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City Council Passes Living Wage Bill, With Revisions

By Jeanmarie Evelly

Editor’s note: This story appears in the May 3-16 print edition of the Norwood News. It’s an extended version of last week’s post about the bill, which also included video of Council Speaker Christine Quinn walking out of the presser announcing passage of the living wage bill.

After nearly two years of campaigning and many significant revisions, the City Council last week passed a version of the controversial Living Wage bill, which was introduced by two Bronx council members and born out of a 2009 fight over wages at a shopping mall proposed to fill the Kingsbridge Armory.

The bill, which Mayor Bloomberg has vowed to veto, would require some developers that receive significant taxpayer subsidies to pay workers $10 an hour with benefits, or $11.50 without.

“The ‘Fair Wages for New Yorkers’ Act will guarantee that, when major developers take city dollars they will do right by their employees and taxpayers,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., who helped lead the campaign for the bill’s passage. “This legislation will fundamentally improve the way business is conducted here.”

Diaz and other city leaders hailed the bill as “historic,” though its scope was greatly narrowed from its original version. Council Speaker Christine Quinn — planning to run for mayor in 2013 — revised the bill to appease its critics, namely the business community, which argues it will stifle development and kill jobs.

Read more

Unemployed in the Bronx: The Hunt for Work

By Jeanmarie Evelly

Editor’s Note: This is the second story in a series exploring the issue of rampant unemployment in the Bronx. It was first published in the May 3-16 print edition of the Norwood News.

The line of people waiting outside the Bronx Educational Opportunity Center last Wednesday ran the length of the entire building, snaked down a short flight of concrete steps and into the parking lot. Those queued up stood fidgeting in the mild April sun, many of them dressed in their best outfits, their shoes polished and their hair combed.

The center was hosting a job fair, and everyone on line was there with the same goal: to find work, to set themselves apart from the other hundreds of applicants who were waiting alongside them.

“I didn’t think the line would be this long,” said Osvaldo Martinez, sharply dressed in a navy blue suit and tie. He’d lost his security job three months ago, he said, and since then he’s been making the rounds at job fairs, following leads on the advice of friends, sending out resumes.

“I haven’t gotten called back yet,” he said.

Osvaldo is one of approximately 75,000 Bronx residents who are unemployed, according to the latest statistics from the State Department of Labor — what the government calls “actively looking” for work.

The borough’s unemployment rate in March, at 13.6 percent, dropped slightly from 14.1 percent in February, when it hit its highest peak in nearly two decades. But the Bronx continues to carry the highest unemployment rate of all the counties in New York State, a fact that job seekers here are acutely aware of.

Read more

Living Wage Bill Passes, Quinn Walks Out of Press Conference (Video)

By Jeanmarie Evelly

After nearly two years of campaigning and many significant revisions, the City Council today passed a version of the controversial Living Wage bill, which was introduced by two Bronx council members, and born out of a 2009 fight over wage requirements at a shopping mall proposed to fill the Bronx’s Kingsbridge Armory. The bill, which Mayor Bloomberg has vowed to veto, would require developers that receive significant taxpayer subsidies to pay direct workers $10 an hour with benefits, or $11.50 without.

We’ll have a more thorough look at the bill’s passage tomorrow and in this week’s print issue of Norwood News, which hits the streets Wednesday, but here’s quick rundown of what happened today. At a press conference this morning before the City Council vote, Council Speaker Christine Quinn walked out after someone in the crowd yelled an insult about Mayor Bloomberg. Quinn, who plans to run for mayor herself in 2013, derided the heckler–who called the mayor “Pharaoh Bloomberg,”–for being inappropriate.

“Congratulations on the bill. I’m not going to participate in name-calling,” she said, before walking away. You can watch a video of the scene, courtesy of Politicker’s Colin Campbell, below.

Quinn has sought to strike a careful balance between living wage supporters and its critics, namely the business community, which argues the wage requirement will stifle development and kill jobs. She significantly revised the legislation in an attempt to appease the opposition–retail workers employed by tenants within subsidized developments are not entitled to higher wages under the bill, something that had largely been the intent of the original legislation, and the issue at the heart of the Kingsbridge Armory argument that inspired it.

In spite of the changes, Mayor Bloomberg says he will veto the bill.

“If you want to encourage a business to open in a particular location that no one has been willing to invest in for decades, you cannot tell them that they have to pay a higher minimum wage than the competitor across the street. They won’t do it. And those jobs will be lost, and so will the tax revenues they would have generated,” he said in a statement last week.

Quinn called Bloomberg’s opposition “disappointing,” but said the bill has enough council member votes to override his veto.

“This year alone, city benefits to businesses and developers will cost taxpayers nearly $250 million,” Quinn said in a press release last week. “All we are trying to do is ensure that taxpayer investment is going to subsidize jobs that pay a reasonable wage.”

Bronx Links, Monday

By Jeanmarie Evelly

Good afternoon, and welcome back to the work week. It’ll be cloudy and in the low 50s this Monday. Here are a few local news stories we’re following on Breaking Bronx today:

A woman was arrested this weekend on animal cruelty charges for allegedly starving her two pit bulls, which were removed from a Webster Avenue apartment building by the American Society for the Prevention for Cruelty to Animal (ASPCA) back in December weighing a mere 16.4 and 15.2 pounds. Gillian Irving, 27, could face up to two years in prison if convicted.

A baby born nearly four months premature, and weighing just over a pound, is heading home from St. Barnabas hospital this week. Staff at the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit called baby Daniel Annan a “miracle” and planned him a goodbye party.

A fire that broke out in a Marble Hill apartment building Friday afternoon killed Juan Lizardo, 47,  and his wife Marilyn Brito, 46. The couple had three foster children, who survived the tragedy.

The corruption trial of former Bronx State Sen. Pedro Espada, Jr., continues, and the New York Post takes a look at the defendant’s dining habits, as detailed by federal prosecutors who charge that Espada billed $103,000 to his taxpayer-funded nonprofit health clinic for meals which appear to be non-business related. Espada spent thousands of dollars at a number of restaurants in Westchester, where he was believed to have lived despite claiming to reside in his Bronx district, as required by law.

Norwood Merchants Association Yielding Benefits for Members

By Destiny DeJesus

The 204th Street and Bainbridge Avenue Merchants Association meeting continues to build on momentum created during this past holiday season.

At a meeting held on Thursday, April 12 at Beso Lounge, business leaders discussed plans for funding, events, neighborhood resources and a future meeting schedule. Around seven small business owners attended as well as other organizations such as Mosholu Preservation Corporation (MPC) and Community Board 7 (CB7).

“The feedback was very positive, merchants talked about things they would like to see in the neighborhood,” said Michael Lambert, executive director of the Jerome-Gun Hill Business Improvement District (BID) and deputy director of MPC.

More importantly for many business owners, mini-grant checks of up to $2,000 were distributed to participating merchants.

Read more

‘Living Wage’ Bill Nearing Council Vote

By Jeanmarie Evelly

After months of negotiations, and nearly two years after the original bill was introduced, legislation that would require some developers that receive taxpayer subsidies to pay workers a living wage will likely be voted on in the City Council within the next few weeks.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who has been working on her own “compromise” version of the bill since January, announced last week that negotiations were complete. The news indicates that movement on the legislation is likely to come soon, as Quinn decides what bills come to floor for a vote, and when.

“This bill was based on a concept of fairness. Businesses that accept significant taxpayer dollars must pay a living wage,” the speaker said in a statement. “Because this bill was modified to only cover direct recipients of financial assistance, we believe it will lift wages without hampering job growth and economic development in New York City.”

Read more

Bronx Notes: Workshop on Understanding Contracts

A free workshop on Understanding Contracts will take place today from 6:30 p.m. to 8 . Participants will learn the basics about contracts and also engage in a question/answer panel.   The workshop will be led by an attorney with two decades of legal experience.  Seating is limited. For more information on the location and space available, call (718) 665-5250 x263 or email smallbusiness@startsmallthinkbig.org

Ed. note: Every weekday, we highlight Bronx programs, announcements, services, opportunities, public meetings/hearings or community events. Find a full listing on our Neighborhood Notes page. Send your neighborhood notes to us at norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org.

Bronx Breakdown: Weighing Leverage at the Kingsbridge Armory

After a longer than anticipated hiatus, The Bronx Breakdown is back this week with an Armory-centric post this lovely Friday afternoon. Enjoy.

The video above was taken during the rally for responsible development of the Kingsbridge Armory. It features a spoken word artist known as Ricardo doing a piece about why the Armory is important to the community and the community’s resolve to have it serve as resource for residents.

The bids for the Amory are in. We know a little about which groups have submitted proposals and the front-runner, as we’ve mentioned here before, is a group of investors who want to turn the hulking 600,000-square-foot building into a state-of-the-art regional ice sports center, complete with a 5,000-seat arena and eight other ice rinks for hockey and figure skating (maybe some curling?).

The reason this group is the front-runner is because they appear to have the funding to build their project without public assistance. This is a good thing because government can use those funds for other worthwhile ventures. But, on the other hand, it’s going to leave community activists like Ricardo and others from the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA) without much leverage.

Read more

Bronx Notes: Job Readiness For Teens

If you’re a Bronx teenager, here’s an opportunity to prepare for landing that summer job. On Tuesday, April 17, at 3:30 p.m., the Bronx Library Center, 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd., will host a workshop called “Interviewing for Success,” which will teach teens how to themselves in any job interview — from prep questions to time in the waiting area to closing the deal. For ages 12 to 18. For more information, call (718) 579-4245.

Ed. note: Every weekday, we highlight Bronx programs, announcements, services, opportunities, public meetings/hearings or community events. Find a full listing on our Neighborhood Notes page. Send your neighborhood notes to us at norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org.

Report: Stadium Parking Falls Short on Jobs Promise

By Jeanmarie Evelly

A company that received millions in tax-exempt bonds to finance the development of parking lots around Yankee Stadium did not deliver on the number of jobs it said it would create, an audit from the City Comptroller’s office detailed recently.

Bronx Parking Development Company LLC received $225 million in private activity bonds to build 2,184 parking spaces near the new Yankee Stadium. The city’s Economic Development Corp. (EDC) approved the financing for the project despite the fact that the organization’s parent company had defaulted previously on tax-exempt economic development bonds, the report said.

“The EDC has enormous power to create and protect jobs, and yet it has handed out huge taxpayer subsidies with alarmingly spotty results,” Comptroller John Liu said in a statement. The audit examined $497 million in tax breaks given to hundreds of companies by the city’s Industrial Development Agency (IDA) and the EDC.

Bronx Parking is now on the verge of defaulting on its bond payments, Liu’s report says, blaming the EDC for failing to notice “gaping holes” in the company’s financial plans. The company also promised to create 55 jobs as part of the deal but has fallen short on that agreement and has lost six full-time jobs, the audit says.

Legal Services NYC-Bronx To Open Community Office at the Hub

A group that offers free legal services to low-income Bronx residents will be getting a new and improved home at the busy HUB commercial corridor, at Brook Avenue and E. 149th Street, a number of local elected officials announced last week.

Legal Services NYC-Bronx will move into a commercial condominium that’s being built as part of City-sanctioned development project on a stretch of undeveloped property at the HUB. When completed, the group’s new offices will feature a green space and be fully handicap accessible, according to a press release sent out by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., who is one of several Bronx representatives working in support of the project.

“We at Legal Services NYC-Bronx are overwhelmed by the show of support we have received from Bronx elected officials in our quest for a new home. For years, we have been searching for an office that is large enough for our seventy person staff, for all of our clients to receive services in confidential and dignified surroundings,” said Jennifer Levy, the group’s director.

Legal Services NYC-Bronx serves 10,000 Bronx residents a year, offering legal help to domestic violence victims, disabled and disadvantaged children and assisting in medical access, elder abuse and eviction and foreclosure cases. The group was one of several organizations working last year on behalf of the Bronx Milbank tenants, who were seeking to get conditions in their dilapidated and foreclosed buildings repaired.

Bronx Lawmakers Sponsor Bill to Protect Facebook Passwords

By Jeanmarie Evelly

Two Bronx legislators are looking to pass a bill that would ban employers from requesting social media site passwords from job applicants, a practice they say is growing in popularity and a threat to the privacy of job-seekers.

“This legislation will address a terrible and growing abuse by certain employers,” said Assemblyman Jeffery Dinowitz, who is sponsoring the version of the bill in the Assembly. “Employers should not be snooping on social media communications that are private, and they certainly should not be given passwords that are supposed to be kept secret. It’s like an employer asking for a copy of your house keys so they can have a look around your home.”

Reports have indicated a growing trend of employers who want to browse the Facebook and Twitter accounts of potential job applicants as part of their hiring process, demanding log-in information. Federal lawmakers, including New York Senator Charles Schumer, are also speaking out on the issue, asking the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Justice to launch a federal investigation into the practice.

“Even in this digital age, turning over your password to an employer is a bridge too far,” said Senator Jeff Klein, who is introducing the state law in the New York Senate.

Bronx Notes: Yankee Stadium Hiring

Legends Hospitality, which does the bulk of the concessions at Yankee Stadium, is hiring for the new season.

Jobs available include: Hostess, Bartender, Pastry Chef, Runner, Premium Services Supervisor, Catering Coordinator, Catering Server, Concession Stand Cashier, Concessions Prep, Merchandise Warehouse Associate and Merchandise Sales Room Personnel.

Please apply on line at www.legendshm.com.

Once you go online, then click on the home button and then the career button. From there you will see all the jobs that are currently available.

Ed. note: Every weekday, we highlight Bronx programs, announcements, services, opportunities, public meetings/hearings or community events. Find a full listing on our Neighborhood Notes page. Send your neighborhood notes to us at norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org.

Lighting the Way Toward ‘Responsible’ and Community-Based Armory Development

By Alex Kratz

At a rally outside of the Kingsbridge Armory last night, more than 200 activists gathered to send a message to Mayor Bloomberg and other city officials that whatever comes into this enormous historic building needs to benefit the community.

Submissions for development proposals were due today and activists from the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance and Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition made it clear they would be advocating for community benefits throughout every step of the process. During the last effort to develop the Amory — into a shopping mall, a project by the Related Companies supported by the Bloomberg administration — KARA and the Coalition spearheaded opposition to the project because it didn’t guarantee living wage jobs ($10 an hour, plus benefits or $11.50 without benefits).

During the rally, which concluded with a candle-light vigil and featured fiery speeches, songs, chants and a spoken word performance, KARA and the Coalition laid out their vision for the Armory. It would include:

• “Wall to wall” living wage jobs for local residents.

• A new public school.

• Community space for arts programs and events.

• Priority access for Bronxites.

• “Green” and sustainable development.

• No Big Box retail and limited retail.

• Non-competitive small business development and training programs.

Stay tuned. We’ll have some video and more Armory coverage tomorrow.

An Entrepreneur Takes Advantage of Still Empty Kingsbridge Armory

By Marcos Sierra

The future of the Kingsbridge Armory is still undecided, though Mayor Bloomberg’s new round of RFPs (Request for Proposals) for plans on redeveloping the site are due today. In the meantime, one Latin American entrepreneur is taking advantage of the enormous space.

Pedro Zamora, a music promoter and restaurant owner with Mexican roots, had been hosting concerts and other events at vacant armories in Brooklyn for years until 2010, when the city told him the sites were no longer available for rent.

Searching for locations that were large enough, Zamora found the 5-acre Kingsbridge Armory sitting dormant in a largely Hispanic section of the Bronx, perfect for his plans for the space, which include hosting a number of popular Latin musicians and even a full-fledged rodeo scheduled for March.

“[The Armory] hadn’t been used in quite some time and needed repairs to bring it up to code, so I did the repairs myself,” he said. “In exchange for the repairs, I got a good deal on the rent and the Department of Buildings helped expedite the necessary permits.”

On Feb. 11, Zamora hosted his first concert at the Armory, featuring bachata singer Hector “El Torito” Acosta and popular norteño ensemble Los Tigres del Norte. The show drew thousands, including representatives from the offices of Bronx elected officials.

“I went to the concert with my cousin and brother, and we had a great time,” said Jose Zapata, taking a break from playing soccer in St. James Park. “The place was really big and the music was just like home.”

Read more

Bronx Youth Journalists Report: What Would You Like to See at the Kingsbridge Armory?

By Jeanmarie Evelly

Editor’s Note–The following was filed by student reporters in the Bronx Youth Journalism Initiative. They are: Alexa Silver, Claudia Seda, Camryn Clarke, Paige Ruiz, Tatyana Turner, Patience Cournoo, Brittney Williams, Brandon Alleyne, Alexis Butler, Brenda Sichini, Nayeh Yisrael, Kassidy Washington, Terrance Washington, Selena Marte, Ricky Mieses, Celeste Pasian, Jasmin Lino, Andrea Jewth, Kavon Wilson.

Today’s the big day–the deadline for interested developers who want to set up shop at the Kingsbridge Armory to submit their applications to the city. A spokesman for the Economic Development Corporation, charged with sorting through the proposals, said they were due in at 4 p.m. today.

We know, and we’ve written about,  a few of the groups that are interested in coming to the Armory: a bicycling and basketball sports mega center, a hockey rink, and maybe even an Evangelical church.

But what do Bronxites want to see at the Armory? To find out, we dispatched our team of student reporters (right) from the Bronx Youth Journalism Initiative, the free after-school journalism program run by the Norwood News. They hit the streets around Kingsbridge Road, armed with a notebook and pen, to ask the question: what you like to see at the Kingsbridge Armory?

The overwhelming response from those asked matches well with several ideas that have already been proposed for the space. Nearly everyone said they’d like to see the building used for some kind of community benefit, either in the form of a school, recreational programs for kids and the elderly, or a sports complex.

“My choice would be afterschool programs, especially for the elderly,” said Joe Laubriel “Maybe we could turn it into a museum. That would be good for tourism.”

Read more

Bronx Notes: Community Board 7 Economic Development Meeting Tonight

Bronx Community Board 7 will hold its Economic Development Committee meeting tonight, Tuesday, March 13 at 6:30 p.m. at the board office, 229A E. 204^th St.

For more information, call (718) 933-5650 or visit www.bronxcb7.info.

Ed. note: Every weekday, we highlight Bronx programs, announcements, services, opportunities, public meetings/hearings or community events. Find a full listing on our Neighborhood Notes page. Send your neighborhood notes to us at norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org.

Raising Money for Healthy Smiles

By Destiny DeJesus

Norwood Dentist Dr. Jay Fensterstock jumped into the holiday spirit early this past winter. By sponsoring a charity drive selling “Holiday Teeth,” Concerned Dental Care raised $1,800 in donations that were sent to Healthy Smiles, Healthy Children, a charity sponsored by The Foundation of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. Healthy Smiles, Healthy Children aides low income families that cannot afford dental procedures.

The Charity Drive started Nov. 30 and ended on the last day of 2011. Concerned Dental Care printed out colored images of teeth and wrote the names of families who donated on the printout. The “Holiday Teeth” were displayed on the walls of Concerned Dental Care’s office on Mosholu Parkway.

In addition to the Bronx site, five other offices were involved with the charity work. Out of all five offices, Fensterstock’s Bronx office had the best turn out. Fred Madera, who works for all of the locations, said that although this was the first time Concerned Dental Care was involved with the holiday charity work, they plan on continuing the tradition next year in hopes of raising more money to help a good cause.

Ed. note: Concerned Dental Care is located at 55 East Mosholu Parkway North. For more information, call (718) 652-7370 or visit concerneddentalcare.com.

Bronx Business: Seeking Ways to Assist Bronx Entrepreneurs

By Marcos Sierra

Immigrants and minorities who want to start and expand businesses in the Bronx face many obstacles, but most entrepreneurs are not aware of the programs out there that can help them overcome those obstacles.

A recent survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, showed a staggering 92 percent of current business owners aren’t even aware of programs that are designed to help entrepreneurs like them. That was the theme at a recent forum held at Hostos Community College.

The survey, presented by Claire Kramer, Community Outreach Manager at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, highlighted two key issues which are fundamental to the growth of immigrant and minority small business owners: the lack of using technology and, even more importantly, a lack of financing. Read more

Bronx Business: LGBT Chamber of Commerce Opens First Office in the Bronx

By Marcos Sierra

As the rain swirled and the temperature dropped on Friday afternoon, decorations were going up, spirits were high at Bedford Park Tax Inc., and Rev. Carmen Hernandez had reason to celebrate.

“It’s the first chapter of the NYC LGBT Chamber of Commerce, and I’m excited it’s here in the Bronx,” said Hernandez.

A single mother of nine who was raised on Willis Avenue in the Bronx, Hernandez founded the first-ever NYC LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) Chamber of Commerce in 2007.

“Our purpose is to connect business owners of diverse backgrounds from the LGBT and straight communities to help build better relationships in those communities,” said Hernandez who is also an ordained “street” evangelist.

“We need to better support our local businesses,” she added. “When we have block parties, it’s the local businesses like Bedford Park Tax Inc. that help us out. The big corporations just give us an 800 number to call. It’s just sad.” Read more

In State of the Borough Speech, Diaz Touts Bronx Businesses, Job Creation

By Jeanmarie Evelly

Photos by Adi Talwar

On Thursday, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., delivered his third State of the Borough address to a packed, darkened auditorium at Harry S. Truman High School. A bevvy of city and state elected officials were in the audience for the 54-minute speech, which covered the usual political topics–schools, health, transportation, crime–and recalled the accomplishments of Diaz’s last three years in office.

But the gist of Diaz’s speech was jobs, jobs, jobs. The Borough President spent much of the first portion of his address reeling off a list of recent economic efforts and business projects that are taking root in the Bronx: the Smith Electric trucking company, the mall project planned at the former Stella D’Oro cookie factory, negotiations for the Hunts Point Produce Market to stay put, Fresh Direct’s move to Harlem Yards and, of course, the potential redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Armory.

As we mentioned in Friday’s Bronx Breakdown, despite all the economic mentions, Diaz opted not to bring up the Bronx’s unemployment rate, which remains the highest in the state at 12.2%. He also didn’t address recent criticism of his financial support for Fresh Direct’s move–$1 million in capitol grant funds, of the $127 million in tax breaks and subsidies the company will receive from the city overall–which many have criticized as too generous for a company that pays 38% of its workers less than $25,000 a year, and doesn’t offer services to most neighborhoods in the Bronx.

There were a couple of Fresh Direct protestors outside Truman last week (see photos, above). You can listen to the entirety of the address in the embedded recording below. What do you think of his speech? Let us know in the comments section.

Bronx State of the Borough by Norwood News

Bronx Links, Monday

By Jeanmarie Evelly

Happy Monday, everyone! Lots of Bronx news to catch up on today and from this weekend. If you missed it, Alex Kratz took a look at Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr.’s State of the Borough speech in Friday’s Bronx Breakdown. We’ll have more on that–with some photos from the event–later today. In the meantime, here are some local stories we’re following this morning:

• An elderly Parkchester man and his 46-year-old mentally handicapped son were discovered dead in their apartment on Saturday. Though the cause of their deaths is unclear, neighbors speculated that Joseph Valerio Sr., 85, may have died of natural causes, and that his son–who was dependent on his father for everything–may have died later, with no one left to take care of him.
• An NYPD officer from the Bronx’s 42 Precinct, claims that he and other cops at the precinct were forced to keep up with an illegal quota system enforced by supervisors, and were penalized if they did not meet a required number of street stops and arrests each month. Resident in the South Bronx community, which includes Morrisania and Melrose, told the Daily News that getting stopped by the police for no reason is a regular occurrence.
• Another look at the criticism surrounding the city’s $128 million deal to get Fresh Direct to move to the Bronx : WNYC has a cool feature which maps the zip codes the online grocer services, along with the median household income of those neighborhoods. Fresh Direct delivers to only four of the Bronx’s 27 zip codes–the four in the borough’s highest income bracket. You can read some background about the Fresh Direct deal here.
• Woodlawn’s only supermarket–popular among the neighborhood’s Irish residents–is being forced to close its doors next month because of high rent and taxes. 
• Backlog in the Bronx court system leaves those accused of crimes lingering for years before a trial date is set. According to the Daily News, defendants routinely wait two to three years for a trial, a delay many blame on the 2004 merger of the Bronx Criminal Court and the borough’s Supreme Court.
• An accident involving several cars early this morning resulted in a livery cab crashing into a home near the Cross Bronx Expressway in Parkchester. Photo at the link.

Bronx Breakdown: The State of the Borough

By Alex Kratz

Welcome to another thrilling edition of the Bronx Breakdown. This week we talk about the real state of the Bronx, hypocrisy in the FreshDirect deal, an ongoing racism problem at Fordham University and one ridiculously sad crime story and what you should do this weekend. Let’s break it on down.

The State of the Borough: 12.4 Percent Unemployment
I did not attend Ruben Diaz, Jr.’s state of the borough speech yesterday — though I followed along on our Twitter feed thanks to superstar reporter Jeanmarie Evelly’s deft thumb work in the darkened auditorium at Harry S. Truman High School — but I know, from reading the transcript of the speech, that he declined to mention the Bronx’s unemployment rate, which sits firmly above 12 percent. And that doesn’t even include those existing on welfare programs who have given up looking for work.

It was probably a smart move. At a whopping 12.4 percent in December, that’s 2.2 points higher than the next highest New York county, Oswego (10.2 percent).

Diaz spent much of the speech talking about all of businesses he is ushering and enticing into the Bronx and that will help. (How much it helps is, of course, up for debate. Diaz’s “strong written agreement” with FreshDirect guarantees Bronxites nothing.) And the construction projects will keep construction workers, at least some from the Bronx, working.

But it’s not going to solve the Bronx’s intractable unemployment problem. Not by a long shot. The truth is that nothing a politician can do will solve the problem. Read more

Bronx Business: Fordham’s One-Stop Santeria Shopping Destination

By Marcos Sierra

Stepping into Original Products Botanica on the corner of East 189th Street and Webster Avenue, visitors are welcomed with the aroma of fresh herbs, smiling employees and Spanish-Caribbean music playing from overhead speakers. It’s an expansive 15,000-square-foot store housing a vast collection of items — from altar tools and supplies, to ritual and saint candles, tarot cards and everything else in between.

Original Products Botanica’s services to its customers go back a generation, to the early 1930s and Spanish Harlem, when waves of Caribbean citizens began to immigrate to the United States.

“At that time, there weren’t any companies that understood the demand for these types of products, and it created a niche for us,” said second generation co-owner, Jason Mizrahi. “It all began with my uncle and dad.”

Albert Amateau opened his store, M&A Amateau, on East 115th Street, between Park and Madison avenues, in an area that would be later established as La Marketa, an important social and economic venue for Hispanic New York at that time.

Armed with an unassuming smile and a Judeo-Spanish language known as “Oriental” Ladino, a 14th- and 15th-century Spanish dialect spoken in Turkey and Rhodes, Amateau was able to seamlessly blend into his surroundings and tap into a severely underserved market. With the help of his cousin, Jack Mizrahi, the company mushroomed into one of the largest religious and occult practice product wholesalers in the area. After a quarter century of profitability, Jack decided to branch out into another underserved marketplace — the Bronx. Read more

BP Diaz, Bronx Business Leaders Defend Fresh Direct Funding

By Jeanmarie Evelly

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., is looking to appease critics of online grocer FreshDirect, which was granted $127.8 million from the city last week in exchange for staying in New York. The company had been considering another lucrative offer to relocate to New Jersey, prompting the Bloomberg administration to counter with an even bigger package of tax breaks and subsidies to convince it to move its headquarters to the Bronx’s Harlem River Yards instead. FreshDirect is currently based in Long Island City, Queens.

Some have lashed out against the deal as too generous to a company that pays 38% of its workers less than $25,000 a year, and doesn’t offer services to most neighborhoods in the Bronx.

“For the cost of this benefits package the city could give 4,385 students full, four-year scholarships to CUNY or hire 1,458 new teachers or pay for 350,000 GED test-prep programs or launch a micro-lending program for minority and women entrepreneurs,” City Comptroller John Liu said in a statement. “The EDC has not clearly justified why this much money should be used to subsidize this company.”

Diaz, who is allocating $1 million in capitol grant funds under his control toward the project, sent out a press release Monday announcing a “Memorandum of Understanding” between his office and FreshDirect, saying the company will make an effort to see that at least 30 percent of its new hires are Bronx residents, that it meet with Diaz by the end of June to discuss expanding its delivery services to more areas of the Bronx and continue efforts to get approval from the state to accept food stamp benefits, along with other provisions (you can read the whole thing here).

Read more

Valentine Tips From a Bronx Jeweler: It’s the Thought (and a Nice Piece of Jewelry) That Counts

With Valentine’s Day just days away, we went straight to the most tenured and trusted jeweler in the northwest Bronx, Allan Freilich, of Freilich Jewelers in Norwood, which opened in Norwood in 1939, to get some advice on buying the perfect gift for your special someone. Here are the highlights from our conversation.

What’s an “appropriate” Valentine’s gift?
As a traditional old-time jeweler, I believe your gift should be proportional to your relationship. If you met the young lady on Friday night and Valentine’s Day is the next Tuesday, a gift might be something slightly different than someone who is in a long-term relationship, married or otherwise. Now that’s appropriate behavior. Of course in today’s world, everything’s thrown to the wind.

How much should you spend?
That level of money has changed with our times. The reality of it is that, for many of us, times are tougher. So times have definitely changed. You can buy a lovely thing here for $20, no question about it. The real question is remembering and coming home with something, whatever it is. Yes, I would love for everyone to leave with a $5,000 item, but the realities are what they are.

Is it okay for women to buy jewelry for men?
Absolutely. There was a day many years ago when men didn’t wear much stuff, but that is not the case anymore. Men adorn just like the pirates in the old days. Read more

Bronx Neighborhood Note: Forum on Supporting Immigrant and Minority Entrepreneurs

The Center for an Urban Future and the Fund for Public Advocacy are facilitating a discussion about the role of immigrant and minority entrepreneurs in the Bronx, the challenges they face, and how to support their growth, Feb. 14, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Hostos Community College, Savoy Building., 120 E. 149th St. (corner of Walton Avenue), multi-purpose room, 2nd floor. A light breakfast will be served. To register, e-mail rsvp@nycfuture.org. Registration deadline is Monday, Feb. 13.

Fresh Direct Will Move Headquarters to the Bronx

By Jeanmarie Evelly

The Boogie Down comes out ahead–again!–in the latest business battle with New Jersey, with the news that grocery delivery company Fresh Direct will be  relocating to the Bronx from their current headquarters in Queens.

The company had been contemplating lucrative tax deals from both New York City and New Jersey, but will build its new site in the south Bronx’s Harlem River Yards after accepting $130 in grants, tax breaks and tax credits from Gov. Cuomo, Mayor Bloomberg and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., according to the Daily News.

Last June, New Jersey tried to lure the Hunts Point Produce Market over the river from its long time Bronx location, but the Market ultimately opted to renew its lease and stay put, at least for the time being.

The News reports that the move will keep the Fresh Direct’s 2,000 current jobs in New York, and will also add 1,000 new jobs by 2020. Its planned 500,000-square-foot new warehouse is estimated to open by 2015.

The article notes that some good-government groups are criticizing the city’s generous tax breaks offerings, citing the fact that Fresh Direct pays 38% of its workers less than $25,000 a year.

In the living wage bill compromise struck last month between City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and supporters of the Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act, Fresh Direct would be exempt from the mandate required of other publicly subsidized companies should the bill get passed–that direct workers get paid $1 0 an hour with benefits, or $11.50 an hour without.

Bronx State Sen. Klein to Sponsor Minimum Wage Bill

By Jeanmarie Evelly

Bronx State Sen. Jeff Klein announced this morning that he is introducing a bill in the Senate to raise the state’s minimum wage, a version of which was first introduced in the State Assembly last week by Speaker Sheldon Silver.

Klein, who broke from the Senate Democrats last year, is currently the head of a four-person Independent Democratic Conference. Most Republicans oppose the idea of a wage hike.

If passed, the bill would raise the minimum wage required in New York to $8.50 an hour, up from the current $7.25, and would tie the minimum wage to the rate of inflation.

“New York is failing to live up to its tradition as a progressive leader as long as this state’s minimum wage remains stagnant,” Klein said in a statement.

“Living on $290 a-week is virtually impossible in this state, yet that’s what thousands upon thousands of New Yorkers are struggling to do each day. I believe we can do better as a state and as a society.”

Mayor Bloomberg came out in support of a minimum wage hike in his State of the City speech last month, and several Bronx elected officials have expressed their support for it.
Read more

Breaking Bronx Eats at Mar & Tierra; Caribbean Cuisine Comes to Bainbridge

By Emily Piccone

Breaking Bronx Eats is a periodic feature where we highlight neighborhood restaurants. If you would like us to check out a restaurant in your area, write to us at norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org.

The shops and restaurants clustered around the last stop on the D train are multiplying.

A mile from the Botanical Garden and right below the newly-refurbished Reservoir Oval Park, the few blocks of commerce have a unique charm that still reflects an older time.

Within less than a mile, there’s Mc­Dwyer’s Pub, the oldest Irish bar left standing in Norwood, Sal’s Pizza, the neighborhood’s oldest (and possibly best) pizza spot that just lost its namesake to retirement (but not its pizza, don’t worry), and a piano bar on the corner of Webster and 204th that looks untouched since the ’70s.

Joining these legends are a couple of newcomers that are bringing something fresh to the streets: a sign of nightlife. Catering to the expanding Dominican population of Norwood, the Beso Lounge and Mar & Tierra have just recently opened their doors. Mar & Tierra moved in recently, filling the bottom floor of the ever-in-flux yellow brick building on the corner of Bainbridge Avenue and Reservoir Oval East. Read more

At Bronx’s Armory, Ice Center Group Says It Would Create School and Programs

By Lindsay Armstrong

There was only one item on the agenda at last Thursday night’s meeting of the Community Board 7 Land Use Committee: the proposal to transform the Kingsbridge Armory into a state-of-the-art complex for ice sports. A group of private investors known as the Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC) presented their vision for the Armory, which would include a school and youth programs, to the committee and a handful of community members.

“The idea isn’t to create just another rec center in just another armory, but to create an iconic arena in an iconic building,” said Jonathan Richter of the Kingridge National Ice Center (KNIC). “The hope is that it becomes a best-in-class facility and a destination on par with the [New York] Botanical Gardens.”

As the Norwood News reported last week, the facility would include a 5,000-seat arena and seven or eight additional skating rinks. The group plans to fund the project with private investments rather than city subsidies.

KNIC representatives were tight-lipped on many of the specifics of the plan, not wanting to reveal too much information before the city’s March 22 deadline for proposals. They did, however, provide an overview of how the ice complex could address community needs, specifically in the realms of education and youth development. Read more

Kingsbridge Armory Open for Business; Hockey Group Emerges

By Alex Kratz

Editor’s note: This article appears is in the latest print edition of the Norwood News, which you can find now at locations throughout the northwest Bronx.

Two years after the City Council killed a plan to turn the long-vacant Kingsbridge Armory into a giant shopping mall, the city is once again seeking development proposals for the 600,000-square-foot, castle-like structure.

In his State of the City speech at Morris High School in the Bronx, Mayor Bloomberg said his office had received unsolicited interest in the Armory from groups with the resources to revamp the nearly 95-year-old building. Although the new request for proposals, released on Jan. 12, does not rule out the possibility of another mall project, momentum is building for another type of use.

“We’ve heard from a variety of interested parties who want to develop it into recreational space,” Bloomberg said in his speech.

The frontrunner emerging with recreational plans appears to be a group of investors, including former New York Rangers star Mark Messier, who want to turn the Armory into the region’s (and possibly the nation’s) biggest hockey complex. Read more

Free Tax Prep Help in the Bronx

The following groups and organizations are providing free tax prep help at locations throughout the Bronx:

• Bronx Borough President, Ruben Diaz Jr., in conjunction with Bronx Independent Living Services is offering Free Tax Assistance and preparation to seniors in the Bronx, on Wednesday, Feb. 22, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 4419 Third Ave., Suite 2C, (between 181st& 182nd Street). You must bring W-2 and/or 1099 statements, and the 2010 tax return.  All tax forms are prepared by certified volunteers, who were trained by the Internal Revenue Service. Space is limited. Call (718) 590-6248 to make your reservation.

•  The University Neighborhood Housing Program, Ariva, a non-profit organization that trains volunteers who provide pro-bono (free) tax preparation services, and FB Community Services, are offering Free Federal and State Income Tax Assistance to low-income residents of the Bronx. Certified Tax Preparers will be ready to assist you at Refuge House, 2715 Bainbridge Ave. (near East 196th Street). Appointment days and times are: Wednesdays Jan. 25, Feb. 1, 15, & 29, March 28, April 4, and 11, from 3 p.m. until 8 p.m., and Saturdays Jan. 28, Feb. 4, 11, & 25, March 24, 31, and April 14, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Space is limited, so call (718) 933-2539, to secure your appointment.  Spanish language services also provided.

•  Ridgewood Savings Bank in conjunction with Ariva, a non-profit organization, which trains volunteers who provide pro-bono (free) tax preparation services, are hosting Free Tax Prep Days to eligible low-income Bronx residents at four of Ridgewood Savings Bank’s convenient locations.  The dates, times, and locations are: Saturday, Feb. 18, from 10 a.m. ti 4 p.m., at the Jerome Avenue Branch, located at 3445 Jerome Ave., (718) 881-3430; Saturday Feb. 25, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m., at the White Plains Road Branch, located at 4101 White Plains Road at 229th Street, (718) 882-0440; Saturday, March 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the Allerton Avenue Branch, located at 711 Allerton Avenue, Bronx, NY 10467, (718) 882-2220.  Space is limited, so qualifying taxpayers are urged to call the branch of their interest in advance to schedule an appointment.

Bronx Biz News: VIP Cafe Reopens After Fire

By Emily Piccone

The VIP Café, on the corner of Rochambeau Avenue and East Gun Hill Road, recently reopened after a fire in early July left its doors closed for four months.

Steve Larous, the restaurant’s owner since 1997, said that they had cleaned up the water damage from putting out the fire, but it was a complicated permitting process that kept their doors closed until Dec. 5.

“For safety reasons we had to be issued all new permits,” he said.

Whatever the reason, VIP, located directly across from the Montefiore Medical Center, is finally open again and sporting a fresh facade and a leaner menu. Read more

Local Groups Campaign Against Cigarette Ads in Bodegas

Editor’s Note: The following story was originally published in Bronx Youth Heard, a publication of the Bronx Youth Journalism Initiative, a free journalism program for Bronx high school students run by the Norwood News. We are currently accepting applications for our spring semester. To find out more about the program and how to apply, click here. The Bronx Youth Journalism Initiative is supported by the North Star Fund, the Johnson Family Foundation Fund, and City Councilman Fernando Cabrera, and is run in collaboration with CUNY’s College Now program at Hostos Community College.

By Michaela Ritz

Bold colors, a large font, highlighted words and smiling people. Producers of cigarette ads use these design elements to lure customers. Health advocates say these ads prey on low-income communities of color, particularly in the Bronx.

“The tobacco industry saturates poor communities like ours, where there are high stress levels and unemployment,” said Juan Ramon Rios, of the High Bridge Community Life Center, which runs the Partnership for a Smoke-Free Bronx. The group has been pushing for legislation that would limit the number of cigarette ads displayed in city bodegas, and regulate where ads are placed in stores so that teens and kids are not targeted. The effect of such a law would be large in the Bronx, advocates say, as there are more than 1,600 bodegas and small groceries here.

Many teens, however, say they aren’t influenced by the advertisements.

“I have never seen a cigarette ad before,” said Nusrat Ahmed, a 16-year-old student who lives in Parkchester. Nusrat says she’s never smoked before and that she has a built-in prejudice against it because her uncle smokes and her father chews tobacco.

“Cigarettes make you feel good for a short while, but they bring you closer to your death,” she said. “Cigarette companies try to promote the short-term experience.”

Nic Arenas, a 16-year-old smoker who lives on Allerton Avenue, says he thinks graphic anti-smoking ads — such as those launched by the Health Department — are more noticeable than those that advertise the sale of cigarettes. Read more

Tuesday Bronx Links

By Jeanmarie Evelly

Welcome back to the workweek, Breaking Bronx readers. Hope you enjoyed the long weekend, if you happened to have off. Here are some local news stories we’re following this morning:

A new study that looks at the earnings of retail workers found that those in the Bronx make less than in any other borough, with a mean pay of $8 an hour. Some chains pay their Manhattan workers more than their Bronx workers for the same job, the study found. Mayor Bloomberg, meanwhile, said in his State of the City speech last week that he supports raising the city’s minimum wage. But the Bronx-based “living wage” bill, which sought to up pay for workers in city-subsidized development projects, would not do much for retail workers if the latest, watered-down version that Council Speaker Christine Quinn is backing is what’s ultimately passed. The “compromise” version of the legislation would require firms receiving subsidies – but not their retail tenants – to pay the higher wages.

Members of the Caldwell Temple A.M.E. Zion Church in Morrisania marked the Martin Luther King holiday by giving back at the parish’s soup kitchen.

Read more

Bronx Breakdown: A Living Wage Deal, Hockey at the Armory and More

By Alex Kratz

This photo, from St. Ann’s Church’s processional in honor of the Feast of Guadalupe held in December, has nothing to do with this week’s Breakdown, but it’s a great photo from our own Adi Talwar. Read on for more about today’s living wage deal, hockey possibly coming to the Armory, the relentless push by religious leaders to keep churches in city school buildings, Fordham’s hoops “powerhouse” and some good old-fashioned soul music. Let’s break it on down.

Spin for a Watered-Down Living Wage Deal
We’ll start with the big story of the day: Speaker Christine Quinn strikes a deal on living wage legislation. Everyone involved in this deal is positing the agreement reached today as an historic moment. But when you read between the lines, it’s clear that this legislation is nowhere near what living wage advocates set out to accomplish. In fact, it’s unclear exactly what it accomplishes.

While details are still forthcoming, we do have an outline of what the new living wage legislation will look like. It will require developers who receive substantial city subsidies (funding, tax breaks, etc.) to pay their own workers a living wage ($10 an hour, plus benefits, or $11.50 an hour, without) for work they do on the development projects they’re receiving the subsidies for.

Let’s break this down, Bronx Breakdown-style with the information we have. Read more

Quinn Expected to Announce Living Wage Compromise Today (Updated)

By Alex Kratz

As negotiations are still on-going, everyone is remaining tight-lipped at this point. But it appears Council Speaker Christine Quinn will announce a compromise agreement on living wage legislation this afternoon. The Riverdale Press Tweeted the news earlier today. We do know that a press conference is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. today and that all the players involved are waiting for the speakers cue. Not sure exactly what a compromise on the bill would mean since there have already been several compromises made already.

Last week, I asked Quinn about the legislation and she said there was “no update.” This latest development may have something to do with the mayor’s announcement yesterday about re-issuing a request for proposals to redevelop the Kingsbridge Armory. This could also have to do with Quinn’s mayoral aspirations. Public Advocate Bill de Blasio, another possible mayoral candidate, recently endorsed the legislation and so did the NY Times.

The legislation would require developers to guarantee living wage jobs at projects that receive substantial city subsidies. Bloomberg has opposed the idea, while Quinn has remained completely neutral.

We’ll have more hopefully soon. Stay tuned.

Update: The Riverdale Press has confirmed that Quinn will make an announcement today of a living wage compromise bill that significantly alters the original intent of the legislation. According to the Press, only direct beneficiaries of the public tax subsidies would be required to pay living wages, $10 an hour plus benefits, or $11.50 without benefits. That means tenants at city-subsidized projects would not be required to pay living wages, which goes against the original intent of the legislation. The original intent was to create permanent living wage jobs. The new agreement means only those employed by developers, mostly construction workers who already make living wages, would be required to pay living wages.

State of the City Comes to the Bronx Amid Protest; More Armory Notes

By Alex Kratz

We are about to head down to Morris High School, on Boston Road near East 167th Street, the site of Mayor Bloomberg’s annual State of the City address, which will be preceded by a protest in the school’s parking lot. We’ll be Tweeting updates from @norwoodnews.

Bronx Councilman Fernando Cabrera will be among those protesting the Department of Education’s policy banning religious groups from worshiping inside public school buildings. (After a court ruling upheld the DOE’s policy, groups have until Feb. 12 to find new places to worship.) Also in attendance will be religious leaders, representatives from some of the church’s facing homelessness and Tony Perkins, a former Louisiana legislator who now heads the Washington, D.C.-based Family Research Council, which advocates for conservative Christian values.

Cabrera adamantly opposes the DOE’s policy and is working with Bronx Assemblyman Nelson Castro to have it changed legislatively on the state level. Through the DOE policy and other recent decisions (like not allowing prayer at the 9/11 anniversary ceremony this past fall), Cabrera says Bloomberg is showing himself to be an “anti-religious” mayor.

The protest starts at noon, an hour before the speech is scheduled to begin.

Whether he’s in attendance or watching from home (or his iPhone, as Bloomberg is streaming the speech live), Cabrera will be applauding the mayor’s announcement during his speech that the city will be issuing a request for proposals to redevelop the Kingsbridge Armory. Cabrera released this statement earlier today: Read more

Bloomberg to Announce New RFP For Kingsbridge Armory

By Alex Kratz

In an interview with Crain’s NY today, Mayor Bloomberg said the city will issue another request for proposals to redevelop the Kingsbridge Armory with a few new tweaks.

The announcement marks something of a victory for Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. who has been pushing hard for the mayor to re-issue an RFP for the Armory since releasing a report this past summer showing wide and varied interest from groups who want to use the Armory.

“I’m so happy that we’re working with the mayor and the administration and we’re moving forward,” Diaz told Crain’s.

After Diaz released the report, some were skeptical that groups interested would be able to provide the resources to actually develop the Armory. Many also believed Bloomberg, still hurting from having an administration-backed plan to turn the Armory into a shopping mall defeated overwhelmingly in the City Council two years ago, would not agree to re-issue an RFP. Read more

Strike Averted for Bronx Nurses, Office Cleaners

Unions that represent two sets of Bronx workers announced on Friday that they’d reached a tentative contract

agreement with their respective managements, avoiding a potential strike in both cases.

Over 2,000 registered nurses at Montefiore Medical Center were threatening to strike by Jan. 10 if a deal wasn’t negotiated with the hospital. But on Friday, the New York State Nurses Association, representing the group, announced they’d agreed on tentative four-year contract that provides salary increases for existing workers and positions for another 125 nurses.

Another major union, 32BJ, which represents tens of thousands of office cleaners across the city, came to a deal with the Realty Advisory Board, one that maintains family healthcare coverage benefits for workers.

Both groups still need to vote on the proposed contracts this month, but the threat of a strike has been withdrawn.

2011 Year in Review: Norwood Gets Its Supermarket Back

By Alex Kratz

Editor’s Note: The latest edition of the Norwood News is out now, and its our annual Year in Review issue–-a recap of the biggest stories that took place in 2011, in the Bronx and beyond. Over the next week or so, we’ll be rolling these top stories out here on Breaking Bronx. Enjoy, and a happy and healthy New Year to all of our readers!

This past March, Foodtown, one of Norwood’s premier supermarkets, reopened to rave reviews 15 months after being destroyed in a fire. It marked a welcome sign of resurgence for a neighborhood shopping district crippled by two devastating fires at the end of 2009.

While the first fire took out 10 small businesses on the corner of Bainbridge Avenue, it was the second major fire, on East 204th Street, that left the neighborhood without a major supermarket and all the foot traffic it generated.

In the aftermath, the Katz brothers, who own the Foodtown chain and whose father opened up the family’s first produce stand in Norwood 55 years ago, vowed to rebuild. And they did, expanding the store by 50 percent and introducing new features, such as a sushi bar, an olive and cheese counter, more seafood and a more spacious design.

Customers and employees were glad to be back. “It was tough watching something you put 12 years into go up in smoke,” said store manager Rick Shinnerer, “but out of the ashes a new store has emerged.”

Read more

2011 Year in Review: In Kingsbridge Armory Plans, Lots of Ideas, But No Substance

By Jeanmarie Evelly

Editor’s Note: The latest edition of the Norwood News is out now, and its our annual Year in Review issue–-a recap of the biggest stories that took place in 2011, in the Bronx and beyond. Over the next week or so, we’ll be rolling these top stories out here on Breaking Bronx. Enjoy, and a happy and healthy New Year to all of our readers!

Two years after the City Council voted down plans to turn the hulking and empty Kingsbridge Armory into a shopping mall, local groups and elected officials spent much of 2011 pondering what should be done now with the 575,000-square-foot space.

In June, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., who has made the redevelopment of the Armory a top priority of his administration, released a long-awaited report on possible future uses for the building, created by a special Armory task force and a group of New York University faculty and graduate students. Despite detailing a number of suggested ideas and totaling 267 pages, the report was criticized by many for lacking substance, and because it offered no clear plan for how the redevelopment of the building would be paid for.

After leading the defeat of the Bloomberg-backed shopping mall plan in 2009, Diaz is under considerable pressure to make progress on the Armory. The building remains empty, while major development projects in other areas of the Bronx have taken off this year, including multi-million dollar shopping centers in Co-op City and at the former Stella D’Oro factory on West 237th Street.
Read more

Donald Trump is Coming to the Bronx

By Jeanmarie Evelly

Mega-wealthy real estate mogul, reality TV star and onetime presidential hopeful Donald Trump will soon be doing business in the Bronx, as the city has chosen his company to run a 222-acre golf course at Ferry Point Park East.

The Trump Organization was granted a 20-year licensing agreement from the city for the operation of what the city is saying will be the “only tournament-quality course in New York City,” complete with clubhouse, snack bar, comfort station, and driving range. Trump has pledged to pay at least $10 million towards the building of the clubhouse, which the city predicts will create 100 new construction jobs.

According to the Parks Department, the golf course should be open to the public by 2014. Ferry Point Park East, a large swath of parkland just south of St. Raymond’s Cemetery near Throgs Neck, is also being developed to include a “community park with playgrounds and ballfields, and a waterfront park with rambling trails and scenic overlooks.”

City’s Newspapers Take Sides in Living Wage Debate

By Jeanmarie Evelly

[Updated 4 p.m.]

In an editorial printed on Christmas day, the New York Times endorsed the so-called living wage bill that’s been lingering in the City Council for nearly two years, calling the legislation “long overdue.” The New York Post, in turn, printed its own editorial the same day, blasting the bill’s supporters for “seeking to drive jobs out of the city.”

The newsprint battle is the latest in a drawn-out dispute over the controversial Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act, introduced by two Bronx council members and born out of a heated debate over a shopping mall planned for the Kingsbridge Armory, which would require developers that get significant taxpayer subsidies to pay workers higher wages. (The New York Daily News editorialized against the bill back in May.)

“This bill makes sense,” the piece in the New York Times reads. “A wage of $10 an hour would help lift thousands of New Yorkers above the poverty line.”

It also dismissed the main criticism of the bill–that it would squash economic development–by pointing to other cities, like Los Angeles and Philadelphia, that have similar laws and continue to thrive, and highlighted Mayor Bloomberg’s previous support for a wage mandate bill in 2002 as contradictory to his current, adamant opposition to the idea of a wage requirement.

The Post took aim at Public Advocate Bill De Blasio, considered a frontrunner in a crowded field of contenders expected to run for Mayor in 2013, who announced his support for the bill last week. The editorial called him a “jobless advocate,” who “doesn’t give a hoot about the economy or jobs.”

It also blasted Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., one of the bill’s main supporters and the driving force behind a push for living wages at the Kingsbridge Armory two years ago, for his role in the defeat of the shopping mall plan.

“Puff went the mall. And all the jobs,” it said.

Diaz sent out his own statement following the Times editorial.

“This major endorsement shows that we have momentum on our side, and that more and more New Yorkers agree that the ‘Fair Wages for New Yorkers’ Act is good public policy,” he said.

He also pointed to a recent Quinnipiac Poll which found New Yorkers support the bill by a margin of 74-19 percent.

The legislation currently has the vote of 29 City Council members, but needs 34 to override the almost-certain veto it would get from Mayor Bloomberg. Council Speaker Christine Quinn will decide whether or not to bring the bill up for a vote, and she’s yet to publicly support or oppose it. De Blasio’s endorsement, however, could put extra pressure her–Quinn is also considered a top potential mayoral candidate–to take a stance.

Bronx Bodega Owner Honored for Healthier Fare

By Jeanmarie Evelly

Editor’s Note: From now on, we’ll be rolling out a health-related news story here on the Breaking Blog every Wednesday, an online expansion of our Be Healthy! column that appears in each print edition of the Norwood News. If there’s a health story or issue you think we should cover, or if you’ve got a question you’d like us to answer, let us know by sending an e-mail to: norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org.

The owner of a West Tremont Avenue bodega was publicly honored last week for his efforts to increase the number of healthy food options offered at his store, swapping chips for fresh fruits and sodas for bottled water as part of a program run by students at nearby MS 331.

State Sen. Gustavo Rivera and Bronx Health REACH presented Bakil Aljaradi, who owns West Tremont Deli Grocery Corp. at 19 W. Tremont Ave., with a proclamation and certificate of recognition. For the last month, Aljardi has worked with students from MS 331′s Citizen Schools program to develop a special healthy lunch menu for students and teachers and to expand the number of healthy snacks he sells.

“Bakil Aljaradi has worked to ensure that his deli, West Tremont Deli Grocery Corp, is an example of how to make the Bronx a better place,” Rivera said. “Through his work, Mr. Aljaradi has inspired the community around his bodega to work together. He has fostered relationships with local community organizations and government officials to effect change and social justice in the Bronx.”

Before working with MS 331 students, Aljaradi participated in the city’s Healthy Bodega Initiative, a program run by the Department of Health that works with store owners in neighborhoods that have little other grocery options to expand the number of fresh foods they sell. Bronx Health REACH worked with a group of 14 sixth graders at MS 331 to launch an “Adopt a Bodega,” campaign at the deli.

“Together they created a special meal combo that was healthier than what was originally offered, and successfully advocated for drinks like water to be placed at eye level as opposed to soda,” said Citizen Schools director Lauren Long-Garcia. “Students learned about the importance of healthy eating and the power that they have to make a positive change in their community.”

The Bronx Gets in the Giving Spirit; Plus Where You Can Donate

The holiday season has Bronxites, elected officials and local organizations looking for ways to give back.

If you missed it in last week’s print edition of the Norwood News,an eclectic group of locals, including a Bronx-based biker gang and a Bainbridge Avenue tattoo shop, have teamed up with the Lutheran Church of the Epiphany in Norwood to launch a toy drive.

Meanwhile, children in the Ambulatory Care Center at St. Barnabas Hospital, pictured above, got a treat this week when they received holiday gifts from Santa and Frosty the Snowman.

Local elected officials are also getting in on the giving action: Senator Gustavo Rivera  and his Bronx CAN Health Initiative partners hosted a healthy holiday party and toy-giveaway, with Montefiore Medical Center and the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, last Sunday at the Mary Mitchell Family and Youth Center in Crotona (pictured at left).

 

Council Member Oliver Koppell launched his toy drive this holiday season by distributing over 100 toys on December 8 to children at the Little Angels Head Start Program on Hull Avenue (pictured at right). The toys were among 300 donated to Koppell by the Bronx Chamber of Commerce and Bronx Toys, a toy manufacturer, to give to children in his district, including those at the Mosholu-Montefiore, Marble Hill and Kingsbridge Heights Community Centers.

For those of you looking for ways to give back locally, we’ve compiled a list of Bronx locations and organizations that are accepting toys and other donations this holiday season, which you’ll find after the jump.

Know of one we’ve missed? Let us know in the comments section or by sending a message to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org.

Read more

The Norwood News Last-Minute Gift Guide

Dear Norwood News Readers,

‘Tis getting a little late in the holiday gift buying season, which is why we pounded the trails of the local shopping districts in the Norwood News’ coverage area — from Fordham to  Kingsbridge to Gun Hill Road, from Bainbridge to Jerome Avenue and East 204th Street to Southern Boulevard — to find the best deals, merchandise and innovative ideas for presents in 2011. We do this every year for two reasons: (1) We know you could use the help, and (2) We believe in supporting our local merchants right here in the Bronx. So take this newspaper (it may even help you get a better deal at some places), hit the local shopping circuit, contribute to your neighborhood economy and reap the benefits of a job well done. You’re welcome.

Sincerely,

The Norwood News Elves

Send Your Sweetie to Boot Camp
We all need a little help shedding those holiday pounds, so this holiday season get your sweet-toothed sweetheart the gift of personalized training with the Belin Challenge Fitness Boot Camp and see results in a matter of days. Boot camp starts Jan. 9 and is limited to just 10 trainees.
To sign up, or for more information, call (646) 801-3153.

A Girl’s Best Friend
Diamonds are a girl’s best friend and they might make her want to be your best friend this holiday season if you do her the honor of stopping in Freilich Jewelers, which has a beautiful and wide-ranging selection of diamond earrings. Or, gift her with the Swarovski Crystal sterling earrings and 24K gold encrusted Christmas rose, a package deal that can be yours (or hers) for $99. Plus, act now and get a $15 gift card when you spend more than $100.
Freilich Jewelers is located at 312 E. 204th St. and is open Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Saturday,10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call (718) 798-1063.

Give the Gift of Meat
The Hillside Meat Market is a one stop shop for all of your Christmas roasting needs. Hillside has a large selection of pork cuts, including pork shoulders and pork thighs that, if pre-ordered, Hillside will de-bone and season for you. An 8- to 10-pound shoulder (which feeds about a dozen people) will cost between $15 and $20. Hillside can also help with your specialty meats orders, such as a rack of lamb or duck.
Hillside Meat Market is located at 3117 Bainbridge Ave. and is open Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Read more

Borough President’s Survey Finds Bronxites Want Better Schools, More Jobs

This summer and fall, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr.’s office asked residents to fill out an online “wellness” survey, asking questions to gauge how Bronxites feel about living in the Boogie Down, what areas they’re happy with and what things they think need fixing.

Last week, Diaz’ office released the results of the survey, which 1,901 people filled out.

The majority of respondents said they think Bronx schools are the area that needs the most improvement, with 57 percent listing education as their number one priority. Other areas ranking as less-than-stellar were crime/public safety and economic development/jobs.

However, just over half of participants said they think the Bronx is a “good” or “excellent” place to live; 46 percent of those surveyed ranked the borough as “fair” or “poor.” Most of the people who completed the survey, meanwhile, indicated that they’ve lived here for a while, with more than three-quarters saying they’ve been in the Bronx for over a decade.

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Holiday Lights in the Bronx: Fordham Road Festivities

Kids and parents took in the lights and festivities during the Fordham Road Business Improvement District’s “Sparkle the Heart of Fordham” celebration earlier this month at Bryan Park. For more photos by Adi Talwar from “Sparkle the Heart of Fordham” event, click here.

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