News Roundup for June 19

State Senator Jose M. Serrano posted on the Room Eight blog to urge his colleagues to pass the The Climate Change Solutions Act and Solutions Fund, bills that would increase investments in energy-efficiency programs and clean energy development.

Bob Kapstatter at the Daily News (article not online yet) reports that Adolfo Carrion did not reappoint four members of Community Board 4 who opposed the Yankee Stadium plan, a repeat of his actions last summer, when he got rid of three dissenters and demoted the chair of CB4. We discussed this controversy in a post a couple months back.

A Daily News editorial praises the decision by the Council and Mayor to increase library funding so neighborhood branches can stay open six days a week. It remains to be seen if the funds will provide for alternatives in Highbridge, where the local library is closed for two years for renovations.

Yesterday's New York Post feature on people working the night shift profiles an overnight guard at Woodlawn Cemetery, as well as men enrolled at Hostos and BCC, on top of multiple jobs.

Today’s News

The 10th Annual Bronx Week celebrations officially begin this Saturday, kicking off a week of historic tours, athletic competitions and other festivities highlighting the borough’s culture.

As part of its Bronx Week Coverage, NY1 has a feature on the old Bronx courthouse on Third Avenue. Construction on the courthouse, also known as the Gray Lady, has been halted many times since renovation efforts began in the 1990s. The article discusses community support for plans to convert the courthouse into a charter school.

Mamadou Soumare, who lost his wife and four children in the Bronx fire last March, filed notice of a claim reserving his right to sue in the future. The precursor to a $100 million negligence lawsuit against the city, the claim cites the FDNY, Department of Buildings, the Department of Housing and Moussa Magassa -owner of the Woodycrest Avenue home who also lost five children in the fire – as possible defendants.

The Daily News reports a decrease in Bronx crimes despite a smaller police force.

Eighteen after-school programs in the Bronx are on the chopping block due to dwindling federal funds. Five schools, including M.S. 206 in Morris Heights, are already shutting down programs that cannot continue in the absence of state-distributed funds previously dedicated to after-school programming.

The New York Public Library plans to close the Highbridge branch on W.168th St. betweenWoodycrest and Shakespeare Aves for renovations. Only the well-intentioned renovations willtake two years to complete and parents in the area are furious. In a stories published by the Daily News and the Highbridge Horizon, parents protest the closing plans which do not provide for an alternate library site, let alone include a bookmobile or library trailer.

As we mentioned on this blog last week, in the 1990s Norwood residents were successful in securing a temporary location when their branch underwent a rehab.

Con Edison unveiled plans for a new substation in Mott Haven. This is of particular concern to Bronx residents because of last summer’s blackout in Queens.

Latest Highbridge Horizon now on the web

The latest issue of the Highbridge Horizon is now available online. Among the stories featured this month:

*The High Bridge branch of the New York Public library has closed down for renovations and is not expected to reopen for 2 years. Many community members, while excited by the building's extensive makeover, are unhappy about the length of time the building will be unavailable to local residents. Of particular concern to local residents is the affect the libary closing will have on area children.

*In April the Highbridge Horizon visited 1055 University Avenue (W. 165th Street) to find numerous apartments with collapsed ceilings, water leaks, mold, no hot or cold water, and crumbling walls. This month, the Horizon returned to find that, if anything, conditions have only gotten worse.

In the news ...

This is our first "daily roundup" of Bronx issues in the media.

The state Dormitory Authority is asking the Bronx district attorney to investigate a firm it contracted with to build the Bronx Hall of Justice, which is supposed to open this month on East 161st Street. The problems at the building go beyond the parking garage. According to the Post, inspectors found three weld locations on the canopy above the main entrance were not up to snuff. ...

The Highbridge Horizon (and the New York Times) report that the local branch library is set to close for renovations. When the same thing happened about 7 years ago in Norwood, the community demanded a temporary library location until the renovations were complete. And they got it. ...

And City Limits reports on the push for a Housing Court Bill of Rights.