Bronx News Roundup, March 30

Weather: Another sunny day today, finally warming up a bit to hit around 50 degrees this afternoon. Temps will drop again tomorrow, with rain expected and a possibility of light snow on Friday.

Story of the Day: Snake Fever
The nation is captivated by the Bronx Zoo's missing cobra, which disappeared from the park's reptile house this weekend and then, mysteriously, started posting updates of its whereabouts on Twitter yesterday. @BronxZoosCobra has racked up 136,458 followers and has reached celebrity status, getting shout-outs from Mayor Bloomberg, Steve Martin and the Daily Show's John Stewart. According to Gothamist: "Some entrepreneurs have already started an 'I Egyptian Cobra New York' line of clothing and accessories." Collectors items, for sure.

Quick Hits:
Charles Kavanagh, the former pastor of St Raymond's Church who was defrocked after accusations that he molested a 17-year-old seminary student in 2002, is suing his accuser for defamation.

The 14 pitbulls that were rescued from an apartment fire on the Grand Concourse earlier this month are struggling with health and behavioral issues, according to the Times. Three of the dogs had to be put down shortly after the blaze because their injuries were so severe.

Bronx State Sen. Jose M. Serrano makes a case to reform the member item distribution process in yesterday's Times Union. Serrano argues the money should be doled out equally, instead of the most powerful legislators getting the biggest cuts, as is currently the case. Meanwhile, Gov. Andrew Cuomo's budget has cut pork project spending entirely for this fiscal year.

A Bronx man pleaded guilty yesterday to bringing an underage girl across state lines and forcing her to perform sex acts on NFL star Lawrence Taylor. Rasheed Davis faces up to 30 years in prison; Taylor was sentenced last week to six years probation and will have to register on the New York State Sex Offender Registry.

Ex-cop Eddie Coello was indicted by a Grand Jury yesterday and charged with the murder of his wife, Throgs Neck resident and mother of four Tina Adovasio, whose body was found in a wooded area in Westchester last month.

This Daily News slideshow takes a look at the wives and girlfriends of the New York Yankees.

Congress will renew discussions today of a bipartisan bill to strengthen safety regulations for buses, sparked by a series of recent deadly bus accidents, including the Bronx crash earlier this month that killed 15 people on the New England Thruway.

Activists are fighting the Department of Environmental Protection for access to the Jerome Park Reservoir, which has been fenced off from residents since World War II.

A string of recent Bronx bodega robberies have store owners and police on alert.

Bronx News Roundup Dec. 17

Yesterday's Times looked at the deplorable living conditions inside 1277 Morris Ave., where tenants have been living for months without heat and hot water. The building was recently named and shamed by HPD as one of the city's most poorly maintained buildings.

Also in Sunday's Times, the wider implications of the foreclosure crisis. David Gonzalez reports that businesses on a Boston Road commercial strip are beginning to suffer, as homeowners cut their spending in a desperate attempt to keep up with spiralling loan repayments. More on the Bronx's subprime disaster here and here.

Cops have identified two men wanted for a string of violent bodega robberies, including last week's hold-up of a Davidson Avenue store, in which a 24-year-old man was shot and seriously injured.

A Bronx man who tried to murder his estranged girlfriend, but ended up killing her cousin who bravely came to her aid, will be sentenced today.

A TV anchorwoman, once of Bronx 12 News, was arrested over the weekend for allegedly punching a police officer in Chelsea. The New York Post, of course, loves these fall from grace stories - especially when the woman in question is beautiful. Today's front page effort is told with obvious relish.