Bronx News Roundup, Sept. 1

Happy September, all.

Weather: Sunny again today, with temperatures in the high 70s.

Story of the Day: Fatal Bus Crash Driver Indicted
The driver of the tour bus that crashed on Interstate 95 in March has been indicted on manslaughter charges, the AP reports. Driver Ophadell Williams maintains that he was awake and alert at the time of the crash, which took place during an early morning drive through the Bronx as the bus returned from a trip to Connecticut casino Mohegan Sun.Witnesses, however, claim Williams was dozing at the wheel, and a police report found he was speeding. The accident killed 15 people, and spurred a statewide crackdown on the discount tour bus industry and how it vets its drivers.

Quick Hits:
Bronx artist Shawn Martinbrough has found success in the comic book world.

Did the Bronx get less love from the city than the other boroughs during Hurricane Irene? Mayor Bloomberg failed to visit; his office said it was because they expected little damage here from the storm.

But we did get our share of damage (as these photos show). Residents at a co-op complex in Riverdale are still waiting to return home after a mudslide forced them to evacuate. 

Bronx News Roundup, Friday, May 20

First a quick plug for everyone to come out on Sunday for the grand finale of Bronx Week, the parade on Mosholu Parkway up here in the northwest part of the borough. Last year was a blast. This year should be no different. Come celebrate the Boogie Down!

Now, to the news!

Weekend weather: Thunderstorms are possible this afternoon and evening, with temperatures in the low 70s. Saturday will be warm, high 70s expected, and hopefully rain-free. Sunday (parade day) looks like it could go either way. If it doesn't rain, (there's a 30 percent chance it will), then it should be a lovely, mostly sunny, day in the low 70s.

Story of the Day: Bank Criticized for Dumping Over-Leveraged Properties
 Last week, just as city officials, local advocates and federal bank authorities were in talks with New York Community Bank to find suitable buyers for their long list of distressed properties, it turned out that the bank had already sold the mortgage note for one of those distressed properties, the Sholem Aleichem Houses in Van Cortlandt Village. City officials were not happy, particularly because they sold the note to Riverdale-based Chestnut Holdings. Last year, the bank, which city officials say has dumped mortgages for about three dozen distressed buildings, wanted badly to unload the 10 rapidly deteriorating Milbank buildings to Chestnut. But Chestnut ended up pulling its bid after city officials criticized it for being too high. A bid that high, they and other housing advocates said, would lead it be "over-leveraged" or worth less than they paid for it, which can lead to all sorts of problems. Sholem Aleichem, a beautiful, sprawling complex of buildings off of Sedgwick Avenue, has gone through several rough periods ever since it was founded as cooperative by Yiddish-speaking socialists in the 1920s. It currently has nearly 1,000 housing code violations and tenants there are now contemplating a rent strike.

Quick Hits:
A man was arrested yesterday for selling pipe bombs out of his Subaru in Co-op City.

An armed robbery in Morrisania was caught on videotape.

The mobile Bronx Children's Museum makes it's debut on Sunday at the Bronx Week Parade (yet another reason to come out to Mosholu Parkway). 

The Bronx Zoo is facing a $4.7 million cut in Mayor Bloomberg's budget proposal.

A Fieldston mansion is selling for $3.9 million.

Producer (and Alicia Keyes' husband) Swizz Beatz raised money for the Bronx Charter School for the Arts.

Another reason to show up Sunday: Arm wrestling!

And, finally, we'll leave you with this clip of a Darth Vadar trombonist playing at the Andrew Jackson senior center on E 156th Street.

Bronx News Roundup, April 19

Weather: Temperatures in the low to mid 50s, with rain showers throughout most of the day.

Story Of The Day: Charter School Blues

The Daily News' Daniel Beekman takes us on the scene of a public lottery at the high-performing Bronx Charter School for Excellence, in Morris Park, where 1,635 hopeful parents were vying to get their kids into just 28 open kindergarten spots. The lottery determines who gets in and who goes home, a process (as chronicled in the much-talked about film "Waiting for Superman") which means heartache for most of the families who apply.

"It's a crushing feeling," one parent told the News. "You gamble with your kid's life and just hope you get picked."

Bronx Charter boasts that 88 percent of its fifth-graders passed the state English exams last year--that's compared to the 41 percent average for public schools in Bronx's District 11.

Quick Hits: 

Former Co-Op City janitor Paulino Valenzuela was found guilty yesterday for the 2007 shooting that killed his boss.

More on the Bronx NYPD ticket-fixing probe: the Post reports that part of the massive investigation is focused on highway patrol officers headquartered on the Bronx River Parkway, who are responsible for cruising and ticketing drivers along the West Side Highway and FDR East River Drive.

Livery cab drivers in the south Bronx are sporting bullet proof vests provided by Security USA, which donated the vest in memory of Bronx cab driver Cesar Santos, who was shot and killed in 2010 over a fare dispute.

One Bronx family, and thousands of others, face homelessness or the shelter system as their city-provided rent subsidies run out.

Bronx Assemblywoman Vanessa Gibson is one of several elected officials rallying for the state to establish a domestic violence offender database, following the recent brutal murder of a Lower East Side woman at the hands of her boyfriend.

A jury continues to deliberate in the trial of two NYPD transit officers accused of beating a Bronx man in 2008.

Fox News' Glenn Beck Knocks Co-Op City

The Bronx took another hit on Cable TV this week when right-wing political pundit Glenn Beck compared  Co-Op City, the borough's massive housing cooperative development, to a socialist country.

Last week, Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., blasted the TV show "American Idol," for its negative depictions of the borough, after one contestant took camera crews on a tour of his former home on the Grand Concourse.

Glenn Beck, of course, is no stranger to controversy and stirring up anger. His hour-long show consists of him standing before a TV monitor and giant chalkboard, usually ranting against liberal politics.

In Tuesday's episode--the entirety of which is embedded above--Beck rails against the idea of social equality and uses Co-Op City as an example of  "a place where everyone’s life is interchangeable." His comments start at the 34-minute mark.

"Sounds like these beautiful complexes—this is in New York City," a sarcastic Beck says to the camera, as a photo of Co-Op City appears on the screen behind him. "Don’t you want to live there? Oh, man. That is so beautiful. That’s the great society for you, right there. And those are the lush ones."

Bronx officials and Co-Op City residents immediately fired back.

"How dare he?" Councilman Jimmy Vacca told the Daily News. "I'd like to know the last time Glenn Beck stepped into Co-Op City."

What do you think of Beck's remarks? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

Bronx Calendar: Barnes & Noble Children's Play Event This Weekend

Barnes & Noble, on Baychester Avenue,
opened a new children's playspace.  

Lots of exciting stuff happening in the borough this week/weekend. On Saturday, the Barnes & Noble in the Bay Plaza Shopping Center is hosting a special children's event to introduce a new interactive play space at the store, just one of five to open across the country (see photo). There will be interactive games,  activities and a raffle.

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

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

Bronx News Roundup, Dec. 2

Happy Hanukkah, everyone! The festival of lights started last night at sundown. Here's a yummy potato latke recipe from the Riverdale Press to get you in the spirit of things.

Two of the men originally named as attackers in October's antigay beatings in Morris Heights are now being identified as victims of the assault, according to WNYC.  Bryan Almonte and Brian Cepeda were originally charged by police as perpetrators in the attacks, but were later released. Five other men were arraigned yesterday on hate crime charges in the State Supreme Court.

Police are still on the hunt for the man responsible for a string of muggings in Co-op City, and one incident in Manhattan. The assailant arms himself with an ice pick, and has robbed four women in the elevators of their apartment buildings. He was caught on tape by a surveillance camera; video at the link.

Melissa Petro, the former teacher at PS 70 who was removed from her classroom after she wrote about her experiences as a sex-worker, was officially charged yesterday with conduct "unbecoming of a teacher," by the DOE.

Parishioners at St. Augustine's Church in Morrisania are worried that the closure of their parochial school could be detrimental to the parish itself, as it relies heavily on revenue from the school to operate. Six catholic schools in the Bronx face closure after funding cuts were announced a few weeks ago.

Singer and actress Jennifer Lopez says she's still a Boogie Downer at heart, according to Us Weekly. "I never miss the Bronx because it's always with me," Lopez told the celebrity magazine.

Former Borough President Adolfo Carrion, who left the Bronx for a short stint in the White House, is giving a speech today at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.

Bronx Councilman G. Oliver Koppell introduced a bill in City Council to make all yellow taxicabs wheelchair accessible. Only 231 of over 13,000 city cabs can currently accommodate riders in wheelchairs.

Another Bronx pol, Councilman James Vacca, is behind a bill that will require the Department of Transportation to set guidelines for the approval and installation of bikes lanes, speed bumps and other "traffic calming devices."

A 26-year-old man was struck by a car and killed while crossing Riverdale Avenue on Monday night.

A new program introduced at Hostos and Bronx Community College is helping cash-strapped students stay in school by qualifying them for financial assistance, child care, health insurance and other benefits.

Bronx News Roundup, Nov. 24

Two construction companies responsible for some of the state's largest public-works projects, among them the Croton Water Filtration Plant in Van Cortlandt Park, are under federal investigation. The feds suspect the contractors evaded laws that they hire a certain percentage of subcontrators owned by minorities or women. The long-delayed and massively over-budget water plant (photos here), is one of the most controversial construction projects in Bronx history. Click here for some background.

Cathleen Black, Mayor Bloomberg's Schools chancellor pick, suffered a set back yesterday when the state's education commissioner, David M. Steiner, expressed doubts about her readiness for the job.

Co-op City's board of directors have voted to remove a board member from one of the complex's coveted townhouses. Leticia Morales was improperly bumped up to the top of the waiting list, the board determined.

A pregnant Bronx teen is suing the city and the NYPD. Stephanie Badillo claims she was handcuffed and strip-searched by cops who mistook her for a drug dealer.

An off-duty Bronx cop who was arrested for drink-driving on Monday, repeatedly smashed his car into the back of a pick-up truck.

Fifteen corrections officers were injured after a fight broke out at Rikers Island.

Aaron Davis, a former owner of the Morris Park Boxing Club, talks about boxing, his old club (which burnt down last year), and the new one he's opened near Westchester Square.  The story and audio slide-show is by Graham Kates, a former Norwood News intern and author of the BxNN's The Yankees, Unobstructed column. 

Thanksgiving is the busiest time of the year for workers at the Hunts Point Produce Market, the largest wholesale food distributor in the country. (On a separate note, the market's future remains uncertain, with businesses threatening to move to a cheaper site in New Jersey.)

Immigrants in the Bronx are getting in the holiday spirit.

A Bronx-based trash collecting company says chef Gordan Ramsey owes it $25,000.

And finally, a tour of JFK's childhood home in Riverdale.

Bronx News Roundup, Oct. 19

The NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau is investigating claims that Deputy Inspector John D'Adamo, the commanding officer of the 52nd Precinct, wrote off parking tickets received by friends and family members. D'Adamo has been top cop at the Five-Two since last October. Here's a profile that appeared in the Norwood News earlier this year. 

As we mentioned yesterday, the four Newburgh men accused of trying to blow up two Riverdale synagogues have been found guilty. In a statement, Bronx BP Ruben Diaz, Jr. said:

I am happy to see that justice has been done, and that the four thugs who plotted to destroy two Riverdale synagogues will be forced to pay for their crimes. The Bronx stands against hate in all of its forms, and all 1.4 million Bronxites are gratified that this loathsome attack on religious freedom will not go unpunished.

Legal experts say the convictions vindicate the post-9/11 strategy of using informants to identify and encourage individuals considered likely to engage in terrorism activities, in order to get them off the streets.

Two pit bulls attacked and injured two adults near Crotona Park early this morning.

For one Bronx family, Nov. 1 is a special day. Mom, dad, and baby all share the same birthday.

The owners of a venerable Bronx locksmith says their company's name is being dragged through the mud by scam artists.

In his weekly column, the Daily News' Bob Kappstatter says more trouble may be brewing for Co-op City's scandal-hit board of directors.

The Yankees have made a mint selling dirt from their old ballpark.

A Bronx-based beverage company is recalling certain juice drinks because of concerns over foodborne pathogens.

State Senator Jeff Klein is taking nothing for granted in his race against Republican challenger Frank Vernuccio.

An enormous pumpkin, weighing close to 2,000 pounds, will be on display at the Botanical Garden upcoming "Halloween Hoorah" event series. For times, etc. visit our events calendar.

Bronx News Roundup, Oct. 7

The body of a pregnant woman who had been missing for more than a week was found behind the wheel of a parked car, yards away from a Bronx police station. According to the preliminary autopsy, Gizela Andrade, a diabetic since childhood, died of an insulin overdose, although a possible suicide note was found in her home.

An angry judge dismissed an interpreter after a lawyer complained that the translations were too confusing. Defense lawyer Lynn Calvacca accused Sonia Ioannou of butchering the cross examination of a witness who speaks only Greek. The dispute began during the trial of Israel Feliciano, who stands accused of murdering Bedford Park pizza manager George Orfanos in 1992.

Bronx Science's girls volleyball team beat Kennedy for the first time since 2007.

A woman was found guilty in the murder of a 91-year old granny in the Bronx. Sparkle Daniel was found guilty of second degree murder and faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. Daniel will be sentenced on Oct. 25; the other woman involved in the murder is currently awaiting trial.

Lawyers are forced to look into special treatment accusations in Co-op City, where a board member was allegedly bumped to the top of a waiting list for a popular sought-after townhouse.

Council member Oliver Koppell recently acquired $5,000 for the Bronx Arts Ensemble and the Bronx Opera.

Progress report cards for several elementary schools were not looking good as schools were slammed with C's and D's. In the Bronx 56 schools received A's and 92 schools received B's. School principals say the grades are a wakeup call for new changes. 

Bronx News Roundup, June 24

Angel Franco's photography of the 46th precinct is featured today in the New York Times' Lens blog. Franco documented the west-central Bronx from 1979 through 1984, when the area was known as "The Alamo."

The police are asking for the public's help finding a man who's wanted in regard to an incident of forcible touching on a 13-year-old girl on June 17 in the Bronx. The Village Voice has the details.

The Times reported that Dennis Derryck, a 70-year-old mathematician and professor at the New School for Management and Urban Policy, has developed a commercial community-supported agriculture plan (C.S.A.) for the South Bronx. The plan allows residents to pay farmers for weekly deliveries of produce from an upstate farm and eventually own shares in the farm.

The management of the Bronx's Co-Op City met with 500 porters, janitors, handymen, and other building workers yesterday to draw up a tentative, four-year contract. The contract will provide salary adjustments, secure health care for the workers and their families, and, best of all, keep them on the job.

According to the NYPD, an armed suspect died in the Bronx this morning after a shootout with officers. Police say they were searching the Hunts Point home with a warrant at about 9:15 a.m. when the suspect and at least two officers opened fire.

The MTA has cut shuttle service from the 6 train to the floating pool in Barretto Point Park. NBC New York has the story.

A recent poll from Quinnipiac of 1,650 New Jersey residents lists the Yankees as New Jersey's favorite baseball team.

Bronx News Roundup, June 14

It's Monday! Time to get back to business and some BX news you may have missed. Enjoy!

In-Tech Academy, in the South Bronx, is currently under investigation by city education officials on charges claiming that students were disciplined by being assigned janitorial duties, such as cleaning toilets.

Jury selection on the case against the four men who allegedly plotted to bomb Riverdale synagogues is set to begin today.

A 4-year-old boy died after tumbling over the railing of his terrace, and falling down 23 stories, in Co-op City. For a story on the father's reaction click here.

The Hutchinson Metro Center, in the Bronx, has agreed to shine the colors of Mother Teresa's order on August 26, in honor of her 100th birthday, after Empire State Building officials said no.

State Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. has stuck to his guns, and refuses to vote on any more budget cuts, even with the threat of a state government shutdown. The Daily News has more.

Some senate leaders are confident that a government shutdown will not be happening. Read more here.

The 32-year-old man who received a rare heart and liver transplant at Montefiore Medical Center, was able to return home to his family on Friday.

Nearly 600 high school students rallied outside of City Hall on Friday in support of free student MetroCards, which the MTA has threatened to take away.

John H. Reynolds, the Green Party candidate for NY State Senate, in the 33rd senate district, spoke out on a number of issues, including worker's rights and the need to empower communities of color, at the South Bronx Community Congress meeting held at Hostos Commuity College, earlier this month.

The New York Public Library's Summer Reading 2010 Program, kicked off at the Bronx Library Center in Fordham, on Friday. Read more here.

The New York Yankees Museum reveals its 'Subway Series' exhibit.

Bronx News Roundup, June 9

Here's your daily dose of BX news around the Web:

State Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada has had it with Governor Paterson's proposed budget cuts and is threatening to refrain from voting on any future budget extenders. Paterson needs every Democratic vote in the Senate to solve the budget crisis. Read more here.

The Daily News takes a look into the mixed hertitage restaurant, Coquí Mexicano, in Melrose.

Bronx High School of Science teachers plan to rally outside of Mayor Bloomberg's upper east side home Thursday, aiming to bring to his attention the ongoing battle the teachers from the math department have had with the assistant principal.

Nearly 75 students from P.S. 212, on Tinton Avenue, were behind in all their classes due to the denial of state-mandated language classes until March.

Co-op City's maintenance workers will be back on the job today, after union members and management announced they will give negotiations another shot.

An 87 year-old Bronx man, who is receiving dialysis treatments, has had his Access-a-Ride service suspended due to his alleged failure to show up. NY1 has the story.

The recession may have caused many in the Bronx to lose their jobs, but it has also helped many find new careers working right from home. Read about it here.

The ongoing battle between St. Barnabas Hospital and its interns and resident physicians may have finally been brought to an end by a ruling by the National Labor Relations Board that says interns and residents have the right to form a union. For some background information on this issue, check out the Tremont Tribune.

15 South Bronx environmental workers are heading to the Gulf Coast, for a month to help with the oil spill cleanup.

A Bronx girl is graduating with perfect attendance, never missing a day of school dating back to Kindergarten.

Bronx News Roundup, June 3

Another great day in the BX, another day of news! Enjoy!

According to authorities, toxicology tests show that the officer who killed himself, another officer and injured four women, in a car crash last month on the Bronx River Parkway, had an alcohol level twice the legal limit. NY Times has the story here.

The sudden oil spill into the Bronx River yesterday, came from a 12-story apartment complex in White Plains. The leak spanned three to four miles. According to a spokeswoman for the Department of Environmental Conservation, some wildlife has been affected.

Four men have been charged with running a $5.7 million medicaid scam. With a clinic in the Bronx, next to the Bronx VA, they allegedly bribed homeless medicaid recipients to come to their office for unnecessary dental treatments.

Co-op City residents are getting fed up with all the garbage that continues to pile up as 100 of maintenance workers continue to strike against the management company and the new contract they have offered.

A failed robbery attempt in a home in the Van Nest section of the Bronx led to the shooting of two adults and a 14-year-old boy. All were taken to Jacobi Medical Center and are in stable condition.

The Child Sex Abuse Bill gets denied for the fifth year in the New York Legislature. The bill is asking for victims to be allowed to file lawsuits against predators well after the stature of limitations has expired.

Mayor Bloomberg takes another shot at making elections non-partisan. Legal experts argued in a rowdy meeting last night at Lehman College over whether nonpartisan elections would hide candidates' beliefs from voters.

President Clinton Urges Struggling Bronxites to Hang On

Last night, more than 1,000 guests attended an invitation-only event in honor of Black History Month, at the Dreiser Loop Community Center in Co-op City.

The keynote speaker was former President Bill Clinton, who received a heartfelt welcome from the crowd, less than a week after being hospitalized.

Clinton recalled the devastation he witnessed in Haiti and told Bronxites struggling in the weakened economy (the borough has the state's highest unemployment rate) to hang on.


-Photos and reporting by David Greene