Hail in the Bronx, Reservoir Rats, A Bronx-born Olympian and more news for Tuesday, Aug. 12

Lots to do today, so let's get to the news:

Yesterday's torrential downpour in the borough included a smattering of hail and one Bronxite saved some to prove it. [NYT]

Scientists warn that blasting at the Jerome Park Reservoir (which the DEP wants to do and the community is adamantly against) could lead to a huge infestation of rats in nearby communities. The community won a temporary restraining order against the blasting plan until Sept. 3, when there will be a hearing on whether the DEP needs to conduct more thorough environmental impact study before going forward.

Daily News borough chief Bob Kappstatter (spelling?) gossips about Council Member Maria Baez "going ghetto" on former Bronx Democratic machine lawyer Stanley Schlein, who ("while no one's pointing any fingers") found two of his tires slashed outside of the Bronx Board of Elections. Schlein apparently had a falling out with the machine and is now siding with the Democratic insurgents.

Here's more on the high school grad rates story from the NY Times. The 55.8 percent graduation mark we reported here yesterday also includes those seniors who graduated after taking summer classes. Without those students, the rate is 52.2 percent. Still, it's the first time more than half of NYC students graduated on time.

A Bronx sanitation worker died on the job yesterday. [Post]

A new gritty movie about the Bronx recently debuted to a small audience. [Daily News]

Construction of the new Yankee Stadium leaves local baseball players with no place to play. [Daily News]

And, finally, the most famous Bronxite in the world right now is Cullen Jones, the gold-medal-winning swimmer who was born in the borough, but grew up outisde of Newark, NJ. More on Jones here and here and here. [Daily News, NY Sun, Kansas City Star]