Police just announced that 19-year-old Hosny Hernandez has been arrested today and charged with the murder of 48-year-old cab driver Cesar Santos, who was gunned down on June 6 while chasing after two fare beaters in Kingsbridge Heights.
Police said they received a tip that led to the arrest of Hernandez, who was identified through surveillance video in surrounding area. The mayor's office was offering a $10,000 reward, in addition to the $2,000 reward being offered by the NYPD, for information leading to an arrest in this case.
Santos, a Dominican immigrant, husband and father of three who lives in North Fordham, near the Grand Concourse and Kingsbridge Road, was shot just outside of Our Lady of Angels Church on Sedgwick Avenue. He died soon after being transported to St. Barnabas Hospital.
Police originally said they were looking for two suspects in connection with the crime.
Here's our previous coverage. And look for more on this story in the Norwood News, out on streets tomorrow afternoon.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Arrest in Kingsbridge Heights Cab Driver Murder
Upcoming Bronx Events Through June 21
Tuesday, June 15
Community Council Meeting
The 46th Precinct’s next Community Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 15, at the precinct station house, 2120 Ryer Ave., at 7 p.m. Community Council meetings fall on the third Tuesday of every month. They give residents the chance to meet local police officers and air their concerns. For more information, call (718) 220-5234.
Concert: Quintet of the Americas
Quintet of the Americas will be performing their only concert in the Bronx this summer at the Wave Hill House at 2 p.m. The concert is free to the public and will include both multimedia performances, film and woodwind quartets. Wave Hill House is located at 675 W. 252 Street, or you can visit the Wave Hill website for more information.
Tuesday Teen Takeover!
Every Tuesday at the Riverdale Branch Library, the Teens Takeover! Play games, challenge your friends in a video game competition, hop on a laptop, and check out all new materials on the shelves. Beginning at 4 p.m. at 5540 Mosholu Avenue.
State Passes Budget Extender; Bronx's Diaz Sr. Only Dem to Vote Against It
Bronx State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr. was the only Democrat to vote against a budget extender resolution that would allow the government to continue paying employees for at least another week while lawmakers work to pass a budget that is now two and a half months overdue.
Still, the resolution passed because three Republicans voted for it. Diaz's fellow amigo in the Senate (and oddly, former bitter enemy), Pedro Espada, Jr., voted for the measure despite earlier threatening to vote against any further budget extenders.
Diaz and Espada have both said the extenders include cuts that they don't agree with.
Diaz said he understands that his fellow Democrats are angry, but he also says he has a solution to plugging the budget gap with two bills he has introduced that would seek Canadian prescription drug purchases and stricter assessments of credit card taxes.(Not sure exactly how those would make up the difference, but obviously, his colleagues aren't jumping all over them.)
Still, Diaz is sticking to his guns. “The black Puerto Rican with the funny accent and the kinky hair is showing you how simple it is,” Diaz told the Albany Times-Union.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Countdown to the Bronx International Film Festival: June 17-19
The Bronx News Network is co-sponsoring the Bronx International Film festival, which starts on Thursday, June 17 and runs through Saturday, June 19, at Lehman College. In the run-up to the festival, we're going to post previews to some of the featured movies.
Below is the trailer for "Defin" (or "The Burial"), a narrative short film from Turkey that will air on Saturday night.
Here's a short synopsis, provided by the festival operators:
"The Burial \ Defin” is the story of two brothers who have a bond stronger than blood. The legend starts in the 50s, in a dark unknown place where two merciless gangsters (Tarik and Kenan) fall in love with the same girl. And it resolves with the murder the girl (Selma). Upon this, the brothers leave the town and the ones who know the real story keep their silence for years as the story turns into an urban myth. Until 20 years later, same two men appear and start inquiring the past. Now nobody is safe. Like every deadly secret, there is a time when somebody has to pay.
Defin from Goksel Ergene on Vimeo.
For more trailers and details about the Bronx International Film Festival, click here.
BxNN Story of the Day: Popular Bronx Pastor Hamptons-Bound
Katrina Foster is moving on after 15 eventful years as pastor of Fordham Evangelical Lutheran Church. Read the story in this month's Mount Hope Monitor.
Bronx News Roundup, June 14
It's Monday! Time to get back to business and some BX news you may have missed. Enjoy!
In-Tech Academy, in the South Bronx, is currently under investigation by city education officials on charges claiming that students were disciplined by being assigned janitorial duties, such as cleaning toilets.
Jury selection on the case against the four men who allegedly plotted to bomb Riverdale synagogues is set to begin today.
A 4-year-old boy died after tumbling over the railing of his terrace, and falling down 23 stories, in Co-op City. For a story on the father's reaction click here.
The Hutchinson Metro Center, in the Bronx, has agreed to shine the colors of Mother Teresa's order on August 26, in honor of her 100th birthday, after Empire State Building officials said no.
State Sen. Ruben Diaz Sr. has stuck to his guns, and refuses to vote on any more budget cuts, even with the threat of a state government shutdown. The Daily News has more.
Some senate leaders are confident that a government shutdown will not be happening. Read more here.
The 32-year-old man who received a rare heart and liver transplant at Montefiore Medical Center, was able to return home to his family on Friday.
Nearly 600 high school students rallied outside of City Hall on Friday in support of free student MetroCards, which the MTA has threatened to take away.
John H. Reynolds, the Green Party candidate for NY State Senate, in the 33rd senate district, spoke out on a number of issues, including worker's rights and the need to empower communities of color, at the South Bronx Community Congress meeting held at Hostos Commuity College, earlier this month.
The New York Public Library's Summer Reading 2010 Program, kicked off at the Bronx Library Center in Fordham, on Friday. Read more here.
The New York Yankees Museum reveals its 'Subway Series' exhibit.
The Yankees, Unobstructed — June 13
In the bottom of the fifth inning, when everyone around you is eating $6 hot dogs and savoring their $3 soda, that’s when you whip out your heaping $6.00 portion of curried goat.
The smell alone will be enough to let fellow fans know that you planned your evening with the World Champions better than anyone.
Yankee Stadium is notoriously expensive, and the food — with its hints of cardboard and soggy heat lamp-condensation textures — is rarely worth the asking price. Fortunately, good eating abounds in the surrounding Concourse Village area, and can be brought into the Stadium in a plastic bag.
In fact, since the move to the new ballpark. It's actually gotten easier to grab a quick bite before the game. Vendors in the area say that police shepherd fans from the subway towards the stadium, which means that at the restaurants nearby, there are shorter lines and better deals.
From West Indian, to Subway sandwiches and pizza, the $9 most fans spend on a hot dog and soda can produce much better fare from just a block or two away.
Here's a map of the spots from this video. FEEL FREE TO SUGGEST OTHER NEAR-YANKEE STADIUM EATS BY LEAVING A COMMENT BELOW.
In Yankee News:
We're back in first place! With this weekend's sweep of the Houston Astros, the Yankees have pulled even with the Tampa Bay Rays for the best record in baseball. Both teams sit four games ahead of the Boston Red Sox.
Jorge Posada has hit grand slams in each of the last two games.
Robinson Cano leads the MLB with a .371 avg. and is third with a .418 obp.
NOTE: Make sure to check back every weekend for The Yankees, Unobstructed, BNN's weekly Yankees opinion column.
For more of Graham Kates' sports writing, check out his True/Slant blog "Coaches in the Crosshairs" (http://trueslant.com/grahamkates).
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Koppell, Miranda Rights on BronxTalk
Last Monday night Councilman Oliver Koppell talked on BronxTalk with host Gary Axelbank about the living wage bill, the siting of supportive housing in the 11th Council District, community board appointments, and more. Here's a link to the show.
This Monday night, on June 14 beginning at 9pm, the Supervising Attorney at the Legal Aid Society, Timothy Rountree and attorney Guylaine Harrison (both are professors in the Monroe College School of Criminal Justice), will talk with host Gary Axelbank about the recent Supreme Court revision of Miranda Rights rules.
To have your say, call 718-960-7241 during the program.
For more than fifteen years, BronxTalk has been seen live each Monday night at 9:00pm on Bronxnet's Cablevision channel 67. It's also on Verizon Fios channel 33 and streamed live at bronxnet.org. Produced by Jane Folloro, BronxTalk is repeated each day at 9:30am, 3:30pm, and 9:00pm. Archives are available at blip.tv and search for "BronxTalk."
Friday, June 11, 2010
Watching the World Cup in the Bronx
If you have any interest at all in soccer (and even if you don't), you're likely aware that the world's biggest and most watched sporting event began today in South Africa.
All 64 games are being broadcast on either ESPN, ESPN 2 or ABC, so you can watch them at home, if you have those channels. Most are also being streamed live on ESPN360.com.
For a more lively atmosphere, you also head to a local bar or restaurant. Rambling House in Woodlawn; the Bronx Ale House in Kingsbridge; the Bruckner Bar and Grill and La OrquÃdea (both in Mott Haven); and Enzo's Restaurant in Morris Park, are among those showing the games. Rambling House, for one, is opening at 7:30 a.m. every day, and will have food and drink specials.
Presumably, dozens of other Bronx bars and restaurants are also getting in on the act. Does anyone have any suggestions? Where was good in 2006? Are any outdoor showings planned? Do let us know in the comments sections.
Here's a full schedule of who's playing who, and when, in the group stages. The earliest start times are 7:30 a.m., the latest, 2:30 p.m. Not ideal, but workable if you have TiVo, or don't work 9 to 5.
The U.S.'s first game is tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. against England.
Gibson and Castro Launch Reelection Campaigns
Standing on the steps of the Bronx County Courthouse on Monday morning, Assemblywoman Vanessa Gibson announced her intention to seek reelection.
She was joined by a bevy of her fellow pols - including Congressman Jose Serrano, State Sen. Jose M. Serrano, Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., Deputy Borough President Aurelia Greene, and Councilman Fernando Cabrera - and they took turns praising her work ethic and character.
Assemblyman Nelson Castro, who represents the 86th District, just north of Gibson's, launched his reelection bid that same day, with a party at the Monte Carlo night club on Jerome Avenue.
Petitioning began on Tuesday, hence Gibson's and Castro's timing. By mid-July, Assembly candidates need to have gathered 500 signatures from registered voters in their district to get on the ballot. State Senate candidates need 1,000 signatures. Ideally, candidates will secure these numbers and then some, to avoid being kicked off the ballot if certain signatures are challenged. (For example, if a voter signs two candidates' petitions, only the one signed first will count.)
When Castro won the Democratic primary in September 2008, on his way to becoming the first Dominican-American sent up to Albany from the Bronx, he enjoyed the support of the Bronx Democratic County Committee, then led by Assemblyman Jose Rivera. Not this time. The party, now chaired by Assemblyman Carl Heastie, is supporting Hector Ramirez, a district leader, instead. (Here's Ramirez's campaign website, and here's Castro's.)
At Castro's reelection party, then, Diaz, Heastie, Greene, etc. were no where to be seen. In fact, not a single councilman, senator, or assemblyman, was present, leaving the impression that he's been hung out to dry.
Story of the Day: Mott Haven Herald Looks at Green Jobs Prospects
The Mott Haven Herald, on-line and on the streets now, takes a look at Bronx green jobs prospects now that the federal government has given $4 million in stimulus money to the Consortium for Worker Education.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
What’s Going On This Weekend?
Come see the salsa group El Gran Combo perform with La Excelencia at the Lehman Center for Performing Arts at 8 p.m. $35-$55 tickets are on sale. For more info call (718) 960-8833 or visit www.lehmancenter.org.
Celebrate Family Yoga Day at Wave Hill! Members pay $15, non-members $20. One parent/one child. Each additional child is $5. More info at http://www.wavehill.org/calendar/event_2168.html.
Award-winning writer and playwright will perform Becoming Joaquin, a play about a Latino transgendered man working to own his life, at the Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15. For more information and directions call (718) 842-5223 or visit www.bronxacademyofartsanddance.org.
Saturday
8 y Mas joins El Gran Combo at the Lehman Center for Performing Arts. Show at 8 p.m. $35-$55 tickets are on sale. For more info call (718) 960-8833 or visit www.lehmancenter.org.
Get crafty at Family Art Project Day: Rainbow Feathers of Clay at Wave Hill! Visit birds, draw them, and craft a colored clay relief. The event will be held at the Ecology Building from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Free with admission to grounds. For more information call (718) 549-3200 ext. 305 or visit www.wavehill.org.
Learn To Ride Clinic for Adults is this Saturday 9:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. at Concrete Plant Park. Learn to ride a bike with Bike NY and the Bronx River Alliance for free! Bring your bike or reserve one for a fee. Registration is required. Visit www.bronxriver.org or call (718) 430-4665 for more info or to register.
Highway to Health Festival & Youth Forum will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at PS 64. Join community members and health activists for live entertainment, Zumba, capoeira, jousting, rock climbing, unicyclist, interactive exhibits, tacos by Chipotle, cooking competitions, mini film festival, bike advocacy, health screenings, dance, yoga, gardening and more. The event is free for all generations. Visit nycyouthforum.com for more info.
Global Family Gardening: Spring Harvest Celebration will take place at the New York Botanical Garden this Saturday and Sunday from 1:30-5:30 p.m. Come taste, see and craft plants from around the world! More info at http://nybgeducation.com/plan_your_visit/planyourvisit_results.php?event_type=7.
Verve and Swerve sweeps the stage 8 p.m. at the Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance. Come watch a dance celebration of pride and power. Tickets are $20. For more information and directions call (718) 842-5223 or visit www.bronxacademyofartsanddance.org.
