Bronx News Roundup, Sept. 29

Lehman High School teacher James McSherry’s independent film based on his life experiences won him several awards and recognition. The film tells the story of McSherry’s friend who was arrested in Throgs Neck for a drug-related murder during the 1980s.

Prosecutors showed a video of a car being blown up with the same tools that they say were planned to be used in an attack on a synagogue in Riverdale last year. The defendants claim they were entrapped by an FBI informant who provided them with fake weapons.

A motorist in the Bronx viciously attacked a traffic agent yesterday after being issued a ticket. The driver was blocking a lane when Edgar Saeteros issued the summons. Cops are still searching for the attacker.

The MTA is going to eliminate toll booth arms on the Henry Hudson Bridge, which connects the Bronx and Manhattan. The ultimate plan is to eliminate the toll gates and cash lanes entirely to speed things up for drivers while also saving money.

After she blew up the Internet with blogs about her infamous past, sex-worker-turned-teacher Melissa Petro was granted tenure at a Bronx elementary school.

Bronx State Senator Jeff Klein says a new bill he sponsored will protect homeowners from loan scammers. The bill requires consultants -- who often take advantage of distressed homeowners by telling them they will save them from foreclosure -- to put a disclaimer on loan modification ads telling homeowners they can receive similar services for free through the New York State Banking Department.

Bronx News Roundup, June 15

The trial of four men accused of plotting to bomb Riverdale synagogues has being delayed due to prosecutors' failure to turn over necessary documents. Defense lawyers said they would file a motion to dismiss the case.

According to a report by the Citizens' Committee for Children, child welfare issues in the Bronx have become worse since the recession began.

A three-year-old Bronx boy survived after falling out of a third-story window that lacked window guards.

Bronx Democrat Joe Crowley's fund-raising history is under review by ethics investigators in the House.

A Bronx-based recycling company has been indicted over accusations that it filed false documents with New York State, in an effort to hide the illegal disposal of waste.

The Daily News's Bob Kappsttater details the latest goings on in Bronx politics.

A little local sports news, the Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy Tigers win their first PSAL 'B' baseball title.

The Orioles are coming back to the Bronx, to play against the team that took away their position as world champions.

Tickets are on sale for the Inaugural New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in December. If you purchase tickets before Sept. 8, prices start at $30.

Bronx News Roundup, June 14

It's Monday! Time to get back to business and some BX news you may have missed. Enjoy!

In-Tech Academy, in the South Bronx, is currently under investigation by city education officials on charges claiming that students were disciplined by being assigned janitorial duties, such as cleaning toilets.

Jury selection on the case against the four men who allegedly plotted to bomb Riverdale synagogues is set to begin today.

A 4-year-old boy died after tumbling over the railing of his terrace, and falling down 23 stories, in Co-op City. For a story on the father's reaction click here.

The Hutchinson Metro Center, in the Bronx, has agreed to shine the colors of Mother Teresa's order on August 26, in honor of her 100th birthday, after Empire State Building officials said no.

State Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. has stuck to his guns, and refuses to vote on any more budget cuts, even with the threat of a state government shutdown. The Daily News has more.

Some senate leaders are confident that a government shutdown will not be happening. Read more here.

The 32-year-old man who received a rare heart and liver transplant at Montefiore Medical Center, was able to return home to his family on Friday.

Nearly 600 high school students rallied outside of City Hall on Friday in support of free student MetroCards, which the MTA has threatened to take away.

John H. Reynolds, the Green Party candidate for NY State Senate, in the 33rd senate district, spoke out on a number of issues, including worker's rights and the need to empower communities of color, at the South Bronx Community Congress meeting held at Hostos Commuity College, earlier this month.

The New York Public Library's Summer Reading 2010 Program, kicked off at the Bronx Library Center in Fordham, on Friday. Read more here.

The New York Yankees Museum reveals its 'Subway Series' exhibit.

Bronx News Roundup, May 19

Students from two Bronx middle schools will have their community-inspired lunchroom table artwork displayed throughout city parks this summer.

More than 40 percent of street lights are non-working on major city highways, including the Cross Bronx Expressway and the Major Deegan.

The Times Square bombing suspect stopped waiving his right to a speedy court appearance and made his first appearance in a federal court yesterday. (Not really Bronx specific, but we thought you should know.)

The parents of 6-month-old Sophia Lopez from the Bronx, are searching for a bone marrow donor for their daughter. They are urging Hispanics to come out to the donor drive this Saturday at PS 71 in Pelham Bay.

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor is scheduled to speak at a Hostos Community College graduation ceremony next month.

The New York City Housing Authority will begin to monitor the energy consumption of tenants within public housing. If the amount of energy used doesn't change, it is a possibility that these tenants will have to begin to pay.

The city's Human Resources Administration is fighting back against Bloomberg's budget cutbacks on case workers and services offered to people with HIV and AIDS. The agency is facing a $75 million cut.

A federal judge refuses to dismiss the case of the four men who claimed to have been pressured into plotting to bomb two synagogues in Riverdale.

Bronx News Roundup, March 30

A  New York's Court of Appeals ruled today that Mazin Assi, who attempted to bomb a Bronx synagogue in 2000, is guilty of a hate crime. The court said that the stricter penalties of a hate crime applied to Assi, even if his crime was directed towards a building and not a person.

All this heavy rain caused a mudslide near the Riverdale Metro-North station early this morning, disrupting service on the Hudson line. Train times were back to normal a little after 11 a.m.

Some seasonal exhibits at the Bronx Zoo will officially reopen this Saturday.

The Daily News reports on a the popularity of hydroponic gardening--growing plants in liquid instead of soil--and how it's perfect for Bronxites who don't have the space for a traditional garden.

New low-income housing near Union Grove Baptist Church, on Hoe Avenue, broke ground on Friday. The buildings will be named after long time pastor Rev. Dr. Fletcher Crawford, who conceptualized the development.

Some Bronx politicians, like Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz, are supporting--and even calling for expansions of--the proposed tax on sugary sodas, according to the Daily News' Bob Kappstatter.

Sen. Eric Schneiderman and other City officials are fighting to have prison inmates who are originally from New York City counted as city residents in the census. Current practices count inmates as residents of the regions where they're incarcerated, often upping census numbers for smaller towns upstate that house large prisons.

Starting April 10, the Parkchester 6 train station will be partially closed for repairs and renovations, which will take about three months to complete.

More on "Whatever it Takes," a documentary that chronicles Edward Tom, principal at the Bronx Center for Science and Mathematics, in his goal to have all of his students graduate and go to college. More details on the film, which premieres tonight at 10 p.m., here.

Bronx News Roundup June 1

The two Bronx synagogues targeted in the recent bombing plot revealed on May 20th will each receive $25,000 in federal money from the Department of Homeland Security. This money will be used to provide alarms and surveillance equipment to protect the synagogues. Senator Kristen E. Gillibrand has also requested an additional $25 million for the Urban Areas Security Initiative that will finance further security initiatives at organizations at high risk of a terrorist attack.

A recent audit confirmed a Daily News report from last July that Bronx Court officials broke the law by illegally investing estates of the deceased in uncertain securities.

The fifth New York City swine flu related death to be reported is that of a Bronx infant. City officials have yet to confirm if the death is a result of the virus.

Critics of the recently nominated Supreme Court justice Sonia Sotomayor are openly labeling the Bronx native as harsh, difficult to work with, unintelligent and racist against Caucasians. Judge Sotomayor's critics mainly consist of conservative groups and Republicans. In fact, Judge Sotomayor graduated from Princeton and Yale Law School and has a track record of rejecting more discrimination claims than accepting them. None of these critical claims have been found to have substantial proof.

Sonia Sotomayor's classmates recall the Supreme Court nominee as distinguished even in high school.

Joel R. Rivera announced his candidacy for the Bronx 77th Assembly District.

Bronx Democratic Senator Jeffrey Klein announced that he plans on introducing a school governance bill that will allow the mayor to retain control of the Panel on Education Policy. However, Klein also want to increase parental involvement in the local community boards by incorporating the boards with local Community Educational Councils. Klein believes that local boards will give parents a stronger voice to improve the conditions and test scores at local schools.

The Department of Environmental Protection and the Fire Department conducted a full-scale emergency response drill at Bronx Reservoir on Sunday.