Bronx News Roundup, Sept. 15

NY1 has all the results from last night's Democratic primary. If you missed our coverage, you can read our  tweets from various election parties on the right side of this page. And we'll have more from several Bronx races later today, but until then, here are some highlights:

• The biggest story of the night: Gustavo Rivera beat out incumbent Pedro Espada by a pretty significant margin. We'll post more on both candidates' events last night in a bit. For more, see here, here, and here, and pretty much everywhere else. Hiram Monserrate, the former Queens senator who helped Espada stage the Senate coup last year and who has faced his own share of legal troubles, also lost last night in his bid for State Assembly. 

• Besides Espada, every other Bronx incumbent in the Senate and Assembly who faced a primary challenge came out victorious. 

• Sen. Eric Schneiderman, whose district includes parts of Riverdale, will head into November's election as the Democratic candidate for Attorney General. He was one of five candidates vying for the spot, and just barely defeated candidate Kathleen Rice.

On to some other, non-election Bronx news:

Four people were injured in an apartment fire that broke out this morning on Bronx Park Avenue. 

A disgruntled worker who was fired from his job at a Domino's pizza set fire to two locations of the chain restaurant--one on White Plains Road and the other on Boston Road. No one was injured. 

A suspect in the Riverdale synagogue bomb plot apparently forgot to set the timer on one of his explosive devices, according to recorded tapes play during the trial. 

Jay-Z and Eminem wrapped up their concert series last night at Yankee Stadium. The performance brought fans to tears, according to MTV.com

City Limits has this piece on the death of Norwood resident Billy Murphy, and on the alarming raise in violent acts committed against the homeless (see more on Murphy's death in the Norwood News, here.)

Residents in Woodlawn suspect someone targeting stray cats may have poisoned a family's pet dog. 

The Daily News writes about a student exchange program between Bronx CUNY Prep students and a school in Berlin, Germany. 

Bronx News Roundup, Sept. 13

On the eve of primary day (also known as election day in the Democrat-saturated Boogie Down), we'll start with some politics. OK, lots of politics. But first, a reminder: VOTE!!!!!

Here's a sprawling article about the 33rd Senate District primary race -- Gustavo Rivera vs. Pedro Espada Jr. -- from a new news and culture site, capitalnewyork.com, that looks like it was created by ex-Observer staffers. In any case, the writer follows the two campaigns as they canvas the district looking to sway voters. Great stuff here. For example: two of the folks working for Espada, a married couple who said they had not been paid, quit mid-canvas, throwing Espada literature into the gutter. Also: while canvassing and asking for support, Espada campaigners are also offering primary day jobs, only to those who are over 18 (or able to vote).  Also: Espada spokesman Franck Laboy, when asked about Espada's residency questions, responded: "99.9 percent of incumbents don't live in their districts. Everybody knows."

Local journalist Eileen Markey, writing for WNYC, talks to Norwood residents about about the 33rd Senate District Race.

BoogieDowner has a few Espada/33rd-Senate-District-race-related tidbits, including staffers from Espada's office who are going around saying they are from the Board of Elections and asking for residents' phone numbers . . . a quick conversation with Espada who said he felt "very, very good" about tomorrow's primary, but seemed "sheepish/distant/aloof." . . . and a reader who has a friend in Tracey Towers said the friend has received calls from people saying (falsely) that they can vote by phone instead of going to the polls. The friend said their caller ID said the call was from Espada.

Daily News Bronx Borough Chief Bob Kappstatter breaks down the 33rd Senate District race as well as other hot primaries.

Espada challenger Gustavo Rivera says this about the possibility of losing in tomorrow's primary: "That hypothetical is not something I'm willing to entertain."

Some 90% of Espada's political contributions come form outside the district, according to the Daily News. The top individual donor: Steve Pigeon, Espada's $150,000-a-year general counsel who lives in Buffalo and helped orchestrate last summer's Senate coup, has given $9,500 to his boss' campaign.

The Times has a good roundup of the Democratic primary for Attorney General, which features five prominent candidates.
OK, moving on.

Tickets to tonight's super-hyped Jay-Z/Eminem concert at the new Yankee Stadium are going for up to $13,000.

NY1 profiles a new jobs program, started during the Great Depression, that has moved into the new Bank  American Note Building in the south Bronx.

Bronx boys soccer teams from Bronx Science and Lehman HS are ranked in the top 10, according to the NY Post.

Bronx News Roundup, May 13

Bronx Week events continue today--tonight, there's a Bronx Homeowners Forum at 6:30 at Fordham University’s McGinley Center, 557 E. Fordham Rd. A panel of experts, organized by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. and Senator Jeff Klein, will provide Bronx homeowners with legal advice regarding mortgages and homeownership. More on the event, and other resources for homeowners, here. 

In other news:

Bronx resident Frank Morocho, who drove into a crowd of pedestrians following a soccer match last weekend, has pleaded not guilty to drunk driving charges in a New Jersey court.

A 75-year-old Throgs Neck man is still missing after disappearing three weeks ago.

The New York Times profiles Abdul Aziz, a martial arts instructor from the Bronx.

More on the renovation of the High Bridge--the 1,200-foot walkway between Washington Heights and the Bronx--via a Times editorial. Check out the Mount Hope Monitor's coverage in February's issue.

Hip-Hop artists Jay-Z and Eminem will be headlining a concert at Yankee Stadium in September, the two announced at last night's game.

A turf war between two street cart vendors escalated into a robbery at knifepoint near Crotona Park, according to the New York Post. 


A UK-based organization is launching a training program to help teach visually impaired children to play cricket at Lavelle School for the Blind.

State Senator Eric Schneiderman, who represents portions of the Bronx and is vying to become Attorney General, won Manhattan in county committee votes last night.

Assemblyman Peter Rivera endorsed a bill yesterday to lift the state's cap on the number of charter schools.

The Fort Independence Park neighborhood, in Community Board 8, is being considered for landmark designation. 

A photography exhibit featuring Woodlawn Cemetary, set to run this fall at the Lehmen College Art Gallery, is looking for submissions.