Rev. Al Sharpton Campaigns for Rivera in the Bronx (VIDEO)

From left to right: former State Comptroller Carl McCall, Rev. Al Sharpton and Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter at a rally today for Gustavo Rivera (photo by Jeanmarie Evelly)

Civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton came to the Bronx today to throw his support behind Gustavo Rivera, now the only candidate challenging incumbent Pedro Espada, Jr. for his seat in the 33rd State Senate District.

He was joined by former New York State Comptroller Carl McCall and former candidate Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter at a rally in East Tremont, organized by the New Roosevelt Initiative, an Anti-Espada reform group.

Sharpton caused an excited stir in nearby apartment Twin Parks East, where he shook hands and posed for photos with residents. He told the crowd he's known Rivera since his own presidential run back in 2004, calling him "a real reformer." Espada, he said, "cuts deals against the interests of our community." Watch the clip below for his full statement.

Bronx News Roundup, July 15

It's been a sad week for the Yankees. A funeral is being held today in Baldwin, Long Island for legendary announcer Bob Shepphard, who died Sunday at the age of 99.

Meanwhile, a private service is planned for this weekend for owner George Steinbrenner in Florida.

Here in New York, impromptu tributes to "The Boss" are shaping up at Yankee Stadium for this weekend, as the team returns for a home game tomorrow night.

Espada challenger Gustavo Rivera tripped getting off a bus on the Grand Concourse and landed face first on the sidewalk, City Hall News reports. Ouch! But he's not letting the injuries ruin what was otherwise a good week--he's been endorsed by a major political group and is one rival down now that Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter has ended her campaign. 

Speaking of Pilgrim-Hunter: she's being lauded for her decision to drop out of the race by Rivera and his endorser, Bill Samuels of the New Roosevelt Initiative. The fewer the candidates, the better the chance to oust Espada, they say.

In other election news: Gail Goode, a former Bronx assistant district attorney, submitted her signatures to the Board of Elections yesterday to challenge U.S. Senator Kristen Gillibrand. Today is the deadline for state primary candidates to get their petitions in if they want to be on the ballot this fall.

Allegations that the principal of John F. Kennedy High School misused school funds was old news to some, who say the Kingsbridge school had a history of misconduct. 

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.

Senate Candidate Pilgrim-Hunter Responds to Disability Questions

Note to Readers: This is an extremely long post that I'm breaking into two parts. Before the jump, is a summary of the controversy involving senate candidate Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter's (pictured, right) disability benefits and some answers to the questions that have been raised. After the jump is the full story.

Last week, BoogieDowner, a local blog based in Bedford Park, raised questions about State Senate candidate (33rd District) Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter’s work history, which mostly consists of a short stint as a welfare-to-work counselor and then several years working for Avon, most recently in 2000 as a regional sales manager. It then goes into how, after a work-related injury, Pilgrim-Hunter has been receiving Social Security disability payments since 2006 and continues to while campaigning.

BoogieDowner wrote:

“This is the height of contradiction; on the one hand Ms. Pilgrim-Hunter is attempting to convince the voters of the 33rd district that she is able and capable of working hard for them in the state senate, but on the other hand, she has convinced the federal government that she is incapable of working (and she continually confirms this incapacity to work when she cashes her disability check every month).”

I spoke with Pilgrim-Hunter about this on Wednesday morning and later discussed the situation with a Social Security representative and two disability law experts. Here are the highlights:

• Pilgrim-Hunter said she will give up her disability benefits if she’s elected. But she did not say this last week when her campaign first responded to an inquiry by the BoogieDowner. (Legally, she could keep her benefits while "testing" out any job, including elected office, for nine months while continuing to receive benefits. But Pilgrim-Hunter says being a state senator is "not something you test out" and that she has committed to rescinding her benefits immediately upon assuming office.)

• "The definition of disability is in the law," says Social Security representative Jane Zanca. Not only Pilgrim-Hunter's doctors, but also the state's doctors have determined she is incapable of working and that, because she has paid into Social Security through income taxes, she is entitled to receive disability benefits.

• Just because someone is legally considered disabled does not mean they can't work. In fact, Zanca said, it's encouraged. Whether they can secure a job or find one that allows them to work around their disability, is another question. 

• Michael Waterstone, a professor at Loyola Law School who specializes in disability law, said that not only is it no illegal, amoral or unethical for Pilgrim-Hunter to run for office, but that she should be celebrated for her efforts. "If anything this person has an important life experience that could she could bring to bear in elected office from a public policy standpoint."

• Pilgrim-Hunter's disability stems from a congenital birth defect called Partial Spina Bifida. She had surgery to correct the problem when she was 18, but she has lived in pain since her teenage years. A 2000 injury left her nearly completely debilitated, she said. She now manages her pain medication (i.e. takes much less than prescribed) in order to be productive, but pain is a constant.

• Pilgrim-Hunter says she's tried to secure work over the past four years, but nothing that would allow her to work around her disability has worked out.

• Waterstone said "there are all types of barriers for people trying to get employment while on disability." For one, he says, there's a stigma attached to those with disabilities and two, employers don't want to have to deal with the health insurance headaches that come with legally disabled workers. He also says the disability system is poorly designed for people who want to go back to work because it was set up for elderly immobile recipients. 

• Ruth Colker, an Ohio St. law professor who is an expert in disability discrimination, agrees with Waterstone and says that one of biggest problems people like Pilgrim-Hunter face is that "discrimination in the workplace precludes them from finding work that they could perform."

• Colker adds in an e-mail: "It is of course possible that the state senator job because of its flexibility poses the perfect job for her despite her disability but there are no other jobs that she could possibly perform. Of course, if the state senator job is exactly like dozens of other jobs which are available in her geographical location and which she has steadfastly refused to seek as employment then one might argue she is being unethical in hiding the extent of her ability to work."

•  Known in the community for her activism with the Northwest Bronx and Community Coalition, Pilgrim-Hunter says this type of work is manageable because she can control her work environment -- the hours she puts in, the amount of sitting/standing she does, etc. (Could she have done more to find for work? That's debatable. But, she says, she chose to spend a large chunk of her time doing nonprofit community work, "giving back."

• She is board president of a massive housing cooperative, Fordham Hill. She says she can manage this role because she can also control the work environment and also because she has a staff. Similarly, she has a staff on her campaign and would have a staff as a state senator.

• Pilgrim-Hunter says her disability would not stop her from working hard as a state senator. She pointed out that there are other elected officials with disabilities, including Gov. David Paterson, who is legally blind. She says: “Just because I have a disability doesn’t mean I don’t have something to contribute.”

• She says she has not tried to hide the disability or her Social Security Benefits, but she doesn't want it to be the focus of her campaign, which she says is about fighting for and protecting the community.

• In 2008, 453,325 people received disability benefits in New York state, according to data compiled by the Social Security Administration. Only 3,256 of those people (less than 1%) had their benefits withheld because they secured substantial work.  

Read more for the full story.

Bronx News Roundup, July 1

Happy July, all! Here's what's happening in the borough this first day of the month:

The BoogieDowner blog raised questions yesterday about senate candidate Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter's work history and wonders how she can continue to receive disability payments while campaigning full-time. The post includes a response from Pilgrim-Hunter's campaign. Pilgrim-Hunter is one of four candidates challenging incumbent Pedro Espada, Jr. in the race for 33rd Senate District seat. A robust and heated debate is developing in the comments section of their post.

The NYOFCo fertilizer plant in Hunts Point is finally leaving the neighborhood--much the delight of residents who've been plagued by the plant's foul-smelling odors for years.

A Bronx car theft ring was broken up by police and the Attorney General's office yesterday, with 17 people arrested on felony charges.

More troubles for the Arroyo clan: an aide to Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo has been accused of posing as a police officer and robbing a Bronx home in May (Arroyo's grandson, Richard Izquierdo Arroyo, was sentenced to a year in jail this week for embezzlement).

Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez donated $250,000 to Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center to construct the hospital's new children's outpatient center.

Two of the four pianos placed at various Bronx sites as part of the "Play Me, I'm Yours," public art project were damaged this week. 

Co-op City workers ratified a new four-year contract yesterday with management company RiverBay Corp. (disputes between the two resulted in a week long, garbage-filled strike at the enormous housing complex last month, as sanitation crews there stopped collecting trash).

Police are looking for a 13-year-old runaway and her baby, who were last seen in Soundview yesterday  morning.

There's a damper on graduation festivities at John F. Kennedy High School, as the school's principal faces accusations that he misused school funds.

Another Pedro Rival: Gustavo Rivera

It's official: political aide Gustavo Rivera, whose most recent gig was in the office of New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand as an outreach director, announced his candidacy yesterday for the 33rd State Senate district.

That makes him the third person to challenge embattled State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. He's now in the running against lawyer and Community Board 8 member Daniel Padernacht and community activist Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter. 

Over the past few days, Rivera's gone viral, launching a website--www.gustavoforstatesenate.com--posting videos on a Vimeo account and starting a Flickr photostream.

Born in Puerto Rico, Rivera's lived in New York since 1998 and said he currently resides in Kingsbridge Heights. It was a commitment to public service that prompted his decision to run, he said.

"What we're talking about is accountability, transparency," Rivera said in a phone interview. "However long Mr. Espada has been in government, he has not been as committed to public service as he needs to be. It's about restoring trust in government. It's about making sure we can have somebody in government who is going to be responsive to the needs of the citizens."

Rivera wrapped up his job at Senator Gillibrand's office on Friday, where he'd worked since last May, to pursue his campaign, he said. He's campaigned for a number of other politicians, including Bronx pols Jose M. Serrano, Melissa Mark-Viverito and former Borough President Freddy Ferrar. He also worked for now-President Barack Obama's 2008 campaign in Illinois.

In a statement, Councilwoman Mark-Viverito said she was getting behind Rivera: “Gustavo has a proven track record of electing progressive candidates, forging coalitions to ensure accountability in law making and most importantly is in touch with the voters throughout the Bronx, especially in the 33rd District.”

He's also garnered support from Council Members Annabel Palma and Jumaane D. Williams, according to a press release.

Meanwhile, contender Pilgrim-Hunter continues her fundraising efforts, according to the Daily News' Celeste Katz, with two events planned over the next few weeks.

Race Against Espada Getting More Crowded?

Liz Benjamin at the State of Politics blog says Gustavo Rivera, an aide to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, appears to have started a campaign committee to run in the increasingly-crowded race to unseat embattled State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr.

We'll check into this soon, but if it's true, that would mean it could be a four-way race between Espada, Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter, Daniel Padernacht and Rivera.

Stay tuned.

Upper Eastside Love for Pilgrim-Hunter

[Updated, April 29, 1:10 p.m.]
Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter, the Fordham Hill activist taking on Pedro Espada for the 33rd Senate District seat, is hoping to raise $100,000 at fundraiser hosted by Cathy and Marc Lasyr, two big-time Democratic donors, at their Upper Eastside home, according to a report by the Daily News' Celeste Katz.

The event is scheduled for May 26.

Pilgrim-Hunter is looking to make up a mountainous fund raising deficit. According to her actblue.com web page, she's raised $6,183 so far. (That's only online contributions, according to Yorman Nunez, a campaign adviser. That doesn't include how much Pilgrim-Hunter has raised through other events like house parties, but Nunez wouldn't disclose that amount.)

Espada, on the other hand, has raised $304,450, according to his latest state campaign finance filings.

Labor Union Endorses Pilgrim-Hunter

[Updated, April 29, 9:37 a.m.]
As we've been indicating here over the past several days and as confirmed on Liz Benjamin's State of Politics blog, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU) has endorsed activist Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter in her bid to unseat embattled State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. 

This comes as no surprise given the charges against Espada and the close working relationship Pilgrim-Hunter built with RWDSU and its leader Stuart Appelbaum when they teamed up to block the city's plan to turn the Kingsbridge Armory into a shopping mall. 

This could be a momentum builder for Pilgrim-Hunter who has been meeting with other labor groups as well.

Meanwhile, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo filed a second lawsuit against Espada for misdeeds involving his Soundview Health Care Network. Espada quickly shot back, calling Cuomo's attacks an attempt at "political assassination."

Bronx News Roundup, April 23

There are, as to be expected, some Espada headlines gracing the papers this morning:

State prosecutors subpoenaed 10 staff members with ties to Espada's Soundview HealthCare Network yesterday. 

The state senator's legacy will be Soundview and sushi, says the New York Times. The sushi, like Larry Seabrook's infamous $177 bagel, is in reference to $20,000 worth of take out  delivered to Espada's Mamaroneck home, paid for by Soundview. The article goes on to say that Bronx residents still view the health clinic as a valuable resource in the neighborhood, though it's gotten "shabby" in recent years.

Espada defended himself on NY1's "Inside City Hall" last night and on "Good Day New York" this morning.

Meanwhile, Espada's newly announced opponent Desiree-Pilgrim Hunter could be picking up support from two major unions: it's said that both the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union and a local chapter of the Transport Workers Union may endorse the candidate.

In other news:

Sustainable South Bronx is approaching its 10 year anniversary. NY1 ran a segment yesterday (earth day) on the group and all the good work it does to green the borough.

A 15-year-old from Throgs Neck is facing 18 months in juvenile detention for driving his family car into a tree in December, killing his 12-year-old neighbor who was in the passenger seat.

Bronx students continue to fight the elimination of free student Metrocards. 

David Gonzalez of the New York Times has been investigating a Brooklyn pastor who hired and promised paychecks to hundreds of residents in Brooklyn and the Bronx--but the jobs, and the money, never existed.

BoogieDowner posts about a NYT's article on the new mall in Rego Park, Queens and how it's become an economy booster there. BD alludes to the killed Related Companies' plan at the Kingsbridge Armory and the (albeit minimum wage) jobs that might have been provided for Bronxites, had it survived.

Transport Union to Endorse Pilgrim-Hunter?

State Senate candidate Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter met yesterday with Israel Rivera, the secretary-treasurer of the TWU Local 100, according to a source close to her campaign.

The meeting was positive and productive, our source said, and Rivera (the union's second in command) is reportedly very happy that Pilgrim-Hunter, a community activist and Fordham Hill resident, is running. (As you've probably heard or read, she's challenging Pedro Espada, Jr., who's had a miserable week following Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's announcement that he's suing him for allegedly stealing $14 million from his non-profit healthcare network. Last night, Espada defended himself on NY1's "Inside City Hall.") 

TWU Local 100, a chapter of the Transport Workers Union of America, has 38,000 working members, mostly public transport workers in New York City - bus drivers, subway conductors, station cleaners, and the like. It's one of the most powerful unions in the five boroughs. A formal endorsement, assuming it's forthcoming, would mean plenty of money and resources for Pilgrim-Hunter's campaign come primary season.

According to the Daily News, another labor union, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), is also expected to endorse Pilgrim-Hunter in the near future.

File photo by Adi Talwar

Espada News Roundup

So onto this week's big story: the burgeoning scandal surrounding Pedro Espada, Jr. and the lawsuit filed yesterday by the Attorney General's office against his Soundview Healthcare Network. A lot's gone down in the last 24 hours.

We'll start with the most recent: early this morning, agents from the FBI, the IRS and AG Cuomo's office raided Espada's Soundview offices on White Plains Road, on the grounds of a federal search warrant, according to the Times' City Room Blog. The article also mentions that "A law enforcement official said the investigation would have criminal implications." So far, the charges brought against Espada by the AG's office have been civil, not criminal.

Despite the raids, business at the Soundview clinic appears to be operating as usual, according to the article. The Daily News spoke to a few of the center's patients, who had nothing but praise for the clinic itself but were less enthusiastic about its founder and CEO.

While Espada's spokesman didn't return a call for comment yesterday, the senator held a press conference in Albany last night to offer his side of the story. According to the Times Union's Capitol Blog, Espada spoke for 12 minutes and answered three reporters' questions before ending the session.

In his statement, Espada called the accusations against him "unfounded," said the lawsuit is political payback for his role in the senate coup last summer, took a personal jab at AG Andrew Cuomo, then went on to praise the accomplishments of Soundview and referenced his own "rent freeze" bill. You can read his whole statement here.

New in the Tremont Tribune

April's edition of the Tremont Tribune is out and online. This month's issue includes:

A profile of NYC Justice Corps, a local program that gives recently incarcerated young adults a chance to start over.

The Borgatti family, Belmont legends who own Borgatti's Ravioli and Egg Noodles on E. 187th Street, have been making handmade pasta for 75 years.

Family, friends and co-workers of Megan Charlop dedicated a "ghost bike" to the beloved Norwood resident at Crotona and East Tremont Avenues, where she was killed in a biking accident in March.

Two contenders recently jumped into the Senate race to challenge Pedro Espada, Jr.--but experts say a run against the incumbent state senator could be an uphill battle.

Bronx River Alliance volunteers snagged an alewife herring near the River Park dam in West Farms. Sightings of the fish have excited conservationists, who say it's another sign the river's health is rebounding.

Plus: A new library for MS 254 . . . Congressman Jose E. Serrano on student loan reform . . . An interview with Belmont Library manager Danielle Wansi . . . Community Boards fight against budget cuts . . . and some neighborhood happenings in our events calendar.

More here.

Pilgrim-Hunter Said to Announce Espada Challenge Tomorrow

We've held back on reporting this because we've gotten no official word from the campaign, but the blogosphere is loaded with reports that Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter will announce her candidacy for state Senate in the 33rd District tomorrow on Kingsbridge Road near the Bronx Library Center at 11 a.m. We profiled Pilgrim-Hunter when she first began exploring a run. Read it here.

At www.capitoltonight.com Liz Benjamin reports that the campaign has hired BerlinRose a political consulting firm. She has also retained fundraiser Lisa Hernandez Gioia, the wife of former Councilman Eric Gioia. 

Bronx News Roundup, April 14

Lots of political news today.

Adolfo Carrión, Jr., the former Bronx borough president and director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs, will give the keynote presentation for the Regional Planning Association's 2010 Regional Assembly on Friday, April 16 at 12:30 p.m. His address will be streamed live at http://www.citylimits.org/.

Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter, who is expected to soon officially announce her candidacy for state Senate in the 33rd District, will have some company in her primary challenge of Pedro Espada. Bob Kappstatter had the news first yesterday in his must-read Bronx Boro News political column: Kingsbridge Heights attorney and Community Board 8 member Daniel Padernacht has thrown his hat in the ring, too. (Lots of other juicy tidbits in that column, like news of a primary challenge to Assemblyman Peter Rivera).

On her new blog, Liz Benjamin has some updates on Pilgrim-Hunter's campaign, including the fact that she's hired Lisa Hernandez-Gioia (wife of former Councilman Eric Gioia) to help her raise money.

In a Daily News editorial, State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. is praised for his "courage" in sponsoring a bill that would cancel a clause in teachers' contracts which stipulates that layoffs are based on seniority. 

The healthcare union 1199/SEIU is backing State Senator Eric Schneiderman in the state attorney general's race. Schneiderman also has the backing of several prominent Bronx pols. 

Despite running for borough president in 2001, State Senator Pedro Espada would like to see the office eliminated. In a statement, he said, in part:

I am recommending that the offices of borough president and city public advocate be abolished in this round of charter revision, not as a political slap at anyone in these positions, but because we have a sensible and realistic opportunity to reduce city government and empower the people.

Away from politics, an alewife herring has been caught in the Bronx River for the second year in a row, a sign that the once heavily polluted waterway is becoming healthy again.  We'll have more on this in the next Tremont Tribune, which comes out Friday.

A Riverdale man has pled guilty to accidently shooting and injuring a woman with an arrow last spring.  At the time, the case baffled detectives and local residents. 

A look back at the history of the University Neighborhood Housing Program (UNHP), which was founded in 1983 to preserve safe, affordable housing for working class Bronxites.   Today, in this latest housing crisis, the group's important work continues. 

On Easter Sunday, four people were shot in three separate incidents in midtown Manhattan. Hours later, one of the guns fired that night was used to shoot two men in the Bronx, police have discovered.

More photos of the ongoing demolition work at the old Yankee Stadium.

A new Fairway supermarket is opening today in Pelham Manor, a Westchester village just north of the Bronx.

Pilgrim-Hunter Still Deciding, Espada Building War Chest

Here’s a little update on the state Senate race in the 33rd District—the seat currently occupied by majority leader Pedro Espada, Jr.

Though she’s yet to officially announce her candidacy, potential challenger Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter has been stepping up fundraising efforts, with two house parties held at the end of March.

According to her ActBlue page—a fundraising website for the Democratic Party—Pilgrim-Hunter’s raised $3,495 so far.

In a brief phone interview, she confirmed there will be more events in the coming months and that “April is pretty much booked up.”

Pilgrim-Hunter, an activist known for her efforts in the redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Armory, first announced the idea of running to the Bronx News Network in February. Community organizer Yorman Nunez, who is helping with her campaign, said Pilgrim-Hunter is still in the “decision making process” but that an announcement will be made “very soon” regarding if she will “take a step forward or continue exploring her options.”

“She’s not taking the decision lightly,” Nunez said. “Whatever decision she makes, she puts her heart in it.”

Fundraising efforts seem to point towards a run. Jack Marth, who helped organize a party on March 22, said in a phone message that it was “hugely successful” and “only the beginning” of more campaign work.

Espada has also been raising money. A Daily News article says he hosted an Albany fundraiser in March that cost a $1,000 to $2,500 donation to attend. According to the New York State Board of Elections website, his campaign committee, New Yorkers for Espada, has raised $304,450 since the start of 2009.

A lot of the big-money donors appear to be in real estate and development. (Espada is the chairman of senate’s housing committee.) You can take a look at who’s donating, and how much they’ve given, here.

Perez: No Plans to Run, But Won't Rule it Out

Last week, we posted an exclusive report on a possible challenger to Sen. Pedro Espada—community activist Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter.

Who else might throw their hat into the ring against the infamous Bronx senator? In December, City Hall News reported a number of possible contenders who’d floated the idea of running but then appeared to change their minds.

One name mentioned was Lilliam Perez, chief of staff for Manhattan Democrat Sen. Eric Schneiderman, who also represents Riverdale.

  

“It’s not my priority right now,” Perez said over the phone last week. “I’m not planning to run.”

But when asked if she would consider it somewhere down the line, Perez, who moved to Belmont from the Dominican Republic at the age of 12, said she wouldn't rule out the possibility. 

“In politics, everything changes everyday, you don’t want to say never,” she said. “But I will say I’m not thinking about it at this moment.”

Perez first mentioned the idea of running to a Columbia Journalism school newspaper last fall.

New from the Norwood News

The forces of nature could not derail the latest edition of the Norwood News from hitting the streets and appearing online this week. Here's a little preview of what we have in store.

We have a slightly tweaked version of the story we originally ran in this space on Monday about activist Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter's possible run for the senate seat occupied by Pedro Espada, Jr. (We hear Pilgrim-Hunter is holding a fundraiser tonight. These are the types of events that will determine if she's in it for the long haul.)

A profile on the energetic new commanding officer of the 52nd Precinct. Plus an editorial on his prospects and how the NYPD can help communities police themselves. (Here's a hint: it's by providing them with more detailed information about where crime is happening in the neighborhoods they live in.)

In other crime news, we have a story on the two 52nd Precinct cops who were suspended after a video surfaced of them beating a hand-cuffed suspect. Also, there's a brief about the precinct's first murder of 2010. 

The COVE, a youth center in the Knox-Gates neighborhood, has reopened under new (old) leadership and a new focus.

DeWitt Clinton High School just opened a brand new Business Center.

Speaking of high schools, the Bronx Science boys basketball team compiled more wins this year than the last two combined and almost made the postseason.

A team of doctors from Montefiore Medical Center, just back from Haiti, tell their story about participating in the massive post-earthquake relief effort.

Plus: find free programs and services throughout the Bronx in our expanded Neighborhood Notes section (seriously, this page is packed with invaluable info) . . . find out what's going on arts and entertainment-wise in or Out and About section . . . and our Inquiring Photographer asks readers what they think about the looming city budget cuts.

BxNN EXCLUSIVE: A Potential Espada Challenger Emerges

Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter speaking at a July 15 Kingsbridge Armory rally 

at Our Lady of Refuge Church. (File photo by Adi Talwar)

By Alex Kratz

Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter, a Bronx activist who became the face of last year’s strong community push for living wage jobs at the Kingsbridge Armory, is exploring the possibility of making a run at the state Senate seat occupied by Pedro Espada, Jr.

In the past two weeks, in preparation for a possible run, Pilgrim-Hunter has begun assembling a team of advisors and has quietly reached out to potential donors and supporters.

“The next few weeks will basically be a stress test to see what kind of support is out there for me,” Pilgrim-Hunter, 53, said in an interview over the weekend. “But I am taking steps to prepare myself should I decide to run. Because one thing is for certain: if I get in, I'm getting in to win. And it’s as simple as that.”

So far, Pilgrim-Hunter said she has received positive feedback, including this accolade from the head of the retail workers’ union.