Bronx News Roundup, March 30

Weather: Another sunny day today, finally warming up a bit to hit around 50 degrees this afternoon. Temps will drop again tomorrow, with rain expected and a possibility of light snow on Friday.

Story of the Day: Snake Fever
The nation is captivated by the Bronx Zoo's missing cobra, which disappeared from the park's reptile house this weekend and then, mysteriously, started posting updates of its whereabouts on Twitter yesterday. @BronxZoosCobra has racked up 136,458 followers and has reached celebrity status, getting shout-outs from Mayor Bloomberg, Steve Martin and the Daily Show's John Stewart. According to Gothamist: "Some entrepreneurs have already started an 'I Egyptian Cobra New York' line of clothing and accessories." Collectors items, for sure.

Quick Hits:
Charles Kavanagh, the former pastor of St Raymond's Church who was defrocked after accusations that he molested a 17-year-old seminary student in 2002, is suing his accuser for defamation.

The 14 pitbulls that were rescued from an apartment fire on the Grand Concourse earlier this month are struggling with health and behavioral issues, according to the Times. Three of the dogs had to be put down shortly after the blaze because their injuries were so severe.

Bronx State Sen. Jose M. Serrano makes a case to reform the member item distribution process in yesterday's Times Union. Serrano argues the money should be doled out equally, instead of the most powerful legislators getting the biggest cuts, as is currently the case. Meanwhile, Gov. Andrew Cuomo's budget has cut pork project spending entirely for this fiscal year.

A Bronx man pleaded guilty yesterday to bringing an underage girl across state lines and forcing her to perform sex acts on NFL star Lawrence Taylor. Rasheed Davis faces up to 30 years in prison; Taylor was sentenced last week to six years probation and will have to register on the New York State Sex Offender Registry.

Ex-cop Eddie Coello was indicted by a Grand Jury yesterday and charged with the murder of his wife, Throgs Neck resident and mother of four Tina Adovasio, whose body was found in a wooded area in Westchester last month.

This Daily News slideshow takes a look at the wives and girlfriends of the New York Yankees.

Congress will renew discussions today of a bipartisan bill to strengthen safety regulations for buses, sparked by a series of recent deadly bus accidents, including the Bronx crash earlier this month that killed 15 people on the New England Thruway.

Activists are fighting the Department of Environmental Protection for access to the Jerome Park Reservoir, which has been fenced off from residents since World War II.

A string of recent Bronx bodega robberies have store owners and police on alert.

Bronx News Roundup, Tuesday, March 29

Weather: Very similar to yesterday -- sunny and cold this morning, gradually warming up into the mid-40s in the afternoon and then cooling down again at night. 

To the news!

Story of the Day:
The legal morass deepened yesterday for Pedro Espada Jr. as federal prosecutors unveiled new charges against the ex-Bronx State Senator and health clinic mogul, as well as his son, Pedro Gautier Espada. The father-son duo were hit with new tax evasion and wire fraud charges, according to the indictment filed in Brooklyn Federal Court, where the Espadas are being tried. Both are out on $750,000 bail after being charged in December with stealing more than $550,000 from Pedro Jr.'s nonprofit health care clinic empire in the Bronx to pay for, among other things, a $49,000 down payment on a Bentley. Prosecutors indicated yesterday that they would be willing to offer the Espadas a plea deal that could lead to reduced sentences if he admits to wrongdoing. 

Quick Hits:
We'll start the hits with Vanity Fair's hilarious take on the Bronx Zoo's missing Egyptian cobra, which is apparently now Tweeting as it slithers about town. Already, the snake boasts a Twitter following of 10,000 fans. "Right now, it's the snake's game," the Zoo said in statement.

Police are searching for a body in Riverdale Park after two suspects told authorities they had killed a man and dumped him there 11 years ago.

Though details have yet to be released, two special needs schools in the Bronx are happy that their state funding has been tentatively restored.

Police are asking assistance in tracking down two armed robbery suspects.

Bronx native and two-time presidential candidate Ellen McCormack died on Sunday at the age of 84.

Bronx State Senator Jeff Klein launched a crusade against Four Loko, which returned to NYC stores last month minus the caffeine, but is still packing a stiff, 12% alcohol, punch and comes in brightly colored cans. He's calling Four Loko and other similarly-loaded and fashioned drinks, "alcopop."  (By the way, who knew Klein's girlfriend was neat-freak fellow state senator, Diane Savino of Brooklyn/Staten Island?)

100-year-old east Bronx resident Lily Rapaport is sharing her life story through a new federal program called StoryCorps.

Meet the latest super-sized Bronx rap sensation, Fred The Godson, who was the only NYC rapper featured on the cover of the hip-hop magazine XXL's "Freshman of the Year" issue.