In a letter to federal authorities, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. said the mayor's office blatantly skirted the formal process meant to determine a new use for the vacant Muller Army Reserve Center in Wakefield in order to push its own agenda -- the creation of a 200-bed men's homeless shelter at the center.
Because of this, and what Diaz characterized as a complete disregard of public sentiment, Diaz asked the two agencies responsible for approving a plan for the Muller Center -- the United State Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Office of Economic Adjustment (OEM)-- to reject the shelter plan submitted by the mayor's office. He also asked them to "convene a meeting amongst the parties to determine how, if possible, a conforming submission could still be provided."
If this doesn't happen, Diaz says, "I will have no choice but to pursue legal action."
Meanwhile, Yonkers Mayor Philip Amicone sent a letter to Bloomberg urging his administration to reconsider its "seriously flawed" shelter plan because of the negative impact it would have on Yonkers, which shares a border-line with Wakefield that lies just 250 feet from the Muller Center.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Bronx BP Asks Feds to Intervene in Muller Center Dispute; Yonkers Mayor Asks Bloomberg to Reconsider Shelter Plan
Thursday, June 23, 2011
BP Diaz's Testimony From Last Night's Muller Center Hearing
The public hearing over the future of the Muller Army Center in Wakefield took place last night, at P.S. 21 on 225th Street.
BxNN reporter Alex Kratz was there and will post a more detailed account later, but he said the majority of those who attended--a strong showing of Wakefield and Woodlawn residents, and many members of the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition--are against the city's plan to fill the building with a homeless shelter, and support the idea of moving the National Guard from an annex at the Kingsbridge Armory into the Wakefield site to free up school space (you can read some more background in yesterday's news roundup).
Kratz said that Father Richard Gorman of CB 12 got the crowd going with an impassioned speech that took several hilarious digs at Mayor Bloomberg. Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., who sits on a panel overseeing the building's redevelopment, also testified--you can read his full statement in the document below.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Bronx News Roundup, Feb. 8
Any knowledge you retained from science class will be useful this morning.
PS 68 in Wakefield tests positive for PCBs.
A tanker truck carrying Carbon Dioxide was involved in an accident early this morning on the ramp of Exit 14 on Interstate 95. It leaked a cloud of gas, but no one appears to be injured.
Well, looks like an interborough war is brewing. A tree removed on the Upper East Side to make way for Second Avenue subway construction is being transplanted in the Bronx and residents in that Manhattan neighborhood there aren't taking it sitting down. (Maybe they have a little too much time on their hands?)
Surveying the Bronx blogosphere, we came across this report on Welcome to Melrose on that first annual gala of the Bronx Pipe Smoking Society.
There were two fatal fires in the Bronx yesterday, one on Valentine Avenue and another at the intersection of North Street and Jerome Avenue. Both claimed the lives of women in their 80s. BxNN filed this report yesterday about the death of Mary Mullen, a former schoolteacher, on Valentine Avenue.
Want to make sure the news continues? Just a reminder to our readers that the Bronx News Network is in the middle of our annual fundraising appeal. If you value quality local journalism, please consider donating so we can continue to bring you news and features, like our daily roundup or our borough events calendar. More details on how to contribute can be found here.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Bronx News Roundup, Feb. 3
Quick Bronx news roundup today as we're focused on producing the Mt. Hope Monitor, which will hit streets in Community Board 5 tomorrow.
Weather update: Sun! Winds could reach 25 mph tonight.
The Bronx homeless population has dropped significantly since 2005, when the city began its annual effort to count the population of people living on the streets. Volunteers started tallying homeless numbers again on Tuesday.
Wakefield's Harvest Worship Center is struggling to come to grips with indictment of their pastor, Michael Clare, on rape charges. A lawyer for Clare says the charges are "baseless."
Police say a drunk and emotionally disturbed man stole a garbage truck in the South Bronx yesterday.
The Bronx Zoo is dedicating this year's Run for the Wild fundraiser to save an endangered penguin population native to South America.
In reaction to the city's stagnant 41 percent abortion rate (essentially two of every five New York City pregnancies end in abortion), Bronx State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. said today that abortion is an attack on minorities. Here's a quote from the Times story: "They might think that we will take over, and that they’ve got to stop us,” Diaz said. “What they did, they are killing black and Hispanic children."
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Fate of Muller Center Goes Federal as Bronx Boro Prez and Mayor Lock Horns
In order to block the Bloomberg administration's plan to turn the Muller Army Reserve Center into a homeless shelter, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. once again decided to boycott a scheduled meeting of the three member authority that controls the Muller Center's fate.
The Muller Redevelopment Authority (LRA) -- made up of Diaz, Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs and Tokumbo Shobowale, the chief of staff for Deputy Mayor Robert Steel and managed by the city's quasi-governmental Economic Development Corporation -- needs all three members to vote on a recommendation for the vacant army reserve center. So, no Diaz, no vote. This is the second time, Diaz has missed an authority meeting in protest.
That means the Muller Center's fate will fall back into the hands of the Department of Defense and the federal government. It could become a test of who has more support in Congress: Bloomberg or Diaz.
"We have a lot of friends in Congress," said Diaz spokesman John DeSio, who pointed to Representative Eliot Engel's opposition to the mayor's homeless shelter plan. Engel represents the Wakefield area where the Muller Center sits.
The deputy mayors have made it clear the mayor's office wants to make Muller a homeless shelter and have not been interested in negotiating the matter. "They aren't budging," DeSio said.
The mayor's office simply is not listening to the voices, or paying attention to the needs, of the community, DeSio said.
Those voices will be represented tomorrow, DeSio said, at a press conference on the steps of City Hall at 1 p.m. In addition to Diaz, he said Bronx elected officials, including Councilman Oliver Koppell, State Senator Jeff Klein and Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz, as well as Community Board 12 Chairman Richard Gorman and activists with the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition and other Wakefield residents will be on hand to let the mayor know they're united against the shelter plans.
Under BRAC guidelines, which the LRA must follow, the authority is required to consider using vacant military buildings like Muller as homeless shelters. But that only means homeless assistance should considered. It doesn't mean it must become a homeless shelter.
Opponents of the shelter plan say the Wakefield area is already saturated with them.
Is it too early to say the Muller Center is this year's Kingsbridge Armory?
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Bronx News Roundup, Nov. 18
A 27-year-old Bronx man, who was arrested in New Jersey yesterday for parole violations and possible connections to a murder, escaped custody by driving off in a police car with his knees while shackled by handcuffs and leg irons. It set off a massive manhunt that ended 14 hours and 120 miles later in Connecticut, where Jose Rodriguez was re-arrested, apparently "without incident." Here's more details on the manhunt.
Wakefield residents will have a chance to speak out against what they believe is an unfair flood of homeless shelters coming to their neighborhood. Three new shelters are in the works and the mayor's office wants to use a vacant army reserve center to house the homeless as well. Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. and the entire Bronx Board is against the mayor's plan to turn the army reserve center into a shelter and instead wants the center to house national guard units taking up space in the Kingsbridge Armory annex buildings.
On Saturday, Army and Notre Dame will play in the first football in Yankee Stadium (new or old) since 1987. With 50,000 fans expected, it could be a boon for local business.
Two Bronx women are suing an African braiding shop for allegedly scalding them during the braiding process.
Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. officially recommended a proposal to create the Putnam Greenway, which would stretch from Van Cortlandt Park to 230th Street along the Major Deegan.
Get your Four Loko while it lasts. The ultra boozy and caffeinated beverage, which gained fame in the Bronx after a group of young men allegedly forced a gay man to drink 10 of them before they tortured and sodomized him, is soon to be banned from New York.
The Yankees are giving out Thanksgiving turkeys outside of Gate 2 today, like right now. They started at 10 a.m.
Girls volleyball team from two Bronx high schools, Bronx Science and John F. Kennedy, lost in the PSAL playoff quarterfinals yesterday.
Note: start a discussion about any of these stories or anything else on your mind in our readers' forum.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
To Prevent Wakefield Homeless Shelter, Bronx Boro Prez Not Attending Meeting
Less than two weeks ago, Diaz sent a letter to the offices of the two deputy mayors expressing his displeasure with their support for turning the Sgt. Joseph A. Muller Army Reserve Center (ARC) into a 200-bed homeless shelter for men.
Diaz said the Bronx had other (better) plans for the site, which the Department of Defense closed as part of its Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) effort.
"Local elected officials at all levels, including my office, have expressed support for relocating the National Guard units from the Kingsbridge Armory to the ARC, and are opposed to the homeless shelter proposal," Diaz wrote in the letter dated Oct. 14.
The removal of the guard units from the Armory's annex buildings would free those buildings up to become schools, which activists have long advocated for and the overcrowded local school district badly needs.
Diaz spokesman John DeSio said Diaz was "not happy" to find out that the other two members of the Muller Local Redevelopment Authority, which was tasked with finding a suitable use for the abandoned reserve center, were planning to vote to recommend the homeless shelter at the authority's scheduled meeting at 11 a.m. at the downtown office of the city's Economic Development Corporation.
After combing through the fine print with lawyers, DeSio said they believe the authority requires Diaz's presence to have an official quorom to vote on anything, including any recommendation. In other words: no Diaz, no vote.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Bronx News Weekend Roundup
Former Norwood News reporter Heather Haddon's story made the cover of yesterday's NY Post: a Bronx man's decision to bury his longtime girlfriend in the same grave as his deceased wife has sparked a family feud.
Columbus High School, long on the DOE's list of low performing schools, is set to be phased out next year. Administrators say that they're struggling in the meantime, working with a minuscule budget and missing extra funding that other low performing schools have received.
The Bronx LGBT community is banding together to address tolerance in the borough after this month's heinous gay bias attacks.
Residents in Wakefield are protesting the construction of a number of planned homeless shelters, worried about what they're calling an "over-saturation" of support services in their neighborhood.
Legendary Yankees fan Freddy Schuman--aka "Freddy Sez"--passed away yesterday at the age of 85. Freddy attended almost every Yankees' home game for decades, and was known for riling up fans by banging a spoon and frying pan together and walking the stadium.
A dispute between Cablevision and Fox-owner News Corp. meant black-outs on the channel for some Bronxites.
Three public school teachers--including one from Fordham High School for the Arts--have been fired for inappropriate behavior on Facebook. The Bronx teacher who got the boot was busted for "friending" a number of his female students and leaving comments on photos he thought were "sexy."
Several rezoning plans in the process of being approved will revitalize large sections of the Bronx, according to the Wall Street Journal. Plans are in the works for Third and E. Tremont Avenues, Webster Avenue and E. Fordham Road.
Nobel Prize winner David Politzer visited his Alma mater, Bronx High School of Science, last week. The school boasts a total of seven Nobel-prize winning alumni.
The Daily News says that the flashing blue lights on the Bx12 bus might be illegal. A state law says that blue lights are intended only for emergency responders, like police and fire department vehicles.
The city came down harder this election season on illegally posted campaign materials. Workers from Adriano Espaillat and Gustavo Rivera's campaign told City Hall they were careful about where volunteers posted their literature for fear of fines from the Department of Sanitation.
A high school in Melrose boasts the first-ever green roof on a public school.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Bronx News Roundup, Sept. 2
Bad news for Senate buddies Pedro Espada, Jr. and Ruben Diaz, Sr.: Spanish-language newspaper El Diario/La Prensa is backing their rival candidates in the Sept. 14 primary. In a release sent this morning, the paper announced the endorsements of Espada-challenger Gustavo Rivera and Carlos Ramos, who is looking to unseat Diaz in the 32nd Senate District. The statement called Rivera a "rising star," and chided Diaz for his "narrow mindedness."
Voters in Riverdale, where Democrats historically turn out to elections in high numbers, could play a key role in determining the outcome of Senate races in the 31st and 33rd Districts, the Riverdale Press is reporting.
A 6-alarm fire broke out last night in a record store on White Plains Road near 236th Street, causing the building's roof to collapse and spreading quickly to businesses nearby. At least a dozen firefighters were reportedly injured and several stores destroyed.
It's a parking ticket showdown between a tow truck operator and an NYPD officer from the 45th Precinct. Tow truck driver Marvin Robbins says the cop gave him an invalid parking ticket as payback for his job, which is to tow illegally parked police vehicles.
Harlem Assemblyman Adam Clayton Powell IV (who is running for Charles Rangel's seat in Congress) supposedly took campaign donations from the owner of a Melrose strip club, who is being sued for sexual harassment by the club's dancers.
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., is urging the city to test all schools for PCB, a toxic building material. Tests done by the city last month showed high levels of the chemical at a public school in Co-op City.
The new Mott Haven Educational Campus debuted this week, a college-like 280,000-square-foot site that will house four schools. The Mayor announced that the city will add a total of 17,000 new classroom seats this year to relieve overcrowding.
A surveillance camera caught two arsonists on tape as they tried to set fire to a West Farms apartment building on Tuesday morning. Police are still looking for both suspects.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Bronx News Roundup, May 18
The Bronx Ink takes a long look at landlord Moshe Piller. Despite a reputation for neglecting his buildings, Piller has managed to avoid any serious repercussions, much to the frustration of his long-suffering tenants.
State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. is gearing up for a tough race against Charlie Ramos, of the Bronx for Change group. (If things turn nasty, perhaps Diaz will gently remind voters of Ramos' criminal record. Then again, Diaz had a similar run-in with the law when he was young man.)
Still on Diaz, it looks like he won't be officiating at Hiram Monserrate and Karla Giraldo's wedding after all. The couple has broken up. Previously, Diaz insisted they were still in love (despite the assault conviction) and that he would one day marry them.
A Bronx man has been arrested for allegedly robbing a bank in Nassau County some 17 years ago.
Yesterday, Part of the Solution (POTS) broke ground on a new building on Webster Avenue. It's right next door to the old one but three times bigger. The organization runs a food pantry and offers free hair-cuts and access to the Internet, among other things.
The off-duty police officer who was behind the wheel of a car that flipped over on the Bronx River Parkway at the weekend - killing him, his colleague, and injuring four friends - may have been intoxicated.
A wheelchair-bound Parkchester man has been stabbed and beaten by his landlady, police say.
Police are hunting a Bronx man in connection with a murder in Harlem back in March.
A box containing the ashes of a Queen's woman has been stolen from a minivan in Mott Haven.
The words "I served in Vietnam" are coming back to haunt Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, who's running for Senate, and who didn't, actually, serve in Vietnam. Blumenthal is a graduate of Riverdale Country School.
Da Bakery, a clothes store on Southern Boulevard, sells custom-made clothes to trend-setters seeking to match their attire with their sneakers.
Desiree-Pilgrim Hunter (one of State Senator Pedro Espada's likely primary opponents) isn't a fan of the Bx12 Select Bus Service on Fordham Road. [via BoogieDowner]
People living in seven apartments building in Co-op City have been told to stop using their balconies because of safety concerns.
Last Saturday, Parkchester celebrated its 70th anniversary.
The neighborhood of Wakefield was featured in Sunday's New York Times' Real Estate section.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Bronx News Roudup, April 28
Friday, April 9, 2010
Bronx News Roundup, April 9
A judge has rejected Efrain Gonzalez's attempt to withdraw his guilty plea, calling the effort "preposterous," according to the Associated Press. The former state Senator pleaded guilty to fraud charges last May, then tried to withdraw his plea on claims that his former lawyer gave him bad legal advice.
A drug bust yesterday in Parkchester yielded $1 million worth of heroin., according to the Post. Four people were arrested on charges of drug possession.
Two blocks in Wakefield have turned into an illegal dumping ground for neighborhood trash.
Beloved poet and Belmont parking lot valet Joe Binder celebrates his 100th birthday today, with neighborhood celebrations taking place this weekend on Arthur Avenue.
Jury selection begins in a Connecticut court this week in the case of Bronx man accused of stalking Oprah's best friend, Gayle King.
A 36-year-old man was shot to death this morning on East 225th Street and Barnes Avenue.
Tax preparers in Manhattan and the Bronx have been busted for fraud, some for filing returns for dead people or claiming total strangers as dependents on their forms. So far, 16 of the 26 people being accused were arrested.
Joseph Yancey Track and Field opens today near Yankee Stadium, one of the projects completed under the Yankee Park Replacement Program to make up for parkland destroyed during the construction of the new stadium.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Wakefield Says Goodbye to One of its Own
Story and photo by David Greene
The Wakefield community paid their respect to an elderly woman they called a pillar of the neighborhood last Friday at her funeral.
Sadie Mitchell, 92, a long-time resident of Wakefield, was killed by a teen gunman’s stray bullet that flew through her living room window on the night of Oct. 20 as she watched television.
Family and friends, as well as Mayoral candidate, Bill Thompson, Congressman Elliot Engel, and Assemblyman Carl Haste attended the services held at Our Lady of Grace Church on Bronxwood Ave.
One unidentified church worker fondly recalled Mitchell arriving at church every Sunday with a bouquet of flowers for the altar.
Father Richard Gorman, the District Manager of Community Board 12, expressed his sorrow. "Sadie Mitchell does not belong here, she should be sitting by her window... none of us belong here, but here we are," he said. “A hole has been ripped in the hearts of those that loved her.”
The beloved community devotee was later buried at the Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, N.Y.
Police have charged Jamal Blair, 18, with Mitchell’s death and weapons possession. Blair allegedly fired the fatal shot after being confronted by a group of teens near Mitchell’s home on E. 224th St, where she has lived for the past 55 years.
Despite a video taped confession, Blair pleaded not guilty to the second-degree murder charger and is in custody as he awaits trial.
Later during the funeral, Gorman called for the construction of a community center. He said the project, which has been on the community’s agenda for the past decade, would be the only hope against escalating teen violence in the area.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Bronx News Roundup, October 27
Yesterday protesters congregated in front of the Bronx Supreme Court to demand the city loosen its regulations on city street vendors.
Parents, students and even Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. are speaking out against the poor conditions at the new location of the Bronx Early College Academy. The school is currently located on 164th Street and the Grand Concourse and it is ridden with graffiti and cracked walls.
In an effort to reduce the often burdensome task of parking, street cleaning and alternate side of the street regulations will be temporarily suspended in parts of the Bronx.
Businesses in Kingsbridge are protesting to reopen a parking lot on Broadway that was originally closed to prepare for the development of the Kingsbridge Armory. Since the development is still in the planning process, businesses would like to have the extra parking space.
Federal health officials are turning to a new strategy coined, "Test and Treat," in order to combat the spread of H.I.V. As part of a three year study to test whether the policy can actually be implemented nationwide, the Bronx and District of Columbia will serve as test communities.
A South Bronx nonprofit, Per Scolas, joined forces with the Bronx BP's office to reprogram over 1,000 laptop computers which they will sell at a bargain price of $275 to families in need.
There is a lot of community opposition to turning an Army Reserve Center into a homeless shelter in Wakefield.
Last week, the Parks Department opened Mill Pond Park along the Harlem River. The new park is part of the Yankee Stadium Redevelopment Plan and includes tennis courts, picnic tables, play areas and more.
Woodlawn Cemetery is home to the alluring mausoleum of Cecilia Cruz, known as the Queen of Salsa.
According to Bob Kappstatter at The Daily News, the government is expanding their investigation of City Councilman Larry Seabrook beyond his supposed illegal nonprofit operations.
Jerome Avenue has some good shopping bargains check them out here.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Bronx News Roundup for June 9
Pedro Espada Jr., the new State Senate president, said in a radio interview on Tuesday morning that he personally wanted to bring same sex marriage to a vote. He also went on to say that he intends to fire the Senate’s highest-ranking Democratic staff member, Angelo Aponte, who as secretary of the Senate was the top aide to Malcolm A. Smith, the former majority leader. More here
State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. requested more than $2 million dollars in Senate earmarks this year for two groups with links to the health care organization that he founded according to the New York Times
Democrats met behind closed doors this morning to discuss a possible legal path to help them block the shift of control of the New York Senate to Republicans after the defection of Democrats Pedro Espada Jr. and Hiram Monserrate.
Mott Haven residents express anger over the Department of Parks and Recreation plans to plant trees in front of homes.
Sensors planned for the Bronx River Parkway will transmit real-time information on vehicle speeds and traffic volumes to police and public works employees.
Residents in the Wakefield section of the Bronx are unhappy over State Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson’s undecided stance on the gay marriage debate.
