Sen. Gillibrand Visits Bronx Health Fair

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand checks out a display on healthy snack foods at Montefiore Medical Center.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand made a stop in the Bronx this morning to attend a "healthy eating" fair at Montefiore Children's  Hospital in Norwood.

The senator took a quick tour of several booths set up in the hospital's lobby, where staff presented visitors with nutritional information and tips for eating healthier.

"This display is all about nutrition," said Gillibrand, who sits on the Senate's Agriculture and Nutrition Committee, the first New York representative to do so for nearly four decades. She's sponsored legislation to ban trans-fats in school lunches and increase funding for child fitness programs.

"Too many of our children are obese," she told reporters on her visit today. "We need to do much better."

The Bronx has some of the bleakest obesity statistics in the State. According to a 2009 report from Gillibrand's office, 62.7 percent of Bronx County adults are overweight or obese. In the South Bronx, a third of pre-schoolers enrolled in the city's Head Start program are obese.

Today's healthy eating fair was sponsored by Montefiore as part of the medical center's "Food Education Project," a series of seminars and events that aim to improve the community's eating habits by offering healthy recipes and nutritional tips.

Bronx News Roundup, Jan. 13

Two teenagers were shot, one fatally, inside a deli on Westchester and Wheeler Avenues in Bronx River early this morning. One victim, 18, was pronounced dead at the scene while another 19-year-old is in stable condition at Jacobi Medical Center.

This spat of youth violence comes just days after another boy, 14-year-old Philip Johnson, was shot to death in Williamsbridge Monday night during a fight organized by two groups of feuding teenagers via text message.

More bad health news for the borough: the Bronx had the worst health stats almost across the board in 2009 compared to other parts of the city (with the exception of heart disease, which is most prevalent in Brooklyn).

So far, Sen. Jeff Klein and the three other Democrats who split from the party's conference last week have been denied spots on any Senate committees, though the Republicans can still dole out assignments to them and other Democrats (here's a list of committee assignments Democratic leader John Sampson released a few days ago).

Former NFL star and Giants player Lawrence Taylor is fighting charges that he paid a 16-year-old Bronx girl for sex. Taylor has rejected a plea deal, and could go to trial this month.

More controversy over plans to build a 911 call center on Pelham Parkway, which city Controller John Liu has called out for wasteful spending and the fact that the project is way over budget.

David Gonzalez takes a look at the work of Bronx-native photographer Martin Cohen, in a post for the Times' Lens Blog.

A Bronx man who was hired to shovel snow outside of a Department of Sanitation garage in Inwood fell through a metal sidewalk grate, suffering a head injury. Eric Pagan, 20, was in stable condition yesterday at Harlem Hospital.

Montefiore doctor Alexandra Bastien looks back on her trip to Haiti to help out after the earthquake. The one year anniversary of the disaster was yesterday.

Two people were injured during a fire that broke out yesterday in the basement of an apartment building in Claremont.

Computers that were stolen this summer during a burglary at PS 35 were replaced this month, after HPD and non-profit housing developer Blue Sea Development organized a computer drive for the school.

Senate Dems Get Their Committee Assignments

Senate Democratic Leader John Sampson released a list today of Senate committee assignments today, which are shown below.

The Republicans have also published their assignments, along with the names of reps who will chair said committees. The list is here. Sen. Dean Skelos, leader of the now-majority Republicans, gets to name committee chairs--positions of power that come with a "lulu," or financial bonus.

No Democrats were granted chair positions this time, and neither was Bronx Sen. Jeff Klein, or any other member of his newly formed Independent Democratic Conference.

The minority committee assignments are posted below. The names at the top of each committee list that have an asterisk next to them are the ranking minority members--i.e., the top Democrat on that committee.

New Sen. Gustavo Rivera is the new minority ranking member of the Committee on Crime Victims, Crimes & Corrections (formerly chaired by Sen. Ruth Hassell-Thompson when the Dems were in the majority). He's also been assigned to the Committees on Agriculture, Health, Finance, Higher Education, Labor and Banks.

Other Bronx Senators in minority ranking positions: Ruben Diaz on Aging (he was the former committee chair),  Jose M. Serrano for Cultural Affairs, and Hassell-Thompson on the judiciary committee.

See the list document for more.
46671049 Senate Democratic Committee Assignments

Espada Misses Vote on Important Housing Bill

Espada at a rally for his "rent freeze" bill in February (file photo)

Sen. Pedro Espada's absence at a special Senate session in Albany yesterday was a conspicuous one, as the controversial Majority Leader failed to make the trek to the capitol, while his primary election rival Gustavo Rivera--now Senator-elect--did.

Also making the journey to Albany? A group of city housing advocates intent on supporting an important housing bill to extend current rent stabilization laws until 2018--a lobbying effort that ultimately failed, as the bill was just a few votes short of the 32 needed to pass.

Espada missed the vote on the bill despite the fact that he is the chairman of the Senate's housing committee and happens to be the legislation's main sponsor.

"No one believed any of the stories [for why he didn't show up]," said Michael McKee, director of the Tenants PAC and the Real Rent Reform Campaign, who attended yesterday's session.

Diaz Sr. Wants Hispanics to Fill Espada's Power Positions

State Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr.

A week before Tuesday's primary, State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr. predicted both he and his fellow amigo, Pedro Espada Jr., would win re-election and come back bigger, stronger and better than before.

He was half right. 

Diaz lamented Espada's loss to Gustavo Rivera on Tuesday night, but he's already looking ahead to life without him. In a press release, Diaz said he wanted to see a Hispanic lawmaker placed into the two positions of power Espada had carved out in the state senate: majority leader and housing committee chair.

He said he didn't want the positions himself, but offered up a handful of alternatives, including Rivera. Here's his full statement:

“As the Chair of the New York State Senate Puerto Rican/Latino Caucus, I must insist that since the voters of Senator Pedro Espada’s district have lost him as their Senator, New York’s Hispanic community must not also lose the leadership roles he had while in the State Senate.

Senator Espada served as Chair of the Senate Housing Committee, and more importantly, as the Senate Majority Leader. I will not accept a “one step forward, two steps backwards” approach toward participatory democracy for Hispanics in the Senate. I urge the Senate leadership and my Senate colleagues to select a Hispanic Senator to fill those positions.

I want it understood by my supporters and to my critics that I am not interested in either of those roles and I will not accept them even if offered.

I do believe that my colleagues , Senator Martin Malave Dilan, Senator Jose Peralta, Senator Jose Serrano, as well as Gustavo Rivera and Adriano Espaillat - who won last night’s election and will likely be sworn into office in January - should be selected to serve in these leadership positions.”

Bronx Elections: The Rundown

While there's been no shortage of talk about the candidates running in the 33rd State Senate District--the seat currently occupied by Pedro Espada, Jr.--we thought we'd provide a rundown of who's competing in myriad other local races.

Here's a synopsis of Bronx candidates who've filed petitions with the City and the State Board of Elections. These might not necessarily be the names you'll see on the ballot this fall, as a candidate's signatures petition can get thrown out for a number of reasons if it's challenged by an opponent. The deadline for challenging a candidate who filed was July 19, and the final primary ballot will be set August 9 after the signatures are reviewed.

The state's primary will be held on Sept. 14, while the general election will be Nov. 2. Not registered to vote yet? You have until Aug. 20 to register to vote in the primary, and until Oct. 8 for the general election. Visit this site or call 1-800-FOR-VOTE to have a registration form sent to you.

Read more after the jump to see our list.

Espada Lost $1.77M for Local Groups

(This story is from the latest edition of the Norwood News, out today.)

State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr., who has spent the past year boasting of the “millions” of dollars he has brought into his Bronx district as one of the state’s most powerful lawmakers, appears to have left the vast majority of that money on the table.

Last year, state lawmakers received nearly $148 million in discretionary funds, also known as member items or “pork,” to distribute in their districts. Espada managed to score just over $2 million of that for his 33rd district—something he’s played up on campaign fliers and elsewhere.

“I have secured $2.5 million in community project funds designated for many organizations in the district whose services and programs have become a vital lifeline to residents during these difficult times,” Espada said in a press release in February.

But after Espada botched his first two attempts to distribute the funds, it looks like a majority of the money he scored last year — some $1.77 million — never made it anywhere but back to the state.

Several calls and e-mails to Espada’s spokesman seeking clarification about his member item allocations were not returned.