Woodlawn Cemetery Designated A National Historic Landmark

Photo courtesy of Woodlawn Cemetery

On June 30, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced that Woodlawn Cemetery, along with 13 other sites across the country, was designated a National Historic Landmark. The title recognizes Woodlawn’s role in preserving and celebrating those who have helped shape the world, according to a press release. The prestigious title has been designated to less than 2,500 places, making the cemetery one of a few.

The 150-year-old, 400-acre Woodlawn Cemetery is located in the Bronx neighborhood of the same name, and is the final resting place to some significant people in our nation’s history: music icons like Celia Cruz to local legends like jazz musician Billy Bang to former New York City Mayor Fiorello La Guardia.

Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. was one of many who advocated for the cemetery to become a National Historic Landmark.

“The Woodlawn Cemetery is the final resting place for many famous Americans and it is vitally important to preserve our nation’s history for ourselves and for the generations to come,” said the Borough President, who submitted a letter that supported the cemetery’s designation back in October of 2010.

“Without our history we do not know where we came from and we do not know where we are headed,” Diaz continued.

Bronx News Roundup, June 28

Apologies for the lateness of today's roundup--we're busy going to press with the latest Norwood News, which will be out tomorrow. Here are some other Bronx headlines to keep you up-to-date in the meantime.

Weather: Cloudy and around 80 degrees this afternoon, with thunderstorms expected later tonight.

Gay Bronxites and their straight allies are basking in Friday's historic decision by the state legislature to legalize same-sex marriage. Last week, Bronx Community Pride Center became the first local LGBT group to ring the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange.

Bronx News Roundup, March 18

Hopefully you are reading this on a laptop or iPad/Phone in Van Cortlandt or Crotona or Soundview or Pelham Bay or Roberto Clemente or Williamsbridge Oval or any one of the Bronx's many parks. And if you're not, hopefully you'll get to one later today as temperatures will soar into the 70s! Less warm over the weekend, but it will still remain jarringly comfortable.  

To the news!

Story of the Day: Spotlight on Ex-Cop Husband of Dead Bronx Mom
Yesterday morning, Eddy Coello, a former NYPD housing cop, walked unprompted into the 45th Precinct with his lawyer to talk with police one day after the dead body of his wife, Tina Adovasio, was discovered in a wooded area in Westchester County. Medical examiners said Adovasio died from asphyxiation. Coello, who has a history of domestic violence, refused to give police a DNA sample and walked out of the precinct 24 minutes later. At this point, police are saying he is the only "person of interest" in this case. A former girlfriend told the Daily News Coello was volatile and prone to violent outbursts. As police continued to gather evidence from Coello's car and the Throgs Neck home he shared with Adovasio and her four children, Adovasio's lawyer told the Post the case was "plodding toward an inevitable conclusion."

Quick Hits:
Here's our story on the decision to close the Oak Point post office. 

The state revoked the license of Ophadell Williams, the driver of the Chinatown tour bus that crashed on I-95 in the Bronx, killing 15 passengers and leaving six others in critical condition. Transportation officials and state police are also clamping down on other tour bus drivers.

On "Match Day," some 200 medical students at the Bronx's Albert Einstein College of Medicine found out where they will be going to be resident physicians. Many are surprisingly choosing the lower-paying family medicine route. Students will disperse throughout the country, but one, who will stay in the Bronx at Montefiore Medical Center and pursue family medicine, said, “This country needs more primary care doctors. It’s the best way to deliver care, in terms of prevention, in terms of long-term follow-up, patient satisfaction, and reducing cost."

A new exhibition at the Lehman College art gallery is highlighting the resurgence of so-called "fiber arts" -- knitting, weaving, embroidery, that type of thing. 

Woodlawn Cemetery and the union representing its workers have reached a tentative agreement that would increase wages and lead to the cemetery cutting only 12 staffers, down from the original 23.

Bronx/Harlem State Senator Jose M. Serrano says he's much more excited about the new Puerto Rican and Latino caucus than he was last year, when it included Pedro Espada Jr. (ousted by voters, facing criminal charges) and Hiram Monserrate (ousted by the senate after being convicted of beating his girlfriend). The new caucus includes Bronx reps Serrano, Ruben Diaz Sr., Gustavo Rivera, Adriano Espaillat as well as Martin Milave Dilan (Brooklyn) and Jose Peralta (Queens).

Many Bronx tenants continue to benefit from oil donations given out by Citgo, the oil company controlled by Hugo Chavez and the Venezuelan government.

Check out all the planned work-related service changes on Bronx subway lines this weekend. Every line in the borough will be affected.

The Riverdale Press unmasks the "phantom painters" behind the giant shamrock painted every St. Patrick's Day on W. 238th Street and Review Place.

Imperiled Cemetery Workers Say They Have Tapes

Editor's Note: This story first appeared in the most recent issue of the Norwood News, which is on the streets and online now.

Workers at Woodlawn Cemetery protest proposed layoffs. (Photo by David Greene)

By DAVID GREENE

Defiant Woodlawn Cemetery workers and their supporters recently held a boisterous rally to protest the outsourcing of 23 of the cemetery’s 38 caretaker jobs. Cemetery officials say the outsourcing is a necessary cost-cutting move, but workers claim it’s payback for publicizing their concerns about discriminatory practices among supervisors.

Now, in an attempt to save their jobs, workers are exploring all options, including legal action and the possible airing of tapes that they say expose discriminatory practices among cemetery supervisors.

“We have evidence to show and prove some of the discriminatory practices and documentation of grievances,” said one worker who requested anonymity because he feared retribution. The worker said the tapes in their possession could put management in a bad light.

Over the summer, after it hired a firm to investigate workers’ discrimination charges, the cemetery fired at least one supervisor and acknowledged that it needed to change its training practices. But minority employees said little had changed and the practices were continuing.

Workers were back protesting at the cemetery on Sunday, Jan. 16. Many of the union supporters in attendance were wearing shirts with photos of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., using their day off to protest on the birthday of the slain Civil Rights leader.

Bronx News Roundup, Jan. 19

The state has banned former Sen. Pedro Espada, Jr., and his son from its Medicaid program. Espada is the CEO of the Soundview Healthcare Network, and was criminally indicted for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars from the string of clinics.

Speaking of Espada: investigators are trying to determine if he used Soundview money to pay a ghostwriter he'd hired back in 2006 to help pen an autobiography. "I think he wanted to be a hero character in his memoir," the writer told the Post of the book, which was never completed.

Don Kirshner, a Bronx-born music producer and television host, passed away yesterday at the age of 76. He had hand in some of the most popular songs and musical acts of the 1950s, including Manhattan's Carole King and fellow Bronxite Bobby Darin.

News for outer borough residents, where yellow city cabs are often hard to come by: Mayor Bloomberg plans to legalize livery cabs to make street pick ups. The proposal has yellow cab drivers irked, saying the move will cut into their income.

The Mayor is expected to make the announcement during his "State of the City" address today, at 1 p.m.

Police have ruled the death of a Bronx couple's 11-day-old baby an accident. The infant was smothered while being carried by her mother in a carrier harness during an outing.

The Bronx saw a shocking 107.7% jump on in the number of murders that took place in the borough's public housing complexes in 2010, compared to the year before.

A Bronx woman was busted trying to use counterfeit $100 bills for her purchases at the Palisades Mall.

Jurors in a Bronx Supreme Court will get to hear a tape of accused killer Daniel Carbuccia's plan to re-enact a scene from the mafia classic "The Godfather," to scare a witness out of testifying against him.

A gorgeous Mediterranean-style mansion in Riverdale's Fieldston Historic District is up for sale. Anyone with a spare $4.5 million want to buy it for me?

Craigslist has starting pulling ads from posters trying to sell the controversial drink Four Loko online. Bronx Sen. Jeff Klein has been on a mission to get the booze-and-caffeine mixed beverage off the market for good. Apparently, you can still buy cans of the stuff on eBay.

Workers at Woodlawn are trying to garner the support of plot owners at the cemetery in an ongoing union dispute over layoffs.

A man who was killed after accidentally plunging his truck into a Wisconsin lake earlier this week has been identified as 43-year-old Peter Ramanand, of the Bronx.

Bronx News Roundup, Jan. 18

In December 2009, arsonists broke into a Unionport church, scrawling obscenities on the walls and stealing computers before setting the place alight. The church has since bounced back, rebuilding and doubling the size of its congregation.

Workers who claim they were laid off by Woodlawn Cemetery after joining a union, rallied outside the cemetery yesterday afternoon. They've previously accused their supervisors of racism.

Last year, 27 people were murdered in Bronx housing projects, up from 13 in 2009.

A Bronx boxer is returning to the ring after a 25-year absense.

Three Bronx men have been arrested for allegedly using counterfeit bills at a mall in Middletown in upstate New York.

Jorje Jimenez, a Lehman College student and possibly the best wrestler in the city, could be new Jersey-bound, dealing a blow to those trying to promote the sport here in New York.

State Sen. Jeff Klein's breakaway Independent Democratic Conference is already in trouble, says the Daily News' Bob Kappstatter in his weekly column. 

State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. is accusing Gov. Andrew Cuomo of "blackmailing" New York.

A Bronx gymnast with bags of potential is on the way back after a serious injoury.

A Q & A with Majora Carter, the founder of Sustainable South Bronx who now runs her own consultancy firm.

Youngsters from the Bronx and Westchester took part in the third annual Intergenerational Martin Luther King, Jr., Great Debaters Contest on Saturday morning.

More on Assemblyman's Peter Rivera ties to a non-profit organization whose executive director has been charged with corruption.  Rivera allegedly told investigators he knew nothing about Neighborhood Enhancement for Training and Services' day to day operations, and didn't even know the executive director drew a salary - which is little strange considering he's given more than $2 million to the group over the years. If nothing else, the allegations and rumors surrounding Rivera have ended any chance he had of landing a job on Gov. Cuomo's team. Here's the Bronx News Network's original post about the investigation.

Soundview Health Care Network, the group of health centers run by Pedro Espada, the legally challenged former state senator, is still open for business, despite the scandals.

Last week, Cathie Black, the new Schools chancellor, quipped that "birth control" was the solution to school overcrowding.  Mayor Bloomberg has since tried to defend her, but was booed yesterday at a Martin Luther King, Jr. Councilman Charles Barron and others say Black's remarks had racist connotations.

Espada's replacement, Gustavo Rivera, gave a wide-ranging interview to Feet in 2 Worlds about his plans for district and the alleged "debt" he owes those who helped him win election. 

More on the Archdiocese of New York's decision to close six Bronx schools.

Students at Fordham University are apparently eager to learn Twi, a language widely spoken in West Africa as well as parts of the Bronx.

More on a new city program - the Proactive Preservation Initiative - which is designed to identify buildings that are falling into disrepair. The program was inspired by the terrible conditions at 10 Bronx proprieties owned by Milbank Real Estate.

Resident of a Riverdale co-op are being driven barking mad by a neighbor's "singing" dog.

Bronx Halloween Guide

Decorative pumpkins on display at the New York Botanical Garden's Halloween Hoorah (photo by NYBG)

Plenty of Halloween fun in the Bronx this week, leading up to the big day on Sunday. Here's a rundown of some haunted happenings taking place in the borough. Read more after the jump.

Workers: Racism Still Buried at Woodlawn Cemetery

Bronx activists are planning a protest tomorrow afternoon (3 p.m.) at the Webster Avenue entrance to Woodlawn Cemetery (near 233rd Street) to highlight what workers there say is continuing racism among supervising personnel.

They also want to protest what workers say is at least one case of retaliation against a veteran worker who spoke out during an investigation into the racism charges this past summer.

Following the investigation, which was prompted by racism charges and an earlier protest, cemetery officials said they were implementing significant changes to training practices and personnel. One supervisor, who workers said was one of the primary perpetrators of racism, was fired after the investigation, but cemetery officials said the firing was unrelated to the investigation.

Now, workers claim nothing has really changed.

Reached by phone late this afternoon, Howard Cannon, who works for the public relations firm Rubenstein Associates and is handling media inquiries for Woodlawn, said he wouldn't be able to reach officials at the cemetery until Monday.

We'll have more on this next week. Stay tuned.

After Discrimination Review: Woodlawn Cemetery 'Reconfigures' Staff, Changes Practices

Following a review prompted by racism and discrimination charges, Woodlawn Cemetery officials said this morning in a press release that they would be "reconfiguring" their supervising staff and make significant changes to the way they train both managers and general employees.

The review became public two weeks ago after an activist group called South Bronx Community Congress and Councilman Charles Barron led a protest outside Woodlawn's northeastern gates.

Read our story about the protest and get some details about the charges by clicking here.

The protesters called for the removal of at least one particular cemtery foreman. In the press release, which I've posted below here, there is no mention of any specific personnel moves or any details about what the review found, but it's obvious whatever happened prompted significant changes. And swift ones. At least relative to once the review went public. When we contacted them two weeks ago, they said the review was still in it's "early stages." (South Bronx Community Congress lawyer Ramon Jimenez contradicted that statement, saying he was told the review was to be completed June 30).  Two weeks later, it's concluded and the board of directors voted to implement wide-ranging changes.

In any case, here's the statement, provided by P.R. firm Rubenstein Associates:

"Following a far reaching, five month review, the Board of Trustees of The Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx today announced a series of changes designed to upgrade the Cemetery’s human resources structure and function and strengthen and reinforce its anti-discrimination program."

John P. Toale, Jr., President and Chief Executive Officer of Woodlawn, stated, “We are a responsible employer that seeks to provide a professional work environment for all of our employees. When it was brought to our attention that we may be deficient, we conducted a thorough, wide ranging and impartial investigation whereby complaints of discrimination were assessed, including the Cemetery’s overall management of its employees and the quality and level of training that our supervisors and employees receive. It was concluded that we can do better, and so we shall -- immediately.”

Bronx News Roundup, July 23

Kenneth Clarke, 40, who worked for Con Edison, was gunned down Wednesday night in his home on Van Nest Ave. The Daily News has the story.

Crystal Reyes, one of the teens who drowned in the Bronx River on Sunday, was laid to rest yesterday morning. (Here's more on the tragedy, and its aftermath in the community).

The Times reports that only 53 people attended the Charter Revision Commission’s public session on Wednesday at Bronx Community College. The group's mission was to create proposals to put before the voters in November.

Ex-Bronx cop Juan Acosta was sentenced yesterday to 11 years in prison for aiding the distribution of cocaine and aiding the robbery a rival drug courier.

The Wall Street Journal reports today that Montefiore Medical Center, along with four other hospitals in Manhattan and Brooklyn, have agreed to a pilot program that seeks to cut medical malpractice costs. [You may need a subscription to access this story in the Wall Street Journal; another version of the article is available here.]

Following the rape of a 79-year-old Bronx woman on Monday, officials have put a $12,000 bounty on the offender's head yesterday. State Senator Pedro Espada,Jr. helped with the bill, adding $5,000 of his own money that was matched with $5,000 from the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation.

Robert Bella told indiewire.com that his well-received film, “Colin Fitz,” was largely shot in the Bronx's Woodlawn Cemetery. The film was shot on 35mm and was “in-the-can” for $150,000, he recalled.

Speaking of film, the UK's dailymail.com reviewed the flick "City Island," which was named after and filmed on Bronx turf, this morning.

In an article headlined "Ruben's No Pedro," the Albany Times-Union reports that Democratic conference leader John Sampson is co-hosting an August fundraiser for Ruben Diaz, Sr. next month in the Bronx, at Maestro's. Senior's son, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., is sharing the hosting duties with Sampson. 

Bronx News Roundup, May 13

Bronx Week events continue today--tonight, there's a Bronx Homeowners Forum at 6:30 at Fordham University’s McGinley Center, 557 E. Fordham Rd. A panel of experts, organized by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. and Senator Jeff Klein, will provide Bronx homeowners with legal advice regarding mortgages and homeownership. More on the event, and other resources for homeowners, here. 

In other news:

Bronx resident Frank Morocho, who drove into a crowd of pedestrians following a soccer match last weekend, has pleaded not guilty to drunk driving charges in a New Jersey court.

A 75-year-old Throgs Neck man is still missing after disappearing three weeks ago.

The New York Times profiles Abdul Aziz, a martial arts instructor from the Bronx.

More on the renovation of the High Bridge--the 1,200-foot walkway between Washington Heights and the Bronx--via a Times editorial. Check out the Mount Hope Monitor's coverage in February's issue.

Hip-Hop artists Jay-Z and Eminem will be headlining a concert at Yankee Stadium in September, the two announced at last night's game.

A turf war between two street cart vendors escalated into a robbery at knifepoint near Crotona Park, according to the New York Post. 


A UK-based organization is launching a training program to help teach visually impaired children to play cricket at Lavelle School for the Blind.

State Senator Eric Schneiderman, who represents portions of the Bronx and is vying to become Attorney General, won Manhattan in county committee votes last night.

Assemblyman Peter Rivera endorsed a bill yesterday to lift the state's cap on the number of charter schools.

The Fort Independence Park neighborhood, in Community Board 8, is being considered for landmark designation. 

A photography exhibit featuring Woodlawn Cemetary, set to run this fall at the Lehmen College Art Gallery, is looking for submissions.

Bronx News Roundup, April 21

Yesterday, an new outreach center dedicated to helping victims of domestic violence opened at 198 E. 161st St. There are already Family Justice Centers in Brooklyn and Queens. 

Lieutenant Governor Adolfo Carrion?  Andrew Cuomo should look elsewhere says the Village Voice's Wayne Barrett.

An alleged mobster has been charged with the 1992 murder of a man on Westchester Avenue. 

DaMarcus Beasley, a US soccer star who plays in Scotland, recently compared Glasgow to the Bronx (and not in a good way), according to the Murdoch-owned Sun, Britain's best selling newspaper.  The paper falsely claims that the Bronx has had 140 murders this year.  The real number is closer to 30.  Here's a break down, precinct-by-precinct.

A former police officer has pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Juan Acosta, 34, was working out of the 43rd Precinct in the southeast Bronx when he was caught in a sting last December. 

Carmen Baez, the daughter of former Council member Maria Baez, has been fired from her job at the Bronx marriage license bureau, reports the Daily News' Bob Kappstatter in his weekly column.

At this time of year, Woodlawn Cemetery offers outdoor concerts, walking tours, and more. 

The Norwood Food Co-op is still accepting members for its 2010 summer share. 

A baseball-mad Throgs Neck couple has just celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.  

The MTA says it has no plans to put more ticket-checkers on Bx12 Select Service buses, despite reports of rampant fare-beating.

The young and very talented Highbridge Voices Chamber Choir recently visited the White House as part of a music tour of Washington DC.

From Sunday's Times: A non-descript block near the Yankee Stadium carries the name of Yankees legend Thurman Munson, but people around there don't seem to know who he was.

Following Mr. Tambourine Man Into the Woodlawn Cemetery

If you walked up Webster Avenue past Woodlawn Cemetery on Thursday it may have seemed as if you stepped back in time a few decades. That stretch of Webster is currently packed with Chevys, Fords, and Pontiacs from the 1950's and 1960's (see photo).

The cemetery was being used as a film set for a new movie called "Mr. Tambourine Man." The film will star J.K. Simmons (of "Law and Order", "Oz", and "Juno" fame) and Julia Ormond ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button").

The famous Bronx cemetery will be the setting for Simmons’ character’s funeral. The independent production company will also be using the Mt. St. Ursula School on Bedford Park Blvd. for both interior and exterior shots on Friday.

Usually a very tranquil area of the Bronx, the cemetery was inundated with teamsters, trucks and filming equipment.

"Mr. Tambourine Man" will be a film adaptation of an Oliver Sacks (the author of "Awakening") case study called "The Last Hippie." It is a true story of a man name Gabriel who suffers a brain tumor and can only communicate to others through the music of Bob Dylan and the Grateful Dead.

Production of the film was also done Wednesday on West 3rd Street in Greenwich Village.

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.

Joining Miles and Duke

Legendary jazz drummer Max Roach will be buried in the Bronx at Woodlawn Cemetery on Friday. Miles Davis and Duke Ellington are buried steps from each other in the same cemetery, which is known for being the final resting place for many famous Americans.