by Olivia Young

The Norwood News —  a biweekly paper serving Norwood, Bedford Park, Jerome Park, Kingsbridge Heights, Fordham and University Heights — is on an “indefinite hiatus,” according to Daniela Beasley, executive director of the Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center which oversees the publication.

Editor-in-chief Síle Moloney and photographers David Greene and Miriam Quiñones sat atop a large stack of the Norwood News’ last issue Aug. 28, taking turns carrying bundles from the office porch to Greene’s car for delivery.

Staff members have become like family over the years, said Quiñones, who joined the team around 2014. The three draped their arms around one another, reminiscing on urgent calls and rushing to cover what was impacting readers most that day, from fires to shootings to community events.

Quiñones said she didn’t expect the hiatus and asked how all of a sudden, those in charge of the paper can just say “that’s it.”

In July, Montefiore said Norwood News would be ceasing its print publication, but that online publication was expected to continue. In response to the indefinite hiatus of both its print and online publications, a spokesperson for Montefiore was unable to provide any further detail, and referred to the initial statement.

“Montefiore is proud to have supported the Norwood News for nearly four decades,” the hospital’s spokesperson said. “But as financial headwinds continue for healthcare systems like ours, we must direct all our resources to our core mission of delivering world-class care and critical services to those who most depend on us.”

Greene said until the hiatus was announced, he still had hope the online publication would continue. He started an online petition last month calling for Montefiore’s board of directors to reconsider, and stressing the importance of the paper to community members.

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the Norwood News has operated with “minimal resources” and an “ever-diminishing team,” still managing to publish around 20 stories per week online, as well as the print edition, the petition said.

The petition pointed to articles with a tangible impact, such as May coverage of fire victims in Belmont who fought for animals left behind in a burned-out building — eventually leading to the rescue of two cats and a turtle — as well as a January story about two Botanical Square buildings without gas services, which got an elected official involved to help expedite repairs.

Though it garnered 327 signatures, nothing came of the petition.

A contributor to the Norwood News for about three decades, Greene told The Press he also became the delivery driver in 2010, and routinely delivered roughly 15,000 papers to about 150 sites across the Bronx each print cycle.

The shock of the hiatus has worn off, Greene said, and now he is just disappointed.

Moloney declined to comment, but Greene described her as the “hardest working person in the news business,” and Quiñones said she is someone who “always has your back.”

The Norwood News’ last issue included testimonies applauding its coverage from local elected officials including Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark, Council members Pierina Sanchez and Eric Dinowitz, state Sens. Robert Jackson and Gustavo Rivera, and Assembly member George Alvarez. Representatives praised the paper as a trusted voice and community record that will be deeply missed.

Several residents — from Norwood, Bedford Park and Morris Park — were also quoted expressing their disappointment. Tony Enamoredo said he never missed an issue, Chris Perkins said he’s been reading the paper since moving to the neighborhood in the late 1980s and Randy Rivera said she hoped it wouldn’t end.

The letters to the editor page was full of similar sentiments. Judy Noy, former proofreader of the Norwood News, said she started as a volunteer for the first issue in December 1988, and stayed with the paper until March 2020. She called it a “damn shame” that the “powers that be chose to stop publishing.”

In an article by former editor-in-chief David Cruz, who led the paper from December 2013 to March 2020, he said across a 40-year history, the Norwood News fought for and uplifted its community’s residents. He wished for community members to carry on its legacy.

“It’s my hope residents will fill that void in letting everyone know what’s happening in their community,” Cruz wrote. “Attend a community board or precinct council meeting or consider joining it. Volunteer your time for community clean up events. Tell your elected officials what is going on. Participate, it can be a great disinfectant.”

Editor’s note: The Riverdale Press’ parent company, Richner Communications, prints the Norwood News.

Keywords

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