Bronx News Roundup, Sept. 1

Happy September, all.

Weather: Sunny again today, with temperatures in the high 70s.

Story of the Day: Fatal Bus Crash Driver Indicted
The driver of the tour bus that crashed on Interstate 95 in March has been indicted on manslaughter charges, the AP reports. Driver Ophadell Williams maintains that he was awake and alert at the time of the crash, which took place during an early morning drive through the Bronx as the bus returned from a trip to Connecticut casino Mohegan Sun.Witnesses, however, claim Williams was dozing at the wheel, and a police report found he was speeding. The accident killed 15 people, and spurred a statewide crackdown on the discount tour bus industry and how it vets its drivers.

Quick Hits:
Bronx artist Shawn Martinbrough has found success in the comic book world.

Did the Bronx get less love from the city than the other boroughs during Hurricane Irene? Mayor Bloomberg failed to visit; his office said it was because they expected little damage here from the storm.

But we did get our share of damage (as these photos show). Residents at a co-op complex in Riverdale are still waiting to return home after a mudslide forced them to evacuate. 


Police are looking for a second gunman in the weekend shooting that injured three people, including 2-year-old Patience Boyd, who remains in critical condition after being shot in the temple. Another suspect, Luis Moore, was arraigned in court yesterday.

When the DOE announced it was closing Alfred Smith High School, electrician Jeffrey Smalls fought the idea, saying Smith was the last real vocational trade school in the city. His organizing efforts will pay off this fall with the opening of the Bronx Design and Construction Academy, on the former Smith campus.

Sister Thomas of St. Athanasius Church will celebrate 60 years as a nun this weekend (she's spent 49 if those years at the South Bronx parish).

The ongoing NYPD Bronx ticket-fixing probe should come to a close this month, as a grand jury deliberates on whether to indict the 14 or so officers involved.

Meanwhile, a police sergeant is suing former Bronx 41 Precinct commander Donald McHugh, claiming he was forced to meet ticket quotas and make unwarranted traffic stops. The suit also alleges McHugh used racist language and ordered the sergeant to give poor evaluations for two black sergeants.

Co-op City management company RiverBay is charged with violating federal housing law after denying a resident his emotional-support dog. HUD ruled that the man, who suffers from depression, is allowed to keep his Chihuahua-Whippet mix, named Figgy Newton (best dog name ever? I think so).