Rep. Joe Crowley on BronxTalk

BronxTalk, Gary Axelbank's talk show on the borough's public access station, BRONXNET, featured Rep. Joe Crowley this week. They discussed the economy, environmental issues and the election of a Republican in a historically Democratic district. Video above.

Cablevision, BronxNet Strike Long-Awaited Deal

Television giant Cablevision and local public access network BronxNet finally came to a contract agreement this week after months of negotiations, two years after a previous deal expired.

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr.'s office sent out a press release on Monday announcing the agreement, which he helped broker and which will result in extra funding for BronxNet to update it's technology (federal law require that cable companies provide support for local public channels).

"This agreement gives BronxNet the tools to greatly expand their ability to serve our borough while also showcasing Cablevision's commitment to serving the people of the Bronx as a good corporate citizen," Diaz said in a statement "This new agreement is a victory for all involved."

Bronx News Roundup, March 10

Rain, rain and more rain today in the Bronx and surrounding areas as the National Weather Service has issued a "coastal flood warning" as well as a "hazardous weather outlook" for the region. Get out your galoshes.

To the news!

Story of the Day:
A nasty five-alarm fire destroyed a Hunts Point apartment building yesterday afternoon, injuring more than a dozen people, including one person who was taken to the hospital with burns over 50 percent of their body. Eleven firefighters suffered injuries while battling the blaze, including two that were shocked by dangling wires obscured by the billowing smoke. Tenants and a deputy fire chief praised the efforts of New York's Bravest, who they say rescued at least a couple of trapped residents. "The fire was shooting out like a blow torch out of the front windows and into the side windows," said Deputy Chief Michael Falotico. Tenants from about a dozen apartments are now homeless. A cause has yet to be determined.

Quick Hits:
In January, the Bronx suffered a big spike in home foreclosures, with Williamsbridge and Baychester getting hit especially hard.

More on the South Bronx topping the list of the hungriest areas in the city. 

Following an incident over the weekend in which a cab driver allegedly refused to take a group of young men to the Bronx and then ran into them after a stop at a police station, the city says it will crack down on cabbies who decline to drive passengers to outer boroughs.Gothamist has video of the problem in action. So does the NY Post:


More on the Bronx students who are in the running for an Emmy for their work on a Bronxnet show called "Open 2.0." (I knew we'd find some good news!)

A city resident files an iReport on CNN about the Botanical Garden's new Broadway-themed Orchid Show.

An ailing red-tailed hawk found on Webster Avenue in the Bronx was saved by veterinarians.

Angry former teachers have launched a campaign to oust Bronx Science principal Valerie Reidy.

A Bronx woman was convicted of aiding a mob hitman.

And finally, Kappy calls the Bronx DA race -- the only political race in the borough this year -- a snoozer and pleads for a "kamikaze" challenge to entrenched six-term incumbent Robert Johnson. He also rips off a couple of good burns the late Bronx comedian Mike DeStefano would have been proud of.

Bronx News Roundup, March 4

Happy Friday everyone! Apparently, it's warming up just enough for it to rain all weekend. Lovely. To the news!

Story of the Day:
Ridiculously tragic story in the Post today about a 25-year-old Bronx woman, Lana Rosa, who was beaten into a coma, allegedly during a dispute with a man over a parking spot in the East Village. Police arrested Oscar Fuller and charged him with the crime. Here's a video report from the Post:


Quick Hits:
Ex-State Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada Jr. is due in a Brooklyn federal court today for a pre-trial hearing. Espada and his son are facing federal fraud charges involving the nonprofit health care clinics Espada founded and runs. 

Police are searching for a crew of fire escape burglars who are targeting apartments in Morrisania.

Lots of coverage today on the Bronx's New York Botanical Garden's upcoming "The Orchid Show: On Broadway," a collaboration between the Garden and theater folks (hence the "Broadway" theme) that opens tomorrow. The Times calls it a "Grand Stage for a Diva Plant." Here's video from the Daily News:


A housing coordinator at a special needs apartment building in Melrose was fired after allegedly scamming tenants out of thousands of dollars.

The "Guido Monologues," directed by Pelham Bay native Joseph Mileto, opens off-Broadway next week.

A couple of Bronx teens were nominated for an Emmy this year for a show they did on Bronxnet.

Some love for the grand architecture at Bronx Community College.

The Riverdale Press has a bunch of new Riverdale-Kingsbridge-related stories on its website. I'll let you sift through them.

Men's Shelter and Healthcare coming up on BronxTalk

This Monday night two community advocates will talk about the controversial men's shelter in Highbridge.  Beginning at 9:00pm, Ernesto Maldonado, a community leader who heads the Stop the Violence Campaign and the founder and president of the Citizens Activist Network (C.A.N.) and local resident Agnes Johnson will talk about the transition of this facility and its implication to the surrounding neighborhood.

Then on Monday, January 31 two health care experts will talk in detail about health care reform and what it might mean for the Bronx.  It will be an excellent way for Bronxites to get information about what is and is not in the bill so they can make their own plans for health care.

Viewers with questions or comments can call in to both shows at 718-960-7150.

One of New York City's longest running TV talk shows now in its 17th year, BronxTalk is seen each Monday night at 9:00pm on Bronxnet's Cablevision channel 67.  It's also on Verizon Fios channel 33 and streamed live at www.bronxnet.org.  Hosted by Gary Axelbank and produced by Jane Folloro, BronxTalk is repeated each day at 9:30am, 3:30pm, and 9:00pm. Archives are available here: BronxTalk archives

Bronx News Roundup, Dec. 29

Despite the snow, Yankee Stadium is ready to host this Thursday's Pinstripe Bowl, the college football showdown between Kansas State and Syracuse University. Cleanup crews at the stadium said they'd prepared for the storm by covering the field with tarps.

Meanwhile, Syracuse players will take local kids from the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club and the Bronx Colts Youth Tackle League on a walk-through of the stadium before the game.

Neighbors of the Harlem man accused of killing a Bronx woman and stuffing her body in a suitcase say they heard screams coming from his apartment the day of the murder. Hassan Malik was arraigned yesterday on second-degree murder charges, for the alleged killing of 28-year-old Betty Williams.

Tomorrow night, Bronxnet will host a live screening of its culinary program "Bronx Flavor,"at the Paradise Theatre as part of a holiday benefit performance.

Bronx resident Jose Ramos is one of many across the city to turn this week's storm into financial opportunity by shoveling sidewalks for extra cash.

A family of Bronx rocker siblings, who go by "Graveshift," are spreading holiday cheer with a new song and feel-good music video, which you can watch below, courtesy of the Daily News.

Bronx News Roundup, Dec. 14

A year ago, the City Council - with the strong backing of Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. - killed Related Companies' plans to turn the Kingsbridge Armory into a shopping mall, after Related refused to guarantee future employees a "living wage." Today, the armory remains empty and no jobs, even low-paying ones, were created.  In an editorial, the Daily News (not for the first time) asserts that Diaz did the Bronx and its workforce a huge disservice. The Post comes to a similar conclusion, as does BoogieDowner.

Fieldston residents fear a developer's plans could harm the neighborhood's much-loved Indian Pond. The Riverdale Press has covered this issue at some length. See here and here. And here's an editorial.

State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. has been lying low as he braces himself for an income tax indictment, according to the Daily News' Bob Kappstatter, in his weekly column.

Bronxnet, the public access network, has been trying to negotiate a new deal with provider Cablevision. But talks have stalled. "They are holding us hostage. They have no respect for the Bronx. Cablevision is trying to play us cheap," said Ruscoe Brown, a Bronxnet board member and former Bronx Community College president.

Among the findings of a new study released by CUNY's Dominican Studies Institute: many Dominicans living in the Bronx and Manhattan are conflicted about their children identifying as "American."

Police have arrested a man in connection with the shooting of an off-duty detective outside a Bronx diner on Sunday. Samuel Ventura was picked up in Waterbury, Connecticut.

Using rarely used subpoena powers, HPD is turning up the heat on the firm which controls the debt on ten run-down apartments buildings in the Bronx. The buildings, which went into foreclosure last year, were owned by Milbank Real Estate, a now-infamous private equity firm. You can read more about Milbank here. Milbank tenants have long-complained about terrible living conditions. A few days ago, a tenant of 1535 Taylor Ave. wrote the following on the SeeClickFix website:

[A]nother evening and how cold ,freezing , i am more cold inside than out. the only way to wash and keep warm is to boil and turn on the stove , with a space heater. Milbank R.E. tells us that there is no oil . i asume that they won't be sending any. I am in the understanding the Milbank R.E. is in foreclosure. 40 families and manyof them children and sick.

A federal jury yesterday rejected a Bronx man's claims that a police officer violated him with a baton. But Ralph Johnson, a Wall Street worker, was still awarded $20,000, after the jury determined that the Bronx DA was wrong to prosecute him with resisting arrest.

CUNY officials are concerned about the impact budget cuts could have on community college students.

Ed. note: Start a discussion about any of these stories, or anything else you want to talk about in our forum. Highlight problems in your neighborhood with our SeeClickFix feature. And find out what's happening in our constantly-updated events calendar.

Happy Land Fire Documentary in the Works

On March 25, 1990, in the wee hours of the morning, Delmo Flores arrived at the corner of Southern Boulevard and East Tremont Avenue, and watched in horror as a fire consumed the Happy Land social club, where he had planned on spending the rest of the night.

The dance club lacked emergency exits, sprinklers, and exit signs, and an arson fire started by a jealous lover with $1 worth of gasoline and two matches spread quickly, trapping and killing 87 people within minutes. It was one of the deadliest mass murders in New York history.

Twenty years later, Community Board 6, in conjunction with Bronxnet, is collecting stories like Flores’ for a short documentary which will commemorate the anniversary of the Happy Land fire.

More here in the Tremont Tribune.

By Hannah Dreier

Bronxnet Wants More Resources to Stay 'Bronx Strong'

Michael Max Knobbe (pictured with laptop, bottom left), the head of Bronxnet, the northern borough's public access network, likes to say, "Bronx strong."

As in, "How are you doing today Mr. Knobbe?"

"Bronx strong," he will invariably reply.

Last night, at a hearing held by Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. at Borough Hall, Knobbe and nearly 100 Bronxnet personalities and supporter implored Cablevision to help keep the public access "Bronx strong" by it with more funding, enhanced technology and additional stations for more programming.

Cablevision's franchise status is up for review in New York City and the city's Franchise Review Board is holding hearings in each borough. Each borough president has a seat on the review board.

Aside from Diaz's questioning of a Cablevision executive at the beginning of the hearing, however, the rest of it was dominated by praise for Bronxnet by the network's personalities and supporters.

Bronxnet has a contract with Cablevision and the borough's other cable provider, Verizon. That contract is going to be renegotiated soon and Bronxnet is angling for a better deal. Last night, Knobbe and the rest of Bronxnet made its argument in public.

At the end of his testimony, Knobbe said Bronxnet needed more resources in order to keep the network, "Bronx strong. Siempre."

Live 14th District Council Candidates Debate, Tonight, 9 p.m., BRONXNET

Tune in tonight at 9 p.m. to BronxTalk (BRONXNET, Cablevision channel 67) and find out where the candidates of the 14th District Council race stand on all the important issues facing the northwest Bronx and local residents.

The show will be airing on BRONXNET at 9 p.m. for the rest of the week as well.

Candidates Yudelka Tapia and Fernando Cabrera will be answering questions from Bronx News Network editors Alex Kratz and James Fergusson. The debate will be moderated by veteran Bronx talk show host Gary Axelbank.

As we mentioned before, the incumbent in the 14th District, Maria Baez, has declined to appear with the other candidates to talk about the issues.

Update: You can also watch the live debate stream on the Web at http://bronxnet.org/home/live/webstreamtrial.html

In-Depth Profiles of the 14th District Council Candidates

The latest edition of the Norwood News is on the streets and online now. This is issue is saturated with great news and interesting feature stories (we'll have our full preview up on the blog soon), including in-depth profiles of the three candidates vying for the 14th Council District seat.

Click on the name, get the scoop on the candidate:

Yudelka Tapia

Fernando Cabrera

Maria Baez

Get informed before our 14th District candidates debate on Monday, August 31, at 9 p.m. on BRONXNET (Channel 67, Cablevision). Feel free to submit questions for the debate in the comments section. Or e-mail your questions to bronxnewsnetwork@gmail.com.

And don't forget to vote on Tuesday, Sept. 15.

Bronx News Roundup, June 16

Mayor Michael Bloomberg has his "priorities out of whack" according to Daily News columnist Patrice O'Shaughnessy. One example: the fact that kids living in the Yankee Stadium(s) area are still waiting for new parks.

Community board funding must be maintained, writes Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. in an op-ed in the Daily News. More here on the proposed cuts.

Bronx day care centers are also facing funding cuts.

Having fought long and hard to bring a middle school to the neighborhood, Highbridge parents and community leaders want to ensure the building, when built, meets certain "green" specifications.

Bob Kappstatter wraps up the (terrible) week that was in Bronx politics.

Clyde Haberman wonders what America's D-Day heros, who died in the name of democracy, would make of the political shenanigans going on Albany this week and last, and the two men - Espada and Monserrate - at the front and center of it all.

A movable swimming pool is coming back to Hunts Point this summer.

Bronx pols Eliot Engel, Oliver Koppell, and Jeffrey Dinowitz spoke about their hopes for health care reform at an event on June 13.

A new Bronx-based program will educate 11 to 14-year-olds about violent relationships and how to avoid them.

Parents and teachers at PS 160 in Co-op City are protesting plans to put a charter school inside their school.

City Island's firehouse won't close after all.

BronxNet has launched a new channel targeted at youth.

Dominican Day Parade

This Sunday sees the city's 18th annual Dominican Day Parade. It starts at 1:45 p.m. at the Grand Concourse and 184th Street and finishes at 166th Street. More here in the Daily News.

Bronxnet will cablecast the festivities on Channel 67 from 2 p.m. onwards. And they'll repeat the program in July, August, and the first week of September, on Fridays and Saturdays at 7 p.m.

Public Access TV Gets Reprieve

Public access TV stations like BRONXNET (Cablevision channels 67-70) are where many media makers get their start. The cable industry has been required to set aside money for the so-called PEG (public, educational, or governmental) channels. The stations and public access producers were worried that, as the city negotiated new franchise agreements with cable providers, the requirement would be eliminated. A City Limits article reports that the stations are safe for now.
West Bronx Blog will try to keep tabs on issues that affect the availability of local media.