Bronx News Roundup, Aug. 27

The funeral of Jose Pena-Seguira, the livery-cab driver who was shot dead in Mott Haven on Sunday, is being held today. Before the ceremony, Pena-Seguira's friends and colleagues will march from his place to work to where he was killed, to bring attention to the dangers cab drivers face. Since May, three Bronx cab drivers have been murdered on the job.

Councilman Oliver Koppell has been raising questions about his primary opponent Tony Cassino's relationship with Grassroots Initiative, a non-profit consulting firm.

Gabe Pressman looks back at New's York "love affair" with the Kennedy's, and touches on the family's connection with the Bronx.

Who knew? Jacobi Medical Center specializes in treating snake bite victims.

The so-called Five Borough Pizza Tour comes to the Bronx this Sunday. See here and here. Talking of pizza, some guy has decided to visit every non-chain pizza joint in the city, order a plain slice, consume it, and review it on his blog, Slice Harvester.

A free screening of Bronx Princess will held in Mullaly Park this Sunday. According to a press release, the film is a "tumultuous coming-of-age story" involving a Bronx-raised teenager girl of Ghanaian origin. The screening starts at 9 p.m. Before that, there will be story-telling and musical performances by some of the artists featured in the film. Here's the trailer:

Bronx News Roundup, April 2

Not a lot to be happy about in the Bronx today, but we'll have some more posiitive news coming up later to cheer you up.

The health of Bronx/Westchester Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson continues to hamper the efforts of state Democrats to pass a budget, once again underscoring their precarious hold on the majority. Democrats outnumber Republicans 32-30 in the senate and need all 32 votes to pass the budget (or any bill for that matter). With Hassell-Thompson back in the hopsital yesterday after being diagnosed with walking pneumonia and Republicans calling for a full debate on the legislation (stalling), Democrats were forced to adjourn without voting on the budget.

At the same time, the state's Comptroller, Thomas DiNapoli, a Democrat, says the proposed budget is swollen and irresponsible, given the economic downturn.

This is why we read the NY Post. A story in the paper today says a Westchester Ave. pizzeria was doubling as a drug depot. Here's the intro: "At one Bronx pizzeria, the toppings included pepperoni, sausage, mushrooms -- and lots of cocaine." Later in the story, a DEA agent says, "This gives a new meaning to the phrase, 'slice and a Coke.'"

The Daily News also picked it up. Their lead: "I'll have a large pie, half-pepperoni, half-cocaine." Video reports on the drug depot/restaurant, John's Pizza and Heroes, from NY1. Chanel 11. And ABC.

More bad (gruesome) news: a Bronx man accused of killing his daughter and stuffing her body in a boiler was also the father of the girl's unborn child, according to the Bronx DA.

Unfortunately, pizza drug spots and gruesome murder/incest-rape stories are what we get from other news outlets covering the Bronx.

Later today, we'll have preview some more positive stories from the Norwood News (but also another murder, unfortunately)