• Home
• News
• Health
• Politics
• Schools
• Crime
• Business
• Opinion
• Sports
• Culture

 RSS

State of the Art

By Norwood News

Jahdiel Rodriguez, a fifth grader at the St. Philip Neri School on the Grand Concourse near Bedford Park Boulevard, points to his drawing of Rafael Tufino, a 20th century artist who was born in Brooklyn and then moved to Puerto Rico.

Click here for a photo slideshow featuring some of the students’ artwork as well as other photos from their grand opening.

Award Highlights PS 56 Concert

By Ivonne Salazar

Students at PS 56, in Norwood, proudly belted out patriotic songs during their Spring concert on May 20. That same day, the school was also presented with the Voyager Founder’s Award.

The award, which is usually given to entire school districts, was given to the school for its efforts to close the achievement gap between low and high performing students.

Neighborhood Notes

By Norwood News

MS 206 Fair
The third annual Health and Multicultural Community Fair will be held at MS 206, located at 2280 Aqueduct Ave., on Saturday, June 20.  The event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and include various vendors with information on health, legal, immigration, and housing services.  For more information, contact Annan Boodram at (646) 461-0574.

Aid for Veterans and Their Families
The Warriors Family Assistance Program, launched by the American Legion Auxiliary, comes to the direct aid of veterans and their families in New York State. Veterans and their families can apply for up to $1,500 in aid in maintenance grants, medical grants and employment opportunities. Any veteran who has served honorably within the last four years, or is currently serving in one of the Armed Forces, and is a NYS resident, is eligible to apply. All grants are non-repayable. For an application or more information, call (800) 421-6348.

Free Career Information Seminars
Lehman College Office of Continuing Education is holding free career information seminars for its non-credit certificate programs. For dates, times and locations of seminars, please call (718) 960-8512 or visit www.lehman.edu.ce.

Computer Classes at Williamsbridge Oval
The Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center, 3225 Reservoir Oval East, is holding computer classes on Thursdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Learn how to use the internet and MS Office software. Fore more information, contact Albert Davis or Tuwanda Ruffin at (718) 654-1851.

Summer Youth Employment
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center is offering a Summer Youth Employment Program. Pick up applications at the center, 3450 DeKalb Ave., Monday through Friday from 2:30 to 6 p.m. You can also apply online at www.application.NYCSYEP.com. Be sure to pick “MMCC” as your Project Sponsor. For more information, call (718) 882-4000.

52nd Precinct Council Fund-raiser: Trip to A.C.
The 52nd Precinct Council is sponsoring a bus trip to the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City on May 30. The cost is $35 per person, and the casino will give each person $18 back in chips. Participants will meet in front of the 52nd Precinct, located at 3014 Webster Ave. at 8 a.m. and return in the evening. Refreshments and games will be on the bus. If interested, call Steven Bussell at (718) 364-0462, or call the precinct’s Community Affairs at (718) 220-5824 and leave a message.

Free Bags for Fordham Shoppers
The Fordham Road Business Improvement District is offering free tote bags, while supplies last, to anyone who makes a purchase of $20 or more through the end of May. Proof of purchase is required. Shoppers should contact the BID office, 2488 Grand Concourse, Room 411, at (718) 562-2104. 

Teen Trailways Summer Camp
Teens entering 7th to 10th grade can enroll in the Teen Trailways program at the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, which takes campers on day trips to sporting events, Broadway shows, comedy clubs, lakes, beaches, state parks, and amusement parks. Teens can also go on longer trips to Virginia Beach, Toronto and Disney World in Florida. For more information, call (718) 882-4000.

MetroCard Vans Coming
All MTA riders may purchase or add fares to their MetroCards and senior citizens and persons with disabilities with a valid photo ID may apply for a Reduced Fare MetroCard at the following locations: Fordham Plaza, intersection of Fordham Rd. and Third and Webster avenues, on May 22 from 2:30 to 4 p.m.; Fordham Road and the Grand Concourse, on May 22 from noon to 2 p.m.; Scott Towers, 3400 Paul Ave., corner of 205th Street, on May 25 from 1 to 3 p.m.; and Van Cortlandt Village, 3880 Sedgewick Ave., on May 22, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. For more information, visit www.mta.info or call (212) METROCARD.

City Parks Foundation Helping Bronx Seniors
The City Parks Foundation is welcoming all New York City seniors, ages 60 and over, to sign up for the Spring 2009 program of “CityParks Seniors Fitness.” This free program offers tennis lessons, yoga instructions, and fitness walking in nine parks across the city. In the Bronx, it is being offered at Pelham Bay and Van Cortlandt parks. All equipment and instructions will be provided free of charge. The program will run through June 26.  For more information, call (718) 760-6999 or visit www.cityparksfoundation.org.

Free Prescription $aver Card
The NY State Health Department is accepting applications for the free New York Prescription $aver Card. The program offers discounts on thousands of prescription medications. It will serve low-income New Yorkers who are disabled or between the ages of 50 and 64. To be eligible, income for single individuals must be $35,000 or less, and $50,000 or less for married individuals. Medicaid and EPIC recipients are not eligible for the Prescription $aver Card. To learn more or apply, visit www.nyprescriptionsaver.fhsc.com or call (800) 788-6917. (TTY users should call (800) 290-9138.) Applications are also available at pharmacies.

School Salon Reopens
The School of Professional Beauty Care at Grace Dodge Career and Technical High School, 2474 Crotona Ave., has reopened The New Image Salon to the public. It’s open every Thursday afternoon from 2:45 to 5:30 p.m., offering a wide variety of salon services at reasonable prices. Prices range from $5 to $25. Graduating seniors in the school’s cosmetology program staff the salon, with a licensed cosmetologist on duty. For more information, call (718) 584-2700 ext. 5084.

Foster Care Network
The Foster Care Network is reaching out to potential foster parents in the Bronx. Hundreds of foster children in the area need loving and caring families to make a difference in their lives. Foster parents receive tax-free financial assistance for the expenses of each child, free training, and Foster Parent certification. For more information, call (800) 454-3727 or visit www.fostercarenetwork.org.

MMC’s Annual PRIDE Health Fair
Montefiore Medical Center’s AIDS Center, with The Bronx HIV CARE Network, are holding their 7th Annual PRIDE Health Fair on Saturday, June 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine, to promote Health Awareness in our communities. It will take place on Gun Hill Road, between Bainbridge and DeKalb avenues. There will be educational materials on HIV available, as well as free HIV testing/counseling and musical performances. For more information, call Shari German at (718) 231-3296 ext. 21.

Shoelace Park Master Plan
Help shape the future of Shoelace Park and Fort Knox, parklands along the Bronx River between Gun Hill Road and 233rd Street. There will be a community design workshop on Tuesday, June 9. For more information, call (718) 430-4665 or visit bronxriver.org.

Mt. St. Ursula Speech Center Summer Registration
The Mount Saint Ursula Speech Center is now accepting applications for its summer program. Children, from the ages of 2 to 16, in need of speech, language and literacy services may be eligible. The five-week program will run five days a week from June 26 to July 31. They accept Medicaid, and some insurance. There is also a sliding scale for private pay clients. For more information, call (718) 584-7679.

English, Citizenship and Computer Classes
-MS 80 at 149 E. Mosholu Pkwy N., is offering English as a Second Language (ESL) and General Equivalency Diploma (GED) classes. For those interested, or if you have any questions, call Mrs. Alejandro at (718) 405-6300 ext. 1131.

-Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, 3450 DeKalb Ave., is offering free English as a Second Language (ESL) and Citizenship Classes.  Ongoing classes run through June 30. For more information, call (718) 882-4000.

-Kingsbridge Heights Community Center, 3101 Kingsbridge Terrace, is enrolling students for free English as a Second Language (ESL) and Citizenship classes. Ongoing classes run through June 30. For more information, call Aisha Abdul-Wahhab, program director, at (718) 884-0700 ext. 191 or 132.

-PS 94 at 3530 Kings College Pl,. offers ESL levels 1 and 2 and Computer Skills classes through summer 2009. Both classes meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Computer classes will be taught in English and will include lessons on keyboarding, Microsoft Word and other programs. Registration is first-come, first-served. For more information, call Ms. Seminario, the parent coordinator, at (347) 563-4772 or (718) 405-6345.

-St. James Recreation Center at 2530 Jerome Ave. offers free classes in Microsoft Office, Resume/Cover Letter Writing, Computer Basics, and much more. For more information, call Justin Young at (718) 367-3659.

-Fordham University, 557 E. Fordham Rd., is currently holding free computer and English Language classes for parents, Mondays through Thursdays and on Saturdays. Classes can either stand alone or as an 8- to 12-week series. For more information or to register, call (718) 817-3503.

Senior Employment
The American Association of Retired Person (AARP) and the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) are assisting low-income Bronx residents, 55 and older, to receive employment through their outreach, training, and internship programs. For more information, call AARP located at 384 E. 149th St., Ste. 608 at (718) 585-2500.

Free Breathing Workshops at Montefiore
The Care Management Company of Montefiore Medical Center is sponsoring free breathing workshops at Montefiore Medical Group East at 2300 Westchester Ave. on May 7, from 3 to 4 p.m., and on June 4, from 10 to 11 a.m. Workshops will also take place at Montefiore Medical Group Grand Concourse, 2532 Grand Concourse, on May 12, from 3 to 4 p.m., and on June 16, from 10 to 11 a.m. To register call (800) 636-6683.

Help Transform Bronx Parks
The Bronx River Alliance and the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation are holding public workshops to develop a master plan for Shoelace Park and Fort Knox, which stretches from Magenta Street to 233rd Street along the Bronx River. Workshops will take place on June 9 at Community Board 12, 4101 White Plains Road, near 229th Street, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Refreshments will be provided. For more information, call (718) 430-4635.

Couples Needed for Research Study
Doctors at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center are looking for healthy couples between the ages of 22 and 50, and in a monogamous relationship for at least six months, to participate in a research study. The study will test a vaginal gel and the couple will be screened for sexually transmitted infections. Females will have a gynecologic exam and vaginal fluid collected and males will have a genital exam. Female volunteers will have four visits and be reimbursed $60 per visit, and males volunteers will have three visits and will be reimbursed $40 per visit.  Females must be using hormonal contraception. All visits will take place at the Albert Einstein General Clinical Research Center. For more information, call Julie at (718) 430-3253 or email microbicide@aecom.yu.edu.

Free Medicine Programs for Cancer Patients
The Complimentary Medicine Program at Albert Einstein Cancer Center is offering two free research programs for patients with cancer. The Yoga-Based Cancer Rehabilitation Program includes 12 weeks of yoga to see if yoga can help patients with breast, lung, and colorectal cancer. A certified yoga instructor teaches classes in both English and Spanish. The Mind-Body Cancer Program includes 8 weeks of Mind-Body groups (The Stress Management Education Group and the Spiritual Support Group) for patients with most types of cancer. Some restrictions apply to these groups, which have been specifically designed by a psychologist and an oncologist. For more information and to find out eligibility, call (718) 430-2380.

MS 80 Needs Love
MS 80 is asking parents and community members to show some love and volunteer for just an hour each week. The school needs mentors, math and reading tutors, part-time coaches and volunteers to help with cafeteria duty. For more information, call Ms. Alejandro (718) 405-6300 ext. 111.

Free Kids’ Summer Vacations
The Fresh Air Fund is currently registering boys and girls, ages six through 12, for free summer vacations in the homes of volunteer host families throughout the northeast or at one of five Fresh Air Fund summer camps in upstate New York. To find out how to register, call (800) 367-0003 or go to www.freshair.org.

MMCC Grade School & Teen Programs at Tracey Towers
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center is accepting registration for their free after school program at Tracey Towers, 40 W. Mosholu Pkwy. The program meets Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. and is open to children in the third through sixth grades. From 6:30 to 9 p.m., the free Teen Center is open for youth ages 12 to 18. Programs include homework help, computers, arts and crafts, sports, acting, and quiet games. To register, stop by the Youth Community Room on the second floor of Tracey Towers and speak to Antoine Fields, or call him at (917) 482-5039.

Self Defense Classes
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center still has space in its boxing, karate, and self-defense classes for children, teens, and adults. To register or find out class times, call (718) 882-4000 ext. 0, or stop by the center at 3450 DeKalb Ave.

Free Meditation for Breast Cancer Survivors
The Montefiore-Einstein Cancer Center is offering a free 20-week course on meditation and stress management for breast cancer survivors. The course is part of a research study. To register or learn more, call Kimala Harris at (718) 430-2380 or e-mail kah2019@med.cornell.edu.

Place for Teens With Issues
The Power Project is a free program for teens ages 12 to 18 who are dealing with substance abuse and other problems. Located at 3464 Webster Ave., Power Project provides case management, individual and group counseling, trips, and is just a place to get away from it all. For more information, call (718) 515-7971.

Wii Games for Adults and Seniors
On Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4 p.m., adults and seniors can enjoy free Wii video games at the Mosholu Library, 285 E. 205th St. To sign up, go to the Adult Information Desk. For more information, call (718) 882-8239.

Free Parking Calendars
Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz is offering free New York City Parking Calendars to community residents. To receive one, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to his office at 3107 Kingsbridge Ave., Bronx, NY 10463, or stop by the office in person.

Free Career Workshops
The State University of New York, located at 3950 Laconia Ave., is offering free career workshops, including job readiness training, resume and cover letter preparation, help with job searches and computer skills, job placement assistance, an Office Skills Certificate Program, college prep and more. For more information, call (718) 547-1001 or visit www.NBX.SUNYEOC.org.

After School Care
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, 3450 DeKalb Ave., provides after school care for children in elementary school. Children are transported from their schools in Norwood, Bedford Park, Williamsbridge and Van Cortlandt Village. The center provides a snack, help with homework, and an array of activities to keep children busy. Financial aid is available. For more information, call Ruth Moore, program registrar, at (718) 882-4000.
      
Schizophrenia Study Seeks Participants
A research study seeking new treatments for schizophrenia is looking for patients in the Bronx. Candidates must be 18 to 65 years old, diagnosed with schizophrenia at or before age 35 and currently on certain medications for schizophrenia. Patients can enroll through the first half of 2009. For more information, call (888) 988-6736 or go to www.cognitivestudy.com.

Job Opportunities
On Dec. 1, Mayor Bloomberg announced the expansion of free job placement services through New York City’s Workforce1 Career Centers. The centers provide personalized career counseling, interview training, resume/cover letter assistance, workshops and ESL classes. For more information, call the Bronx Workforce1 Center, 358 E. 149th St., (718) 960-7099.

Quality of Life Screening
The Psychosocial Oncology Program of the Montefiore-Einstein Cancer Center is conducting a survey study in order to learn about the physical and emotional stresses faced by cancer survivors. Participants will have to fill out questionnaires and have the opportunity to participate in free/low-cost programs and support services within the program. For more information, call (718) 430-2380.

Breast Oncology Program
The Breast Oncology Living Daily Program also known as BOLD living offers a variety of free educational, support, and mind-body workshops. They are designed to empower and nurture breast cancer patients, survivors, and loved ones, but are open to all. For more information or to register, call (718) 430-3613 or email outreach@aecom.yu.edu.

Alzheimer’s Support Group
The Alzheimer’s Association’s New York City chapter provides a support group in Norwood for Spanish and English speaking caregivers who have relatives with Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia. The support group meets on the first and third Wednesdays of the month from 5 to 6:15 p.m. For the location or more information, call Mark Goodwin at (718) 920-7377.

Free Respite Program
Kingsbridge Heights Community Center (KHCC) is offering free after-school services to families with mentally retarded or developmentally disabled children ages 5 to 21 from 3 to 6 p.m. KHCC is also offering a Saturday Respite Program for ages 15 to 25, and on Sundays another Respite Program is provided for ages 18 to 65. Weekend Respite Program hours are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. They are held at the KHCC, 3101 Kingsbridge Terrace (near Sedgwick Avenue) at West 230th Street. To register or for more information, call Hanna Gabris at (718) 884-0700 ext. 202.

Speech Program at Ursula 
The Mt. St. Ursula Speech Center, 2885 Marion Ave., is now accepting applications for its fall program. The center has openings for children ages 2 to 5 who are in need of speech and language services. Medicaid and other insurances accepted. For more information, call (718) 584-7679.

Aphasia Clinic Accepting Clients
The Lehman College Speech and Hearing Center, which provides therapy on a sliding scale payment schedule, is now accepting new clients in its recently expanded aphasia clinic. The clinic will provide individual and group therapy sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 1 p.m. and 2 to 3 p.m.; group therapy sessions also take place on Tuesdays from 1 to 2 p.m. Diagnostic and therapeutic sessions will be supervised by faculty members who are licensed by the NYS Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and certified by ASHA (American Speech Language Hearing Association). For more information, call Wanda Adams at (718) 960-8138.

 

Out & About

By Judy Noy

Onstage

• The Lehman Center for the Performing Arts presents Olga Tañón and José Albert “El Canario,” performing Latin music, May 29 at 8 p.m. (tickets are $35 to $50); and Donnie McClurkin and Yolanda Adams performing Golden Gospel featuring classic and contemporary gospel and inspirational music, May 30 at 8 p.m. (tickets are $55 to $100); both in the Concert Hall at 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W. For more information, call (718) 960-8833.

 

• The Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance (BAAD), located at 841 Barretto St., presents their Boogie Down Dance Series 2009, through June 3 and dance classes through June 22. This program celebrates the growth of professional dance in the Bronx. Tickets cost $15 to $20 with discounts available for Bronx Cultural Card holders. There will be dance performances on May 28, 29 and 30 at 8 p.m.; a master dance class on May 31 at noon for which registration is required; a free open rehearsal on June 3 at 8 p.m.; and a variety of dance classes from May 30 through June 22. For a detailed schedule of dates and rates, call (718) 842-5223.

 

• Bronx Council on the Arts presents vocalist Velvet Ross, June 7 at 3 p.m., free, at Christ Church Riverdale, 5030 Henry Hudson Pkwy. For more information, call (718) 931-9500 ext. 35 or (718) 543-1011.
• The Bronx Library Center, located at 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. off Fordham Road, hosts Orlando Marin Quintet in Concert, May 30 at 2:30 p.m.; and An Afternoon of Cuban, Puerto Rican and Dominican Folkloric Music, June 6 at 2:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 579-4244/46 or visit www.nypl.org.

Events

• The Bronx Museum’s Teen Council presents free, Ana “Rokafella” Garcia, hip-hop dancer and choreographer, for a master dance class and a preview of her new documentary film, “All the Ladies Say,” followed by a Q&A, June 3 from 4 to 9 p.m.; and a screened interview featuring Tim Rollins, artist and educator, and K.O.S. (Kids of Survival), from June 3 to 14, at the museum’s south wing entrance, lower gallery, 1040 Grand Concourse (at 165th Street). For more information, call (718) 681-6000 ext. 120 or visit cwanliss@bronxmuseum.org.

 

• Car-free Bronx Coalition presents Bronx on the Move, a car-free Saturday at Crotona Park, May 30 from noon to 5 p.m. between Claremont Parkway and Crotona Park North (rain or shine), featuring spring/summer family fitness events including zumba lessons inspired by traditional cumbia, salsa, samba and meringue music; guided bike ride starting in Crotona Park featuring free bike riding lessons for kids and adults and free simple bike repair; and free health screening and advice on healthy eating. For more information, call (718) 324-4466 or visit transalt.org/events/calendar.

 

• Wave Hill offers two family art projects: And So It Was Day, to see an interactive performance by the Touchstone Center Theatre Ensemble, followed by making your own mask embodying one of the elements of nature, May 30 and 31 at 1 and 2:30 p.m. in the Ecology Building. Offered in conjunction with this project is The Imagined World: Children and the Life of Nature, a workshop for educators and families, featuring hands-on and reflective activities for adults and children ages 3 to 9 ($20/member; $30/non member; free/children; registration is required at ext. 305), May 30 from 9:30 a.m. to noon in the Wave Hill House. The 2nd arts project is Rolling Out the River, to sketch Hudson River vistas, then put your views into a portable panoramic paper movie scroll, June 6 and 7 in the Kerlin Learning Center from 1 to 4 p.m. Wave Hill is located at West 249th Street and Independence Avenue. For more information, call (718) 549-3200 or visit www.wavehill.org.

 

• The Bronx Culture Trolley, a replica of a 20th-century trolley, transports visitors on the first Wednesday of every month (except January and September), to Bronx hot spots, ending at Sweetwaters Bar & Grill with jazz, and food and drink. A reception is held at the Hostos Art Gallery, 450 Grand Concourse (at 149th St.) at 5 p.m., followed by three trolley departures at 5:30, 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. New attractions are added monthly. Trolley ride is free. Riders can get on and off at any scheduled stop and spend as much time as they wish at any or all of the featured venues. Venues and activities vary each month. The next trip is on June 3. For more information or to confirm, call (718) 931-9500 ext. 33 or log on to www.bronxarts.org.

 

• The Bronx Council on the Arts’ Bronx Culture Trolley Saturdays will feature ¡Viva Cultura! A Tour of the Casitas in the Bronx, a celebration of Puerto Rican heritage in the Bronx, June 6 from noon to 5 p.m. All events and rides are free and open to the public. Meet at noon at the Hostos Longwood Art Gallery, 450 Grand Concourse (149th Street). For more information and a detailed schedule, call (718) 931-9500 or (718) 401-7866 or visit www.bronxarts.org.

Exhibits

• The Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse at 165th Street, presents a three-part exhibition series commemorating the Grand Concourse’s centennial, starting with The Grand Concourse at 100, through July 20. Originally called the Grand Boulevard, the Grand Concourse celebrates its 100th year in 2009. For more information, call (718) 681-6000 or visit www.bronxmuseum.org.

 

• So Much Spring, a variety of attractions and activities, including workshops, demonstrations and programs for the entire family, will take place at the New York Botanical Garden through June. Several exhibits on display include Georg Ehret: the Greatest Botanical Artist of the 1700s, appearing in the LoFaro Gallery of the LuEsther T. Mertz Library, featuring prints and drawings, through July 19; and The Glory of Dutch Bulbs: A Legacy of 400 Years can be viewed through June 7 in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, and on weekends includes tours, home gardening demonstrations, and family activities. For more information, call (718) 817-8700.

Learning

The Bronx Library Center has events for all ages:

• For children and preschoolers, there is Preschool Romp, May 28, June 4 and 11 at 11 a.m.; and Pajama Party, May 29 at 7 p.m.
• Also, for school-aged children, there is Arts & Crafts, May 28 at 4 p.m.; The Secret Life of Flowers and Bugs, May 31 at 2 p.m.; Butterfly Boogie, June 4 at 4 p.m.; How the Elephant Got Its Trunk, June 7 at 2 p.m.; Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries, June 8 at 10 a.m.; and Fish Shaped Books, June 11 at 4 p.m.
• For adults, there is Child Care Provider Resource Day 2009, May 30 at 2:30 p.m.

The Center is located at 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. off Fordham Road. For a detailed schedule, call (718) 579-4244/46 or visit www.nypl.org.

The Mosholu Library, located at 285 E. 205th St., presents Reading Aloud, June 1 and 8 at 4 p.m.; Toddler Story Time, June 4 at 10:30 a.m.; and Preschool Story Time, June 11 at 10:30 a.m. For more information, call (718) 882-8239.

The Jerome Park Library, at 118 Eames Place, presents Reading Aloud, June 2 and 9 at 3:30 p.m.; and Big Daddy Z and the Greeks, June 5 at 3:30 p.m. all for children. For more information, call (718) 549-5200.

NOTE: Items for consideration should be received in our office by June 1 for the next publication date of June 11.

It Was Their Parks Day!

By Norwood News

Over one hundred people came out to Williamsbridge Oval as part of Norwood’s celebration of NYC’s “It’s My Park Day!” event, Saturday, May 16. 

Volunteers spent the entire day with staff from Mosholu Preservation Corporation and the Parks Department weeding, planting, spreading mulch and sweeping pathways to help beautify the recently renovated Oval. Volunteers also painted inside the recreation center.

As a special treat, volunteers could also indulge in face painting, arts and crafts, and board games.

“It was amazing,” said Jennifer Beaugrand, head of MPC’s horticulture program. “We had twice the number of people we were expecting. That is unheard of. It made it fun and exciting. Everybody had fun.”

Other events were held on May 16 in parks all over the city.

New Store Catering to Women Cancer Patients

By Nikkie Quiterio

The newly opened Women’s Center at A&O Surgical Supply on East Gun Hill Road at Putnam Place is unique in the Bronx — it is the only store in the borough that caters solely to women with breast cancer.

The Women’s Center specializes in selling all-women products, such as bathing suits with special pockets for prosthesis and skin lotions for those going through chemotherapy.

All of the employees on staff are certified to fit customers for customized mastectomy bras, wigs and hats.

“I feel it is more warm, [and] inviting to women,” says owner Dennis O’Brien. O’Brien knew he wanted to have products that were both stylish and comfortable, and allowed women to express their femininity. “We want to be the resource for the post-mastectomy patient in the Bronx,” he said.

It helps being located down the street from Montefiore Medical Center. O’Brien says the new store has already enjoyed solid business. Women shopping there have said they feel more comfortable buying products there than at other places, O’Brien says.

 “They feel more comfortable buying bras here than at Victoria’s Secret,” said Dorca Soto, an employee at the store. “They get a better fit.”

It’s also a place women can go and share their stories, gain new friends and support along the way, Soto says.

“They are able to discuss the same experiences,” says Soto.

Ed. note: Women’s Center at A&O Surgical Supply is located at 264 E. Gun Hill Rd. For more information, call (718) 654-1882.

Happy Half Century for Center

By Norwood News

The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, the social and recreational hub for youth, adults and seniors in Norwood, celebrated its 50th anniversary with a gala dinner at Lehman College on May 12.

At the gala, honorees (pictured to the right) included Donald L. Ashkenase (far right), senior vice president at Montefiore Medical Center, and Ruben Luna (second from left), owner of several supermarket franchises in New York City. Christopher Pinto (second from right), director of health and physical fitness at MMCC, was also given the Gold Medal Award for his 18 years of dedication to the community center.

Diaz’s Task

By Editorial

It would have been hard to miss the excitement at the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts last week, when the Bronx’s newest borough president took the oath of office.

The place was packed, possibly rivaling the venue’s gate for music legends B.B. King and Ray Charles. It was the middle of the day, too, and busy Bronx leaders from across the professional spectrum took time out of their schedules to be there. Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Paterson even slipped away from their intertwined budget crises to attend.

Why the buzz?

Diaz, Jr. is only 36, and he was elected to the Assembly on his own steam (his father, a state senator was elected after his son) when he was 23. People seem to like him. And, unlike his predecessor Adolfo Carrion, he seems to have a genuine affinity for the grassroots organizations that have powered the borough’s remarkable turnaround.

Diaz also succeeded in becoming borough president by participating in a rare and risky takeover of the Bronx Democratic  Party. Diaz and his allies – a diverse group of elected officials from around the borough — won because they out-organized the entrenched incumbent leadership.

So, the 13th borough president would appear to have the wind at his back.

But he would do well to watch where he steps, too. The Bronx political landscape is littered with betrayals of the public trust.

State Senator Efrain Gonzalez will almost certainly go to jail when he is sentenced in August, after admitting to siphoning off cash meant for nonprofits to pay his own credit card bills. More Bronx politicians are suspected of misappropriating member item money than we have room here to list and explain. State Senator Pedro Espada has skirted state campaign finance rules again and again, and appears to live in Mamaroneck, despite purchasing a Bedford Park co-op during his campaign.

The borough president himself, and his father, have been under investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s office for their own relationship with a nonprofit. It’s unclear whether that investigation is continuing, but the state attorney general is also reportedly looking into the matter.  Diaz says the charge is politically motivated and that he hasn’t had any relationship with the organization in years. We hope he’s right.

Diaz has great ability and an incredible opportunity to fulfill his dream of building “a greater Bronx, a greater city, and a greater nation.” But as the Bronx’s biggest role model, he must speak out against political behavior that robs Bronxites of government funding and responsible leadership at a time when both are most needed. 

It’s the right thing to do and it’s the only way he will achieve the grandiose (his favorite word) plans he has for the Bronx. Making excuses for, and politically enabling, elected officials who betray the public trust is itself a betrayal of that trust. An elected official’s greatest allegiance must be to the people they serve, rather than to those they serve with.

There will be tremendous pressure to do things the old way, but we believe Borough President Diaz will always do his best to keep in mind why people wanted new political leadership for the Bronx. 
We will root for him to succeed.

Cleaning Up Their Neighborhood

By Norwood News

Members of the Teens With Dreams program at St. Brendan’s Church showed their devotion to their neighborhood when they hit the streets at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 16 to clean graffiti and grime in the area surrounding the church.

Teens in the program meet every Friday and plan events throughout the year. The graffiti cleaning event was part of the St. Brendan’s feast celebration at the church.

Virginia Tavarez (not pictured), 22, has been a member of Teens With Dreams since she was 14, and says the teens in the group are like a family, and they often plan events to help the community “We are like brothers and sisters,” said Tavarez. “We are always there for each other.”

Great Time to Buy in the Bronx, If You Can Get a Loan

By Annie Shreffler

It isn’t very often that the real estate market sees a convergence of three great conditions that make for a true buyers’ market: low interest rates, government incentives and plenty of housing stock. 

So where are all the buyers in the Bronx?

“It’s slow,” said Avi Kahn, a broker with Sherry and Sons who deals primarily with co-op sales and rentals, about the buying market. “And the few things that are moving are hard to close because of the banks.”

With the financial collapse that began last spring, and the stunning realization that most banks counted among their assets billions of dollars in bundled risky mortgages that had plummeted in value, the loan market dried up practically overnight. Banks shut the vault doors to sort out the mess and by last September, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) was holding hearings on the near impossibility for an average American to secure a car loan, never mind a home loan.

‘Don’t Wait!’

But Linda Lebowitz of Fieldston Properties says the first-time homebuyers’ market in the Bronx is robust right now, at least for properties under $300,000.  One new development she is listing, Kingsbridge Condos, has sold seven out of 12 units. It helps that she has Federal Housing Administration approval for the units that allows her to take as little as 3 percent down. 

But even government incentives are not enough to convince banks to relax lending standards. Instead, brokers complain that banks put the potential buyer through the mill with multiple income checks and frequent demands for more documentation. “Even up to the day of closing they want to see pay stubs,” Lebowitz said.
But for Susan Goldy, of Susan Goldy Real Estate in Riverdale, there is a small glimmer of hope.

She says talk of the markets rebounding has taken off the chill in home buying since February. “Overall, there is the beginning of a better feeling out there,” she said. “People feel less scared now.”
Goldy points out that these are the lowest interest rates since the 1950s.

“Don’t wait!” Goldy says about buying. Even if it means jumping a lot of bank hurdles, she says now is the time to buy. The conditions are right and the government is giving first-time buyers an $8,000 tax credit until Dec. 1.  “And you have choice, far greater choice and more time to make a decision,” she added.

Lenders Tighten Belts

And while all that may be true, housing advocates say a rebounding housing market doesn’t help buyers who can’t get a loan or homeowners who can’t stay in their homes because of foreclosure. Gregory Lobo Jost, deputy director of the University Neighborhood Housing Program, says he isn’t surprised it’s hard to get a home loan right now. “Underwriting standards were so lax [before the collapse], now it’s probably gone too far the other way,” he said.

Not just banks, but co-op boards have become tougher with potential buyers, according to several brokers. Before, a board would look at a candidate’s assets, such as their 401K retirement plan. Now, they evaluate people based more upon their savings and liquid assets, or their ability to keep paying their mortgage and maintenance when times get tough. They may ask a buyer for a larger down payment.

Kahn thinks the banks are missing a big opportunity. “These are regular people putting down 10 percent — school eachers, firefighters,” Kahn said.

One of Kahn’s clients, a single woman with a good income and good credit history, wants to close on a co-op, but the bank has kept her hanging since December, asking for added insurance and other documents.  “We’re on top of it and taking care of things, but it’s a slow process,” Kahn said.

“[Banks] don’t want to part with the money,” Goldy said.
Hearing of local realtors’ frustration, a spokesperson for Chase bank said, “The industry as a whole has tightened its standards.” 
(The Mortgage Bankers Association did not return calls seeking comment.)

Nick Palushaj of ZNS Realty, said, “You have to have spectacular credit now.”

A City of Renters

Increasing homeownership has long been one of the goals of the Bloomberg administration. The mayor has said people care more for their neighborhoods and communities when they have a vested interest, like a home, in the area. Yet according to the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development, “only three in 10 New York City residents own their homes.  Instead of building equity and savings with a long-term investment in a home, most New Yorkers spend money that they will never recoup on rent.”

Once potential homebuyers know they’ll get that mortgage and they’ve taken time to look at several homes, they should do their homework on the price.

While several brokers said prices for homes haven’t changed dramatically in the Bronx, Kahn said that appraisers find themselves caught between sellers, who want the best price they can get, and banks, which want lower prices to avoid extra loss if overall home prices should fall further.

With a continuing recession and more job cuts possible in the upcoming months, Goldy predicts we will keep seeing foreclosures.

While that could create opportunities for new buyers, they should keep in mind an empty street isn’t great for the market value of a home.

Despite the difficulty with obtaining a new mortgage, Karl Brumeck, an agent at Massey Knakal, said the Bronx real estate sector is healthy, despite its lack of movement. He said they had anticipated a “huge problem” when the banks failed. Many thought the number of defaults and lack of payment would grind things to a halt, but it didn’t happen. “People in the Bronx just kept paying their bills,” he said.

Transit Robberies

By Alex Kratz

Subway riders on the 4 and D line trains should be very cautious about how and when they talk or text while on the train, police say. There has been a series of cell phone snatching incidents on the two lines throughout the Bronx over the last month. Most of the time, police say, victims could avoid being robbed by simply being aware of their surroundings and not obliviously using their phones. 

Beefing Up Graffiti Watch

By Alex Kratz

Police say they will be increasing patrols and surveillance at Williamsbridge Oval Park, which they say has become a favorite target of local vandals.

Trouble at Tequila Song

By Alex Kratz

Police have shut down the Webster Avenue bar Tequila Song after a string of violent incidents and the discovery that many of the establishment’s customers were under age.

Police began cracking down on Tequila Song after two Mexican men were shot on their way home from the bar at around 3 a.m. on April 26. A dark car full of Hispanic men rolled up to the victims who were walking and asked them if they were from the neighborhood. The men said no and at least one person from the car opened fire, hitting one of the victims in the thigh and the other in the foot.

Shellings from a .380 caliber pistol were found at the scene. The investigation is ongoing.

Both victims were taken to St. Barnabas and treated.

Working with the Department of Buildings, the NYPD shut down Tequila Song temporarily. The owners were scheduled to be in court this week to get the closure lifted.

Bedford Park Shooting Confirmed

By Alex Kratz

Last issue, the Norwood News reported on a shooting incident in Bedford Park, but details were sketchy.

Police have now confirmed that a young man was indeed shot on Saturday, May 9, while walking along East 203rd Street from the Grand Concourse toward Valentine Avenue.

Police say two Hispanic young men were walking by a larger group of Hispanic men who were engaged in a dispute. One of men in the group pulled out a shotgun and fired at least one round of buckshot, which releases a spread of tiny pellets. Some of this spray hit one of the passing young men in the back. The other young man fled unharmed.

The injured young man managed to make it to the nearby Sweet Valentine grocery on the corner of East 203rd and Valentine and waited while the owner called the police. The victim described the shooter as a Hispanic male wearing dark clothes, according to police.

It’s still unclear whether the victim was involved in the dispute or an innocent bystander, police said.

Cops Bust Kingsbridge Rd. Rape Suspect

By Alex Kratz

In the span of eight days, two teenage females were grabbed off the street, dragged into an abandoned building and sexually assaulted near the corner of Grand Avenue and Kingsbridge Road.

Police say in both cases it was the work of one sexual predator. Last Thursday, police arrested Stephen Robinson, 48 and charged him with rape, criminal sex acts, sexual abuse and kidnapping.

On May 10, at around 2:30 in the afternoon on Kingsbridge Road, near Grand Avenue, police say Robinson grabbed an 18-year-old woman walking home. He allegedly forced her into a nearby abandoned building and tried to rape her.

Fortunately, the woman was able to escape prior to being raped and reported the incident to police.

A little more than a week later, on May 18, the same thing happened to a 17-year-old girl at the very same location, this time at around 11 p.m. And this time, the victim was raped.

According to police, Robinson lives on Morris Avenue, just three blocks from where both attacks occurred.

On Tuesday, the Daily News reported that last week, Bronx Homicide Detective Sean O’Toole identified a sketch of the rape suspect as Robinson, who O’Toole remembered arresting years before. That led to Robinson’s arrest for the recent assaults. 

Re-Organizing

By Alex Kratz

Last winter, when times got tough for the oldest, most influential grassroots organizing group in the northwest Bronx — a financial crisis compounded by a leadership void — they looked within for a path forward.

Almost half a year later, though challenges still lie ahead, the result for the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition is an unprecedented new leadership team and a restructured organization on solid financial footing.

The Coalition was created in the mid-1970s by Fordham University clergy determined to fight off the housing neglect, abandonment and arson fast creeping north from the South Bronx. Through grassroots organizing efforts — helping community residents identify common concerns and developing their leadership skills to go toe-to-toe with politicians, bureaucrats and landlords — the group was largely successful in saving the local housing stock, which it felt was the core of stable communities.

Over the decades since, the Coalition spun off a handful of nonprofit housing groups and branched out to tackle any number of issues, including immigration, crime, development and education. 

And now, for the first time in its 35-year history, the group has split its executive director position in two and given the top spots in the organization to women of color.

Aleciah Anthony, 34, who’s African-American and Laura Vasquez, 33, who’s Hispanic, were named co-executive directors earlier this spring. The pair became de facto heads of the Coalition following the November departure of James Mumm, the previous executive director.

While Mumm was an outsider chosen after a nationwide search, Anthony and Vasquez were promoted from within after working at the organization, in various roles, for the past decade. 

‘Way of life’

“When it happened, my first thoughts were, ‘it’s about time,’” said Yorman Nunez, a 20-year-old former youth organizer with the Coalition who’s now running for City Council. “They’re from the community or have lived here for a very, very, very long time. Deep in their hearts it’s not a job. I know [organizing] is part of their way of life.”

Before joining the Coalition, however, the pair didn’t know much about organizing. In fact, both stumbled into the Coalition, mostly by chance and circumstance.

After her father passed, the pre-teen Vasquez missed school to translate for her mother as she went about navigating the frustrating welfare system. After that experience, “I vowed that I would never treat people negatively when they needed my help,” Vasquez says.

Raised upstate, Vasquez graduated from Ithaca College in 1999 with a vague idea that she wanted to help Latinos. She went through the Coalition’s training program and soon started organizing tenant leaders in the Mt. Hope area. “Lots of the organizing I was doing was with Latina women,” she says. “I loved seeing the transformation of these Latina women, from shy and kind of quiet to leading and speaking out in front of big crowds.”

Vasquez went on to found the Coalition’s strong youth arm, Sistas and Brothas United (SBU).

The frustrating welfare system led, more directly, to Anthony’s arrival at the Coalition. Born and raised in the shadow of Yankee Stadium, Anthony eventually came to an early crossroads in her life after graduating from NYU around 2000.

Despite her degree, Anthony was an unemployed mother collecting welfare checks. The one thing she knew was that she didn’t want to do the menial jobs the city’s welfare-to-work program was assigning her to. “I kept turning them down,” Anthony says.
Eventually, they sent her to a job training program, run through the Coalition. It was just a job. And not one she thought she’d last in.

She started working in the summer. “It was hot and I was door-knocking on six-floor walk-ups,” Anthony says. “I thought, ‘there’s no way I can keep this up.’”

But she did and, after doing every kind of organizing the Coalition has to offer, she eventually found her niche as the group’s education coordinator.

New leadership

By 2006, Vasquez and Anthony had risen to the top of the organization, which often struggles to keep staffers, especially people of color. “We’ve lost many talented people of color to other opportunities,” says Mary Dailey, a former executive director of the Coalition.

When Mumm moved on to another organization, Anthony and Vasquez were tapped to run the show while the group’s board decided on a long-term solution.

Vasquez had been deputy director for the past three years and Anthony was director of leadership development and also the field director. “It was a natural fit,” says Coalition member Myra Goggins. “One of our goals is to promote from within and to have women of color in those positions, and so far it’s worked out.”

 “I think what you get are two people steeped in the tradition of organization.” Dailey says. “But they’re also familiar with innovation and not being stale in their approach.”

Speaking about their new role at the Coalition’s home on East 196th Street, Vasquez and Anthony laugh and swap organizing war stories.

They talk about the flexibility that sharing leadership gives them. “You never know what’s going to happen, so it’s good that there are two of us,” Anthony says.

Vasquez is focusing on building relationships and leadership with and within local institutions, like churches and existing tenant and block associations, and also fund-raising.

Anthony is running field operations and doing staff and other leadership development.

Besides their focus on building up institutional leadership and fund-raising, the duo say they want to re-focus the Coalition’s energy on local housing issues, the group’s bread and butter, while also trying to affect change on the state level. “We need to build our presence on two levels — locally and upstate [in Albany],” Anthony says.

Like most nonprofit organizations in this shrinking economy, Anthony and Vasquez say they’ve had to adapt and restructure how they do business. 

Five years ago, the Coalition was made up of 10 neighborhood associations, each with its own organizers, turf, board and members. But that wasn’t cost effective, Dailey says.

Now, the group still has what they call regional organizers (the Coalition works in most northwest Bronx neighborhoods above the Cross Bronx Expressway) who focus on issues that cross neighborhood lines — housing, education, safety, youth issues, etc. — but are also responsible for issues that are neighborhood-specific, such as park improvements or other quality of life initiatives.

Much like how they view themselves, Vasquez and Anthony want their organizers to be flexible. 

At the 35th anniversary gala on April 30, everyone participated; everyone knew what was going on. For the first time, the annual fund-raiser brought in loads of small, individual donations, rather than big institutional checks. Anthony greeted people at the door as Vasquez zoomed around the room, mixing with the crowd, which included leaders from the past, present and future.

There was a buzz in the air, energy in the room. At a storied organization, it marked the beginning of a new era.

Ed. note: To reach the Coalition, call (718) 584-0515 or visit www.northwestbronx.org.

Public and Community Meetings

By Norwood News

•    The 52nd Precinct Community Council will meet on Thursday, May 28 at 7:30 p.m. at Fordham Hill, 8 Fordham Hill Oval. For more information, call (718) 220-5824.
•    The Bedford Mosholu Community Association is meeting on Wednesday, June 3 at 8 p.m. at 400 E. Mosholu Pkwy So. (apt. B1 – lobby floor).
•    Community Board 7 (CB7) meets on Tuesday, June 16 at 6:30 p.m. For location, call (718) 933-5650 or visit www.bronxcb7.info.
•    The Croton Facility Monitoring Committee meets Thursday, June 18 at 7 p.m. at the DEP offices, 3660 Jerome Ave. For more information, call (718) 220-5824.
•    CB7 Committee Meetings: The Executive Committee Meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 2, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Land Use and Zoning Committee Meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 3, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Youth Services Committee Meeting will be held on Monday, June 8, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Parks Committee Meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 10, at 6:30 p.m. All committees meet at the Community Board office, 229A E. 204th St. For more information, call (718) 933-5650 or visit www.bronxcb7.info.

Rivera Foe Drops Expensive Bid

By Ivonne Salazar

Radame Perez, president and chief operating officer of Mastermind Development in the Bronx and board member of the New York Community Bank, was hoping to challenge Councilman Joel Rivera in District 15, but then unexpectedly dropped out of the race two weeks ago after raising $156,945.

Though Perez managed to raise more than the incumbent, he spent almost all of it. The campaign finance reports shows that Perez spent $103,979, which includes over $21,000 in campaign consultant fees, $1,700 on an Apple computer, and over $800 in Chase bank fees, including a $268 bounced check fee.  

Perez is also a member of Community Board 6.

Competitive Races, Furious Fund-raising

By Ivonne Salazar

City Council members who are gearing up for fall elections candidates are flexing their fund-raising muscles, according to campaign finance reports submitted on May 15. 

In District 14, which covers University Heights, there are several strong contenders hoping to unseat Maria Baez, who is considered one of the most vulnerable Council members in the city. Baez has faced media scrutiny over her abysmal attendance record and her sky-high cell phone bills that reached $17,765 in 2007. She has raised $24,835 and has spent $16,788, mostly on rent and a $1,700 Verizon Wireless bill.

Yudelka Tapia, a city auditor who has been involved in politics since 1994 when she founded the Great Alliance Democratic Club, has raised the most at $30,203. Fernando Cabrera, founder and pastor of New Life Outreach International Church, has raised $26,764. The youngest candidate, Yorman Nunez, community activist and member of the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, has raised $17,218. Yesenia Polanco, former chief of staff to Annabel Palma, has raised the least in the district at $11,868.

It’s not clear how much former state senator Israel Ruiz has raised since campaign reports list the funds at $44,725, but detailed receipts only list $2,725 of contributions.

In District 11, two candidates will be challenging Councilman Oliver Koppell. Ari Hoffnung, has raised $81,816 and Anthony Cassino, former chairman of Community Board 8, has raised $93,549, though Koppell has still raised more at $105,558. Koppell has already spent $54,031, which includes over $8,000 in political contributions to other office seekers.

In District 15, there is currently only one candidate challenging Councilman Joel Rivera, who has raised $15,914, and has only spent $568. The lone challenger is Jose Padilla, who has raised a paltry $480 and spent $337.
   

Diaz Sworn In at Lehman Center

By Jordan Moss

He’s already been on the job a month, but that didn’t stop a packed Lehman Center for the Performing Arts and the city and state’s top officials from attending the formal swearing-in of Ruben Diaz, Jr., the 13th borough president of the Bronx last Thursday.

The 36-year-old former assemblyman won a special election on April 21 to succeed Adolfo Carrion, Jr., who cut his second term short by one year to take a job in the Obama Administration.

Diaz was toasted at the event by his colleagues in the state legislature, including Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, as well as Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Paterson.

Noticeably absent was Assemblyman Jose Rivera, the former Bronx Democratic Party Chair who Diaz and his political allies deposed last fall. Rivera’s son, Council Member Joel Rivera, who surprised political observers by withdrawing a bid to go toe-to-toe with Diaz for the borough’s top job, also did not attend.

Diaz, who spoke extremely well without any prepared notes at a recent gala for the Citizens Advice Bureau, seemed a tad flustered and more than a little excited at the swearing in, as he struggled a little with reading his speech from the lectern. 

The theme of the speech was “One Bronx,” which Diaz said was a vision his administration would outline in the coming weeks and months. But he listed the kind of Bronxites — in effect, every kind of Bronxite — who are a part of this vision: “young and old, regardless of your race, gender, religion, ethnic background or sexual orientation.”

Diaz emphasized economic development early in the address and the creation of “green” jobs. But the new borough president also said that equally important is creating “jobs for the people who live right here in the Bronx. For too long, our borough … [has] been the home to two, separate, very distinct economies, one made up of those with permanent jobs with benefits and a living wage, and the other comprised of those stuck in dead-end jobs with no hope for advancement.”

Diaz’s commitment to living wage jobs will be tested immediately as it is a central demand of activists lobbying for a community benefits agreement with the developer of the Kingsbridge Armory project, which has just entered the land use review process. Diaz could play a central role in helping to negotiate that agreement.

Alluding to a critical upcoming vote in the state legislature, Diaz addressed the issue of mayoral control of the schools (Bloomberg left before Diaz began his address). He said he had been a supporter of full mayoral control, but now believes parents, educators and students feel shut out.

“Those most affected by our school system must have their voices heard,” Diaz said. “I believe my appointment to the Panel of for Education Policy should have a stronger role in the decision-making process.”

The lively event also featured entertainment, including a number by seniors from the Casa Boricua Senior Center who brought down the house with a racy, salsa dance performance and a dazzling spoken-word performance by prodigy poet Nene Ali, age 10, who challenged adults to stop modeling bad behavior that they then blame kids for imitating.

Diaz is now borough president, but since he was elected only to complete Carrion’s term through the end of 2009, he will need to run again in the fall to be elected to a full four-year term.
 

Old Library May Serve Animals and Humans

By Alex Kratz

Editor’s Note: This story was updated and corrected from an earlier version on June 17, 2009.

The city’s Health Department says it is looking into a compromise that might split the vacant old Fordham Library into a multi-use facility, a sign of hope for local politicians and activists who were outraged last fall when the city said it was planning to turn the building into a full-service animal shelter.

For the past two years, Sistas and Brothas United, a youth activist group affiliated with the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, has lobbied for the space to be turned into an arts and technology center for community use.

Local Councilman Joel Rivera, members of Community Board 7 and another group, Community Action Unlimited, have also worked to see the building turned over for community use.

“Right now we’re in conversations with the Health Department and the mayor’s office about turning at least some of that space over to the community,” Rivera said recently. “It’s something I’m willing to put capital dollars [from the Council budget] into.”

In an e-mail, Celina De leon, a spokesperson for the Health Department, said the agency needs about 15,000 square feet for a full-service animal shelter, which would only take up a little more than half of the library building’s 27,400 square feet and leave the remaining space open for other types of programming.

City law mandates the agency open full-service shelters in every borough and the Bronx currently doesn’t have one.

But De leon also indicated that there might be a less costly alternative, one that Rivera and pet advocates are pushing for at City Hall. Rivera says, and De leon confirmed, that a low-cost spay and neuter facility would require only about 2,000 square feet of space.

It would also be less costly to build and maintain and, at the same time, save the lives of thousands of animals each year, advocates say.

“[Implementing low-cost spay and neuter clinics] will not only save lives, but it will also save the city money.” said Catherine Beason, the executive director of Animal Friendly NYC, a nonprofit political action group. 

The city takes in around 40,000 homeless cats and dogs every year, according to the Animal Care and Control Center, which runs the city’s animal shelters.

If the shelters can’t find owners for the animals, they are put to sleep, usually within a week of when they arrive; 39 percent of cats and 28 percent of dogs are euthanized once they reach the shelter, according to city figures.

The cost of taking in a dog or cat is about $200 for the city, Beason said, regardless of whether they’re adopted or euthanized. The cost of spaying or neutering a pet at a city-subsidized clinic could be as low as $65, she said.

A decade ago, Beason said the animal rescue community was focused on adoption, but now the emphasis is shifting to prevention — stopping more animals from being left out on the street. The best way to do that, Beason said, is to prevent pets from getting pregnant and having offspring, which are often abandoned by the time they reach sexual maturity.

Abandonment is more of a problem in low-income neighborhoods, Beason said, where owners are less likely to spay or neuter their pets.

A study in the Journal of the Veterinary Medical Association, released in April, said cat-owning families with an income of $35,000 or less are almost are twice as unlikely to get their cats fixed than those making more than $35,000. It’s simple economics, Beason said. Getting your pet fixed is expensive, as much $600 to $700 for a big dog.

That could change, Beason said, if the city decides to change its approach to dealing with homeless pets and funds low-cost spay and neuter clinics around the city.

Rivera said Harlem Councilwoman Inez Dickens has already introduced legislation to repeal the shelter mandate and promote spay and neuter clinics. This has not yet been confirmed, but Rivera said, in any case, the Council won’t get to it until at least after the budget is hammered out in June.

In the meantime, the Health Department isn’t rushing to renovate the library building. “There’s no movement there yet, which is a positive thing,” Rivera said.

Forces Coming Together To Pursue Armory Benefits

By Alex Kratz

Community groups and new Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. are combining forces to negotiate an agreement that would provide additional community benefits from the coming redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Amory.

If successful, the collaboration between the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA), Community Board 7 and the borough president’s office, could become a new model for large-scale development projects in New York City.

The recent Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) signed for other big projects in the city — including for the new Yankee Stadium, Gateway Center Mall and Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn — were widely criticized for lacking community input. In this case, the agreement would be driven by community voices, with the borough president’s office coordinating the effort.

The need to forge a benefits agreement, something both KARA and Board 7 have pushed for, became more urgent last week when the city announced the start of the land use review process for the Armory project.

The complicated review process, known as ULURP (Uniformed Land Use Review Procedure), begins at Board 7, which represents the area where the Armory is located. The board, made up of appointed local volunteers, has until July 27 to review and decide whether or not to support the proposal.

After the board votes, the borough president has 30 days to review the project and weigh in on it. The decisions of both the board and the borough president are advisory.

The proposal then goes back to the City Planning Commission for approval and then on to the City Council. If a majority of the Council votes to approve the proposal, it goes on to the mayor who has the power to veto the Council’s decision.

But before July 27, the board and KARA want to see a benefits agreement, modeled after the substantial, community-driven CBAs in California, to be firmly in place. What exactly goes into that agreement remains to be seen, but it will be based on a combination of the principles and ideas generated by Board 7 and KARA, which is comprised of community groups, unions and local clergy.

“We’re going to marry these two documents into one document and present it with a unified front to the developer,” said Board 7 Chairman Greg Faulkner. This “unified front” represents a break from the past when KARA and the board were both intent on pursuing separate benefits agreements.

Faulkner and KARA representatives said Diaz, Jr. would be helping to coordinate the benefits agreement effort, but would allow the community to take the lead.

What the CBA will look like also depends on what the developer, the well-connected Related Companies, is willing to agree to. Jesse Masyr, Related’s lawyer, has already said Related would not agree to living wage job requirements, something KARA, especially, is pushing hard for. (Diaz, in his swearing-in speech last week, said he wanted to push for higher paying Bronx jobs, though he didn’t mention the Armory specifically. His office could not be reached for comment by press time.)

Other benefits discussed by the board and KARA include union and environmental protections, more space for community programs, the creation of affordable housing, parks improvements and affordable recreation opportunities.

At the Board 7 general meeting last Tuesday, representatives from the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, the main engine behind KARA, spoke primarily about the importance of securing living wage jobs ($10 an hour, plus benefits) for a community suffering from poverty. Some 30 percent of local residents around the Armory live below the poverty line.

Related and the city say the new Armory development will create 1,208 permanent retail jobs, but KARA says those jobs will be part-time and low paying unless the developer puts wage requirements on tenants, something that has not been done before in New York. (Related says they will be hard-pressed to find retail tenants willing to do that.)

While some acknowledged the need and desire to see some new retail opportunities, many speakers from KARA and the board talked eloquently about how a new Armory should represent change, not just more shops for the area.

Board 7’s Ozzie Brown unveiled his proposal for creating a World Peace Atrium, complete with ample space for community programming, in the middle of the Armory to highlight its transformation from a military facility. “We need to put together a space that can be a beacon for our community and attract people from all over the world,” he said.

Kwasi Akeampong, a member of the Coalition, said he had toured the vacant Armory and had also visited Related’s other big Bronx project, the Gateway Center Mall, which is set to open near Yankee Stadium and will include a host of chain stores such as Target, Applebees and Best Buy. “I looked at Gateway, then I said, ‘I don’t want to have another Gateway,’” he said. 

Speaking about the opportunity to create a game-changing benefits agreement, KARA and Coalition leader Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter said, “This is our chance of finding a new way of doing business in the Bronx.”

A Father’s Fight To Save His Job

By Ivonne Salazar

Two years ago, Juan Torres, 50, enjoyed his job as a machine operator at the Stella D’oro cookie factory in Kingsbridge. He could provide his children with simple purchases like new clothes for school and tickets to Great Adventure, and his family with trips to the Dominican Republic, where he was born.

 But this year, for the first time, Torres had to tell his children that none of that would be possible.

Torres, who has lived in University Heights since he was 8 is one of more than 130 Stella D’oro union employees who have been on strike for the past nine months. Every day, rain or shine, they stand at the picket line.

After 15 years of working at Stella D’oro, Torres is now living on unemployment benefits and may file for bankruptcy. His credit cards are maxed out, and even though his wife, who was laid off last year, now receives food stamps, they sometimes struggle to buy food.

Torres began working at Stella D’oro in 1993 in sanitation, making $11 an hour. At the time, he and his wife had a 1-year-old son, Juan, Jr., and a one-month-old daughter, Lourdes. The young father was happy to find a good paying job, and he spent the next several years working his way up to machine cleaner and then to machine operator.

Before the strike, Torres had health insurance (paid for by Stella D’oro), paid sick time and four weeks of vacation. He estimates that he made about $48,000 a year, including overtime.

“[The salary] was good enough to raise a family,” Torres said.

Last year, Torres’ union, the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers Local 50, began a heated negotiation with Brynwood Partners, a private equity firm that bought Stella D’oro in 2006. In May 2008, Brynwood presented workers with a new contract to replace the existing five-year contract that was going to expire in July 2008.

The new contract included the most radical changes that Torres had ever seen. No more paid sick or vacation time. No more overtime. Wages would be slashed by more than 20 percent over the next five years. And employees would have to contribute 20 percent of health care insurance costs.

The news was a surprise to Torres and his co-workers. In 2006 and 2007, during company parties, Torres said that Stella D’oro representatives told employees that the company was doing well.

Torres says that production increased, and in 2007 he worked more overtime than he did in the previous three years.

“They said that people had worked hard,” Torres said.

George Kahssay, a Stella D’oro foreman, who has worked at the factory for 20 years, said the company bought new machines and robots, expanded its family-size products, and opened new contracts with wholesale distributors like BJ’s and Costco.

But Torres had his suspicions that Brynwood was keeping information from employees. Torres and his co-workers began seeing new workers from other factories observe workers at Stella D’oro. He says he saw cars in the company parking lot with license plates from as far away as Massachusetts.

“They [had] a plan to push everyone out,” Torres said. “I believe this.”

When Torres learned of Brynwood’s proposal, he prepared for the worst. For the next couple of months, he saved as much money as he could. But he never imagined that the strike would last so long. He said the last strike in the 1990s only lasted five weeks before the union and representatives from Kraft, then owner of Stella D’oro, negotiated a contract.

On August 27, 2008, Torres and his co-workers went on strike.

 In a statement, Brynwood Partners said that Stella D’oro was “an unprofitable and shrinking business” when it was purchased in January 2006.  “High labor costs” was one of “the problems” that the company tried to address. Brynwood said that wage reductions would only affect some of the workers, and they believe their proposal would fairly compensate workers and that the union has been unreasonable with its demands.

But local activists agree that Brynwood is the one making the unfair demands. Father Joseph Girone of St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church in University Heights, where several Stella D’Oro workers are members, is asking his congregation to support the workers by boycotting Stella D’oro products. “The gospel says the worker is worth his wage,” said Fr. Girone. “[Brynwood was] trying to make a profit on the back of workers in a really unreasonable way. It’s not just about production.”

Torres and Kahssay don’t know how much revenue the company made since 2006. According to them, after Brynwood purchased Stella D’oro from Kraft, the company stopped meeting with staff to review sales and revenue data.

Torres and his co-workers say they just want their old contract and their old jobs back.

“I’m depressed,” said Mayra Alfonseca, a packager at Stella D’oro. “I like my job.”

“Where are we gonna look for another job?” said Torres.

Before the strike, Torres dreamed of paying for college for his children, now he’s not sure what will happen. In October, Torres’ unemployment will run out, and this summer, his son will need to work to help the family with expenses.

Until the union is ready to “engage in some real bargaining over the needed labor contract changes, management will continue its steady expansion of operations and growth of the replacement workforce,” said Brynwood in a statement.  

Local 50 did not respond to inquiries for this article.

Torres is determined to strike for as long as he can, though he doesn’t know how much longer he can afford it.

“It’s very hard when you go home and your wife asks every day, ‘what happened?’” Torres said. “This company knows what they are doing. In the end, they make the community more poor. They are destroying lives. They are destroying families.”

By Norwood News

Jahdiel Rodriguez, a fifth grader at the St. Philip Neri School on the Grand Concourse near Bedford Park Boulevard, points to his drawing of Rafael Tufino, a 20th century artist who was born in Brooklyn and then moved to Puerto Rico.

Click here for a photo slideshow featuring some of the students’ artwork as well as other photos from their grand opening.

By Ivonne Salazar

Students at PS 56, in Norwood, proudly belted out patriotic songs during their Spring concert on May 20. That same day, the school was also presented with the Voyager Founder’s Award.

The award, which is usually given to entire school districts, was given to the school for its efforts to close the achievement gap between low and high performing students.

By Norwood News

MS 206 Fair
The third annual Health and Multicultural Community Fair will be held at MS 206, located at 2280 Aqueduct Ave., on Saturday, June 20.  The event will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and include various vendors with information on health, legal, immigration, and housing services.  For more information, contact Annan Boodram at (646) 461-0574.

Aid for Veterans and Their Families
The Warriors Family Assistance Program, launched by the American Legion Auxiliary, comes to the direct aid of veterans and their families in New York State. Veterans and their families can apply for up to $1,500 in aid in maintenance grants, medical grants and employment opportunities. Any veteran who has served honorably within the last four years, or is currently serving in one of the Armed Forces, and is a NYS resident, is eligible to apply. All grants are non-repayable. For an application or more information, call (800) 421-6348.

Free Career Information Seminars
Lehman College Office of Continuing Education is holding free career information seminars for its non-credit certificate programs. For dates, times and locations of seminars, please call (718) 960-8512 or visit www.lehman.edu.ce.

Computer Classes at Williamsbridge Oval
The Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center, 3225 Reservoir Oval East, is holding computer classes on Thursdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Learn how to use the internet and MS Office software. Fore more information, contact Albert Davis or Tuwanda Ruffin at (718) 654-1851.

Summer Youth Employment
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center is offering a Summer Youth Employment Program. Pick up applications at the center, 3450 DeKalb Ave., Monday through Friday from 2:30 to 6 p.m. You can also apply online at www.application.NYCSYEP.com. Be sure to pick “MMCC” as your Project Sponsor. For more information, call (718) 882-4000.

52nd Precinct Council Fund-raiser: Trip to A.C.
The 52nd Precinct Council is sponsoring a bus trip to the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City on May 30. The cost is $35 per person, and the casino will give each person $18 back in chips. Participants will meet in front of the 52nd Precinct, located at 3014 Webster Ave. at 8 a.m. and return in the evening. Refreshments and games will be on the bus. If interested, call Steven Bussell at (718) 364-0462, or call the precinct’s Community Affairs at (718) 220-5824 and leave a message.

Free Bags for Fordham Shoppers
The Fordham Road Business Improvement District is offering free tote bags, while supplies last, to anyone who makes a purchase of $20 or more through the end of May. Proof of purchase is required. Shoppers should contact the BID office, 2488 Grand Concourse, Room 411, at (718) 562-2104. 

Teen Trailways Summer Camp
Teens entering 7th to 10th grade can enroll in the Teen Trailways program at the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, which takes campers on day trips to sporting events, Broadway shows, comedy clubs, lakes, beaches, state parks, and amusement parks. Teens can also go on longer trips to Virginia Beach, Toronto and Disney World in Florida. For more information, call (718) 882-4000.

MetroCard Vans Coming
All MTA riders may purchase or add fares to their MetroCards and senior citizens and persons with disabilities with a valid photo ID may apply for a Reduced Fare MetroCard at the following locations: Fordham Plaza, intersection of Fordham Rd. and Third and Webster avenues, on May 22 from 2:30 to 4 p.m.; Fordham Road and the Grand Concourse, on May 22 from noon to 2 p.m.; Scott Towers, 3400 Paul Ave., corner of 205th Street, on May 25 from 1 to 3 p.m.; and Van Cortlandt Village, 3880 Sedgewick Ave., on May 22, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. For more information, visit www.mta.info or call (212) METROCARD.

City Parks Foundation Helping Bronx Seniors
The City Parks Foundation is welcoming all New York City seniors, ages 60 and over, to sign up for the Spring 2009 program of “CityParks Seniors Fitness.” This free program offers tennis lessons, yoga instructions, and fitness walking in nine parks across the city. In the Bronx, it is being offered at Pelham Bay and Van Cortlandt parks. All equipment and instructions will be provided free of charge. The program will run through June 26.  For more information, call (718) 760-6999 or visit www.cityparksfoundation.org.

Free Prescription $aver Card
The NY State Health Department is accepting applications for the free New York Prescription $aver Card. The program offers discounts on thousands of prescription medications. It will serve low-income New Yorkers who are disabled or between the ages of 50 and 64. To be eligible, income for single individuals must be $35,000 or less, and $50,000 or less for married individuals. Medicaid and EPIC recipients are not eligible for the Prescription $aver Card. To learn more or apply, visit www.nyprescriptionsaver.fhsc.com or call (800) 788-6917. (TTY users should call (800) 290-9138.) Applications are also available at pharmacies.

School Salon Reopens
The School of Professional Beauty Care at Grace Dodge Career and Technical High School, 2474 Crotona Ave., has reopened The New Image Salon to the public. It’s open every Thursday afternoon from 2:45 to 5:30 p.m., offering a wide variety of salon services at reasonable prices. Prices range from $5 to $25. Graduating seniors in the school’s cosmetology program staff the salon, with a licensed cosmetologist on duty. For more information, call (718) 584-2700 ext. 5084.

Foster Care Network
The Foster Care Network is reaching out to potential foster parents in the Bronx. Hundreds of foster children in the area need loving and caring families to make a difference in their lives. Foster parents receive tax-free financial assistance for the expenses of each child, free training, and Foster Parent certification. For more information, call (800) 454-3727 or visit www.fostercarenetwork.org.

MMC’s Annual PRIDE Health Fair
Montefiore Medical Center’s AIDS Center, with The Bronx HIV CARE Network, are holding their 7th Annual PRIDE Health Fair on Saturday, June 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine, to promote Health Awareness in our communities. It will take place on Gun Hill Road, between Bainbridge and DeKalb avenues. There will be educational materials on HIV available, as well as free HIV testing/counseling and musical performances. For more information, call Shari German at (718) 231-3296 ext. 21.

Shoelace Park Master Plan
Help shape the future of Shoelace Park and Fort Knox, parklands along the Bronx River between Gun Hill Road and 233rd Street. There will be a community design workshop on Tuesday, June 9. For more information, call (718) 430-4665 or visit bronxriver.org.

Mt. St. Ursula Speech Center Summer Registration
The Mount Saint Ursula Speech Center is now accepting applications for its summer program. Children, from the ages of 2 to 16, in need of speech, language and literacy services may be eligible. The five-week program will run five days a week from June 26 to July 31. They accept Medicaid, and some insurance. There is also a sliding scale for private pay clients. For more information, call (718) 584-7679.

English, Citizenship and Computer Classes
-MS 80 at 149 E. Mosholu Pkwy N., is offering English as a Second Language (ESL) and General Equivalency Diploma (GED) classes. For those interested, or if you have any questions, call Mrs. Alejandro at (718) 405-6300 ext. 1131.

-Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, 3450 DeKalb Ave., is offering free English as a Second Language (ESL) and Citizenship Classes.  Ongoing classes run through June 30. For more information, call (718) 882-4000.

-Kingsbridge Heights Community Center, 3101 Kingsbridge Terrace, is enrolling students for free English as a Second Language (ESL) and Citizenship classes. Ongoing classes run through June 30. For more information, call Aisha Abdul-Wahhab, program director, at (718) 884-0700 ext. 191 or 132.

-PS 94 at 3530 Kings College Pl,. offers ESL levels 1 and 2 and Computer Skills classes through summer 2009. Both classes meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Computer classes will be taught in English and will include lessons on keyboarding, Microsoft Word and other programs. Registration is first-come, first-served. For more information, call Ms. Seminario, the parent coordinator, at (347) 563-4772 or (718) 405-6345.

-St. James Recreation Center at 2530 Jerome Ave. offers free classes in Microsoft Office, Resume/Cover Letter Writing, Computer Basics, and much more. For more information, call Justin Young at (718) 367-3659.

-Fordham University, 557 E. Fordham Rd., is currently holding free computer and English Language classes for parents, Mondays through Thursdays and on Saturdays. Classes can either stand alone or as an 8- to 12-week series. For more information or to register, call (718) 817-3503.

Senior Employment
The American Association of Retired Person (AARP) and the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) are assisting low-income Bronx residents, 55 and older, to receive employment through their outreach, training, and internship programs. For more information, call AARP located at 384 E. 149th St., Ste. 608 at (718) 585-2500.

Free Breathing Workshops at Montefiore
The Care Management Company of Montefiore Medical Center is sponsoring free breathing workshops at Montefiore Medical Group East at 2300 Westchester Ave. on May 7, from 3 to 4 p.m., and on June 4, from 10 to 11 a.m. Workshops will also take place at Montefiore Medical Group Grand Concourse, 2532 Grand Concourse, on May 12, from 3 to 4 p.m., and on June 16, from 10 to 11 a.m. To register call (800) 636-6683.

Help Transform Bronx Parks
The Bronx River Alliance and the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation are holding public workshops to develop a master plan for Shoelace Park and Fort Knox, which stretches from Magenta Street to 233rd Street along the Bronx River. Workshops will take place on June 9 at Community Board 12, 4101 White Plains Road, near 229th Street, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Refreshments will be provided. For more information, call (718) 430-4635.

Couples Needed for Research Study
Doctors at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center are looking for healthy couples between the ages of 22 and 50, and in a monogamous relationship for at least six months, to participate in a research study. The study will test a vaginal gel and the couple will be screened for sexually transmitted infections. Females will have a gynecologic exam and vaginal fluid collected and males will have a genital exam. Female volunteers will have four visits and be reimbursed $60 per visit, and males volunteers will have three visits and will be reimbursed $40 per visit.  Females must be using hormonal contraception. All visits will take place at the Albert Einstein General Clinical Research Center. For more information, call Julie at (718) 430-3253 or email microbicide@aecom.yu.edu.

Free Medicine Programs for Cancer Patients
The Complimentary Medicine Program at Albert Einstein Cancer Center is offering two free research programs for patients with cancer. The Yoga-Based Cancer Rehabilitation Program includes 12 weeks of yoga to see if yoga can help patients with breast, lung, and colorectal cancer. A certified yoga instructor teaches classes in both English and Spanish. The Mind-Body Cancer Program includes 8 weeks of Mind-Body groups (The Stress Management Education Group and the Spiritual Support Group) for patients with most types of cancer. Some restrictions apply to these groups, which have been specifically designed by a psychologist and an oncologist. For more information and to find out eligibility, call (718) 430-2380.

MS 80 Needs Love
MS 80 is asking parents and community members to show some love and volunteer for just an hour each week. The school needs mentors, math and reading tutors, part-time coaches and volunteers to help with cafeteria duty. For more information, call Ms. Alejandro (718) 405-6300 ext. 111.

Free Kids’ Summer Vacations
The Fresh Air Fund is currently registering boys and girls, ages six through 12, for free summer vacations in the homes of volunteer host families throughout the northeast or at one of five Fresh Air Fund summer camps in upstate New York. To find out how to register, call (800) 367-0003 or go to www.freshair.org.

MMCC Grade School & Teen Programs at Tracey Towers
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center is accepting registration for their free after school program at Tracey Towers, 40 W. Mosholu Pkwy. The program meets Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. and is open to children in the third through sixth grades. From 6:30 to 9 p.m., the free Teen Center is open for youth ages 12 to 18. Programs include homework help, computers, arts and crafts, sports, acting, and quiet games. To register, stop by the Youth Community Room on the second floor of Tracey Towers and speak to Antoine Fields, or call him at (917) 482-5039.

Self Defense Classes
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center still has space in its boxing, karate, and self-defense classes for children, teens, and adults. To register or find out class times, call (718) 882-4000 ext. 0, or stop by the center at 3450 DeKalb Ave.

Free Meditation for Breast Cancer Survivors
The Montefiore-Einstein Cancer Center is offering a free 20-week course on meditation and stress management for breast cancer survivors. The course is part of a research study. To register or learn more, call Kimala Harris at (718) 430-2380 or e-mail kah2019@med.cornell.edu.

Place for Teens With Issues
The Power Project is a free program for teens ages 12 to 18 who are dealing with substance abuse and other problems. Located at 3464 Webster Ave., Power Project provides case management, individual and group counseling, trips, and is just a place to get away from it all. For more information, call (718) 515-7971.

Wii Games for Adults and Seniors
On Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4 p.m., adults and seniors can enjoy free Wii video games at the Mosholu Library, 285 E. 205th St. To sign up, go to the Adult Information Desk. For more information, call (718) 882-8239.

Free Parking Calendars
Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz is offering free New York City Parking Calendars to community residents. To receive one, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to his office at 3107 Kingsbridge Ave., Bronx, NY 10463, or stop by the office in person.

Free Career Workshops
The State University of New York, located at 3950 Laconia Ave., is offering free career workshops, including job readiness training, resume and cover letter preparation, help with job searches and computer skills, job placement assistance, an Office Skills Certificate Program, college prep and more. For more information, call (718) 547-1001 or visit www.NBX.SUNYEOC.org.

After School Care
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, 3450 DeKalb Ave., provides after school care for children in elementary school. Children are transported from their schools in Norwood, Bedford Park, Williamsbridge and Van Cortlandt Village. The center provides a snack, help with homework, and an array of activities to keep children busy. Financial aid is available. For more information, call Ruth Moore, program registrar, at (718) 882-4000.
      
Schizophrenia Study Seeks Participants
A research study seeking new treatments for schizophrenia is looking for patients in the Bronx. Candidates must be 18 to 65 years old, diagnosed with schizophrenia at or before age 35 and currently on certain medications for schizophrenia. Patients can enroll through the first half of 2009. For more information, call (888) 988-6736 or go to www.cognitivestudy.com.

Job Opportunities
On Dec. 1, Mayor Bloomberg announced the expansion of free job placement services through New York City’s Workforce1 Career Centers. The centers provide personalized career counseling, interview training, resume/cover letter assistance, workshops and ESL classes. For more information, call the Bronx Workforce1 Center, 358 E. 149th St., (718) 960-7099.

Quality of Life Screening
The Psychosocial Oncology Program of the Montefiore-Einstein Cancer Center is conducting a survey study in order to learn about the physical and emotional stresses faced by cancer survivors. Participants will have to fill out questionnaires and have the opportunity to participate in free/low-cost programs and support services within the program. For more information, call (718) 430-2380.

Breast Oncology Program
The Breast Oncology Living Daily Program also known as BOLD living offers a variety of free educational, support, and mind-body workshops. They are designed to empower and nurture breast cancer patients, survivors, and loved ones, but are open to all. For more information or to register, call (718) 430-3613 or email outreach@aecom.yu.edu.

Alzheimer’s Support Group
The Alzheimer’s Association’s New York City chapter provides a support group in Norwood for Spanish and English speaking caregivers who have relatives with Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia. The support group meets on the first and third Wednesdays of the month from 5 to 6:15 p.m. For the location or more information, call Mark Goodwin at (718) 920-7377.

Free Respite Program
Kingsbridge Heights Community Center (KHCC) is offering free after-school services to families with mentally retarded or developmentally disabled children ages 5 to 21 from 3 to 6 p.m. KHCC is also offering a Saturday Respite Program for ages 15 to 25, and on Sundays another Respite Program is provided for ages 18 to 65. Weekend Respite Program hours are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. They are held at the KHCC, 3101 Kingsbridge Terrace (near Sedgwick Avenue) at West 230th Street. To register or for more information, call Hanna Gabris at (718) 884-0700 ext. 202.

Speech Program at Ursula 
The Mt. St. Ursula Speech Center, 2885 Marion Ave., is now accepting applications for its fall program. The center has openings for children ages 2 to 5 who are in need of speech and language services. Medicaid and other insurances accepted. For more information, call (718) 584-7679.

Aphasia Clinic Accepting Clients
The Lehman College Speech and Hearing Center, which provides therapy on a sliding scale payment schedule, is now accepting new clients in its recently expanded aphasia clinic. The clinic will provide individual and group therapy sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 1 p.m. and 2 to 3 p.m.; group therapy sessions also take place on Tuesdays from 1 to 2 p.m. Diagnostic and therapeutic sessions will be supervised by faculty members who are licensed by the NYS Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and certified by ASHA (American Speech Language Hearing Association). For more information, call Wanda Adams at (718) 960-8138.

 

By Judy Noy

Onstage

• The Lehman Center for the Performing Arts presents Olga Tañón and José Albert “El Canario,” performing Latin music, May 29 at 8 p.m. (tickets are $35 to $50); and Donnie McClurkin and Yolanda Adams performing Golden Gospel featuring classic and contemporary gospel and inspirational music, May 30 at 8 p.m. (tickets are $55 to $100); both in the Concert Hall at 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W. For more information, call (718) 960-8833.

 

• The Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance (BAAD), located at 841 Barretto St., presents their Boogie Down Dance Series 2009, through June 3 and dance classes through June 22. This program celebrates the growth of professional dance in the Bronx. Tickets cost $15 to $20 with discounts available for Bronx Cultural Card holders. There will be dance performances on May 28, 29 and 30 at 8 p.m.; a master dance class on May 31 at noon for which registration is required; a free open rehearsal on June 3 at 8 p.m.; and a variety of dance classes from May 30 through June 22. For a detailed schedule of dates and rates, call (718) 842-5223.

 

• Bronx Council on the Arts presents vocalist Velvet Ross, June 7 at 3 p.m., free, at Christ Church Riverdale, 5030 Henry Hudson Pkwy. For more information, call (718) 931-9500 ext. 35 or (718) 543-1011.
• The Bronx Library Center, located at 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. off Fordham Road, hosts Orlando Marin Quintet in Concert, May 30 at 2:30 p.m.; and An Afternoon of Cuban, Puerto Rican and Dominican Folkloric Music, June 6 at 2:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 579-4244/46 or visit www.nypl.org.

Events

• The Bronx Museum’s Teen Council presents free, Ana “Rokafella” Garcia, hip-hop dancer and choreographer, for a master dance class and a preview of her new documentary film, “All the Ladies Say,” followed by a Q&A, June 3 from 4 to 9 p.m.; and a screened interview featuring Tim Rollins, artist and educator, and K.O.S. (Kids of Survival), from June 3 to 14, at the museum’s south wing entrance, lower gallery, 1040 Grand Concourse (at 165th Street). For more information, call (718) 681-6000 ext. 120 or visit cwanliss@bronxmuseum.org.

 

• Car-free Bronx Coalition presents Bronx on the Move, a car-free Saturday at Crotona Park, May 30 from noon to 5 p.m. between Claremont Parkway and Crotona Park North (rain or shine), featuring spring/summer family fitness events including zumba lessons inspired by traditional cumbia, salsa, samba and meringue music; guided bike ride starting in Crotona Park featuring free bike riding lessons for kids and adults and free simple bike repair; and free health screening and advice on healthy eating. For more information, call (718) 324-4466 or visit transalt.org/events/calendar.

 

• Wave Hill offers two family art projects: And So It Was Day, to see an interactive performance by the Touchstone Center Theatre Ensemble, followed by making your own mask embodying one of the elements of nature, May 30 and 31 at 1 and 2:30 p.m. in the Ecology Building. Offered in conjunction with this project is The Imagined World: Children and the Life of Nature, a workshop for educators and families, featuring hands-on and reflective activities for adults and children ages 3 to 9 ($20/member; $30/non member; free/children; registration is required at ext. 305), May 30 from 9:30 a.m. to noon in the Wave Hill House. The 2nd arts project is Rolling Out the River, to sketch Hudson River vistas, then put your views into a portable panoramic paper movie scroll, June 6 and 7 in the Kerlin Learning Center from 1 to 4 p.m. Wave Hill is located at West 249th Street and Independence Avenue. For more information, call (718) 549-3200 or visit www.wavehill.org.

 

• The Bronx Culture Trolley, a replica of a 20th-century trolley, transports visitors on the first Wednesday of every month (except January and September), to Bronx hot spots, ending at Sweetwaters Bar & Grill with jazz, and food and drink. A reception is held at the Hostos Art Gallery, 450 Grand Concourse (at 149th St.) at 5 p.m., followed by three trolley departures at 5:30, 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. New attractions are added monthly. Trolley ride is free. Riders can get on and off at any scheduled stop and spend as much time as they wish at any or all of the featured venues. Venues and activities vary each month. The next trip is on June 3. For more information or to confirm, call (718) 931-9500 ext. 33 or log on to www.bronxarts.org.

 

• The Bronx Council on the Arts’ Bronx Culture Trolley Saturdays will feature ¡Viva Cultura! A Tour of the Casitas in the Bronx, a celebration of Puerto Rican heritage in the Bronx, June 6 from noon to 5 p.m. All events and rides are free and open to the public. Meet at noon at the Hostos Longwood Art Gallery, 450 Grand Concourse (149th Street). For more information and a detailed schedule, call (718) 931-9500 or (718) 401-7866 or visit www.bronxarts.org.

Exhibits

• The Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse at 165th Street, presents a three-part exhibition series commemorating the Grand Concourse’s centennial, starting with The Grand Concourse at 100, through July 20. Originally called the Grand Boulevard, the Grand Concourse celebrates its 100th year in 2009. For more information, call (718) 681-6000 or visit www.bronxmuseum.org.

 

• So Much Spring, a variety of attractions and activities, including workshops, demonstrations and programs for the entire family, will take place at the New York Botanical Garden through June. Several exhibits on display include Georg Ehret: the Greatest Botanical Artist of the 1700s, appearing in the LoFaro Gallery of the LuEsther T. Mertz Library, featuring prints and drawings, through July 19; and The Glory of Dutch Bulbs: A Legacy of 400 Years can be viewed through June 7 in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, and on weekends includes tours, home gardening demonstrations, and family activities. For more information, call (718) 817-8700.

Learning

The Bronx Library Center has events for all ages:

• For children and preschoolers, there is Preschool Romp, May 28, June 4 and 11 at 11 a.m.; and Pajama Party, May 29 at 7 p.m.
• Also, for school-aged children, there is Arts & Crafts, May 28 at 4 p.m.; The Secret Life of Flowers and Bugs, May 31 at 2 p.m.; Butterfly Boogie, June 4 at 4 p.m.; How the Elephant Got Its Trunk, June 7 at 2 p.m.; Dinosaurs: Ancient Fossils, New Discoveries, June 8 at 10 a.m.; and Fish Shaped Books, June 11 at 4 p.m.
• For adults, there is Child Care Provider Resource Day 2009, May 30 at 2:30 p.m.

The Center is located at 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. off Fordham Road. For a detailed schedule, call (718) 579-4244/46 or visit www.nypl.org.

The Mosholu Library, located at 285 E. 205th St., presents Reading Aloud, June 1 and 8 at 4 p.m.; Toddler Story Time, June 4 at 10:30 a.m.; and Preschool Story Time, June 11 at 10:30 a.m. For more information, call (718) 882-8239.

The Jerome Park Library, at 118 Eames Place, presents Reading Aloud, June 2 and 9 at 3:30 p.m.; and Big Daddy Z and the Greeks, June 5 at 3:30 p.m. all for children. For more information, call (718) 549-5200.

NOTE: Items for consideration should be received in our office by June 1 for the next publication date of June 11.

By Norwood News

Over one hundred people came out to Williamsbridge Oval as part of Norwood’s celebration of NYC’s “It’s My Park Day!” event, Saturday, May 16. 

Volunteers spent the entire day with staff from Mosholu Preservation Corporation and the Parks Department weeding, planting, spreading mulch and sweeping pathways to help beautify the recently renovated Oval. Volunteers also painted inside the recreation center.

As a special treat, volunteers could also indulge in face painting, arts and crafts, and board games.

“It was amazing,” said Jennifer Beaugrand, head of MPC’s horticulture program. “We had twice the number of people we were expecting. That is unheard of. It made it fun and exciting. Everybody had fun.”

Other events were held on May 16 in parks all over the city.

By Nikkie Quiterio

The newly opened Women’s Center at A&O Surgical Supply on East Gun Hill Road at Putnam Place is unique in the Bronx — it is the only store in the borough that caters solely to women with breast cancer.

The Women’s Center specializes in selling all-women products, such as bathing suits with special pockets for prosthesis and skin lotions for those going through chemotherapy.

All of the employees on staff are certified to fit customers for customized mastectomy bras, wigs and hats.

“I feel it is more warm, [and] inviting to women,” says owner Dennis O’Brien. O’Brien knew he wanted to have products that were both stylish and comfortable, and allowed women to express their femininity. “We want to be the resource for the post-mastectomy patient in the Bronx,” he said.

It helps being located down the street from Montefiore Medical Center. O’Brien says the new store has already enjoyed solid business. Women shopping there have said they feel more comfortable buying products there than at other places, O’Brien says.

 “They feel more comfortable buying bras here than at Victoria’s Secret,” said Dorca Soto, an employee at the store. “They get a better fit.”

It’s also a place women can go and share their stories, gain new friends and support along the way, Soto says.

“They are able to discuss the same experiences,” says Soto.

Ed. note: Women’s Center at A&O Surgical Supply is located at 264 E. Gun Hill Rd. For more information, call (718) 654-1882.

By Norwood News

The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, the social and recreational hub for youth, adults and seniors in Norwood, celebrated its 50th anniversary with a gala dinner at Lehman College on May 12.

At the gala, honorees (pictured to the right) included Donald L. Ashkenase (far right), senior vice president at Montefiore Medical Center, and Ruben Luna (second from left), owner of several supermarket franchises in New York City. Christopher Pinto (second from right), director of health and physical fitness at MMCC, was also given the Gold Medal Award for his 18 years of dedication to the community center.

By Editorial

It would have been hard to miss the excitement at the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts last week, when the Bronx’s newest borough president took the oath of office.

The place was packed, possibly rivaling the venue’s gate for music legends B.B. King and Ray Charles. It was the middle of the day, too, and busy Bronx leaders from across the professional spectrum took time out of their schedules to be there. Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Paterson even slipped away from their intertwined budget crises to attend.

Why the buzz?

Diaz, Jr. is only 36, and he was elected to the Assembly on his own steam (his father, a state senator was elected after his son) when he was 23. People seem to like him. And, unlike his predecessor Adolfo Carrion, he seems to have a genuine affinity for the grassroots organizations that have powered the borough’s remarkable turnaround.

Diaz also succeeded in becoming borough president by participating in a rare and risky takeover of the Bronx Democratic  Party. Diaz and his allies – a diverse group of elected officials from around the borough — won because they out-organized the entrenched incumbent leadership.

So, the 13th borough president would appear to have the wind at his back.

But he would do well to watch where he steps, too. The Bronx political landscape is littered with betrayals of the public trust.

State Senator Efrain Gonzalez will almost certainly go to jail when he is sentenced in August, after admitting to siphoning off cash meant for nonprofits to pay his own credit card bills. More Bronx politicians are suspected of misappropriating member item money than we have room here to list and explain. State Senator Pedro Espada has skirted state campaign finance rules again and again, and appears to live in Mamaroneck, despite purchasing a Bedford Park co-op during his campaign.

The borough president himself, and his father, have been under investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s office for their own relationship with a nonprofit. It’s unclear whether that investigation is continuing, but the state attorney general is also reportedly looking into the matter.  Diaz says the charge is politically motivated and that he hasn’t had any relationship with the organization in years. We hope he’s right.

Diaz has great ability and an incredible opportunity to fulfill his dream of building “a greater Bronx, a greater city, and a greater nation.” But as the Bronx’s biggest role model, he must speak out against political behavior that robs Bronxites of government funding and responsible leadership at a time when both are most needed. 

It’s the right thing to do and it’s the only way he will achieve the grandiose (his favorite word) plans he has for the Bronx. Making excuses for, and politically enabling, elected officials who betray the public trust is itself a betrayal of that trust. An elected official’s greatest allegiance must be to the people they serve, rather than to those they serve with.

There will be tremendous pressure to do things the old way, but we believe Borough President Diaz will always do his best to keep in mind why people wanted new political leadership for the Bronx. 
We will root for him to succeed.

By Norwood News

Members of the Teens With Dreams program at St. Brendan’s Church showed their devotion to their neighborhood when they hit the streets at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday, May 16 to clean graffiti and grime in the area surrounding the church.

Teens in the program meet every Friday and plan events throughout the year. The graffiti cleaning event was part of the St. Brendan’s feast celebration at the church.

Virginia Tavarez (not pictured), 22, has been a member of Teens With Dreams since she was 14, and says the teens in the group are like a family, and they often plan events to help the community “We are like brothers and sisters,” said Tavarez. “We are always there for each other.”

By Annie Shreffler

It isn’t very often that the real estate market sees a convergence of three great conditions that make for a true buyers’ market: low interest rates, government incentives and plenty of housing stock. 

So where are all the buyers in the Bronx?

“It’s slow,” said Avi Kahn, a broker with Sherry and Sons who deals primarily with co-op sales and rentals, about the buying market. “And the few things that are moving are hard to close because of the banks.”

With the financial collapse that began last spring, and the stunning realization that most banks counted among their assets billions of dollars in bundled risky mortgages that had plummeted in value, the loan market dried up practically overnight. Banks shut the vault doors to sort out the mess and by last September, U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) was holding hearings on the near impossibility for an average American to secure a car loan, never mind a home loan.

‘Don’t Wait!’

But Linda Lebowitz of Fieldston Properties says the first-time homebuyers’ market in the Bronx is robust right now, at least for properties under $300,000.  One new development she is listing, Kingsbridge Condos, has sold seven out of 12 units. It helps that she has Federal Housing Administration approval for the units that allows her to take as little as 3 percent down. 

But even government incentives are not enough to convince banks to relax lending standards. Instead, brokers complain that banks put the potential buyer through the mill with multiple income checks and frequent demands for more documentation. “Even up to the day of closing they want to see pay stubs,” Lebowitz said.
But for Susan Goldy, of Susan Goldy Real Estate in Riverdale, there is a small glimmer of hope.

She says talk of the markets rebounding has taken off the chill in home buying since February. “Overall, there is the beginning of a better feeling out there,” she said. “People feel less scared now.”
Goldy points out that these are the lowest interest rates since the 1950s.

“Don’t wait!” Goldy says about buying. Even if it means jumping a lot of bank hurdles, she says now is the time to buy. The conditions are right and the government is giving first-time buyers an $8,000 tax credit until Dec. 1.  “And you have choice, far greater choice and more time to make a decision,” she added.

Lenders Tighten Belts

And while all that may be true, housing advocates say a rebounding housing market doesn’t help buyers who can’t get a loan or homeowners who can’t stay in their homes because of foreclosure. Gregory Lobo Jost, deputy director of the University Neighborhood Housing Program, says he isn’t surprised it’s hard to get a home loan right now. “Underwriting standards were so lax [before the collapse], now it’s probably gone too far the other way,” he said.

Not just banks, but co-op boards have become tougher with potential buyers, according to several brokers. Before, a board would look at a candidate’s assets, such as their 401K retirement plan. Now, they evaluate people based more upon their savings and liquid assets, or their ability to keep paying their mortgage and maintenance when times get tough. They may ask a buyer for a larger down payment.

Kahn thinks the banks are missing a big opportunity. “These are regular people putting down 10 percent — school eachers, firefighters,” Kahn said.

One of Kahn’s clients, a single woman with a good income and good credit history, wants to close on a co-op, but the bank has kept her hanging since December, asking for added insurance and other documents.  “We’re on top of it and taking care of things, but it’s a slow process,” Kahn said.

“[Banks] don’t want to part with the money,” Goldy said.
Hearing of local realtors’ frustration, a spokesperson for Chase bank said, “The industry as a whole has tightened its standards.” 
(The Mortgage Bankers Association did not return calls seeking comment.)

Nick Palushaj of ZNS Realty, said, “You have to have spectacular credit now.”

A City of Renters

Increasing homeownership has long been one of the goals of the Bloomberg administration. The mayor has said people care more for their neighborhoods and communities when they have a vested interest, like a home, in the area. Yet according to the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development, “only three in 10 New York City residents own their homes.  Instead of building equity and savings with a long-term investment in a home, most New Yorkers spend money that they will never recoup on rent.”

Once potential homebuyers know they’ll get that mortgage and they’ve taken time to look at several homes, they should do their homework on the price.

While several brokers said prices for homes haven’t changed dramatically in the Bronx, Kahn said that appraisers find themselves caught between sellers, who want the best price they can get, and banks, which want lower prices to avoid extra loss if overall home prices should fall further.

With a continuing recession and more job cuts possible in the upcoming months, Goldy predicts we will keep seeing foreclosures.

While that could create opportunities for new buyers, they should keep in mind an empty street isn’t great for the market value of a home.

Despite the difficulty with obtaining a new mortgage, Karl Brumeck, an agent at Massey Knakal, said the Bronx real estate sector is healthy, despite its lack of movement. He said they had anticipated a “huge problem” when the banks failed. Many thought the number of defaults and lack of payment would grind things to a halt, but it didn’t happen. “People in the Bronx just kept paying their bills,” he said.

By Alex Kratz

Subway riders on the 4 and D line trains should be very cautious about how and when they talk or text while on the train, police say. There has been a series of cell phone snatching incidents on the two lines throughout the Bronx over the last month. Most of the time, police say, victims could avoid being robbed by simply being aware of their surroundings and not obliviously using their phones. 

By Alex Kratz

Police say they will be increasing patrols and surveillance at Williamsbridge Oval Park, which they say has become a favorite target of local vandals.

By Alex Kratz

Police have shut down the Webster Avenue bar Tequila Song after a string of violent incidents and the discovery that many of the establishment’s customers were under age.

Police began cracking down on Tequila Song after two Mexican men were shot on their way home from the bar at around 3 a.m. on April 26. A dark car full of Hispanic men rolled up to the victims who were walking and asked them if they were from the neighborhood. The men said no and at least one person from the car opened fire, hitting one of the victims in the thigh and the other in the foot.

Shellings from a .380 caliber pistol were found at the scene. The investigation is ongoing.

Both victims were taken to St. Barnabas and treated.

Working with the Department of Buildings, the NYPD shut down Tequila Song temporarily. The owners were scheduled to be in court this week to get the closure lifted.

By Alex Kratz

Last issue, the Norwood News reported on a shooting incident in Bedford Park, but details were sketchy.

Police have now confirmed that a young man was indeed shot on Saturday, May 9, while walking along East 203rd Street from the Grand Concourse toward Valentine Avenue.

Police say two Hispanic young men were walking by a larger group of Hispanic men who were engaged in a dispute. One of men in the group pulled out a shotgun and fired at least one round of buckshot, which releases a spread of tiny pellets. Some of this spray hit one of the passing young men in the back. The other young man fled unharmed.

The injured young man managed to make it to the nearby Sweet Valentine grocery on the corner of East 203rd and Valentine and waited while the owner called the police. The victim described the shooter as a Hispanic male wearing dark clothes, according to police.

It’s still unclear whether the victim was involved in the dispute or an innocent bystander, police said.

By Alex Kratz

In the span of eight days, two teenage females were grabbed off the street, dragged into an abandoned building and sexually assaulted near the corner of Grand Avenue and Kingsbridge Road.

Police say in both cases it was the work of one sexual predator. Last Thursday, police arrested Stephen Robinson, 48 and charged him with rape, criminal sex acts, sexual abuse and kidnapping.

On May 10, at around 2:30 in the afternoon on Kingsbridge Road, near Grand Avenue, police say Robinson grabbed an 18-year-old woman walking home. He allegedly forced her into a nearby abandoned building and tried to rape her.

Fortunately, the woman was able to escape prior to being raped and reported the incident to police.

A little more than a week later, on May 18, the same thing happened to a 17-year-old girl at the very same location, this time at around 11 p.m. And this time, the victim was raped.

According to police, Robinson lives on Morris Avenue, just three blocks from where both attacks occurred.

On Tuesday, the Daily News reported that last week, Bronx Homicide Detective Sean O’Toole identified a sketch of the rape suspect as Robinson, who O’Toole remembered arresting years before. That led to Robinson’s arrest for the recent assaults. 

By Alex Kratz

Last winter, when times got tough for the oldest, most influential grassroots organizing group in the northwest Bronx — a financial crisis compounded by a leadership void — they looked within for a path forward.

Almost half a year later, though challenges still lie ahead, the result for the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition is an unprecedented new leadership team and a restructured organization on solid financial footing.

The Coalition was created in the mid-1970s by Fordham University clergy determined to fight off the housing neglect, abandonment and arson fast creeping north from the South Bronx. Through grassroots organizing efforts — helping community residents identify common concerns and developing their leadership skills to go toe-to-toe with politicians, bureaucrats and landlords — the group was largely successful in saving the local housing stock, which it felt was the core of stable communities.

Over the decades since, the Coalition spun off a handful of nonprofit housing groups and branched out to tackle any number of issues, including immigration, crime, development and education. 

And now, for the first time in its 35-year history, the group has split its executive director position in two and given the top spots in the organization to women of color.

Aleciah Anthony, 34, who’s African-American and Laura Vasquez, 33, who’s Hispanic, were named co-executive directors earlier this spring. The pair became de facto heads of the Coalition following the November departure of James Mumm, the previous executive director.

While Mumm was an outsider chosen after a nationwide search, Anthony and Vasquez were promoted from within after working at the organization, in various roles, for the past decade. 

‘Way of life’

“When it happened, my first thoughts were, ‘it’s about time,’” said Yorman Nunez, a 20-year-old former youth organizer with the Coalition who’s now running for City Council. “They’re from the community or have lived here for a very, very, very long time. Deep in their hearts it’s not a job. I know [organizing] is part of their way of life.”

Before joining the Coalition, however, the pair didn’t know much about organizing. In fact, both stumbled into the Coalition, mostly by chance and circumstance.

After her father passed, the pre-teen Vasquez missed school to translate for her mother as she went about navigating the frustrating welfare system. After that experience, “I vowed that I would never treat people negatively when they needed my help,” Vasquez says.

Raised upstate, Vasquez graduated from Ithaca College in 1999 with a vague idea that she wanted to help Latinos. She went through the Coalition’s training program and soon started organizing tenant leaders in the Mt. Hope area. “Lots of the organizing I was doing was with Latina women,” she says. “I loved seeing the transformation of these Latina women, from shy and kind of quiet to leading and speaking out in front of big crowds.”

Vasquez went on to found the Coalition’s strong youth arm, Sistas and Brothas United (SBU).

The frustrating welfare system led, more directly, to Anthony’s arrival at the Coalition. Born and raised in the shadow of Yankee Stadium, Anthony eventually came to an early crossroads in her life after graduating from NYU around 2000.

Despite her degree, Anthony was an unemployed mother collecting welfare checks. The one thing she knew was that she didn’t want to do the menial jobs the city’s welfare-to-work program was assigning her to. “I kept turning them down,” Anthony says.
Eventually, they sent her to a job training program, run through the Coalition. It was just a job. And not one she thought she’d last in.

She started working in the summer. “It was hot and I was door-knocking on six-floor walk-ups,” Anthony says. “I thought, ‘there’s no way I can keep this up.’”

But she did and, after doing every kind of organizing the Coalition has to offer, she eventually found her niche as the group’s education coordinator.

New leadership

By 2006, Vasquez and Anthony had risen to the top of the organization, which often struggles to keep staffers, especially people of color. “We’ve lost many talented people of color to other opportunities,” says Mary Dailey, a former executive director of the Coalition.

When Mumm moved on to another organization, Anthony and Vasquez were tapped to run the show while the group’s board decided on a long-term solution.

Vasquez had been deputy director for the past three years and Anthony was director of leadership development and also the field director. “It was a natural fit,” says Coalition member Myra Goggins. “One of our goals is to promote from within and to have women of color in those positions, and so far it’s worked out.”

 “I think what you get are two people steeped in the tradition of organization.” Dailey says. “But they’re also familiar with innovation and not being stale in their approach.”

Speaking about their new role at the Coalition’s home on East 196th Street, Vasquez and Anthony laugh and swap organizing war stories.

They talk about the flexibility that sharing leadership gives them. “You never know what’s going to happen, so it’s good that there are two of us,” Anthony says.

Vasquez is focusing on building relationships and leadership with and within local institutions, like churches and existing tenant and block associations, and also fund-raising.

Anthony is running field operations and doing staff and other leadership development.

Besides their focus on building up institutional leadership and fund-raising, the duo say they want to re-focus the Coalition’s energy on local housing issues, the group’s bread and butter, while also trying to affect change on the state level. “We need to build our presence on two levels — locally and upstate [in Albany],” Anthony says.

Like most nonprofit organizations in this shrinking economy, Anthony and Vasquez say they’ve had to adapt and restructure how they do business. 

Five years ago, the Coalition was made up of 10 neighborhood associations, each with its own organizers, turf, board and members. But that wasn’t cost effective, Dailey says.

Now, the group still has what they call regional organizers (the Coalition works in most northwest Bronx neighborhoods above the Cross Bronx Expressway) who focus on issues that cross neighborhood lines — housing, education, safety, youth issues, etc. — but are also responsible for issues that are neighborhood-specific, such as park improvements or other quality of life initiatives.

Much like how they view themselves, Vasquez and Anthony want their organizers to be flexible. 

At the 35th anniversary gala on April 30, everyone participated; everyone knew what was going on. For the first time, the annual fund-raiser brought in loads of small, individual donations, rather than big institutional checks. Anthony greeted people at the door as Vasquez zoomed around the room, mixing with the crowd, which included leaders from the past, present and future.

There was a buzz in the air, energy in the room. At a storied organization, it marked the beginning of a new era.

Ed. note: To reach the Coalition, call (718) 584-0515 or visit www.northwestbronx.org.

By Norwood News

•    The 52nd Precinct Community Council will meet on Thursday, May 28 at 7:30 p.m. at Fordham Hill, 8 Fordham Hill Oval. For more information, call (718) 220-5824.
•    The Bedford Mosholu Community Association is meeting on Wednesday, June 3 at 8 p.m. at 400 E. Mosholu Pkwy So. (apt. B1 – lobby floor).
•    Community Board 7 (CB7) meets on Tuesday, June 16 at 6:30 p.m. For location, call (718) 933-5650 or visit www.bronxcb7.info.
•    The Croton Facility Monitoring Committee meets Thursday, June 18 at 7 p.m. at the DEP offices, 3660 Jerome Ave. For more information, call (718) 220-5824.
•    CB7 Committee Meetings: The Executive Committee Meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 2, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Land Use and Zoning Committee Meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 3, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Youth Services Committee Meeting will be held on Monday, June 8, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. The Parks Committee Meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 10, at 6:30 p.m. All committees meet at the Community Board office, 229A E. 204th St. For more information, call (718) 933-5650 or visit www.bronxcb7.info.

By Ivonne Salazar

Radame Perez, president and chief operating officer of Mastermind Development in the Bronx and board member of the New York Community Bank, was hoping to challenge Councilman Joel Rivera in District 15, but then unexpectedly dropped out of the race two weeks ago after raising $156,945.

Though Perez managed to raise more than the incumbent, he spent almost all of it. The campaign finance reports shows that Perez spent $103,979, which includes over $21,000 in campaign consultant fees, $1,700 on an Apple computer, and over $800 in Chase bank fees, including a $268 bounced check fee.  

Perez is also a member of Community Board 6.

By Ivonne Salazar

City Council members who are gearing up for fall elections candidates are flexing their fund-raising muscles, according to campaign finance reports submitted on May 15. 

In District 14, which covers University Heights, there are several strong contenders hoping to unseat Maria Baez, who is considered one of the most vulnerable Council members in the city. Baez has faced media scrutiny over her abysmal attendance record and her sky-high cell phone bills that reached $17,765 in 2007. She has raised $24,835 and has spent $16,788, mostly on rent and a $1,700 Verizon Wireless bill.

Yudelka Tapia, a city auditor who has been involved in politics since 1994 when she founded the Great Alliance Democratic Club, has raised the most at $30,203. Fernando Cabrera, founder and pastor of New Life Outreach International Church, has raised $26,764. The youngest candidate, Yorman Nunez, community activist and member of the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, has raised $17,218. Yesenia Polanco, former chief of staff to Annabel Palma, has raised the least in the district at $11,868.

It’s not clear how much former state senator Israel Ruiz has raised since campaign reports list the funds at $44,725, but detailed receipts only list $2,725 of contributions.

In District 11, two candidates will be challenging Councilman Oliver Koppell. Ari Hoffnung, has raised $81,816 and Anthony Cassino, former chairman of Community Board 8, has raised $93,549, though Koppell has still raised more at $105,558. Koppell has already spent $54,031, which includes over $8,000 in political contributions to other office seekers.

In District 15, there is currently only one candidate challenging Councilman Joel Rivera, who has raised $15,914, and has only spent $568. The lone challenger is Jose Padilla, who has raised a paltry $480 and spent $337.
   

By Jordan Moss

He’s already been on the job a month, but that didn’t stop a packed Lehman Center for the Performing Arts and the city and state’s top officials from attending the formal swearing-in of Ruben Diaz, Jr., the 13th borough president of the Bronx last Thursday.

The 36-year-old former assemblyman won a special election on April 21 to succeed Adolfo Carrion, Jr., who cut his second term short by one year to take a job in the Obama Administration.

Diaz was toasted at the event by his colleagues in the state legislature, including Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, as well as Mayor Bloomberg and Governor Paterson.

Noticeably absent was Assemblyman Jose Rivera, the former Bronx Democratic Party Chair who Diaz and his political allies deposed last fall. Rivera’s son, Council Member Joel Rivera, who surprised political observers by withdrawing a bid to go toe-to-toe with Diaz for the borough’s top job, also did not attend.

Diaz, who spoke extremely well without any prepared notes at a recent gala for the Citizens Advice Bureau, seemed a tad flustered and more than a little excited at the swearing in, as he struggled a little with reading his speech from the lectern. 

The theme of the speech was “One Bronx,” which Diaz said was a vision his administration would outline in the coming weeks and months. But he listed the kind of Bronxites — in effect, every kind of Bronxite — who are a part of this vision: “young and old, regardless of your race, gender, religion, ethnic background or sexual orientation.”

Diaz emphasized economic development early in the address and the creation of “green” jobs. But the new borough president also said that equally important is creating “jobs for the people who live right here in the Bronx. For too long, our borough … [has] been the home to two, separate, very distinct economies, one made up of those with permanent jobs with benefits and a living wage, and the other comprised of those stuck in dead-end jobs with no hope for advancement.”

Diaz’s commitment to living wage jobs will be tested immediately as it is a central demand of activists lobbying for a community benefits agreement with the developer of the Kingsbridge Armory project, which has just entered the land use review process. Diaz could play a central role in helping to negotiate that agreement.

Alluding to a critical upcoming vote in the state legislature, Diaz addressed the issue of mayoral control of the schools (Bloomberg left before Diaz began his address). He said he had been a supporter of full mayoral control, but now believes parents, educators and students feel shut out.

“Those most affected by our school system must have their voices heard,” Diaz said. “I believe my appointment to the Panel of for Education Policy should have a stronger role in the decision-making process.”

The lively event also featured entertainment, including a number by seniors from the Casa Boricua Senior Center who brought down the house with a racy, salsa dance performance and a dazzling spoken-word performance by prodigy poet Nene Ali, age 10, who challenged adults to stop modeling bad behavior that they then blame kids for imitating.

Diaz is now borough president, but since he was elected only to complete Carrion’s term through the end of 2009, he will need to run again in the fall to be elected to a full four-year term.
 

By Alex Kratz

Editor’s Note: This story was updated and corrected from an earlier version on June 17, 2009.

The city’s Health Department says it is looking into a compromise that might split the vacant old Fordham Library into a multi-use facility, a sign of hope for local politicians and activists who were outraged last fall when the city said it was planning to turn the building into a full-service animal shelter.

For the past two years, Sistas and Brothas United, a youth activist group affiliated with the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, has lobbied for the space to be turned into an arts and technology center for community use.

Local Councilman Joel Rivera, members of Community Board 7 and another group, Community Action Unlimited, have also worked to see the building turned over for community use.

“Right now we’re in conversations with the Health Department and the mayor’s office about turning at least some of that space over to the community,” Rivera said recently. “It’s something I’m willing to put capital dollars [from the Council budget] into.”

In an e-mail, Celina De leon, a spokesperson for the Health Department, said the agency needs about 15,000 square feet for a full-service animal shelter, which would only take up a little more than half of the library building’s 27,400 square feet and leave the remaining space open for other types of programming.

City law mandates the agency open full-service shelters in every borough and the Bronx currently doesn’t have one.

But De leon also indicated that there might be a less costly alternative, one that Rivera and pet advocates are pushing for at City Hall. Rivera says, and De leon confirmed, that a low-cost spay and neuter facility would require only about 2,000 square feet of space.

It would also be less costly to build and maintain and, at the same time, save the lives of thousands of animals each year, advocates say.

“[Implementing low-cost spay and neuter clinics] will not only save lives, but it will also save the city money.” said Catherine Beason, the executive director of Animal Friendly NYC, a nonprofit political action group. 

The city takes in around 40,000 homeless cats and dogs every year, according to the Animal Care and Control Center, which runs the city’s animal shelters.

If the shelters can’t find owners for the animals, they are put to sleep, usually within a week of when they arrive; 39 percent of cats and 28 percent of dogs are euthanized once they reach the shelter, according to city figures.

The cost of taking in a dog or cat is about $200 for the city, Beason said, regardless of whether they’re adopted or euthanized. The cost of spaying or neutering a pet at a city-subsidized clinic could be as low as $65, she said.

A decade ago, Beason said the animal rescue community was focused on adoption, but now the emphasis is shifting to prevention — stopping more animals from being left out on the street. The best way to do that, Beason said, is to prevent pets from getting pregnant and having offspring, which are often abandoned by the time they reach sexual maturity.

Abandonment is more of a problem in low-income neighborhoods, Beason said, where owners are less likely to spay or neuter their pets.

A study in the Journal of the Veterinary Medical Association, released in April, said cat-owning families with an income of $35,000 or less are almost are twice as unlikely to get their cats fixed than those making more than $35,000. It’s simple economics, Beason said. Getting your pet fixed is expensive, as much $600 to $700 for a big dog.

That could change, Beason said, if the city decides to change its approach to dealing with homeless pets and funds low-cost spay and neuter clinics around the city.

Rivera said Harlem Councilwoman Inez Dickens has already introduced legislation to repeal the shelter mandate and promote spay and neuter clinics. This has not yet been confirmed, but Rivera said, in any case, the Council won’t get to it until at least after the budget is hammered out in June.

In the meantime, the Health Department isn’t rushing to renovate the library building. “There’s no movement there yet, which is a positive thing,” Rivera said.

By Alex Kratz

Community groups and new Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. are combining forces to negotiate an agreement that would provide additional community benefits from the coming redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Amory.

If successful, the collaboration between the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA), Community Board 7 and the borough president’s office, could become a new model for large-scale development projects in New York City.

The recent Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs) signed for other big projects in the city — including for the new Yankee Stadium, Gateway Center Mall and Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn — were widely criticized for lacking community input. In this case, the agreement would be driven by community voices, with the borough president’s office coordinating the effort.

The need to forge a benefits agreement, something both KARA and Board 7 have pushed for, became more urgent last week when the city announced the start of the land use review process for the Armory project.

The complicated review process, known as ULURP (Uniformed Land Use Review Procedure), begins at Board 7, which represents the area where the Armory is located. The board, made up of appointed local volunteers, has until July 27 to review and decide whether or not to support the proposal.

After the board votes, the borough president has 30 days to review the project and weigh in on it. The decisions of both the board and the borough president are advisory.

The proposal then goes back to the City Planning Commission for approval and then on to the City Council. If a majority of the Council votes to approve the proposal, it goes on to the mayor who has the power to veto the Council’s decision.

But before July 27, the board and KARA want to see a benefits agreement, modeled after the substantial, community-driven CBAs in California, to be firmly in place. What exactly goes into that agreement remains to be seen, but it will be based on a combination of the principles and ideas generated by Board 7 and KARA, which is comprised of community groups, unions and local clergy.

“We’re going to marry these two documents into one document and present it with a unified front to the developer,” said Board 7 Chairman Greg Faulkner. This “unified front” represents a break from the past when KARA and the board were both intent on pursuing separate benefits agreements.

Faulkner and KARA representatives said Diaz, Jr. would be helping to coordinate the benefits agreement effort, but would allow the community to take the lead.

What the CBA will look like also depends on what the developer, the well-connected Related Companies, is willing to agree to. Jesse Masyr, Related’s lawyer, has already said Related would not agree to living wage job requirements, something KARA, especially, is pushing hard for. (Diaz, in his swearing-in speech last week, said he wanted to push for higher paying Bronx jobs, though he didn’t mention the Armory specifically. His office could not be reached for comment by press time.)

Other benefits discussed by the board and KARA include union and environmental protections, more space for community programs, the creation of affordable housing, parks improvements and affordable recreation opportunities.

At the Board 7 general meeting last Tuesday, representatives from the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, the main engine behind KARA, spoke primarily about the importance of securing living wage jobs ($10 an hour, plus benefits) for a community suffering from poverty. Some 30 percent of local residents around the Armory live below the poverty line.

Related and the city say the new Armory development will create 1,208 permanent retail jobs, but KARA says those jobs will be part-time and low paying unless the developer puts wage requirements on tenants, something that has not been done before in New York. (Related says they will be hard-pressed to find retail tenants willing to do that.)

While some acknowledged the need and desire to see some new retail opportunities, many speakers from KARA and the board talked eloquently about how a new Armory should represent change, not just more shops for the area.

Board 7’s Ozzie Brown unveiled his proposal for creating a World Peace Atrium, complete with ample space for community programming, in the middle of the Armory to highlight its transformation from a military facility. “We need to put together a space that can be a beacon for our community and attract people from all over the world,” he said.

Kwasi Akeampong, a member of the Coalition, said he had toured the vacant Armory and had also visited Related’s other big Bronx project, the Gateway Center Mall, which is set to open near Yankee Stadium and will include a host of chain stores such as Target, Applebees and Best Buy. “I looked at Gateway, then I said, ‘I don’t want to have another Gateway,’” he said. 

Speaking about the opportunity to create a game-changing benefits agreement, KARA and Coalition leader Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter said, “This is our chance of finding a new way of doing business in the Bronx.”

By Ivonne Salazar

Two years ago, Juan Torres, 50, enjoyed his job as a machine operator at the Stella D’oro cookie factory in Kingsbridge. He could provide his children with simple purchases like new clothes for school and tickets to Great Adventure, and his family with trips to the Dominican Republic, where he was born.

 But this year, for the first time, Torres had to tell his children that none of that would be possible.

Torres, who has lived in University Heights since he was 8 is one of more than 130 Stella D’oro union employees who have been on strike for the past nine months. Every day, rain or shine, they stand at the picket line.

After 15 years of working at Stella D’oro, Torres is now living on unemployment benefits and may file for bankruptcy. His credit cards are maxed out, and even though his wife, who was laid off last year, now receives food stamps, they sometimes struggle to buy food.

Torres began working at Stella D’oro in 1993 in sanitation, making $11 an hour. At the time, he and his wife had a 1-year-old son, Juan, Jr., and a one-month-old daughter, Lourdes. The young father was happy to find a good paying job, and he spent the next several years working his way up to machine cleaner and then to machine operator.

Before the strike, Torres had health insurance (paid for by Stella D’oro), paid sick time and four weeks of vacation. He estimates that he made about $48,000 a year, including overtime.

“[The salary] was good enough to raise a family,” Torres said.

Last year, Torres’ union, the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers Local 50, began a heated negotiation with Brynwood Partners, a private equity firm that bought Stella D’oro in 2006. In May 2008, Brynwood presented workers with a new contract to replace the existing five-year contract that was going to expire in July 2008.

The new contract included the most radical changes that Torres had ever seen. No more paid sick or vacation time. No more overtime. Wages would be slashed by more than 20 percent over the next five years. And employees would have to contribute 20 percent of health care insurance costs.

The news was a surprise to Torres and his co-workers. In 2006 and 2007, during company parties, Torres said that Stella D’oro representatives told employees that the company was doing well.

Torres says that production increased, and in 2007 he worked more overtime than he did in the previous three years.

“They said that people had worked hard,” Torres said.

George Kahssay, a Stella D’oro foreman, who has worked at the factory for 20 years, said the company bought new machines and robots, expanded its family-size products, and opened new contracts with wholesale distributors like BJ’s and Costco.

But Torres had his suspicions that Brynwood was keeping information from employees. Torres and his co-workers began seeing new workers from other factories observe workers at Stella D’oro. He says he saw cars in the company parking lot with license plates from as far away as Massachusetts.

“They [had] a plan to push everyone out,” Torres said. “I believe this.”

When Torres learned of Brynwood’s proposal, he prepared for the worst. For the next couple of months, he saved as much money as he could. But he never imagined that the strike would last so long. He said the last strike in the 1990s only lasted five weeks before the union and representatives from Kraft, then owner of Stella D’oro, negotiated a contract.

On August 27, 2008, Torres and his co-workers went on strike.

 In a statement, Brynwood Partners said that Stella D’oro was “an unprofitable and shrinking business” when it was purchased in January 2006.  “High labor costs” was one of “the problems” that the company tried to address. Brynwood said that wage reductions would only affect some of the workers, and they believe their proposal would fairly compensate workers and that the union has been unreasonable with its demands.

But local activists agree that Brynwood is the one making the unfair demands. Father Joseph Girone of St. Nicholas of Tolentine Church in University Heights, where several Stella D’Oro workers are members, is asking his congregation to support the workers by boycotting Stella D’oro products. “The gospel says the worker is worth his wage,” said Fr. Girone. “[Brynwood was] trying to make a profit on the back of workers in a really unreasonable way. It’s not just about production.”

Torres and Kahssay don’t know how much revenue the company made since 2006. According to them, after Brynwood purchased Stella D’oro from Kraft, the company stopped meeting with staff to review sales and revenue data.

Torres and his co-workers say they just want their old contract and their old jobs back.

“I’m depressed,” said Mayra Alfonseca, a packager at Stella D’oro. “I like my job.”

“Where are we gonna look for another job?” said Torres.

Before the strike, Torres dreamed of paying for college for his children, now he’s not sure what will happen. In October, Torres’ unemployment will run out, and this summer, his son will need to work to help the family with expenses.

Until the union is ready to “engage in some real bargaining over the needed labor contract changes, management will continue its steady expansion of operations and growth of the replacement workforce,” said Brynwood in a statement.  

Local 50 did not respond to inquiries for this article.

Torres is determined to strike for as long as he can, though he doesn’t know how much longer he can afford it.

“It’s very hard when you go home and your wife asks every day, ‘what happened?’” Torres said. “This company knows what they are doing. In the end, they make the community more poor. They are destroying lives. They are destroying families.”

Eating – and Planting – Their Vegetables

By Jordan Moss

The New York Botanical Garden inaugurated the vegetable planting season in its sprawling Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden on Friday.
Local schoolkids from PS 205 on Webster Avenue and PS 46 on East 198th Street participated.

Officials talked to the children about the importance of fruits and vegetables in a balanced diet and eating healthily, especially in a borough with alarming rates of childhood obesity and diabetes.

Following the ceremony, Garden staff and elected officials traveled by van to the Garden of Happiness, a community garden on Prospect Avenue, where children from nearby PS 211 planted and tended to garden beds. The NYBG provides support to community gardens through its Bronx Green-Up program.

For more information on the Family Garden and the Children’s Gardening Program at the NYBG, call (718) 817-8181.

Neighborhood Notes

By Norwood News

It’s My Park Day! Events

The Friends of Van Cortlandt Park will be cleaning and beautifying the Croton Extension Trail on Saturday, May 16, at 10 a.m. To volunteer, call (718) 601-1553 or email info@vancortlandt.org.

Volunteer to help on Saturday, May 16. Meet outside of Williamsbridge Oval Park Rec Center, from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. If you have any questions, call Jenn Beaugrand (718) 324-4461 or Tina Inman (646) 258-1716.

Target Now Hiring
Become part of the Target Team in the new Gateway Mall by applying online by visiting www.target.com/careers. Use 10451 as the zip code on your store location choice, or apply in person on May 21 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or May 22 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Bronx County Building, Veterans Memorial Hall, 851 Grand Concourse. For more information, call (718) 590-2636/7159.

52nd Precinct Council Fund-raiser: Trip to A.C.
The 52nd Precinct Council is sponsoring a bus trip to the Tropicana Casino in Atlantic City on May 30. The cost is $35 per person, and the casino will give each person $18 back in chips. Participants will meet in front of the 52nd Precinct, located at 3014 Webster Ave. at 8 a.m. and return in the evening. Refreshments and games will be on the bus. If interested, call Steven Bussell at (718) 364-0462, or call the precinct’s Community Affairs at (718) 220-5824 and leave a message.

Foreclosures and Tenant Rights
Community members are invited to attend the training “Educational Program on Tenants and Foreclosures” on Tuesday May 19 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Bronx Supreme Court, 851 Grand Concourse, in room 600. The program will provide an overview of foreclosures and the impact on tenants in New York City. To RSVP, call (212) 636-7671.

Dinner Seminars for Small Biz Owners
The Bronx Business Alliance Inc. will be holding a free four-part series of seminars called “You’re in Business…Now What?” The seminars will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m. starting May 19 and ending July 2 at Pelham Bay Diner, 1920 E. Gun Hill Rd. Registration is required. Please call the BBA at (718) 231-2847.

The First Step to Citizenship
The Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights, Bronx Project, will hold a free citizenship drive, on May 14, from 3 to 8 p.m., at the Family Welcome Center — PS 9, 230 E. 183rd St., corner of Ryer Avenue. Individuals who are interested in filling out a citizenship application must bring: a valid passport, alien card, social security card, two passport size photos, and a check or money order for $675 to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. For more information, call (718) 484-8294.

Spring Bazaar
The Amalgamated Nursery School’s Annual Spring Bazaar will be held Sunday, May 17, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Train Park on Orloff Avenue and Gale Place. There will be food, shopping, live entertainment, children’s games and activities, including a jumping castle, raffle prizes and a silent auction. All proceeds will benefit the nursery school. For more information, call (718) 543-8688.

Celebrating Parents
MS 80 and Community Board 7 are sponsoring a “Celebrating Parents Recognition Month” event on Saturday, May 16, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Indian Park in Van Cortlandt Park to honor strong parental involvement in schools, There will be food, games and raffles. For more information, call Ms. Alejandro at (718) 405-6300 ext. 1131.  

Bronx Youth Health Forum
The Community Advisory Board of Montefiore Medical Center is holding its yearly forum on Thursday, May 21 from 4 to 7 p.m. The topic this year is “Bronx Youth Health Forum: Recreation—Jobs—Health Information.” The symposium is open to the public and will be held in the Cherkasky Auditorium, located at MMC’s Gun Hill Road entrance at Rochambeau Avenue. Light refreshments will be available.

Summer Youth Employment
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center is offering a Summer Youth Employment Program. Pick up applications at the center, 3450 DeKalb Ave., Monday through Friday from 2:30 to 6 p.m. You can also apply online at www.application.NYCSYEP.com. Be sure to pick “MMCC” as your Project Sponsor. For more information, call (718) 882-4000.

Aid for Veterans and Their Families
The Warriors Family Assistance Program, launched by the American Legion Auxiliary, comes to the direct aid of veterans and their families in New York State. Veterans and their families can apply for up to $1,500 in aid in maintenance grants, medical grants and employment opportunities. Any veteran who has served honorably within the last four years, or is currently serving in one of the Armed Forces, and is a NYS resident, is eligible to apply. All grants are non-repayable. For an application or more information, call (800) 421-6348.

Free Career Information Seminars
Lehman College Office of Continuing Education is holding free career information seminars for its non-credit certificate programs. For dates, times and locations of seminars, please call (718) 960-8512 or visit www.lehman.edu.ce.

Computer Classes at Williamsbridge Oval
The Williamsbridge Oval Recreation Center, 3225 Reservoir Oval East, is holding computer classes on Thursdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Learn how to use the internet and MS Office software. Fore more information, contact Albert Davis or Tuwanda Ruffin at (718) 654-1851.

Free Bags for Fordham Shoppers
The Fordham Road Business Improvement District is offering free tote bags, while supplies last, to anyone who makes a purchase of $20 or more through the end of May. Proof of purchase is required. Shoppers should contact the BID office, 2488 Grand Concourse, Room 411, at (718) 562-2104. 

Teen Trailways Summer Camp
Teens entering 7th to 10th grade can enroll in the Teen Trailways program at the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, which takes campers on day trips to sporting events, Broadway shows, comedy clubs, lakes, beaches, state parks, and amusement parks. Teens can also go on longer trips to Virginia Beach, Toronto and Disney World in Florida. For more information, call (718) 882-4000.

MetroCard Vans Coming
All MTA riders may purchase or add fares to their MetroCards and senior citizens and persons with disabilities with a valid photo ID may apply for a Reduced Fare MetroCard at the following locations: Fordham Plaza, intersection of Fordham Rd. and Third and Webster avenues, on May 22 from 2:30 to 4 p.m.; Fordham Road and the Grand Concourse, on May 22 from noon to 2 p.m.; Scott Towers, 3400 Paul Ave., corner of 205th Street, on May 25 from 1 to 3 p.m.; and Van Cortlandt Village, 3880 Sedgewick Ave., on May 22, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. For more information, visit www.mta.info or call (212) METROCARD.

City Parks Foundation Helping Bronx Seniors
The City Parks Foundation is welcoming all New York City seniors, ages 60 and over, to sign up for the Spring 2009 program of “CityParks Seniors Fitness.” This free program offers tennis lessons, yoga instructions, and fitness walking in nine parks across the city. In the Bronx, it is being offered at Pelham Bay and Van Cortlandt parks. All equipment and instructions will be provided free of charge. The program will run through June 26.  For more information, call (718) 760-6999 or visit www.cityparksfoundation.org.

Free Prescription $aver Card
The NY State Health Department is accepting applications for the free New York Prescription $aver Card. The program offers discounts on thousands of prescription medications. It will serve low-income New Yorkers who are disabled or between the ages of 50 and 64. To be eligible, income for single individuals must be $35,000 or less, and $50,000 or less for married individuals. Medicaid and EPIC recipients are not eligible for the Prescription $aver Card. To learn more or apply, visit www.nyprescriptionsaver.fhsc.com or call (800) 788-6917. (TTY users should call (800) 290-9138.) Applications are also available at pharmacies.

School Salon Reopens
The School of Professional Beauty Care at Grace Dodge Career and Technical High School, 2474 Crotona Ave., has reopened The New Image Salon to the public. It’s open every Thursday afternoon from 2:45 to 5:30 p.m., offering a wide variety of salon services at reasonable prices. Prices range from $5 to $25. Graduating seniors in the school’s cosmetology program staff the salon, with a licensed cosmetologist on duty. For more information, call (718) 584-2700 ext. 5084.

Foster Care Network
The Foster Care Network is reaching out to potential foster parents in the Bronx. Hundreds of foster children in the area need loving and caring families to make a difference in their lives. Foster parents receive tax-free financial assistance for the expenses of each child, free training, and Foster Parent certification. For more information, call (800) 454-3727 or visit www.fostercarenetwork.org.

Lehman College Summer Program
Lehman College, 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W., will hold an open house for its “More Than a Camp Program” on Saturdays, May 9 and 30 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Carman Hall room 129. The program offers academic, creative arts, and physical fitness classes for children aged 4 to 15. For more information, call (718) 960-8512 or visit www.lehman.edu/ce.

MMC’s Annual PRIDE Health Fair
Montefiore Medical Center’s AIDS Center, with The Bronx HIV CARE Network, are holding their 7th Annual PRIDE Health Fair on Saturday, June 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., rain or shine, to promote Health Awareness in our communities. It will take place on Gun Hill Road, between Bainbridge and DeKalb avenues. There will be educational materials on HIV available, as well as free HIV testing/counseling and musical performances. For more information, call Shari German at (718) 231-3296 ext. 21.

Shoelace Park Master Plan
Help shape the future of Shoelace Park and Fort Knox, parklands along the Bronx River between Gun Hill Road and 233rd Street. There will be a community design workshop on Tuesday, June 9. For more information, call (718) 430-4665 or visit bronxriver.org.

Mt. St. Ursula Speech Center Summer Registration
The Mount Saint Ursula Speech Center is now accepting applications for its summer program. Children, from the ages of 2 to 16, in need of speech, language and literacy services may be eligible. The five-week program will run five days a week from June 26 to July 31. They accept Medicaid, and some insurance. There is also a sliding scale for private pay clients. For more information, call (718) 584-7679.

English, Citizenship and Computer Classes
-MS 80 at 149 E. Mosholu Pkwy N., is offering English as a Second Language (ESL) and General Equivalency Diploma (GED) classes. For those interested, or if you have any questions, call Mrs. Alejandro at (718) 405-6300 ext. 1131.

-Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, 3450 DeKalb Ave., is offering free English as a Second Language (ESL) and Citizenship Classes.  Ongoing classes run through June 30. For more information, call (718) 882-4000.

-Kingsbridge Heights Community Center, 3101 Kingsbridge Terrace, is enrolling students for free English as a Second Language (ESL) and Citizenship classes. Ongoing classes run through June 30. For more information, call Aisha Abdul-Wahhab, program director, at (718) 884-0700 ext. 191 or 132.

-PS 94 at 3530 Kings College Pl,. offers ESL levels 1 and 2 and Computer Skills classes through summer 2009. Both classes meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Computer classes will be taught in English and will include lessons on keyboarding, Microsoft Word and other programs. Registration is first-come, first-served. For more information, call Ms. Seminario, the parent coordinator, at (347) 563-4772 or (718) 405-6345.

-St. James Recreation Center at 2530 Jerome Ave. offers free classes in Microsoft Office, Resume/Cover Letter Writing, Computer Basics, and much more. For more information, call Justin Young at (718) 367-3659.

-Fordham University, 557 E. Fordham Rd., is currently holding free computer and English Language classes for parents, Mondays through Thursdays and on Saturdays. Classes can either stand alone or as an 8- to 12-week series. For more information or to register, call (718) 817-3503.

Senior Employment
The American Association of Retired Person (AARP) and the Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) are assisting low-income Bronx residents, 55 and older, to receive employment through their outreach, training, and internship programs. For more information, call AARP located at 384 E. 149th St., Ste. 608 at (718) 585-2500.

Free Breathing Workshops at Montefiore
The Care Management Company of Montefiore Medical Center is sponsoring free breathing workshops at Montefiore Medical Group East at 2300 Westchester Ave. on May 7, from 3 to 4 p.m., and on June 4, from 10 to 11 a.m. Workshops will also take place at Montefiore Medical Group Grand Concourse, 2532 Grand Concourse, on May 12, from 3 to 4 p.m., and on June 16, from 10 to 11 a.m. To register call (800) 636-6683.

Help Transform Bronx Parks
The Bronx River Alliance and the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation are holding public workshops to develop a master plan for Shoelace Park and Fort Knox, which stretches from Magenta Street to 233rd Street along the Bronx River. Workshops will take place on June 9 at Community Board 12, 4101 White Plains Road, near 229th Street, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Refreshments will be provided. For more information, call (718) 430-4635.

Couples Needed for Research Study
Doctors at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center are looking for healthy couples between the ages of 22 and 50, and in a monogamous relationship for at least six months, to participate in a research study. The study will test a vaginal gel and the couple will be screened for sexually transmitted infections. Females will have a gynecologic exam and vaginal fluid collected and males will have a genital exam. Female volunteers will have four visits and be reimbursed $60 per visit, and males volunteers will have three visits and will be reimbursed $40 per visit.  Females must be using hormonal contraception. All visits will take place at the Albert Einstein General Clinical Research Center. For more information, call Julie at (718) 430-3253 or email microbicide@aecom.yu.edu.

Free Medicine Programs for Cancer Patients
The Complimentary Medicine Program at Albert Einstein Cancer Center is offering two free research programs for patients with cancer. The Yoga-Based Cancer Rehabilitation Program includes 12 weeks of yoga to see if yoga can help patients with breast, lung, and colorectal cancer. A certified yoga instructor teaches classes in both English and Spanish. The Mind-Body Cancer Program includes 8 weeks of Mind-Body groups (The Stress Management Education Group and the Spiritual Support Group) for patients with most types of cancer. Some restrictions apply to these groups, which have been specifically designed by a psychologist and an oncologist. For more information and to find out eligibility, call (718) 430-2380.

MS 80 Needs Love
MS 80 is asking parents and community members to show some love and volunteer for just an hour each week. The school needs mentors, math and reading tutors, part-time coaches and volunteers to help with cafeteria duty. For more information, call Ms. Alejandro (718) 405-6300 ext. 111.

Free Kids’ Summer Vacations
The Fresh Air Fund is currently registering boys and girls, ages six through 12, for free summer vacations in the homes of volunteer host families throughout the northeast or at one of five Fresh Air Fund summer camps in upstate New York. To find out how to register, call (800) 367-0003 or go to www.freshair.org.

MMCC Grade School & Teen Programs at Tracey Towers
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center is accepting registration for their free after school program at Tracey Towers, 40 W. Mosholu Pkwy. The program meets Monday through Friday from 3 to 6 p.m. and is open to children in the third through sixth grades. From 6:30 to 9 p.m., the free Teen Center is open for youth ages 12 to 18. Programs include homework help, computers, arts and crafts, sports, acting, and quiet games. To register, stop by the Youth Community Room on the second floor of Tracey Towers and speak to Antoine Fields, or call him at (917) 482-5039.

Self Defense Classes
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center still has space in its boxing, karate, and self-defense classes for children, teens, and adults. To register or find out class times, call (718) 882-4000 ext. 0, or stop by the center at 3450 DeKalb Ave.

Free Meditation for Breast Cancer Survivors
The Montefiore-Einstein Cancer Center is offering a free 20-week course on meditation and stress management for breast cancer survivors. The course is part of a research study. To register or learn more, call Kimala Harris at (718) 430-2380 or e-mail kah2019@med.cornell.edu.

Place for Teens With Issues
The Power Project is a free program for teens ages 12 to 18 who are dealing with substance abuse and other problems. Located at 3464 Webster Ave., Power Project provides case management, individual and group counseling, trips, and is just a place to get away from it all. For more information, call (718) 515-7971.

Wii Games for Adults and Seniors
On Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4 p.m., adults and seniors can enjoy free Wii video games at the Mosholu Library, 285 E. 205th St. To sign up, go to the Adult Information Desk. For more information, call (718) 882-8239.

Free Parking Calendars
Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz is offering free New York City Parking Calendars to community residents. To receive one, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to his office at 3107 Kingsbridge Ave., Bronx, NY 10463, or stop by the office in person.

Free Career Workshops
The State University of New York, located at 3950 Laconia Ave., is offering free career workshops, including job readiness training, resume and cover letter preparation, help with job searches and computer skills, job placement assistance, an Office Skills Certificate Program, college prep and more. For more information, call (718) 547-1001 or visit www.NBX.SUNYEOC.org.

After School Care
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, 3450 DeKalb Ave., provides after school care for children in elementary school. Children are transported from their schools in Norwood, Bedford Park, Williamsbridge and Van Cortlandt Village. The center provides a snack, help with homework, and an array of activities to keep children busy. Financial aid is available. For more information, call Ruth Moore, program registrar, at (718) 882-4000.
      
Schizophrenia Study Seeks Participants
A research study seeking new treatments for schizophrenia is looking for patients in the Bronx. Candidates must be 18 to 65 years old, diagnosed with schizophrenia at or before age 35 and currently on certain medications for schizophrenia. Patients can enroll through the first half of 2009. For more information, call (888) 988-6736 or go to www.cognitivestudy.com.

Job Opportunities
On Dec. 1, Mayor Bloomberg announced the expansion of free job placement services through New York City’s Workforce1 Career Centers. The centers provide personalized career counseling, interview training, resume/cover letter assistance, workshops and ESL classes. For more information, call the Bronx Workforce1 Center, 358 E. 149th St., (718) 960-7099.

Quality of Life Screening
The Psychosocial Oncology Program of the Montefiore-Einstein Cancer Center is conducting a survey study in order to learn about the physical and emotional stresses faced by cancer survivors. Participants will have to fill out questionnaires and have the opportunity to participate in free/low-cost programs and support services within the program. For more information, call (718) 430-2380.

Breast Oncology Program
The Breast Oncology Living Daily Program also known as BOLD living offers a variety of free educational, support, and mind-body workshops. They are designed to empower and nurture breast cancer patients, survivors, and loved ones, but are open to all. For more information or to register, call (718) 430-3613 or email outreach@aecom.yu.edu.

Alzheimer’s Support Group
The Alzheimer’s Association’s New York City chapter provides a support group in Norwood for Spanish and English speaking caregivers who have relatives with Alzheimer’s disease or another type of dementia. The support group meets on the first and third Wednesdays of the month from 5 to 6:15 p.m. For the location or more information, call Mark Goodwin at (718) 920-7377.

Free Respite Program
Kingsbridge Heights Community Center (KHCC) is offering free after-school services to families with mentally retarded or developmentally disabled children ages 5 to 21 from 3 to 6 p.m. KHCC is also offering a Saturday Respite Program for ages 15 to 25, and on Sundays another Respite Program is provided for ages 18 to 65. Weekend Respite Program hours are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. They are held at the KHCC, 3101 Kingsbridge Terrace (near Sedgwick Avenue) at West 230th Street. To register or for more information, call Hanna Gabris at (718) 884-0700 ext. 202.

Speech Program at Ursula 
The Mt. St. Ursula Speech Center, 2885 Marion Ave., is now accepting applications for its fall program. The center has openings for children ages 2 to 5 who are in need of speech and language services. Medicaid and other insurances accepted. For more information, call (718) 584-7679.

Aphasia Clinic Accepting Clients
The Lehman College Speech and Hearing Center, which provides therapy on a sliding scale payment schedule, is now accepting new clients in its recently expanded aphasia clinic. The clinic will provide individual and group therapy sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 1 p.m. and 2 to 3 p.m.; group therapy sessions also take place on Tuesdays from 1 to 2 p.m. Diagnostic and therapeutic sessions will be supervised by faculty members who are licensed by the NYS Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology and certified by ASHA (American Speech Language Hearing Association). For more information, call Wanda Adams at (718) 960-8138.

 

Out & About

By Judy Noy

Onstage

• The Bronx Council on the Arts presents pianist Steven Lubin, performing as part of BCA’s Bronx Indie Artist Series, May 17 at 3 p.m. at the Christ Church Riverdale, 5030 Henry Hudson Pkwy. For more information, call (718) 543-1011.

 

• The Albert Einstein Symphony Orchestra presents its Season Finale, featuring classical music, May 17 at 3 p.m. in the Albert Einstein College of Medicine’s Robbins Auditorium in the Forchheimer Building, 1330 Morris Pk. Ave. Contributions are suggested. For more information, visit Einsteinorch.Tripod.com.

 

• The Lehman Center for the Performing Arts presents Ain’t Misbehavin, musical production featuring American Idol stars Ruben Studdard and Frenchie Davis, May 16 at 8 p.m. (tickets are $20 to $45); and Olga Tañón and José Albert “El Canario,” performing Latin music, May 29 at 8 p.m. (tickets are $35 to $50); both in the Concert Hall at 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W. For more information, call (718) 960-8833.
• The Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance (BAAD), located at 841 Barretto St., presents their Boogie Down Dance Series 2009, through June 3. This program celebrates the growth of professional dance in the Bronx. Concert tickets cost $15 to $20 with discounts available for Bronx Cultural Card holders. On May 17 from 12:30 to 3 p.m., there will be a free champagne brunch hosted by the Bronx Dance Coalition celebrating its history. Guests are encouraged to bring photos, stories, footage, etc. to add to the archive (call to reserve). On May 21 and 22 at 8 p.m., Maria Colaco presents “Uncle Bruce Says It’s Cool,” a modern dance concert combined with video imagery ($15). For a detailed schedule or tickets, call (718) 842-5223.
• The Mosholu Library, at 285 E. 205th St., presents A Musical Tribute to Nat King Cole by NYC vocalist Cody Childs, May 16 at 2:30 p.m.; free. For more information, call (718) 882-8239.

 

• The Bronx Library Center, located at 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. off Fordham Road, hosts Bardekova Woodwind Quintet, May 16 at 2:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 579-4244/46 or visit www.nypl.org.

 

• The Jerome Park Library, at 118 Eames Place, presents A Salsa/Mambo Concert, featuring the Papo Pepin Quintet, May 16 at 2 p.m. For more information, call (718) 549-5200.

Events

• Transportation Alternatives presents National Bike to Work Day in NYC, May 15 from 7 to 10:30 a.m. Meet at the East River Bridge for hot coffee; also quality reading material and a commuter bag. Have breakfast at Borough Hall at 161st Street and the Grand Concourse at 7:30 a.m. and a reception at Montefiore Medical Center Moses Division at the 210th Street entrance (off Bainbridge Avenue) at 8 a.m. For more information, call (212) 629-8080.

 

• Wave Hill offers two family art projects: Conversations With a Leaf, to make painted and collaged leaf-inspired art, May 16 and 17; and All Eyes on Irises, to make collages inspired by Japanese floral art traditions, May 23 and 24; both in the Kerlin Learning Center from 1 to 4 p.m. Also at Wave Hill will be a Spring Garden Gala, featuring cocktails, dining and dancing, May 27. WH closes at 3 p.m. to dress for the party (call ext. 310 for details). Wave Hill is located at West 249th Street and Independence Avenue. For more information, call (718) 549-3200 or visit www.wavehill.org.

Exhibits

• The Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse at 165th Street, presents a three-part exhibition series commemorating the Grand Concourse’s centennial, starting with The Grand Concourse at 100, through July 20. Originally called the Grand Boulevard, the Grand Concourse celebrates its 100th year in 2009. For more information, call (718) 681-6000 or visit www.bronxmuseum.org.

 

• So Much Spring, a variety of attractions and activities, including workshops, demonstrations and programs for the entire family, will take place at the New York Botanical Garden through June. Several exhibits on display include Georg Ehret: the Greatest Botanical Artist of the 1700s, appearing in the LoFaro Gallery of the LuEsther T. Mertz Library, featuring prints and drawings, through July 19; and The Glory of Dutch Bulbs: A Legacy of 400 Years can be viewed through June 7 in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, and on weekends includes tours, home gardening demonstrations, and family activities. For more information, call (718) 817-8700.

Learning

The Bronx Library Center has events for all ages:

• For children and preschoolers, there is Preschool Romp, May 14, 16, 21 and 28 at 11 a.m.
• Also, for school-aged children, there is Arts & Crafts, May 14 at 4 p.m.; Toddler Two-Step, May 23 at 11 a.m.; and Arts & Crafts, May 28 at 4 p.m.
• For adults and young adults, there is Edgar Allan Poe at Fordham, May 18 at 6 p.m.

The Center is located at 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. off Fordham Road. For a detailed schedule, call (718) 579-4244/46 or visit www.nypl.org.

The Mosholu Library, located at 285 E. 205th St., presents Preschool Story Time, May 14 at 10:30 a.m. For more information, call (718) 882-8239.

The Jerome Park Library, at 118 Eames Place, presents American Folktales, May 15 at 3:30 p.m.; and Toddler Story Time, May 22 at 10:30 a.m.; both for children. For more information, call (718) 549-5200.

NOTE: Items for consideration should be received in our office by May 18 for the next publication date of May 28.

Headline Lets Armory Developer Off the Hook

By None

I strongly disagree with the headline of your April 30 edition, “Living Wage Hopes for Armory Dashed.”  My hopes are not dashed at all. The article states that Jesse Masyr, a lawyer for the Related Companies, “put an end to any hopes of securing living wage jobs, saying that if all they were looking for in a benefits agreement was living wage jobs, he could put an end to the discussion right there. The answer would be no.”  

This answer is no surprise. But why should the community’s hopes be dashed by the statement of a developer? This is a public project heavily subsidized by public funds. Shouldn’t the public have a say in the way it’s developed? 

For the last several months, the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA), has been pushing the Related Companies to enter into negotiations for a community benefits agreement with all stakeholders. This agreement would outline ways that the new project could benefit both the developer and the residents of the northwest Bronx. So far the developer has refused to enter into these negotiations. 

Now, Mr. Masyr is telling the Norwood News which issues are not acceptable for discussion. The arrogance of such a statement astounds me. But this is not cause to lose hope. It is reason to fight even harder for fairness. If Mayor Bloomberg’s appointed developer is going to take a public armory and public subsidies for his own private gain, then there must also be a community benefits agreement to make sure that the project also benefits the people of the northwest Bronx.   

-Doug Cunningham

The writer is pastor of New Day Church and a member of the Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance.

Next Page »

Current Print Edition

Click here for PDF downloads of recent editions. Click here for all recent print edition stories.

Latest from Breaking Bronx

• Tomorrow: Live Coverage From The Bronx BP’s State of Borough Speech Wed, Feb 22 at 5:27pm
• Bronx Nabe Note: Become Your Own Boss Workshop, Thursday Night Wed, Feb 22 at 4:35pm
• Wednesday’s Bronx News Links Wed, Feb 22 at 3:17pm
• Local Initiative Puts Focus on Teens’ Reproductive Health Wed, Feb 22 at 12:33pm
• Bicycles and Basketballs Could be in the Armory’s Future Wed, Feb 22 at 5:58am

Archives

Copyright © 2007 Norwood News · Log in