Weather: Not a cloud in the sky. High in the mid-80s. This weekend: more of the same with temperatures creeping up into the high-80s, low-90s. Good beach weather.
Story of the Day: BxNN Beats Times on Muller Story, Loses Headline Battle
A little inside baseball today. (Skip to the Quick Hits if you get bored.) Anyone working in the editorial side of the journalism industry will tell you that a) timing is everything, and b) headline writing is the one of the hardest things to do well. Early yesterday, Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr.'s press office sent out a press release with a letter attached that accuses the mayor's office of deliberately abusing the BRAC process to ensure that the vacant Muller Army Reserve Center in Wakefield becomes a homeless shelter.
We've been following this story for more than two years, but this letter contained details, strongly-worded allegations and possible legal action. All the elements for a good, poignant news story. So we rushed to get it up on this site as soon as possible. We ended up beating the Times by about an hour. Chalk one up for BxNN! (On a side note: Kudos to former BxNN intern and native Bedford Parker Andrew Boryga for producing a well-written piece for the Grey Lady's website.) For the most part, we can't compete with the bigger papers, but we do strive to bring Bronx news to our readers as swiftly as possible. And we also take pride in the fact that our stories lead to coverage in bigger papers and more-trafficked websites. Our story on the Oval Park pop-up piano drew national attention and we've been banging the drum on this Muller Center story for two years now. We see ourselves as a megaphone for the Bronx and when our stories get picked up, our megaphone gets amplified exponentially. That means more people will pay attention to our oft-overlooked borough. And that's a good thing.
Which brings me back to headlines. Our accurate, boring, and too-long Muller Center headline: "Bronx BP Asks Feds to Intervene in Muller Center Dispute; Yonkers Mayor Asks Bloomberg to Reconsider Shelter Plan." The Times' headline: "City Hall Accused of Steamrolling Opposition to Bronx Shelter." That's also accurate, but also punchy and succinct. Obviously, there's is much better. So I'll take the win for speed, but here's a tip of the cap to the Times' headline writers.
Quick Hits:
Friday, July 15, 2011
Bronx News Roundup, Friday, July 15
Monday, June 28, 2010
Bronx News Roundup, June 28
Organizers were dismayed when the city shut down a public viewing of the United States vs. Ghana World Cup match on Saturday afternoon at Lou Gehrig Park, just blocks from Yankee Stadium. (FYI: Ghana defeated the U.S. 2-1 in overtime). The city cited safety concerns as the reason for the shut down, but Cary Goodman, executive director of the 161 Business Improvement District, wasn't convinced.
Goodman told the NY Times: “Is anybody really saying that in this Bronx neighborhood, where 45,000 people come for a baseball game, that the police cannot safely and successfully ensure a community event like watching TV?”
Anna Maria Silva, 40, was fatally stabbed in her apartment on Watson Avenue shortly after midnight on Saturday. After making a 911 call, a man who the police said was known to the victim admitted to the crime.
The Bronx band "Graveshift," composed of two sisters and two brothers ranging in age from 13 to 20, won second place in the Battle of the Bands contest on Sunday night at Manhattan's Webster Hall. The Daily News has the story.
The principals of Bronx Guild High School and Bronx Regional High School spoke out against a New York State requirement that would require high school students to gain a Regents Diploma in order to graduate. Both administrators expressed practical concerns with the requirement in the Times' article.
Problems at JFK high school continue in the wake of last week's bake sale scandal.
The Times profiles the stylish and effective principal of MS 391, Pedro Santana. (Note: this article wrongly says MS 391 is in the "South Bronx." Actually, it's located in the north central Bronx, on Webster Avenue, between about 182nd and 183rd streets. Decidedly not the South Bronx.)
