Bronx News Roundup, April 4

Weather: Keep your umbrellas on hand. It's gray and dreary in the Bronx today, with rain expected later tonight and continuing for the next few days.

Story Of The Day: Hometown Boy Makes Good
Bronx native Kemba Walker, the 20-year-old basketball superstar that's led the UConn Huskies to the NCAA championships, graces the cover of today's New York Daily News. Walker is an inspiration to those in the Soundview neighborhood where he grew up, the story says. He'll take the court tonight with the rest of the Huskies to face off against the Butler University Bull Dogs. More here. 

Quick Hits:
A class at the Clason's Point Library is teaching adults the ins and outs of using Facebook.

The National Transportation Safety Board is launching a six-month investigation into the discount bus industry, largely in response to last month's horrific Bronx bus crash that killed 15 passengers.

The Egyptian cobra that went missing from the Bronx Zoo last week was finally found, and now you can help name it. The zoo and the Daily News are taking submissions from the public, and you can vote online until 1 p.m. today.

A business group in midtown Manhattan known as the 34th Street Partnership doled out funds for the proposed ice skating rink in Van Cortlandt Park, a move that's irked some midtown merchants.

Adrian Rodriguez, the Bronx teen who was struck by a moving 5 train last week in Union Square, has died, NY1 reports.
A 32-year-old Bronx man who survived a shooting years ago was shot to death by a group of men Sunday morning in Melrose.

A third-grader from Morrisania is suing the NYPD. Public School 132 student Sofia Bautista says she was handcuffed by police officers last spring after she got into a classroom fight with another student.

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)



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