Riverdale Press Echoes Our Call for Release of Neighborhood Crime Stats

When we first sought neighborhood crime stats from the 52nd Precinct a few years ago, I seem to recall it was because we saw that the Riverdale Press has published just such data for the 50th Precinct. In fact, the Five-O is still providing that information to the Press, which they should be commended for. But somehow the NYPD feels that the 52nd Precinct (Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights) and the rest of the Bronx, for that matter, no longer deserves this most basic of public information that is routinely gathered using their taxpayer money. We've been waiting 420 days for the NYPD to respond to our Freedom of Information Law Request, adhere to state law, and release this very public information.

Our journalist pals at The Riverdale Press also found this rather disturbing and published this editorial echoing our call for the release of so-called sector data. Their headline says it all: "All Crime Stats Should Be Public."

If you missed News Channel 4's coverage earlier this week of our campaign you can see it here.

We'll keep marking the minutes until the NYPD does its duty. 

Bronx News Roundup, June 16

Weather: Warm and sunny today, in the high 70s/low 80s. Chance of rain late tonight and into tomorrow morning.

Story of the Day: Mount Hope Dad Gets a New Kidney
We'll start off today's roundup with a feel-good piece in honor of Father's Day this weekend. New York Daily News' Patrice O'Shaughnessy brings us the story of Bronx dad Jameak Lee, who after a decade of illness, dialysis and disappointment, successfully underwent a kidney transplant this winter. This will be the first Father's Day in his 12-year-old son Justin's life that Lee will feel well enough to celebrate.

Bronx News Roundup, Feb. 28

Hope everyone had a good weekend. Short round-up today ...

Former State Senator Pedro Espada's controversial Bedford Park co-op (he is widely believed to have lived most of the time at his house in Mamaroneck) is up for sale. Shocking.

A part-time counsel for State Senator Jeffrey Klein resigned after the Daily News asked questions about the staffer receiving taxpayer-financed health insurance despite only working 17 hours a week.

Contaminated chicken from Virginia shipped to distribution centers to the Bronx, Brooklyn and Farmingdale has been recalled by the manufacturer.

A 26-year-old father was gunned down in Morrisania on Sunday.

If you're signing for a new phone number in the Bronx (and Brooklyn and Queens) beginning April 16, you may get 929, now that 347, 646, and 917 are close to all used up.

The Riverdale Press beat us to this, but I heard the same thing on my way into work this morning -- loud, melodic ringing at intervals. Reminded me of the sound associated with the 1970s movie E.T. actually. Anyone know what the story is?

Bronx News Roundup, Jan. 14

The man charged with burglarizing three Bronx churches in November and December has been indicted. Nathaniel Linden is also a suspect in several other break-ins.

Riverdale-area politicians Eliot Engel and Oliver Koppell were left stunned by Sunday's massacre in Tuscon, Arizona, in which their freind, Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, was critically injured.

Several Bronx pols, including Koppell and the Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., spoke at a pro-living wage event in Harlem last night. Koppell is the primary sponsor of a living-wage bill currently before the Council.  Here's the latest on what may or may not happen.

The city is planning on replacing the closing John F. Kennedy High School with two charter schools, according to an internal Department of Education document obtained by The New York Times.

In an analysis piece, the Riverdale Press looks at whether the DOE "set up" JFK for failure.

St. Augustine in Morrisania is one of six Bronx Catholic scheduled to be closed at the end of the school year. Here's some reaction from students and teachers.  See here for more about these closing schools.

Cops are asking for the public's help in catching those responsible for two violent robberies in the Bronx this week.

A jury has aquitted Thomas Cordero -- the so-called "nude housekeeper" -- of murdering Eastchester resident John Conley. This despite DNA evidence and a confession. Conley was stabbed to death in October 2001.

A Bronx woman has been charged with giving other women illegal breast and butt implants.  Yes, you read that correctly.  The Mount Eden resident allegedly imported the silicon from the Domincan Republic and charged $1,000 per op.

A Bronx boxer and former Golden Gloves champ is trying to turn his life around after a stint in jail.

Bronx News Roundup July 9

Pedro Espada is scrambling to block Governor Paterson's appointment of a lieutenant governor, which could finally break the stalemate in Albany (as well as curtail Espada's power). In an editorial, the Daily News calls it a "bold and masterful stroke." But is it legal?

An undercover cop shot and injured a suspected drug dealer yesterday, on the corner of corner of East 167th Street and Grant Avenue, when a crack cocaine deal took a surprise turn. It was second time in a week that a Bronx cop has shot someone.

Twelve people - including doctors, chiropractors, and acupuncturists - have been arrested following an investigation by the State Attorney General Office into a lucrative health insurance scam involving two Bronx health clinics.

In an editorial, The Riverdale Press criticizes the owners of the Stella D’Oro biscuit factory in Kingbridge.

Two Applebees are opening in the Bronx this summer - one on East Fordham Road, the other at the Terminal Market. According to a recent press release from the chain, "As many New York restaurants feel the tightening of the economy, casual dining has continued to do well. Apple-Metro... has continued to grow even during these tough times."

Yesterday, on the Grand Concourse, Bronx BP Ruben Diaz Jr. and others announced the completion of a three-year project that's doubled the number of bike-lane miles in the city.

State Senator Jose M. Serrano is calling on Mayor Bloomberg to include two Muslim holy Days in the public school calendar - something Bloomberg is reluctant to do.

The Great Van Cortlandt Park Debate: The City Stirs Controversy by Creating Park Conservancy

First, here's an opinion piece on why the convervancy is a bad idea.

But now let's back up for a minute in the interest of fairness.

There's a parks debate heating up in the Bronx, mostly in Riverdale, about the city's decision to create a public-private conservancy for Van Cortlandt Park. (There are also conservancies for Central Park and Prospect Park)

Why create this conservancy, critics of it say, when there's already a nonprofit organization, the Friends of Van Cortlandt Park, advocating and raising money to maintain, enhance and provide programming at the huge northwest Bronx park. Well, Parks says the conservancy will only add to what Friends does, rather than diminish what it does. And the conservancy will be able to hire supplemental staffers and throw money at capital projects the city can't afford to fund on its own.

The Riverdale Press' N. Clark Judd first reported about this in December.

Here's last week's story in the Press, with more details about how the conservancy will work.

This week, Parks Commish Adrian Benepe wrote a rebuttal, objecting to what he said was Judd's mischaracterization of the conservancy and also to quiet some of conservancy critics.

Finally, here's the previously-linked-to opinion piece by another critic of the conservancy, former Community Board 7 chair and now dedicated environmental activist Karen Argenti. She says the new conservancy undermines what the Friends of VC Park have been building for years. (This was supposed to run in this week's issue of the Norwood News, but alas, we ran out of space.)

Another interesting twist is that 11th Council District hopeful Tony Cassino is on the board of the new conservancy. How will this affect his standing with Riverdale voters? Will incumbent Oliver Koppell risk criticizing the city and Parks to win over conservancy critics? Does Ari Huffnung, another Council candidate, have a position?

The VC Park debate is officially open here on the Bronx News Network blog. So, read up and let us know what you think.

Muslim student finds haven for prayer

An Indonesian exchange student attending a public high school--the David A. Stein School in Riverdale--had nowhere to say her afternoon prayers, until the Riverdale Jewish Center, an Orthodox synagogue, offered her a room, The Riverdale Press reports.

Riverdale Press Documents CRA's Place in Bronx History

In a recent editorial, the Riverdale Press reminds us all of the context that the Community Reinvestment Act emerged out of in the Bronx. In recent weeks, the 1977 legislation has come under repeated attack by conservative commentators for our recent financial woes. Fortunately, publication after publication have come out in defense of CRA as a tool to end the practice of redlining, where banks refused to make loans in certain neighborhoods, usually on the basis of race or class.

The Riverdale Press editorial forcefully documents the context here in the northwest Bronx in the years leading up to CRA by quoting Jill Jonnes:

• In 1965, banks wrote 298 new mortgages in the Northwest Bronx; 10 years later the total was 44.
• Eastern Savings Bank granted 59 new mortgages and refinanced 63 in 1965; 10 years later, it made one new mortgage and refinanced two.
• North Side Savings, headquartered at West 231st Street and Broadway and holding $200 million in deposits from the Northwest Bronx, granted only a single mortgage in its own community in 1975.

The Washington Independent adds to the discussion that Alan Greenspan, in his recent testimony on our financial collapse, does not even mention the Community Reinvestment Act as a potential source of blame. And if you'd like to read an informative in-depth piece on CRA and ACORN, check out this piece on AlterNet.

Rebel Dems to Open Temporary Office

We just got a press release from the Rainbow Rebels -- the group of Bronx Democrats who are claiming victory in Sunday night's battle royale for the leadership of the Democratic Party.

They're apparently not waiting for the inevitable court battle to start assuming party leadership (for the time being there two Democratic leaderships in the Bronx) and are opening a temporary office tomorrow on E. 163rd St. Spokesman Tom McNeil says they're doing this so they can organize get-out-the-vote efforts on behalf of the Obama campaign. Where's the money coming from? MacNeil says the individual lawmakers' are paying for it from their campaign accounts.

Here are the details on tomorrow's event.

Bronx Democrats Open
New Headquarters

County Leader Carl E. Heastie and the New Leadership Team Move Ahead With Plans for November Election

Bronx Democratic County Leader Carl Heastie, Bronx elected officials and the newly elected officers of the Bronx Democratic Party will officially open the new Bronx Democratic headquarters and will launch the Bronx Obama campaign.

What: Grand Opening of the new Bronx Democratic headquarters
When: Friday, October 3rd at noon
Where: 914 East 163rd Street

We'll have frequent updates for you in the coming days as to where the leadership battle stands.

In the meantime, check out Nick Judd's terrific video work and reporting on the Sunday night at the Riverdale Press's blog and Web site.

Also, in case you missed our Sunday night post after the Committee meeting(s) Sunday night at the Paradise, just click here, and read the record 25 comments from readers.

And here's our story in the Norwood News.

New Addition to Local Blogosphere

We welcome The Riverdale Press to the Bronx Blogosphere.
The Press now also has a Web site.

Councilman Dinowitz?

Over at the Riverdale Press (not 0n-line) Buddy Stein reports that Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz is mulling over the idea of running for City Council in 2009. Why trade a job-for-life up in Albany for one with significant less job security (Council members can only serve two 4-year terms)?
Well, because the pay is $33,000 higher and the commute to City Hall is considerably less onerous than frequent trips up to the state capital. He'd probably be a shoo-in for the post, being the obvious successor to Oliver Koppell, whose old Assembly seat he now occupies.
But Dinowitz also tells the Press that he's happy with his appointment to the Aging Committee and he just had the satisfaction of seeing his anti-sex trafficking bill signed into law.
In 2017, when he'd be tossed out of the Council, Dinowitz would be 62. He said he's not predicting an "early retirement."

Hunts Point Express

Bernard Stein, the Pulitzer-prize winning former editor (but still co-owner) of the Riverdale Press, started the Hunts Point Express with his students at Hunter College earlier this year. Like the Mount Hope Monitor, it's primarily an on-line paper, but there have been a couple of print editions and the latest just hit the streets.