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Be Healthy!: Monte Kids Dance the Night Away

By Alex Kratz

Editor’s Note: Every Wednesday, Breaking Bronx features a health-related story, event or tidbit as part of an online expansion of our Be Healthy! column.

On May 5, the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore hosted a spring prom for chronically ill teens, ages 12 and up. The theme was Beach Paradise and the goal was to provide local teenagers who often end up missing school and social events due to their illnesses, the opportunity to have a good time they would always remember.

Montefiore teamed up with a number of organizations that donated their goods and services toward the evening – everything from dresses and tuxes, to decorations and party planning services, to food and drink.

“It was a cool way for the kids in and out of the hospital to be themselves and just have fun,” said Tyanna Legree, a prom participant.

Kids taught each other all the latest dance moves.

“It was fun teaching everyone how to Dougie,” said Zuwena McCurdy. “I taught Meghan how to jerk. I loved my dress.”

The goal was not only to allow the kids to have fun, but also to restore a sense of normalcy.

“We hope that this prom provides them with the chance to forget about their illnesses for a night and just have fun,” said  Lindsay Davis, a Certified Child Life Specialist at The Children’s Hospital. “Normally when we see these teens they are in hospital pajamas and not feeling well, so it was great to see them all dressed up and on the dance floor.  It’s also a good opportunity to make friends with other kids who know what they are going through and can relate.”

Ask Be Healthly! Send Us Your Health Questions.

Got a pressing health, fitness, or nutrition question on your mind? Send them our way! We’re ready to tackle your queries about food, sex, illness, health insurance, prescription medications–any health-related topics that puzzle or interest you.

We’ll answer your question in a Q&A feature appearing in the Norwood News‘ Be Healthy! column. If we don’t know, we’ll ask the experts. You can sign your name or send it anonymously.

Send your queries to: norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org.

Here’s a link to the first installment of Ask Be Healthy!

Advertising Note: If you’re a business or advertiser interested in targeting our Be Healthy! audience online or in print editions of the Norwood News, call Marketing and Advertising Solutions (MAS) at (718) 676.1626 or email info@masmarketingny.com.

Bronx Notes: Open House for Webster Ave. Select Bus Service

The Department of Transportation and MTA/New York City Transit are holding an open house to present the design ideas and to solicit public comments on the Webster Avenue Select Bus Service project, tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. in the cafeteria of Icahn Charter Middle School, 1506 Brook Ave. Guests are allowed to come at any time during the two-hour session. For more information on the public open house or project, contact Patrick Jordan at (212) 799-8803 or e-mail WebsterSBS@zetlin.com.

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.

‘Vital’ After-School Programs on the Chopping Block

By Alex Kratz

Parents at PS 94 in Norwood have grown accustomed to having a safe, constructive place for their children to spend after-school hours and it hasn’t cost them a dime. But Mayor Bloomberg is proposing to slash the after-school program, which would leave parents, 90 percent of whom are living in poverty, scrambling to find alternatives.

“This program is vital,” said PS 94 Principal Diane Daprocida of a program known as Out-of-School Time (OST). “Parents are able to work and know that their kids are safe and being productive. It would be a huge loss to the community.”

The after-school budget cuts, totaling $22.1 million, would slice into 172 programs citywide and reduce the number of subsidized slots available for child care centers. Locally, the programs at PS 94 and PS 8 in Bedford Park would be cut completely and programs at PS 20 and PS 95 would be shrunk.

But the PS 94 community is fighting back, sending letters from parents and students to Bloomberg and enlisting the help of local Councilman Oliver Koppell who has vowed to oppose the cuts.

Read more

Ex-Bronx Senator Pedro Espada Found Guilty of Theft

By Marcos Sierra

Former Bronx State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. was found guilty this morning on four counts of theft by a federal jury for stealing money from the non-profit healthcare network he helped found. Each count carries a sentence of up to 10 years.

The jury, which has been in deliberations for two weeks, has yet to announce a verdict on the four remaining counts against Espada, including additional charges of theft, as well as fraud and conspiracy. There was also no announcement of a verdict on the counts against Pedro G. Espada, the former Senator’s son, who is also charged with looting Soundview Healthcare Network.

Both are accused of using hundreds of thousands of dollars from Soundview for their own personal use.

For more coverage, here are the stories from NY Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, Daily News, and DNAinfo.

MS 80, Other ‘New’ Bronx Schools, Get New Names; Hiring Stalls Due to Lawsuit

By Alex Kratz

Beginning next year, MS 80, the Norwood-area middle school that is closing and re-opening as a new school with a mostly new staff next year, will be known as the Norwood Academy for Communal Excellence at the Isobel Rooney Campus.

As part of the city’s “turnaround” program, MS 80 and 23 other city schools (10 in the Bronx) needed to be re-named. The DOE said they would come up with the name based on input from school leadership teams.

During an April hearing at MS 80, officially known as “Junior High School 80, The Mosholu Parkway School,” several community members asked the DOE to retain the number 80 and to continue to use the name Isobel Rooney, which is written above the entrance to the school. Toward the end of the hearing, Deputy Chancellor Dorita Gibson said the DOE heard their wishes “loud and clear.” That appears to be the case as Isobel Rooney, a former school board member who took a special interest in MS 80, is included in the new name.

Now, as this article on SchoolBook points out, whether people actually use the new names is another story. Unofficially, JHS 80, The Mosholu Parkway School, has been known as “MS 80, The Isobel Rooney School,” for years.

Many of the other re-named “new” schools also incorporated pieces of the schools’ current names. (See list at the bottom of this post.)

Aside from re-naming the turnaround schools, the DOE is planning to lay off all of each schools’ teachers and replace them with new ones. Teachers at each school can re-apply to the schools, but turnaround guidelines require that only 50 percent of those teachers can be re-hired at the new schools.

Hiring teams, consistently of a school’s principal, two DOE representatives and two teachers union representatives, were supposed to start the hiring/re-hiring process in the near future.

But the teachers union, the United Federation of Teachers (UFT), filed a lawsuit claiming the DOE is circumventing stipulations in its contract with the UFT. The DOE says their contract grants them permission to lay off staff at schools that they have closed. But the UFT says the schools aren’t really closing. They’re just being re-opened under new names and the schools will be in the same location with the same kids.

Read more

Live Life Megan Charlop’s Way

Earlier today, on the corner of Futlon Avenue and E. 167th Street, Richie Powers held up a replica of the street sign dedicated in his late wife Megan Charlop’s honor. Charlop, a tireless community organizer, health educator and activist who lived in Norwood and dedicated her career to making the Bronx a better place, was killed in a bike accident two years ago. We’ll have more coverage of Charlop’s life and this powerful dedication ceremony in next week’s Norwood News print edition, but I wanted to share two quote from one of Charlop’s longtime friends and co-workers, Margaret Rogers. When asked about Charlop, she said, “We were like moths around the light and Megan was the light.” And when asked what a street named after her should mean to people, she said she hoped it would inspire people “to live life Meg Charlop’s way.”

Bronx Notes: Late Activist Megan Charlop to be Honored Tomorrow

Megan Charlop, the Bronx health worker and activist who died in a tragic bicycling accident two years ago, will be honored tomorrow morning during a street re-naming ceremony in Morrisania. At 10:30 a.m. tomorrow, Fulton Avenue, between 165th and 167th avenues, the street right next to Estelle Diggs Park, will be renamed Megan Charlop Way. Here’s an excerpt from the press release sent out about the event:

Sponsored by Councilwoman Helen Foster, the street renaming honors Charlop’s lifelong commitment to improving the lives of the residents of the Bronx. She first came to the Morrisania section of the Bronx in 1976 to work as a community and housing organizer. During those years, Charlop was instrumental in forming a land trust that saved this land, now Estelle Diggs Park, as a community park and garden. It is a fitting legacy to her commitment to the Bronx that over 30 years later this land has now been developed as a NYC Park.

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. and Montefiore Medical Center President and CEO Dr. Steven Safyer (Charlop worked at Montefiore) are both expected to speak.

Here’s our story about Charlop’s death two years ago.

Bronx Crime Watch: Cops Shoot Armed Suspect Near St. James Park

By Alex Kratz

Last Friday night, two off-duty police officers were riding home from work when they saw a young man firing a gun into St. James park, according a report released by the NYPD. When they confronted the armed man, the suspect fled north on Creston Avenue toward 190th Street and fired at the officers who were in pursuit. One of the officers fired back and hit the suspect in the torso. The wounded suspect was taken into custody and sent to St. Barnabas Hospital for treatment.

The suspect, identified as Javon Julien, 19, a Queens resident, is listed in stable condition. Police say no one was injured by the shots fired into St. James Park, which has seen its share of violence over the years.

Julien is being charged with attempted aggravated murder and assault of a police officer and criminal possession of a weapon. Police recovered a .25 caliber gun (pictured) that they say was used by the suspect.

Bronx Week Hype and Psychedelic Commercial

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. kicked off Bronx Week 2012 on Monday with a celebration and press conference at borough hall. As you can tell by the video above, the Beep is all kinds of fired up about this year’s event, hyping the borough’s assets and attractions with some help from Montefiore’s Nicole Hollingsworth (the medical center is one of the events chief sponsors) and jazz artist Valerie Capers, a Bronx Walk of Fame honoree. The Bronx Brewery, Mike Greco from Mike’s Deli on Arthur Avenue and borough historian Lloyd Ultan also make an appearance. At the same time, Diaz’s team released its Bronx Week television commercial (below), which features shots of the Bronx and the BP framed by swirling, psychedelic graphics that may or may not cause you to travel into the future. Bronx Week officially starts Friday, May 12 and culminates with parade and festival on Mosholu Parkway, Sunday, May 20. For a complete listing of Bronx Week events, click here.

Painting for Pride (And Trash) in Oval Park

By Alex Kratz

[Slideshow by Adi Talwar]

Tristan Walker, a 7-year-old Norwood resident, doesn’t know what he would do if Williamsbridge Oval Park didn’t exist.

“It’s like the only park I go to,” he said.

Tristan, along with more than a dozen other kids and several parents and aunts, were in Oval Park Saturday, April 28, doing their best to keep their park clean and beautiful by painting garbage cans with colorful designs and constructing holders for dog waste bags.

Read more

Bronx Stars Recognized By Mind-Builders

By Destiny DeJesus

Alimi Ballard, has co-starred in Hollywood’s hit television show “Numb3rs” and the hit movie “Fast Five,” but he got his inspiration to act as a teen in the Bronx at Mind-Builders Creative Arts Center. At age 16, with his childhood friend Gilbert Glenn Brown, he toured New York City high schools, elementary schools, libraries and local theaters performing in plays with positive themes.

On April 16, Mind-Builders and the Coalition of Theatres of Color (CTC) saluted Ballard and Gilbert Glenn Brown at the Pregones Theatre in the Bronx as “Outstanding Alumnus of Mind-Builders” for their work in creating positive images for African American youth.

“It was 1989 and crack was king. Mind-Builders was the safest environment that I knew outside of my home,” Ballard said. “Mind-Builder’s changed my life completely.”

Read more

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

Bronx Crime Watch: ‘Vaseline’ Burglar Busted

By Marcos Sierra

Luis Gonzalez, also known as the “Vaseline Bandit,” has been indicted by a grand jury on a litany of burglary charges for allegedly looting several homes in the Bronx, many of them in Norwood and Bedford Park.

Police say they were able to identify Gonzalez, of 231 Echo Place, through DNA left on a Gatorade and Malta bottle he left behind at separate burglaries. He was indicted on 35 felony and misdemeanor counts for offenses that occurred between May 2011 and February 2012.
Gonzalez, who struggled with a devastating $300 dollar-a-day heroin addiction, broke the locks to gain entry into six apartments and unsuccessfully attempted to break into a seventh, according to court documents. Cops dubbed him the “Vaseline Bandit,” because they believe he used the substance to block up peep holes, according to the New York Daily News.

In each successful break-in the defendant allegedly ransacked the bedrooms before fleeing with cash, jewelry, and electronic equipment worth tens of thousands of dollars. Investigations are continuing into the suspect’s involvement in additional burglaries in the Bronx and Manhattan.

Read more

Bronx Notes: Your Guide to Bronx Week 2012

Bronx Week 2012 officially starts a week from today, Friday, May 12. Here’s a guide to all this year’s events.

PRELUDE EVENTS:

Centenarian Celebration
Come learn the secrets of long life from those who have lived to see an entire century. Join Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. as he commemorates the lives of those senior Bronxites who have turned, or will turn, 100 years old this year.

Date: Thursday, May 10
Time: 11 a.m.—3 p.m.
Admission: Free ticket for honoree and one guest, any additional guest is $30.
RSVP: (718) 590-6248

The 14th Annual Bronx Bankers’ Breakfast
Take the opportunity to connect with more than 400 leaders of the banking, business, real estate, and technical assistance industries at the 14th annual Bronx Bankers’ Breakfast. Mayor Michael Bloomberg will take the stage as this year’s special guest speaker along with Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., who will co-host the the largest networking event of its kind in the Bronx. The event is also hosted by the Business Initiative Corporation of New York, in partnership with The Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation.

Read more

Bronx Sports Report: Walton Softball Steps Up Its Game

By Destiny DeJesus

Editor’s note: The Bronx Sports Report appears weekly on Breaking Bronx, usually on Thursdays. Today, we have this story on the Walton softball team’s move up in divisions, which was originally published in the May 3-16 print edition of the Norwood News. The slideshow above, by Adi Talwar, is from Walton’s 14-13 loss to HS of Info and Network Technology.  Later on today Monday, we’ll have a Bronx Sports Report news roundup, which will, of course, include the sad news about iconic Yankees closer Mariano Rivera ripping up his knee while shagging fly balls yesterday.

The Walton High School Campus girls softball team dominated its B Division opponents last year. This year, after a jump up to the A Division, the Wildcats are working overtime to keep up with the higher level of competition.

“We asked to be moved up, no one offered it,” said Coach Tom Hall “When you play in the A Division you get more opportunities to play better teams, and that’s what the girls need.”

Back in 2004-2005, Walton was under a different coach and was known as one of the best teams in city playing in the top division. When the coach left, the team struggled and was moved down to B Division.

But, under Hall’s guidance, the team made the playoffs the past two years in a row and this year the team is back in A Division, playing against extreme competition. In its first year back in A ball, Walton has had mixed results. After a tough 14-13 loss to High School for Information and Network Technology, the Wildcats sat in fourth place in the Bronx A Division going into a showdown with Clinton on Wednesday. (Update: Clinton beat Walton 16-11 on Thursday afternoon after Wednesday’s match was rained out.)

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

Be Healthy!: Cuomo Says Health Exchange Will Lower Insurance Costs

By Jeanmarie Evelly

Editor’s Note: Every Wednesday, Breaking Bronx features a health-related story, event or tidbit as part of an online expansion of our Be Healthy! column.

In a move to implement President Obama’s health care reform here in New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered the establishment of a State Health Care Exchange last month, an online marketplace where individuals and small businesses can buy health insurance plans at prices much lower than current costs.

The exchange is in compliance with Obama’s Affordable Care Act, which, among other provisions, seeks to greatly reduce the number of uninsured Americans by requiring them to purchase health insurance, and providing subsidies and tax credits to help them pay for it. In New York, there are approximately $2.7 million people who lack health care coverage. Over 200,000 live in the Bronx, according to Census data.

“The bottom line is that creating this health exchange will lower the cost of health insurance for small businesses, local governments, and individual New Yorkers across the state,” Gov. Cuomo said in a statement.

Come 2014, residents will be able to access a website that allows them to review different state-approved insurance plans, compare prices and benefits, and see what tax credits they’re eligible for to help offset the costs of their monthly premiums. While anyone would be able to use the exchange, it’s geared toward small business owners looking to buy insurance for their employees, or individuals who don’t get coverage through their jobs but who make too much to qualify for public plans like Medicaid.

“The sky-high cost of insurance in New York is driving businesses out of the state and preventing lower income New Yorkers from being able to afford needed coverage,” Cuomo said.

Read more

Bronx Notes: Public Safety Workshop Series Start Tonight

Bronx State Senator Gustavo Rivera is holding a series of public safety workshops during May that each focuses on a different topic. The workshops will be held at the senator’s office, 2432 Grand Concourse, 4th Floor, Room 419. The workshops include: “Bullying and Cyber Bullying,” presented by STEPS to End Family Violence, Thursday, May 3, 6 to 7:30 p.m.; “Gang Violence,” presented by NYPD School Safety Outreach Department, Thursday, May 10, 6 to 7:30 p.m.; “Stop and Frisk,” presented by 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement Who Care, Thursday, May 17, 6 to 7:30 p.m.; “Domestic Violence,” presented by STEPS to End Family Violence, Thursday, May 24, 6 to 7:30 p.m. For more information, call Katrina Asante, (718) 933-2034 or e-mail asante@nysenate.gov.

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 Notes: Board 7 Parks & Rec Meeting

Bronx Community Board 7 is holding it s Parks & Recreation meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the board office, 229A E. 204th St. For more information, cal (718) 933-5650.

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.

It’s Official: MS 80 To Close This Summer

By Alex Kratz

Just two days after the Bronx’s MS 80 introduced its third principal in two months, the Department of Education approved a plan that will change the face of Norwood’s oldest and largest middle school forever.

Under a new school improvement model called “turnaround,” MS 80 will close at the end of the school year and open under a new name with new faculty in the fall. Teachers at the school can either re-apply for their current jobs or look for work elsewhere. Students are guaranteed a spot in the new replacement school, but have the option to enroll in another middle school.

The turnaround plan was approved at a meeting of the DOE’s decision-making body, the Panel for Education Policy, last Thursday evening. MS 80 is among 10 Bronx schools and 24 citywide that will be closing under the turnaround model. Earlier this year, the panel approved proposals to close 18 other city schools.

The DOE says MS 80 was chosen for turnaround because of sagging state test scores, low attendance and a chance to maintain extra state funding. Meanwhile parents, teachers and students are scrambling just to figure out what’s going on.

Simply determining who is running the school on a weekly basis represents a challenge.

Read more

State Installs Safety Measures On Bronx River Parkway

Below is the press release sent out today by the State Department of Transportation outlining safety measures that will be implemented on the Bronx River Parkway following Sunday’s horrific crash that killed seven people after the minivan carrying them swerved out of control and plunged off the side of the parkway viaduct.

New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald said today: “The New York State Department of Transportation shares community concerns about the safety of the Bronx River Parkway in the wake of the tragic crash that claimed the lives of seven family members on April 29.

 

“Since Sunday’s accident, we have been working on interim actions that will be implemented on the parkway beginning this morning.

 

“For the viaduct over the Bronx Zoo, as well as two other similarly constructed viaducts south that cross over East Tremont Avenue and Amtrak respectively, NYSDOT will install concrete barriers along the outside (right hand) travel lane so that these barriers will abut the viaduct curbing on both the north and southbound lanes.

 

“Beginning today, NYSDOT crews will be installing signage and will be striping the approaches and decking of the three BRP viaducts in question.

 

“During the installation of the barriers on each of these viaducts, motorists will be informed that they will be traveling through a construction zone, which will limit their legal speed to 35 mph.

Read more

Seven Killed in Bronx River Parkway Crash (State Responds)

By David Greene

Editor’s note: This story appears in the May 3-16 print edition of the Norwood News. Earlier today, the State Transportation Commissioner Joan McDonald said they would take immediate interim measures to increase safety on the parkway, installing concrete barriers, installing signage and striping the approaches and decking around the area where Sunday’s crash occurred. We’ll include the full press release in a subsequent post.

In one of the more horrific crashes in recent memory, seven family members were killed on Sunday, April 29 when their minivan plunged 50 feet from the overpass of the Bronx River Parkway and landed in an unused portion of the Bronx Zoo.

“I’ve been in the fire department for 30 years. Sometimes you come upon events that are horrific,” FDNY Deputy Chief Ronald Werner told reporters. “This was one of them.”

The victims were identified as driver Maria Gonzalez, 45; her sister Maria Nunez, 39, their parents, Ana Julia Martinez, 81 and Jacob Nunez, 85, and three children, Jocelyn Gonzalez, 10, Niely Rosario, and Marly Rosario, 3.

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 Notes: Neighborhood Association Workshop Tonight at Mosholu Library

On Monday, April 30 from 6:30 to 8 p.m., as part of an ongoing community organizing/quality of life initiative, Community Board 7 is conducting a “Neighborhood Association Workshop” at the Mosholu Library, 285 E. 205th St. The objective of this event is to provide information and encouragement to residents in the area while educating them on the process and benefits of being involved in organized active associations. The workshop will provide residents with the information necessary to form and sustain tenant/block/neighborhood associations with the goal of increasing community involvement in the area. By creating various associations, the goal is to provide a network of support for potential network events such as neighborhood cleanups, while promoting the expansion of the programs offered at the Mosholu Library.

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 Links, Monday

By Jeanmarie Evelly

It will be in mostly sunny in the Bronx today, with temperatures in the mid-50s. A chance of rain is expected for tomorrow. Here are some top local headlines in the news this morning:

Seven members of a Bronx family died in a horrific car crash yesterday afternoon when their SUV hit a median on the Bronx River Parkway and plunged off of an overpass, landing near the Bronx Zoo. Authorities are investigating the cause of the accident, which killed a couple visiting from the Dominican Republican, their two daughters, who lived in the Bronx, and three grandchildren.

Two people were charged with attempted murder yesterday for stabbing a 19-year-old man near the Fordham Road subway station, in an argument over an iPhone.

In another iPhone robbery: two Bronx men are being held without bail in the killing of Riverdale resident Hwangbum Yang, 26, who was shot on April 19 during an attempt to steal his phone.

The Bronx County Historical Society is facing some financial burdens after the recent death of one of its major funders.

A 22-year-old Bronx man was shot and killed last week while attending a candlelight vigil in remembrance of friend who was shot to death nearly a year ago, the New York Times  reports. Jonathan Lewis was shot outside of a Webster Avenue apartment building on Wednesday, where he and others were celebrating what would have been the 25th birthday of Michael Ikoli, who was shot there the year before. Police say there does not appear to be a link between the two killings.

The Bronx Home Pigeon Club, one of the largest organizers of pigeon races in the northeast, is facing accusations of illegal gambling and animal cruelty. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) says it has been investigating the organization and will present its findings to the FBI and the NYPD today.

Bronx Notes: Paint Williamsbridge Oval Park on Saturday

On Saturday at noon, the Friends of Williamsbridge Oval are holding a painting party in Oval Park and everyone is invited. They will be painting trash barrels with cool designs and constructing holders for dog waste bags. The Friends say “This is your chance to get involved, contribute to the park and meet great neighbors.”

If you have questions call (646) 938-0557, e-mail friendsofthewilliamsbridgeoval@gmail.com or check out Friends of the Williamsbridge Oval on Facebook.

Bronx Crime Watch: Arrests in Two Murder Cases

Police recently made arrests in two high-profile Bronx murder cases.

In a case covered by the Times today, police arrested 18-year-old Daniel Patillo for the murder of 22-year old Jonathan Lewis.  Lewis was found dead with two gunshot wounds to the torso in front of 2427 Webster Avenue on Wendnesday night. He was shot while attending a gathering to mark the birthday of Michael Iloki, who was killed almost a year ago.  Friends and law enforcement officials say they don’t believe the murders are linked. A .38 caliber revolver was recovered at the scene. Police found the Patillo under a van in front of 312 East 187 Street, and arrested him. The suspect was charged with murder in the second degree and criminal possession of a weapon.

An investigation into the murder case of Hwang Yang, a 26-year-old Riverdalian, who was killed last week while coming home from work, has resulted in the arrest of two men.  Alejandro Campos, 21, and Dominick Davis, 20, were arrested for murder of the young chef yesterday. Police say Davis was arrested around 7:30 p.m. on Webb Ave. and admitted to killing Yang. Campos was brought into the precinct later that day and police say he admitted to driving the getaway car. Both were charged with murder, robbery, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of stolen property. The incident marked the 50th Precinct’s first homicide this year and Riverdale’s first since May 2008.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bronx Links, Friday Edition

By Marcos Sierra

Here are some of the Bronx stories we’re following this Friday.

Man Shot Attending Anniversary Vigil
As friends and family gathered to mourn the murder of Michael Ikoli, who was shot dead in the Bronx on Webster Avenue, almost a year ago, a man walked up to the gathering and shot 22 year-old Jonathan Lewis in the chest. He died soon after at St. Barnabas Hospital. Police have arrested 18 year-old, Darrell Patillo, for the murder of Lewis, saying they found him lying under a van five blocks away.

Billboard Music Recognizes Bronx Artist
Bronx native and Bachata and Reggaeton artist Prince Royce walked away with eight awards on Thursday night at the Billboard Latin Music Awards. He is among a growing group of Latin artists who mix English and Spanish into their songs.

Missing Autistic Boy Back Home
13 year-old Ross Harrison is back home with family after running off Tuesday, in their West 182 street neighborhood. Officers said they found him riding a subway in Brooklyn early Friday and he was in good condition.

Crime Victims Week Art Display
A poignant display created by crime survivors is on display this week in the Bronx County Building Rotunda. An annual event, the Crime Victims Week Clothesline, features t-shirts decorated by children and adults traumatized by rape, child abuse, gun violence and other misfortune.

Beaten Bronx Teen Files Civil-Rights Suit
Tyre Davis, who was beaten by two NYPD officers in February 2011, has filed a federal civil-rights suit against the NYPD. According to Davis, an officer from the 46 precinct slapped him in the face with his badge after he asked for his badge number. Two officers then followed and continued to assault Davis, only yards away from the station house they just ejected him from. The officers, who were unaware the attack was being captured by a building surveillance tape, were arrested and charged with assault five months later.

TSA Agent Pleads Guilty
49-year-old Brigitte Jones of the Bronx, N.Y. pleaded guilty to bribery and extortion charges on Thursday. Jones accepted cash in exchange for allowing controlled substances to pass through Westchester County Airport.

Closing Arguments in Espada Trial
After six weeks of testimony in the embezzlement trial of former State Senator Pedro Espada, and his son Pedro Gautier Espada, Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Kaminsky presented its closing arguments yesterday. Kaminsky detailed the evidence against Espada and his son, including lavish trips, gifts, and parties the Espadas splurged on while the clinic he founded struggled to pay its bills.

The elder Espada faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

End Days Coming For 10 Bronx Schools

School’s out forever come this summer for 24 New York City public schools, 10 of which are in the Bronx, after a meeting and vote by the Department of Education’s Panel for Education Policy last night in Brooklyn.

Under the so-called “turnaround” program, the two dozen schools, including venerable, long-standing Bronx institutions such as MS 80 and Herbert H. Lehman High School, will be closed after the school year, their administrations and staffs overhauled over the summer and reopened in the fall under new names. Students who are not graduating from the schools will be guaranteed a spot in the replacement schools if they choose to stay.

The outcome was entirely expected, given the fact that the 12-member panel, which is controlled by a majority of mayoral appointees, has never rejected a DOE-recommended proposal.

Yesterday afternoon, Cecilia Donovan, the head of the parents association at MS 80, where a new principal — its third in just two months — was introduced this week, said she decided two weeks that if the situation didn’t appear to be shifting in the school’s favor, she didn’t see the point in going all the way to Brooklyn from the northwest Bronx.

Read more

Fates of 10 Bronx Schools Hangs in Balance Tonight

By Alex Kratz

Kevin Kearns, an English teacher in his fourth year at the Bronx’s Herbert S. Lehman High School, expects the Department of Education’s decision-making body, the Panel for Education Policy, to vote in favor of closing his school tonight at a meeting in Brooklyn. Still, he’s making the trek out to the meeting anyway to testify in hopes that other schools won’t suffer the same fate in years to come.

“I’m going because I feel it’s important to put on record what the school means to us,” Kearns said from his cell phone while riding on the train.

But he’s also going, he said, because closing schools and re-opening new ones is becoming more and more prevalent and it’s being done without any regard for or  input from the school community. “A greater number of schools are closed each year,” he said. “It’s an unfair process and it’s not fair to the students, parents or teachers, who were 100 percent against this happening.”

Lehman is one of 10 Bronx schools designated by the DOE for closure and restructuring under the “turnaround” program, a federal model for school improvement that is untested in New York City. Early this year, after failing to reach an agreement with the teachers union over evaluations, the DOE proposed putting 33 city schools, all of which were deemed low-performing, into the turnaround program, which would allow the schools to continue receiving an extra $900,000 per year in state funding. (The funding was suspended when the DOE and the teachers union couldn’t reach an agreement by the beginning of the calendar year.

Since the initial proposals, the DOE has taken nine schools off the list for closure under the turnaround program, including two this morning. All of the Bronx schools on the list remain slated for turnaround.

Read more

Bronx Notes: Community Board 7 Land Use Meeting Tonight

Community Board 7′s Land Use Committee meets tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the board office, 229A E. 204th St. Here’s the agenda:

I. Chairperson’s Report:
II. City Planning presentation – Waterfront Initiative (15 minutes)
III. City Planning presentation- MTA Sustainability Workshop results and Open Discussion
IV. Community Request – Request to create a Community Garden – Jazzmine Cherry
V. Comments
VI. Adjournment

Bronx Notes: Israel Independence Day Festival

The public is invited to the biggest NYC festival celebrating Israel Independence Day, Yom Ha’atzmaut, Thursday, April 26 from 4 to 8 p.m. at The Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 3700 Henry Hudson Pkwy. E. (Netherland Avenue). Enjoy food, music, rides, and much more. In case of rain, the festival will be held indoors. For more information, call (718) 590-6116.

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.

The public is invited to the biggest NYC festival celebrating Isreal Independence Day, Yom Ha’atzmaut, Thursday, April 26 from 4 to 8 p.m. at The Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 3700 Henry Hudson Pkwy. E. (Netherland Avenue). Enjoy food, music, rides, and much more. In case of rain, the festival will be held indoors. For more information, call (718) 590-6116.

Model Tyson Beckford Joins Bronx Walk of Fame

By Alex Kratz

Bronx-born Tyson Beckford, 41, one of the world’s most famous male models, will be inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame this spring. He rounds out a quartet of Bronxites that will be etched into borough history on May 20 during the grand finale of Bronx Week. The other honorees are jazz musician Valerie Capers, cinematographer Sol Negrin and hip-hop legend Fat Joe.

In a candid interview, shown in the video above, Beckford talks about how his brother was “gunned down” in the streets of New York (not sure about where this happened) and how fortunate he was to get into modeling and off those same streets. (He also talks about celebrity, how he talks to girls and the fact that he has between 300-500 pairs of sneakers that he’s never worn — and an entire room in his house dedicated to housing those unworn sneakers. He also says he doesn’t have Blue Steel pose, disappointing “Zoolander” fans everywhere.)

A favorite of gossip magazines and tabloids, Beckford, who co-hosts Britain’s “Next Top Model” reality show, recently made news for saying he “created” a career for his girlfriend, Victoria Secret model Shanina Shaik.

Here’s an excerpt from the press release the Bronx Borough President and Bronx Tourism Council sent out about Beckford earlier today: Read more

Bedford Park Seniors To Show Off Their Artwork

By Destiny DeJesus

On Thursday, April 26, an art exhibit and open house will be held at the Sister Annunciata Bethell Senior Center (aka the Bedford Park Senior Center), 243 E. 204th St. starting at 11 a.m. A short documentary will be featured as well as a display of the jewelry and other artwork made by several seniors who participated in the Seniors Partnering with Artist Citywide program (SPARC).

The SPARC program is a community arts engagement program funded by the city that allows seniors to participate in various arts and crafts activities. SPARC offers selected artists the chance to work in senior centers throughout the five boroughs. The Bronx Council on the Arts (BCA) is the administrating organization for all Bronx locations. Read more

Bronx Notes: Community Board 7 Education/Libraries Meeting Tonight

Bronx Community Board 7 is holding its Education, Libraries and Cultural Affairs Committee meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the board office, 229A E. 204th St. All are welcome to attend and participate. For more information, call (718) 933-5650.

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.

Be Healthy! Wednesdays: Bronx ‘Teddy Bear Hospital’ Calms Youngest Patients

By Jeanmarie Evelly

Editor’s Note: Every Wednesday, Breaking Bronx features a health-related story, event or tidbit as part of an online expansion of our Be Healthy! column.

On May 5, the pediatric emergency department at Montefiore Medical Center will be crowded with teddy bears nursing broken arms, stuffed dogs getting treated for asthma, and probably a doll or two in need of stitches.

The hospital’s 7th annual Teddy Bear Clinic lets young patients play the role of parent, where they can bring their favorite stuffed friends in for a check-up and treatment–an experience that staff says helps ease children’s fears about visiting the emergency room.

“They triage their bears, they get to say, ‘This is what’s wrong,’ they get to talk to an actual doctor, and the doctor can treat or repair their bear,” said Nicole Hollingsworth, director of patient health education at Montefiore. “It’s done in a calm environment, so they actually get the opportunity to learn.”

Read more

Concourse Tenants Score Victory for Workers

By Marcos Sierra

The unexplained firing of three longtime union workers just before the new year at a historically well-maintained building on the Grand Concourse in Bedford Park led to a furious battle between tenants and their landlord. But after months of heated exchanges and union protests, two workers were rehired and tenants continue to put pressure on their landlord.

The story of 3224 Grand Concourse, a massive complex of eight buildings, is a classic tale of how tenant organizing can bring about change from even the most stubborn of landlords.

“We’ve had impeccable building service seven days a week, for the past 50 years,” said Charles Fritsch, during a strategy meeting earlier this year after the firings. “How can they get rid of a group of men who have taken care of this complex and replace them with unqualified workers?”

Read more

Police Looking For Two Missing Bronx Teenagers

Police sent out two media alerts this morning, asking for help in locating two missing Bronx teenagers: 13-year-old Ross Harrison and 14-year-old Darniese Dervin. Both live in the 46th Precinct.

Darniese, who lives in the River Park Towers (30 Richman Plaza), was last seen leaving her residence on Friday, April 20 at 7:30 a.m. She is described as being 5’4″ tall, 180 lbs., medium build with brown eyes and black hair.

Ross, who lives in University Heights (17 West 182 St.), was last seen leaving his residence on Tuesday, April 24, at 7:22 a.m. He is described as being 5’9″ tall, 130 lbs., thin build with gray eyes and short black hair. He was last seen wearing a black sweater, black shirt, black pants and brown sneakers.

Anyone with information about these two teenagers is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). You can also submit tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All call are strictly confidential.

Bronx Notes: Julia Alvarez at the Bronx’s ‘Big Read’

The public is invited to the Bronx Council on the Arts’ free kickoff event for “The Big Read in the Bronx 2012″ on Wednesday, April 25 from 6 to 7 p.m. at 2700 E. Tremont Ave., near Westchester Square. Excerpts from Julia Alvarez’s novel, “In the Time of Butterflies,” will be read and copies of the book will be given to all. Other “Big Read” related events, including readings, cooking demonstrations, panel discussions, workshops and more will follow. For more information, call Maria Romano at (718) 931-9500 ext. 21 or maria@bronxarts.org or visit bronxarts.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.

Journalists Revisit Deadly DeKalb Fire, Reignite Housing Discussion

By Jeanmarie Evelly

A decade after an electrical fire at 3569 DeKalb Ave. claimed the life of an 8-year-old Bronx boy, journalists and housing activists are still trying to find answers to the questions posed in the wake of his death–namely, how the city should enforce housing code violations and hold landlords accountable for conditions that put tenants at risk.

That was the topic of a panel discussion held at Manhattan College last night, organized by the school’s Urban Affairs department, City Limits magazine and Jordan Moss, a former Norwood News editor. The event arose from an investigation into landlord practices and regulations that was published in City Limits last month, a series of stories written by Moss, journalist Tom Robbins and a team of students at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism which focused on wealthy real estate operative Frank Palazzolo, who has been tied to dozens of dilapidated Bronx buildings over the years–including 3569 DeKalb Ave., where young Jashawn Parker was killed in 2002.

Moss covered the fire for the Norwood News at the time (to read some of that original coverage, see here and here) and was shocked that no one was ever held accountable for the blaze, despite the fact that the building had hundreds of housing code violations. When the Norwood News began looking at other buildings linked to Palazzolo at the time, it found about a hundred Bronx properties with some 19,000 violations among them. In another of his buildings, a 7-year-old boy suffered brain damage from lead paint.

“Landlords like this somehow never see the inside of a criminal court,” Moss said. “Apartments shouldn’t make people sick, or scared.”

Read more

Video: Bronx Artist Barbara Korman Talks About Her New Work

By Alex Kratz

Last week, we published a piece about Barbara Korman, a prolific, award-winning Bronx artist who lives in Bedford Park. She only recently began showing her artwork in the Bronx again after being absent from the Bronx art scene for more than a decade. (Many people will tell you there was no Bronx art scene until recently as several organizations, big and small, have started to collaborate on large-scale exhibits.) In this video, Korman talks about the process involved in creating her new nature-inspired installation pieces, which created using the branches of downed tree limbs. “Looking at Woods,” a collection of the “bundles” she created is now showing at Arts Westchester, 31 Mamaroneck Ave., White Plains, NY, until May 20. For more information, call (914) 428-4220 or visit artsw.org/sculpture.

Bronx Elections: Potential Candidates Eye Peter Rivera’s Assembly Seat

By Jeanmarie Evelly

Peter Rivera, who has represented the Bronx in the State Assembly for the last two decades, will be leaving his post this summer to join Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration. He will take over as head of the State Labor Department.

That leaves his 76th Assembly District (to be renamed the 89th, due to legislative redistricting), up for grabs this fall. Two potential candidates have already expressed their interest in running for the seat, which covers the neighborhoods of Van Nest, West Farms, Parkchester and Castle Hill.

Danny Figueroa, Rivera’s longtime chief-of-staff, is throwing his hat in the ring in an effort to fill his bosses’ shoes. He would be likely to face off against Luis Sepulveda, a Parkchester attorney and community organizer who challenged Rivera for his seat in 2010, but lost.

Figueroa, a father of three who grew up in the south Bronx but has lived in Parkchester for the last 25 years, said he hadn’t considered a formal run for office until Rivera announced he would be vacating the seat. He has been the Assemblyman’s chief-of-staff for the last nine years, and says that while his name might not be as recognizable as Sepulveda’s, he hopes his work in Albany and his ties to the community will win him favor with voters.

Read more

More Bronx Political Action: Sen. Rivera Has Challenger

By Alex Kratz

This from Liz Benjamin’s State of Politics blog on Friday afternoon: Bronx State Senator Gustavo Rivera (33rd District) has what appears to be his first challenger in Manny Tavarez, who “is not a well-known individual,” according to Benjamin. Tavarez worked on District Leader and Bronx Democratic Party loyalist Hector Ramirez’s failed bid to unseat Assemblyman Nelson Castro two years ago.

Bronx Democratic Party Chairman Carl Heastie, who backed Ramirez two years ago and was late in committing support to Rivera when he took on Pedro Espada during that same primary season, says he is firmly in Rivera’s corner this time around.

Last week, Rivera became the first Bronx elected official to officially announce his support for anyone in the newly-drawn Congressional district represented by longtime incumbent Charles Rangel. Rivera is backing fellow state senator Adriano Espaillat, who represents upper Manhattan and  a chunk of Riverdale, and is one of three Democrats challenging Rangel.

The Times wrote about the race today, saying Espaillat’s fighting an uphill battle despite the fact that the district is now 55 percent Hispanic. (The Dominican-born Espaillat is the only Latino candidate in the race.) In the article, there’s a juicy little tidbit about discussions involving Espaillat, Heastie, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. and Jeanine Johnson, general counsel for Keith Wright, head of the Manhattan Democrats. It says Heastie and Johnson had “a pointed exchange” over how much say Heastie would have in choosing Rangel’s successor (should he win). Diaz and Espaillat also had an exchange during which Diaz “confronted” Espaillat over his backing of a redistricting plan that was primarily Dominican. The article quotes Espaillat, according to two people at the meeting, saying, “It’s time for us to have what’s due to us.” Espaillat, however, disputes the account.

Let the races begin.

Morris Park Realtor to Challenge Naomi Rivera

By Jeanmarie Evelly

Mark Gjonaj, who owns a real estate business in Morris Park, announced yesterday that he plans to run for the Bronx 80th Assembly District, the seat currently held by Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera, which includes Mosholou Parkway, Pelham Gardens, Pelham Parkway, Allerton and Morris Park.

“In life, we have choices,” Gjonaj said in a phone interview today. “We either accept things for the way they are, or we get involved and make the changes that we feel are necessary.”

The potential candidate announced his plans to run yesterday, at the site of his new campaign headquarters on Barnes Avenue in Morris Park. He said hundreds of people turned out for the announcement, in spite of the bad weather.

“It was humbling for me to see so many people not only show up, but stay there during that rain,” Gjonaj said. “I can’t find the words to express my gratitude to those individuals.”

Gjonaj, who is Albanian, was born at the now-defunct Fordham Hospital and raised in the Belmont area, on Arthur Avenue, and in Pelham Parkway. The father of two sons, aged 10 and 12, He now lives on City Island (during redistricting years, state election law allows candidates to run for office in districts outside the one in which they reside, as long as it’s within the same county).

But Gjonaj’s real estate business is based in Morris Park, and he says he has strong ties to the communities that make up the 80th Assembly District.

Read more

Bronx Notes: Discussion on Improving Childcare Services

Assemblyman Nelson L. Castro, in collaboration with City agencies, including the NYC Administration of Children’s Services (ACS) and the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), is hosting a town hall meeting tonight to discuss improving childcare services in the Bronx and throughout New York City.

The town hall is tonight, Monday, April 23, from 6 – 8 p.m. at MS 390, located at 1930 Andrew Avenue. Topics to be discussed include childcare networks and providers, access to childcare subsidies, and related issues in the childcare industry.

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 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.

Bronx Breakdown: Who’s the Most Popular Bronx Rapper of All-Time?

By Alex Kratz

I need to take this opportunity to acknowledge the newest member of the Bronx Walk of Fame, Fat Joe.

I led with the “Twinz” video from 1998 because (A) It features the late, great Bronx rapper Big Punisher (RIP), (B) It’s a 90s hip hop classic that possibly improved on another hip hop classic, “Deep Cover (187),” by Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre (Snoop’s debut, in fact), and (C) Fat Joe’s line while the beat drops: “Creep with me / As a cruise in my Beamer / While all the kids in the ghetto call me Don Cartagena.” That always got me pumped. Classic. I can just picture an early 20s (then-Assemblyman) Ruben Diaz, Jr., who considers Fat Joe a friend, bumping this while rolling up to Albany for another productive session of the New York State Legislature.

Fat Joe’s pending induction led me to a couple of questions. Is Fat Joe the most popular Bronx rapper of all-time? If it’s not Fat Joe, then who is it?

Read more

Bronx Notes: Free Screening of Documentary about Cuban Musicians

With its 5th annual collaboration with the Havana Film Festival of New York, the Bronx Museum is presenting a screening of “Caminando Aragon, “about Cuban musicians from the group Orquesta Aragón, known as the “Kings of Cha Cha Cha.” (See video above) Every first Friday of the month, the Bronx Museum hosts free film and video screenings, art and music performances and much more.  Tonight, from 6 to 10 p.m., the Bronx Museum, located at 1040 Grand Concourse at 165th Street, will be sandwiching the documentary between live performances and a Q&A with the film’s director.   Admission is free and all are welcome.

Below is tonight’s schedule:

6:00p.m. — DJ Asho spins Cuban Musica on the 1’s & 2’s
6:45 p.m. — Welcome Remarks
6:50p.m. — Screening of “Caminando Aragon” (52 min)
7:50 p.m. — Q&A with film director Tane Martinez
8:00 p.m. — Performance by Gerardo Contino y sus Habaneros
9:15 p.m. — Closing Remarks

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

Bronx Notes: Affordable Housing Forumn at Lehman College

State Sen. Gustavo Rivera invites community leaders, homeowners, and tenants to come and exchange ideas on important housing issues on Saturday, April 21 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Lehman College Music Hall Building’s 1st floor East Dining Room, 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. For more information, call Josiris Urena at (718) 933-2034.

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.

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• Ex-Bronx Senator Pedro Espada Found Guilty of Theft Mon, May 14 at 2:35pm
• MS 80, Other ‘New’ Bronx Schools, Get New Names; Hiring Stalls Due to Lawsuit Fri, May 11 at 2:46pm

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