Valentine's Day Events

Happy Valentine's, Bronxites! Wishing you a lovely day, whether you're single or paired up this year. Here are some events taking place in the borough in honor of the day of love.

--Councilman Joel Rivera and Bronx AIDS Services will be offering free HIV tests at 1901 Southern Blvd, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Results are available in as little as 20 minutes. Free HIV counseling also available.

--The Bronx Health Center is hosting a discussion on safer sex practices and improving your relationship with your partner today at 1 p.m., at 975 Westchester Ave. Call the center at (718) 320-4466 or email info@chnnyc.org for more information.

--The Bronx Council on the Arts invites you to a free concert, "Love, Love, Love! A Celebration of Love Through Song," at City Island’s Pilot Cove Manor Community Room, 160 Pilot Street. The show will feature soprano Elizabeth Farnum accompanied by her husband, Kenneth Farnum, Jr., on piano.

These and other Bronx events are listed in our community calendar, below.

Editor's note: What did we miss? Send details to bronxnewsnetwork[at]gmail.com.

Bronx News Roundup, August 30

Police are still looking for the driver of a green Nissan Pathfinder who allegedly hit a 5-year-old kid in Williamsbridge, dragged him 50 feet, paused briefly, and then drove off. The 5-year-old, Joshua Sanders, remains in critical condition at Jacobi Hospital.

An ex-con was arrested and charged with raping a 79-year-old Bronx woman in July.

On Friday, a paid FBI informant testified in the case of four men accused of plotting to bomb two Riverdale synagogues. The informant, who the defense said coerced the four defendants into the bombing plot, said one of the defendants told him he wanted to be a martyr.  

Policed detectives say a convicted murderer may have killed other victims in the early 1980s by luring them with promises of cheap designer jeans. 

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio is launching a new website dedicated to scrutinizing the city's worst landlords.

We linked to this in a Friday post, but this Times story delves into the complicated relationship between Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and his father State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. Junior is set to endorse Gustavo Rivera in the 33rd Senate District race at 11 a.m., while Senior has already endorsed the incumbent, Pedro Espada Jr. (The pair, Senior and Espada, have become allies after years of animosity -- Diaz took over the  south Bronx senate seat Espada used to occupy).

A new oral test for HIV, which can provide results in just 20 minutes, is being pushed in the Bronx, which is home to one-third of the city's HIV/AIDs cases.

Nelson Castro said the Bronx Democratic County Committee is crossing the ethical line in trying to have him thrown off the ballot for residency issues. But Bronx Democratic boss Carl Heastie said the investigation into Castro's residence was prompted when two pieces of mail sent to his address were returned and added that when a Board of Elections legal team went to the apartment, the name on the buzzer was not Castro's.

Bronx News Round-up

Here's a bundle of recent Bronx news stories, courtesy of one of our talented young reporters, Stephen Baron.

Bronx HIV Testing Push
The city health department wants every Bronx adult to get a free HIV test over the next three years, officials announced today.

To tie in with National HIV Testing Day, the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is launching the largest HIV testing initiative in the city’s history. The campaign, called “The Bronx Knows,” also hopes to reach the 250,000 Bronx adults who have never been tested.

Though the Bronx beats the other boroughs in testing rate, Bronxites count for nearly a quarter of the city’s HIV infections and a third of AIDS deaths each year. Among Bronx residents who tested positive in 2006, more than a quarter were already sick with AIDS.

The Norwood News has previously reported on Montefiore’s Adolescent AIDS Program and Bronx AIDS Services.

Bronxites can visit any of one of 40 testing locations in the borough for a free, confidential HIV test. Visit here for a listing of locations.

Pathways Saved
The Bronx alternative high school Individual Pathways at Walton High School will be open for at least one more year, which comes as a relief to neighborhood residents, the Daily News reports.

School Funding Restored
City Council restored $129 million to stave off school budget cuts in the approved budget last night, though the school funding came at the expense of money usually given to “library services, cultural affairs, legal aid, seniors and government services,” the Daily News reports.

Fordham and Botanical Garden
Fordham University announced with the New York Botanical Garden a new graduate degree program to receive a master’s degree or doctorate in environmental science, the Daily News reports.

Lehman College Student Raped
Police are on the hunt for a rapist who attacked a Lehman College student in her Washington Heights apartment, the Daily News reports. Police have not released the name of the 19-year-old student.