School Budget Boost

The City and New York City are getting more aid over the next four years, starting this year. Here's a look at the numbers from the Campaign for Fiscal Equity:

2007-2008 State Education Budget and Reform Act
School Aid Increase:

Statewide
Over the next 4 years: $7 billion in total school aid, out of which $5.5 billion is foundation aid.

This year (2007): $1.76 billion total, $1.1 billion in foundation aid.

New York City
Over the next 4 years: $3.2 billion total, $2.2 billion foundation aid.

This year (2007): $710 million total, $470 in foundation aid (ultimately reduced to $258 million for inflation and other adjustments)

We want to hear your thoughts on how that money could be best put to use.

Bronx News Roundup, Mondary Morning, Oct. 21

Good morning (early afternoon) everyone. Here's a few news links to accompany your cup of coffee today. Some hot topics to discuss.

The NY Times is obsessed with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's link to the Bronx, well, specifically the South Bronx. In any case, this story in yesterday's Metro section examines the quasi-socialist leader's relationship with the Bronx, where he has donated discounted heating oil and millions for development programs through Venezuela's oil company, Citgo.

This quote sums up the Times' angle on the story: "It is an unlikely flow of largess, from an oil-rich South American country where much of the population lives in poverty to one of the neediest pockets in the seat of American capitalism."

Here's a look at the organizations and programs that will benefit from the Chavez money.

Some weekend crime stories:

Two men were stabbed, one to died, during a robbery in Mt. Eden early Sunday morning.

After an earlier stabbing death in Fordham on Saturday, a man was arrested and charged with murder.

Also on Saturday, a 7-year-old girl was hit by a car in Baychester.

Jose Calderon was convicted last week of manslaughter in the beating death of Quachaun Brown, 4, in Norwood last year. The jury acquitted Calderon of the more serious murder charge. He faces up to 15 years in prison when he's sentenced Nov. 1.

The NY Post and Gothamist report on a dogfighting "lair" here in northwest Bronx on Valentine Avenue. Warning: there are some graphic and unsettling images with these stories.

And, finally, here's a Times City section story about Mexican immigrants who fear for their safety in the North Fordham area here in the Bronx. Father John Jenik, of Our Lady of Refuge Church, is quoted in the story.

Often Jenik is alone in decrying the violence and drug activity in that troubled neighborhood. In an email sent to the Norwood News yesterday, Jenik said that, for the first time ever, drug dealers were conducting transactions in his church. Not a good sign.

Note: Please feel free to weigh in here on Bronx crime and safety concerns, Hugo Chavez or anything else you feel is of concern. We want to ramp up the discussion and hear from everyone.

Norwood News Out Now

Peep the new issue of the Norwood News, out on the streets and online now. (We're still working out some issues with the pdf copy and a couple other things, but for the most part, it's good to go.)

Here's a quick preview:

Kingsbridge Armory activists say it's not too much to ask retailers who set up shop in the soon to be renovated facility to pay their workers a living wage, or $10 an hour.

Part One of our annual School Preview. Part two (high schools and private schools) will be in our next issue, which comes out Nov. 1.

A new environmentally-friendly affordable housing development was unveiled on Webster Avenue here in the Bronx on Monday. Somehow movie stars Edward Norton and Owen Wilson involved.

An update from the trenches of the war against graffiti here in the northwest Bronx.

Editorial: Why we need to be actively protecting our neighborhoods from unwanted developments.

Check out all these stories and more on our Web site.

[Quick congratulations to James Fergusson, the editor of the Mount Hope Monitor. This exciting new paper received some great news today and will now be bringing more stories and information to the news-deprived Mount Hope area (Community Board 5) and on a more consistent basis. Look for more updates from James here on the blog. Cheers, mate!]

Local news from UNHP's Notes

Local nonprofit housing group University Neighborhood Housing Program's newsletter is out. Here's what you'll find in this edition of NOTES:

Water and Sewer: The News Just Gets Worse
An unprecedented 18% mid year water and sewer increase is proposed by DEP and could also lead to the establishment of stand-alone water lien sales.

Loan Fund Updates
To date, UNHP has made more than 100 loans with a value of over $4.5 million, and has recently updated its loan software.

New Resources Added to Community Resource Guide
Seven years after its creation, UNHP has developed a new section for CRG on Community Resources to help New Yorkers learn about the resources and benefits available to them.

A Remedy for Rising Foreclosures
The Northwest Bronx continues to display an alarming number of foreclosures, and it is against this backdrop that UNHP continues its outreach efforts to distressed homeowners.

BIP-ing the City
UNHP's Building Indicator Project Database will be automated this fall and will help identify distressed multifamily rental properties throughout New York City.

The West Bronx Online
There have been some exciting developments in the world of news about the West Bronx in the past year, including the West Bronx News Network and the West Bronx Blog.

Bronx News Roundup, Wednesday, Oct. 17

Here's a little late afternoon post to tide you over before the Norwood News hits the street and the Web tomorrow morning.

North Fork opened up a student-run bank on the Theodore Roosevelt High School campus. All the money made will go to paying the student workers who will make $11 an hour -- more than the so-called living wage of $10 an hour.

A little story about this weekend's Tour de Bronx. If I can get a bike, I'm there.

More coverage of the Quachaun Brown murder trial. This Times story basically says everyone was at fault.

(For those unfamiliar with the sad tale, 4-year-old Quachaun was beaten to death in Norwood in early 2006, allegedly by his mother's teenage boyfriend, Jose Calderon. The mother, Aleisha Smith, has already pleaded guilty and faces seven and a half years in prison. Calderon, looking at the possibility of 25 to life, is currently on trial.)

Kapstatter's Bronx political notes. Pedro Espada: Welcome to the neighborhood! We look forward to hearing from you.

Bronx Senator Jeff Klein sorta, kinda endorses Spitzer's immigrant driver's license plan on The Observer's blog.

More great Bronx news coming in tomorrow's Norwood News. We'll go over the stories on the blog and have everything available on our beautiful new Web site.

NEWS ROUNDUP OCTOBER 16

Will tenants long suffering at the hands of slumlords—in the Bronx and throughout New York City—soon find some relief?

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn will hold a press conference Wednesday at 11am at the City Hall steps to introduce legislation that will make harassment of tenants illegal, and allow tenants to seek recourse—including fines against their landlords—in housing court. A press release issued by Benjamin Dultschin, deputy director for the Association for Neighborhood Housing and Development (ANHD) speaks to concerns echoed by many West Bronx residents: “As market rents continue to rise in neighborhoods across the City, there is more and more incentive for landlords to use non-legal methods to push out tenants who are paying less then the market will bear,” the release states.

This, in fact, was the very claim made by Highbridge resident Carmen Vasquez earlier this year, prior to her eviction by property manager Alliance Housing Associates II.

More news about Quinn: Yesterday’s New York Post reported that she supports state Senator Jeff Klein’s proposal to punish establishments caught serving alcohol to minors. Klein’s proposal would not only take liquor licenses away from said establishments, but would strip lottery licenses as well. In addition, the companies issuing fake ID’s could face civil penalties for any damages caused by underage drunks.

Today’s Daily News has an article about Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión’s recent declaration of support for the Yankee Stadium parking garages. Carrión had initially expressed serious concern that his office did not have enough information about the city’s plan to subsidize the garages to the tune of $225 million. However, he says a presentation by the city Economic Development Corporation won him over.

Joel Rivera on Filtration Hot Seat Tonight

Council Member Joel Rivera, a likely candidate for Bronx borough president, will be on Gary Axelbank's public affairs talk show tonight on Cablevision, channel 67. The BronxTalk PrimeTime host, who is also an activist on the filtration issue, is certain to ask Rivera if he believes, like Assemblyman Ruben Diaz does, that he was "misled" by city officials who promised that the project would use Bronx workers and that it would cost $1.2 billion (the estimate is now $2.8 billion) and if Rivera supports holding hearings on the cost and jobs issues in the City Council.
The show airs at 9 p.m. and is repeated at the same time throughout the week. Viewers can call in during the live show.
Here's a recent article and editorial about the issue in the Norwood News.

Hall of Fame for Great Americans

Here's a shot of the Hall of Fame on Bronx Community College's campus, taken this afternoon. If you haven't been - and I hadn't - it's worth a visit. Even if the busts don't take your fancy, the views will. And if you like peace and quiet, this is as good as it gets - in this part of the Bronx anyway.

More about the Hall of Fame here, here, here and here. (Photo by James Fergusson)

Health Fair at PS 226 and the School's Plans for a Gym

PS 226, an elementary school on Sedgwick Avenue in University Heights, held its first health fair today, with the aim of encouraging healthy minds and bodies among students, parents, and the wider community.

Representatives from Morris Heights Health Center, Jacobi Medical Center, and others, gave out information on asthma, nutrition, childhood obesity, adult and childhood literacy, parenting, and more. The Hunts Point Farmers Market provided free fruit. The New York Road Runners Club organized relay races for energetic kids.

The fair, which was organized by PS 226 health teacher Robert Romano, was held in the school's playground, where, teachers hope, a gymnasium - something the school lacks - will one day stand. So far they've raised $300,000, most of which was gathered at a celebrity golf tournament in Los Angeles. Actor Don Cheadle was among those who played. How did the school get Hollywood bigshots involved? Well, Romano's got connections: his older brother is Ray Romano of "Everyone Loves Raymond" fame.

Still, there could be a long road ahead. The gym - which will double up as a community center for the whole neighborhood to enjoy - is going to cost more than $3 million. It's sad, said Romano, that many students who are excited about the plans will likely have moved on by the time it gets built. (Photo by James Fergusson)

Bronx News Roundup for Oct. 13

A Bronx laundromat owner sues Verizon for mooching off her power supply for a cell phone tower.

Dick Gidron, the first African American car dealer in the city, and a mover and shaker in Bronx and city politics, is dead at 68.

The Campaign Finance Board’s executive director discussed the fines leveled against Council Members Larry Seabrook and Annabel Palma in the Observer’s political blog.

New Addition to Local Blogosphere

We welcome The Riverdale Press to the Bronx Blogosphere.
The Press now also has a Web site.

Report on Last Night's Bronx Congestion Pricing Forum

Here's Streetsblog's take on last night's congestion pricing forum in Riverdale hosted by Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz.