Happy Tax Day! If you're freaking out because you haven't gotten your, um, stuff together, then freak not, you still have three more days to file! The deadline to file has been extended this year to Monday, April 18, so you have the entire weekend to continue procrastinating.
Weekend weather: It should stay nice and sunny today, though a little cooler than yesterday. Rain and wind will rule Saturday, with the sun supposedly breaking through on Sunday afternoon.
To the news!
Story of the Day: Woodlawn Weiss and other Bronck's Beer
How could I not make this Riverdale Press story about a Woodlawn man who is turning his basement brewing hobby into a beer-making enterprise the story of the day? (Ok, don't answer that, but just look at the photo; so refreshing and inviting. But I digress.) Anyway, Steve Nallen, a Woodlawn resident whose family runs deep with Bronx blood, introduced two of his Bronck's Beer Co. creations -- Woodlawn Weiss and Pelham Bay IPA -- to thirsty patrons at the The Bronx Ale House in Kingsbridge last week to rave reviews. Nallen's efforts (named after the borough's indirect namesake, Jonas Bronck), combined with those of The Bronx Brewery, could give the borough a much-needed economic boost -- a mini Bronx beer stimulus package, if you will. Happy Friday and drink responsibly.
Quick Hits:
Authorities arrested 16 people for their alleged involvement in a massive Bronx-Yonkers cocaine distribution ring.
Ticket fixing scandal update: A Bronx cop who works in the 46th Precinct testified to a grand jury that union delegates helped her take care of at least two summonses, according to the Daily News.
In the wake of the deadly tour bus crash in the Bronx last month, transportation officials say more than 100 drivers have been pulled off the road for various violations.
In response to reports of rampant prostitution around PS 6, Bronx State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr., aka The Rev, is introducing legislation that would stiffen penalties for illegal sex traders who operate near schools.
Deliberations began in the trial of two Bronx female cops who were charged with beating a motorist.
The old Willis Avenue Bridge, which once connected 70,000 vehicles a day between the Bronx and Manhattan, was taken to New Jersey this week to be recycled.
Former Schools Chancellor Joel Klein responded to Jonathan Mahler's NY Times Magazine profile of the Bronx's MS 223, which we broke down in Monday's "Story of the Day," saying the writer unfairly characterized the presence of more charter schools as one of the reasons why many public schools are struggling to succeed.
Fordham University professor Mark Naison talks about the Bronx's musical history.
Many Bronx public school students are not responding to the DOE's annual survey, which contributes to each school's overall grade.
Friday, April 15, 2011
Bronx News Roundup, Friday, April 15
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Bronx News Roundup, Feb. 22
Breaking news alert: It's cold! Don't put away your long johns, Bronxites, it's still very much winter here in the northern borough. Cheer up, though, tomorrow it could get up to a balmy 38 degrees.
Story of the Day:
Sidney Flores, the self-appointed guardian and watchdog of his Mt. Eden neighborhood, could be the closest thing the Bronx has to a super hero. The 52-year-old handyman who won the lottery a few years ago, spends his free time showing up at the scenes of crimes and fires and other disasters and does his best to help out. If he sees a fight or a possible drug deal or a broken street lamp, he makes a call to the proper authorities. He was instrumental in getting the Morris Mesa playground next to his apartment fixed up and cleared of drugs and prostitution. And here's the kicker: he doesn't have any political ambitions or want any adulation for his work. “I believe that when you give of yourself,” he told the Times, “it comes back to you somehow, some way.” Is this guy for real?
Quick Hits:
Police are investigating whether NYPD officers used excessive force in arresting a 19-year-old Bronxite who was held in custody for 24 hours and then released with a citation for riding his bike on the sidewalk.
NY1's Dean "the Dream" Meminger profiles the new Black History Month exhibit at the Bronx Museum. It features the work of legendary 95-year-old artist Elizabeth Catlett as well as other artists. In April, Catlett is scheduled to visit the exhibit and speak with some of the other contributing artists.
Surprise! People aren't happy with the closing of two 6 train line stations -- Elder Ave. and St. Lawrence Ave. -- for the next eight months.
Didn't get to this last week or yesterday, but here's a story on Bronx Councilman Fernando Cabrera's simple yet hugely helpful new piece of legislation that would require landlords to post a tenant's bill of rights in the lobbies of apartment buildings and attach it to new leases and renewals. Big news for tenants. More on this soon.
Weather resistant birders descend on Van Cortlandt Park every Saturday morning.
On Fox's network news station in Washington, DC, "Ask Allison" answers a viewer's question about why our lovely borough is called "The Bronx"? This is a good question. Allison says it's for two reasons: because the borough's main inhabitant and land owner was Jonas Bronck, so people would say, "we're going to the Bronck's farm." It's also, because people called the river running through the borough, "the Bronx River." I believe Allison is correct, although I've always been told that it's important to note that the borough is named after the river, not Jonas Bronck. Although, if the river is named after Jonas Bronck, isn't that pretty much the same as naming the borough after the person? Where's Lloyd Ultan when you need him? Here's the video:
