Local Businesses Struggle after Bronx Water Main Break

A day after a water main burst under Jerome Ave., businesses were still cleaning up. (J. Bodden)

Editor's Note: A spokesman for Small Business Services, which is aiding merchants in the recovery effort, said there will be a recovery meeting for business owners and other concerned parties tomorrow, Aug. 3, at 11 a.m., at Davidson Community Center, 2038 Davidson Avenue.

By Justin Bodden

A little more than twenty-four hours after a water main break left Jerome Avenue in Mt. Hope submerged under tens of thousands of gallons of water, some businesses were still cleaning up, working diligently to get every last drop of water out. Others were busy on the phones talking to their insurance companies, looking to receive compensation for damages.

Today, almost a week later, local businesses in the Mt. Hope are still struggling to clean-up and survive after a 108-year-old water main burst early last Wednesday morning near the corner of East 177th Street.

The cause of the main rupture is still under investigation, but Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Michael Saucier said in an e-mail that age alone did not cause the pipe to burst.

Local merchants who lived through it said the flooding created total chaos.

Bronx Crime Watch: 46th Precinct Murder Count Doubles Over 8 Days in April

Police have beefed up their foot patrols around Creston Ave. in the 46th Precinct.

Editor's note: This story first appeared in the May edition of the Mt. Hope Monitor.

Photo and Story by Giovanny Fausto Pinto

In April, residents within the 46th Precinct saw the coming of spring and three brutal murders.

Following the murders, all shootings, including a brazen teen-on-teen killing during rush hour near bustling Burnside Avenue, local residents fear the situation may only get worse.

“Crime was getting better and now there is no control,” said a 35-year-resident of the area who only wished to be identified as Eddie. “People need to take care of these kids.”

In front of the Pizza shop where Eddie stopped to get a bite to eat stood the stark reminder of violence, a street memorial of candles, flowers, and empty liquor bottles.

“Summer is coming,” he added as a forewarning. “They ain’t seen nothing yet.”

Bronx News Roundup, March 17

Happy St. Patrick's Day, Bronx. Enjoy the beautiful sunny, 60s-ish day. Everyone deserves it after enduring that slog of a winter. (If you're of age and find yourself getting thirsty later, see our post on the borough's best Irish bars. Also, please weigh in on our ongoing debate: Is it St. Patty's or St. Paddy's? Here's one answer.)

Story of the Day: Museum Highlights Bronx Positives
I positively had to make this wonderfully-headlined story in the Daily News -- "Stick it, Glenn Beck! The Bronx Museum of Arts touts borough's positive stories" -- the roundup's story of the day. Tomorrow night, starting at 6 p.m., the Bronx Museum is holding a free event called "Bronx Talks: Bronx Stories,"  featuring the showing of a documentary, "Richie Perez Watches 'Fort Apache: The Bronx,'" followed by four storytellers spinning yarns about their Bronx experiences. The audience is invited to share their experiences as well. "The goal is to challenge the stereotypes of the Bronx," one of the event's creators, Bridget Bartolini, told the Daily News. This, of course, falls right in line with our borough president's new combative approach to defying old, out-dated depictions of the Bronx. Stick it, Glenn Beck, indeed. The Museum is located at 1040 Grand Concourse.

Quick Hits:
The body of missing 40-year-old Throggs Neck mother Tina Adovasio was discovered in Westchester County yesterday by some kids riding ATVs. Adovasio's husband, Tony Coello, who police say has a history of domestic violence, is being called a "person of interest" in the case. Video from the Post.

The DN's Bronx columnist Patrice O'Shaugnessy says the Adovasio case and other recent domestic clashes -- including a Kingsbridge murder-suicide poisoning -- show how quickly domestic violence can spiral out of control.

Three special needs schools in the Bronx -- St. Joseph's School for the Deaf, the Lavelle School for the Blind and New York Institute for Special Education -- could be crippled by Gov. Cuomo's plans to slash their state funding.

More on the casino bus crash: details on the driver Ophadell (formerly Eric) Williams' 1990 conviction for manslaughter; fatigue always a factor for low-cost tour-bus drivers; Police finally identified a 76-year-old survivor who remains in critical condition as Kin Chai Mock; A family friend says Williams is struggling with all the media scrutiny. 

A bodega in Mt. Hope was robbed on Wednesday morning. Police say the two suspects could be the same duo that has hit seven other Bronx bodegas since January. 

Two Haitian youngsters will receive critical heart surgery at Montefiore Medical Center this week.

Kappy's back this week with thoughts on Ruben "The Rev" Diaz Sr. being the last-amigo standing following the indictment of fellow State Senator Carl Kruger and the ousting of Pedro Espada Jr. and Hiram Monserrate. Says Bronx Assemblyman Peter Rivera's confirmed and denied rumors he's leaving office after his term is up next year. Quote: "Wonderful turnout, wonderful weather and just enough sprinkled boos at Mayor Bloomberg to make last Sunday's Bronx St. Patrick's Day in Throgs Neck great."