Serving Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights Buy Local! Your Holiday Gift Guide NORWOOD NEWS p. 10 Vol. 24, No. 24 ■ PUBLISHED BY MOSHOLU PRESERVATION CORPORATION ■ December 15 –28, 2011 FORDHAM FESTIVITIES Rebuffed by Supreme Court, Church Finds Hope in Legislation By ALEX KRATZ When the Supreme Court declined this month to review a court case pitting Bronx Household of Faith, a tiny evangelical Christian congre - gation based in University Heights, against the Department of Educa - tion, dozens of New York City churches that use public schools for wor - ship services suddenly stood on the brink of homelessness. But out of the depths of despair came hope in the form of legislative recourse and a white knight in Bronx Councilman Fernando Cabrera, a deeply devout Christian politician and a pastor himself. If the courts couldn’t change the law, Cabrera said on the steps of City Hall during a Photo by Adi Talwar KIDS DIVE into the holiday season at an arts and crafts station during the Fordham Road rally last week, he would do everything in his power to reverse it leg - Business Improvement District’s “Sparkle the Heart of Fordham” celebration earlier this month islatively. at Bryan Park. Find out where to focus your holiday shopping this year with our annual gift guide, “Churches all across the city who contribute to their communities starting on p. 10. and pay rent like every other community organization deserve the same treatment as other groups that do the same,” said Cabrera, referring to the thousands of groups that pay monthly fees to use school buildings. “Discriminating against a particular group because of their religious Diverse Crew Steps In to viewpoint is unacceptable, and my bill calls for a change in the law that won’t allow it.” Support Toy Drive and Church (continued on p. 6) By EMILY PICCONE owns a painting contracting business. They approached Rainis also looking to help con - A Year After Split, With help from an eclectic group of local tribute gifts. supporters that includes painters, students, a Due to their good reputation in the neigh - bike gang and Gothic tattoo artists, the Luther - borhood and community connections, Rainis Klein’s Independence an Church of the Epiphany is bringing the hol - said the McNallys’ involvement generated “a iday spirit to families in need despite its own real ground swelling” of support. financial burdens. The Coven tattoo shop, owned and operated Holds Weight Together, this motley crew is spending the by a couple of local vampires on Bainbridge next couple of weeks gathering toys for local Avenue, just around the corner from Epiphany, By JEANMARIE EVELLY kids whose families may not be able to afford is another backer of the church’s mission. gifts this holiday season. They are proudly displaying a drop box for gifts Last year, State Senator Jeff Klein, representing the Bronx and The Ching-a-Ling Nomads, a Bronx-based in the front window of their shop. Westchester, announced that he and three other Democrats would be bike gang with a storied rep (that includes spit - Other supporters include Fordham Univer - breaking off from the party to form their own group. It caused a schism ting on their fallen members’ tombstones out of (continued on p. 3) in the Senate chambers, for sure, but with less malfeasance and dra - respect), came on board following a conversa - matics than the notorious 2009 coup. tion between one of its members and Pastor The move was met with criticism from some Democrats who deemed Bob Rainis, the vicar at Epiphany Lutheran. it political pandering, a way for Klein and his breakaway colleagues to “He was telling me about how the motorcy - cle club was trying to get into doing good things in the community,” said Rainis. “It’s a remark - “I fought harder than anybody to take the able thing these men and woman are doing in majority [in 2009], but unfortunately, it was a the club to rally a large number of people.” At a private party this coming weekend, The complete letdown.” —State Sen. Jeff Klein Ching-a-Lings, a grizzled group of veteran Bronx bikers who were recently featured in the New York Times and have a headquarters in win favor with the Republicans, who had just regained a slim 32-30 Tremont, will solicit gifts from guests and then majority in the Senate. transport them up to the church on East 206th “What’s the difference between what they’re doing and what the ami - Street in Norwood. Photo by Emily Piccone gos did?” said Bronx Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr., referring to the 2009 Senate Rallying the community is something the THE COVEN, a tattoo shop on Bainbridge coup, when former Bronx State Sen. Pedro Espada, Jr. (Diaz’s pal) and Ching-A-Lings have in common with the Avenue, set up drop box for Epiphany Queens Democrat Hiram Monserrate defected to the Republican party McNally brothers, a well- respected pair that Lutheran’s toy drive. (continued on p. 6) ■ Fighting Post Office Closures PAGE 2 ■ 5 Bronx Schools to Close PAGE 2 ■ The DOE’s Worship Policy Is Wrong PAGE 8 www.norwoodnews.org 2 ■ December 15 –28, 2011 ■ Norwood News In The Public Interest Vol. 24, No. 24 Neighborhood Rallies To work creating the great new schools that these communities deserve,” Schools More coverage on Norwood News is published Save Its Post Office Chancellor Dennis Walcott said in a state - bi-weekly on Thursdays by Bedford Park and Norwood residents ment. norwoodnews.org Mosholu Preservation Corporation are fighting the possible closure of a local Marvin Shelton, the president of the 3400 Reservoir Oval East post office, saying it would leave the Community Education for District 10, Bronx, New York 10467 neighborhood with a lack of access to which includes Grace Dodge, said the • LGBT Group most mail services. DOE didn’t give the technical school a Phone: 718 324 4998 The so-called Botanical Station on real chance to improve after putting it on Moves into Enemy Fax: 718 324 2917 Webster Avenue is one of 17 post offices a watch list last year and replacing its E-mail: [email protected] in the Bronx alone that could be closed as principal this fall. Now, just three months Territory Web: www.norwoodnews.org the struggling United States Postal Ser - into the school year, Shelton says the vice looks to cut $20 million from its bud - DOE pulled the plug on Grace Dodge too • Cat Colonies get over the next three years. early to see any improvement. The roughly 40, mostly older, residents The city will hold public hearings on Replace Shelters Publisher CEO, Mosholu who gathered at a discontinuance hear - the proposed closures this winter, and the Mosholu Preservation Preservation ing Monday night at the Bedford Park final decision will be made Feb. 9 by the Corporation Corporation Senior Center, said other locations listed Panel for Education Policy, a board of • The Bronx Stars of Roberto S. Garcia Editor-in-Chief by the USPS were too far away or in dan - members appointed by the mayor and Alex Kratz gerous neighborhoods. Most residents each of the borough presidents. The Tomorrow Staff Writer would have to travel to the station at East panel has, historically, voted in approval Jeanmarie Evelly 188th Street station, nearly a mile away of the DOE’s recommendations. • The Bronx from the Botanical location. Others said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Classified Advertising it would be too hard for them to traverse Jr., sent out a press release following the Breakdown Dawn McEvoy the hilly neighborhood. DOE’s announcement. Accounts Receivable State Senator Gustavo Rivera threw “These closings have a considerable (Fridays) Dawn McEvoy his weight behind the community’s effort effect on parents, educators and stu - Proofreader to save the station. dents,” he said. “The factors that have led Judy Noy “This is a station that we cannot afford to these proposed closings did not occur • Weekly Sports Production to close,” he said at the hearing. “There overnight. The DOE has not provided Neil deMause is, unfortunately, a national conversation these schools and others with the appro - Updates that attacks the post office as something Regular Contributors priate resources to succeed, and that David Greene, Adi Talwar, Jasmeet Sidhu, that is not necessary.” must change.” —JEANMARIE EVELLY brought in about $4 million for the state Francesca Andre. Lindsay Armstrong Members of the USPS at the hearing each year, though the governor had said plans to close any post offices have refused to do so. Interns Cuomo’s Tax Reform Will Ronald Chavez, Emily Piccone not been finalized. But the Bronx is tak - Local elected officials hailed Cuomo’s ing the brunt of the post office losses. The Increase Rates for new tax deal as a successful compro - For display advertising, call 17 at risk in the Bronx is half of a total of mise—while the surcharge will expire at (718) 324-4998. 34 in the city. Wealthy, Cut Taxes for the end of this year, the new plan will net Connie Chirichello, a spokesperson Middle Class the state an additional $1.9 billion in rev - Support Your for the Postal Service, said there was no Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced earli - enue. Community Newspaper! borough bias when determining which er this month that he and legislators in “I applaud Governor Cuomo for his The Norwood News is a not-for-profit post offices to close.“Our headquarters Albany had agreed on a plan to overhaul leadership in taking on tax reform and publication and relies upon the support of did an evaluation and determined, not by the state’s existing tax code, one that for acknowledging that New York State its advertisers and readers to produce a location, but they looked at other crite - would increase the tax rate for the high - can address economic development at the quality community newspaper.