Weather: Today's high of 96, which will really feel more like 104 with the humidity, will be roundly trumped by tomorrow's high of 101, which will really feel more like the seventh circle of Hades.
Story of the Day: Bronx Charter School on Probation for Shady Lottery Practices
The Academic Leadership Charter School, which opened on East 141st Street in 2009, is in hot water and in danger being closed after city investigators discovered that the school may have manipulated its lottery selection process to weed out unwanted students. City officials accused the school's leadership of investigating students' past history and possibly even testing them before the selection played out, a huge charter school no-no. The lottery system, which is mandated by state law, "is at the heart of being a charter school," says James Merriman of the New York City Charter School Center. If the school doesn't revamp its lottery process and implement other changes, the school could be closed.
Quick Hits:
Residents say the city should have shuttered a Morris Heights brownstone that had been chopped up into illegal subdivisions before a fire that engulfed the house resulted in the death of a 65-year-old man.
The DN's Bob (Kappy) Kappstatter said mayoral hopefuls packed the Bronx Democratic Party fundraiser last week. Plus Michael Benjamin might be looking to get his old assembly seat back (he vacated that seat just last year, saying he wanted to pursue other projects), State Senator Jeff Klein is raking in the campaign cash and why J.Lo and her pending divorce doesn't deserve our sympathy. (Hint: it's because of her abandonment of the borough she grew up in.)
The under-17 Dominican Republic national basketball team will compete using tri-state area talent, including a coach, Oliver Antigua (coach at St. Raymond's), and a player, Jason Nunez (Kennedy High), who are from the Bronx.
The Bronx cop who said he was punished (with a transfer to a Brooklyn precinct) for arresting a Bronx prosecutor for DWI is now being transferred back uptown to Washington Heights after complaining about his treatment.
A new gourmet Parm sandwich shop is opening up in Yankee Stadium.
Bronx students are picking up film and video production skills at a Hunts Point rec center program.
New legislation that would increase penalties for prostitution near city schools -- inspired by the anger over the open sex trade happening near PS 6 in West Farms -- is getting some push back by a civil rights group that says the stiffer penalties will only make it harder for prostitutes to get out of the lifestyle.
Re: Jeff Klein raking in the campaign cash.
ReplyDeleteHe got a lot of money from landlords and real estate interests -- no surprise given how he has carried water for the landlords. One particularly egregious landlord donor is Larry Gluck and his less than "Stellar" Management. Gluck's business model of trying to extract profit from Mitchell Lama buildings left foreclosure and devastation in its wake.
See more here:
http://www.insaf.net/ml/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=124
and here:
http://motherjones.com/politics/2009/07/mortgage-default-landlord-edition
Another big corporate donor to Klein is the check cashing industry. Klein's IDC provided the votes in the Senate Banking Committee to change consumer protection laws so that check cashers could charge up to 400% on short term loans. This issue was well reported on in this very blog. See here:
http://www.bronxnewsnetwork.org/2011/05/fight-for-consumer-protections-comes-to.html
Klein is also a co-sponsor of this bill. (Kudos to Senator Gustavo Rivera, by the way, for voting against this attack on consumers. Good to know we have at least one Bronx Senator on the side of tenants and consumers.)
Finally in the "no comment" column -- Klein received $1000 from "Total Tan, Inc."