Seabrook Indictment

The U.S. Attorney's office just announced:  "A press conference will be held today to announce charges against New York City Council Member Larry Seabrook for alleged public corruption offenses." 
Press conference is at noon today at the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan. 
The Times which has been covering Seabrook's troubles has more details here.

BxNN EXCLUSIVE: A Potential Espada Challenger Emerges

Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter speaking at a July 15 Kingsbridge Armory rally 

at Our Lady of Refuge Church. (File photo by Adi Talwar)

By Alex Kratz

Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter, a Bronx activist who became the face of last year’s strong community push for living wage jobs at the Kingsbridge Armory, is exploring the possibility of making a run at the state Senate seat occupied by Pedro Espada, Jr.

In the past two weeks, in preparation for a possible run, Pilgrim-Hunter has begun assembling a team of advisors and has quietly reached out to potential donors and supporters.

“The next few weeks will basically be a stress test to see what kind of support is out there for me,” Pilgrim-Hunter, 53, said in an interview over the weekend. “But I am taking steps to prepare myself should I decide to run. Because one thing is for certain: if I get in, I'm getting in to win. And it’s as simple as that.”

So far, Pilgrim-Hunter said she has received positive feedback, including this accolade from the head of the retail workers’ union.

Bronx News Roundup, Feb. 5

Heads up: NYC is on a blizzard watch. Snow may start up this evening and continue well into tomorrow afternoon, so plan accordingly. Of course, this is only rampant speculation.

In other news:

The city has forced an overnight homeless shelter at the Kingsbridge Heights Community Center to close its doors. The official explanation: land devoted to park purposes (the community center is owned by the parks department) cannot be utilized for any other purpose. The center may still offer its other services to the public during the daytime.

After passing from one owner to the next, and years of bitter labor struggles between owners and employees, the old Stella D'oro Bakery will officially be shut down. On Monday the factory will be auctioned off by its current owner, Brynwood Partners, who moved production to Ohio after buying the company from Kraft. 150 people will be unemployed as a result.

A rape victim is receiving $1 million from Parkchester South, a condominium on Tremont Avenue. The attack happened in 2003, but recent details indicate the condominium was the suspect was responsible for nearly a dozen robberies and assaults between 2002 and 2003. Residents were kept in the dark about the crime spree.

David Gonzalez over at the Times talks about the history of graffiti in New York City. In the article, Gonzalez talks to Eric Felisbret, who recently released a book anthologizing New York graffiti. Felisbret's website can be found here.

Anyone see that movie Big Fan? The Daily News has a lighter story about football fanaticism in their story about how the NFL saved the life of Benny From The Bronx, a local sports talk radio caller.

Help us Celebrate and Support the Bronx News Network!

Alex just mentioned this in his post on BxNN's 2000th post. We're having a BxNN fundraiser/friendraiser at the Bronx Ale House, a fantastic new bar/restaurant on W. 238th St. near Broadway. It's going to be a great time. We'll be celebrating some recent awards and testing out our new Web site. If you can't read the invite above the basic details are: Friday, Feb. 25 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Bronx Ale House, 216 W. 238th St.  $20 admission, free appetizers, half-price drinks, raffles and other prizes. To RSVP, just call Ivonne at 718-324-4461, ext. 221. Thanks and spread the word!!!

Here's hoping new DEP Commissioner brings real change to water rates

Water rates are again coming back into the news in the annual reporting of outrageous increases set forth by DEP and rubber-stamped by the Water Board.

According to the Staten Island Advance, New Yorkers should expect another double-digit increase this year in the neighborhood of 14%. Going back over the last four years we have seen increases of 12.9%, 14.5%, 11.5% and 9.4%. The average single-family homeowner bill is expected to top $1,000 for the first time, and the impact on affordable housing will be significant to say the least.

As the article points out, we should continue to expect these large annual increases as the formula has not changed: increased capital costs at DEP and decreasing water usage across the City.

One can only hope that some changes are on the way with new Commissioner Cas Holloway. According to the Daily News, Holloway has instituted an across the board 8% spending cut in his first month on the job, while bringing the Bloomberg bullpen to his new agency.

Two water related blogs continue to put forth proposals for further changing the way water rates are structured. Waterblogged.org has a post about submissions for innovative design solutions that manage runoff from roadways that flood the sewer system and cause raw sewage to be dumped into our waterways.

Water Watch NYC has recently posted three ways to save DEP, including instituting storm water fees and revamping the Mayoral-appointed rubber-stamping Water Board to actually act as a regulatory agency over DEP. The way the agency handled the recently revealed rate study, for which DEP "shelled out millions of dollars for a report with no conclusions or recommendations" is a perfect example of why both DEP and the Water Board are dysfunctional partners in crime.

A Milestone for the Bronx News Network.

This is the Bronx News Network's 2,000th blog post. (Waiting for applause.)

Just to give you an idea of how we've grown over the last few years, consider this. In 2006, we posted just 32 times. The next year, 2007, we made a quantum leap to 329 posts. The following year, 2008, we ramped up our efforts again to the tune of 510 posts.

Then last year, we really hit our stride. Fueled by competitive Bronx Council races and the debate about development at the Kingsbridge Armory (which turned into one of the biggest stories in the city last December), we topped out at 877 posts. The Village Voice recognized us as one of the best blogs in a city teeming with them.

We've done this while continuing to produce quality, award-winning print journalism in all of our affiliated and associated papers. Sometimes, with all of our other responsibilities, it's difficult to maintain a steady flow of stories and information in this space.

But, in the end, we believe in what we're doing here and we've received a tremendous amount of feedback and support from all of you out there who read the blog and make it a part of your daily life. We want to thank you and encourage you to continue reading and commenting as we strive to create a dialogue about vital issues in the Bronx and beyond.

We would also like to hear from you about how we can make this site better, more enjoyable and more informative. What issues should we focus on? What kind of weekly or daily features would you like to see? What don't you like about the site or our blog posts? Do you want more photos slide shows or more multimedia? We want to hear from you.

This is your blog as much as ours. (Applause from us.)

Stay tuned and come celebrate with us at the Bronx Ale House on Feb. 25. More details to come.

DOE Proposes New Home For High School

In December, Bronx Community College divulged its intention to evict University Heights Secondary School from its campus at the end of this school year, so that the college can better accommodate a growing student body.

The decision maddened parents, teachers, and students at the school, as well as local politicians, who have been speaking out against BCC.

The Department of Education, meanwhile, has been busy hunting for a new site for the school, and on Tuesday announced they'd found one: the South Bronx High School Campus, at 701 St. Ann's Ave. (near East 156th Street).

Blogging in the Huffington Post, Alan Stringer, a Hofstra University professor and a friend of a University Heights teacher, criticized the DOE's proposal and said it would "kill" the school. He added:

My prediction is that if this plan goes through, students who would have selected UHHS will choose to go elsewhere and four years from now we will find it on the failing schools list and targeted for reorganization.

The proposal (published below) will be discussed at a public hearing on March 11, at the South Bronx High School Campus. The final decision rests with the city’s Panel for Educational Policy.

DOE Proposal for UHSS

New High Schools Fair This Weekend

FYI to Bronx parents and students: there will be a new high schools fair this weekend at Emigrant Savings Bank at 51 Chambers Street in Manhattan. The fair will take place on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 6 and 7, beginning on 10 a.m. and ending on 1 p.m. each day.

The event will allow students and families to speak with representatives of new high schools opening in September.

A flyer is available here and a new high schools directory is located here.

If you have questions, email HS_Enrollment@schools.nyc.gov or call (718) 935-2399.

The Bronx Hotel Count

Earlier this week, The Brooklyn Eagle reported a boom in the number of hotel projects happening in Brooklyn.  Data from Smith Travel Research shows that a whopping 40 hotels are being planned for the borough, with 15 in construction already and 12 of those set to open this year.

Which got us thinking: how does the Bronx size up on the hotel market compared to the other boroughs?

Interview With Espada

Here's an in-house Senate interview with Pedro Espada. Liz Benjamin of the Daily News posted it first on her blog and has some commentary here. http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/dailypolitics/2010/02/your-tax-dollars-at-work.html

Bronx News Roundup, Feb. 4

It's a beautiful and sunny day in the Bronx this morning. I actually broke a sweat riding my bike to work, which isn't really news, but hey, it's a slow day. In other news:

A Bronx cop was has been indicted after trying to earn a little extra on the side by fleecing drug dealers. Miguel Burgos of the 52nd, who's been police since 2004, was arrested on Tuesday. He allegedly supplied friends with a police scanner and ramming device, which they then used to rob drug dealers.

The Times's David Gonzalez has an interesting piece about a Bronx woman searching for a Bronx vet so she may return a family photo album to him.

The BBC reports on efforts to promote census participation in the Bronx. In 2000, only 56 percent of Bronxites returned the census survey. Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. is pushing to raise that percentage significantly. "We need to be counted," he said.

Knicks hall of famer and Bronx native Dick McGuire passed away at 84 late Wednesday. McGuire was a Knickerbocker legend; he the team to three NBA finals victories in the 50s and later went on to serve as the team's coach.

Public hearing sparks zoning debate

A zoning war broke out last night at a public hearing over a medical center's plans to build a 13-story mixed use building in Belmont.

Medalliance medical center is hoping to change zoning in the area, which currently allows buildings of up to four-stories high, to expand its location at 625 East Fordham Road.

Owner Sean Daneshvar is already constructing a three-story expansion to the center’s current building, but wants to add an additional 10-stories of residential apartments above it.

Residents who expressed hesitation about the rezoning clashed with supporters of Medalliance, who came out in droves, chanting and waving signs that read “Better for the Bronx,” and “More Jobs, More Health.”

Supporters of Medalliance rallied at a Feb. 3 public hearing in favor of rezoning.

Theresa Kemp-Castro, a patient at Medalliance for the past four years, came to show her support, crediting the doctors and nurses at the clinic with saving her life after an accident that left her partially paralyzed.

“I’m where I am today because of Medalliance,” she said, adding that an expansion of the center would increase the number of health services available to the community. “There are a lot of elderly and sick people nearby that need a clinic. It would mean a lot.”