Bronx News Roundup, March 17

Happy St. Patrick's Day, Bronx. Enjoy the beautiful sunny, 60s-ish day. Everyone deserves it after enduring that slog of a winter. (If you're of age and find yourself getting thirsty later, see our post on the borough's best Irish bars. Also, please weigh in on our ongoing debate: Is it St. Patty's or St. Paddy's? Here's one answer.)

Story of the Day: Museum Highlights Bronx Positives
I positively had to make this wonderfully-headlined story in the Daily News -- "Stick it, Glenn Beck! The Bronx Museum of Arts touts borough's positive stories" -- the roundup's story of the day. Tomorrow night, starting at 6 p.m., the Bronx Museum is holding a free event called "Bronx Talks: Bronx Stories,"  featuring the showing of a documentary, "Richie Perez Watches 'Fort Apache: The Bronx,'" followed by four storytellers spinning yarns about their Bronx experiences. The audience is invited to share their experiences as well. "The goal is to challenge the stereotypes of the Bronx," one of the event's creators, Bridget Bartolini, told the Daily News. This, of course, falls right in line with our borough president's new combative approach to defying old, out-dated depictions of the Bronx. Stick it, Glenn Beck, indeed. The Museum is located at 1040 Grand Concourse.

Quick Hits:
The body of missing 40-year-old Throggs Neck mother Tina Adovasio was discovered in Westchester County yesterday by some kids riding ATVs. Adovasio's husband, Tony Coello, who police say has a history of domestic violence, is being called a "person of interest" in the case. Video from the Post.

The DN's Bronx columnist Patrice O'Shaugnessy says the Adovasio case and other recent domestic clashes -- including a Kingsbridge murder-suicide poisoning -- show how quickly domestic violence can spiral out of control.

Three special needs schools in the Bronx -- St. Joseph's School for the Deaf, the Lavelle School for the Blind and New York Institute for Special Education -- could be crippled by Gov. Cuomo's plans to slash their state funding.

More on the casino bus crash: details on the driver Ophadell (formerly Eric) Williams' 1990 conviction for manslaughter; fatigue always a factor for low-cost tour-bus drivers; Police finally identified a 76-year-old survivor who remains in critical condition as Kin Chai Mock; A family friend says Williams is struggling with all the media scrutiny. 

A bodega in Mt. Hope was robbed on Wednesday morning. Police say the two suspects could be the same duo that has hit seven other Bronx bodegas since January. 

Two Haitian youngsters will receive critical heart surgery at Montefiore Medical Center this week.

Kappy's back this week with thoughts on Ruben "The Rev" Diaz Sr. being the last-amigo standing following the indictment of fellow State Senator Carl Kruger and the ousting of Pedro Espada Jr. and Hiram Monserrate. Says Bronx Assemblyman Peter Rivera's confirmed and denied rumors he's leaving office after his term is up next year. Quote: "Wonderful turnout, wonderful weather and just enough sprinkled boos at Mayor Bloomberg to make last Sunday's Bronx St. Patrick's Day in Throgs Neck great."

Bronx News Roundup, March 17

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Let's be safe, enjoy the weather and read some Bronx news!

A little less than 700 Bronx residents remain without electricity in the aftermath of last week's storm, but Con Edison promises to have all residents electricity restored by tonight.

Thanks to the $10.6 million from the federal stimulus package, the Jericho Project, will be able to continue their development of two residences for homeless Bronx veterans at Kingsbridge Terrace.

Bronx P.S. 59's the Keltic Dreams Irish Dancers are taking a trip to the White House today. They will be performing at a reception for Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen in celebration of St. Patrick's Day.

Montefiore Medical Center can now help patients who experience severe allergic reactions to medicine with a new specialty service, the Drug Desensitization Program. They are the only hospital in the metro New York region to offer this service.

Senator Eric Schneiderman, of the Bronx/Manhattan, introduced the Strangulation Prevention Act on Tuesday. This bill will upgrade the crime of choking a domestic partner into unconsciousness to a felony. Currently choking is charged as a misdemeanor in most domestic violence cases.

State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr., a staunch opponent of gay marriage, feels a compromise can lead to the legalization of civil unions or domestic partnerships in the next session.

Legendary Cuban trumpeter Alfredo (Chocolate) Armenteros will be reuniting with the influential Bronx ensemble Grupo Folklórico y Experimental Nuevayorquino. They will be performing on Sat. March 20 at Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture.

NY Daily News: "Best of the Bronx is its people."

Find out where the best food and entertainment is available in the Bronx, according to the NY Daily News Best of the Boros.

Cash AND condoms for gold at a Bronx pawn shop on 161st street.

Bronx News Roundup, March 18

Happy post-St. Patrick's Day everyone. Hope everyone made it home safely last night. Here's some links to get you back into the swing of things.

First, let's talk MTA, which is threatening huge fare hikes and massive service cuts as a way to bridge its yawning budget gap. 

The new Democratic Senate majority's short-term MTA bailout plan, which included a 4 percent fare increase for subways and commuter trains and a small payroll tax (25 cents for every $100) but not any tolls for the East and Harlem rivers (as the governor and Richard Ravitch have pushed for), was rejected by both the Gov. David Paterson and the head of the Senate Finance Committee. 

Paterson said the plan was short-sighted and more of a stop-gap measure than a solution. Local politicians, including Senator Pedro Espada and Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitiz say they're adamantly against the bridge tolls and want the MTA to open up its books before they implemet any drastic measures (like bridge tolls). Dinowitz called the tolls regressive (meaning they would hit the less wealthy harder) and said he felt like the MTA was trying to hold lawmakers hostage by threatening them with service cuts and fare hikes. 

The Post reports that a consultant for Paterson may be in line to take over the MTA when it gets organized in the near future, a fact that could be shaping some of his decisions.

Times columnist Jim Dwyer says State leaders are blowing it and don't have enough power to get things done. 

Police continue to investigate an incident in Riverdale where a woman was shot with an arrow. More here about how police are finding the case difficult to solve.

CBS News writes about an Irish dancing troupe in the Bronx. 

GOP leaders are upset that the Senate Dems, including Bronx Senator Jeff Klein, are giving staffers big salary hikes. More on this from NY1, which first reported raises.

What Did You Do for St. Patrick's Day?

Tell us your St. Patrick's Day stories, especially if you spent it in the Bronx.
I just came home from An Beal Bocht in Riverdale, where Mary Courtney and John Redmond were holding court, playing some awesome Irish jigs and reels and other tunes. I first saw Mary Courtney play around 1992 at the Village Pub on Bainbridge Avenue (later became DOD's) when there were probably 25 Irish bars on Bainbridge Ave./204th St. That whole scene moved up to McLean Avenue in Woodlawn on the Bronx/Yonkers border. Alex Kratz of the Norwood News looked back on the Irish influence in Norwood and Bedford Park in this article from a couple of years ago.
Happy St. Patrick's Day. Let us know how you spent it ...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

While many of our Irish brothers and sisters are at either the Manhattan or Bronx St. Patrick's Day parades, here's our story from last year about the history of Irish immigrants here in the northwest Bronx.

[Pictured above is Mickey Burke, former owner of an Irish gift shop called Keltic Connection, holding up a shirt he used to sell that denotes all 18 Irish pubs located on the Bainbridge/204th Street corridor, formerly known as Little Belfast.]