Get Those Candles Ready!

Check out the chart accompanying this story in yesterday's Times about the state Public Service Commission's evaluation of last summer's blackout in Queens. Turns out the northwest Bronx has the most vulnerable electricity network of any area of the city.

Buildings Evacuated Following Carbon Monoxide Scare

Salt, placed on roads to offset slick conditions caused by Sunday’s snow storm, was the likely cause of two manhole fires on Ogden Avenue in Highbridge on Monday morning (photo: Tony Richards).
While the fires themselves didn't damage anything above ground, several buildings between 164th and 165th Streets were evacuated due to dangerously high carbon monoxide levels.
According to firefighters and Con Edison officials, salt can eat through underground electrical wiring. More here on the West Bronx News Network. There were similar fires in Harlem, too.

Norwood Cold-Case Solved?

A man has been arrested in Eastern Europe for the murders of at least eight people, including the 1990 slaying of Norwood resident, Mary Beal. More on the New York Post.

Mount Hope Monitor Updated

The Mount Hope Monitor has been updated with new content.
Stories include:
Gonzalez Defends Reputation
Efrain Gonzalez, the Bronx state senator who was charged last year with stealing close to half a million dollars in state funds, defended his reputation in an hour long phone interview, and said he's confident of the beating the charges.

Carrion Sizes Up (Down) Mayoral Field

Borough President Carrion doesn't seem to be quaking in his loafers about his potential competition for Gracie Mansion in 2009.

On Robert Moses ...

We'll have much more to say here and in our print editions about the three concurrent Robert Moses exhibits now under way in Manhattan. For now, here' s a City Limits article that questions the revisionism inherent in these exhibits.
We've yet to hear much talk about the Moses resurrection here in the Bronx. So, let the conversation begin!

Post to Gobble Up Bronx Times?

If there was ever any doubt that weekly and community newspaper readership is on the rise, and that dailies are increasingly in the market for weeklies as an antidote to their own falling circulations, look no further than this report that the NY Post might buy the Bronx Times. When we talked to Bronx Times co-publisher David Kiesman a couple of weeks ago, he didn't confirm the rumon, but he wouldn't deny it either.

Carrión Woos Clinton, Shows His Stature

The borough president must be feeling pretty pleased with himself.
Not only did Chuck Schumer, New York's senior senator, show up for this morning's State of the Borough Address at Hostos College in the South Bronx, but Hillary Clinton did as well.
Both heaped praise and superlatives on a beaming Carrión.
Clinton's appearance seems to have put to bed rumors that the BP favors another presidential hopeful, Barack Obama.
When asked by a reporter whether he supports Clinton, Carrión said: "I absolutely do. Look, she’s our New York Senator, she’s a friend, she has worked very hard to bring resources to this state and I think she’ll do the same for this country. And when I talk about an urban agenda, I think we’re on the same page."
(Photo: J. Fergusson)

Mount Hope Monitor Updated

The Mount Hope Monitor has been updated. New stories include a look at where local elected officials have been putting their member item money - money allocated to lawmakers to spend on pet projects of their choosing.
This information, long shrouded in secrecy, has recently been made public. In a previous article, the Norwood News investigated the history of this $200 million per year slush fund, and interviewed State Senator José M. Serrano (D-Manhattan/Bronx), a vocal supporter of member item reform.

Bronx Pols Deny Obama Link

In a joint statement, Adolfo Carrión and Jose Rivera have reiterated their support for Hillary Clinton, after rumours surfaced that they were planning an event for Barack Obama, a likely opponant of Clinton's in the 2008 Democratic primaries. More here on the New York Observer.

Siding with Obama?

According to NewYorkBusiness.com, Borough President Adolfo Carrión and Assemblyman Jose Rivera, are planning an event for Barack Obama, the presidential candidate and media-darling, in what the reporter calls a "direct slap" at Hillary Clinton.

Mount Hope Monitor Updated

The Mount Hope Monitor has been updated. New stories include an article about the planned $1.3 million renovation of Half-Nelson Playground, a half-acre park in a section of Morris Heights chronically short of open space. Council member Helen Foster is funding the project, but it was made possible by the tireless work of a group of local residents, who managed to clean up the trash, kick out the drug dealers, and catch the eye of local lawmakers. (Photo: James Fergusson)