Bronx News Roundup, Thursday, May 19

Home stretch of Bronx Week(s). Let's get down to business. To the news!

Weather: Brief reprieve from monsoon season right now, but more rain and thunderstorms are possible this afternoon.

Story of the Day: A Bronx Underground Rock Scene Emerges
In a Throgs Neck church basement, the seeds of a Bronx rock movement are taking root. A decade ago, a trio of young Bronx musicians and music lovers -- Dave Rose, Anita Colby and Adam Fachler -- made a simple observation about their borough's music scene: It sucked. So they decided to build one themselves, creating Bronx Underground to put on and promote rock concerts in a borough identified as the birthplace of hip hop. For a few years, they used venues on City Island and other east Bronx locales until finding a permanent home at First Lutheran Church, near Country Club, where a growing list of bands are finding a fan base. Marc Makowski, an assistant music director at Sony, compared the scene to England in the 1960s. "Just like the Beatles," he told a writer for NY Press, "one band is going to break out and the rest will follow." Here's a 2009 clip from A Moment's Worth, one of the Bronx Underground-grown bands that could blow up:


Quick Hits:
We knew City Island's Engine 53 firehouse was on the chopping block, but now, after the mayor released the list of firehouses slated for closure, we know that two other Bronx firehouses could be gone as well: Engine 46 at 460 Cross Bronx Expressway (Mt. Hope) and Engine 60 at 341 East 143rd Street (Mott Haven).

In response to the investigation into widespread ticket-fixing by Bronx cops, the NYPD announced it will form a unit dedicated to preventing it from happening in the future.

While eight Bronx schools got a reprieve from closure and will be "re-started" with independent oversight, the teacher's union is suing the city to stop other schools, including the Bronx's John F. Kennedy High School, from being closed.  

Speaking of school closures, state officials say the Kingsbridge Innovative Design School, a charter school that just opened last year, will be closed at the end of year because of financial mismanagement. And St. Dominic's School in the Bronx's Van Nest neighborhood will also close, but the church will stay and get a facelift.

The hotel maid, who police say was sexually assaulted by Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the now former head of the International Monetary Fund, is a widow and single mother from Guinea who lives a quiet life in the Bronx's Concourse Village neighborhood.

The NYPD was upset with the cancellation of the Bronx Puerto Rican Day Parade on Sunday. In the same column, Bob Kappstatter says Ruben Diaz Sr.'s anti-gay marriage rally drew about 1,500 folks, much less than the 10,000 that were expected.

A fundraiser is being held tonight for Assemblyman Nelson Castro, who survived a re-election bid last fall despite the Bronx Democratic party's best efforts to replace him. Apparently, other candidates are already lining up to take him on in 2012. 

Singer Johnny Mathis performs at Lehman Center this weekend.

Bronx News Roundup, Nov. 4

Congressman Jose E. Serrano says he went to work yesterday with the goal of getting back a Democratic majority in 2012, after this Tuesday's election saw a Republican takeover of the House.

On the local level, it looks like Republicans in the State Senate could be on the verge of taking the majority, or at least ending up with a tie. More here.

A woman discovered an old military explosive while cleaning out her deceased uncle's Throgs Neck home. Police came to dispose of the mortar round, which may have been from the uncle's days in World War II.

Four members of a family from Mott Haven died in a car accident yesterday in Maryland, as they drove back to New York from Virginia Beach. Carmelo Dominguez, his wife Evelyn Morales, daughter Natasha Dominguez and 2-year-old grandson Jose were killed in the wreck.

Students and teachers at Herbert H. Lehman High School, in Westchester Square, worry an 'F' the school received on its DOE report card could mean closure for the school, or at least interfere with a longtime campaign to renovate their unusable football field.

The Post says the replacement of a longtime principal at Lehman two years ago is to blame for its slipping grades, according to some parents.

Mayor Bloomberg says he was unaware of an old city rule that banned cars with city plates from being towed--the regulation meant Assemblyman Nelson Castro, who has $8,600 in unpaid parking tickets, could park without fear.

Bronx News Roundup, Nov. 2

Happy Election Day, everyone! Make sure you head to the polls today and vote. Here's a roundup of who's running in the Bronx and elsewhere. Now on to this morning's Bronx headlines:

Roberto Huie, a senior at the Eagle Academy for Young Men in Tremont, has been accepted into the prestigious West Point Military Academy.

Family and friends mourned yesterday at the funeral of 17-year-old Luzbenet Ramirez, who was found murdered in a Longwood apartment last week. A 40-year-old man has been arrested in connection with her death.

Catch up on your Bronx political news--including Nelson Castro's unpaid parking tickets and more on the future of the Muller Army Reserve Center--in Bob Kappstatter's weekly column. 

Rangers CEO Chuck Greenberg called Yankees fans an "embarrassment" during a radio interview yesterday.

Things are working out well in Morris Heights, where a residence for the mentally ill and chronically homeless was first met with neighborhood protests. Community Board 5 member Bernice Williams said last week that the center's residents are "very good neighbors." 

A 30-year-old Bronx man drove the wrong way on I-81 in upstate New York this weekend. He faces traffic-related charges.

State Assemblyman Michael Benjamin has proposed legislation to put the Board of Elections under mayoral control, following the firing of Executive Director George Gonzalez last week.

Assemblyman Castro Reflects on 'Great Victory'

Assemblyman Nelson Castro on primary day (Photo: Alma Watkins)

Last Tuesday, Assemblyman Nelson Castro fought off a primary challenge from Hector Ramirez, a district leader who'd received the support of the Bronx Democratic Party, Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., and all the big unions.

In what was the tightest race in the borough, Castro secured 54 percent of the vote to Ramirez's 46, giving him a 269 vote victory margin.

While the certified results won't be released until all the absentee and affidavit ballots have been counted, and the voting machines re-canvassed, Ramirez has already called Castro to congratulate him. (The Board of Elections is expected to have these numbers tomorrow.)

Reached by phone yesterday, Castro was in high spirits. "I feel great. It's a great victory," he said. "Now going back to Albany I have a lot of expectations. I'm not a freshman anymore and so I should be able to ask for more and deliver more for my district."

Castro, who pulled in few endorsements himself, put his victory down to voters knowing him, liking him, and recognizing what he's done in the community.

While his opponent focused on attacking him (mailers were sent to voters reminding them of Castro's checkered past), Castro says he was out there talking to people.

"We put strategy over theatrics. All the negative stuff they did, they did to cover up the fact that he [Ramirez] hasn't done anything in the community," Castro said.

Sherman Browne, a primary opponent of Heastie's in 2008, and a former aide to ex-Councilwoman Maria Baez, worked on Castro's campaign and said they successfully identified his supporters and then made sure they voted. "We took a personal approach," Browne said.

Said Castro: "I myself even went out and picked up a couple of older ladies and drove them to the polls."

On primary night, Ramirez held what was supposed to be a victory party at a small restaurant on East Tremont Avenue. In the end, though, it was a rather somber occasion. With most precincts counted, the results favored Castro.

"I just want to say to Hector, no matter what happens tonight, you have always been my friend, and for that I will always be your friend," said Diaz in a brief speech.

He continued: "When it's all said and done, if you ask me as leader of this borough would I do it again, Yes! Yes! Yes!"

"Whatever happens tonight, I am not going to move from the District 86," said Ramirez. "I'm going to continue to fight to improve the quality of life for the people that live in the District 86, and the Bronx, and New York State."

Heastie added: "We need to give Hector a lot of credit, he ran tremendous race. It's tough to beat and incumbent, incumbency is a powerful tool."

Castro, who said he's spoken with Heastie and is now looking to move forward without "animosity," is holding a "community victory celebration" at the Luna Lounge on Webster Avenue this Sunday.

Candidates Hit Up Senior Centers, Campaign for Last Minute Votes

Espada near PS 33, a busy polling site. In the background is one of his bodyguards (Photos: James Fergusson)

The elderly typically vote in large numbers, and so most candidates running for election (or reelection) penciled in visits to local senior centers today.

At around 1 p.m., Senate candidate Gustavo Rivera and Councilman Fernando Rivera, who's endorsed him, spoke to seniors at Morris Senior Center on East 181st Street.

Rivera, seniors said afterwards, is a relatively new face at the center, unlike his opponent, State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. who's well known. "He [Espada] comes around, he shakes your hand, a lot of people are swayed by that," said one 80-year-old woman, who was quick to say that she, personally, "cannot stand him, because of all the things they're saying in the [news]papers."

Rivera at East Concourse Senior Center

About an hour later, at East Concourse Senior Center on East Tremont Avenue, Cabrera and Rivera repeated their message, interrupting a game of bingo in the process. "I'm here to introduce you to the man who's going to be your next state senator," said Cabrera. "We need an honest man, not crooked politicians." Then he added: "This man is going to help me bring money into this senior center."

Rivera told the group of about 60: "The main difference between my opponent and me is simple. I want to work for you. I want to be accountable to you."

For local senior Dina Alverez, Cabrera's and Rivera's message fell on deaf ears: she'd already voted, and for Espada. "I know he has a lot of problems, but I like Espada," she said. "When he talks to you, he listens to you and your problems. You can't believe all you read in the papers."

Mary Kelly, another senior, seemed bored by the whole spectacle. "People [candidates] all basically say the same thing, 'cos they know what you want to hear," she said. She voted this morning but wouldn't say for whom.

When Cabrera and Rivera were done, the bingo continued - for a minute or two. Then Hector Ramirez showed up. Ramirez, who's running against Assemblyman Nelson Castro in the 86th Assembly District, gave a brief speech, before stepping outside and talking to local residents. He got chatting to one woman, who, during her walk up the block, had been given several campaign fliers - one of Ramirez's, one of Rivera's, and one of Castro's. Smiling, Ramirez gently removed Castro's from her hand and discarded it.

In the West Bronx, Assemblyman Castro Faces a Well-Backed Opponent

Assemblyman Nelson Castro (right) at a tenant rally last month (Photo: Alma Watkins)

It's gearing up to be one of the most competitive races in the Bronx. No, not Pedro Esapda vs. Gustavo Rivera - although that's expected to be close, too. Rather, Nelson Castro vs. Hector Ramirez.

Castro, the assemblyman in the 86th AD (Mount Hope, University Heights, and parts of Fordham), has his work cut out. Ramirez, a Mount Hope resident who runs a small accountancy firm on Davidson Avenue, is being backed by just about everyone with clout (the Bronx borough president, the Bronx Democratic Party, the Work Families Party, and several unions with large local memberships).

It means Castro is in an unusual position for an uncumbent - that of the underdog.

“This is maybe the battle of David and Goliath,” said Castro in a recent interview. “[But] you know the end of the story, David prevails.”

Castro says he's well known and liked in the community, and that Ramirez, despite being a district leader since 2002, is rarely seen or heard.

During a tour of a rundown, rat-infested apartment building on Creston Avenue last month, Castro caught a reporter's attention and whispered, “Where is my opponent when things like this happen?”

Hector Ramirez campaigning in Fordham last month (Photo: James Fergusson)

Ramirez, for his part, says Castro, who has a poor attendance record at Assembly sessions in Albany, is inherently lazy, and that he's failed to build relationships with his colleagues. (Castro has his own thoughts on why his colleagues have shunned him.)

“We need somebody that has the respect of other elected officials and institutions so they feel comfortable working with that person,” says Fernando Aquino, a political operative who's working on Ramirez's campaign. “That’s not the case with Nelson Castro.”

Assemblyman Nelson Castro on the Issues

A couple of weeks ago, the BxNN asked Assemblyman Nelson Castro (86th AD) and his primary opponent, Hector Ramirez, to answer a series of questions about their political beliefs, and what they might do if elected (or reelected in Castro's case). Castro's campaign got back to us with answers, but Ramirez's didn't.

Candidates running for office in the 33rd Senate District (note: Tirado and Padernacht have dropped out) and the 80th Assembly district have filled out similar questionnaires.

Here, unedited, is what Castro had to say:

Will you serve as a full-time legislator? If not, what other jobs will you also keep?

Since being elected in 2008 I have served as a full time legislator and I will continue to serve full time if re-elected. My job as the Assemblyman is not a part-time declaration, but a daily commitment and full time determination to represent the views, values and interest of the people in my community.

Bronx News Roundup, August 30

Police are still looking for the driver of a green Nissan Pathfinder who allegedly hit a 5-year-old kid in Williamsbridge, dragged him 50 feet, paused briefly, and then drove off. The 5-year-old, Joshua Sanders, remains in critical condition at Jacobi Hospital.

An ex-con was arrested and charged with raping a 79-year-old Bronx woman in July.

On Friday, a paid FBI informant testified in the case of four men accused of plotting to bomb two Riverdale synagogues. The informant, who the defense said coerced the four defendants into the bombing plot, said one of the defendants told him he wanted to be a martyr.  

Policed detectives say a convicted murderer may have killed other victims in the early 1980s by luring them with promises of cheap designer jeans. 

Public Advocate Bill de Blasio is launching a new website dedicated to scrutinizing the city's worst landlords.

We linked to this in a Friday post, but this Times story delves into the complicated relationship between Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and his father State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. Junior is set to endorse Gustavo Rivera in the 33rd Senate District race at 11 a.m., while Senior has already endorsed the incumbent, Pedro Espada Jr. (The pair, Senior and Espada, have become allies after years of animosity -- Diaz took over the  south Bronx senate seat Espada used to occupy).

A new oral test for HIV, which can provide results in just 20 minutes, is being pushed in the Bronx, which is home to one-third of the city's HIV/AIDs cases.

Nelson Castro said the Bronx Democratic County Committee is crossing the ethical line in trying to have him thrown off the ballot for residency issues. But Bronx Democratic boss Carl Heastie said the investigation into Castro's residence was prompted when two pieces of mail sent to his address were returned and added that when a Board of Elections legal team went to the apartment, the name on the buzzer was not Castro's.

32BJ Endorses Assembly Candidate Hector Ramirez

Hector Ramirez (center), pictured here talking with local residents in a Mount Hope bodega yesterday, has picked up several important endorsements

Here's a mini-exclusive: 32BJ SEIU, the largest private-sector union in the state, has endorsed Hector Ramirez in his race against Nelson Castro, the incumbent assemblyman in the 86th Assembly District.

In a statement, the union said the endorsement "follows an extensive membership-screening process, in which Ramirez received overwhelming support from members for his commitment to affordable housing, creating good jobs and economic development."

Mike Fishman, 32BJ's president, said in the same release: “Through his work in the community, Hector Ramirez has shown a strong commitment to working people. 32BJ is proud to get behind candidates like Ramirez who will make New York a state that works for working people.”

The union represents security officers, doormen, porters, maintenance workers, bus drivers, window cleaners and food service workers, among others.

Ramirez has also received endorsements from the Bronx Democratic Party, Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., the Working Families Party and others.

Another powerful union, 1199 SEIU, is also expected to back him.

We've been following this race closely and will have more in the coming days.

Bronx News Roundup, July 13

Yankees' owner George Steinbrenner died in Florida this morning after suffering a heart attack. He was 80 years old. Already, the accolades are coming in thick and fast, including this statement from Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr:

Today I join 1.4 million Bronxites, and Yankee fans across the world, in mourning the passing of a great man, ‘The Boss,’ George Steinbrenner. During his tenure as owner of the New York Yankees, Mr. Steinbrenner did everything in his power to create his own winning tradition in the Bronx, an effort that resulted in seven World Series championships. While other baseball fans were jealous of this success, Yankee fans, like myself, loved him for it. Both the Bronx and New York City have lost a giant today—in baseball and in charity—and my deepest condolences go out to the Steinbrenners and the entire New York Yankees family.

In other news, Sonia Sotomayor, the Bronx-raised supreme court justice, is writing a memoir.

As we mentioned in our story of the day, plans to do away with the Sheridan Expressway are gaining traction.

More on State Senator Pedro Espada's press conference outside the Bronx Board of Elections yesterday, during which he claimed "God is on my side." Here's our coverage of the event.

Bob Kappsatter's weekly political column includes news of Assemblyman Nelson Castro messy divorce, and a look at which Bronx Council members have been awarded the most member item money.

Tentative plans in are place to bring free broadband Internet access to the Bronx, the borough with the highest percentage of households without it.

Bronx detectives believe they know who's responsible for the 1981 murder of 20-year-old Janet Agosto.

In Westchester Square, traffic cops spend their days guarding their colleagues' private vehicles, which are often parked next to expired coin meters, according to the Post.

Bronx schools are set to receive a large slice of the $37 million in capital funds Bronx BP Ruben Diaz, Jr. has at his disposal in fiscal year 2010.

Last Saturday, at a Bronx firehouse on East 150th Street, local residents gathered to commemorate the lives of fire victims and to celebrate the city budget deal which saved several firehouses from closure.

'Castro Care' Coming to the West Bronx

Move over ObamaCare.

Assemblyman Nelson Castro is hosting a spate of health fairs - called "Castro Care" - in his west Bronx district this month. 

According to a press release, the fairs will teach local residents about the importance of healthy eating and preventative health care measures. Registered nurses will also be on site checking constituents’ blood pressure, glucose, and cholesterol levels.

The first fair was held last week, but the main kick off event is today at West Burnside Avenue near Davidson Avenue from 5 to 7:30 p.m.  The other days, times and locations are as follows:

• July 9, from 5 to 7:30 p.m., Creston Avenue at East Fordham Road
• July 16, from 5 to 7:30 p.m., Echo Place at Grand Concourse
• July 18, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Holy Spirit Church, 1940 University Ave.
• July 22, from 5 to 7:30 p.m., East Fordham Road at Jerome Avenue
• July 23, from 5 to 7:30 p.m., East Burnside Avenue at Walton Avenue
• July 25, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Our Lady of Mercy, 2496 Marion Ave.
• July 29, from 5 to 7:30 p.m., 174th Street at Morris Avenue
• July 30, from 5 to 7:30 p.m., University Avenue at West Tremont Avenue

For more information, call Castro's district office at (718) 933-6909.

Just to add some context, this is the first time Castro has organized such an extensive series of summer health fairs. No doubt they will help boost his visibility in the community at an important time. In September he's expected to face a tough primary challenge from Hector Ramirez, a district leader who's been endorsed by the Bronx Democratic Party. Here are their respective campaign websites:  http://www.castro2010.com/ and http://www.hectorramirez.us/.

File photo of Assemblyman Nelson Castro by Alma Watkins

Gibson and Castro Launch Reelection Campaigns

Vanessa Gibson (in red), the assembly woman in the 79th District, won't face a primary opponant (Photo: J. Fergusson) 

Standing on the steps of the Bronx County Courthouse on Monday morning, Assemblywoman Vanessa Gibson announced her intention to seek reelection.

She was joined by a bevy of her fellow pols - including Congressman Jose Serrano, State Sen. Jose M. Serrano, Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., Deputy Borough President Aurelia Greene, and Councilman Fernando Cabrera - and they took turns praising her work ethic and character.

Assemblyman Nelson Castro, who represents the 86th District, just north of Gibson's, launched his reelection bid that same day, with a party at the Monte Carlo night club on Jerome Avenue. 

Petitioning began on Tuesday, hence Gibson's and Castro's timing.  By mid-July, Assembly candidates need to have gathered 500 signatures from registered voters in their district to get on the ballot.  State Senate candidates need 1,000 signatures. Ideally, candidates will secure these numbers and then some, to avoid being kicked off the ballot if certain signatures are challenged. (For example, if a voter signs two candidates' petitions, only the one signed first will count.)

Assemblyman Nelson Castro addressing his supporters on Monday night.  Unlike Gibson, Castro has a real race on his hands (Photo: A. Watkins)

When Castro won the Democratic primary in September 2008, on his way to becoming the first Dominican-American sent up to Albany from the Bronx, he enjoyed the support of the Bronx Democratic County Committee, then led by Assemblyman Jose Rivera.  Not this time.  The party, now chaired by Assemblyman Carl Heastie, is supporting Hector Ramirez, a district leader, instead.  (Here's Ramirez's campaign website, and here's Castro's.)

At Castro's reelection party, then, Diaz, Heastie, Greene, etc. were no where to be seen.  In fact, not a single councilman, senator, or assemblyman, was present, leaving the impression that he's been hung out to dry.

Bronx News Roundup, Feb. 23

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

The city has nixed plans to move a controversial charter school into Alfred E. Smith High School, which is being phased out. See here and here.

A teenager from the Philippines is recovering in Montefiore Children's Hospital following 18-hours of spine surgery, aimed at helping him walk again.

Residents of Edgewater Park and Silver Beach Gardens, two communities in the East Bronx, are defending themselves against allegations that they tried to stop black families from moving in.

On Sunday night, police in Melrose shot dead a mentally-disturbed man who they say was attacking his mother with frying pan.

The wife of a Fordham man shot dead by police in December 2008 is suing the city for $285 million. Police say Alex Figueroa, 40, was wielding a baseball bat and refused orders to drop it. Sandra Rodriguez disputes this account. She says her husband was confronting a group of men who had harassed their daughter, but that he never threatened the cops.

Two Bronx subway stations, 161st Street-Yankee Stadium and 3rd Avenue-149th Street, are to be renovated.

Police are hunting for a Bronx woman following a hit-and-run in Brooklyn early Sunday morning.

Assemblyman Nelson Castro and Hector Ramirez, a district leader who's expected to challenge Castro in September's Democratic primary, are both after Democratic party boss Carl Heastie's support. If joint turkey giveaways are any indication, Ramirez's already has Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr.'s backing.

A subsidiary of Montefiore Medical Center has received $5 million in federal stimulus money to train 1,350 health care aides.

St. Barnabas Hospital has scrapped plans to relocate a health clinic of theirs despite numerous problems with the building, including the presence of lead and asbestos. (The article in Spanish. To translate, copy and paste into here.)

The Cross Bronx Expressway is home to the worst bottleneck in the country.  But there's good news too: vehicles' average speed has increased from 9.8 mph three years ago, to a not-quite-so-sluggish 11.4 mph.

Bronx News Roundup, Jan. 29

Happy Friday everyone! Breaking news alert: It's cold! According to weather.com, it's about 19 degrees in the Bronx this morning, but should warm up to a balmy 25 sometime this afternoon. As my wife said this morning: "But it looks so nice out."

Anyway, on to the news.

Let the games begin in the 86th Assembly district where embattled incumbent Nelson Castro finds himself up against Democratic party-backed challenger and district leader Hector Ramirez. City Hall reporter Andrew Hawkins starts his story off with: "Nelson Castro is in trouble."

But Castro's not backing down and says there is nothing to the Bronx DA's investigation into charges that he lied under oath while testifying in connection with a voter fraud case in 2008 (when it was discovered that nine voters claimed Castro's apartment as their residence.)

Here's James Fergusson's 2008 story on Castro. Here's the Norwood News' story on Ramirez's challenge.

In other news:

Four bear cubs rescued in Alaska made their debut at the Bronx Zoo.

State Senate Democrats, including Bronx pols Jeff Klein and Pedro Espada, are pressuring Gov. David Paterson to collect taxes on cigarettes sold on Indian Reservations. To demonstrate how this issue affects local commerce, the Daily News reports that Espada had an aide go buy two packs of Newports for $10 (with taxes one pack of smokes in NYC is about $10). The question on smokers' minds: which bodega did they go to?

The Daily News reports that state investigators have found "credible evidence" that a 14-year-old boy was sexually assaulted at Bronx Children's Psychiatric Center.

Hector Ramirez to Challenge Nelson Castro in 86th

PHOTO: Last night in University Heights, Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. handed out turkeys with District Leader Hector Ramirez.

District Leader Hector Ramirez is actively drumming up support for a 2010 run against 86th District Assemblyman Nelson Castro, the Norwood News has learned.

Though Ramirez has yet to make an official announcment, two sources close to Ramirez who requested anonymity, said that Ramirez was working to position himself for a run at Castro's seat, which he will have to defend come next election season.

The sources also said that if Ramirez does run, he will enjoy the backing of Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., who was influential in Fernando Cabrera's upset primary victory over incumbent Council member Maria Baez in September.

Last night, Ramirez looked the part of campaigning candidate (see above picture) as he handed out Thanksgiving turkeys to local residents with Diaz in University Heights.

Diaz spokesperson John DeSio would only say that the borough president has handed out a lot of turkeys (some 4,000, DeSio says) and that it was Ramirez who brought the gigantic banner that prominently features both Ramirez and Diaz, Jr. Clearly, Diaz, Jr. didn't object to the photo op. But for now, DeSio said he couldn't comment further.

In August of 2008, when Castro's predecessor, Luis Diaz, left his position and took a job with Gov. David Paterson, the Bronx Democratic County Committee passed over Ramirez, a long-time party loyalist, and chose Castro, a relative new face in Bronx politics, to fill the vacancy. Many, including Luis Diaz and Castro himself, were surprised by the decision made by then-Democratic County boss Jose Rivera.

In the end, Castro, a former registered Republican who moved to the Bronx from Washington Heights a few years ago, became the first Dominican assemblyman from the Bronx, not Ramirez. (For more on Castro, read this story from the Mount Hope Monitor.)

But now, with Rivera out and Assemblyman Carl Heastie running the County party, it looks like we could be in for a serious fight between Democratic rivals in the 86th.

Stay tuned.

Bronx News Roundup for August 19th

Bronx Assemblyman Nelson Castro may face perjury charges after it was discovered that nine voters in last September's primary, now suspected to be his and his girlfriend's relatives, were registered to Castro's West Bronx apartment.

A driver facing charges of manslaughter after mowing through the Bronx in a high speed chase on July 12th, hitting 13 people, pleaded not guilty to at least 50 counts today.

Knicks team guard Nate Robinson was pulled over and arrested in the Bronx for driving without a license while sporting an outstanding summons yesterday.

The bad economy hasn't stopped charter school construction, as new buildings are popping up around the city, namely in Mott Haven where a 54,000-square-foot charter school is set for construction.

A Bronx family is suing the Selby Transportation bus company for the trauma caused to their son after a bus driver drove around lost with him for several hours back in January.

Swine flu concerns shutter PS 209

PS 209, an elementary school on East 183rd Street near Tiebout Avenue, has been closed for the rest of the week, after two students came down with severe flu-like symptoms.

It will likely re-open on June 8, according to a woman who picked up the phone there a few minutes ago. She didn't give her name saying she wasn't authorized to speak.

According to Mariela Arias, Assemblyman Nelson Castro's district office manager, the first student became ill last week, and on Friday, only 13 percent of students showed up for school. Arias said parents kept their kids at home becuase "they were scared it was going to spread and that their children were going to get sick."

Castro's office became involved when the school's PTA contacted them on Friday saying parents wanted the school closed - something the DOE was refusing to do. "In Queens [they've shut schools after scares], why would it be different in the Bronx?" asked Louella Hatch, a local resident whose grandson goes to the school.

Castro visited PS 209 this morning to talk to parents and teachers. Afterwards, he sent out a press release that read in part: "It is very alarming that neither the DOE nor the NYC Department of Health has communicate[d] with the parents of this school to keep them informed of what efforts are being taken to safe guard their children."

Following this afternoon's decision to close the school, Castro send out another statement. "I am gratified that the Mayor and Chancellor have responded to our inquiries and have taken this action," he said.

No word yet on whether the students, both of whom are believed to be boys, do indeed have swine flu.

Castro to Hold Town-Hall Meeting Tonight

Assemblyman Nelson Castro is holding a town-hall style meeting tonight at MS 399, at 120 E. 184th St. It starts at 6:30 p.m. According to a flier, the meeting is "open to those who wish to voice their community concerns." For information, call (718) 933-6909.

On a slightly related note - Castro is a Dominican-American - Jesse Hoffnung-Garskof, author of "A Tale of Two Cities: Santo Domingo and New York after 1950," is answering questions on the NYT's Web site this week about New York's Dominican population.

Online: February's Mount Hope Monitor

The February edition of the Monitor is now online.

Stories include:

The upcoming renovation of the High Bridge, and its planned reopening in 2012, will bring two boroughs together again.

A Bronx assemblyman has convinced the mayor of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic to rename a street there after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Crime in the 46th Precinct was down 10 percent in 2008, despite, or arguably because of, some 14,000 arrests in the area, a city high. Read our regular Crime Watch feature here.

Piggybacking on President Obama's call for a "new era of responsibility," here's a list of local organizations looking for volunteers.

More here.

Bronx News Roundup: Tuesday, Nov. 18

[See update at the bottom of this post]
It's getting chilly on Bronx streets in more ways than just the temperature.

Early Monday morning in Bedford Park, police discovered a man, described as being in his 30s, shot in the stomach. Medics took him to St. Barnabas, but he was pronounced Dead on Arrival. Police say the investigation is ongoing. The Post has a small blurb about it in its Daily Blotter.

A man has been arrested in connection with a shooting on Morris Avenue (near the Cross Bronx Expressway) that left a 17-year-old girl dead and two other teenagers wounded. Late Sunday night, Brandin Santiago was arrested and charged with murder, attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon.

The Daily News picked up the Norwood News' story about how the city's Dept. of Health is going to turn the old Fordham Library into an animal shelter. Here's the Norwood News story about it.

Speaking of the Health Dept., the agency has created a Web site where residents can track rat infestations and how they're being dealt with. Here's the Web site: https://gis.nyc.gov/doh/rip/.
Enjoy.

The city says it was all a big understanding that led them to build a new school on a contaminated site in Mott Haven.

Speaking of Mott Haven contamination, residents in that area are complaining that a toxic sludge is mucking up an abandoned railway.

Fordham University and Albert Einstein Medical School are teaming up to help strengthen their science and medical programs.

And for dessert, Daily New Borough Chief Bob Kappstatter's political gossip column. He says Assemblyman Jose Rivera has the Bronx Democratic party running a budget deficit; District Leader Hector Ramirez, Luis Diaz's hand-picked successor in the 86th Assembly District, says he was betrayed by two lawyers associated with Rivera's County leadership. (Rivera's man, Nelson Castro, ended up winning the seat.) And he gives Councilman Jimmy Vacca a pass for voting in favor of a term limits extension (after he initially opposed it) because he says Vacca received some concessions for his district from the mayor.

[Update, 3:32 p.m. Thanks to Mr. Kappstatter for clearing up this last tidbit, which I misinterpretted earlier. It wasn't that Vacca received any concessions from Mayor Bloomberg for voting in favor of the term limits extension. But he could have lost some valuable goodies for his district if he didn't support the measure. It's a subtle, but substanative difference. The question remains: was it a smart move and what exactly did he protect? I think we'll see how some of this plays out during the fight over the mayor's plan to consolidate neighborhood senior centers. Vacca and others in the Bronx (like Oliver Koppell) who voted for the term limits extension have voiced their opposition to the plan. Will Bloomberg back off or roll right over them?]