Bronx News Roundup, March 9

Late start for the roundup today as we began distributing the latest edition of the Norwood News. We'll be rolling out all the latest stories over the next few days on this site. So, without further adieu, to the news!

Story of the Day: 
My obsession with Bronx-bred St. John's guard Dwight Hardy's rise to national prominence this year is well-documented on this site (see: here and here), so it tickled me deeply (thoroughly?) to see a profile of the John F. Kennedy High School product in the New York Times today. The story follows Hardy's winding path from Kennedy to a North Carolina prep school to an Iowa community college and then, finally, back to New York City and St. John's. After coming off the bench last year, Hardy was named All-Big East earlier this week and is the primary reason St. John's is on its way back to the NCAA Tournament. One problem with the story: the reporter writes that Hardy grew up in Melrose and then attended "nearby" JFK, which is in Marble Hill, nowhere near Melrose. The Bronx is a big place, New York Times!  

Quick Hits:
The State Senate's Latino/Puerto Rican caucus elected Adriano Espaillat, who represents part of Riverdale, as its chairman and northwest Bronx rep Gustavo Rivera as its vice chairman.

A Bronx transgender woman was denied a marriage license by the borough's city clerk's office, which then issued an apology for the error.

A fire at the St. Mary's Houses on Westchester Avenue smoked out a woman who was harboring some 60 cats, and a badly-outnumbered dog. Nary a litter box was found. Three cats died in the fire.

Many of the dogs rescued from a Grand Concourse apartment building fire are still in treatment.

Robberies in Crotona Park spiked last year compared to the year before.

A Hunts Point apartment building is overrun with insects and vermin.

A hot dog vendor who plies her trade near Montefiore Medical Center is the focus of a story about how food-cart permits are "skyrocketing."

Bronx Weekend News Roundup, Feb. 7

From Green Bay to Beloit, from Milwaukee to Madison, frome Brandon to Kenosha, Cheeseheads rejoiced following the Packers 31-25 Super Bowl victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers last night. As a descendant of a long line of Pack fanatics, I can tell you with certainty that Wisconsinites will revel in this moment for months, if not years. Dairyland might not as productive for the next few days, but it will definitely be happier.

OK, back to the Bronx, where this relatively tropical weather (high of 42 degrees today!) will not last as temperatures will drop into the teens mid-week. We might see a small amount of rain/snow overnight.

Story of the Day:
Opponents of the city's plan to shut down John F. Kennedy High School say the Department of Education set the school up for failure. On Thursday evening (technically early Friday morning), the Panel for Education Policy voted eight to four (with one panel member absent) to phase the school out by 2014. Starting next fall, the school will eliminate a class each year.

This type of phase-out has been the fate of most large Bronx schools, as the city continues to push for smaller, themed schools and more charter schools. The teacher's union believes venerable northwest Bronx high school DeWitt Clinton could be next on the chopping block. They say the fact that Clinton's taking on more and more high needs students every year is crippling their chances for success.

Quick Hits:
Two Bronxites were killed overnight in separate fires.One occurred at 192nd Street and Valentine Avenue, the other at 15 North Street.

Cops busted 19 alleged gang members and drug dealers in Soundview last week. It was the culmination of a year-long operation that police say also netted suspects wanted in connection to a handful of murders.

A pothole epidemic compounded by this winter's historically bad weather is wreaking havoc on Bronx vehicles to the consternation of Bronx drivers.

The old PS 31 building near Hostos Community College, once dubbed the "Castle on the Concourse," remains vacant and continues to deteriorate despite past promises by the city to renovate it.

Bronx GOP Chairman Jay Savino spent $8,300 worth of campaign funds on dining, mostly outside of the borough, last year.

A West African immigrant was crushed to death in Hunts Point Saturday while trying to load a vehicle into a container truck.

A 76-year-old Bronx man is suing the NYPD after police, looking for his son, an alleged drug dealer, raided his apartment and accidentally shot him in the mid-section.

Ilia Lopez, a 58-year-old mother of three adult children who live in the Bronx, was killed in a hit-and-run incident in Harlem on Friday morning.

Rapid tax refund outfits are costing low-income taxpayers, including many in the Bronx, a significant amount in fees.

[Editor's Note:] Just a reminder to our readers that the Bronx News Network is in the middle of our annual fundraising appeal. If you value quality local journalism, please consider donating so we can continue to bring you news and features, like our daily roundup or our borough events calendar. More details on how to contribute can be found here

Bronx News Roundup, Jan 25

As I'm sure you can see, this never-ending winter has blessed us with more snow this morning. The weather means delays on the 2 line in the Bronx, according to the MTA's website, so give yourself a little extra travel time today if you're taking the train.

Speaking of snow: the City Council held its fifth public blizzard response hearing at Hostos Community College last night, where Residents and Borough President Diaz blasted the city and the Sanitation Department for the slow snow cleanup.

A fire broke out early this morning at three multi-family homes on Arthur Avenue in Tremont, with one tenant taken to St. Barnabas Hospital after going into cardiac arrest.

An NYPD car mix-up resulted in one Norwood resident's arrest--for stealing his own vehicle, the Daily News reports.  Jamieson Prince, 43, is now suing the police department for $1 million.

The driver of a van that flipped over in a fatal accident in September is facing felony charges for driving with a revoked license. The accident killed six people, including the pastor at Joy Fellowship Christian Assemblies in the Bronx, and his wife.

Sen. Jeff Klein and his newly formed Independent Democratic Conference are criticizing the Office of Children and Family Services, which oversees the State's youth prisons, for racking up overtime and compensation claims.

A few Bronx women told the Huffington Post that they think Mayor Bloomberg is out of touch, in response to recent remarks he made about the city's streets being safe for women at night.

Police have identified one of the bodies found near a Long Island beach to be Bronx resident Melissa Barthelemy, 27. Investigators believe a serial killer may be responsible for her death and the deaths of three other woman, who all advertised themselves as sex workers on Craigslist.

As John F. Kennedy High School in Marble Hill prepares for closure next year by the DOE, charter school group New Visions for Public Schools is testing the neighborhood waters. The organization plans to open two new schools on Kennedy's site.

The Wall Street Journal posted this video footage of the explosive excavation of a tunnel at the Croton Water Filtration Plant. The $3 billion project at Van Cortlandt Park has been rife with scandal and delays since it began (here are some archived stories from the Norwood News)



[Editor's Note:] Just a reminder to our readers that the Bronx News Network is in the middle of our annual fundraising appeal. If you value quality local journalism, please consider donating so we can continue to bring you news and features, like our daily roundup or our borough events calendar. More details on how to contribute can be found here.

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.