Bronx News Roundup, July 26

Weather: Sunny and in the mid-80s today.

Story of the Day: Are Bronx Subway Stations the Ickiest?
A new report out of the MTA found that the Bronx's many subway stations are the dirtiest  in the city, plagued by garbage, leaks and rodents. MTA board member Charles Moerdler, who lives in Riverdale, told his fellow board members that some local stations were in such bad shape they could be condemned, a sentiment echoed by Borough President Diaz who says the Bronx is tired of waiting for much-needed station renovations.

Which made us want to ask you, our dear readers: what do you think is grimiest subway station in the Boogie Down? Where would you most like to see a makeover? Leave your thoughts in the comments section.

Bronx News Roundup, June 22

Weather: In the high 70s today, and thunderstorms likely this evening.

Story of the Day: Future of the Muller Center To Be Debated Tonight
A hearing is scheduled tonight to get public input on the fate of the Muller Army Reserve Center, a 55,000-square-foot former military base in Wakefield that the Bloomberg administration wants to turn into a homeless shelter.

Tomorrow: Bronx Rally for Marriage Equality

A number of LGBT advocacy groups and several local elected officials will be demonstrating tomorrow afternoon on the steps of the Bronx County Courthouse in support of marriage equality.

The rally was organized by Bronx Rainbow Independent Democratic Association and Marriage Equality New York.

Expected to attend: State Senators Jose M. Serrano, Gustavo Rivera, Jeff Klein and Adriano Espaillat, Assemblymembers Carmen Arroyo, Jeffrey Dinowitz and Jose Rivera and NYC Councilmember Maria del Carmen Arroyo.

According to a press release, the event is in part a response to State Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr.'s controversial March 15 parade against the passage of a gay marriage bill for New York. 

The rally will start at 2 p.m. at the Bronx Courthouse, 851 Grand Concourse at 161st Street.

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.

A Tremont Tribune Editorial: Sen. Diaz's Misguided March

Editor's Note: This editorial first appeared in the most recent issue of the Tremont Tribune, out now. We're experiencing some technical difficulties right now with the paper's website, but we're hoping to have them worked out soon.

On Sunday, May 15, State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr., who represents the 32nd District, will lead an organized march down the borough’s tree-lined Grand Concourse.

That very same day, less than five miles south, thousands of other New Yorkers will also be walking, through Central Park—part of the city’s annual AIDS Walk New York.

But Diaz and his allies won’t be marching to raise money to fight a life-threatening disease, or in the name of cultural celebration, or to protest a gross violation of civil rights—quite the opposite, in fact.

The senator is rallying against the idea of legalizing same sex marriage in New York, an idea that’s set to be considered by the legislature in Albany this spring and has the strong support of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, not to mention a growing coalition of residents and gay-rights groups.

Local Politicans Fight Senior Center Closures

Proposed budget cuts could shut down 105 senior centers citywide this year, 22 of which are in the Bronx—and Bronx politicians are getting ready for a fight. Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. rallied today on the steps of Bronx Borough Hall (see the above video) in order to signal that this decision would not be accepted quietly.

“Once again, Governor Cuomo and Mayor Bloomberg have joined forces to increase the suffering of the senior citizens in New York City who have come to rely on these centers for meals, companionship and social activities,” Diaz said in a press release.

Senator Jose M. Serrano joined Diaz and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. at the rally today.

"I will work diligently with my colleagues to develop a budget that is cognizant of the needs of all New Yorkers. We must be careful to develop a budget that doesn't hurt our most vulnerable population," Serrano said in a press release.

Changes to the state’s budget have cut $25 million usually reserved for the City’s Department for the Aging (DFTA), or a third of the agency’s funding for senior centers, according to spokesman Christopher Miller.

Last year, the city threatened to close 50 senior centers across the five boroughs, but many were saved after funding was restored at the last minute.

In a statement, the DFTA said it is working to reverse the cuts, but that closures are certain unless the state money is somehow restored. Centers would close at the end of June if the budget gets passed as proposed, Miller said.

Bronx Council Member Oliver Koppell said the closures would deal a huge blow to local seniors.

“The loss of the senior centers in my district and throughout the city will have a devastating effect,” he said in a statement. “Not only do the centers serve meals, they provide exercise, recreation and socialization to relieve the loneliness that many older people experience.”

To see the full list of Bronx senior centers on the chopping block, click the jump.

Bronx News Roundup, Sept. 1

We all knew this summer's been oppressively, relentlessly, shirt-stainingly hot, but now it's official. We are enduring the hottest summer in New York City history, according to the National Weather Service. Thankfully, temperatures are supposed to drop on Friday.

City officials unveiled a new $6 million dollar skate park near Yankee Stadium.

A lawyer has taken the Riverdale's Horace Mann School to court after the school suspended his son for three days. The schools suspended the 16-year-old after classmates found topless photos of a young woman on his computer.

Recordings show that one of the defendants charged with plotting to bomb two Riverdale synagogues expressed some hesitation about the plot, which also included plans to shoot down airplanes. The defense says this gives credence to their claim that the defendants were coerced into the plot by an FBI informant. More on the case here.

Researchers from the YIVO Insitute for Yiddish Research are combing through the apartment of famed Yiddish writer of Chaim Grade, whose widow recently died in the Amalgamated Houses near Van Corltandt Park.

Upstart Republican gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino, a real estate developer from Buffalo, recently touched down in the Bronx to talk with political leaders, including Democratic State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr.

Speaking of Diaz Sr., Ken Padilla, a district leader in the Reverend's turf, says Diaz Sr. is engaging "politics of deception."

It got ugly on the Cross Bronx Expressway last night when an overturned tractor-trailer dumped lumber all over an on-ramp.

State Passes Budget Extender; Bronx's Diaz Sr. Only Dem to Vote Against It

Bronx State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. was the only Democrat to vote against a budget extender resolution that would allow the government to continue paying employees for at least another week while lawmakers work to pass a budget that is now two and a half months overdue.

Still, the resolution passed because three Republicans voted for it. Diaz's fellow amigo in the Senate (and oddly, former bitter enemy), Pedro Espada, Jr., voted for the measure despite earlier threatening to vote against any further budget extenders.

Diaz and Espada have both said the extenders include cuts that they don't agree with.

Diaz said he understands that his fellow Democrats are angry, but he also says he has a solution to plugging the budget gap with two bills he has introduced that would seek Canadian prescription drug purchases and stricter assessments of credit card taxes.(Not sure exactly how those would make up the difference, but obviously, his colleagues aren't jumping all over them.)

Still, Diaz is sticking to his guns. “The black Puerto Rican with the funny accent and the kinky hair is showing you how simple it is,” Diaz told the Albany Times-Union.

Bronx News Roundup, June 14

It's Monday! Time to get back to business and some BX news you may have missed. Enjoy!

In-Tech Academy, in the South Bronx, is currently under investigation by city education officials on charges claiming that students were disciplined by being assigned janitorial duties, such as cleaning toilets.

Jury selection on the case against the four men who allegedly plotted to bomb Riverdale synagogues is set to begin today.

A 4-year-old boy died after tumbling over the railing of his terrace, and falling down 23 stories, in Co-op City. For a story on the father's reaction click here.

The Hutchinson Metro Center, in the Bronx, has agreed to shine the colors of Mother Teresa's order on August 26, in honor of her 100th birthday, after Empire State Building officials said no.

State Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. has stuck to his guns, and refuses to vote on any more budget cuts, even with the threat of a state government shutdown. The Daily News has more.

Some senate leaders are confident that a government shutdown will not be happening. Read more here.

The 32-year-old man who received a rare heart and liver transplant at Montefiore Medical Center, was able to return home to his family on Friday.

Nearly 600 high school students rallied outside of City Hall on Friday in support of free student MetroCards, which the MTA has threatened to take away.

John H. Reynolds, the Green Party candidate for NY State Senate, in the 33rd senate district, spoke out on a number of issues, including worker's rights and the need to empower communities of color, at the South Bronx Community Congress meeting held at Hostos Commuity College, earlier this month.

The New York Public Library's Summer Reading 2010 Program, kicked off at the Bronx Library Center in Fordham, on Friday. Read more here.

The New York Yankees Museum reveals its 'Subway Series' exhibit.

New from the Tremont Tribune

The September edition of the Tremont Tribune just hit the streets and is online now. A quick peek at what's inside:

Tenants in Belmont's Fordham Towers endured rats, broken elevators, and on-and-off heat and hot water after their building was bought by private investors in 2007. Now the building is in foreclosure - and housing advocates predict a wave of foreclosures among Bronx buildings bought in recent years by private equity funds who paid sky-high prices.

Arthur Avenue flaunted its food at the annual Ferragosto festival, and even Mayor Bloomberg stopped by for a taste.

The Bronx River Art Center recently filled the hole in the heart of West Farms Square - with an abstract sculpture conceived as a defense of New York City.

State Sen. Ruben Diaz is up in arms...over algae in Indian Lake.

Questions for Ivine Galarza, Community Board 6's longtime District Manager.

St. Barnabas Hospital renames an emergency room after an EMT who died on 9/11.

PLUS our monthly listing of community announcements and events, news briefs, political coverage, and more.

Bronx News Roundup, Sept. 21

Now that President Obama has gotten involved in NYC politics by attempting to give Governor Paterson the heave-ho, State Senator Ruben Diaz says he’s now obligated to support Democrat Bill Thompson in the race for mayor.

This is what Diaz said:

“I deeply appreciate President Barack Obama’s concern for the future of the New York Democratic Party and the importance of maintaining a Democrat for Governor of New York State. I am hopeful that President Obama will now show the same initiative by supporting and strongly campaigning for Democratic Mayoral Candidate William Thompson.

This way, President Obama will show that his concern for the Democratic Party in New York State is unquestionable."

In a NY Times' blog, David Gonzalez, writes about and captures through photographs the changes on Fordham Road over the past 30 years.

Police are now investigating a series of attacks on Fordham University students at an off-campus apartment building.

A fire Thursday at a Bronx mosque did not stop worshipers from observing the end of Ramadan.
A new awards ceremony was held over the weekend to recognize female empowerment in the Bronx.

The Bronx is taking a number of measures to reduce its ecological footprint, including planting rooftop gardens and installing solar panels.

The Bronx Assistant Principal arrested for drunk driving on Friday with her baby in the car has been suspended from her position.

Two men survived jumping out a second floor window to escape an armed robbery. A pet pit bull also jumped but did not survive.

A Bronx man confessed to murdering a Dubai businesswoman.