Bronx News Roundup, June 17

The Bronx International Film Festival kicks off today (we're one of the festival sponsors). We've been posting trailers for some of the films being screened, so check back here later. And click here for more info, or to reserve tickets.

An off-duty Bridges and Tunnels cop fired his gun at a group of attackers during a road rage scuffle following an accident on the Major Deegan.

Gothamist showcases a collection of striking photographs from the LIFE image archive of the South Bronx during the early 1950s dubbed the "Bronx Slums."

Make sure you buy a ticket--and keep your recceipt--before boarding the Bx12 bus. Transit officials are cracking down on fare-beaters who've been taking advantage of the MTA's "pay at the curb" option, where tickets are purchased before riders board the bus.

The owners of a Westchester building that was the source of an oil spill in the Bronx River on June 2nd will be footing the bill for its cleanup.

The Huffington Post profiles Edda Lopez, a University Heights resident who is taking on Bank of America in a foreclosure battle (the Norwood News ran a story on Lopez earlier this month, as did this blog. Read here and here.)

The Huffington Post also chronicles, through photos, one blogger's trip to a Bronx recycling facility.

Paul DeRienzo, a South Bronx elementary school teacher, writes that charter schools--largely concentrated in the South Bronx and Harlem--could be making our school system more racially segregated.

Police are investigating two fatal stabbings that happened yesterday. 

The South Bronx has seen one of the highest jumps in subway ridership in recent years, according to a survey (the Aqueduct Racetrack stop, in Queens, has the lowest ridership, with a 72 percent drop-off over the past decade).

News Roundup for August 1

Gothamist interviews Omar Freilla, founder of Green Worker Cooperatives in the South Bronx.

Last week on Bill Moyers Journal, he interviewed poet Martin Espada, who worked with students at Dreamyard Prep, a small school in the former Taft High School building. The transcript is available here, or you can watch the interview.

The founding president of Lehman College, Leonard Lief, died Monday at the age of 83, the Daily News reports. Under his tenure, Lehman expanded to include 62 bachelor's degree programs and 29 master's programs, in addition to a doctoral program in plant sciences.

And Newsday reports that the Transit Authority will now provide online alerts to tell commuters which elevators and escalators are out of service in the subway system, good news for people who depend on elevators to get in and out of the stations.

Subway Construction

As some of you may have discovered by experience this week, the 4 train is only running express from 167 St. to Woodlawn from July 9-13 from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., stopping also at Burnside Ave. To get to 170 St., Mt. Eden Av., 176 St., Fordham Rd., Bedford Park Blvd. and Mosholu Pkwy take the 4 to Burnside Ave. or Woodlawn and transfer to the Manhattan-bound 4, which will be running as usual.

Additionally, Kingsbridge Rd. and 183 St. stations are currently closed due to construction. Both will be open starting at 5 a.m. July 16. In the meantime, the MTA website suggests taking the D or 4 to Fordham Rd. and transfering to Bx32 or the shuttle bus to get to Kingsbridge, but only after 3 p.m. when the 4 starts running local again. To get to 183 St. take the 4 to Burnside Ave. and transfer to the Bx32 or shuttle bus or take the D to 182-183 Sts. and transfer to the shuttle bus.

For more information about what has been done to the Kingsbridge Rd. station, as well as updates on subway construction, click here.