Bronx News Roundup, March 16

Rain today in the Bronx will supposedly give way to sunshine tomorrow.

To the news!

Story of the Day: Bronx Bus Crash Story Continues
Federal investigators met yesterday with Ophadell Williams, the driver of a tour bus that crashed on I-95 in the Bronx on Saturday morning, killing 15 passengers and severely injuring six others. Legal experts say Williams, an ex-con who served time for manslaughter, is unlikely to be charged with a crime unless he was under the influence of alcohol or drugs or if he demonstrated a pattern of reckless driving before the crash. The NY Times staked out the crash site, near the on-ramp to the Hutchinson River Parkway, to find tour buses passing by ever so cautiously. On Monday night, another Chinatown tour bus bound for Philadelphia crashed on the Jersey Turnpike, killing two. Here's some video on the Bronx crash from USA Today:



Quick Hits:
As they search for a missing Bronx mother of four, Tina Adovasio, police are focusing their attention on the woman's husband, Edwin Coello, a former NYPD cop who has a history of domestic violence. A month ago, the woman filed for divorce. Video from NY1.

Continuing in this vein of alleged fatal domestic violence, the comatose Bronx woman who police say was injected with cyanide by her husband (who later killed himself by injecting the same poison) died yesterday.

Crain's on the averted Bronx building workers strike.

The bandits targeting Bronx postal workers are taking the mail carriers' keys.

And finally, SOME GOOD NEWS: The cheerleading squad at MS 127 in Castle Hill earned a trip to the national championships in South Carolina, but it needs some extra funding for its trip. Send donations to: MS 127 Cheerleaders, 1560 Purdy Street, Bronx, NY 10462

Bronx News Roundup, March 15

Looks like mostly sun in the Bronx today with temperatures creeping toward 50. High chance of rain tonight and tomorrow before a blast of warm air hits on Thursday and Friday.

To the news!

Story of the Day: Bus Driver's Shady Past Went Unchecked
More disturbing details are emerging about the checkered, trouble-filled past of Ophadell Williams, the driver of the tour bus that crashed into a sign pole on I-95 here in the Bronx, leading to questions (from victims and even the governor) about how he got the driving gig in the first place. Williams served two years on a manslaughter charge in the early 1990s and landed back in prison in 1998, serving four years for forgery. His driving privileges were suspended in 1995 after he ignored tickets for speeding and driving without a license. Williams will meet with investigators today.

The NY Times delves into the largely unregulated business of low-cost tour bus travel. 

Meanwhile, the death toll of the crash reached 15 when a 70-year-old man succumbed to injuries last night at Jacobi. Another six victims remain in critical condition, with four of those using respirators to breath.

Quick Hits:
Following a series of fights and marital unrest, police say a Bronx man injected his wife and then himself with poison at their apartment on West 195th Street. The wife remains in a coma and is not expected to survived, while the husband was pronounced dead on arrival. 

As we reported earlier, Bronx building workers reached a new contract deal, avoiding a strike that they say would have affected 250,000 borough residents.

Police say they are looking for a group of teens who are robbing Bronx postal workers. 

The DN reports that more than 3,500 people attended the Throgs Neck St. Patrick's Day parade. Cut pictures included.

More on Bronx track superstar Ida Keeling, the fastest 95-year-old woman in the world.

The Globe and Mail is holding a live discussion with South Bronx "green" icon Majora Carter today at noon.

Author James Frey, blasted by Oprah and others for fabricating chunks of a popular memoir he wrote several years ago, has a new book out centered around a Bronx housing project. In it, the supposed Messiah smokes pot and patronizes hookers.