For Updated Bronx News and Updates, Visit Breaking Bronx at NorwoodNews.org

The Bronx News Network is in a transitional phase and has suspended posting for the time being. We'll be providing updates in the near future.

In the meantime, for the latest Bronx news updates and stories, visit Breaking Bronx, the new borough-wide blog published by the Norwood News. Aside from our daily news updates and stories, Breaking Bronx provides special feature posts, including the interactive Be Healthy! column on Wednesdays, the Bronx Sports Report on Thursdays and the Bronx Breakdown column every Friday afternoon.

Bronx News Roundup, Oct. 26

The first ever "Savor the Bronx" restaurant week from Nov. 1 to Nov. 13 will feature 20 percent discounts at participating restaurants and more.

A massive West Farms development project is moving closer to reality as the properties on which it will sit have been rezoned by the City Council. The mixed-use project will include 1,300 units (half of them affordable housing) and 46,000 square feet of retail space. It straddles both sides of the Cross Bronx Expressway. The Tremont Tribune reported on planning for the development back in June. Former Council Speaker Gifford Miller is a partner in the development firm, Signature Properties. More coverage here and here.

The Grand Concourse, from 153rd Street to 167th Street, was designated as a historic district by the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission yesterday. More history of the century-old thoroughfare here.

Trash output is down all over the city, except the Bronx. (Story is worth checking out for the lede alone:-)

A new species of bat is named for researcher at the Bronx Zoo.

The new Marion Avenue Neighborhood Association formed after a wild gun battled earlier this month on Oct. 9.

Bronx hip-hop duo Rebel Diaz performs their "We're the 99 percent" rap for Democracy Now!

Occupiers and Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition activists merged agendas on Saturday. Norwood News has the story.

Bronx News Roundup, Oct. 25

While you were sleeping, Bronx Ink documented the goings on at the Fulton Fish Market.

Also getting some Ink: The Morrisania post office is one of 18 in the Bronx on the chopping block.

Everyone's wondering what the Occupy protesters are going to do as the temperature drops. City Limits has some answers.

Yesterday was Food Day in New York City, and Sen. Gustavo Rivera used it as an opportunity to continue to push his Bronx CAN Health Initiative at the Academy of Mt. St. Ursula in Bedford Park and to announce that he's lost 16 lbs. of the 20 he pledged to lose at the start of the initiative.

Now here's a good idea: Community Board 11's district manager Jeremy Warneke is taking a monthly tour with a Buildings Department Inspector of local apartment buildings with lots of violations. He's already discovered some illegal basement apartments. (Video)

Capital has this terrific in-depth story that takes a look at the struggles of a Chinese take-out restaurant in Mott Haven. It's also interesting how the reporter ended up profiling this particular establishment.

More delays for an ice skating rink planned for Van Cortlandt Park, The Riverdale Press reports.

Bronx News Catch-Up Roundup, Sept. 13

Good afternoon, Bronxites! Yes, it's been quiet here on the blogging front. We're short-staffed at the moment and in-between intern sessions, and we've also been gearing up for a new semester of the Bronx Youth Journalism Initiative (speaking of which--we've extended our application deadline to Sept. 21! Tell your kids/students/friends!)

So: blogging might be on the light side for a bit. But here are some Bronx headlines that you may have missed this week/weekend:

Yet another Bronx Zoo animal escape went down on Sunday. An African antelope, also known as a Kudu, joins the ranks of the Bronx Zoo peacock and the Bronx Zoo cobra. It broke free of its enclosure just in time for professional photographer Andrew Litchenstein to snap its photo.

The Times' Lens Blog highlights a photo slideshow of teenagers attending the prom at the Children's Hospital at Montefiore.

A Bronx Surrogate Judge is in hot water for approving attorney fees for a friend--who also happens to be his campaign fundraiser--for work on estate cases the lawyer never performed.

Earthquake!

We felt it here on Reservoir Oval East, a very subtle shaking of the building for several seconds. Keep in mind that our headquarters is in a solid stone house, not something prone to high winds (if there were any) or a big truck passing by.

What did you feel?

Bronx News Roundup, Aug. 16

A car splashes through a puddle on Southern Boulevard in Bedford Park
during yesterday's record-setting  rainstorm. (Photo by David Greene)

Weather: Good news! The torrential and record-setting rains from the last two days have finally ceased. Skies will stay overcast today (with some light showers this afternoon) with fall-like temperatures in the high 60s. The sun will return and things will warm up again tomorrow.

Story of the Day: Street Name Honors Pregnant Traffic Agent Killed in Tragic Accident
The corner of Webster Avenue and E. 188th Street has been renamed Donnette and Sean Sanz Place, after a 33-year-old Bronx traffic agent who was struck and killed by a van three years ago while crossing the street on her lunch break. Sanz was seven months pregnant at the time and her unborn son, named Sean, died later. The man driving the car that struck her, Walter Walker, 72, had a history of license suspensions and served six months behind bars for criminally negligent homicide.

Quick Hits:
Speaking of Bronx re-namings, a newly opened South Bronx park, Charlton Thompson Garden, honors two soldiers killed during the Korean War.

Everyone should check out this beautiful Time slideshow of photographs by Stephen Shames, who spent decades, from 1977 on, chronicling the lives of young people in the Bronx. His shots, compiled in his recently released "Bronx Boys," captures some quintessential scenes of urban life (kids playing in fire hydrants, a boy sleeping out on the fire escape) as well as some more tumultuous spots in the borough's history (street fights, kids shooting up).

Bronx News Roundup Monday, Aug. 15

Weather: Another cloudy day with rain off-and-on throughout the day.

Story of the Day: A mistake on this Bronxite's birth certificate is causing him to suffer "a bureaucratic nightmare." The NY Post reports that the man's first name on his birth certificate was mistakenly entered as "Male." Although, his social security card and Medicaid card have his proper name, David Rivera, he has not been able to get a job or apply to college because of the mix up. And to top it off, he is always under the threat of being arrested by the NYPD for not having proper ID.

Quick Hits:

Bronxite Christina Santiago was one of the five people killed in the collapse of a stage at the Indiana State Fair.

The police are seeking the public's help in finding two armed robbers who posed as city workers to break into an apartment building on East Mosholu Parkway in May. Police say one of the impostors is about 50 years old and 5-foot 8-inches tall with a slight build. The other is said to be in his 40s, bald and 5-foot 7-inches with tall a stocky build. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS.

Bronx News Roundup, Friday, Aug. 12

Happy Friday folks. Let's get down to Bronx business. To the news!

Weather: Not a cloud in the sky today and tomorrow, with temperatures staying relatively mild in the mid-80s. Look for Sunday showers to break the loveliness.

Story of the Day: Striking Workers Bash Verizon Scab Practices
Yesterday, the Village Voice found a handful of striking Verizon union workers in the South Bronx criticizing their scab worker replacements for shoddy and unsafe work practices. At least a few Bronx politicians, including State Senator Jeff Klein and Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, have voiced their support for the 45,000 members of the Communications Workers of America who say Verizon is unfairly "dictating" (not negotiating) terms for a new contract. Here's video the Voice shot yesterday:


Quick Hits:

Bronx News Roundup, Tuesday, Aug. 9

Weather: Sunny, with a high in the mid-80s until later this afternoon, when rain and thunderstorms became increasingly likely. There's an even higher chance for rain tonight. Should be hotter, less chance of rain, tomorrow.

Story of the Day: Report: City Knew of Bronx New School Contamination 6 Months Ago
According to a Daily News story out today, a contractor performing tests at the Bronx New School's cafeteria found high levels of trichlorethylene (otherwise known as TCE) contamination as early as January. In March, underneath the school's basement floorboard, the contractor discovered TCE contamination levels that were 10,000 times higher than what the state deems safe. Exposure to TCE has been linked to cancer and it can cause severed kidney and liver problems. The Department of Education says they didn't have the contractor's full report until the end of June. But even Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott acknowledged that the city should have informed parents sooner. "I'm totally shocked by the whole thing," one parent told the Daily News. Also, it's still unclear where the school will move now with just a month left before school starts.

Quick Hits:

Bronx News Roundup, June 24

Good morning, everyone. Feels like Ireland out there with the fine, soft rain (in NYese more of a shpritz). Mix of clouds and sun today with a high of 80 degrees. Chance of thunderstorms this evening.
We're a bit short-staffed today and need to work on getting next week's Norwood News ready, so this will be a quick and dirty roundup.

Bronx News Roundup, June 16

Weather: Warm and sunny today, in the high 70s/low 80s. Chance of rain late tonight and into tomorrow morning.

Story of the Day: Mount Hope Dad Gets a New Kidney
We'll start off today's roundup with a feel-good piece in honor of Father's Day this weekend. New York Daily News' Patrice O'Shaughnessy brings us the story of Bronx dad Jameak Lee, who after a decade of illness, dialysis and disappointment, successfully underwent a kidney transplant this winter. This will be the first Father's Day in his 12-year-old son Justin's life that Lee will feel well enough to celebrate.

Bronx News Roundup, April 4

Weather: Keep your umbrellas on hand. It's gray and dreary in the Bronx today, with rain expected later tonight and continuing for the next few days.

Story Of The Day: Hometown Boy Makes Good
Bronx native Kemba Walker, the 20-year-old basketball superstar that's led the UConn Huskies to the NCAA championships, graces the cover of today's New York Daily News. Walker is an inspiration to those in the Soundview neighborhood where he grew up, the story says. He'll take the court tonight with the rest of the Huskies to face off against the Butler University Bull Dogs. More here. 

Quick Hits:
A class at the Clason's Point Library is teaching adults the ins and outs of using Facebook.

The National Transportation Safety Board is launching a six-month investigation into the discount bus industry, largely in response to last month's horrific Bronx bus crash that killed 15 passengers.

The Egyptian cobra that went missing from the Bronx Zoo last week was finally found, and now you can help name it. The zoo and the Daily News are taking submissions from the public, and you can vote online until 1 p.m. today.

A business group in midtown Manhattan known as the 34th Street Partnership doled out funds for the proposed ice skating rink in Van Cortlandt Park, a move that's irked some midtown merchants.

Adrian Rodriguez, the Bronx teen who was struck by a moving 5 train last week in Union Square, has died, NY1 reports.
A 32-year-old Bronx man who survived a shooting years ago was shot to death by a group of men Sunday morning in Melrose.

A third-grader from Morrisania is suing the NYPD. Public School 132 student Sofia Bautista says she was handcuffed by police officers last spring after she got into a classroom fight with another student.

Bronx News Roundup, March 22

Our apologies for the late roundup today, but we're hard at work on production of this week's Norwood News, which hits the streets tomorrow.

Weather: Don't be fooled by this morning's sunshine and mild temps. The weather folks are calling for a mix of rain and--ugh!--snow later tonight, with more snow expected tomorrow. Sorry.

Story of the Day: Ex-Cop Arrested in Murdered Mom Case
Eddy Coello, the former cop whose wife, Tina Adovasio, was found dead in the woods in Westchester last week, was arrested today and brought to the Bronx's 45th Precinct. Coello supposedly had a history of domestic violence against his partners and had been named a "person of interest" in the case. The funeral for Adovasio, a 40-year-old nurse and mother of three, took place earlier today.

Quick Hits:

The Bronx's own Assemblyman Peter Rivera is one of several lawmakers looking to ban the psychedelic herb salvia.

Police have identified the body of the 400-pound man, found stuffed in a suitcase this weekend at the Justice Sonia Sotomayor Houses in Soundview, as 52-year-old Angel Rondon.

A Bronx woman has been accused of encouraging her 11-year-old son to lift wallets and shoplift. The two were caught stealing by security cameras at at least two locations.

Two tax preparers in the Bronx were busted for filing fraudulent documents for clients. 

A pastor accused of raping a then-12-year-old member of his church rejected a plea deal in Bronx Supreme Court yesterday. Michael Clare will go to trial and could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted.

Former Giants player Lawrence Taylor was sentenced to six years' probation today after pleading guilty in January to sexual misconduct for allegedly paying a Bronx teenager for sex.

A group of students from Bronx High School of Science are one of just a few all-girl teams to compete at the FIRST Robotics Competition.

Bronx News Roundup, March 8

It's a clear and beautiful morning in the Bronx today, with highs reaching into the mid-40s this afternoon. On to our news roundup:

Story of the day: 

Reporter David Greene snapped this photo from the scene of a fire on the Grand Concourse yesterday, when firefighters rescued 14 pit bulls from a blazing sixth-floor apartment in a building in Fordham Heights. All of the dogs, including one puppy and four newborns, were safe and one was treated for a minor injury. No people where injured. We'll have more photos and the rest of Greene's account shortly.

Stand-up comedian and Bronx native Mike DeStefano, who spun his troubled childhood and recovery from heroin addiction into his comedic routines, died yesterday. His lawyer told the New York Times that DeStefano was in his 40s, but could not confirm an exact age or cause of death. 

A Bronx woman was struck and killed by a car yesterday after stepping into a lane of traffic on a Westchester road to avoid a puddle caused by recent flooding, police said. Her companion was also injured.

A man accused of beating a 25-year-old Bronx woman into a coma over a parking space apologized outside of a Manhattan court yesterday, and said the injured woman, Lana Rosas, was the one who hit him first.

The cabdriver accused of mowing down two men in Manhattan after refusing to drive them to the Bronx has a history of confrontations with passengers, according to the Daily News. He was fined and suspended by the Taxi and Limosine Commission last year after supposedly abusing another rider.

New York City is poised to become the most gridlocked city in the country, according to a new report, which sites a stretch of the Cross Bronx Expressway as the worst traffic spot. 

A Bronx high school and a middle school, which have yet to be named publicly, will soon be part of the DOE's plan to test a new "turnaround" tactic. Instead of closing down the low-performing schools, as it has done in the past, the city will try replacing the principal and half of the teachers at the sites in hopes of improving them.

Bronx News Roundup, Feb. 8

Any knowledge you retained from science class will be useful this morning. 

PS 68 in Wakefield tests positive for PCBs.

A tanker truck carrying Carbon Dioxide was involved in an accident early this morning on the ramp of Exit 14 on Interstate 95. It leaked a cloud of gas, but no one appears to be injured.

Well, looks like an interborough war is brewing. A tree removed on the Upper East Side to make way for Second Avenue subway construction is being transplanted in the Bronx and residents in that Manhattan neighborhood there aren't taking it sitting down. (Maybe they have a little too much time on their hands?)

Surveying the Bronx blogosphere, we came across this report on Welcome to Melrose on that  first annual gala of the Bronx Pipe Smoking Society. 

There were two fatal fires in the Bronx yesterday, one on Valentine Avenue and another at the intersection of North Street and Jerome Avenue. Both claimed the lives of women in their 80s. BxNN filed this report yesterday about the death of Mary Mullen, a former schoolteacher, on Valentine Avenue.

Want to make sure the news continues? Just a reminder to our readers that the Bronx News Network is in the middle of our annual fundraising appeal. If you value quality local journalism, please consider donating so we can continue to bring you news and features, like our daily roundup or our borough events calendar. More details on how to contribute can be found here.

A Tropical Oasis Emerges In the Dead of Winter

A version of this story first appeared in the latest edition of the Norwood News. You can see more photos from the exhibit here. 

 (Photos by Haybee Camacho)

By Haydee Camacho

Weather forecasters were issuing yet another winter weather advisory on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. But inside the Bronx’s New York Botanical Garden, a new Caribbean Garden exhibit provided welcome relief for winter-weary patrons.

Upon entering the main atrium of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, visitors are transported to a tropical oasis of towering palm trees and lush ferns.

“We have so many beautiful plants in our collection and so many grown in the Caribbean,” said Karen Daubman, the Garden’s director of exhibitions and seasonal Displays. “We wanted to highlight those plants. It’s so beautiful for people to stroll through and feel like they are on vacation.”

Visitors agree. “It’s fantastic,” said Marlene Ostertag, an avid gardener who was visiting with her daughter, Karen, a librarian. “There is a little too much snow piled up and having a place of tropical green in the middle of winter is fantastic.”

Near a fountain, Lisa Imundo watched as her 11-year-old daughter Francesca sketched.

“It’s like a little mini vacation,” she remarked. “It lifts the spirits to come in out of the ice and snow. It’s beautiful like summertime.”

Bronx News Roundup, Jan. 28

Just a few Bronx news stories to get you caught up on this snow piled Friday afternoon.

A very important cautionary tale from yesterday. Two young Bronx girls collapsed from carbon monoxide poisoning after their mother left them in her running car while she dug it out of the snow. Problem was, fire officials said, the mom neglected to clean the tailpipe, causing carbon monoxide to flood the interior of the car. Both kids are in stable condition and are expected to be fine.

But let this be a stern reminder to all parents digging their cars out of this massive snow build-up: CLEAN THE TAILPIPE FIRST!

More on the death of former Bronx State Senator Guy Velella who died yesterday: Times,  Wall Street Journal, NY1 and WNYC. 

Bronx-born director Rashaad Ernesto Green recounts his experience showing his new Bronx-based movie "Gun Hill Road" at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. At the end of the week, the movie was picked up by a startup distributor.

Upstate local governments are combining forces to clean up the Bronx River before the water even gets to the Bronx.

Enjoy the weekend.

Bronx News Roundup, Jan. 26

Yup, more snow. A winter storm warning is in effect today until 6 p.m., so bundle up; the weather folks are saying four to eight inches.

President Obama gave his second State of the Union Address last night, one that called for a bipartisan effort to fix the nation's economy and a proposed 5-year spending freeze.

Salon.com has named Bronx Rep. Eliot Engel number three on a list of Congress' "top five biggest aisle hogs"--politicians who stake out an aisle seat before a big speech in hopes of getting a handshake and a few words from the President. Check out this video of the worst offenders through the years:


The family of a 24-year-old Melissa Barthelemy, one of four victims believed to have been murdered by a serial killer on Long Island, say they received taunting phone calls on the woman's cell phone in the days after she disappeared.

Police are searching for a group of ten men who shot up a Melrose street last night, killing a 21-year-old man.

A Bronx woman pleaded not guilty yesterday to manslaughter charges for hitting and killing a woman with her car in Manhattan in November.

A Lehman College student stuck in Chile during protests there this month became the unofficial spokesman for about 1500 other stranded tourists, and earned himself a certificate of appreciation from the U.S. State Department.

Plans to lay seven miles of pipe from Van Cortlandt Park to Hunts Point have been scrapped by the city due to soaring costs. The plan was part of the ongoing Croton Water Filtration Plant project.

A Bronx couple is facing jail time for animal cruelty charges after nearly 100 emaciated cats were found in their artist's loft in Brooklyn. A neighbor told the Brooklyn paper the two were simply trying to care for the neighborhood's strays.

The widow of a murdered Throgs Neck man gave chilling testimony in court yesterday against her husband's accused killer, an alleged mob man.

A mugger tried to steal the cell phone of former Gov. George Pataki's eldest daughter at the Freeman Street subway stop.

The State Senate's Republican majority gave committee chairmanship roles to Jeff Klein and the other members of his Independent Caucus. Klein will chair the Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse.

A 17-year-old student at Celia Cruz High School for Music was found dead in the snow on a Harlem street over the weekend. Loved ones of Gregory Willis Jr. say they are baffled by the quiet teenager's mysterious death; autopsy results are pending.

[Editor's Note:] Just a reminder to our readers that the Bronx News Network is in the middle of our annual fundraising appeal. If you value quality local journalism, please consider donating so we can continue to bring you news and features, like our daily roundup or our borough events calendar. More details on how to contribute can be found here. 

Bronx Crime Watch: Police Seek Shooting Suspects

Police are still searching for two suspects involved in the post-Christmas shooting of a 16-year-old boy.

The unnamed victim, a Hispanic male, was shot once in the upper leg during a dispute with two other young men at the corner of Bainbridge Avenue and E. 212th Street, in the early morning hours of Dec. 26. The injured boy was removed to Montefiore Medical Center in stable condition, according to a spokesman for the NYPD.

Police released video surveillance stills (above) of the two suspects, who fled the scene after the shooting. Both are described as black, thinly built males between the ages of 16 and 18. One suspect was wearing a blue "varsity" jacket with beige sleeves, while the other wore a black puffy coat and was carrying a firearm.

There have been no leads and no arrests, according to police.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1 800 577 TIPS (8477). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

All calls are strictly confidential.

[Editor's Note:] Just a reminder to our readers that the Bronx News Network is in the middle of our annual fundraising appeal. If you value quality local journalism, please consider donating so we can continue to bring you news, and features like our daily roundup or our borough events calendar. More details on how to contribute can be found here. 

POTS Community Survey

Local nonprofit Part Of The Solution (POTS) is looking to adjust its food pantry service hours, and they're asking for community feedback to see what hours would be the most benefitial to exisiting and potential clients.

The program provides free supplemental food and some non-food items to families in the following zip codes: 10453, 10457, 10458, 10459, 10460, 10463, 10466, 10467, and 10468. Each household receives enough non-perishable food for 3 days of meals, plus fresh fruits and vegetables.

POTS is asking that residents who live in the above zip codes fill out this quick community survey.

Learn more about POTS by visiting http://www.potsbronx.org/.