Bronx Events: Blizzard Response Hearing

(File photo by Lenny Shutterman)

Finally, an official outlet for all of your snow rage! The City Council is holding a series of hearings in every borough this month to get public feedback on the city's response to the big post-Christmas blizzard. The Bronx hearing will be held tonight at 6 p.m. at Hostos Community College, Savoy Building D, at 120 East 149th Street.

Similar hearings held already in the other boroughs have been tense and emotional, as speakers told stories of unplowed streets trapping ambulances and other emergency vehicles.

Check out this and other Bronx events in our community calendar, below.

Editor's note: What did we miss? Send details to bronxnewsnetwork[at]gmail.com.

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Bronx News Roundup, Dec. 2

Happy Hanukkah, everyone! The festival of lights started last night at sundown. Here's a yummy potato latke recipe from the Riverdale Press to get you in the spirit of things.

Two of the men originally named as attackers in October's antigay beatings in Morris Heights are now being identified as victims of the assault, according to WNYC.  Bryan Almonte and Brian Cepeda were originally charged by police as perpetrators in the attacks, but were later released. Five other men were arraigned yesterday on hate crime charges in the State Supreme Court.

Police are still on the hunt for the man responsible for a string of muggings in Co-op City, and one incident in Manhattan. The assailant arms himself with an ice pick, and has robbed four women in the elevators of their apartment buildings. He was caught on tape by a surveillance camera; video at the link.

Melissa Petro, the former teacher at PS 70 who was removed from her classroom after she wrote about her experiences as a sex-worker, was officially charged yesterday with conduct "unbecoming of a teacher," by the DOE.

Parishioners at St. Augustine's Church in Morrisania are worried that the closure of their parochial school could be detrimental to the parish itself, as it relies heavily on revenue from the school to operate. Six catholic schools in the Bronx face closure after funding cuts were announced a few weeks ago.

Singer and actress Jennifer Lopez says she's still a Boogie Downer at heart, according to Us Weekly. "I never miss the Bronx because it's always with me," Lopez told the celebrity magazine.

Former Borough President Adolfo Carrion, who left the Bronx for a short stint in the White House, is giving a speech today at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.

Bronx Councilman G. Oliver Koppell introduced a bill in City Council to make all yellow taxicabs wheelchair accessible. Only 231 of over 13,000 city cabs can currently accommodate riders in wheelchairs.

Another Bronx pol, Councilman James Vacca, is behind a bill that will require the Department of Transportation to set guidelines for the approval and installation of bikes lanes, speed bumps and other "traffic calming devices."

A 26-year-old man was struck by a car and killed while crossing Riverdale Avenue on Monday night.

A new program introduced at Hostos and Bronx Community College is helping cash-strapped students stay in school by qualifying them for financial assistance, child care, health insurance and other benefits.

Bronx News Roundup, Nov. 30

The Daily News' Patrice O'Shaughnessy says troubling questions still remain in the death of Billy Murphy, a homeless man who died in Norwood back in August. Police insist his death was an accident, but those who knew him aren't convinced. For more on Murphy's life and death, check out this Norwood News story and BxNN post.

A burglary at Our Lady of Refuge School in Bedford Park on Sunday may be connected to a string of recent break-ins at Bronx churches.

A construction firm working on the delayed and over-budget Croton Water Filtration Plant in Van Cortlandt Park lied about hiring minority subcontractors.  To atone for the fraud, Schiavone Construction has agreed to pay a $20 million fine. According to the Daily News, the firm was ratted out by a Gambino mobster.

In his weekly column, the Daily News' Bob Kappstatter gives some ink to a campaign aimed at encouraging readers and advertisers to boycott the Riverdale Review, a weekly paper published by Andy Wolf. Tony Cassino, a lawyer and politico who has often come under attack in the Review, insists he's only a bit-player in the effort, and that parents angry at Wolf's coverage of Riverdale schools are the ones driving it. For some background on the campaign, here's a Riverdale Press article. It seems a pretty balanced take on the situation considering the two papers rarely see eye to eye. For more, here's Cassino writing about the campaign on his blog, and here's Wolf hitting back at his "anti-first amendment" critics. 

A Bronx man has been charged with stealing $5 million from Columbia University.

State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. was a no-show at yesterday's special session in Albany.  Espada, who leaves office at end of the year, was the only absent Democrat.  According to The Times, he cited a family emergency. Yesterday, Espada's staffers were mum on his whereabouts.  Gustavo Rivera, the man who will take ownership of his seat in January, was in Albany yesterday, where he voted on the Senate Democratic leadership. 

A 15-year-old Bronx boy drowned on Sunday after drifting into the deep end of a hotel swimming pool in Pennsylvania.

The women's basketball coach at Hostos Community College is hoping that four-year colleges begin to take notice of the team's talented players.

Cathleen Black, the city's new schools chancellor, visited PS 109 in Morris Heights this morning. Black was officially hired yesterday.

A pizza delivery man was struck and killed by a car in Riverdale last night as he crossed the street. The driver remained on the scene and wasn't charged.

The family of a Bronx teen shot in the face by a police officer last year is suing the NYPD. The cop lied about what really happened, and had no reason to shoot, the family contends.

Some Bronx organizations which received tax breaks and bonds from the city's Industrial Development Agency in order to boost the local economy, have actually shed jobs, not created them. 

The Rockefeller Center's annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony will be held tonight.  This year, the tree came from the garden of a Bronx fireman who lives upstate.

Bronx News Roundup, Oct. 1

If you couldn't tell by the soggy weather this morning, it is indeed October now. Because of the rain, expect subway delays if you haven't already experienced them. On to the news!

First, an awesome picture of some of the subway flooding problems and a report that the 4 train was delayed after a tree fell near the 167th St. stop. [Update: a reader alerted us that this photo was taken in 2006. But it's still awesome.]

As of 10:57 a.m., the MTA was reporting delays on the 1, 2, 3, A, C, E, B, D F, M, and N, Q, R lines.

To the relief of its 800-plus workers and doctors, Westchester Square Medical Center, slated to close on Dec. 31, will remain open but the amount of beds in the hospital will shrink, state Health Department officials say.

Internal Affairs reportedly raided 12 Bronx police precincts to seize and audit all tickets handed out over the past 13 months. 

The late actor Tony Curtis grew up in the Bronx, the son of dirt-poor Hungarian immigrants. His given name: Bernie Schwartz.

Daily News columnist Juan Gonzalez points out that Eva  Moskowitz, who founded the Harlem Success charter schools and opened two new schools in the Bronx this year, spent some $1.3 million on marketing and recruitment, which swelled the waiting list to get in and pressured state officials to let her open schools. Gonzalez admits the schools have been successful, but says the money is the reason regular public schools can't compete.

The trial of four men accused of plotting to bomb two Riverdale synagogues is nearing conclusion as the defense wrapped up its case yesterday. They called very few witnesses, instead relying on their cross-examination of a government informant who they say entrapped their clients. Closing arguments begin Monday.

The Bronx driver accused of beating a traffic cop pleaded not guilty yesterday after turning himself in to authorities.

The Manhattan College and Fordham University men's soccer teams face off tomorrow night.

A deal to save the so-called "birth place of hip-hop" is near completion.

Hostos Community College is hosting a dominoes tournament on Sunday that will benefit the school's Emergency 100 and Scholarship fund. Entry is $30. Winners can earn up to $2,000 in prizes.

And finally, after conducting an online poll, the Wildlife Conservation Society has named the new beaver recently found in the Bronx River. It's Justin Beiber, er, Beaver. Justin joins Jose who was discovered in 2007 and named after Bronx Congressman Jose Serrano. The discover is another great sign of the river's resurgence. Plust, the two are planning a world-wide tour to the delight of pre-adolescent beavers everywhere.

Bronx News Roundup, June 4

Happy Friday! Here are today's Bronx headlines:

There's been some relief in the ongoing garbage saga in Co-Op City today: the sanitation department removed 100 tons of garbage that's piled up since maintenance and sanitation workers at the enormous housing complex went on strike Tuesday. And while the trash is gone, the strike isn't--union workers have still not settled an argument with management over health benefit changes and possible wage freeze.

On a related note, WNYC's culture blog "Gallerina" has named Co-Op City's developments as one of the ugliest buildings in New York City. 

Boxing returns to Yankee Stadium this weekend, with the much anticipated match between Miguel Cotto and Yuri Foreman taking place Saturday night. It's the first time the Yankees have hosted a boxing bout in over 30 years.

Chaos has been averted in the Bronx courts, as an appeals judge declared the merger of the Bronx Criminal and Supreme Courts as legal yesterday. A lower court had declared the joining of the two courts, which occurred in 2004, as unconstitutional back in February--a ruling that could have jeopardized thousands of convictions that have happened there over the past few years.

Speaking of Bronx judges: a housing project in Bronxdale is being renamed today after Supreme Court Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who grew up there.

Sotomayor is also at Hostos Community College today as the commencement speaker. 

New Yorkers just can't get enough of the new Bronx Zoo lion cubs, as this Times travel article points out.

The Daily News profiles a Soundview couple's apartment.

Swimmers across the country, including a group at St. Mary's Recreation Center, coordinated the world's largest swimming lesson yesterday to raise public awareness about water safety.

More on the tomorrow's sushi-fueled protest planned near Pedro Espada's Mamaroneck home (the event commemorates the one year anniversary of the State Senate coup).

Education official Eric Nadelstern is the DOE's new "rising star" according to this City Hall piece. Nadelstern was raised in the Bronx and spent decades working in the borough's schools.

Stuart Applebaum, president of the  Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, has been named one of the city's most effective labor leaders by City Hall, largely for his role in opposing the Related Companies deal at the Kingsbridge Armory.

City Hall also takes a look at the flurry of political activity happening in the Bronx this summer.

Bronx Food Summit Sat. May 1st

The Bronx Food Summit, being hosted by Bronx BP Ruben Diaz, Jr., will take place on Saturday May 1st at Hostos Community College (450 Grand Concourse) from 9am to 5pm. The event will begin at 10am with a keynote address by the Bronx's own sustainable genius Majora Carter.

Attendees can choose from an impressive variety of workshops that range from hands-on cooking demonstrations, learning how to compost food scraps to reduce landfill waste, conversations about getting healthier foods at bodegas and neighborhood stores, and learning about food-coops and community supported agriculture as alternatives to existing food systems. There's also a workshop track targeted for children and young adults.

The Summit will feature a number of notable Bronx celebrities: Hip Hop icons Afrika Bambaataa, Kurtis Blow, Melle Mel, and Popmaster Fabel, as well as Bronx foodie favorite Baron Ambrosia.

Interested attendees can register online or the morning of between 9-10am.

Bronx News Roundup, April 13

Mayor Bloomberg's $63 billion budget plan will cut more than half of pest control jobs in the city. Politicians says this could possibly lead to a bigger rat infestation in the Bronx.

A new law says the city can remove graffiti from buildings whether property owners respond to waivers or not.

The landlord of 1585 E. 172 in Soundview could end up in jail if necessary repairs aren't made. Tenants have been fighting in court for over a year.

Last night's Charter Revision Commission meeting at Hostos Community College took a turn when Councilman Koppell exceeded his time limit by four minutes as made a plea for an end to term limits.

Two Democratic state lawmakers sponsored a bill that gives principals in NYC the power to choose what teachers should lose their job due to budget cuts.

Police are searching for missing Bronx sisters. Both were last seen Friday on E. 174th Street.

Bronx resident Alex Johnson is going to college through new program that allows carpenters to receive college credit for apprentice work.

In the Daily News, Patrice O'Shaughnessy writes about Castle Hill resident Andrea Magnotti, a woman with bipolar disorder. Magnotti will be taking part in a public walk to raise awareness and funds for the National Alliance of Mental Illness' New York office.

An elderly Bronx male of 801 Co-Op Boulevard is missing. Police are seeking the public's help in finding him.

Bronx News Roundup, April 29

Apologies for the belated nature of the roundup posting today, but, as they says, better than never. On to the news!

Swine flu coverage: it may be spreading outside of the Queens public school where it supposedly originated. Bunch of stuff from the Daily News: an overview of the mini-outbreak, Bloomberg's keeping a sense of humor about the whole thing, more schools might be closed. Vistors are staying away from Queens Zoo pigs.

If this year's 14% water hike is combined with next year's estimated 12% hike, New York City families could be looking at annual water bills of more than $1,000.

This year's hike was discussed yesterday in the Bronx at a public hearing at the Bronx Library Center on Kingsbridge Road. About 20 people, mostly politicians and advocates, showed up and expressed their anger.

Tony Mullen, a 50-year-old former NYPD police captain from the Bronx (he teaches in Connecticut), was named national teacher of the year by President Obama.

In case you missed it in yesterday's "Pinstripe Politics" column yesterday by Graham Kates (check back every Wednesday and Friday for your Yankee news), here's the Post's story on the Yankees slashing ticket prices after seeing that many prime seats in the new $1.5 billion stadium were empty in the season's first home stand.

Felix Matos Rodriguez is the new president of Hostos Community College.

Riverdale Press reports on why State Senator Pedro Espada Jr.'s been late in opening up his new office at 400 E. Fordham Road.

Read of the day: A painfully gruesome but fascinating cover story in the Village Voice about a woman, Selena Cooper, and her daughter, Joi, who were both raped and murdered in 1988 at a West Farms housing project. Recent DNA evidence linked one of Cooper's companions to the murders and he's now facing trial.

Bronx News Roundup Sept. 22

Here's some Bronx-related news from the past few days.

Police say they've arrested one of the men who robbed and viciously assaulted a Boston-based radio host in Kingbridge Heights on Sept. 14. Pelagio de la Cruz was hit over the head with a baseball bat and seriously injured. In the aftermath of the attack police released this surveillance video.

Hostos Community College is looking for a new president.

It's an important day in the chaotic world of Bronx politics. The Rainbow Rebellion, a coalition of Bronx politicians who are trying oust Party Chairman Jose Rivera, are meeting at 7 p.m. at Dresier Loop Community Center in Co-op City (at 177 Dreiser Loop), where they hope to elect new leadership. More here, on how this works. UPDATE: I just received a call saying tonight's vote has been cancelled. Instead there will be a rally at the same location to protest Rivera's leadership. Apologies for being a little vague; we'll have more later. SECOND UPDATE: According to The Times a State Supreme Court judge ruled that the event couldn't take place because of limited space in the hall. The Daily News also has the story. Elizabeth Benjamin is calling it "a significant victory" for Rivera.

State Senator Efrain Gonzalez tells The Times that his ongoing legal issues may have played a role in his surprise primary defeat at the hands of Pedro Espada. Strange. In a interview on Sept. 10, Gonzalez told us his indictment wasn't to blame. "I came up short because of a lack of resources," he said. "It was not about my leadership and it’s not about the indictment." Party boss Jose Rivera told the Norwood News there were a number of reasons why his man lost. "It's hard with all the newspapers, including yours, that are calling him a crook." Of Espada, Rivera said: "I call him the Puerto Rican Michael Bloomberg. He's not as rich as Bloomberg but he's a millionaire and we couldn't compete with that."

If you missed it, The Times has some wonderful coverage (articles, photos, video and audio) on the history of Yankee Stadium, which last night hosted its final game.

In what appears to be a tragic accident, a young couple fell to their deaths from the roof of a Soundview apartment building, following a night of partying. On a side note, it always amazes me that the Daily News doesn't moderate their comments (or if they do, they do a lousy job). Check out the posts at the end of the story. I'm all for free speech, but...