Bronx News Roundup, July 14

If you haven't heard, Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter dropped her bid to oust Pedro Espada from State Senate yesterday. We broke the story last night, The Times has more on it today.

The Wall St Journal reports that million-dollar homes in Villanova Heights, a community in the estates section of Riverdale, are not selling. Read the story here.

County Executives of America wants to bring free broadband wireless service to more than 400,000 Bronx County households. The plan says it will create 15,000 job opportunities in Bronx County.

Officials told The Times yesterday that a plan to demolish the Sheridan Expressway in the South Bronx would increase local traffic.

Bronx politicians are urging St. Barnabas Hospital to allow residents and interns to form a union.

A new Willis Avenue Bridge, which links Manhattan to the South Bronx, is making its way down the Hudson River this week.  The bridge will eventually make its home in the Harlem River to replace its nearly 110-year-old predecessor.

Bronx News Roundup, Oct. 13

Bronx Borough President, Ruben Diaz, Jr., continues to oppose the proposed Kingsbridge Armory agreement.

Some Bronx bridges may finally get much needed repair.

Renovations at Jerome Park Reservoir are on hiatus while the Parks Department and Department of Environmental Protection duke it out over control of the area.

In more Parks Department news, the agency announced that Heritage Field, the park replacing the old Yankee Stadium, is behind schedule and will not be completed until Fall 2011.

Instead of going for the Department of Environmental Protection's original plan to build huge egg-shaped sewage digesters in Hunts Point, the city is going to refurbish existing digesters, to the relief of community leaders.

NPR highlights the plight of tenants in an old, badly maintained apartment building on University Avenue that they attribute to the real estate crash.

The Daily News reports that the daughter of the Bronx woman who crashed her car on Sunday while driving drunk pleaded with her mother to "slow down." In addition to the daugher, there were five other young girls in the car at the time of the crash, one was killed.

The Daily News lists a slew of bargains to be found at stores in Pelham Bay.

State Sen. Jeffrey Klein proposed legislation to expand the police DNA databank.

Klein is also busy drafting legislation that would ban the fad of "fish pedicures," deeming the practice unsanitary.

The South Bronx High School football team is hoping for a better end of the season than last year.

Bronx News Roundup Sept. 16

Senator Jose M. Serrano will be interviewed on BronxNET Perspectives Channel 67 tonight at 8:30 p.m. The Senator also has a new blog post regarding tax reform.

County Democratic Chairman Jose Rivera announced over the weekend the date of his “re-organizational meeting.” The Bronx Rainbow Rebels have now set their own meeting a week before his. The Rebel meeting agenda includes electing new party officers.

The Department of Education has released the letter grades of New York City Elementary and Middle Schools. Critics question their validity, as grades and testing scores improvements appeared too extreme. For example, Bronx Science School for Exploration and Discovery (MS 224) on Brooke Avenue was listed as a failing school in February, but now holds an A. Public School 92 in East Tremont also went from an F to an A grade in a short period of time.

Photographer Lisa Kahane’s new book, “Do Not Give Way to Evil,” depicts life in South Bronx from 1979 to 1987. The book also includes essays written by other South Bronx artists, such as graffiti-writer John Matos.

A teenage girl sustained minor injuries after being hit by a school bus in Kingsbridge this morning while attempting to cross the street at the intersection of West 233rd Street and Bailey Avenue.

M. Barry Schneider, founder of the New York City Bridge Centennial Commission says, “Our bridges get no respect.” To offset the malady, the commission will hold brassy centennials for the unappreciated overpasses. Bronx bridges include University Heights Bridge over the Harlem River between 207th Street in Manhattan and Fordham Road that already celebrated its centennial in January; Madison Avenue Bridge, connecting 138th Street in the Bronx with Manhattan over the Harlem River will celebrate in July 2010; Pelham Bay Bridge to City Island in Pelham Bay Park holds its bash next month.