New in the Norwood News

Fresh, insightful and informative stories from the Norwood News are online and on the streets now. Find out what's going on in Norwood, Bedford Park, North Fordham and University Heights with one click.

Here's a preview of some of the stories featured this issue:

Confirming what local parents, students, activists and local officials have been saying for years, a new report outlines the overcrowding problems in local schools. District 10, which includes all the schools in the Norwood News coverage area is the third most crowded district in the entire city.

In that same vein, Bronx schools are lacking facilities for proper physical education, says a new report by the Bronx Borough President's office.

A missing Celia Cruz Bronx H.S. of Music went missing and then was reunited with her family eight days later. What happened to her remains a mystery.

Cricket Mania: The Norwood News explores the inaugural high school cricket season. Plus, Mt. Hope Monitor editor and cricket fanatic James Fergusson explains why cricket is really the world's best sport and dissects all it's nuances.

And much much more at the Norwood News' award-winning Web site.

Sean Bell Protestors To March to City Hall Today

With a little more than one month having passed since the acquittal of Marc Cooper, Gescard F. Isnora, and Michael Oliver--the three officers charged in Sean Bell's death--no action beyond the filing of internal NYPD (non-criminal) charges has been taken against the officers.

This afternoon in lower Manhattan, demonstrators will gather in an effort to ensure that the momentum of protest in the immediate wake of the verdict is carried forward.

Demonstrators will gather at Union Square at 4pm, and leave shortly thereafter for a march to City Hall, where a rally will be held at 6pm.

Protest organizers put out a call to wear black in solidarity with Bell.

Bloomberg's Office Responds (Sort of)

In response to the open letter issued by Sen. Rev. Ruben Diaz yesterday -- which slammed Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg for ignoring Diaz' calls for the resignation of education chancellor Joel I. Klein and deputy mayor for education and community development Dennis Walcott -- a spokesperson for Mayor Bloomberg emailed the following statement to the Highbridge Horizon:

"Both Deputy Mayor Walcott and Chancellor Klein are dedicated public servants who care deeply about the future of the 1.1 million children in our public schools and as such, they deserve our support."

The spokesperson did not address Diaz' remark, " I am afraid that you will ultimately be known as the Chaotic Educational Mayor."

Dinowitz Unhappy with Ward Nomination to Port Authority

In an op-ed in yesterday's Daily News Bronx section, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz explains his displeasure with Gov. Paterson's nomination of former DEP commissioner Christopher Ward to head the Port Authority. Especially noted are Ward's notorious cost-overruns at DEP with the filtration plant and with the projects like the JFK Air Train when he was previously at the Port Authority.

Speaking of the outdated technology and gushing groundwater leakage at the filtration plant, Dinowitz writes:

Either Ward's DEP committed the unforgivable sin of not knowing this environmental disaster was going to happen, or he kept the information off the list of project negatives to keep the approval process moving forward. Is this someone we want in charge of the Port Authority's ecological restoration?

He then cites Ward's pandering to special interests and his move from DEP to the General Contractors Association of New York as reasons to think his running the Port Authority would not be in our best interests.

Sen. Diaz Slams Bloomberg

Sen. Rev. Ruben Diaz released an open letter to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today, in which he denounces the Mayor's approach to education and expresses regret for supporting Bloomberg's policies in the past.

"When you began your Mayoralty, you claimed your mission was to become the
Educational Mayor," Diaz' letter reads, " yet I am afraid that you will ultimately be known as the
Chaotic Educational Mayor. As a New York City Council Member in 2001, I
supported Mayoral Control of the Education Department, today, as a State
Senator, I regret that decision."

The primary motivation for the letter, according to Diaz, was a previous letter that Bloomberg ignored: In February of 2007, Diaz wrote Bloomberg to request the resignation of education chancellor Joel I. Klein as well as Dennis M. Walcott, deputy mayor for education and community development.

At that time, Diaz argued that---under Klein and Walcott--students of color were suffering from schools built in polluted areas, overcrowding, and accelerated drop-out rates.

In today's letter, Diaz writes: "Since you never responded to my letter, the situation in the NYC
public school system has worsened, and Black and Hispanic children continue
to be left behind."

Update: Missing Student Found, Reunited with Family

Yesterday afternoon, Selena Pruden, 16, a junior at Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music, was found and then later reunited with her family with help from police. She had been missing since last Wednesday, May 14 and was last seen going to school carrying her viola.

It's unclear what exactly happened to Selena, but Celia Cruz Principal William Rodriguez said someone had spotted her after seeing a new item about her disappearance on the cable news channel, Bronx 12. He said later last night "police interceded" and now Selena is "safely home."

Earlier yesterday, Celia Cruz held an emotional assembly in support of the search effort for Selena. Her mother Geraldine Hoggis attended the assembly and spoke to students. Her daughter, Selena, was found several hours later, according to Rodriguez.

Bronx Student Missing

We just found out about this today, but Selena, 16, went missing last Wednesday, May 14. She left her Kingsbridge-area home for Celia Cruz (on the Walton H.S. campus) in the morning with her viola and has not been seen since.

Celia Cruz Principal William Rodriguez said Selena was a great student (with a stellar attendance record) who loved music. He said nobody at school could imagine her just running away without telling anyone.

Celia Cruz held an assembly today in support of an effort to find Selena. They are distributing flyers like the one above to neighborhoods throughout the northwest Bronx.

NYPD is not being very forthcoming with information on the case so far, but according to a detective at the 50th Precinct, detectives there are still working on the case and have not transferred it to the missing persons department.

Again, if anyone has information about Selena's whereabouts, please call Celia Cruz, 718-329-8550 ext. 3565 or the 50th Precinct 718-543-5700.

More Bronx Action on TV

Some more good television for Bronx buffs:

Tonight at 9 p.m. on the Sundance channel (for those with cable), they will be airing a documentary called "Big Ideas for a Small Planet Grow," which will feature SoBro chief Majora Carter and the Bronx County courthouse. Here's a description:

“Big Ideas for a Small Planet: Grow”

Tuesday, May 20^th

9:00pm e/p

Green spaces are essential to the health and welfare of cities and suburbs alike. As urban populations swell, creative environmentalists are scouting surprising spots for vegetation amidst the cement and concrete. Suburbanites lucky enough to have green space are introducing a new level of environmental consciousness to their lawns and gardens.

Water Discussion on Bronx Talk Prime Time

Opinion by Gregory Lobo Jost
Last night's Bronx Talk Prime Time with Gary Axelbank focused on the reasons behind skyrocketing water rates. I had the privilege to be on the show, along with Harold Shultz from the Citizens Housing and Planning Council. We had a lively discussion touching on many aspects of our current predicament including the filtration plant, DEP's unchecked spending, and the nature of water rates as a regressive tax. This episode of Bronx Talk will re-air today at 3:30 and 9:30 PM on BronxNet 67.

To read more about the need for water rate reform, check out recent reports by CHPC, the Independent Budget Office, and University Neighborhood Housing Program.

Also, here are comments from UNHP director Jim Buckley regarding the passage of the 14.5% rate hike this past Friday:

The New York City Water Board approved a 14.5% rate increase effective July 1, 2008. Comptroller William Thompson and Council Finance Chair Weprin and Council Environmental Chair Gennaro spoke against the increase. In an unusual move, the individual board members spoke individually about the thought process behind their decision to proceed with the increase.

Chairman Jim Tripp indicated that he had contemplated resignation and ultimately decided to stay on the board and vote for the increase after entering into a “joint commitment with the Mayor and DEP to examine alternative rate structures and a full and deep exploration of the board’s rental payment to the City.” He indicated that for the first time in the years he has discussed these issues with City Hall that there is an understanding of the issue around the rental payment and he credited the many individuals and groups that have spoken out on the issue with getting the attention of City Hall on the issue.

Tripp envisions a real discussion with City Hall that will result in looking at the allocation of costs of the water system, discussion with state regulators on the value and scheduling of certain mandated work items like the covering of the Hillview Reservoir which may add $1 billion to the capital cost of the system. Tripp said that nobody should be looking at DEP as a cash cow. He feels that he has a commitment from City Hall that will result in some kind of action in the next 6 months, re-directing money for next year, including the rental payment in excess of the debt service on old municipal debt.

Did we lose? Yes for now, but maybe not with a longer term view. The rate increase is approved and it’s the largest increase in 15 years. However, the Water Board has taken on a more active role with City Hall on the need for rate restructuring. They have sped up a process that as recently as a month ago was being talked about in terms of years and is now being talked about in terms of months. As always, the follow up is going to be the key.

Finally, the Daily News Bronx section has a piece on how foreclosures are bringing down property values of neighboring homes, especially in Wakefield.

Bronx News Links: Arroyo in trouble, Bronx Aerospace under fire, Supermarkets dwindle

Here's a few Bronx stories from last week that we didn't get around to posting until today:

Arroyo Under Investigation
Bronx City Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo is under criminal investigation for allegedly funneling more than $80,000 to a nonprofit with family connections.

Daily News reports: "City officials confirmed the probe Wednesday, a month after the Daily News disclosed that Arroyo directed $82,500 in 2007 to the South Bronx Community Corp., where her sister was the fiscal officer and her nephew was executive director."

Bronx Aerospace Under Fire
The extremely successful Bronx Aerospace H.S. may be closed by the Air Force at the end of next year unless school administrators can account for $66,000 and address possible rule violations, the Daily News reports.

The Air Force officially placed the school on probation for possibly mishandling ROTC funds, and parents and teachers have complained about certain school rules, including one student promoting his girlfriend.

The principal, Barbara Kirkweg, known around school as Captain Kirk, says the problem surrounds ROTC funds, which are separate from general school funds and she expects situation to be resolved soon.

In 2006, we reported that the aviation-themed Academy graduated more than 93 percent of its class in 2005, making it the most successful small school at the time. Last year's graduation rate was 90 percent, according to InsideSchools.org. Students said they are judged based on their performance and leadership skills rather than students' clothing. The high school also provides a refuge from the streets, as students often stayed late in the night.

Supermarket Scarcity
Soundview residnts held a town hall meeting last night to discuss the possible closure of the area's largest supermarket Key Foods, in the face of rent hikes and dwindling supermarkets.

Daily News reports: "In a borough where few people own cars and public transit coverage is less than ideal, closing a major grocery store could mean a difficult trek to the next-nearest supermarket, or force the least mobile to rely on higher-priced local grocery stores."

-Compiled by Stephen Baron

Bronx Heights' Supers May Strike

More hardship beckons for tenants living in Bronx Heights' ten apartment buildings: the non-profit's supers and maintenance staff are threatening to strike because they haven't been paid in eight weeks.

Bronx Heights (full name: Bronx Heights Neighborhood Community Corporation) is currently being sued by HPD. Why, exactly, isn't clear - HPD aren't saying - but several of Bronx Heights' current board members say that rent money (HPD pays Bronx Heights to manage the buildings and to collect rent) has disappeared and that the organization can no longer afford to maintain the apartments, pay the supers, or keep up with the bills.

More here and here.

New in the Norwood News

A little weekend reading from the Norwood News, which is on streets and online now. Here's a quick preview:

Tenants battle with a bullying landlord on the Grand Concourse.

A new coach helped propell DeWitt Clinton's tennis team to the city quarterfinals.

The Health Department eyes the contaminated old Fordham Library for an animal shelter. Community activists want it to become community space. Meanwhile, the city is confused about which agency controls the building's destiny. Read more.

A Bronxite gives up his life to work for Barack Obama, but keeps one eye on a City Council seat.

And much more, online now.