Bronx News Roundup, July 29

Bronx mom Micaela Jackson, 37, fatally shot her 12-year-old son and then killed herself in her Morris Heights home yesterday. Read the story here.

A Bronx judge threw out a summons issued against a Bronx local for wearing drooping pants that exposed his underwear.

Only traffic coming into the Bronx was allowed on the Throgs Neck Bridge this morning, when the bridge was closed due to an abandoned SUV. After police investigated, the bridge was declared safe and reopened.

Accused Bronx slumlord, Sam Suzuki, does not have to return to jail since he has been fired from managing the building at 1585 E. 172nd Street. Judge Jerald Kleinin of Bronx Housing Court ruled that he is not accountable for the repairs of a building that he does not own. The Daily News has the details.

The Time's City Room blog covered Governor David A. Paterson’s handling of a domestic violence case involving his aide this morning.

Producers Cool and Dre urged Fat Joe to draw inspiration from his Bronx roots while creating his newest album. Released two days ago, Darkside, Vol. 1, is already expected to debut on the Billboard 200.

Will Eisner's Bronx-based book, A Contract with God, is being made into a movie. The flick will give audiences a glimpse of a Bronx tenement in the 1930s.

The Gotham Gazette referenced PS 179 in the Bronx in its review of public schools this morning. In the article, Schools Matter cited that the proficiency in math of third grade students at the school dropped from 91 to 21 percent in one year.

Bronx News Roundup for August 26

A Bronx man is being held without bail after fingerprints from a minor charge were found to match those sampled from a rape victim in 1993. In 2007, the man's cousin was charged in connection to the crime and now faces up to 25 years in prison.

A worker for Tri-State Electrical Contracting was struck by a lift on the Throngs Neck Bridge. The worker's company was ironically a subcontractor of E.E. Cruz Contracting, the company found responsible for the July 10th fire that shut down Bronx traffic to and from the bridge for more than two weeks.

According to a poll done by the New York Daily News, 76% of baseball game and park-goers rated most of the parks in the Bronx area outside Yankee Stadium with D's or F's on a scale from A-F in terms of maintenance. Residents say they haven't seen where much of the $220 million has gone that was allotted in 2004 by Mayor Bloomberg to revitalize city parks.

Councilman G. Oliver Koppell of the Bronx calls on Sen. Diane Savino to make an apology for remarks that Gov. David Paterson's vision is affecting his ability to govern.

Leaks persist after $32 million was given to do repairs at the Grand Concourse tunnel at 161st Street. The situation has residents wondering where their tax dollars are going and Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. calling it "an ice skating opportunity" for cars.

Mosquitoes infected with the West Nile Virus have been found in the east Bronx. Health officials advise residents of the Ferry Point Park area near Whitestone Bridge as they plan to spray for bugs in the area tonight.

A Bronx team proves the game of cricket will continue to have a big following as the Bronx Lions, the cricket team for Lehman High School that was nonetheless eliminated from playing in the tournament, showed up with hundreds of others to watch the NYPD youth cricket match that was reported on by NBC News.

Some residents of the South Bronx have started up a small farm to raise organic produce as well as interacting with the community to raise cultural and historic awareness of the land.