Bronx News Roundup, Dec. 1

In an effort to curb fires caused by illegally converted apartments, the city is dispersing information to Bronx and Queens residents warning them of the dangers of illegally subdivided units.

Jacobi Medical Center in the the Bronx will be the recipient of city backed, multimillion-dollar training facility with realistic mannequins.

Students at the Women's Academy of Excellence in the Bronx find they can relate to a new play making its rounds through city schools that addresses complex teenage issues.

In the wake of two incidents of youth gun violence in the Bronx, this Daily News column talks about the Rev. Al Sharpton's sudden call to fight the issue.

On the same note, this NY1 article is centered on the community's response to the recent fatal shooting of Issi Dominiguez, a 17-year-old Bronx boy.

The Bronx-born,Broadway press agent, Max Eisen, recently passed away at the age of 91.

The Daily News reveals the Civic Center neighborhood surrounding Yankee Stadium has a lot to offer.

Daily News columnist, Bob Kappstatter, has a few words to say on various political happenings in the Bronx.

Bronx News Roundup, April 27

A high school junior died after being accidentally shot in the chest by a friend playing with a gun; he was one of two fatalities in a weekend which saw 13 shootings and 1 near-fatal stabbing in the Bronx.

The Bronx teacher who was arrested after he barricaded himself inside a classroom at the New Millenium Business Academy Middle School last Friday was released without bail on Saturday.

The Daily News reports back from a poetry workshop for Bronx teens in residency programs.

A man tried to turn in a live hand grenade at the NYPD's Gun Buyback program, held in churches around the Bronx on Saturday.

The Botanical Garden will open its new tulip show, "The Glory of Dutch Bulbs" on Friday.

And Boogiedowner beat us to the punch, but these are stories worth reading: David Gonzalez, former NY Times Bronx Bureau Chief, had a story this weekend on immigrant families divided by legal status, while PBS is set to air a story tomorrow on a former communist co-op in the Bronx.

And last but not least, former BP Adolfo Carrion finally paid his bill.

Bronx News Roundup April 23

Above, the Bronx DA, Robert Johnson, talks to Bronxnet about gun crime and this Saturday's gun buy-back program.

The Yankees owe the city $67K in back-rent. More here on their pricey (and empty) new seats.

In the Bronx, foreclosures notices are up 50 percent compared to a few months ago. That's a higher percentage increase than any other borough.

Majora Carter on the importance of green jobs, green roofs, green infrastructure, and what we can learn from the Internet.

Pastor Joel Osteen, the author and televangelist, was in Williambridge yesterday to meet with elected officials and clergy. On Saturday, he's scheduled to give a service at Yankee Stadium.

Gay Riverdalians talk about gay marriage.

The dour economy has hurt Riverdale's little leagues, but so far they're surviving.

Gun "Buy-Back" Program Coming to the Bronx

In February, 919 guns were collected during a gun “buy-back” day in Queens. Now the program, a joint effort between the NYPD, district attorneys, and local churches, is heading to the Bronx.

Police say it’ll be held on Saturday, April 25, although a spokesman for the Bronx DA’s Office said nothing had been finalized.

According to a detective I spoke with, organizers are in the process of picking out several churches in high crime precincts, including the 40th Precinct (which includes Mott Haven), the 44th Precinct (which includes Highbridge), and the 46th Precinct (which includes Mount Hope and Morris Heights). Nearer the time, fliers will be posted in the targeted neighborhoods encouraging gun owners to drop off their weapon at a given church in return for a $200 debit card – no questions asked.

Since the program was launched last summer, a handful of "buy-back" days have yeilded 3,500 weapons. Compare this to the hundred or so guns a precinct such as the Four-Six seizes each year, and you get an idea how effective the program is at getting guns off the street.

And yet, despite these impressive figures, there's some debate over whether or not these types of programs do what they're supposed to do: cut gun crime. See here and here for opposing views.

(Pictured above are photographs of several guns seized by the 46th Precinct in 2008. Photo by James Fergusson)

Famed Bronx Bakery Shut Down. 13-year-old Brings Gun to Tremont School.

A couple of troubling west Bronx news stories happened yesterday.

State labor officials are trying to shut down Arthur Avenue Bakery, a famed establishment in the Bronx's Little Italy, for grossly unfair labor practices.

Labor Commissioner M. Patricia Smith said she couldn't remember ever having to shut down a place for labor: “The employer was so abusive that we actually made the determination that it would be better for workers to lose their jobs than to continue working there.”

Smith said many of the bakery's 15 employees worked 12-hour shifts for $50, or about $4.15 an hour. Some employees were forced to work their first week without pay and some went 5-10 weeks without receiving a check, Smith said.

Smith thought the bakery had been closed, but on Tuesday a manager there said they were still operating.

Police arrested a 13-year-old student at IS 318 in the Tremont/Mt. Hope area yesterday after it was discovered that he was carrying around an unloaded semi-automatic pistol.