Bronx News Roundup, Oct. 28

Bummer: A Nor'easter is headed our way. 

Restaurant Week in the Boogiedown (Savor the Bronx) and its featured restaurants are all well and good, says Gothamist, but there are many under-noticed culinary gems in the borough that deserve your attention.

The Occupy Bronx protesters, who have been meeting at (but not really occupying) Fordham Plaza on Saturday have a famous borough-based corporate target in their sights: The New York Yankees.

A new push to step up enforcement of the pooper-scooper law in the Bronx, formally titled "Don't Be a Pooper-trator" was announced yesterday at the Bedford Park Senior Center by Bronx Borugh President Ruben Diaz, Jr. and the city's Sanitation commissioner, John Doherty. (Includes video)

We linked to the Times story yesterday about the brand new Poe Park Visitors' Center being padlocked indefinitely for lack of staffing. The Norwood News, on its Breaking Bronx blog, reports that a Parks Department spokesman told the paper in June that the Center would be open within a month.

A gritty but glorious effort to showcase a sculptural dome made mostly of umbrella spokes -- created by two artists and volunteers based at Rocking the Boat in Hunts Point -- in the waters off of Inwood ran ashore last Wednesday on, of all places, Rikers Island. For different takes on the story see the Hunts Point Expess, and Jim Dwyer's NYT column.

The Riverdale Press reports that the city won't built a pedestrian footbridge to connect parts of Van Cortlandt Park separated by the Major Deegan Expressway. The footbridge was embedded in the City Council's approval to site the filtration plant in Van Cortlandt Park, a project whose cost has tripled to $3 billion.

Montefiore is tweeting its job openings @MontefioreJobs. Here's one. 

Stable stats aside, crime is getting more violent in Marble Hill.

Bronx Sports Roundup: Yankees-Red Sox, Youth Baseball Controversy, Fordham Footballers Go Pro and More

Editor's Note: In lieu of a news roundup today, which we couldn't get to because of a fire and school building contamination, we offer you this Bronx sports roundup, courtesy of BxNN intern and Yankee fan Justin Bodden.

By Justin Bodden

Red-hot Yankees set to take on Red Sox for division lead
The most famous rivalry in all of sports resumes tonight as the Yankees face the Red Sox at Fenway for the lead in the AL East. The Bombers come into the series sizzling: winners of their last 7 games and coming off a sweep of the White Sox in which they didn’t walk a single batter. The Red Sox and their line-up full of MVP candidates are coming off a split with the Cleveland Indians. Both teams are tied for the second best record in the majors at 68-42. This season, the Yankees have struggled against the Sox, losing 8 out of 9. The Bombers hope for a replay of the 2009 season when they also struggled early against the Sox, losing their first eight games to their AL East rivals, but then finished the season winning 9 of the last 10 against them. That, the Yanks went on to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies for their 27th championship.

Bronx News Roundup, Friday, July 15

Weather: Not a cloud in the sky. High in the mid-80s. This weekend: more of the same with temperatures creeping up into the high-80s, low-90s. Good beach weather.

Story of the Day: BxNN Beats Times on Muller Story, Loses Headline Battle
A little inside baseball today. (Skip to the Quick Hits if you get bored.) Anyone working in the editorial side of the journalism industry will tell you that a) timing is everything, and b) headline writing is the one of the hardest things to do well. Early yesterday, Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr.'s press office sent out a press release with a letter attached that accuses the mayor's office of deliberately abusing the BRAC process to ensure that the vacant Muller Army Reserve Center in Wakefield becomes a homeless shelter.

We've been following this story for more than two years, but this letter contained details, strongly-worded allegations and possible legal action. All the elements for a good, poignant news story. So we rushed to get it up on this site as soon as possible. We ended up beating the Times by about an hour. Chalk one up for BxNN! (On a side note: Kudos to former BxNN intern and native Bedford Parker Andrew Boryga for producing a well-written piece for the Grey Lady's website.) For the most part, we can't compete with the bigger papers, but we do strive to bring Bronx news to our readers as swiftly as possible. And we also take pride in the fact that our stories lead to coverage in bigger papers and more-trafficked websites. Our story on the Oval Park pop-up piano drew national attention and we've been banging the drum on this Muller Center story for two years now. We see ourselves as a megaphone for the Bronx and when our stories get picked up, our megaphone gets amplified exponentially. That means more people will pay attention to our oft-overlooked borough. And that's a good thing.

Which brings me back to headlines. Our accurate, boring, and too-long Muller Center headline: "Bronx BP Asks Feds to Intervene in Muller Center Dispute; Yonkers Mayor Asks Bloomberg to Reconsider Shelter Plan." The Times' headline: "City Hall Accused of Steamrolling Opposition to Bronx Shelter." That's also accurate, but also punchy and succinct. Obviously, there's is much better. So I'll take the win for speed, but here's a tip of the cap to the Times' headline writers.

Quick Hits:

Yankees' Jeter '2' Close to History and Other Bronx Sports Stories

Here's a long overdue look at some of the biggest and latest Bronx sports stories out there right now. 

Jeter's Two Shy of 3,000 Hits
Bronx Bomber Derek Jeter's quest for 3,000 hits continues as the team lost to division rivals the Tampa Bay Rays last night. The Yankee captain went 1 for 5 on the night, leaving him just two hits shy of the magical 3,000-hit milestone (only 27 hitters in Major League history have surpassed the mark). The Yankees lost 5-1. Bartolo Colon struggled through 5-2/3 innings, surrendering all five runs. Jeter is 1 for 2 lifetime against rookie Jeremy Hellickson, tonight's starter for the Rays.

Punchin' at the Paradise Results

Bronx News Weekend Roundup, June 27

Weather: Mostly sunny and in the 80s today.

Quick Hits:
The Times' David Gonzalez, himself a graduate of St. Martin of Tours School in Crotona, offers this poignant piece on the school's closing and emotional last day of classes, which was last Wednesday. The 86-year-old parochial school is one of 26 closed this year by the Archdiocese of New York because of budget cuts and low enrollment.

Bronx News Weekend Roundup, May 16

Weather: It's a foggy, blustery morning in the Bronx today, with temperatures in the 60s and scattered thunderstorms predicted for this afternoon. We'll pay for last week's near-perfect spring weather with rain storms for the rest of this week.

Story of the Day: Diaz Family on Opposite Sides of Gay Marriage Fight
The Times describes the scene at Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr.'s anti-gay marriage rally, which he held yesterday at the Bronx Borough Courthouse on the Grand Concourse to protest the legalization of same-sex marriage in New York (You can read an editorial about Diaz's rally, from the most recent issue of the Tremont Tribune, here.)

Among the attendees there in opposition to Rev. Diaz's stance was his own granddaughter, Erica Diaz, an openly gay 22-year-old who was discharged from the Navy last year after she told her superiors she was a lesbian. The younger Diaz told the paper it was important for her grandfather to know her stance on his politics. "It is in my blood to stand up for what I believe in — regardless of who I am up against," she said.

Quick Hits:
Lots of drama at Yankee Stadium this weekend: the Atlantic argues that hitter Jorge Posada's "hissy fit"--he backed out of Saturday night's game against the Red Sox after being demoted on the team's batting lineup--is just one example of rampant bad behavior by sports stars.

A psychiatric patient being transferred from a Long Island hospital took off in an off-duty police officer's car, leading authorities on a wild chase that ended in the Bronx yesterday afternoon.

A retired New York City firefighter is accused of owning several Bronx apartment buildings that are illegally divided--a practice experts say is a dangerous fire hazard, and which played a role in a tragic blaze that killed three people in Belmont last month.

City budget cuts could close City Island's only firehouse, Ladder Company 53. 

The state will decide the fate of the Kingsbridge Innovative Design Charter School this week. The school was put on the chopping block this spring for financial mismanagement.

A 22-year-old Bronx mother was arrested this weekend for leaving her two young children at the Port Authority bus terminal in Manhattan. 

A passersby who jumped into an argument between two other men on a Mott Haven street Friday night opened fire on them, killing 46-year-old Jay Brialey.

The city's Department of Transportation launched a new ad campaign to remind drivers that, yes, we do have a speed limit here (it's 30 mph. Check out the video below). The DOT is also lowering that limit by 10 mph in certain trouble traffic spots, starting with a neighborhood in Claremont.

Bronx News Roundup, March 1

Welcome to March, everyone. We made it through a bizarre, quick, cold February and I don't know about you, but I feel one step closer spring! The first day of the month will be sunny and cool, with temperatures reaching freezing levels tonight and then fluctuating wildly throughout the rest of the week.

Story of the Day:
Fantastic story and video on Riverdale's own Mr. Mummy, Bob Brier, an Egyptologist who has dedicated his life -- and three consecutive apartments -- to collecting what he calls "Egyptomania." Brier, 67, a world-renowned mummy researcher, has amassed countless Egypt- and mummy-related items, "a collection that runs the gamut, from rare artifacts to dime-store kitsch, from authentic mummy parts to pop culture merchandise," writes the Times' Corey Kilganon. Brier once sent his daughter to school with a mummified cat and says (jokingly?) that he'll be buried with all his Egyptomania.

Quick Hits:
The Visiting Nurse Service of New York is testing out a new smart phone app with young diabetes patients in the Bronx and Manhattan. The app is designed to help them manage the disease.

The City Council is considering legislation that would regulate so-called "crisis pregnancy centers," which seek to deter women from having abortions. The Bronx has the highest rate of aborted pregnancies -- 48% -- of any borough.

An insurance company is threatening to pull the plug on coverage for obstetricians at Bronx-Lebananon Hospital, which delivers some 2,700 babies each year.

ABC goes behind the scenes with the Bronx warrant squad. Here's the video:


Looks like city and state officials getting serious about keeping the Hunts Market in the Bronx. Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. said last week he was confident a deal would get done.

Big heroin bust on Bronx Park East.

Bronx businesses and cultural institutions are gearing up for the return of Yankees baseball on March 31.

Pregones Theater will be celebrating Latin music and dance all month long.

Editor's note: Did we miss anything? Have a news tip for the Bronx News Network? E-mail us at bronxnewsnetwork@gmail.com or leave a comment below.

Bronx News Roundup, Nov. 16

The NYPD is now scanning the irises of crime suspects when they are arrested and before they are arraigned, to avoid fraud and escapes. The new system started in Manhattan yesterday and will be introduced in the Bronx and other boroughs soon.

A Jamaican bakery in Wakefield celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. The Kingston Tropical Bakery, at White Plains Road and E. 226th Street, was opened in 1970 by husband-and-wife team Jessie and John Levi and now employs 36 people.

A Bronx-based moving company is taking painstaking precautions to prevent the spread of bed bugs. 

Dominick Sgobbo, a World War II vet who lives in Pelham Bay (who is also the uncle of Daily News writer Rob Sgobbo, a former Mount Hope Monitor intern) was reunited with his army mess kit after 65 years, when a Dutch archeology student dug it up and returned it. 

Sgobbo also has a story in the paper today about Lehman High School, where students are complaining of dead rodents and urine-stenched bathrooms since a number of custodians at the school were laid off. 

In his weekly column, the Daily News' Bob Kappstatter says Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo's appointment of BP Ruben Diaz Jr. to his transition team is a dig at Mayor Bloomberg. Diaz and Bloomy butted heads last winter over the Kingsbridge Armory deal, which the Mayor pushed for and Diaz helped kill.

Also on Cuomo's new team? Assemblyman Peter Rivera, who, oddly enough, was being investigated by Cuomo in his Attorney General role last year for allegedly having too-close ties to a now defunct nonprofit.

More on the possible closing of several of the city's Catholic schools, and what it will mean for the Bronx.

A man who struck and killed a pregnant woman on Webster Avenue in 2008 has been sentenced to four years in prison. Walter Walker was driving without a license and was convicted of criminally-negligent homicide.

The price of Yankees tickets--including the usually-cheap bleacher seats--will go up again next season.

Don't forget to check out our new features on this site, like our events calendar, community forum, and the SeeClickFix feature where you can report and track responses to neighborhood problems.

Bronx News Roundup, Nov. 11

Happy Veterans Day to all the vets out there, in the Bronx and beyond. Here are today's headlines:

A court ruled yesterday that a terror law doesn't apply to Edgar Morales, who killed a 10-year-old girl during a shooting in the Bronx in 2007. Morales, a gang member, was convicted under a state anti-terrorism law and sentenced to 40 years to life, a sentence that will likely be shortened now that the law doesn't apply.

Israel Feliciano was sentenced yesterday to 23 years to life for the 1992 killing of George Orfanos, a beloved pizza maker from Bedford Park. Feliciano was on the lam for 16 years, living in South Carolina with his wife and three children, until cops linked him to the crime with a fingerprint in 2008.

Felix Soto, a Queens postal worker who lives in the Bronx, is facing prison time after he allegedly delivered several kilos of cocaine along with the mail. 

A drug bust in Hunts Point has 33 gang members facing charges of conspiracy to distribute crack, cocaine and heroin. Most of the group, all men, were raided yesterday in a building on Irvine Street; five other suspects remain at large and four were already in police custody.

Teachers, parents and students at six catholic schools across the borough are devastated after yesterday's announcement that they could lose funding from the Archdiocese of New York. "We all started crying," one teacher at Morrisania's St. Augustine School told the Daily News. 

The Bluestone Group, a real estate firm that's been buying up distressed properties across the borough, announced the purchase of three more properties on Bailey Avenue yesterday in a $17.4 million deal. 

Politicians and advocates are lobbying to pass a state bill that would protect laborers from wage theft. Luis Olivo testified at a City Council hearing yesterday that he worked in a Bronx Fine Fare supermarket for seven years, and was paid only in tips.

New York City cops fired less bullets in 2009 than in any year since 1971, according to a new report. The majority of incidents where the NYPD did fire at suspects occurred in the Bronx and northern Brooklyn; 98 percent of suspects involved in those shootings were black and Latino.  

FBI agents busted a loan shark who'd been featured on the TV show "America's Most Wanted," in a building on Field Place yesterday.

The Times' George Vecsey says it's just too soon to induct late Yankees' owner George Steinbrenner into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Throgs Neck EMS worker Margaret Vega is the first woman to receive the EMS' highest award, for rescuing a construction worker who fell of some scaffolding in 2009.

An eagle owl named Flaco is the newest member of the Bronx Zoo family.

Yankees Looking For Youth Leaders

Every year, the New York Yankees Community Council puts together a Youth Leadership Corp., a group of 60 Bronx youths (five from each of the Borough's Community Districts) who recognized as  active leaders that give back to their communities. The award includes a $750 stipend for each young person selected.

The application form is below. Nominees need to be approved by the Community Board of the district in which they live--so completed forms should be sent to a young person's respective board. As of earlier this week, Bronx Community Board 7 had yet to receive any nominees.
NY Yankees Youth Award 2010

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.

Nominate a Bronx Youth Leader in CB6!

Community Board 6 is inviting the public to submit the names and biographies of community-minded youths to be considered for nomination to the New York Yankee Community Council Youth Leadership Corp--an annual award doled out by the Yankees to five young people in the Bronx who have volunteered their time to civic activities and worked to make their communities better.

Awardees will receive a $750 stipend. To be considered for nomination by CB6, the young person must meet the following criteria:

• Live in the boundaries of Community Board #6, which encompasses Bathgate, Belmont, Bronx Park South, East Tremont, Crotona Park North and West Farms
• Be no older than 18
• Have a history of involvement in civic activities and helping to improve their community
• Willing to commit to working with Bronx CB6 in the preparation of its June anti-violence talent show

 The nomination form is below, and should be returned to CB6 by the Friday, Nov. 5 deadline to: 1932 Arthur Ave., or to brxcb6@optonline.net, or faxed to 718-579-6875.

Nomination Form

Bronx Weekend News Roundup, Oct. 25

The Bronx Bombers cleaned out their clubhouse yesterday after a painful loss to the Texas Rangers ended their season Friday night.

Speaking of the Yankees: Grim LeRogue, the, um, eccentric fan who was arrested for storming the field at a game, says it was just a booze-fueled and harmless publicity prank. (Interesting side note: some of LeRogue's statements to police--including bizarre rants about Bobby Brown, Whitney Houston and Osama Bin Laden--are oddly similar to a letter the Norwood News received last week.)

A 25-year-old man was found shot to death in his Olinville apartment on Saturday, one of five separate killings that took place across the city this weekend. 

6,000 cyclists rode through the borough yesterday at the annual Tour de Bronx. This years' event was held in honor of beloved community advocate Megan Charlop, who was killed in a biking accident in March.

Volunteers across the city planted thousands of new trees in their parks yesterday, with 3,500 planted in Van Cortlandt park alone.

Director Gary Weis talks to BlackBook.com about his documentary "80 Blocks from Tiffany's." The 1979 film, which chronicles street violence in the South Bronx of that era, is being released on DVD this month.

An enraged man smashed about eight cars with a 20-pound pick-axe on a street in Co-op City Friday morning. He was arrested shortly after.

A hit-and-run driver who struck a pedestrian in Fordham on Friday was caught by police on an unrelated drug-bust yesterday.

An argument with officials and the opposing team had Lehman High School football coach Michael Saunds pull his players from the field on Friday, with just a few minutes left in the game.

Eva Moskowitz, whose Success Charter Network runs schools in Harlem and the South Bronx, argues the need for more charter schools on the Upper West Side.

South Bronx native Misra Walker was one of six people to receive the environmental Brower Youth Award for her campaign for a shuttle bus to Baretto Point Park. 

A Bronx related-bit at the end of this piece on Democratic conference leader John Sampson: investigators are looking into the Democrats' hiring of Sen. Pedro Espada's son, Pedro G. Espada, last year. According to the Daily News, The Legislative Ethics Commission is investigating whether the younger Espada got the $120,000-a-year-job--which he quit last August--as a means to get his father to end the Senate stalemate.

Bronx Bombers Live to Fight Another Day

By Selim Khan

The champs get to play on . . . at least for one more game, that is.

With their backs against the wall and no margin for error, down 3 -1 in the American League Championship Series, the Yanks came out aggressive, striking early and often. Despite losing slugger Mark Teixeira for the rest of the playoffs in Game 4 to a hamstring injury, the Yankees scored three runs in the second inning and two more in the third inning, as the Yankees flexed their muscles when Nick Swisher and Robinson Cano went yard on back to back at bats.

Playing with a lead is not something the Yankees have enjoyed much in this series, so it was important for them to get out to an early lead and keep the sellout crowd in the game.

It helped that Rangers lefty CJ Wilson was not as sharp in his second start of the series. In Game 1, he pitched into the seventh inning, silencing the Yankee bats. This time, however, he lasted only five innings giving up six runs, five of them earned.

Although not dominant, CC Sabathia fared better this time around than in his Game 1 outing, pitching through six turbulent innings, giving up eleven hits, but only two runs.

With the score 6 -2 in favor of the Yankees, Sabathia showed his guts and resourcefulness in the sixth inning when the Rangers had the bases loaded with one out, but failed to score, culminating in Sabathia striking out Mitch Moreland looking.

The pressure on the Yankees was palpable. They didn't want to be eliminated in front of the home faithful. Plus, the Rangers were playing with house money knowing that they will be heading back home and have ace Cliff Lee in reserve for a Game 7, if necessary.

Bizarre Letter The Work of Crazed A-Rod Hater? Author: I'm a Terrorist Who Wants to Help Osama Bin Laden Kill Bobby Brown

A little follow-up post to the News Roundup, which linked to a Daily News story about Grim LeRogue, the man who was tackled by security at Yankee Stadium Monday night after he stormed the field in an apparent attempt to attack Alex Rodriguez and impress Cameron Diaz, A-Rod's girlfriend.

In the article, it says LeRogue's Bronx apartment was lined with pictures of Osama Bin Laden and naked girls. Later it says: "Sources said he also told cops he wanted to murder singer Bobby Brown because he believes Bin Laden has a crush on his Grammy Award-winning wife, Whitney Houston." 

That's kind of a random detail in the story that wouldn't be worth noting, except that yesterday, the Norwood News, a member of the Bronx News Network, received an anonymous and obnoxiously racist letter, ranting against Hot 97, as well as black people and Jewish people in general. 

Now, we've received our share of crazy anonymous letters. We usually brush them off as the rants of crazy people. Traditionally, we recycle them or temporarily put them up on our bulletin board as an example of the crazy letters crazy people write. 

But here's the interesting part about this particular letter. At the end of the letter, the author talks about how he's an "al-Qaeda" agent and that he was sent here to "help Osama bin Laden kill Bobby Brown so he can make Whitney Houston his sex slave."

The author then dares someone to do something to stop him ("I am in al-Qaeda; [expeletive] do something!") and claims Ron Kuby, the high-profile defense lawyer and television personality, will help him get off easy if he gets charged with anything. The letter was addressed to the Norwood News and sent to us in the mail. There was no return address. It's post-marked Oct. 19, which means it could have been dropped in a mailbox on Monday, before Monday night's Yankee game. 

LeRogue is reportedly being held at Lincoln Hospital for evaluation.

The letter ends with: "Yours truly, America's Greatest hero, The Uncle of Sam." 

Coincidence? Could there by numerous people out there claiming they want to kill Bobby Brown on behalf of Osama bin Laden because the terrorist leader wants Whitney Houston to be his sex slave? Are Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston even married anymore? 

So many questions. So much craziness.

Bronx News Roundup, Oct. 20

Good morning beautiful people!

First up, highlights (lowlights?) of the Yankees getting thrashed by the upstart Texas Rangers, 10-3, last night in the Bronx. Now down 3-1 in the best of seven American League Champion Series. The Bombers face elimination in a matinee game today. Start time: 4:07 p.m.

Apparently Yankee fans bailed early from this massacre.(Disclaimer: it's written by a Red Sox fan.)

More on the largest pumpkin ever grown, which is on its way to the Bronx from New Richmond, Wisc. After a stop at the Regis and Kelly show, it should arrive at the New York Botanical Garden on Friday. It will be on display there for a week and then turned into the world's largest jack-o-lantern by superstar pumpkin carver Scott Cully.

Bronx State Senator Pedro Espada's former ally in the coup that gridlocked Albany in 2009, Hiram Monserrate (who was booted out of office earlier this year), was indicted yesterday on federal corruption charges for allegedly using a nonprofit in his district to bankroll his first run for state senate. Sound eerily familiar? Bronx City Councilman Larry Seabrook is facing similar charges and Espada's predecessor, Efrain Gonzalez, is now in prison after being convicted on basically the same charges.

A federal court awarded a Bronx man wrongly convicted of rape $18.5 million in damages from the city. Alan Newton spent two decades in prison before being cleared four years ago when DNA evidence that was finally located proved his innocence.

The City Fix, a website dedicated to advocating for environmentally-friendly transportation, says it's a great thing that the MTA is expanding it's bus rapid transit routes. The rapid transit program began with the BX12, which runs east to west on Fordham Road.

The Daily News writes about Sunday's Tour de Bronx, which, as we've mentioned a time or two, is dedicated to superstar health advocate Megan Charlop, who died in a biking accident earlier this year.

More hotels are sprouting up in the outer boroughs, including the Bronx. The story mentions the Days Inn Yankee Stadium on Brooke Avenue and says a Holiday Inn Express is also coming to the borough. BxNN reader Jack points out this relatively new hotel on 3rd Avenue.(Meanwhile, nothing seems to be happening with the half-built skeleton of what was supposed to be a Comfort Inn on Webster Avenue, near Mosholu Parkway.)

Bronx News Roundup, Oct. 19

The NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau is investigating claims that Deputy Inspector John D'Adamo, the commanding officer of the 52nd Precinct, wrote off parking tickets received by friends and family members. D'Adamo has been top cop at the Five-Two since last October. Here's a profile that appeared in the Norwood News earlier this year. 

As we mentioned yesterday, the four Newburgh men accused of trying to blow up two Riverdale synagogues have been found guilty. In a statement, Bronx BP Ruben Diaz, Jr. said:

I am happy to see that justice has been done, and that the four thugs who plotted to destroy two Riverdale synagogues will be forced to pay for their crimes. The Bronx stands against hate in all of its forms, and all 1.4 million Bronxites are gratified that this loathsome attack on religious freedom will not go unpunished.

Legal experts say the convictions vindicate the post-9/11 strategy of using informants to identify and encourage individuals considered likely to engage in terrorism activities, in order to get them off the streets.

Two pit bulls attacked and injured two adults near Crotona Park early this morning.

For one Bronx family, Nov. 1 is a special day. Mom, dad, and baby all share the same birthday.

The owners of a venerable Bronx locksmith says their company's name is being dragged through the mud by scam artists.

In his weekly column, the Daily News' Bob Kappstatter says more trouble may be brewing for Co-op City's scandal-hit board of directors.

The Yankees have made a mint selling dirt from their old ballpark.

A Bronx-based beverage company is recalling certain juice drinks because of concerns over foodborne pathogens.

State Senator Jeff Klein is taking nothing for granted in his race against Republican challenger Frank Vernuccio.

An enormous pumpkin, weighing close to 2,000 pounds, will be on display at the Botanical Garden upcoming "Halloween Hoorah" event series. For times, etc. visit our events calendar.

Bronx News Weekend Roundup

Former Norwood News reporter Heather Haddon's story made the cover of yesterday's NY Post: a Bronx man's decision to bury his longtime girlfriend in the same grave as his deceased wife has sparked a family feud.

Columbus High School, long on the DOE's list of low performing schools, is set to be phased out next year. Administrators say that they're struggling in the meantime, working with a minuscule budget and missing extra funding that other low performing schools have received.

The Bronx LGBT community is banding together to address tolerance in the borough after this month's heinous gay bias attacks.

Residents in Wakefield are protesting the construction of a number of planned homeless shelters, worried about what they're calling an "over-saturation" of support services in their neighborhood.

Legendary Yankees fan Freddy Schuman--aka "Freddy Sez"--passed away yesterday at the age of 85. Freddy attended almost every Yankees' home game for decades, and was known for riling up fans by banging a spoon and frying pan together and walking the stadium.

A dispute between Cablevision and Fox-owner News Corp. meant black-outs on the channel for some Bronxites.

Three public school teachers--including one from Fordham High School for the Arts--have been fired for inappropriate behavior on Facebook. The Bronx teacher who got the boot was busted for "friending" a number of his female students and leaving comments on photos he thought were "sexy."

Several rezoning plans in the process of being approved will revitalize large sections of the Bronx, according to the Wall Street Journal. Plans are in the works for Third and E. Tremont Avenues, Webster Avenue and E. Fordham Road.

Nobel Prize winner David Politzer visited his Alma mater, Bronx High School of Science, last week. The school boasts a total of seven Nobel-prize winning alumni.

The Daily News says that the flashing blue lights on the Bx12 bus might be illegal. A state law says that blue lights are intended only for emergency responders, like police and fire department vehicles.

The city came down harder this election season on illegally posted campaign materials. Workers from Adriano Espaillat and Gustavo Rivera's campaign told City Hall they were careful about where volunteers posted their literature for fear of fines from the Department of Sanitation.

A high school in Melrose boasts the first-ever green roof on a public school.

Yankees Have Much to Fear in the AL Championship Series (But That Doesn't Mean They Won't Win)

The Yankees continue their quest for a repeat World Series title tonight in Arlington, Texas against the Texas Rangers at 8 p.m. Here's a little preview of what's in store.

By Selim Khan

On the road to another World Series championship, I would advise NY Yankee fans to watch out for the caution advisory sign known as the Texas Rangers. Most fans, as well as media, figured that the ALCS matchup would be a hotly contested one between the Yanks and the Tampa Bay Rays, especially since they ran neck and neck all season long for the AL East crown.

Now with the Rays having been eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Rangers, no one should be quick to automatically anoint the AL pennant to the defending champs.

The Rangers are not intimidated by the Yankees. The two teams split their eight regular season meetings, including a three game Rangers sweep of the Bombers in September.

True, critics may say that the Rangers didn’t have much pressure on them in those games because they had a sizeable lead in the AL West and it was a foregone conclusion that they would be a playoff participant this year. Yet, it’s still never easy to beat a team three straight times, especially a team the caliber of the Yankees.

As the ALCS matchup approaches, the Rangers have several things going for them.

First off, they’re led by a bona fide ace in Cliff Lee, who with each playoff win is not only adding to his postseason legacy, but also millions of dollars to his next contract (which many assume will be lavished upon him by the Yankees).

Bronx News Roundup, Oct. 15

Police arrested an 11th suspect in connection with the anti-gay beating and torture of two teenagers, a 30-year-old man and the robbing of his brother. The suspect, 26-year-old Luis Garcia, lives in the Morris Heights neighborhood where the attack occurred. A lawyer for the defendants urged the press and the public to "stop running to judgment." (This is a great point. These 11 young men, many of them teenagers, have been arrested. They have not been convicted of anything yet. What happens next will dictate the rest of their lives.)

Family and friends of one of the accused, 16-year-old Bryan Almonte, said he was a "good kid" who studies a lot. Almonte's supporters -- including his weeping girlfriend -- packed the courtroom yesterday as the Bronx District Attorney asked a judge for more time to gather more evidence.

A new public school complex on Bronxdale Avenue was renamed yesterday after two firefighters who lost their lives battling a blaze on East Tremont in 2005 on what has become known as Black Sunday. The Lieutenant Curtis Meyran and Lieutenant John Bellew Education Campus is a new $58 million facility that houses three schools and seats 1,000 students. Here's some video. 

A lawyer for the family of Wardell Johnson, a Harlem man who was killed in the Bronx by a Pelham Manor police officer on Tuesday, said the officer overreacted and the incident reflected poor training by the Pelham Manor police department. The police officer, Kenneth Stretz, chased Johnson, who was riding an all-terrain vehicle, into the Bronx, pursuing him on foot into the backyard of a home on Edison Avenue. The Pelham Manor police department says Stretz followed protocol.

Tree preservationists won a victory in court yesterday as a judge issued a temporary restraining order on a city project that would kill 50 trees on Pelham Parkway. The city says it needs to remove the trees to install guard rails, but local activists, including TV personality and native Bronxite Regis Philbin, say there should be a way to save the trees. 

The NYPD conducted anti-terrorism training at Rodman's Neck in the Bronx to simulate a terrorist attack similar to the deadly one in Mumbai in 2008.

The Bronx Zoo is getting two new buildings.

The city is estimating that every Yankee home game during the American League Champion Series -- which starts tonight in Texas and returns to the Bronx on Monday -- will generate $12 million in revenue for New York. But some economists caution that while the exposure is good for the city, the Yankees success isn't a factor in the city's economic growth. 

Six Bronx restaurants were added to the 2011 Zagat's dining guide: Ann & Tony's on Arthur Avenue, New Hawaii Sea in Westchester Square, NY Steak on 161st Street, and two City Island spots: Sammy Fishbox and Black Whale.