Bronx News Roundup, Friday, June 10

Happy Friday, ladies and gentlemen of the Bronx and beyond, let's get down to business.

Weather: It may be cooler today, but there's definitely still some sticky humidity lingering. A slight chance of thunderstorms this afternoon before we head into a weekend full of clouds, rain and, thankfully, much cooler temperatures.

Story of the Day: Four Injured in Castle Hill BBQ Shooting
I hate (and I don't use that word lightly) making gun violence the subject of our Story of the Day. It feeds into the worldwide-held stereotype of the Bronx as a crime-ridden blight on the rest of New York City. There are other positive, compelling, fun and substantive conversations we should be having. But for the second time in two days, I couldn't ignore another case of reckless gun violence that endangered and injured innocent people. On Wednesday afternoon, someone fired shots into a crowd of teenagers in Soundview. Then last night, at a Cattle Hill-area barbecue, two men stepped out of an SUV and sprayed the assembled party goers with bullets, hitting four people, including a 16-year-old boy and a young pregnant woman. All are expected to survive, including the pregnant woman's baby, but the incident is disturbing and should sound alarm bells from Kingsbridge to the Throgs Neck Bridge. History tells us violence heats up along with the temperatures in the Bronx. Still, it's only early June. School's not even out, the summer hasn't even officially started yet. Stop the madness!

Quick Hits:
Now onto one of the aforementioned (and rarer) positive Bronx stories. This one, from the Daily News' Dan Beekman, who writes a fair share of these type of stories, is about City Squash, a Belmont-based organization that provides free squash training and academic help for around 100 at-risk Bronx kids. (For those unfamiliar, squash is a racquet sport "traditionally dominated by preppy trust-funders," Beekman writes.) The program has helped numerous participant land scholarships at prestigious prep schools and colleges. As part of a fundraising effort, a handful of City Squash organizers, volunteers and participants recently embarked on a cross-country bike tour. For more info on this group, check out citysquash.org.

A Hunts Point prostitute graphically described her terrifying encounter with a known sex offender.

Paul McCartney is scheduled to play Yankee Stadium on July 15. It will mark the first time the Beatles legend performs in the Bronx.

Bronx rapper (Not Nearly as) Fat Joe talks about how he recently lost 88 pounds after seeing several friends with weight problems drop dead from heart attacks. Switching to a healthier diet has been difficult. "I'm addicted to food; I love food," he told the Daily News. "It's like a crack addict - he hits rock bottom and he says, 'All right, forget it. I'm not going to get high anymore.'"


A Bronx model boat enthusiast laments the city's policy on banning motorized boats at the Central Park Model Boat Pond.

This great picture from the Bronx Zoo is now on display at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

And finally, our ongoing quest to provide the public with invaluable neighborhood crime stats continues.

On to the clock! For some background, see Norwood News' editorial here.

Bronx News Roundup, Thursday, June 9

Weather: Outrageously hot. Because of the extremely temperatures and humidity today in the Bronx and the rest of the region, the National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory until 8 p.m. tonight as well as an air quality alert from 2 to 11 p.m. Stay inside, drink lots of water and if you can, spend some time chillin' in one of the city's 400-plus cooling centers. Click here to locate the center nearest you. Thankfully it is supposed to cool down slightly tomorrow and then temperatures should drop significantly this weekend.

Story of the Day: Shooter Takes Aim at Bronx Students, Hits 16-year-old in the Hip
This is the type of terrifying random-act-of-violence story that keeps parents up at night. Yesterday afternoon, a man stepped off a BX5 bus near the Rincon de Gautier Institute for Law and Public Policy on Story Avenue and opened fire. Fortunately, this didn't turn Columbine-esque. Though "several shots" were fired, only one bullet found a victim, a 16-year-old girl who was hit in the hip and is expected to survive. The scariest part of this is that the shooter remains on the loose as of this posting. One student who attends a nearby school summed it up best for the Daily News: "I don't understand how people can just start shooting at a pack of kids."

Quick Hits:
Speaking of random acts of violence in the Bronx, a Sarah Lawrence College professor who was visiting the Bronx Zoo with his wife and 19-month-old son was hit by a BB gun pellet after parking on Bronx Park South near Daly Avenue.

Okay, enough with the random violence. How about some housing policy? Bronx State Senator Gustavo Rivera says Democrats are pushing hard for stronger rent regulations as the current Emergency Tenant Protection Act is set to expire on July 15, just six days from now. (Note: The story wrongly says regulated apartment rent increases are set by the Rent Stabilization Association, which is lobbying and advocacy group that represents landlords. Rent increases are set by the Rent Guidelines Board.)

The New Jersey Nets are taking a hard look at Bronx hoops product Corey Fisher.

The retired cops of the 41st Precinct, which covers the Longwood-Hunts Point area and was known back in the day as "Fort Apache," will gather to reminisce about the good/bad old days tomorrow night.

Alright, here's a positive, even heroic, Bronx story. A Bronx court officer performed emergency CPR on a 2-year-old girl who had stopped breathing after suffering a seizure. His father told the Daily News: "You're talking about a guy who brought my daughter back to life. I don't know how to thank him. I didn't know we still had people like that out here."

Our favorite Bronx political gossip columnist Bob Kappstatter reports that Bronx Assemblyman Peter Rivera's campaign treasurer pleaded guilty to mail fraud after facing obstruction of justice charges and will spend six months in jail. Meanwhile, former Bronx State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr., had his trial on embezzlment charges moved to Oct. 17. It will be a busy month for legally-entangled Bronx pols. Councilman Larry Seabrook's corruption trial is set to begin Oct. 11.

Bronx rapper Fat Joe may have to change his moniker to Svelte Joe after noticeably slimming down for his latest music video, "Drop a Body," a track from his upcoming "The Darkside II" album. Maybe he should have renamed the song, "Drop a Body Weight." What's your secret Joe? Hopefully he's not trying to live up to his other nickname, "Joey Crack."

Bronx News Roundup, July 29

Bronx mom Micaela Jackson, 37, fatally shot her 12-year-old son and then killed herself in her Morris Heights home yesterday. Read the story here.

A Bronx judge threw out a summons issued against a Bronx local for wearing drooping pants that exposed his underwear.

Only traffic coming into the Bronx was allowed on the Throgs Neck Bridge this morning, when the bridge was closed due to an abandoned SUV. After police investigated, the bridge was declared safe and reopened.

Accused Bronx slumlord, Sam Suzuki, does not have to return to jail since he has been fired from managing the building at 1585 E. 172nd Street. Judge Jerald Kleinin of Bronx Housing Court ruled that he is not accountable for the repairs of a building that he does not own. The Daily News has the details.

The Time's City Room blog covered Governor David A. Paterson’s handling of a domestic violence case involving his aide this morning.

Producers Cool and Dre urged Fat Joe to draw inspiration from his Bronx roots while creating his newest album. Released two days ago, Darkside, Vol. 1, is already expected to debut on the Billboard 200.

Will Eisner's Bronx-based book, A Contract with God, is being made into a movie. The flick will give audiences a glimpse of a Bronx tenement in the 1930s.

The Gotham Gazette referenced PS 179 in the Bronx in its review of public schools this morning. In the article, Schools Matter cited that the proficiency in math of third grade students at the school dropped from 91 to 21 percent in one year.

Reception for BP Candidate Ruben Diaz, Jr. a Bronx Political Pow-wow

A reception for BP candidate Ruben Diaz, Jr. on Thursday, March 12 was a who's who in Bronx politics, as the borough's power brokers, elected officials, and aspiring candidates for city-wide office gathered together to express their support. The gathering, organized by City Comptroller Bill Thompson's chief of staff Ismael Malave, Jr., began at 6pm and included live salsa music and a buffet of pernil and arroz con gandules. But the real excitement didn't begin until minutes before Ruben arrived, when other elected officials began to trickle in to the room.

Ruben was announced upon his arrival with his wife and two sons and worked the room for over 30 minutes before being introduced by a cadre of local electeds. Council members G. Oliver Koppel and Annabel Palma offered their excitement about the likelihood of Diaz, Jr. becoming the next leader of the borough. State Assembly members Adriano Espillat and Jeffery Dinowitz talked about the many years Ruben has represented the Hunts Point community in Albany. And Bronx County Democratic Party Chair, leader of the Rainbow Rebels, and long-time Assembly colleague Carl Heastie told the crowd Ruben would be missed in the Assembly (especially by him as they sit next to each other on the floor), but that Albany's loss is the Bronx's gain. Also present at the event were council members Bill de Blasio (likely candidate for public advocate), John Liu (candidate for City Comptroller), and Eric Gioia. Comptroller Bill Thompson, an almost certain Mayoral candidate, addressed the crowd briefly after Ruben spoke.

Notably absent from the gathering was the Rivera clan (Assembly members Jose and Naomi, as well as Council member Joel). While present, State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. did his best to stay out of the lime light, going so far as to turn down a request that he say a few words about his son's BP candidacy. Equally surprising was the absence of Diaz, Sr.'s fellow Three Amigo Senator Pedro Espada and the presence of his son Pedro G. Espada (or perhaps not so shocking considering rumors Pedro G. is eying Ruben's Assembly seat).

While Ruben's brief address was not full of details on his plans as BP, he expressed a desire to continue to improve upon the image of the Bronx, addressing unemployment issues and ensuring that people who fought to hold communities together during the borough's years of arson and abandonment can afford to remain in those neighborhoods and enjoy their rebirth.

The evening even had some star power, with Bronx hip hop icon Fat Joe flying in from Miami to throw his support behind Ruben (kudos to my date Ms. Speller for spotting him first). The two shared an amusing anecdote on how they met. Ruben was walking across the street on the way home from a Bronx community meeting when an SUV almost hit him. Ruben turned to see Fat Joe in the passenger seat and said, "Hey, you're Fat Joe," to which Fat Joe replied, "Hey, you're Ruben Diaz!" Since meeting, the two have collaborated in giving back to the community, with Fat Joe funding the renovation of a Bronx public school library in Diaz's district and playing Santa Claus to give presents to local children during the winter holidays.