Bronx News Roundup, May 25

Weather: Finally, a full day of sunshine and blue clouds, with a high of 82 degrees this afternoon.

Story of the Day: Ticket-Fixing Scandal Could Foil Another Court Case
The arresting officer in a drunken-driving case admitted on the stand in Bronx Supreme Court yesterday that she's fixed tickets for family members and friends, the second time such testimony has been brought up in cases unrelated to the ongoing NYPD scandal. Officer Julissa Goris was questioned in the trial of defendant Stephen Lopresti, a lawyer accused of driving under the influence and crashing his car on the Grand Concourse in 2006. Last week, a man on trial for a murder in Mott Haven was acquitted after defense lawyers painted his arresting officers as corrupt and unreliable due to their ticket-fixing histories.

Meanwhile, celebrities Derek Jeter, late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and hip-hop mogul Jay-Z are among those who have had traffic tickets taken care of. The grand jury hearing of the case will likely last through June, the Daily News reports.

Quick Hits:

Supporters of the controversial living wage bill, sponsored by two Bronx Council members and backed by a large coalition of local groups, are looking to amend the legislation in the hopes of winning over some critics. The bill currently has the votes of 30 City Council members but needs 34 to override Mayor Bloomberg's likely veto (see our recent coverage here.)

From Kappstatter's column: BP Diaz and City Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo are at odds over the Borough President's choice for the city Planning Commission, Community Board 2 chair Orlando Marin. Arroyo supposedly has a personal vendetta against Marin and is trying to block the nomination, Kappy writes.

Bronx High School of Science and Manhattan's Stuyvesant High School, long considered the top public schools in the city, enroll  startlingly small numbers of African-American students. Students of color now make up about 2 percent of the population at both schools, compared to 10 percent in 1971.

A 19-year-old Riverdale man is suing the NYPD, saying he was wrongfully accused of smashing a rock through a car window. Student Bryant Dale says he was held by police for 40 hours and dragged through months of litigation for the crime, even after the real culprit came forward and confessed.

The "Battle of Bronx" skateboarding competition took place this weekend at River Avenue Skate Park.

Bronx residents and City Councilman Fernando Cabrera are fighting cuts to the city's childcare subsidies, which would take a hit should Mayor Bloomberg's budget pass.

John Alberquerque, a 19-year-old Bronx resident, shares his story of coming out as gay with the New York Times in this audio slideshow feature.

Bronx News Roundup, Nov. 19

CNN profiled Discovery High School students and teacher Steve Ritz for their community gardening program (photos and videos at the link). The group has been growing hundred of pounds of vegetables in their classroom over the past few years, hosting luncheons and a farmers market on campus yesterday.

Plans for the first Bronx Children's Museum are finally underway, with a 2013 opening predicted for the new space in a building at Mill Pond Park, near the Bronx Terminal Market. The new director is holding a forum tomorrow to get input from parents and community members for what they'd like to see at the museum. It will be held at BronxWorks' Community Room, 1130 Grand Concourse, from 11 a.m to 1 p.m.

David Johnson, a former aide to Governor Paterson, appeared in a Bronx court yesterday. He faces assault charges for allegedly attacking his girlfriend in her apartment on Halloween in 2009.

Two talented runners at Bronx High School of Science helped the school's cross country team win the PSAL Bronx Championship this season. 

Police are keeping an extra close eye on Jose Rodriguez, the 27-year-old Bronx man who escaped custody in New Jersey earlier this week by taking off in an unmarked NYPD car--while still in cuffs. He was finally caught early Thursday morning in Connecticut; he faces charges related to a Nov. 1 shooting in the Bronx.

A 19-year-old Bronx man was beaten on a New Jersey road Wednesday night during a road rage incident. Police are still looking for four occupants of the other car involved in the alleged assault.

The MTA is installing cameras along certain express bus routes in the city--including Fordham Road--to catch motorists who drive or stop in bus lines. 

South Bronx documentary film "80 Blocks from Tiffany's" is being rereleased on DVD next week. 

Estrellita Poblano III, on Arthur Avenue, has been named one of the city's top 10 mexican restaurants by the village voice. 

Bronx (Weekend) News Roundup, Sept. 27

I thought this would be a more appropriate title to our Monday roundups, where we try to corral everything from Friday afternoon to this morning. As always, if we miss something, let us know in the comments section or send us an e-mail at bronxnewsnetwork@gmail.com. Enjoy. 

A gigantic steel piece by renowned sculpture artist Richard Serra sits in a south Bronx crane yard. The piece, which could be worth millions, is essentially just sitting there rusting. Some intrepid art geeks have made trips to see it over the past few years, while Henry Bubbins, a die-hard advocate for waterfront access in the Bronx, wants it to be part of a sculpture garden near where it now sits, in Port Morris.

On Friday afternoon, dozens of students went home late after police locked down a school bus yard to look for a suspect who had allegedly robbed and shot a man in Hunts Point. 

Massive service changes over the weekend, including the shutdown of the 1 Train, led to mass confusion throughout the city.

An assistant teacher at the Bronx's PS 70 has been very candid about her former life as a stripper and prostitute, publishing accounts of her exploits online. The teacher, Melissa Petro, was put on administrative duties pending an investigation by the DOE.

Police are now saying the bloody death of a Nicaraguan diplomat, Cesar Mercado, who was found in his Mt. Hope apartment with bloody stab wounds to his throat and torso, may have been a suicide. Gawker first reported the hints of suicide -- Mercado recently found out he was HIV positive and he had pin-prick-sized (testing type) punctures in his neck -- on Saturday.

Connecticut investor Mario Gabelli donated $25 million to Fordham University. It's the largest gift in the Bronx school's 169-year history and the undergraduate business college will be renamed in his honor.

Newscaster Tom Brokaw says he sees eerie similarities between the crash he was involved in last year and the crash that claimed the life a stranded motorist on Bruckner Expressway  on Friday. In both cases, the crash led to someone being pitched over the edge of the expressway, a drop of some 75 feet.

The Bronx Science boys soccer squad destroyed Lehman H.S. 4-0 and remains undefeated this season. Meanwhile, Bronx Science's equally un-vanquished girls soccer team beat JFK 9-0.

Bronx News Roundup, April 29

Yesterday, the attorney general's office filed another civil suit against embattled State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr.  Espada and one of his sons set up a sham training program in order to pay janitors as little as $1.70 an hour, the office alleges.  Espada claims (as he did last week) that Andrew Cuomo is bullying him. More here.

Despite claiming to be a strong advocate for tenants' rights, Espada has deep ties to the the real estate industry, which - through campaign contributions - has helped shape his agenda as chair of the Senate's housing committee, argues the Village Voice's Tom Robbins.

An assistant principal at Bronx Science habitually harassed teachers under her, often reducing them to tears, an independent report has found. But Rosemary Jahoda will likely keep her job after the Department of Education dismissed most of the reports findings.

The first ever Bronx Food Summit is being held next Monday at Hostos Community College.

A new City Council bill could force the NYPD to publish traffic accidents and summonses statistics online. 

A 20-year-old Bronx man has been charged with attempted murder following a night of violence in Midtown in Easter Day. Police say Rayvon Guice fired his gun into a group of people, injuring two men. 

In a lawsuit, a former waitress at the Lobster Box in City Island says was sexually harassed by her supervisor, and fired when she complained.

A new playground has opened in Parkchester.

Students and teachers at Herbert Lehman High School, a 4,500-student school in the east Bronx, have been told that permanent metal detectors are to be installed, following several recent fights and an uptick in gang activity.

Yesterday, Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr.'s Kingbridge Armory task force toured the mammoth building.

Charlie Ramos of the group "Bronx for Change" is after State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr.'s seat.  More on Ramos here and here.

City comptroller John Liu has created a task force to examine how developers deliver community benefit agreements.  Among the aims: more transparency.

Fernando Aquino, a political consultant who often works with Bronx politicians and wannabe Bronx politicians, was interviewed recently on the Perez Notes radio show.

A former Bronx police officer talks about his new(ish) career as an arborist at the New York Botanical Garden.

Coqui Mexicano, a restaurant in Melrose, won't close after all.  [via BoogieDowner]

High School March Madness: Bronx's Wings Academy Advances to Semi-finals of City Championship

March Madness is officially upon us. And while the college tournaments have yet to begin, a lot has transpired since the New York City high school boys basketball playoffs started last week. After searching through the interwebs I've put together a little hoops roundup with some information on how the Bronx teams performed.

Spoiler alert: with one exception, they all lost.

John F. Kennedy, the northwest Bronx's best prospect and last year's city championship runner-up, was eliminated in a second round game against East New York Transit Tech, who beat the Knights 68-67. J.F.K had a bye the first round. The Post has a rundown of that upset right here.

Evander Childs, The Bronx High School of Science, and Christopher Columbus all met similar fates in their first round match-ups last Tuesday. Evander Childs lost to the #30 seed Prospect Heights, Bronx Science lost against the #32 seed Ft. Hamilton, and Christopher Columbus lost to the #28 seed Far Rockaway.

Dewitt Clinton made it through the first round, beating the 40th seed George Washinton 71-53. The Governors were humbled, however, in their second round match-up against the #8 seed Brooklyn Collegiate, who won 87-46.

The Bronx continues to be represented, however, by the #3 seed Wings Academy.

The Wings, hot off winning the borough championship last month, had a bye the first round and dispatched their first opponent, the #19 seed South Shore, in a second round game 88-75.

On Sunday, the Wings beat Abraham Lincoln High School 78-59. Lincoln has been the reigning city powerhouse; this will be the first time in nine years they do not compete in the finals at Madison Square Garden. The Daily News has more on that game here. Now, the borough champs are to face the #2 seeded Boys and Girls High School in the semifinals tomorrow. If they win that game, the Wings will advance to the finals, playing the winner of a Cardozo (#1)- E. New York Transit (#12) game.

PSAL has the playoff brackets up online, regularly updated. They can be found here.

New from the Norwood News

The forces of nature could not derail the latest edition of the Norwood News from hitting the streets and appearing online this week. Here's a little preview of what we have in store.

We have a slightly tweaked version of the story we originally ran in this space on Monday about activist Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter's possible run for the senate seat occupied by Pedro Espada, Jr. (We hear Pilgrim-Hunter is holding a fundraiser tonight. These are the types of events that will determine if she's in it for the long haul.)

A profile on the energetic new commanding officer of the 52nd Precinct. Plus an editorial on his prospects and how the NYPD can help communities police themselves. (Here's a hint: it's by providing them with more detailed information about where crime is happening in the neighborhoods they live in.)

In other crime news, we have a story on the two 52nd Precinct cops who were suspended after a video surfaced of them beating a hand-cuffed suspect. Also, there's a brief about the precinct's first murder of 2010. 

The COVE, a youth center in the Knox-Gates neighborhood, has reopened under new (old) leadership and a new focus.

DeWitt Clinton High School just opened a brand new Business Center.

Speaking of high schools, the Bronx Science boys basketball team compiled more wins this year than the last two combined and almost made the postseason.

A team of doctors from Montefiore Medical Center, just back from Haiti, tell their story about participating in the massive post-earthquake relief effort.

Plus: find free programs and services throughout the Bronx in our expanded Neighborhood Notes section (seriously, this page is packed with invaluable info) . . . find out what's going on arts and entertainment-wise in or Out and About section . . . and our Inquiring Photographer asks readers what they think about the looming city budget cuts.

Bronx News Roundup, Feb. 10

We hope everyone is staying warm in this blizzard! Here are some of today's news stories to read while you're snowed in:

The front page of today's Daily News had more on the biggest Bronx story this week: Council member Larry Seabrook's indictment, that was unsealed Tuesday. The 66-page document lists a number of offenses, according to the article--from funneling large sums through suspect nonprofits to claiming $177 on his expense report for the cost of a bagel. Read more here.

For those of you who were worried about those chickens in Highbridge, fear not: the Daily News followed up yesterday's story, about wild birds who've settled down in a lot on Edward L. Grant Highway, with today's piece on a nearby business manager who vows to find a safe home for the flock.

The boys swim team at Bronx Science made the Public Schools Athletic League semifinals.

The New York Times city room blog ran a story yesterday about two new supermarkets coming to the Bronx--one in Norwood and one near Tremont Avenue--as part of the city's FRESH initiative, a program to encourage new grocery stores in underserved areas.

The Times also ran a review of this Ghanian restaurant on the Grand Concourse in Fordham Heights.

A prisoner escaped police custody yesterday at the Bronx Criminal Courthouse on East 161st Street, after changing clothes to impersonate another man. Police are still looking for 22-year-old Michael Bautista, who was being arraigned at the courthouse for assaulting his girlfriend and a police officer.

Bronx Science Ballers Defy Stereotyping

 Bronx Science lost its January match-up with against DeWitt Clinton, but is hoping to ride a three-game winning streak into the postseason. (Photo by Adi Talwar)

The gymnasium at the Bronx High School of Science (or "Bronx Science") is an interesting experience for one attuned to the sights of a traditional American sports hall. For one thing, a traditional American sports hall probably lacks the huge placard that greets those entering Bronx Science’s gymnasium, featuring the faces of seven stoic looking men arranged underneath the text “Alumni Winners of the Nobel Prize.”

Indeed, this school is a place of learned adolescents. Athletics, it would seem to the untrained eye, remains a difficult equation for the students at Bronx Science.

The stereotype is that students at Bronx Science are not jocks. They tell jokes about parabolas and physics equations. They're probably used to hearing the term "nerd."

But to believe that brains would inhibit the Bronx Science basketball team’s ability to play is a gross underestimation. These boys may spend their days with their heads buried in textbooks, but on the court they play ball like mad dogs.

Coach Sammel Brown remarked on the attention the team’s academic reputation attracts: jeers and trash talking from fans of other teams.

“I’ve heard it all,” said Brown, “I provoke it...we hear the jeers, I tell [the team], ‘this is what their saying, so lets make them feel destroyed.’” Brown invites the negativity. “We feed off it,” he says.

Bronx News Roundup, May 6

Millions of city straphangers can breath a little easier today as the state legislature is expected to pass a much-delayed/anticipated/debated MTA bailout plan, which should reduce fare hikes and avoid much of the service cuts. Basically, subway and bus fares will go rise to $2.25, from $2 and 30-day Metrocards to $89, from $81. The vote was tentatively scheduled for 11 a.m. this morning.

Our friends at the BoogieDowner talked to State Senator Pedro Espada's chief of staff Andrew Yong about a host of issues, including his residency (he supposedly lives in the BD's Bedford Park building, but they've never seen him there), his new (and still non-existent) district office, the aforementioned MTA rescue and his campaign finance violations and outstanding fines. He also clarified a few other positions, which you can read about on the BD's post.

The NY Post writes that Bronx-born judge Sonia Sotomayor, who's on a short list to replace retiring Supreme Court Jusitce David Souter, once said during a panel discussion that she believes judges make policy (not one of their mandates), but that she doesn't advocate for judges doing so. If confirmed, she would be the first Hispanic judge on the Supreme Court.

The Daily News explores shopping options in Mott Haven.

The News reports on the DEP's new plan to use blasting for construction at the Jerome Park Reservoir. We wrote about this here on the blog last Friday and on Monday.

The Bronx Science girls soccer team is destroying the competition this season.

Bronx News Roundup, Jan. 30

Let's start this Friday with some not-so-cheery citywide budget news:

Mayor Bloomberg's giving his budget speech at noon. Some highlights (lowlights?): reportedly, the mayor wants to raise sales tax, from 8.375% to 8.75% and cut the city's workforce by 23,000 jobs (15,000 of those jobs may be in the Department of Education). In addition, Bloomberg may ask city workers to pay for some of their health insurance benefits and scale back some bigger construction projects.

The Albany Times-Union reports that nearly two dozen state lawmakers, including six Democrats (and one former lawmaker) from the Bronx, had received warrants for failing to pay tax debts (such as back taxes, fines and interest). Assemlyman Peter Rivera owed $20,000 (he says he's since paid this off), while former Senator Efrain Gonzalez still owes $43,462. Others who were served, included Gonzalez's replacement, Pedro Espada ($949.51), Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr. ($2,328.73), Assemblyman Michael Benjamin (2,634.18), Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera ($1588.85) and Assemblyman Jose Rivera ($481.32).

A college student from the Bronx who helped manage a prostitution ring connected to ex-Gov. Eliot Spitzer was sentenced to six months in prison yesterday, but the judge praised her for getting her life back on track.

A rookie firefighter talks about how his life flashed before his eyes during the Black Sunday fire in the Bronx in 2005.

Two Bronx Science students are finalists in a national science talent search.

The Daily News reports that Riverdale businesses are closing at a rapid pace. For more on Riverdale businesses, go to the Riverdale Press Web site.

A Bronx mom who smothered her newborn son on a city bus was sentenced to 15 years in prison. Video from NY1 here.

More on the new film-focused high school in the Bronx, The Cinema School.

Sports Salsa is coming to Bronxnet.

Bronx New Roundup, Wednesday, Oct. 1

Welcome to October. Here's some news and links to get you started this month.

The Economy
Times columnist Jim Dwyer takes a walk through the South Bronx to get a sense of how people in the Boogie Down are viewing the economic crisis and the bailout plan (which their Congressional Rep. Jose E. Serrano voted against) designed to stop the bleeding.

[Bailout Plan Update: The Senate is scheduled to vote on a new version of the plan today.]

In other citywide economic news, a story in the Times says the New York City real estate boom is dead.

And David Gonzalez writes on the Times City Room blog about a South Bronx soup kitchen struggling to keep up with increasing demand from its clients and no "bailout" from the government in sight.

Pain
An NYPD detective was accidentally shot in a very sensitive area by another cop at an east Bronx firing range.

A woman was stabbed multiple times at an East Gun Hill apartment building, allegedly during a domestic dispute. She's is reportedly in stable condition at a local hospital. Nothing has been written on this yet, but we'll try to find out more information.

Sports
The South Bronx High School football team is surprisingly dominant this year in the Cup Division, and is off to its first 4-0 start ever.

The Bronx Science women's golf team is not surprisingly dominating again this year, but faces a tough Stuyvesant team on Monday.

The Greenest Borough
Human Events, perhaps the most conservative media outlet in the entire country, wrote a long blog post about the Bronx's expansive green spaces and tourism opportunities. Who could have guessed?

Arts
The Village Voice reviews the Bronx Museum's new show: "Street Art, Street Life."

Bronx Science Imports Mostly From Queens

Here's a commuter story from the Times about Bronx Science students who take long bus rides from Queens to the northwest Bronx. The article says that up until the 1960s, 90 percent of Bronx Science students were from the Bronx. Now, most of the specialized school's students hail from Queens.