy will continue to inspire many activists across the Bronx, according to her supporters. Inside the cover you’ll read a piece on the MTA’s proposed bus route revamp

Heidi Hynes, A Model for Community Activism, Passes Away at 51

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

Heidi Marie Schloegel Hynes, 51, executive director of the Mary Mitchell Family and Youth Center [MMC] in Crotona died on Nov. 24 after a battle with cancer. She lived in Bedford Park with her husband Brian and daughter Frieda, leaving behind a legacy of community service that inspired many activists across the Bronx. Heidi was born on Jan. 19, 1968 in Kansas City, MO. She married Brian Hynes in 1995 and lived in Bedford Park since then. “I think the key to understanding Heidi and her commitment to activism came from the realization that there was nothing wrong with the