Vacca and Palma Sponsor Blizzard Bill

It's hard to think about snow right now, with the weather outside hitting a sunny 73 and the Mister Softee trucks finally making their rounds through the neighborhood, but try to remember that post-Christmas blizzard that dumped two feet of snow on the city, leaving a string of stranded MTA buses--and perturbed residents--in its unplowed wake.

To avoid another snow fiasco like that one, Bronx City Council Members James Vacca and Annabel Palma sponsored a bill, passed last week, that requires the Department of Sanitation to prepare and publish snow-removal plans each winter for all five boroughs.

"Last December’s blizzard revealed how woefully unprepared the City was to deal with these kinds of major storms," Palma said in a press release.

The required plans must include a list of primary, secondary and tertiary streets (the terms the Sanitation Department used to classify blocks in order of plowing-importance) to be published online, along with criteria for each ranking.

"During the December blizzard, we heard a lot of talk about tertiary streets and how they were the lowest priority for snowplows. Well, tertiary streets are where taxpayers like you and I live, and many of us didn’t see plows until days after the blizzard was over," Vacca said.

"That’s unacceptable. This bill will put the City’s feet to the fire so that they are forced not only to have a plan but also to explain why they chose to have the plan they chose to have."

During this winter's blizzard, some outer borough streets and neighborhoods went unplowed and snowed-in for several days, to the frustration of those who lived there.

The new law also requires the Sanitation Department to provide detailed plans for removing snow from bus stops, an inventory of snow management equipment and personnel by community district, and contact information for personnel that residents and elected officials can call on.

Bronx Events: Blizzard Response Hearing

(File photo by Lenny Shutterman)

Finally, an official outlet for all of your snow rage! The City Council is holding a series of hearings in every borough this month to get public feedback on the city's response to the big post-Christmas blizzard. The Bronx hearing will be held tonight at 6 p.m. at Hostos Community College, Savoy Building D, at 120 East 149th Street.

Similar hearings held already in the other boroughs have been tense and emotional, as speakers told stories of unplowed streets trapping ambulances and other emergency vehicles.

Check out this and other Bronx events in our community calendar, below.

Editor's note: What did we miss? Send details to bronxnewsnetwork[at]gmail.com.

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Bronx News Weekend Roundup, Jan. 10

Happy Monday, all! Here are your Bronx news headlines from the past few days.

Bronx residents are still angry over the city's response to this month's blizzard. The City Council is holding a hearing today to investigate how city officials acted in wake of the storm, which dumped nearly two feet of snow in the Bronx. Additional hearings to solicit public input will be held in all five boroughs this month; one will be at Hostos Community College on the 24th.

Speaking of the blizzard: the New York Post has a roundup of ridiculous New Yorkers who dialed 911 following the storm for reasons that were not, well, emergencies. Among them? "A Bronx man with stomach pains who eventually admitted to medics that he'd eaten a pizza with everything on it."

The Throgs Neck Bridge turns 50 tomorrow.

A man was critically injured after being hit by two cars early this morning, one of them belonging to the city's Department of Sanitation, at Jerome Avenue and E. 172nd Street. The man, a 28-year-old day laborer, is being treated at St. Barnabas Hospital.

An off-duty was stabbed during a brawl at Eastchester strip club police officer Crazy Horse Cabaret. The cop, Modesto Alamo, was already on modified duty and under investigation by the NYPD for an alleged domestic incident.

Police are asking for help in locating 12-year-old Alexandra Torrero, who went missing from her home at 713 Southern Boulevard on Dec. 6. Photo at the link.

Grand Marshals have been named for this year's annual St. Patrick's Day parade in Throgs Neck, which will take place in March.

St. Ann's Church on Bainbridge Avenue was broken into over the weekend, with the thief, or thieves, taking off with several laptops and a television. The robbery comes weeks after the arrest of a man believed to be the culprit in a string of church break-ins in November and December, including another incident at St. Ann's.

A 21-year-old Bronx man pleaded guilty to shooting two women during last Easter's Times Square shooting melee, and now faces a 16-year prison sentence.

A Bronx high school student is suing an MTA bus driver who allegedly attacked her last November when she was short on bus fare. The driver, 48-year-old Rafael Rivera, was supposedly fired after the incident.

amNY profiles the ever popular South Bronx watering hole Bruckner Bar and Grill.

A 19-year-old Bronx woman who allegedly broke into a Westchester home tried to evade police by hiding in a clothes dryer. She was found by a SWAT team police dog and was charged with second-degree burglary.

A stockbroker from Long Island has settled a case with the Securities and Exchange Commission after he was accused of defrauding a congregation of elderly Bronx nuns.

An apartment building in Highbridge caught fire yesterday, leaving five people injured.

The Daily News looks back on the murder of Roseann Quinn, a Bronx teacher who was killed on New Year's Eve in 1972.

Send in the Plows

The wheels of a backhoe are lifted up into the air as it attempts to pull a stranded sanitation truck at the intersection of LaSalle Avenue and Gillespie Avenue (photo by Lenny Shutterman)

It's been three days since a blizzard dumped nearly two feet of snow on our fine borough and the rest of New York. Since then, the Sanitation Department and Mayor Bloomberg are getting  flak from just about everyone for the city's handling of the storm, as reports of still-unplowed streets and slow subways continue to roll in (though the MTA's website says most lines are back to regular service).

Nicholas Sbordone, a spokesman for the city's Department of Technology and Telecommunications, said the city's 311 line received 11,680 calls yesterday about snow or ice-blocked roads. That may sound like a lot, he said, but it's not too bad in the grand total of 182,477 calls the city took for the day.

The New York Times and WNYC are asking readers to report whether or not their streets have been cleared, with the latter mapping neglected areas.

We don't see many Bronx responses at either of those links, so let's ask you, our readers: has your street been cleared yet? BxNN advertising rep. Shenise Crawford says that her block in Baychester--Bivona Street at Boston Road--has yet to see a plow. Share your stories/complaints/tirades with us in the comments section.

Bronx News Roundup, Dec. 29

Despite the snow, Yankee Stadium is ready to host this Thursday's Pinstripe Bowl, the college football showdown between Kansas State and Syracuse University. Cleanup crews at the stadium said they'd prepared for the storm by covering the field with tarps.

Meanwhile, Syracuse players will take local kids from the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club and the Bronx Colts Youth Tackle League on a walk-through of the stadium before the game.

Neighbors of the Harlem man accused of killing a Bronx woman and stuffing her body in a suitcase say they heard screams coming from his apartment the day of the murder. Hassan Malik was arraigned yesterday on second-degree murder charges, for the alleged killing of 28-year-old Betty Williams.

Tomorrow night, Bronxnet will host a live screening of its culinary program "Bronx Flavor,"at the Paradise Theatre as part of a holiday benefit performance.

Bronx resident Jose Ramos is one of many across the city to turn this week's storm into financial opportunity by shoveling sidewalks for extra cash.

A family of Bronx rocker siblings, who go by "Graveshift," are spreading holiday cheer with a new song and feel-good music video, which you can watch below, courtesy of the Daily News.

Yet More Photos of Sunday's Blizzard

For those not bored of the snow, or photos of the snow, here's some more shots courtesy of BxNN intern Lystria Hurley.  They were taken Sunday night. The subway station is the 174th Street stop (2 and 5 Trains). To see more of Lystria's photos, visit her blog.

Norwood After The Snow Storm

These photographs were made on Dec 27th. After about an hour of shooting my exposed fingers gave up burning and went numb on me, forcing me indoors!

Rev. Diaz Blasts Mayor's Blizzard Response

State Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr., is blaming Mayor Bloomberg for the mess made by this week's storm, saying the city was ill-prepared for Sunday's blizzard. The Rev. sent out these photos today of a stranded MTA bus  stuck in the snow at West Farms Road and East 167th Street.

“Days before this storm hit we all knew it was coming. No one even put chains on the tires of city buses, sanitation trucks or ambulances in preparation for the storm," Diaz said in a press release he sent out yesterday. "I have said it before and will say it again, Mayor Michael Bloomberg needs to be held accountable."

Gothamist has a growing photo gallery of abandoned city buses. For those of you who made it to work today--how was your commute? I took the 4 train, and though I waited a few minutes longer than usual, things appeared to be running fairly smoothly. 

Here are some additional photos of the storm's transportation wreckage, shot by Lenny Shutterman. 

Below, a city bus gets stuck at Crosby and Coddington Avenues. 

 Reporter David Greene snapped this shot of some unhappy-looking Bronxites digging out their cars on Paulding Avenue. 

More of Your Bronx Snow Shots

Here's another round of photos sent in by BxNN readers, chronicling this weekend's blizzard.

These were taken by freelance photographer Roi Luv, of the former Highbridge Horizon.

Yvans Jean-Michel took this on Briggs Avenue between E. 194th and E. 196th Streets.

Reader Lynda sent us these shots of the snow piled high outside of her Eastchester home. 

Emily Dunkel had some fun sledding yesterday on Van Cortlandt Avenue and Orloff Avenue.

More Chilly Scenes From a Snowy Bronx

BxNN reader Dana Waddell sent us these two photos, taken from an apartment in Norwood. Dana's eight-month old cat was seeing snow for the first time. The houses shown in the second photo are on 206th Street between Perry and Bainbridge avenues.

This photo, from Carlos Reyes, was taken this morning on Tiebout Avenue between 182nd and 183rd streets.

The shots below are by Norwood resident Sally Dunford. The first is of building roofs on Bainbridge Avenue between 208th and 210th streets. The second is of the Bronx River Soldier statue which stands next to Valentine-Varian House, home to the Museum of Bronx History. The ironwork in the third photo is part of a fence near Williamsbridge Oval Park. The final photo is of Montefiore Medical Center's parking garage with North Central Bronx Hospital in the background.

E-mail your snowy Bronx vistas to bronxnewsnetwork[at]gmail.com. If we receive any overnight, we'll post them in the morning.

Bronx Snow Scenes

 

BxNN reader Robert Marrero, knee-deep in snow, at the corner of Creston Avenue and 183rd Street.

Send your Bronx snow photos to: bronxnewsnetwork@gmail.com

Bronx Snow Photos: The Scene from Soundview

The blizzard isn't keeping everyone indoors--BxNN reader Phillip Walker sent us this action shot, taken in front of P.S. 152 in Soundview. 

Send your Bronx snow photos to: bronxnewsnetwork@gmail.com

Bronx Transit Snow Updates

Hopefully you are reading this at home with a hot cup of something tasty -- and MTA and city officials are officially encouraging everyone to do so. But if you are an intrepid soul or just really need to get somewhere (like if you're wife's giving birth or something equally urgent), here's the latest on everything Bronx transit related, as of 12:03 p.m.:

--Airports: The metro area's three major airports -- JFK, LaGuardia and Newark -- remain shut down.

--Subways and Trains (go to mta.info for all the latest updates):

Metro-North's Hudson, Harlem and New Haven lines have been suspended.

Delays are expected on all train lines throughout the borough and region.

B train service is suspended between Bedford Park Blvd. station and Brighton Beach (pretty much the whole line).

The D train is running its regular route through the Bronx and Manhattan, but is not running from 36th Street to Coney Island in Brooklyn.

Uptown service on the 2 train is running express from the 180th Street station to the Wakefield/241st Street station.

Downtown 1 train is bypassing Dyckman station.

5 train service has been suspended between the East 180th Street Station and the Eastchester-Dyre Avenue Station.

--Buses are experiencing major delays all over the borough and city, and many side streets remain covered in thick snow.

Again, stay home unless, of course, your wife is about to go into labor, which, hopefully, she won't until the streets clear up.

City Room is doing some fun and informative live blogging of the snow aftermath.

And send us your snow photos: bronxnewsnetwork@gmail.com.

Bronx Weekend News Roundup, Dec. 27

We hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday weekend, and that you're all holding up post-blizzard!

It's 24 degrees and windy in the Bronx right now. Bedford Park's been hit with 22 inches of snowfall, as of this morning. The MTA is warning travelers to stay home if they can, as there are delays or suspensions on many subway lines and buses--you can check for service updates here.

On to some Bronx headlines:

A 17-year-old boy was shot to death early Sunday morning at the West Farms Square/E. Tremont Ave. subway station. Lewis Hawkins, of Harlem, was shot in the chest on the elevated platform after exiting a Manhattan-bound No. 2 train. Over a dozen people who were at the scene have been questioned by police so far, though no one has been charged.

On Friday, an ex-con from the Bronx held a family in Albany hostage for 15 hours before police shot him in the chest and took him into custody. Isaac Peterson, 38, faces charges of kidnapping, robbery, burglary and weapon possession.

Newly arrived immigrant and transfer students are still being directed to enroll at high schools which the city has deemed "failing," including Columbus High in the Bronx, despite the fact that the schools are likely to be shut down next year.

A Bronx girl who has struggled through the foster care system is featured in the New York Times as part of the newspaper's Neediest Cases Fund.

The body of a 28-year-old Bronx woman was found inside a suitcase in Harlem last week. Police have identified the woman as Betty Williams, who lived on the Cross Bronx Expressway.

A viewing service is being held in Soundview today for Angel Roldan, the city sanitation worker who was struck by a car and killed in Castle Hill last week.

Jose Pagan, a Bronx resident who has served two tours of duty in Iraq, found himself homeless this year just three days after leaving the military. This ABC News report says that Pagan is one of thousands of service members returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan who end up on the streets. Video at the link.

A Bronx family who lost their home to a fire this summer were one of many to receive holiday gifts from  NY Post readers who donated to Toys for Tots.

Timothy Dolan, the Archbishop of New York, visited the soup kitchen at Our Lady of Refuge School on Christmas day.

The Daily News pays homage to Ralph Farrait, or "Pastor Ralph," as he was known on the Bronx boxing scene. The legendary Golden Gloves trainer passed away earlier this month; he's been laid to rest at Woodlawn Cemetery.

Iran Barkley, a former boxing champion who was homeless in the Bronx this year, is getting back on his feet. Readers of the NY Post, which chronicled Barkley's hardships in a series of articles last month, helped land the retired boxer a home in Hunts Point and a number of prospective jobs.

A rundown building in Morrisania has become an irksome eyesore to neighbors.

A number of bus drivers in the Bronx purposefully slowed down service on Friday, in retaliation for the MTA's decision to cut a contract with a local Transport Workers Union.

South Bronx nonprofit Per Scholas refurbishes donated computers and gives them to low-income families for free or at discount.