Bronx News Roundup, Oct. 15

Police are looking for a 13-year-old Soundview girl who's been missing since Monday morning.

The number of affordable housing units built in the city since 2002 has been dwarfed by the number of units lost to this category, due to gentrification and rent deregulation. In the Bronx, 1 in 3 residents are spending 50 percent or more of their income on rent or mortgage payments.

Could Santeria, a religious practise that involves sacrificing animals, explain - or at least partly explain - why four goats have been found wandering the Bronx in recent months?

Two Italian-speaking men have been tricking their way into people's homes in the northeast Bronx, and then robbing them.

Despite the economic downturn, state senators in the northwest Bronx have been allocated more "pork" (aka: member item money) than last year, to the benefit of local non-profits. The reason? The Democrats now control the Senate, and with that control comes perks for Democratic senators.

On Nov. 3, Councilwoman Annabel Palma will face a surprisingly well-funded candidate from the Green Party. "This is the first taste of a two-party choice Bronxites will have had in some time for a local election," says Bronx County's Green Party chairman.

At a public hearing tonight, Bronx residents will have the opportunity to praise (or slam) Cablevision, whose citywide franchise is up for renewal. The hearing is being chaired by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. According to the Daily News, Diaz is especially interested in Bronxites' opinion of Cablevision's telephone and Internet services, as well as BRONXNET (which is funded by Cablevision).