Bronx News Roundup, Oct. 27

The Bronx's first restaurant week, officially known as Savor the Bronx (we mentioned it in yesterday's roundup) is getting a shoutout from ZagatBuzz. "The borough is giving everyone an excuse to get their butts way uptown," the site says.

The Irish Echo reports that the Transportation Committee of Community Board 8 has given its OK to the naming of a street near Gaelic Park in Kingsbridge for the late human rights activist and lawyer Frank Durkan.

The Bronx Museum of Arts will screen the documentary "Garifuna Nation"on Friday at 7 p.m. (Video)

Kappstatter gives us the rundown on what the political machinations may be behind Bronx Democratic boss Carl Heastie not nominating a new executive director of the city Board of Elections for more than a year now. Also in the column, is news of the first meeting of the Bronx Young Democrats Club tomorrow night.

The New York Times Arts section reports some hard news about the new Poe Park visitors' center being shuttered and vandalized for lack of funding to staff the raven-shaped building.

City Comptroller John Liu discussed the economy with Bronx Community College students last week and made other stops in the borough. (Video)

Bronx News Roundup, Feb. 24

A quick reminder that we will be Tweeting live from Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr.'s State of the Borough speech today, starting at 11:30 a.m. Check back here for the Twitter feed on the right side of this page or you can follow us through my Twitter account: @norwoodnews.

This morning, in preparation for the speech,  police were already setting up security at DeWitt Clinton High School on Mosholu Parkway and aggressively ticketing and towing cars parked on Goulden Avenue, presumably for violating alternate-side parking rules. News 12 was also setting up a mobile unit. A military officer wearing a beret and camouflage gear walked into the building. Wonder if he'll have a role today.

In any case, tune in today during the brunch hours to our Twitter coverage (on @norwoodnews) and tune in later today and tomorrow for photos as well as more details and analysis.

To the news! (Abbreviated version today. Like one of the borough's congressman at the State of the Union, I need to head out early and get a good aisle seat for maximum exposure during all the broadcast coverage of toady's speech. Maybe I'll even get an autograph or two.)

A preview of today's Diaz's speech, which is expected to draw some 1,500 people, with a focus on how Diaz will call for Bloomberg's support in delivering on a plan for the Kingsbridge Armory.
 
A report from the wake of 11-year-old Russell Smith, who was killed on the Grand Concourse when he was struck by a passing Honda CRV. Family member and local officials vowed to do something about the borough's most dangerous streets and not let his death be in vain.

The Times takes an in-depth look at how police caught two of the suspects they believe robbed an Arthur Avenue jewelry store last Friday. 

The Daily News has a new Bronx Education column, featuring a story on a pair of PS 86 teachers and their ideas for how the union and city should deal with teacher layoffs. 

More and more Bronxites (and other outer borough dwellers) are commuting to work outside of Manhattan and the city's transit system is struggling to keep up.

Kappy's back this week with juice on Assembly Speaker "Godfather" Shelly Silver's decision to move Bronx Dem boss Carl Heastie into a new post for political reasons and some other stuff.

The Bronx's New York Botanical Garden is teaching teachers how to teach school gardening.

Where are all the movies with great Bronx accents?

An elevator at an apartment building in Highbridge has been out for two months.

The Bronx DA dismissed rape charges against a Haitian immigrant. They realized his accent was too thick to say the threatening words the victim said she heard.

Firing of Election Chief George Gonzalez Looks Bad for Bronx Dems

That's what the Daily News is saying after the Board of Elections voted today to fire George Gonzalez, who they call "a product" of the Bronx Democratic Party. Party boss Carl Heastie pushed for his hiring in mid-August. Gonzalez's BOE gig was considered a plum $172,753-a-year patronage appointment.

What Happened to Bronx Dem Machine?

We're all a little bleary-eyed here at BxNN after a very late night of Tweeting (did you follow us?) and shuttling between candidate events. We'll have more for you later, but for now just a couple of items/thoughts  ...

By now, you know that incumbent Pedro Espada was defeated by a significant margin and that he conceded early in the evening. But, as for upsets, Gustavo Rivera's victory was the only defeat of a Bronx incumbent legislator despite several primary races. Assemblyman Nelson Castro appears to have beat back a tough challenge from Hector Ramirez (though he has yet to officially concede). The top, and perhaps only, priority of the Bronx Democratic Party was defeating Castro.

And seeing that the Party, headed by east Bronx Assemblyman Carl Heastie, formally stayed out of the Espada-Rivera match-up, it's hard to see what, if anything, they accomplished last night. What happened to their mojo and focus of two years ago when they ousted Jose Rivera and other leaders of the Party and elected Ruben Diaz, Jr. borough president? 

Gustavo Rivera's victory, on the shoulders of labor unions, individual elected officials acting independently of the Party machinery, the Working Families Party, an impressive crew of young volunteers, and a slew of engaged and fed-up Bronxites, shows that formal Party support is not always necessary for victory.

We'll have more for you soon, including video of Gustavo Rivera's victory speech. In the meantime, share your thoughts in the Comment section.

Bronx News Roundup, Aug. 31

With the Bronx continuing to head many "worst of" lists, Crain's wonders who will save it.

A NY Post reporter kayaks the Bronx River, and likes what she sees.

The Bronx is home to a growing number of DVD and video stores specilizing in Nigerian-made movies. The film industry there is called "Nollywood."

Councilman Jimmy Vacca is supporting a bill which would force the city to address the rising raccoon population in the outer boroughs.

In his weekly column, the Daily News' columnist Bob Kappstatter calls out Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera for skipping a televised debate. We wonder what annoys Rivera more - the criticism of her record or being called "Snooki." Kappstatter also suggests Assemblyman Carl Heastie, the Bronx Democratic party boss, is loath to endorse Gustavo Rivera in his race against State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr., in case Espada retaliates by supporting Assemblyman Nelson Castro, who faces a primary opponent in Heastie-backed Hector Ramirez.

Fight Back New York, a pro-gay marriage group, has been digging up dirt on State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. 

Dan Doctoroff, the former deputy mayor and development czar, played a key role in getting several massive construction projects off the ground, including the new Yankee Stadium and Bronx Terminal Market. City Limits looks back at his legacy.

Local residents and shoppers will be able to purchase special "parking memberships" when the Botanical Garden's new 825-spot parking garage opens in 2012.

One of the men on trial for allegedly trying to blow up two Riverdale synagogues last year, ranted about his hatred for Jews in secretly-recording conversations played in court yesterday.

Fordham Prep's talented soccer team has high hopes for a strong season.

Bronx Congressmen Jose Serrano and Eliot Engel, and several of their colleagues, are currently receiving hefty taxpayer-funded pensions on top of their six-figure salaries.

From last week's Village Voice: a police officer from the 41st Precinct in the Hunts Point secretly recorded his superiors demanding that he meet a quota of arrests and summonses, something the NYPD has always denies it does. These same superiors also ordered officers to downgrade crime complaints, he claims. The revelations come on the back of a four-part series in the Voice concerning a precinct in Brooklyn and another disillusioned cop with a hidden tape recorder.

Koch’s Enemies List

Ed Koch has an enemies list and almost every incumbent Bronx legislator is on it. The former mayor has founded NY Uprising, a group of former elected and appointed officials that is demanding incumbent and wannabe state legislators sign a pledge promising to support non-partisan independent redistricting, ethics reform and budgetary reform.

Those that sign on are deemed “heroes.” In the Bronx, only State Senators Pedro Espada and Jeff Klein are on that list, as are Espada challengers Gustavo Rivera and Fernando Tirado. (Daniel Padernacht, like most Bronx Dems, is on the group's enemies list).

We texted Bronx Democratic Party head Carl Heastie (he's well known for his texting preference) and asked why his team of Bronx Dems haven't signed on to the NY Uprising agenda. "Just didn't feel the necessity," he texted back. Asked to elaborate, Heastie said, "Koch has a right to lobby for his issues, but I don't feel compelled to respond to him."

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz was less reserved. He said he agrees with almost all of the group’s agenda. But, he said, part of the pledge is agreeing to what the position of the Citizen’s Union, a good government group, is on redistricting (though this does not seem to be on the Web site). Making a pledge dependent on the position of an outside group, which could change in the future, doesn’t make sense, Dinowitz said.

Dinowitz also didn’t appreciate being lectured on ethics by Koch, who had close ties to scandal-plagued outer-borough political leaders during his tenure.

“Koch named Espada as a hero of reform,” Dinowitz said. “I think that speaks for itself.” 

To see who made which list, go to www.nyuprising.com.

State Dems Pushing Bronx Committee to Oust Espada, 'Complicating' Things

A letter from the State Democratic Committee asking the Bronx County Democrats to oust Senate Majoriy Leader Pedro Espada, Jr. from the party, first reported by the NY Post yesterday, has "complicated" things for Bronx Democratic leaders, who have, up until now, stayed neutral in the 33rd District senate race.

It also puts Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, the chairman of Bronx Democratic Committee, on the hot seat. If the Committee decides to act on the formal request, written by Edgard Santana, the deputy to the state Democratic party's executive director, Charlie King, Dinowitz would preside over any quasi-trial proceedings and then make a final ruling on whether Espada should remain in the party. 

"Ultimately, it's Dinowitz's decision," said Assemblyman Carl Heastie, the chairman of the Bronx committee's executive board (which makes him the borough's party boss).

Dinowitz is not taking the decision lightly. First and foremost, he says he will have to figure out whether Santana has the standing to make such a formal request. He may have to live in the district, Dinowitz said, but he's not sure. He's going to check all the party rules and by-laws before making a determination on whether to proceed or not.

"The answer is, I don't know the answer [at this point]," said Dinowitz, adding that he only received the letter this morning after first reading about it yesterday in the Post.

Espada spokesman Steve Mangione, responding to an e-mail, did not comment on the letter, but said he would get back to us with a comment as soon as possible.

Now, even if Espada is "convicted" and ousted from the party, Dinowitz said it will take time and Espada will be able to appeal any decision that is made in Bronx Supreme Court. (The Post also reported this weekend
that Espada could be facing new criminal charges for lying on a grant application for his health care clinics.)

If you've been following Bronx politics (or Espada) for the past decade, this may feel like watching re-run. 

Benjamin Considers a Run Against Serrano

Does Assemblyman Michael Benjamin want to trade Albany for Washington? Benjamin said this week that he’s leaning in the direction of a run for Congress this fall.

In a phone interview, the assemblyman said he’s still weighing his options and will make a decision in the coming weeks. Should he opt to run, Benjamin would be giving up his state Assembly post in the 79th District, where he’s been since 2003, to challenge the federal seat currently occupied by Congressman Jose E. Serrano, who’s held the position for the past two decades.

“Over the last 20 years of the congressman’s tenure the Bronx has remained [home to] the nation’s poorest congressional district,” Benjamin said of Serrano. “To me, that’s not a badge of honor.”

Benjamin said his number one priority would be to use a congressional seat to bring funding into the 16th District—which makes up large portions of the west and south Bronx—to boost the area’s economy.

Benjamin went on to praise some of Serrano’s work, like his role in funding and fighting environmental justice issues, but said it wasn’t enough.

“The congressman has done good things,” he said. “But many more Bronx residents would prefer to be working, to be able to see their families have access to good quality medical care, higher performing public schools.”

“I always believe a federal legislator has a responsibility to try to solve some of these actions,” he continued.

Patrick Jenkins, who works for Bronx Democratic Party Chairman Carl Heastie, said he’s not sure if Benjamin’s congressional ambitions are serious.

“The chairman is not convinced that there is an actual run--that Benjamin will actually be running against Congressman Serrano. Until there’s a definitive word either way, it’ll be hard to pass judgment,” Jenkins said.

“I can tell you this: the chairman unequivocally supports Congressman Serrano in an election, and would support Michael Benjamin in his re-election.”

Bronx News Roundup, Jan. 20

Fundraising for Haiti has been met with huge success in the Bronx. The Daily News reports on this, including last Saturday's effort, hosted by Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and the New York Hispanic Clergy organization, which raised over $50,000 in monetary donations, as well as two boxes of supplies.

An off-duty police officer was one of four people who were injured in a three-car crash in Pelham Bay Park last night. One driver, who initially fled the scene, has been taken into custody.

Timothy Honey, a Bronx man (and reportedly, a William S. Burroughs lookalike) is being sought in connection with a string of armed robberies in Greenwich Village.

The Tri-State Transportation Campaign has deemed East Gunhill Road, the Grand Concourse and Broadway highly dangerous to pedestrian traffic. In their report, the organization praised city efforts, but criticized the state Department of Transportation. In addition, figures from 2009 were not reflected in the report, a year that saw its own fair share of pedestrian deaths on these streets.

Tired of staring down a pitch-dark tunnel? Done with straining your ears in hopes of hearing your train screech down the tracks? Some Bronx commuters are in luck: five stations in the Bronx have received countdown clocks, tracking the arrival time of trains by the minute.

Bronx Democratic Chairman Carl Heastie implores the media to look past race. When questioned as to whether he will be supporting Harold Ford Jr.'s primary run, Heastie replied, "I don't feel that I have to support him just because I'm black. There's this expectation that because he's black and I'm black, I have to run to support him, and damn a sitting U.S. senator. I'm trying to get people thinking beyond race."

Possum and skunk infestations are irritating the residents of a Throggs Neck housing project. However, their demands for help are not being met.

Just wondering, have you ever been able to drive from the Bronx to midtown in five minutes? "24" hero Jack Bauer need not apply.

Bronx News Roundup, Oct. 20

In Claremont, there is tension between American-African residents and their West African neighbors.

Despite leaving him be in last month's primary, the Bronx Democratic Party would still like to see the back of Councilman Larry Seabrook.

Bronx residents and community leaders and are becoming increasingly frustrated by the Department of Homeless Services' penchant for opening homeless shelters and cluster-sites (where homeless families are moved into existing apartment buildings), without informing the community until the last minute. The Norwood News has also written about this issue.

A father-of-two was shot dead near his home in Longwood on Saturday night.

A look at the shopping and dining options along Eastchester Road.

Five Westchester Square businesses, destroyed in a major fire last spring, have managed to reopen elsewhere in the neighborhood.

A Bronx social worker has written a play about the horrors of domestic violence, based, in part, on her own abusive marriage.

As we reported yesterday, the City Planning Commission has approved Related Companies' plan to redevelop the Kindgbridge Armory. Here's Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr.s reaction, and here's why it's not all bad news for those wanting Related to sign a community benefits agreement.

A Bronx cat has had a lucky escape after crawling inside a car engine, getting stuck, and going for a two-mide ride. The Post's headline: This Engine is Really Purring.

Bronx News Roundup, September 29

Refugees from Bhutan have come to find a new home in the Bronx. Although many Bhutanese refugees are scattered throughout the Bronx, a large population is concentrated in one apartment building on University Avenue, according to The New York Times. The eight Bhutanese families living in the building share meals, job tips and more. Bhutanese refugees started moving into the United States in 2007 when Nepal refused to give them citizenship. The United States agreed to resettle 60,000 of these refugees and so far, about 170 Bhutanese have moved to New York.

The New York Times recently published a piece about Bronx residents lamenting the possible closing of the Botanical Station post office in Bedford Park. The Norwood News published an article about this issue in August.

If you are looking for an affordable, pleasant-looking apartment, The New York Times suggests looking in Mount Hope.

Bronx Assemblyman and Democratic Party chair Carl Heastie is teaming up with the Brooklyn Democratic Leader, Vito Lopez, to see if they can round up the 26 votes on the City Council needed to oust City Council Speaker Christine Quinn from the speaker's chair, according to the New York Post.

Speaking of Carl Heastie, the Assemblyman almost came to blows with Parkchester Assemblyman Peter Rivera last Thursday at a judicial nominating convention, according to the Daily News' Bob Kappstatter. The fight concerned Rivera's charges that Heastie was including him in decisions over judicial nominations for state Supreme Court. Kappstatter reports that the row could be a precursor to an effort to depose Heastie from the chairmanship.

Tom Robbins at the Village Voice also weighs in on the judicial nominating convention, pointing out that Stanley Schlein is still in the thick of things, despite from being barred from receiving court-appointed cases in 2006.

Meanwhile, a Heastie staffer is getting is getting noticed. His chief of staff, Marricka Scott-McFadden, was named as one of the newspaper City Hall's Rising Stars: 40 under 40. Also included in the list was another Bronx Assembly Member Vanessa Gibson.

Consultants hired by Morton Williams supermarket have come down hard criticizing the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) released by Related Companies, the developer for the Kingsbridge Armory. The consultants claim that the development will cause overwhelming amounts of traffic congestion.

It's (Almost) Official: After Re-Count, Cabrera Up By 69, Heastie Says

The machine votes for the 14th District Council race have been re-counted, all the paper ballots (absentee and affidavit) have been tallied and Fernando Cabrera is still in the lead over Maria Baez by about 69 votes, said Democratic County Chairman Carl Heastie in a phone interview.

Heastie said the Board of Elections will make it official on Tuesday.

At the end of Tuesday's primary, Cabrera, a pastor and college professor, was up by 90 votes. So Baez, who refused to concede on Tuesday, gained a little ground in the re-count, but not enough to make a difference. Instead of sticking around for the re-count (and City Council meetings), Baez went on vacation. That may be an indicator of what she thought of her chances.

"But this isn't about beating up Maria Baez," Heastie said.

It's about injecting "fresh blood and new energy" into the Council, he said. "Cabrera has a tremendous background. He's a pastor and a counselor, so he can relate to the struggles that families here are going through. And he's going to be present."

Okay, so based on that last remark, it's a little bit about Baez, who was beat up continually for her lack of presence at not only City Council meetings, but also local community board meetings.

As for the slim margin of victory, Heastie told Liz Benjamin at the Daily News: "I don't care if you win the Super Bowl by one point or 30, you're still champion."

We'll have full primary election coverage of the 14th and 1th district races in the Norwood News next Thursday.

Heastie talks party policy on BronxTalk

This week, BronxTalk featured an interview with the Chairman of the Bronx County Democratic Committee, Assemblyman Carl Heastie. Heastie spoke with host Gary Axelbank about party policy and philosphy, specific candiates and their support, and a variety of other Bronx political issues. He also took phone calls from viewers.

The program provides unique, in-depth insight into the workings of the so-called Bronx Democratic Party machine. Here's a link to the entire program: http://bronxnet.fliggo.com/video/Bx8CgXHg.

BronxTalk, the borough's flagship talk show, will celebrate its 15th anniversary this October. It is seen live on Monday nights at 9 p.m. on channel 67 in the Bronx and streamed live on the web at http://bronxnet.org/home/live/webstreamtrial.html. It is hosted by Gary Axelbank and produced by Jane Folloro. Viewers can see replays of BronxTalk at 9:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m., and 9 p.m. daily and the programs are archived at http://bronxnet.fliggo.com/category/bronxtalk.

Bronx News Roundup, July 28

Yesterday, Bronx Supreme Court Judge Joseph Dawson voiced his opinion that defendants in his courtroom should wear respectful, professional attire during their cases.

Early this morning, four men attempted to rob the home of Ivy Skeffery on Bussing Avenue in the Bronx. Skeffery shot two of the invaders leaving one dead. The other invader is in stable condition at Jacobi Hospital. Police are still investigating the shooting.

The City Council is considering putting a ferry service in place around New York City. The ferry service would have eight potential stops in the Bronx including Orchard Beach, Yankee Stadium and Ferry Point. The plan for the ferry is scheduled to be discussed in Riverdale on Thursday.

Bob Kapstatter of the New York Daily News sees the City Council District 14 race between Baez and Cabrera as a problem for Assemblyman Carl Heastie. Heastie supports Cabrera, but if Cabrera looses the primary election, Kapstatter believes Heastie could be challenged by other district leaders for supporting a losing candidate.

This past weekend, building began on a home for an injured G.I. on Sampson Avenue in the Bronx. The house for Robert Reyes will have renovations that will allow Reyes to live functionally, all provided by volunteers, donors and government grants. The Norwood News wrote a story about Reyes and some of the efforts to help him last spring.

This week, the Stella D'Oro union plans to protest outside of Barclays, a shareholder of Lance Inc. who plans to buy the company. The union fears that the production of the cookies would be scattered across plants all over the United States and Canada instead of remaining at the one Bronx-based plant that is now in operation.

Bronx pols endorse Thompson for mayor

At yesterday's Puerto Rican parade on the Grand Concourse, a handful of Bronx politicans endorsed fellow Democrat, City Comptroller Bill Thompson, for mayor, according to a press release from Thompson's office.

Assemblyman Carl Heastie, the Bronx party chairman, said:

The Bronx wants a mayor who understands that there are families, hard working people, businesses, schools and strong, proud communities outside of Manhattan. Bill Thompson will be a mayor for the Bronx because he knows this borough and he understands the challenges that hardworking Bronx residents are facing. Bill will fight for The Bronx and for all New Yorkers.

Added Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz:

Bill is going to represent working New Yorkers, middle class New Yorkers in all 5 boroughs and that’s what we need. He will improve schools and we will see real results in our education and not just the same half baked statistics that we are used too. I am proud to endorse Bill Thompson for Mayor of New York.

Councilmembers Oliver Koppell, Annabel Palma, and Maria Baez also gave Thompson their backing.

UPDATE: Koppell says he yet to make any endorsements. More here.

Bronx News Roundup, May 7

Not a tremendous amount of Bronx news floating around today. We'll put a few links up here and then get to the business of reporting our own stories. 

The special elections to fill the assembly seats vacated by new Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and his deputy Aurelia Greene will be held on June 2. Carl Heastie, the relatively new Bronx Democratic chairman has announce the party's candidates, Vanessa Gibson (for Greene's seat) and Marcus Crespo (Diaz's), but expects competition, the Daily News' Liz Benjamin writes. 

On Tuesday, the DN's Bob Kappstatter wrote that activist Joel Rivera (not the Councilman and no relation) and Anthony Curry will challenge Gibson for Greene's seat. And Pedro G. Espada, (the state senator's son and former councilman) might be looking to challenge Crespo for Diaz's seat. 

Any candidate wishing to run must collect 1,500 signatures by May 13, next Wednesday. 

Bronx State Senator Jose M. Serrano is pushing for a more consolidated effort to bring transparency to the process of how Stimulus money is being spent in New York. 

NY1 on Bronx-born judge Sonia Sotomayor, a possible Supreme Court nominee. 

A Bronx cabbie was awarded $1.5 million after being wrongly sentenced to prison for allegedly selling drugs to an undercover cop. 

Here's the Riverdale Press' story on the DEP's controversial blasting plan at Jerome Park Reservoir. 

Bronx News Roundup, March 6

Assemblyman Ruben Diaz, jr. filed his petitions with the Board of Elections yesterday, making him the first candidate to ask to be included on the ballot for Bronx Borough President. Liz Benjamin reports that the ballot line will read "Bronx Unity Party," but the muscle behind him is Carl Heastie's new democratic machine, which claims to have collected 16,500 signatures for Diaz in just three days.
Diaz is set to formally announce his candidacy on Monday.

The so-called "gang of three" is back. Bronx State Senators Pedro Espada, jr. and Ruben Diaz, sr., as well as Brooklyn's Carl Kruger, are refusing to support the Ravitch plan, which would avoid huge MTA fare hikes and service cuts in part by imposing tolls on the Harlem and East River bridges.

The New York Observer notes that city comptroller Bill Thompson has become a much louder voice on the board of the Industrial Development Agency (IDA) since he began eying a run for mayor. The IDA is the city agency charged with arranging tax incentives for big development projects - like the new Yankee Stadium or the Kingsbridge Armory. Thompson participated in a rally this week demanding a serious community benefits agreement from the Armory developer (see below). More on that in this week's Norwood News.

Two former NYPD officers are facing a civil trial fourteen years after allegedly shooting two young robbery suspects over twenty times while they lay face-down on the sidewalk. The shooting was one of several which enraged citizens during Rudy Giuliani's tenure as mayor.

"Brazilian Modern," this year's orchid show at the Botanical Garden, is getting good reviews.

A Bronx woman has been named McDonald's Crew Person of the Year.

The Australian news media has developed a special interest in Bronx schools lately: this is the second Australian story this month to feature a Bronx school, this time the Bronx Lab School. (Last week's story, in another Australian paper, can be found here)

What Was the Deal?

Now that Joel Rivera, and former party chairman Jose Rivera (who was rumored to be mulling a bid for Bronx BP as well) are out of the running, the speculation can begin about the political deal-making that went on. It's no accident that Assemblyman Ruben Diaz appears to now have a clear path to a new office on 161st Street.

Did the Riveras exact a promise from the new party chair, Assemblyman Carl Heastie, that the new machine wouldn't back primary opponents to Joel Rivera, who will undoubtedly run for a third term in the City Council, or Naomi Rivera, who will be up for re-election to her Assembly seat next year. And what about Rivera ally Maria Baez, who could be facing several opponents this fall in her campaign for a third term on the City Council?

And might have Jose Rivera agreed to drop his lawsuit seeking to regain the keys to the office of the party chairman?

If politics is the art of the deal, this one must of been a beaut.

Stay tuned ...

Update: Patrick Jenkins, special assistant to Carl Heastie, just called me to say, "Chairman Heastie doesn't believe in making deals."

Bronx News Roundup, Mar. 2

Here we go. Bloomberg has set the date for the special election to fill Adolfo Carrion's seat as Bronx Borough President: April 21.

Those running for the seat so far include Assemblyman Ruben Diaz, Jr and Council Majority Leader Joel Rivera; Liz Benjamin adds Councilman Larry Seabrook, and former State Sen. Israel Ruiz has declared himself a possible contender.

Meanwhile, Carrion starts his new job today as first-ever director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs. The Times and the Daily News both published critical looks at his time in office; m0re on that below.

The Green Party has announced that it plans to run a City Concil candidate, Bronx Community Board 9 member Walter Nestler, against Annabel Palma in the 18th District
.
Some inside baseball from Liz Benjamin on how Carl Heastie's election to head the Bronx Democratic Party is playing out in city politics.

Last Friday the NYPD arrested a suspect in the 1988 rape and murder of a Bronx woman and her daughter, as a result of work by the Department's Cold Case Squad.

A livery cab smashed into a minivan on Bruckner Blvd. Saturday night, killing the cabdriver and seriously injuring the family in the van, including a 6-year-old girl. And on Sunday a 56-year-old man was struck and killed by a tow truck in Riverdale.

Part of Leggett Ave. in Hunts Point has been named in honor of Bronx boilermaker Arlington Leon Eastmond.

And the Times had a weekend profile of a Bronx man who has spent 22 years piloting an elevator in a 5th Avenue Co-op.

Bronx News Roundup, Feb. 27

Joel Rivera is in, Helen Foster is out in the race for Bronx BP, as Assemblyman Ruben Diaz, Jr., continues to pick up endorsements.

Helen Foster and Bronx Democratic Chair Carl Heastie, along with other Bronx and Brooklyn politicians are up in arms over the elevation of a white, Queens-based nominee to the position of city clerk.

A Bronx mailman has been arrested for his role in a $40 million scam based on fraudulent tax rebates.

Doctors at the Jacobi Medical Center performed surgery on an Afghan girl whose journey to the Bronx began when an American contractor met her in an orphanage in Afghanistan.

Police have arrested a second Bronx man accused of the hate-crime killing of an Ecuadorean immigrant.