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Thursday, May 19, 2011

Bronx News Roundup, Thursday, May 19

Home stretch of Bronx Week(s). Let's get down to business. To the news!

Weather: Brief reprieve from monsoon season right now, but more rain and thunderstorms are possible this afternoon.

Story of the Day: A Bronx Underground Rock Scene Emerges
In a Throgs Neck church basement, the seeds of a Bronx rock movement are taking root. A decade ago, a trio of young Bronx musicians and music lovers -- Dave Rose, Anita Colby and Adam Fachler -- made a simple observation about their borough's music scene: It sucked. So they decided to build one themselves, creating Bronx Underground to put on and promote rock concerts in a borough identified as the birthplace of hip hop. For a few years, they used venues on City Island and other east Bronx locales until finding a permanent home at First Lutheran Church, near Country Club, where a growing list of bands are finding a fan base. Marc Makowski, an assistant music director at Sony, compared the scene to England in the 1960s. "Just like the Beatles," he told a writer for NY Press, "one band is going to break out and the rest will follow." Here's a 2009 clip from A Moment's Worth, one of the Bronx Underground-grown bands that could blow up:


Quick Hits:
We knew City Island's Engine 53 firehouse was on the chopping block, but now, after the mayor released the list of firehouses slated for closure, we know that two other Bronx firehouses could be gone as well: Engine 46 at 460 Cross Bronx Expressway (Mt. Hope) and Engine 60 at 341 East 143rd Street (Mott Haven).

In response to the investigation into widespread ticket-fixing by Bronx cops, the NYPD announced it will form a unit dedicated to preventing it from happening in the future.

While eight Bronx schools got a reprieve from closure and will be "re-started" with independent oversight, the teacher's union is suing the city to stop other schools, including the Bronx's John F. Kennedy High School, from being closed.  

Speaking of school closures, state officials say the Kingsbridge Innovative Design School, a charter school that just opened last year, will be closed at the end of year because of financial mismanagement. And St. Dominic's School in the Bronx's Van Nest neighborhood will also close, but the church will stay and get a facelift.

The hotel maid, who police say was sexually assaulted by Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the now former head of the International Monetary Fund, is a widow and single mother from Guinea who lives a quiet life in the Bronx's Concourse Village neighborhood.

The NYPD was upset with the cancellation of the Bronx Puerto Rican Day Parade on Sunday. In the same column, Bob Kappstatter says Ruben Diaz Sr.'s anti-gay marriage rally drew about 1,500 folks, much less than the 10,000 that were expected.

A fundraiser is being held tonight for Assemblyman Nelson Castro, who survived a re-election bid last fall despite the Bronx Democratic party's best efforts to replace him. Apparently, other candidates are already lining up to take him on in 2012. 

Singer Johnny Mathis performs at Lehman Center this weekend.

1 comment:

  1. ON NELSON CASTRO'S FUNDRAISER:
    Let's be honest here folks... the Bronx Democratic Party DID NOT put out all its weapons and resources to oust Nelson Castro. Their "support" of Hector Ramirez was half-a**... his campaign manager, which was literally imposed by the Bronx Democratic Party, "knew the district"... but that was over 10 years ago when she used to live in the area. Ten years is a long time in politics and the Bronx, and the district, has dramatically changed since.

    If the Bronx Democrats REALLY wanted Nelson Castro out of office, they would have instructed (or suggested) to Bronx District Attorney to continue with the perjury case that remains in criminal court. That would have been the end for Nelson Castro. He would not have had the funds to pay for legal issues AND for the campaign. However, that did not happen. I feel bad for Hector Ramirez, who has paid his dues to the Bronx Democratic Party, being loyal to Fmr. Chair Jose Rivera and now Chair Carl Heastie. He was USED and ABUSED.

    Now they're fundraising for Nelson because they know that Nelson will do as they say. In other words, his future is now in the hands of Heastie and Rubencito. I feel for him because it is a matter of time before they go after him with ALL their arsenal AND a more-prepared candidate.

    I'm sure that in 2012, Hector will probably go against his "friends" in the Bronx Democratic Party and maybe even Yudelka ("I'm not giving up")Tapia will take a shot at Nelson Castro. Interesting to see what will happen then.

    Yours truly,

    FDS

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