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Village Voice ‘Best Of’ Awards Honor Norwood News

By Norwood News

The Norwood News was recently featured in the "Best Of…" Awards in the Village Voice in this week’s issue. They call it the "Best Little Newspaper that Beats the Odds."

We’re obviously very excited about this this recognition and and we thank the Voice for the honor.

The Norwood News, a nonprofit bi-weekly newspaper founded by Mosholu Preservation Corporation (an affilate of Montefiore Medical Center) in 1988 couldn’t exist without its readers, its advertisers, and the many, many people who make publishing it possible — all the staff here at MPC, our talented team of reporting interns, and a bevy of free-lancers who sell advertising, take photos and write stories, proofread, and deliver the paper. Of course, Alex Kratz, the paper’s managing editor, who’s responsible for most of the day-to-day management of the paper, deserves special credit.

The Norwood News is one of the oldest — if not the oldest — nonprofit community papers in the country. There are now six nonprofit papers in the Bronx! In addition to the Norwood News and the two others published by the Bronx News Network — the Mount Hope Monitor and the Tremont Tribune — Bernard Stein, the former editor of the Riverdale Press, publishes the Hunts Point Express and the Mott Haven Herald with his Hunter and CUNY J-School students.

(One minor correction to the Voice write-up. The Bronx News Network does not publish the Highbridge Horizon, which was published until this past summer by Highbridge Community Life Center. Sadly, they ran out of funding and had to suspend publication. We’re trying — along with Buddy Stein — to find a way to revive it.)

Again, thanks to the Voice, and we are grateful to all of you who read, write, comment and support the newspaper in various ways. A good community newspaper requires an engaged community, and, as we say at the top of this blog, ‘…Every neighborhood needs a voice!’ Without your voice there’d be no Norwood News and no Bronx News Network. So keep raising it!

-Jordan Moss

Neighborhood Notes

By Norwood News

It’s My Park Day!
Volunteer at Williamsbridge Oval Park on Saturday, Oct. 24. There will be bulb planting, weeding and winterizing from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and trash can painting from noon to 2 p.m. Meet in front of the Recreation Center. For more information, call Jennifer or Michael at (718) 324-4461.

Adult Degree Program
Lehman College is hosting an open house in Carman Hall, basement 08 for its Adult Degree Program on Saturday, Nov. 7 from noon to 1:30 p.m. Information will be provided about financial aid, professional studies and class schedules. For more information, call (718) 960-8666 or visit www.lehman.edu/adultdegree.

Marketing Strategies Workshop
CUNY on the Concourse, at 2501 Grand Concourse, 3rd floor, room 317, will host a free workshop on marketing strategies on Wednesday, Oct. 28 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The workshop is designed to help develop the key tools needed to effectively market, promote and sell your ideas, products, and services. Seating is limited. Call (718) 960-8806 to register.

Fall Into Fitness at MMCC
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center at 3450 DeKalb Ave., has begun its fall fitness schedule. Classes range from step aerobics and zumba classes to belly dancing. For details and/or to register, call (718) 882-4000 ext. 256 or 280.

School Salon Reopened
The School for Professional Beauty Care at Grace Dodge Career and Technical High School, located at 2474 Crotona Ave., has reopened its after-school beauty parlor, The New Image Salon, for the fall semester. The salon, whose services are reasonably priced, is open every Thursday from 2:45 to 5:30 p.m. and is staffed by graduating seniors of the school’s cosmetology program. To schedule an appointment, call (718) 584-2700.

Domestic Violence Awareness Walk
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera is helping organize the 5th annual “Walk With Me,” in order to raise awareness and encourage youth to become active in combating domestic violence. The walk will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 11 a.m. at Mercy College, 1200 Waters Place. For more information, call (718) 409-0109.

PS/MS 20 School Shirts on Sale
PS/MS 20 requires that all students wear the appropriate uniform shirt. If parents wish, they may buy the shirts directly from PS/MS 20. Parents can call Rosa Rosado at (718) 515-9370 ext. 2154, to request an order form. Shirts for Pre-K to 5th graders are $10, and $12 for 6th to 8th graders.

NMCIR Immigration Assistance
The Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights is offering immigration assistance to Bronxites. There is assistance with U.S. citizenship, family petitions, and travel permits. It is offered at Refuge House, 2715 Bainbridge Ave., Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call (718) 484-8294 or email info@NMCIR.org.

Harvest Festival
Bronx Community Board 8 will host the Marble Hill Youthmarket Harvest Festival on Saturday, Oct. 24 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 225th Street between Broadway and Exterior Street. Activities include pumpkin decorating, cooking demonstrations, free craft gifts, a farmers market and more. For more information, call Bronx CB8 at (718) 884-3959.

Scouting for Girl Scouts
Girls from 5 to 17 years old looking to serve the Bronx community, make friends and learn life skills are encouraged to join the Girl Scouts of the Bronx. For more information about joining a Girl Scout troop, visit www.girlscoutsnyc.org or email webbx@girlscoutsnyc.org.

Volunteer at North Bronx Healthcare
The North Bronx Healthcare Network is seeking volunteers for the Sexual Assault Treatment Program run at North Central Bronx Hospital, Jacobi Medical Center, and Lincoln Medical Center. Those interested should be willing to volunteer twice a month and commit to serving the program for one year. For more information, call (718) 519-4788.

Workshops: Children With Disabilities
The Jewish Child Care Association at 555 Bergen Ave. will host monthly workshops from November through June of next year for families and professionals requiring services for children with disabilities. For detailed information and to register, call (212) 677-4650 ext. 20 or visit jccany.org.

Foster Parents Needed
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.

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.

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.

Donate Backpacks to Homeless Kids
Bronx BP Ruben Diaz, Jr. is encouraging Bronx residents to donate backpacks and school supplies to “Operation Backpack.” “Operation Backpack” provides homeless children and students in New York City with backpacks and school supplies to help them succeed in school. To contribute, drop off a new backpack at the Bronx BP office at 851 Grand Concourse, Room 209. To find out more information about Operation Backpack or to make a donation, visit www.OperationBackpackNYC.org.

Farmers Market at Botanical Garden
There will be an all day Wednesday and Saturday Farmers Market at the Botanical Garden through Nov. 14. The Wednesday market will be held near Tulip Tree Allee and the Saturday market will be across the street from the Garden’s Mosholu Gate entrance. Vendors from New York’s Hudson Valley region and beyond offer a variety of home grown products, meats and home baked goods. For more information, visit www.nybg.org/edible_garden/farmers_market.php or call (718) 362-9561 and press 403#.

Self-Defense and Boxing at MMCC
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center at 3450 DeKalb Ave. is offering self defense classes on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays starting at 5:30 p.m. Its boxing program meets on Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. for ages 7 and up. For more information, visit www.mmcc.org or call (718) 882-4000 ext. 0 or ext. 256.

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 E., is holding computer classes on Thursdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Learn how to use the internet and MS Office software. For more information, contact Albert Davis or Tuwanda Ruffin at (718) 654-1851.

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.

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.

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.

-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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

Adult ESL Level 1and 2 Classes
Beginning September 2009 through June 2010, P.S. 94x will be offering Level 1 and 2 ESL classes on Tuesday and Thursdays from 5:30pm to 8:30pm. For more information, contact Ms. Seminario, at (347) 563-4772 or (718) 405- 6345. You can also come to room 201 for more information and for sign up.

 

Out & About

By Judy Noy

Onstage

The Bronx Library Center located at 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. hosts A Musical Tribute to the Soul Legends, featuring music of Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross and Michael Jackson, Oct. 24 at 2:30 p.m.; and Music From China, Oct. 31 at 2:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 579-4244/46.

The Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, located at 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W., presents Johnny Ventura, performing merengue and joined by four meringue icons ($55 to $75), Oct. 24 at 8 p.m.; Best of MOMIX, featuring music and dance, Nov. 1 at 6 p.m. ($25 to $35; $10/ages 12 and under); and George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic, Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. ($45 to $60). For more information, call (718) 960-8833.

Autumnal Variations, a free concert performed by the Lehman College Community Band, will be held on Oct. 25 at 2 p.m. in the Lovinger Theatre, 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W. The program will also include a medley of popular tunes. For more information, call (718) 960-8247.

The Bronx Arts Ensemble presents pianist Valentina Lisitsa performing classical music at 4673 Delafield Ave. in the Fieldston section of the Bronx, Oct. 25 at 3 p.m. ($25). For more information, call (718) 601-7399.

The Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance (BAAD), located at 841 Barretto St. presents its BlakTino Performance Series including Recreating Oz, to re-examine “The Wizard of Oz” as a ‘coming out’ version featuring theatre, dance, song, and drumming, free, Oct. 24 at 8 p.m.; and All the Ladies Say, featuring a hip-hop duo performing music, jamming, art, and a sneak peek screening of “All the Ladies Say,” a documentary highlighting female street dancers, all followed by an after party with an open jam, Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. ($5 to $25 suggested donations). For more details and additional programs, call (718) 842-5223. (See “Events.”)

Events

The Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance (BAAD), located at 841 Barretto St. presents its BlakTino Performance Series including Queer Ricans: Free book discussion by author Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes followed by a book signing, Oct. 22 at 8 p.m.; and Capoeria Dance Classes, offered for all dance levels ($7 per class) including movement from martial arts, African dance and acrobatics, Oct. 24 and 31 at 9:30 a.m. For more details and additional programs, call (718) 842-5223. (See “Onstage.”)

The Enrico Fermi Cultural Center at the Belmont Library, 610 E. 186th St., will host the official Bronx Celebration of Italian Heritage & Culture Month, Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. For more information and to confirm attendance, call (718) 590-3989.

The Bedford Park Congregational Church, located at 201st Street and Bainbridge Avenue, will hold a Fun Fair and Flea Market, Oct. 24 from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The event will include refreshments, raffles, and games. For more information, call Reverend Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj at (718) 367-8996.

The New York Botanical Garden presents several events this fall: The Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden offers Gardens ‘Round the World featuring Caribbean Garden, a pinwheel-shaped plot garden featuring Caribbean crops. Farmers Market/Greenmarket will run through Nov. 15 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays at the base of the Library Allee and Saturdays at the Metro-North Parking Area near Mosholu Gate. Visitors can learn about composting, recycling and growing vegetables at noon, and can take part in cooking or gardening demonstrations. Goodnight Garden will take place Tuesdays through Sundays from 1 to 5:30 p.m. through Nov. 1 in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, to harvest and taste fresh vegetables, make bouquets, and till the soil. The Season in Poetry featuring poets reading their works, will be held Oct. 24 at 4 p.m. in the Jane Watson Irwin Perennial Garden. Other programs through Nov. 15 include Kiku in the Japanese Autumn Garden featuring flower displays; Japanese Autumn Adventures featuring educational children’s programming; Taiko Drumming featuring folk music, weekends from 1 to 3 p.m., and Bonsai featuring dwarf trees on display. For more information and a detailed schedule, call (718) 817-8700 or visit nybg.org.

The Bronx Culture Trolley, a replica of a 20th-century trolley, transports visitors on the first Wednesday of every month 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. The next trip is Nov. 4. For more information, call (718) 931-9500 ext. 33 or log on to www.bronxarts.org.

Exhibits

The New York Botanical Garden presents Ex Libris: Treasues From the LuEsther T. Mertz Library, highlighting some rarely seen items demonstrating botany and horticulture from the 12th century to the present, through Jan. 10, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and The Presence of Trees, photographs of trees in all seasons, by Larry Lederman, in the Ross Gallery (ongoing exhibit). For more information and a detailed schedule, call (718) 817-8700 or visit nybg.org.

The Museum of Bronx History, located at 3266 Bainbridge Ave. (at 208th Street), presents The Bronx: Then and Now, a comparison of the Bronx of today with that of the 19th century, via prints and photographs; and Edgar Allan Poe – A Bicentennial Celebration,.to learn about Poe, his life and his time spent in the Bronx; both through April 15. For more information, call the Bronx County Historical Society at (718) 881-8900.

The Bronx River Art Center, together with the NYC Department of Transportation, present an abstract wooden art sculpture, Aurora, 14 feet tall, 11 feet wide and 11 feet deep, to be on view for 11 months at the center of West Farms Square Plaza located at the base of the West Farms Square/East Tremont Avenue subway station on the corner of East Tremont Avenue and Boston Road, one block away from BRAC which is located at 1087 E. Tremont Ave. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/urbanart.

Beyond Appearances, an exhibition bringing together a group of approximately 40 artists, includes painting, drawing, sculpture, video, and installation, will be on display Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., through Dec. 11 at the Lehman College Art Gallery, Fine Arts Building, 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W. For more information, call (718) 960-8731.

The Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse at 165th Street, presents an exhibition series commemorating the Grand Concourse’s centennial, featuring The Grand Concourse Commissions, through Jan. 4. Originally called the Grand Boulevard, the Grand Concourse celebrates its 100th year in 2009. For more information, call (718) 681-6000 ext. 120, or visit www.bronxmuseum.org.

Library Events

The Bronx Library Center has events for all ages:
For children and preschoolers, there is Preschool Romp, Oct. 22, 29 and Nov. 5 at 11 a.m.; and films, Oct. 28 and Nov. 4 at 4 p.m.
Also, for school-aged children, there is Pajama Party, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m.; The Sword in the Stone, Oct. 25 at 2 p.m.; Toddler Story Time, Oct. 31 at 11 a.m.; City That Drinks the Mountain Sky, New York City’s system of aqueducts and reservoirs, Nov. 1 at 2 p.m.; and Make a Bookmark, Nov. 5 at 4 p.m.

Young adults can attend Code Breakers!, Nov. 3 at 4 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 Jerome Park Library, at 118 Eames Place, presents Toddler Story Time, Oct. 23 at 11 a.m.; Trickster Tales, Oct. 26 at 2 p.m.; Journey to the West: The Legend of the Monkey King, Nov. 2 at 4 p.m.; and films, Nov. 3 at 4 p.m.; all for school-aged children. For more information, call (718) 549-5200.

Announcements

Daylight Savings Time ends on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 2 a.m. All clocks should be turned back one hour.

NOTE: Items for consideration should be received in our office by Oct. 26 for the next publication date of Nov. 5.

Applebee’s, Moving Into Your Neighborhood

By Alex Kratz

Tapping into what it considers an underserved market, Applebee’s, a national restaurant chain, has opened up two new establishments in the Bronx in last couple of months.

On Aug. 10, Applebee’s opened its doors in Fordham Plaza and three weeks later, on Aug. 31, the company unveiled its new location at the Gateway Mall at the old Bronx Terminal Market. There are also Applebee’s restaurants at Bay Plaza in Pelham Bay and on 225th Street, near Broadway.

“We think it’s an underserved community in terms of sit-down restaurants,” said Zane Tenkel, head of the Applebee’s parent company’s regional affiliate, Apple-Metro, Inc. “At least nothing of any size. We cater to families, we built it in an upscale fashion. Nothing like it in these areas except for ethnic restaurants.”

Tenkel says the company prides itself on not only quality and affordable food, but also by being a good neighbor.
The Fordham Plaza restaurant will employ around 180 people for a mix of part-time and full-time positions, including eight managers, Tenkel said. Servers earn minimum wage, but receive tips. Kitchen employees, he said, start at about $10 an hour and can earn up to $15. The company received 6,000 applications and did 5,000 interviews for the available positions, he said.

At both locations, Tenkel said, Applebee’s held grand opening events where a portion of the proceeds went to the Bronx Children’s Museum.

You may also notice some of walls include photographs from local newspapers, including this one. Before opening, Applebee’s asked around for photographs of local events, so they could give the restaurants a “neighborhood” vibe.

Tenkel, whose Apple-Metro recently won the parent company’s franchise of the year award, said he has no plans on slowing down. “There’s a plan for more expansion [in the Bronx],” he said. “We’re aggressive and we feel like we fit a need.”

Webster Wallpaper Celebrates Birthday With Makeover

By Katie Riordan

Even the smallest redecorating project can seem daunting, but Webster Wallpaper Paint & Blinds, on Webster Avenue and Fordham Road, has promised its customers for the last 60 years to help them achieve any interior design plan.

Thanks to what the family-run business calls “a third generation of return shoppers,” the store, which began as a one-room wallpaper establishment in 1950, has grown to offer one of the largest in-stock selections of wallpaper and borders in the country.

“People appreciate being able to shop at a neighborhood store that has better prices and selection than the big-box stores,” said Webster’s owner, Edward Nerenberg.

In addition to its impressive selection of wallpaper, Webster also offers a wide variety of window treatments and prides itself as being a Benjamin Moore “Signature Store,” offering the respected brand’s full line of paints.

In commemoration of its 60th year in business, Websters also recently underwent its own makeover with new exterior paint, lighting and signs. But, those aren’t the only changes customer can see. The store now offers many “green” choices.

“Webster carries everything from eco-friendly paint and organic wallpaper to energy efficient window treatments,” said Nerenberg. Nerenberg believes these new options will ensure the store’s future. “I know this can only happen if we do our part today to give the younger generations a livable tomorrow,” he concluded.

School Admissions Information for High Schools and Middle Schools

By Molly Ryan

H.S. Fairs and Admissions
In preparation for middle school students applying to high school, the New York City Department of Education is hosting borough high school fairs on Saturday, Oct. 24 and Sunday, Oct. 25, each from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The fairs provide information about the different high schools in each borough and the high school admissions process in general. The Bronx borough high school fair will be held at Theodore Roosevelt Educational Campus (500 E. Fordham Rd.). The fair will only provide information about the schools in the district in which it is located. In this case, that means District 10, which includes almost the entire northwest Bronx.

In addition to the borough high school fairs, the Department of Education is hosting workshops throughout the city on the high school admissions process. Workshops will take place in October and November at a variety of high schools. Visit www.nyc.gov/schools/enrollment for details. Some workshops will focus on the Specialized High School Admissions Test.

Students interested in the eight New York City Specialized Testing High Schools should attend open house events at those schools. For a schedule, visit www.nyc.gov/schools/enrollment.
Eighth graders should have already received high school applications from their middle school. The applications must be returned to middle school guidance counselors by Dec. 4.

Middle School Fairs Over, Applications Due Dec. 15
Over the past month, middle schools across New York City have been hosting fairs for future middle school students. At these fairs, visitors had the opportunity to meet staff and students and learn more about the application process.

Elementary school students should receive their middle school applications at their school in November. These applications are due Dec. 15 and families will be notified of the schools’ acceptance decisions in May. 

Some middle schools with Academically Enriched Programs may require specific tests. Students who plan on applying to these schools should submit a “request for testing” form, available at public elementary schools or at a borough enrollment office, by Oct. 28.

 

Ursula Celebrates Student Achievements

By Alex Gibbons

The Academy of Mount St. Ursula recently celebrated the achievements of students at an honors assembly on Oct. 1.

The assembly, led by school principal Lisa Harrison, recognized outstanding students who exceeded expectations during the 2008-2009 academic year. The night allowed parents and students alike to appreciate academic accomplishments that many times go unrecognized throughout the school year.

Among those honored were 25 seniors who were inducted into the Serviam Chapter of the National Honors Society and 17 students who were recognized for having completed an excess of community service. A dozen students who attended a trip to Brazil were also recognized. The trip, sponsored by the International Study Program at the Brotherhood-Sister Sol in Manhattan, allowed students to interact with young people from Brazil through cultural immersion.
 

Clinton Ends Drought Against Rival Kennedy

By Alex Gibbons

In a matchup of local high school football rivals, the DeWitt Clinton Governors destroyed the John F. Kennedy Knights last Friday night on their own home field.

The 38-14 victory brought the Governors’ current record to 6-1 and put to an end an 11-game losing streak against the Knights.
Junior Clinton quarterback Joaquin DeJesus threw two touchdown passes to lead the Governors. Throughout the course of the game, Joaquin overcame two injuries. Early on, he bruised his right hand after getting it caught in an opponent’s helmet. Later he had trouble breathing after a crushing blow by Kennedy defensive tackle Michael Vasquez.

“He gave a real gutsy performance,” said Clinton Coach Howard Langley. “He was knocked out of the game twice, but he battled to come back in.”

The game was within one touchdown going into the fourth quarter, but the Governors sealed the deal with a touchdown pass to senior Joseph Flores, followed by a scoring run by junior Dominique Warren.
Kennedy, traditionally one of the best teams in the Bronx, remains winless, despite the best efforts of junior QB Denzel Jones, who threw two touchdown passes, one to sophomore Delvin Hilaro and another to senior Freddie Gate.

Clinton is now third in the PSAL Championship league standings, edging past Curtis High School (Staten Island) with their most recent win. With only two more games left in the regular season, Clinton looks to be a favorite this playoff season. “The Bronx rivalry is nice,” said Langley, “but we’re looking forward to the playoffs. We’ve got bigger fish to fry.”

Clinton will host Herbert H. Lehman this Saturday, Oct. 24, and will round out their regular season on Halloween at Christopher Columbus High School.

Don’t Blame Residents for Norwood’s Woes

By None

Re: “Norwood Going Downhill” letter in [the Norwood News]Sept. 24 issue, I’ve never had much use for naysayers, and in the almost 40 years I’ve lived in this community, I’ve heard a lot of them.
When I first moved into the neighborhood, it was changing from a mostly Jewish middle-class neighborhood to a mostly Irish working-class neighborhood, and folks were saying, “There goes the neighborhood.”

I’ve heard the “There goes the neighborhood” cry almost every year since, and as far as I’m concerned, while the faces have changed, the languages have changed, and where people get their income has changed, the vast majority of people in this community are still people looking for a decent place to raise their families.

This is not to say that this community isn’t facing some big challenges, and certainly the fact that the city is allowing apartments to be used for the homeless, or for group homes, without concern for the impact on the community is high on the list. This is especially true for the Department of Homeless Services (DHS). 

It’s my belief that when you’re looking for the source of a problem, you begin by following the money. The folks described in the letter in the Norwood News don’t have a lot of money or a lot of options. The people who make policy, and the people who profit from that policy, do.

 The city, in the form of DHS, allows their contractors to pay landlords more money than they can get from a regular tenant. They also allow those providers to pay to fix run-down apartments – even when the City (in the form of HPD) has cited the landlord for housing code violations; even when HPD has the landlord in court. 

So, by all means let’s look to make change in this community, but please, let’s focus our energies, on those who are responsible. And that’s rarely poor people.
Sally Dunford

This letter originally appeared as a comment on the Bronx News Network blog (bronxnewsnetwork.org).

Ed. Note: The Norwood News’ Sept. 24 Letter to the Editor author suggests that the Norwood neighborhood is being infiltrated by the influx of “troubled low income people with issues” from the South Bronx, resulting in a “diminishing quality of life.”

Espada Must Reconsider Vacancy Decontrol

By None

By Gregory Lobo-Jost

While much fuss has been made over whether State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. actually lives in the Bronx, there is no doubt that his district, which covers much of the northwest Bronx, is comprised primarily of rent-stabilized apartment buildings. The west Bronx’s share of the city’s stock of stabilized units is increasing every year.

This spike is primarily due to a rapid loss of rent-stabilized apartments in other parts of the city, mainly through a provision known as high rent vacancy decontrol.

Through this, an apartment can leave rent stabilization and an owner can charge what the market will bear when the legal registered rent reaches $2,000 and the apartment becomes vacant. This provision is sometimes referred to as “luxury decontrol” since, when it was written 12 years ago, $2,000 a month for rent was considered something only the very wealthy would pay. In occupied apartments where rents are nearing the $2,000 threshold, a landlord may hope for (or even actively work toward) a vacancy in order to deregulate an apartment. 

(A similar provision, known as high rent/high income decontrol allows an apartment to become deregulated when the registered rent reaches $2,000 per month even without a vacancy if the income of the tenants exceeds $175,000 for two calendar years.)

Espada opposes repealing or changing the vacancy decontrol laws, claiming that rents in his mostly low- and moderate-income district are not in danger of reaching the $2,000 threshold.  His stance, however, demonstrates a narrow understanding of vacancy decontrol’s impact on the 33rd Senate District while failing to comprehend the larger impact speculation and gentrification are having on the neighborhoods he represents.

No doubt, other than in the Kingsbridge section of the 33rd District, the damage vacancy decontrol inflicts in the west Bronx is primarily indirect.  High-rent vacancy decontrol has helped to fuel speculation throughout the city during this past boom decade, especially in neighborhoods succumbing to gentrification pressures such as Harlem, East Harlem, Washington Heights, the Lower East Side and much of central Brooklyn. As a result, the number of neighborhoods where working class families can afford to live within city boundaries continues to shrink. Rents remain within reach of these families in few New York City neighborhoods outside of the west Bronx. As a result, there is an increasing concentration of the working poor in the Bronx, including in Espada’s district.

In addition to increasing economic segregation, vacancy decontrol is making it harder to find a decent apartment in the west Bronx as competition for lower rent units gets fiercer. Most of Espada’s district overlaps with community districts that rank among the city’s highest for percentage of households paying more than half of their income on rent, including 35 percent of Community Board 8 households, 38 percent of Board 7 households, and 43 percent of Board 6 households.  (Data is for sub-borough areas from the 2008 Housing and Vacancy Survey.)

Vacancy decontrol has also helped spur on the aggressive tactics used by many landlords, including certain private equity investors, to attempt to achieve higher rates of turnover and thus higher rents in their recently acquired properties. The practices, many of which could qualify as harassment, have been pursued most notably in upper Manhattan, but have also been well documented in the Bronx – including in Espada’s district – going back to Norwood News’ coverage of the Botanical Square properties in October 2005.

In having owners’ sights set on the magical $2,000 rent mark, vacancy decontrol has also encouraged speculation throughout the five boroughs. Speculative investment has, in turn, greatly inflated the city’s real estate bubble over the past decade. We are now beginning to see how devastating the effects of this bubble bursting are, as buildings go into foreclosure, and some are even abandoned in the process. Many more buildings are at risk for foreclosure in the coming years and are currently suffering from cuts in services as owners struggle to make huge mortgage payments. The tenants in these buildings – many of them the Latino constituency Espada claims to be representing, both in and out of his district – are the ones suffering the effects of the speculative market the most.

So, while on the surface it may appear that Espada is justified in rationalizing his indifference to amending vacancy decontrol, the 33rd Senate District is suffering as a result. Granted, all of these problems were around before he came into office, but he now has the chance to make a correction that is long overdue, and the vast majority of those he claims to represent – both residents within his district and Latinos throughout New York – will thank him for taking action.

Gregory Lobo-Jost, a Norwood resident, is deputy director of University Neighborhood Housing Program (www.unhp.org).

Change Begins With Us

By Editorial

Community Board 7 had a quality-of-life hearing last week at Our Lady of Refuge Church and too few people came. If you don’t include members of the board, elected officials and police, there were probably only about 10 residents there.

This, sadly, is not surprising given how often people complain about community problems to no avail and then give up.  Nevertheless, as others have noted, showing up is most of the battle. So we want to highlight what the people who actually showed up think about quality-of-life issues. 

The top issues people felt the community needs to work on were: noise; drug dealing in the streets; outdoor drinking; illegal clubs; and dog droppings.

Please note the emphasis above on “community needs to work on.”  For those who haven’t noticed, Glenda the Good Witch is not flying in from Oz to solve these problems, nor is Mayor Bloomberg or anybody else.

Improving quality of life is essentially the mission of this newspaper and the organization that publishes it – Mosholu Preservation Corporation. The last time we were involved in a meeting about quality-of-life issues, dog owners not cleaning up after their pets was tops on the list of complaints. Since then, we have initiated a Cut the Crap campaign with help from Bedford Mosholu Community Association, Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation, as well as merchants, landlords and dog owners. We think it has made a difference.

So, if the dog droppings are going to stop appearing on the bottoms of our shoes, we have to fix the problem ourselves. For our part, we have purchased signs to gently remind people as well as dogipot dispensers and plastic bags in case a dog owner needs them. And there are dog runs now on the Norwood side of Van Cortlandt Park and in Williamsbridge Oval, largely thanks to the Friends groups in those parks. We think things are better in local parks — not all better, but better. We promise to redouble our efforts.

If all of us are to make an effort on other issues, we need to decide what they are. Community Board 7 is off to a great start by organizing the quality-of-life hearing. Let us know if you agree with those who showed up. What quality-of-life problems are important to you? Once we know, we will report on ways we can all work to solve them. 

Please write to us (e-mail norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org) or comment on the blog (www.bronxnewsnetwork.org).

DEP Meeting Delays Suspicious, Dinowitz Says

By Alex Kratz

The committee created to oversee the construction of the Croton Water Filtration Plant, the largest municipal capital project in the history of New York City, has not met since June, leading to more criticism of the agency in charge of the project, the Department of Environmental Protection.  

A meeting for the Croton Facilities Monitoring Committee (FMC) was scheduled for September, but committee members decided to cancel it when they learned the DEP was not prepared to address some of their concerns about the project’s enormous cost overruns and the details of some upcoming phases of construction, according to Committee Chairman Greg Faulkner.

The October meeting was postponed until Nov. 5 because of scheduling conflicts. Faulkner was in Washington, DC. 
In early September, the city comptroller’s office released an audit of the project’s cost overruns, saying the agency deceived the public with its early cost estimates, either deliberately or through gross incompetence.  

At least one critic of the meeting delays, says the timing of the delays is suspicious.

“This audit should be discussed in public,” said local Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz, an outspoken critic of the entire project since its inception. “The decision to wait until after the election gives the appearance of a political motivation for the delay, namely to not allow the $1.5 billion cost overrun and the DEP’s initial false cost estimates to become political issues prior to the election.” 

Michael Saucier, a spokesperson for the DEP, said the agency was merely responding to requests made by the FMC and that there was no other motivation for the delays.

Bittersweet Ending for Precinct Commander

By Alex Kratz

James Alles had a feeling the time was coming. But the longtime cop didn’t know for sure until he dropped his oldest son off at college in Massachusetts and watched him fade away in the rearview mirror as he drove off.

“It was very emotional,” said Alles of the trip earlier this fall.
It also led Alles, 48, the commanding officer of the 52nd Police Precinct for the past two and a half years, to decide to retire from the NYPD after 28 years on the job. 

Besides his college-bound oldest, Alles has two other sons, one a senior in high school, the other a sophomore. Both play competitive sports. Alles said being able to attend all their games and matches was one of the biggest reasons why he decided to leave a job he obviously loves.

“I really wanted to be there for them and watch them play without having to run off to a meeting downtown,” Alles said in an interview at his office in early October.

The time commitment that comes with being a top cop in the biggest police force in the country was both a burden and a great joy for Alles.

“I tell my [cops] all the time, ‘Enjoy this job and the time you spend on it, because it’s going to go by in a flash,’” he said.
What he’ll miss most, he says, is the camaraderie he felt with his fellow officers. “All the joking, you gotta have thick skin on this job,” Alles said, smiling at the thought of it. “These guys, they’ll rib you to death. All the prank calls.”

All joking aside, Alles said the friendships he’s forged on the job will always stick with him.

“No matter what anyone tells you, this is not just a job, it’s a way of life,” he said. “The people you’re with every day, you count on them for everything.”

Alles said he’ll sometimes run into a random cop friend who he hasn’t seen in a decade and “you pick right up where you left off 10 years ago.”

Though he fell ill earlier this year, Alles said health did not factor into his decision. “It was just my time,” he said. At the end of the last few years, Alles said he’s contemplated retirement, but has stayed on as commanding officer of the 52nd Precinct to complete his commitment. He began his stint in the Five-Two in early 2007. Traditionally, commanding officers are rotated every two or three years to avoid stagnation or corruption.

Crime dropped slightly from 2007 to 2008, according to the seven major crime categories. And despite recent reports of an increase in quality-of-life complaints (such as noise, graffiti and prostitution), violent crime, including murders and shootings, have dropped dramatically this year, compared to last.

Alles has been criticized for not showing up to community board meetings. He said there’s no way he could have made all the meetings he was invited to, but if he had one piece of advice for his replacement, it would be “to sit down with the community board.”

Besides that, Alles says he has no regrets and has accomplished everything he set out to do in the police department. Still, he’ll miss the exciting job he’s held since he was 20 years old.  

“It’s an adventure every day,” he said.

Swine Flu Vaccines On Way

By Katie Riordan

With the winter months looming, the city is preparing to tackle one of the season’s principal ailments, the flu. But this year, it’s not just the seasonal vaccination being offered. 

After causing widespread illness in New York City last spring, infecting an estimated 750,000 to 1 million residents, according to the of Health Department, the H1N1 flu (Swine Flu) vaccination is expected to be widely available by the end of the month.   

Although the Health Department says “overall influenza activity remains at a low level in NYC,” they have already begun distributing the H1N1 vaccination to health care providers. At first, the supply may be limited, but over 1.2 million doses are expected by the end of October.  

“We are delighted that the first vaccine has arrived in advance of the virus,” said the city’s Health Commissioner, Dr. Thomas Farley, in a statement.   

Initially, children and health care workers will be targeted for citywide vaccinations. 

At Montefiore Medical Center in the northwest Bronx, health care workers have already begun administering seasonal vaccines to employees, but as of late last week they are still waiting on shipments of the H1N1 variety. Health care workers are required by state law to receive both vaccinations.

Dr. Nathan Litman, director of pediatrics at Montefiore’s Children’s Hospital, said they are anticipating some reluctance from staff, but regardless, they “will have to comply with the law.”

In order to fulfill its commitment to protecting another vulnerable population, the city will be launching its mass H1N1 vaccination program for schools by the end of the month. It will run for about eight weeks.

All elementary schools, both public and private, will be offering the vaccinations.  Consent forms will be distributed to parents and required in order to receive the vaccine.  Middle and high school students will have the opportunity to be immunized at various health clinics, though the locations have yet to be determined.

“Children are the epicenter of the flu season,” Litman said.  “Protecting schoolchildren not only protects them, but the entire community.” 

The Health Department’s Web site recommends pregnant women, anyone six moths to 24 years old, anyone working with children younger than six months, and anyone ages 25 to 64 with underlying health conditions, be inoculated. But they also say people should speak with primary care physicians to determine when, where, and if they should be vaccinated. 

Although the federal government is providing funding for the vaccine, primary care physicians can charge an administrative fee.  The Health Department will list locations in all five boroughs where inoculations will be available without a fee on its Web site. 

Planning Commission Backs Armory Proposal

By Jordan Moss

The New York City Planning Commission approved the Related Companies’ proposal to develop the Armory into a giant shopping mall on Monday. But in an 8 to 4 vote, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. secured key support in opposing the project from two other borough presidents and the public advocate. Each borough president has an appointee to the commission.

The votes of the Brooklyn and Manhattan borough presidents’ appointees are important because the final decision will be made by the City Council and the borough leaders’ wishes could instruct the votes of many members. The Council will vote within 50 days.  

In his formal role in the city’s land use process, Diaz recommended last month that the City Planning Commission reject the plan because of the absence of a binding Community Benefits Agreement and a requirement sought by unions and community leaders in the  Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA) that the developer only rent to retailers willing to provide a living wage ($10 with benefits) to their workers.

“Related has not adequately addressed the concerns that my office, in conjunction with the elected officials, community board and community groups from the area, have laid out in our community benefits agreement, nor does the developer seem at all interested in doing so,” Diaz said in a statement on Monday after the vote. “We are not asking for anything radical or extreme. We are simply asking that, in a borough that has the highest poverty rate in the nation and has consistently seen the highest unemployment numbers in New York State, Related and their future tenants provide living wage jobs with benefits that allow Bronxites a chance to provide for their families and to build a better life.”

Diaz added that he hoped Related would still sit down to hammer out an agreement.

In explaining why the appointee of Borough President Marty Markowitz of Brooklyn voted against the plan, Laura Sinagra, Markowitz’s spokesperson, told the Norwood News that her boss “agrees with the position that jobs created by this project should pay a living wage.”

The appointees of Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum also voted against the plan. The mayor has seven appointees on the Commission and rarely, if ever, suffers a defeat there.

The Related Companies has repeatedly said that the living wage requirement is not realistic because of the economic downturn since retailers would be paying more than they do at their other locations in the borough. But some experts say a living wage saves retailers money because better paid workers translates into less turnover among employees and requires less training expenses. 
Regardless, neighborhood leaders insist that because the Armory is a public facility that Related will receive public subsidies to develop,  the company must reach an agreement with community residents and local elected officials.

“This is a public project and its development must improve the lives of working people in the community,” said Bedford Park resident and KARA leader Heidi Hynes. “Our City Council representatives now have a golden opportunity to set a precedent that ensures that future development in the city benefit the people of the city, and not just the developers. The City Council must vote ‘No’ on the development of the Kingsbridge Armory until Related signs a binding Community Benefits Agreement.”

Comptroller Candidate John Liu on Development Issues

By Norwood News

John Liu, the Democratic and Working Families Party nominee for comptroller who will take office in January unless one of his three challengers scores an epic upset in the general election, visited the Norwood News on Aug. 18.

His campaign was the only citywide campaign to reach out to request a meeting with the paper.
Following is an excerpt of the interview, with particular emphasis on Liu’s answers to questions about local development issues.

On the Croton Filtration Plant project and other local developments …
The filtration plant fiasco is a glaring example of mismanagement where the goals and timetables are not clearly laid out in advance, but there’s a fancy announcement on the part of the mayor and … wholesale promises of jobs … and nobody is keeping an eye on the actual delivery of these promises.

As comptroller, I would have a huge amount of leverage through the powers of the office to ensure that the original promises made are actually kept and, to the extent that we see serious lapses in the fulfillment of these commitments, to put these promises on a clear timetable, with marked milestones along the way, to actually ensure that the promise of jobs, the promises of housing and other so-called community benefits items are actually delivered.

On Yankee Stadium …
With Yankee Stadium, it’s about some of the financial estimates that went into supporting the project, it’s about the level of subsidies, it’s even about issues like what happened with the promises of box seats for the city, the expense of 100 parking spaces. Those are all details that I would review with a powerful microscope.

On subsidies and tax breaks for developers …
I do not see a general need for that. I think when it comes time to balance our budgets and when sales tax is being increased and senior centers are being cut back, that when it comes to hard choices, eliminating those tax breaks have to be a part of that equation as well. And I’ve made it a part of my platform that … a lot more light needs to be shone on agencies like the EDC [Economic Development Corporation] like the IDA [Industrial Development Agency]. …  There’s a huge lack of transparency when it comes to what the IDA, EDC and there are a couple of other obscure entities within city government that need a great deal of sunlight to be shone on them and I will certainly provide that sunlight.

Ed. Note: Liu’s opponents are Republican Joseph Mendola, Conservative Stuart Avrick, Libertarian John Clifton, and Salim Ejaz of the Rent is Too High party. The election is Nov. 3.

General Election Voter’s Guide

By Norwood News

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polling sites around the city will be open on that day from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. If you do not go to the correct polling site indicated for your address, you will not be able to vote.

If you have questions on how to find your nearest polling place or for qualifications on who can vote, visit the Board of Elections Web site: www.vote.nyc.ny.us or call (718) 299-9017.

If you cannot make it to the polls, you can go to the Board of Elections borough office in the Bronx (1780 Grand Concourse, 5th floor) and request to vote early from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on any day before the election. If you are voting by mail you must request an Absentee Ballot Application by phone (1-800-For-Vote), online, or in person, stating the reason for voting absentee along with your name and mailing address.

To find out more information regarding the election, as well as to hear statements from the candidates, visit the Voter Assistance Commission’s Web site, www.nyc.gov/voter.  Here’s a list of all the candidates in the local and citywide races:

Mayor (Citywide)
William Thompson, Jr. (Democratic, Working Family) www.thompson2009.com; Michael Bloomberg (Incumbent, Republican, Independence/Jobs & Education) www.mikebloomberg.com; Stephen Christopher (Conservative); Francisca Villar (Socialism and Lib); Dan Fein (Socialist Worker); Billy Talen (Green) www. voterevbilly.org; Jimmy McMillan (Rent Is Too High) www.mcmillan09.org; Joseph Dobrian (Libertarian) www.dobrianformayor.com.

Public Advocate (Citywide)
Bill de Blasio (D, WF) www.billdeblasio.com; Alex Zablocki (R) www. alex2009.com; William J. Lee (C); Maura Deluca (SW); Jim Lesczynski (L) www.site.lesczynski.com.

Comptroller (Citywide)
John Liu (D, WF) www.liunewyork.com; Joseph Mendola (R) www.joemendola.com; Stuart Avrick (C); Salim Ejaz (RITH); John Clifton (L).

Bronx Borough President
Ruben Diaz Jr. (D, C) www.diaz2009. com; Allison M. Oldak (R).

Local City Council Races:
11th District
Oliver Koppell (Incumbent, D, WF) www.koppell2009.com; Stylo A Sapaskis (R); Stephen Bradian (C).
   
14th District 
Fernando Cabrera (D, WF) www.fernandocabrera.us; Yessenia A. Duran (R) www.yesseniaduran.com; Lisa Marie Campbell (C).

15th District
Joel Rivera (Incumbent, D, WF); Steven M. Stern (C).

Mayoral Campaign Hits Bronx Streets

By David Greene

On Oct. 11, Bloomberg parachuted (not literally) into Morris Park for a brief march in the annual Columbus Day Parade. Thompson didn’t make it. Before the mayor jumped back into his black SUV, he was heckled by about a dozen protesters (and one dog) upset with the city’s opening (without community notification) of several new homeless shelters in the borough, according to reporter David Greene.

John Bonizio, of the Westchester Square Merchants Association, called Bloomberg a “traitor,” adding, “His coming up to this middle class neighborhood to march in a parade for votes is disrespecting us, with what he’s getting ready to do to this neighborhood.”

Bloomberg walked with Bronx GOP leader Jay Savino, just ahead of a crew of Bronx Democrats, including Councilman Joel Rivera, State Senator Jeff Klein, Assemblyman Michael Benadetto, Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., and State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.

Five days after passing up an opportunity to march in the same parade (in order to prepare for a televised debate, he said), Thompson joined local officials for a campaign walk through Kingsbridge

Thompson met Diaz, Jr. and Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz at West 230th Street and Broadway. The three marched up Broadway, stopping in several stores along Broadway and West 231st Street. While many responded favorably, one woman asked, “Who’s Bill Thompson?”

Speaking to a handful of reporters, Thompson hit Bloomberg on several key issues in the Bronx. He blasted the mayor for inaction regarding the closing of the Stella D’oro cookie factory just up the road, as well as the Westchester Square homeless shelter.

“Stella D’oro was a part of New York City for decades,” Thompson said. “To have them go now is just outrageous.” He added, “The Bloomberg administration has done nothing to try and keep them here. It’s just another example of failed leadership.”

Regarding the city’s proposed homeless shelter in Westchester Square, Thompson said that as the city’s Comptroller, he has joined the lawsuit challenging “the legality of the City’s recent placement of homeless families at 1564 St. Peter’s Ave.”
Bloomberg’s office released a statement regarding Stella D’oro, saying, “The mayor appointed an arbitrator to try to resolve the matter, but the two sides were unable to reach an agreement. The loss of jobs is always troubling, especially during a national economic recession, where replacing them is harder than usual.”

 
CAP: On a campaign trip through Kingsbridge, Bill Thompson (center) is flanked by Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz (left) and Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. (right).    
-Photo by David Greene

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University Heights Underdog Maryoral Candidate Takes On Establishment

By Ashley Villarreal

While most mothers are juggling work and home life, Francisca “Frances” Villar (pictured, center, right), a 26-year-old mom and a student at Lehman College in the Bronx, has started a fierce campaign to run against Mayor Bloomberg in November’s election.

Villar, who lives in University Heights with her two young kids, is running on a third-party ticket for the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL). Saving affordable housing and supporting immigrant and criminal rights are some of her main platforms.

She was a community college senator and is now president of her apartment building’s tenant association. Villar spearheaded a protest last month outside Riker’s Island prison asking officials to “shut down” the prison because of deplorable conditions. The daily Metro heralded Villar recently as the “real face of socialism.”

If New York City is not ready for third party politics, Villar says there are really only two choices in this election: the destructive force of capitalism or socialism. Only the latter, she says, represents working class people.

“I want to show people that socialism is not oblivious and it’s not just a philosophy,” Villar says. “It’s an actual system and I want to try to show people that it benefits all of us, not just a handful of us.”

When she pulls off the biggest upset in the history of mayoral elections, Villar wants to make higher education affordable to low-income people, stop evictions and foreclosures, make unionization efficient for city workers, and raise the minimum wage to $20. She says many of these things can happen if we “stop the $5 billion in taxes and fees we are currently using to pay off all the corporations and banks.”

According to the New York City Campaign Finance Board, Villar has almost $8,000 in funds, most of it coming from in-kind contributions from PSL.

Last week, Villar protested outside El Museo del Barrio in Harlem during the first general election mayoral debate to dispute the campaign finanace board’s policy that candidates raise at least $50,000 before participating in mayoral debates. She says she protested in support of all candidates “who didn’t have a voice.”

Despite being shut out of the debates, not to mention a lack of funding and visibility, Villar says she has just as good a chance as anyone to become mayor. “It’s a problem that our country puts precedence on how much money you have in the bank, because that’s really not what being a political leader should be about.”

Ed. Note: You can read more about Francisca Villar on her campaign Web site, www.pslweb.org. —Ashley VillarREAL

Righteous Rapper Finds Subway Marketplace

By Ashley Villarreal

It’s five o’ clock on a Friday and Eshawn Hall is just starting his evening. Slipping through the doors of the 4-train at Bedford Park Boulevard with CDs in hand and fat headphones wedged above his ears, the veteran rapper/entrepreneur drops his backpack as the train starts moving.

Hall swaggers through the subway cars in a bright blue T-shirt that reads “Magnetic Entertainment” on the back, peddling his wares. He belts out the same jingle in a catchy singsong style. “If you don’t like hip-hop—right now—we don’t either,” he declares.

“I don’t want a CD, but can I have your autograph?” a man says, motioning to Hall as he approaches.

The 34-year-old Hall has made his name as a traveling salesman by being a walking advertisement for his own music, which he’s successfully turned into a part-time business venture.

Over the past decade and a half, Hall (rap alter-ego: DJ Mista Smoke) says he’s independently sold more than 300,000 CDs. Two of his songs are licensed to the cable television show “Starved” and he’s performed alongside the likes of L.L. Cool J and, 2 Live Crew. (He says he had the chance to perform with the Notorious B.I.G. but was working at Pizza Hut and couldn’t afford to lose his job.)

A recent graduate of Metropolitan College, where he earnedith a master’s degree in public administration, Hall lives in the Edenwald section of the Bronx with his wife of four years. When he’s not working his full-time job working for a at a nonprofit housing agency, Hall is hustling his music every week on the subway while riding the train for hours at a time, from the Bronx to Brooklyn and back again.

“We’re in the middle of an economic downturn,” Hall says. “I understand if someone’s not as willing to reach in their pocket and pull out a five dollar bill when they could be using that to pay for gas or for a MetroCard.”

Nevertheless, Hall says he manages to make an extra $70 a day, a little less than when he started in 2004, but with the same motivation to reach out to customers on the trainspread his righteous hip-hop gospel.

“A lot of hip-hop right now is just negative and idiotic,” Hall says.

Hall says his music is different because it doesn’t talk about violence, objectifying women or dealing drugs. (For example, a song written about his lighter talks about all the other ways he uses it besides to smoke cigarettes or weed; “I light it for them, warnings for those that steal, that steal, is it worth getting killed? Getting killed?”)

“I rap about everyday things like arguments with my wife, or trying to make money, and my experiences selling my music,” says Hall, crediting his education for his enlightened lyrical style.
Growing up in the Bronx River Projects, Hall had a front seat to the rise of the Zulu Nation, a cultural movement to revitalize positive hip-hop ideals, founded by legendary hip-hop icon Afrika Bambaataa. 

“I was just a little kid and everyone looked like they were having a great time,” Hall said. “I was just up there looking down from my window, just watching and wishing I could have been part of it.”

At South Carolina State University, Hall began spinning records and performing. He and two like-minded friends formed the musical group, M.P.C., or Most Popular Criminals. After gaining a presence by selling their product out of the trunks of cars, Hall moved back to New York looking to spread his popularity on the East Coast.
One day on the subway he formed his next great idea.

“I was sitting there and I saw these kids come through, doing their whole routine dancing for money,” Hall said. “After a while you want to stop watching, but you know, it’s like a commercial, you’re right there and you can’t avoid them.”

After a mobile candy store and a homeless man had also passed through, Hall thought, “I could do that.” And he has.

But what really drives Hall, he says, is the message he is trying to get out—that the pen is really mightier than the sword. 

“I want kids to see that you can go to school and rap and it doesn’t make you any less of an artist,” he said.

It’s easy for someone to stand on the corner and sell drugs, Hall says. But going to school, getting your degree and legally earning money for your family? That’s hard.

To help those who want to stay on the right path, Hall says he wants to write a self-help book for new college students. “It’s a whole, brave new world for them. A lot of things they’re going to see are going to be drug use, peer pressure, sororities,” he says.

“All these people are just trying to fit, but they’re still expected to go to school and get an education.”

Though he’s still looking for that big breakthrough, Hall prides himself on having made enough money to pay for his entire wedding, including the ring and honeymoon.

“If I don’t get anything else from it, at least I got that.” Hall said. “And that’s a beautiful feeling.”

Ed. Note: To check out music by DJ Mista Smoke, visit his Web site at http://web.mac.com/eshawn_3

With Police Strained, Parts of Board 7 Feel Like ‘Wild West’

By Alex Kratz

Our Lady of Refuge Church, on 196th Street, is under siege. Nearly every night, after longtime maintenance worker Luis Lugo closes the church compound’s 15-foot-high, chain-link gates, neighborhood kids climb over them, looking to cause a ruckus.

Lugo is usually able to chase them out, but he says it’s an example of how brazen, disrespectful and unwieldy the local youth have grown. 

For decades, Our Lady of Refuge has acted as an oasis in the middle of one of the most crime-ridden neighborhoods in the northwest Bronx. Despite pleas by church leaders and local residents, drug dealing, youth violence, late-night muggings and illegal parties remain a constant thorn in the side of the community.

“It’s worse [now],” said Lugo, after testifying in front of a Community Board 7 public safety hearing held at the besieged church last Tuesday night. “The youth are domaining [sic] here and the police department doesn’t have the power to stop it.”

Board 7 leaders called the public safety hearing in response to an avalanche of complaints from residents throughout the board’s geography about everything from excessive noise, increased graffiti and prostitution to ubiquitous dog poop. Complaints like these are common, but the amount of them and the fact they came from all over the Community District 7 led Board members to believe, like Lugo, that the situation had become worse.

About 35 people, including board members, elected officials and city representatives attended the meeting. Deputy Borough President Aurelia Greene, Assemblyman Nelson Castro and Sigfredo Gonzalez, a staffer for State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. all came for the first part of the hearing. Castro and Gonzalez both testified. Only about 10 non-affiliated residents came to the meeting and only a handful, including Lugo and Our Lady of Refuge pastor, Monsignor John Jenik, spoke. Their testimony was limited, but alarming. 

One woman, who had just moved into an apartment on 197th Street in July, said simply, “This a terrible place to live.”
The recent transplant, who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, said an abandoned garage across the street from her home had been turned into a makeshift night club where people partied loudly until the early morning. The situation had deteriorated to the point that when the woman heard a neighbor threaten to kill the operators of the illegal club, she actually thought it wasn’t such a bad idea. 

Another woman, a native New Yorker who said she moved to Norwood four years ago, said the neighborhood where she lives near the 205th Street D-train station had “turned into the Wild West.” She complained about blatant drug dealing and worried that the now unstaffed D-train station was turning into a haven for vagrants and criminals. The vacant parking lot on Webster Avenue and 205th Street, which is going to be turned into a new elementary school, had become a “garbage dump,” she said.

Castro talked about a block on 183rd Street and University Avenue that had become overrun with drug dealers.

Many said they were feeling a lack of police presence, which the Norwood woman thought was odd given that the headquarters of the 52nd Precinct (which is contiguous with Board 7) is just a few blocks away on Webster Avenue and Mosholu Parkway.

Lugo said the lack of police presence is allowing young criminals to believe there won’t be any consequences to their ill behavior. Right in front of the church, he said, teenagers play football with little regard for parked cars or passing pedestrians. Many of them, Lugo said, also deal drugs for some of the local operators. At night, underage drinking is rampant and completely out in the open. Teenagers have no qualms about tossing bottles at passing cars, Lugo said.

Lugo also runs a youth program for kids at the church and says he loses many of them to the streets. He said many of these kids see drug dealers wearing gold chains, riding around in Cadillacs and see role models.

“It’s hard for us to help our kids,” Lugo said. “They see [all the drug dealing] going on all the time and they think it’s not even illegal.”

Lugo said he’s worried it will eventually drive the good, working-class people out of the neighborhood, further driving it downhill.

According to police numbers, violent crime is down significantly in the 52nd Police Precinct. But the precinct is stretched thin in terms of manpower (the precinct is down nearly 90 officers from a year ago), meaning so-called “quality of life” calls, such as noise complaints, underage drinking and graffiti, have become a lower priority for patrolling officers.

After the meeting, Captain Phil Rivera, the precinct’s executive officer, said despite the lack of manpower, the precinct would find a way to beef up its presence. He said in addition to redeploying the precinct’s own resource, they would work with other agencies and other borough-wide police units, such as narcotics and transit, to complement them. 

“We’re taking this very seriously,” Rivera said.

Board 7 Chairman Greg Faulkner said he thought it was good for the precinct to see that it wasn’t just the Board complaining about quality of life issues. “We want to work with them and start up a dialogue,” he said.

Harris Field Contaminated

By Megan Taylor

Heavy metals have been discovered at Harris Field in Bedford Park during the park’s reconstruction, the Norwood News has learned.

The Parks Department declined to answer specific questions about what heavy metals were found, the levels of contamination, or the steps taken to make the site safe. Although the agency claims proper procedures were followed, further questions were referred to its legal department and the Norwood News has filed a Freedom of Information Law request to obtain the information.

Construction at Harris Field, which lies between Lehman College and the Bronx High School of Science, started in April 2008 and is slated for completion in the fall of this year, though workers at the site said the project is behind schedule. It is one of dozens of Bronx parks projects benefiting from a $200 million pool of funds stemming from the city Department of Environmental Protection’s Croton Water Filtration Project in Van Cortlandt Park.

Though the city is required to notify the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) when any quantity of a hazardous or toxic substance is released that might violate air or water quality standards, the DEC had not been alerted to the contamination at Harris Field, said spokesperson Maureen Wren when asked by the Norwood News last week

Since that inquiry, the DEC’s regional director has contacted the Parks Department’s deputy commissioner for Capital Projects to request a briefing on the site’s status, according to another DEC spokesperson, Arturo Garcia-Costas.

Heavy metals are metallic elements with high atomic weights like mercury, chromium, cadmium, arsenic, and lead. Heavy metals become toxic when they are not metabolized by the body and accumulate in the soft tissues. They can enter the body through food, water, air, or absorption through the skin, according to an article by the Life Extension Foundation.

Harris Field is near several schools and is used for Little League games and by the High School of American Studies.

Don Bluestone, executive director of the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, said he hadn’t been told about the situation, but was not surprised. He has been frustrated by the effect of local parks’ construction on his Center’s youth baseball league.
“They almost destroyed our league,” Bluestone said. “The fact that we had zero fields to play on [at Harris] last year was hysterical.”

The Center’s league and other leagues had permits for Harris Field last spring but they were revoked only two weeks after the season started in April. As a result, hundreds of children weren’t able to participate in the league, Bluestone said.

Keisha-Gaye Anderson, a Lehman College spokesperson, also said they had not been alerted to the contamination at Harris.
“They told us nothing,” echoed Phoebe Cooper, assistant principal at the Bronx High School of Science.

Parks spokesperson Jesslyn Moser said in an e-mail that the renovations were budgeted at $8.9 million, although the Department of Parks and Recreation Web site shows a budget of $9.5 million.

The original renovations included rebuilding six fields, adding three staircases and handicapped access, a picnic area, fitness/exercise station, a play area for 5- to 12-year-olds, a water spray area and a play area for toddlers.

Now, according to the Parks Department Web site, the scope of the project appears to be limited to athletic fields, staircases, and ADA access leading into the park.

The land where Harris Field now sits used to be a part of the Jerome Park Reservoir. The Department of Water Supply, Gas & Electricity acquired the land in 1895, but then returned it to the city in 1917.

Harris Field was acquired by the Parks Department in 1940.

By Norwood News

The Norwood News was recently featured in the "Best Of…" Awards in the Village Voice in this week’s issue. They call it the "Best Little Newspaper that Beats the Odds."

We’re obviously very excited about this this recognition and and we thank the Voice for the honor.

The Norwood News, a nonprofit bi-weekly newspaper founded by Mosholu Preservation Corporation (an affilate of Montefiore Medical Center) in 1988 couldn’t exist without its readers, its advertisers, and the many, many people who make publishing it possible — all the staff here at MPC, our talented team of reporting interns, and a bevy of free-lancers who sell advertising, take photos and write stories, proofread, and deliver the paper. Of course, Alex Kratz, the paper’s managing editor, who’s responsible for most of the day-to-day management of the paper, deserves special credit.

The Norwood News is one of the oldest — if not the oldest — nonprofit community papers in the country. There are now six nonprofit papers in the Bronx! In addition to the Norwood News and the two others published by the Bronx News Network — the Mount Hope Monitor and the Tremont Tribune — Bernard Stein, the former editor of the Riverdale Press, publishes the Hunts Point Express and the Mott Haven Herald with his Hunter and CUNY J-School students.

(One minor correction to the Voice write-up. The Bronx News Network does not publish the Highbridge Horizon, which was published until this past summer by Highbridge Community Life Center. Sadly, they ran out of funding and had to suspend publication. We’re trying — along with Buddy Stein — to find a way to revive it.)

Again, thanks to the Voice, and we are grateful to all of you who read, write, comment and support the newspaper in various ways. A good community newspaper requires an engaged community, and, as we say at the top of this blog, ‘…Every neighborhood needs a voice!’ Without your voice there’d be no Norwood News and no Bronx News Network. So keep raising it!

-Jordan Moss

By Norwood News

It’s My Park Day!
Volunteer at Williamsbridge Oval Park on Saturday, Oct. 24. There will be bulb planting, weeding and winterizing from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and trash can painting from noon to 2 p.m. Meet in front of the Recreation Center. For more information, call Jennifer or Michael at (718) 324-4461.

Adult Degree Program
Lehman College is hosting an open house in Carman Hall, basement 08 for its Adult Degree Program on Saturday, Nov. 7 from noon to 1:30 p.m. Information will be provided about financial aid, professional studies and class schedules. For more information, call (718) 960-8666 or visit www.lehman.edu/adultdegree.

Marketing Strategies Workshop
CUNY on the Concourse, at 2501 Grand Concourse, 3rd floor, room 317, will host a free workshop on marketing strategies on Wednesday, Oct. 28 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The workshop is designed to help develop the key tools needed to effectively market, promote and sell your ideas, products, and services. Seating is limited. Call (718) 960-8806 to register.

Fall Into Fitness at MMCC
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center at 3450 DeKalb Ave., has begun its fall fitness schedule. Classes range from step aerobics and zumba classes to belly dancing. For details and/or to register, call (718) 882-4000 ext. 256 or 280.

School Salon Reopened
The School for Professional Beauty Care at Grace Dodge Career and Technical High School, located at 2474 Crotona Ave., has reopened its after-school beauty parlor, The New Image Salon, for the fall semester. The salon, whose services are reasonably priced, is open every Thursday from 2:45 to 5:30 p.m. and is staffed by graduating seniors of the school’s cosmetology program. To schedule an appointment, call (718) 584-2700.

Domestic Violence Awareness Walk
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera is helping organize the 5th annual “Walk With Me,” in order to raise awareness and encourage youth to become active in combating domestic violence. The walk will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 11 a.m. at Mercy College, 1200 Waters Place. For more information, call (718) 409-0109.

PS/MS 20 School Shirts on Sale
PS/MS 20 requires that all students wear the appropriate uniform shirt. If parents wish, they may buy the shirts directly from PS/MS 20. Parents can call Rosa Rosado at (718) 515-9370 ext. 2154, to request an order form. Shirts for Pre-K to 5th graders are $10, and $12 for 6th to 8th graders.

NMCIR Immigration Assistance
The Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights is offering immigration assistance to Bronxites. There is assistance with U.S. citizenship, family petitions, and travel permits. It is offered at Refuge House, 2715 Bainbridge Ave., Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call (718) 484-8294 or email info@NMCIR.org.

Harvest Festival
Bronx Community Board 8 will host the Marble Hill Youthmarket Harvest Festival on Saturday, Oct. 24 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 225th Street between Broadway and Exterior Street. Activities include pumpkin decorating, cooking demonstrations, free craft gifts, a farmers market and more. For more information, call Bronx CB8 at (718) 884-3959.

Scouting for Girl Scouts
Girls from 5 to 17 years old looking to serve the Bronx community, make friends and learn life skills are encouraged to join the Girl Scouts of the Bronx. For more information about joining a Girl Scout troop, visit www.girlscoutsnyc.org or email webbx@girlscoutsnyc.org.

Volunteer at North Bronx Healthcare
The North Bronx Healthcare Network is seeking volunteers for the Sexual Assault Treatment Program run at North Central Bronx Hospital, Jacobi Medical Center, and Lincoln Medical Center. Those interested should be willing to volunteer twice a month and commit to serving the program for one year. For more information, call (718) 519-4788.

Workshops: Children With Disabilities
The Jewish Child Care Association at 555 Bergen Ave. will host monthly workshops from November through June of next year for families and professionals requiring services for children with disabilities. For detailed information and to register, call (212) 677-4650 ext. 20 or visit jccany.org.

Foster Parents Needed
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.

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.

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.

Donate Backpacks to Homeless Kids
Bronx BP Ruben Diaz, Jr. is encouraging Bronx residents to donate backpacks and school supplies to “Operation Backpack.” “Operation Backpack” provides homeless children and students in New York City with backpacks and school supplies to help them succeed in school. To contribute, drop off a new backpack at the Bronx BP office at 851 Grand Concourse, Room 209. To find out more information about Operation Backpack or to make a donation, visit www.OperationBackpackNYC.org.

Farmers Market at Botanical Garden
There will be an all day Wednesday and Saturday Farmers Market at the Botanical Garden through Nov. 14. The Wednesday market will be held near Tulip Tree Allee and the Saturday market will be across the street from the Garden’s Mosholu Gate entrance. Vendors from New York’s Hudson Valley region and beyond offer a variety of home grown products, meats and home baked goods. For more information, visit www.nybg.org/edible_garden/farmers_market.php or call (718) 362-9561 and press 403#.

Self-Defense and Boxing at MMCC
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center at 3450 DeKalb Ave. is offering self defense classes on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays starting at 5:30 p.m. Its boxing program meets on Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. for ages 7 and up. For more information, visit www.mmcc.org or call (718) 882-4000 ext. 0 or ext. 256.

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 E., is holding computer classes on Thursdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Learn how to use the internet and MS Office software. For more information, contact Albert Davis or Tuwanda Ruffin at (718) 654-1851.

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.

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.

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.

-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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

Adult ESL Level 1and 2 Classes
Beginning September 2009 through June 2010, P.S. 94x will be offering Level 1 and 2 ESL classes on Tuesday and Thursdays from 5:30pm to 8:30pm. For more information, contact Ms. Seminario, at (347) 563-4772 or (718) 405- 6345. You can also come to room 201 for more information and for sign up.

 

By Judy Noy

Onstage

The Bronx Library Center located at 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. hosts A Musical Tribute to the Soul Legends, featuring music of Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Luther Vandross and Michael Jackson, Oct. 24 at 2:30 p.m.; and Music From China, Oct. 31 at 2:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 579-4244/46.

The Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, located at 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W., presents Johnny Ventura, performing merengue and joined by four meringue icons ($55 to $75), Oct. 24 at 8 p.m.; Best of MOMIX, featuring music and dance, Nov. 1 at 6 p.m. ($25 to $35; $10/ages 12 and under); and George Clinton & Parliament/Funkadelic, Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. ($45 to $60). For more information, call (718) 960-8833.

Autumnal Variations, a free concert performed by the Lehman College Community Band, will be held on Oct. 25 at 2 p.m. in the Lovinger Theatre, 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W. The program will also include a medley of popular tunes. For more information, call (718) 960-8247.

The Bronx Arts Ensemble presents pianist Valentina Lisitsa performing classical music at 4673 Delafield Ave. in the Fieldston section of the Bronx, Oct. 25 at 3 p.m. ($25). For more information, call (718) 601-7399.

The Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance (BAAD), located at 841 Barretto St. presents its BlakTino Performance Series including Recreating Oz, to re-examine “The Wizard of Oz” as a ‘coming out’ version featuring theatre, dance, song, and drumming, free, Oct. 24 at 8 p.m.; and All the Ladies Say, featuring a hip-hop duo performing music, jamming, art, and a sneak peek screening of “All the Ladies Say,” a documentary highlighting female street dancers, all followed by an after party with an open jam, Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. ($5 to $25 suggested donations). For more details and additional programs, call (718) 842-5223. (See “Events.”)

Events

The Bronx Academy of Arts & Dance (BAAD), located at 841 Barretto St. presents its BlakTino Performance Series including Queer Ricans: Free book discussion by author Lawrence La Fountain-Stokes followed by a book signing, Oct. 22 at 8 p.m.; and Capoeria Dance Classes, offered for all dance levels ($7 per class) including movement from martial arts, African dance and acrobatics, Oct. 24 and 31 at 9:30 a.m. For more details and additional programs, call (718) 842-5223. (See “Onstage.”)

The Enrico Fermi Cultural Center at the Belmont Library, 610 E. 186th St., will host the official Bronx Celebration of Italian Heritage & Culture Month, Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. For more information and to confirm attendance, call (718) 590-3989.

The Bedford Park Congregational Church, located at 201st Street and Bainbridge Avenue, will hold a Fun Fair and Flea Market, Oct. 24 from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The event will include refreshments, raffles, and games. For more information, call Reverend Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj at (718) 367-8996.

The New York Botanical Garden presents several events this fall: The Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden offers Gardens ‘Round the World featuring Caribbean Garden, a pinwheel-shaped plot garden featuring Caribbean crops. Farmers Market/Greenmarket will run through Nov. 15 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays at the base of the Library Allee and Saturdays at the Metro-North Parking Area near Mosholu Gate. Visitors can learn about composting, recycling and growing vegetables at noon, and can take part in cooking or gardening demonstrations. Goodnight Garden will take place Tuesdays through Sundays from 1 to 5:30 p.m. through Nov. 1 in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, to harvest and taste fresh vegetables, make bouquets, and till the soil. The Season in Poetry featuring poets reading their works, will be held Oct. 24 at 4 p.m. in the Jane Watson Irwin Perennial Garden. Other programs through Nov. 15 include Kiku in the Japanese Autumn Garden featuring flower displays; Japanese Autumn Adventures featuring educational children’s programming; Taiko Drumming featuring folk music, weekends from 1 to 3 p.m., and Bonsai featuring dwarf trees on display. For more information and a detailed schedule, call (718) 817-8700 or visit nybg.org.

The Bronx Culture Trolley, a replica of a 20th-century trolley, transports visitors on the first Wednesday of every month 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. The next trip is Nov. 4. For more information, call (718) 931-9500 ext. 33 or log on to www.bronxarts.org.

Exhibits

The New York Botanical Garden presents Ex Libris: Treasues From the LuEsther T. Mertz Library, highlighting some rarely seen items demonstrating botany and horticulture from the 12th century to the present, through Jan. 10, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and The Presence of Trees, photographs of trees in all seasons, by Larry Lederman, in the Ross Gallery (ongoing exhibit). For more information and a detailed schedule, call (718) 817-8700 or visit nybg.org.

The Museum of Bronx History, located at 3266 Bainbridge Ave. (at 208th Street), presents The Bronx: Then and Now, a comparison of the Bronx of today with that of the 19th century, via prints and photographs; and Edgar Allan Poe – A Bicentennial Celebration,.to learn about Poe, his life and his time spent in the Bronx; both through April 15. For more information, call the Bronx County Historical Society at (718) 881-8900.

The Bronx River Art Center, together with the NYC Department of Transportation, present an abstract wooden art sculpture, Aurora, 14 feet tall, 11 feet wide and 11 feet deep, to be on view for 11 months at the center of West Farms Square Plaza located at the base of the West Farms Square/East Tremont Avenue subway station on the corner of East Tremont Avenue and Boston Road, one block away from BRAC which is located at 1087 E. Tremont Ave. For more information, visit www.nyc.gov/urbanart.

Beyond Appearances, an exhibition bringing together a group of approximately 40 artists, includes painting, drawing, sculpture, video, and installation, will be on display Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., through Dec. 11 at the Lehman College Art Gallery, Fine Arts Building, 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W. For more information, call (718) 960-8731.

The Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse at 165th Street, presents an exhibition series commemorating the Grand Concourse’s centennial, featuring The Grand Concourse Commissions, through Jan. 4. Originally called the Grand Boulevard, the Grand Concourse celebrates its 100th year in 2009. For more information, call (718) 681-6000 ext. 120, or visit www.bronxmuseum.org.

Library Events

The Bronx Library Center has events for all ages:
For children and preschoolers, there is Preschool Romp, Oct. 22, 29 and Nov. 5 at 11 a.m.; and films, Oct. 28 and Nov. 4 at 4 p.m.
Also, for school-aged children, there is Pajama Party, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m.; The Sword in the Stone, Oct. 25 at 2 p.m.; Toddler Story Time, Oct. 31 at 11 a.m.; City That Drinks the Mountain Sky, New York City’s system of aqueducts and reservoirs, Nov. 1 at 2 p.m.; and Make a Bookmark, Nov. 5 at 4 p.m.

Young adults can attend Code Breakers!, Nov. 3 at 4 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 Jerome Park Library, at 118 Eames Place, presents Toddler Story Time, Oct. 23 at 11 a.m.; Trickster Tales, Oct. 26 at 2 p.m.; Journey to the West: The Legend of the Monkey King, Nov. 2 at 4 p.m.; and films, Nov. 3 at 4 p.m.; all for school-aged children. For more information, call (718) 549-5200.

Announcements

Daylight Savings Time ends on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 2 a.m. All clocks should be turned back one hour.

NOTE: Items for consideration should be received in our office by Oct. 26 for the next publication date of Nov. 5.

By Alex Kratz

Tapping into what it considers an underserved market, Applebee’s, a national restaurant chain, has opened up two new establishments in the Bronx in last couple of months.

On Aug. 10, Applebee’s opened its doors in Fordham Plaza and three weeks later, on Aug. 31, the company unveiled its new location at the Gateway Mall at the old Bronx Terminal Market. There are also Applebee’s restaurants at Bay Plaza in Pelham Bay and on 225th Street, near Broadway.

“We think it’s an underserved community in terms of sit-down restaurants,” said Zane Tenkel, head of the Applebee’s parent company’s regional affiliate, Apple-Metro, Inc. “At least nothing of any size. We cater to families, we built it in an upscale fashion. Nothing like it in these areas except for ethnic restaurants.”

Tenkel says the company prides itself on not only quality and affordable food, but also by being a good neighbor.
The Fordham Plaza restaurant will employ around 180 people for a mix of part-time and full-time positions, including eight managers, Tenkel said. Servers earn minimum wage, but receive tips. Kitchen employees, he said, start at about $10 an hour and can earn up to $15. The company received 6,000 applications and did 5,000 interviews for the available positions, he said.

At both locations, Tenkel said, Applebee’s held grand opening events where a portion of the proceeds went to the Bronx Children’s Museum.

You may also notice some of walls include photographs from local newspapers, including this one. Before opening, Applebee’s asked around for photographs of local events, so they could give the restaurants a “neighborhood” vibe.

Tenkel, whose Apple-Metro recently won the parent company’s franchise of the year award, said he has no plans on slowing down. “There’s a plan for more expansion [in the Bronx],” he said. “We’re aggressive and we feel like we fit a need.”

By Katie Riordan

Even the smallest redecorating project can seem daunting, but Webster Wallpaper Paint & Blinds, on Webster Avenue and Fordham Road, has promised its customers for the last 60 years to help them achieve any interior design plan.

Thanks to what the family-run business calls “a third generation of return shoppers,” the store, which began as a one-room wallpaper establishment in 1950, has grown to offer one of the largest in-stock selections of wallpaper and borders in the country.

“People appreciate being able to shop at a neighborhood store that has better prices and selection than the big-box stores,” said Webster’s owner, Edward Nerenberg.

In addition to its impressive selection of wallpaper, Webster also offers a wide variety of window treatments and prides itself as being a Benjamin Moore “Signature Store,” offering the respected brand’s full line of paints.

In commemoration of its 60th year in business, Websters also recently underwent its own makeover with new exterior paint, lighting and signs. But, those aren’t the only changes customer can see. The store now offers many “green” choices.

“Webster carries everything from eco-friendly paint and organic wallpaper to energy efficient window treatments,” said Nerenberg. Nerenberg believes these new options will ensure the store’s future. “I know this can only happen if we do our part today to give the younger generations a livable tomorrow,” he concluded.

By Molly Ryan

H.S. Fairs and Admissions
In preparation for middle school students applying to high school, the New York City Department of Education is hosting borough high school fairs on Saturday, Oct. 24 and Sunday, Oct. 25, each from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The fairs provide information about the different high schools in each borough and the high school admissions process in general. The Bronx borough high school fair will be held at Theodore Roosevelt Educational Campus (500 E. Fordham Rd.). The fair will only provide information about the schools in the district in which it is located. In this case, that means District 10, which includes almost the entire northwest Bronx.

In addition to the borough high school fairs, the Department of Education is hosting workshops throughout the city on the high school admissions process. Workshops will take place in October and November at a variety of high schools. Visit www.nyc.gov/schools/enrollment for details. Some workshops will focus on the Specialized High School Admissions Test.

Students interested in the eight New York City Specialized Testing High Schools should attend open house events at those schools. For a schedule, visit www.nyc.gov/schools/enrollment.
Eighth graders should have already received high school applications from their middle school. The applications must be returned to middle school guidance counselors by Dec. 4.

Middle School Fairs Over, Applications Due Dec. 15
Over the past month, middle schools across New York City have been hosting fairs for future middle school students. At these fairs, visitors had the opportunity to meet staff and students and learn more about the application process.

Elementary school students should receive their middle school applications at their school in November. These applications are due Dec. 15 and families will be notified of the schools’ acceptance decisions in May. 

Some middle schools with Academically Enriched Programs may require specific tests. Students who plan on applying to these schools should submit a “request for testing” form, available at public elementary schools or at a borough enrollment office, by Oct. 28.

 

By Alex Gibbons

The Academy of Mount St. Ursula recently celebrated the achievements of students at an honors assembly on Oct. 1.

The assembly, led by school principal Lisa Harrison, recognized outstanding students who exceeded expectations during the 2008-2009 academic year. The night allowed parents and students alike to appreciate academic accomplishments that many times go unrecognized throughout the school year.

Among those honored were 25 seniors who were inducted into the Serviam Chapter of the National Honors Society and 17 students who were recognized for having completed an excess of community service. A dozen students who attended a trip to Brazil were also recognized. The trip, sponsored by the International Study Program at the Brotherhood-Sister Sol in Manhattan, allowed students to interact with young people from Brazil through cultural immersion.
 

By Alex Gibbons

In a matchup of local high school football rivals, the DeWitt Clinton Governors destroyed the John F. Kennedy Knights last Friday night on their own home field.

The 38-14 victory brought the Governors’ current record to 6-1 and put to an end an 11-game losing streak against the Knights.
Junior Clinton quarterback Joaquin DeJesus threw two touchdown passes to lead the Governors. Throughout the course of the game, Joaquin overcame two injuries. Early on, he bruised his right hand after getting it caught in an opponent’s helmet. Later he had trouble breathing after a crushing blow by Kennedy defensive tackle Michael Vasquez.

“He gave a real gutsy performance,” said Clinton Coach Howard Langley. “He was knocked out of the game twice, but he battled to come back in.”

The game was within one touchdown going into the fourth quarter, but the Governors sealed the deal with a touchdown pass to senior Joseph Flores, followed by a scoring run by junior Dominique Warren.
Kennedy, traditionally one of the best teams in the Bronx, remains winless, despite the best efforts of junior QB Denzel Jones, who threw two touchdown passes, one to sophomore Delvin Hilaro and another to senior Freddie Gate.

Clinton is now third in the PSAL Championship league standings, edging past Curtis High School (Staten Island) with their most recent win. With only two more games left in the regular season, Clinton looks to be a favorite this playoff season. “The Bronx rivalry is nice,” said Langley, “but we’re looking forward to the playoffs. We’ve got bigger fish to fry.”

Clinton will host Herbert H. Lehman this Saturday, Oct. 24, and will round out their regular season on Halloween at Christopher Columbus High School.

By None

Re: “Norwood Going Downhill” letter in [the Norwood News]Sept. 24 issue, I’ve never had much use for naysayers, and in the almost 40 years I’ve lived in this community, I’ve heard a lot of them.
When I first moved into the neighborhood, it was changing from a mostly Jewish middle-class neighborhood to a mostly Irish working-class neighborhood, and folks were saying, “There goes the neighborhood.”

I’ve heard the “There goes the neighborhood” cry almost every year since, and as far as I’m concerned, while the faces have changed, the languages have changed, and where people get their income has changed, the vast majority of people in this community are still people looking for a decent place to raise their families.

This is not to say that this community isn’t facing some big challenges, and certainly the fact that the city is allowing apartments to be used for the homeless, or for group homes, without concern for the impact on the community is high on the list. This is especially true for the Department of Homeless Services (DHS). 

It’s my belief that when you’re looking for the source of a problem, you begin by following the money. The folks described in the letter in the Norwood News don’t have a lot of money or a lot of options. The people who make policy, and the people who profit from that policy, do.

 The city, in the form of DHS, allows their contractors to pay landlords more money than they can get from a regular tenant. They also allow those providers to pay to fix run-down apartments – even when the City (in the form of HPD) has cited the landlord for housing code violations; even when HPD has the landlord in court. 

So, by all means let’s look to make change in this community, but please, let’s focus our energies, on those who are responsible. And that’s rarely poor people.
Sally Dunford

This letter originally appeared as a comment on the Bronx News Network blog (bronxnewsnetwork.org).

Ed. Note: The Norwood News’ Sept. 24 Letter to the Editor author suggests that the Norwood neighborhood is being infiltrated by the influx of “troubled low income people with issues” from the South Bronx, resulting in a “diminishing quality of life.”

By None

By Gregory Lobo-Jost

While much fuss has been made over whether State Senator Pedro Espada Jr. actually lives in the Bronx, there is no doubt that his district, which covers much of the northwest Bronx, is comprised primarily of rent-stabilized apartment buildings. The west Bronx’s share of the city’s stock of stabilized units is increasing every year.

This spike is primarily due to a rapid loss of rent-stabilized apartments in other parts of the city, mainly through a provision known as high rent vacancy decontrol.

Through this, an apartment can leave rent stabilization and an owner can charge what the market will bear when the legal registered rent reaches $2,000 and the apartment becomes vacant. This provision is sometimes referred to as “luxury decontrol” since, when it was written 12 years ago, $2,000 a month for rent was considered something only the very wealthy would pay. In occupied apartments where rents are nearing the $2,000 threshold, a landlord may hope for (or even actively work toward) a vacancy in order to deregulate an apartment. 

(A similar provision, known as high rent/high income decontrol allows an apartment to become deregulated when the registered rent reaches $2,000 per month even without a vacancy if the income of the tenants exceeds $175,000 for two calendar years.)

Espada opposes repealing or changing the vacancy decontrol laws, claiming that rents in his mostly low- and moderate-income district are not in danger of reaching the $2,000 threshold.  His stance, however, demonstrates a narrow understanding of vacancy decontrol’s impact on the 33rd Senate District while failing to comprehend the larger impact speculation and gentrification are having on the neighborhoods he represents.

No doubt, other than in the Kingsbridge section of the 33rd District, the damage vacancy decontrol inflicts in the west Bronx is primarily indirect.  High-rent vacancy decontrol has helped to fuel speculation throughout the city during this past boom decade, especially in neighborhoods succumbing to gentrification pressures such as Harlem, East Harlem, Washington Heights, the Lower East Side and much of central Brooklyn. As a result, the number of neighborhoods where working class families can afford to live within city boundaries continues to shrink. Rents remain within reach of these families in few New York City neighborhoods outside of the west Bronx. As a result, there is an increasing concentration of the working poor in the Bronx, including in Espada’s district.

In addition to increasing economic segregation, vacancy decontrol is making it harder to find a decent apartment in the west Bronx as competition for lower rent units gets fiercer. Most of Espada’s district overlaps with community districts that rank among the city’s highest for percentage of households paying more than half of their income on rent, including 35 percent of Community Board 8 households, 38 percent of Board 7 households, and 43 percent of Board 6 households.  (Data is for sub-borough areas from the 2008 Housing and Vacancy Survey.)

Vacancy decontrol has also helped spur on the aggressive tactics used by many landlords, including certain private equity investors, to attempt to achieve higher rates of turnover and thus higher rents in their recently acquired properties. The practices, many of which could qualify as harassment, have been pursued most notably in upper Manhattan, but have also been well documented in the Bronx – including in Espada’s district – going back to Norwood News’ coverage of the Botanical Square properties in October 2005.

In having owners’ sights set on the magical $2,000 rent mark, vacancy decontrol has also encouraged speculation throughout the five boroughs. Speculative investment has, in turn, greatly inflated the city’s real estate bubble over the past decade. We are now beginning to see how devastating the effects of this bubble bursting are, as buildings go into foreclosure, and some are even abandoned in the process. Many more buildings are at risk for foreclosure in the coming years and are currently suffering from cuts in services as owners struggle to make huge mortgage payments. The tenants in these buildings – many of them the Latino constituency Espada claims to be representing, both in and out of his district – are the ones suffering the effects of the speculative market the most.

So, while on the surface it may appear that Espada is justified in rationalizing his indifference to amending vacancy decontrol, the 33rd Senate District is suffering as a result. Granted, all of these problems were around before he came into office, but he now has the chance to make a correction that is long overdue, and the vast majority of those he claims to represent – both residents within his district and Latinos throughout New York – will thank him for taking action.

Gregory Lobo-Jost, a Norwood resident, is deputy director of University Neighborhood Housing Program (www.unhp.org).

By Editorial

Community Board 7 had a quality-of-life hearing last week at Our Lady of Refuge Church and too few people came. If you don’t include members of the board, elected officials and police, there were probably only about 10 residents there.

This, sadly, is not surprising given how often people complain about community problems to no avail and then give up.  Nevertheless, as others have noted, showing up is most of the battle. So we want to highlight what the people who actually showed up think about quality-of-life issues. 

The top issues people felt the community needs to work on were: noise; drug dealing in the streets; outdoor drinking; illegal clubs; and dog droppings.

Please note the emphasis above on “community needs to work on.”  For those who haven’t noticed, Glenda the Good Witch is not flying in from Oz to solve these problems, nor is Mayor Bloomberg or anybody else.

Improving quality of life is essentially the mission of this newspaper and the organization that publishes it – Mosholu Preservation Corporation. The last time we were involved in a meeting about quality-of-life issues, dog owners not cleaning up after their pets was tops on the list of complaints. Since then, we have initiated a Cut the Crap campaign with help from Bedford Mosholu Community Association, Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation, as well as merchants, landlords and dog owners. We think it has made a difference.

So, if the dog droppings are going to stop appearing on the bottoms of our shoes, we have to fix the problem ourselves. For our part, we have purchased signs to gently remind people as well as dogipot dispensers and plastic bags in case a dog owner needs them. And there are dog runs now on the Norwood side of Van Cortlandt Park and in Williamsbridge Oval, largely thanks to the Friends groups in those parks. We think things are better in local parks — not all better, but better. We promise to redouble our efforts.

If all of us are to make an effort on other issues, we need to decide what they are. Community Board 7 is off to a great start by organizing the quality-of-life hearing. Let us know if you agree with those who showed up. What quality-of-life problems are important to you? Once we know, we will report on ways we can all work to solve them. 

Please write to us (e-mail norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org) or comment on the blog (www.bronxnewsnetwork.org).

By Alex Kratz

The committee created to oversee the construction of the Croton Water Filtration Plant, the largest municipal capital project in the history of New York City, has not met since June, leading to more criticism of the agency in charge of the project, the Department of Environmental Protection.  

A meeting for the Croton Facilities Monitoring Committee (FMC) was scheduled for September, but committee members decided to cancel it when they learned the DEP was not prepared to address some of their concerns about the project’s enormous cost overruns and the details of some upcoming phases of construction, according to Committee Chairman Greg Faulkner.

The October meeting was postponed until Nov. 5 because of scheduling conflicts. Faulkner was in Washington, DC. 
In early September, the city comptroller’s office released an audit of the project’s cost overruns, saying the agency deceived the public with its early cost estimates, either deliberately or through gross incompetence.  

At least one critic of the meeting delays, says the timing of the delays is suspicious.

“This audit should be discussed in public,” said local Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz, an outspoken critic of the entire project since its inception. “The decision to wait until after the election gives the appearance of a political motivation for the delay, namely to not allow the $1.5 billion cost overrun and the DEP’s initial false cost estimates to become political issues prior to the election.” 

Michael Saucier, a spokesperson for the DEP, said the agency was merely responding to requests made by the FMC and that there was no other motivation for the delays.

By Alex Kratz

James Alles had a feeling the time was coming. But the longtime cop didn’t know for sure until he dropped his oldest son off at college in Massachusetts and watched him fade away in the rearview mirror as he drove off.

“It was very emotional,” said Alles of the trip earlier this fall.
It also led Alles, 48, the commanding officer of the 52nd Police Precinct for the past two and a half years, to decide to retire from the NYPD after 28 years on the job. 

Besides his college-bound oldest, Alles has two other sons, one a senior in high school, the other a sophomore. Both play competitive sports. Alles said being able to attend all their games and matches was one of the biggest reasons why he decided to leave a job he obviously loves.

“I really wanted to be there for them and watch them play without having to run off to a meeting downtown,” Alles said in an interview at his office in early October.

The time commitment that comes with being a top cop in the biggest police force in the country was both a burden and a great joy for Alles.

“I tell my [cops] all the time, ‘Enjoy this job and the time you spend on it, because it’s going to go by in a flash,’” he said.
What he’ll miss most, he says, is the camaraderie he felt with his fellow officers. “All the joking, you gotta have thick skin on this job,” Alles said, smiling at the thought of it. “These guys, they’ll rib you to death. All the prank calls.”

All joking aside, Alles said the friendships he’s forged on the job will always stick with him.

“No matter what anyone tells you, this is not just a job, it’s a way of life,” he said. “The people you’re with every day, you count on them for everything.”

Alles said he’ll sometimes run into a random cop friend who he hasn’t seen in a decade and “you pick right up where you left off 10 years ago.”

Though he fell ill earlier this year, Alles said health did not factor into his decision. “It was just my time,” he said. At the end of the last few years, Alles said he’s contemplated retirement, but has stayed on as commanding officer of the 52nd Precinct to complete his commitment. He began his stint in the Five-Two in early 2007. Traditionally, commanding officers are rotated every two or three years to avoid stagnation or corruption.

Crime dropped slightly from 2007 to 2008, according to the seven major crime categories. And despite recent reports of an increase in quality-of-life complaints (such as noise, graffiti and prostitution), violent crime, including murders and shootings, have dropped dramatically this year, compared to last.

Alles has been criticized for not showing up to community board meetings. He said there’s no way he could have made all the meetings he was invited to, but if he had one piece of advice for his replacement, it would be “to sit down with the community board.”

Besides that, Alles says he has no regrets and has accomplished everything he set out to do in the police department. Still, he’ll miss the exciting job he’s held since he was 20 years old.  

“It’s an adventure every day,” he said.

By Katie Riordan

With the winter months looming, the city is preparing to tackle one of the season’s principal ailments, the flu. But this year, it’s not just the seasonal vaccination being offered. 

After causing widespread illness in New York City last spring, infecting an estimated 750,000 to 1 million residents, according to the of Health Department, the H1N1 flu (Swine Flu) vaccination is expected to be widely available by the end of the month.   

Although the Health Department says “overall influenza activity remains at a low level in NYC,” they have already begun distributing the H1N1 vaccination to health care providers. At first, the supply may be limited, but over 1.2 million doses are expected by the end of October.  

“We are delighted that the first vaccine has arrived in advance of the virus,” said the city’s Health Commissioner, Dr. Thomas Farley, in a statement.   

Initially, children and health care workers will be targeted for citywide vaccinations. 

At Montefiore Medical Center in the northwest Bronx, health care workers have already begun administering seasonal vaccines to employees, but as of late last week they are still waiting on shipments of the H1N1 variety. Health care workers are required by state law to receive both vaccinations.

Dr. Nathan Litman, director of pediatrics at Montefiore’s Children’s Hospital, said they are anticipating some reluctance from staff, but regardless, they “will have to comply with the law.”

In order to fulfill its commitment to protecting another vulnerable population, the city will be launching its mass H1N1 vaccination program for schools by the end of the month. It will run for about eight weeks.

All elementary schools, both public and private, will be offering the vaccinations.  Consent forms will be distributed to parents and required in order to receive the vaccine.  Middle and high school students will have the opportunity to be immunized at various health clinics, though the locations have yet to be determined.

“Children are the epicenter of the flu season,” Litman said.  “Protecting schoolchildren not only protects them, but the entire community.” 

The Health Department’s Web site recommends pregnant women, anyone six moths to 24 years old, anyone working with children younger than six months, and anyone ages 25 to 64 with underlying health conditions, be inoculated. But they also say people should speak with primary care physicians to determine when, where, and if they should be vaccinated. 

Although the federal government is providing funding for the vaccine, primary care physicians can charge an administrative fee.  The Health Department will list locations in all five boroughs where inoculations will be available without a fee on its Web site. 

By Jordan Moss

The New York City Planning Commission approved the Related Companies’ proposal to develop the Armory into a giant shopping mall on Monday. But in an 8 to 4 vote, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. secured key support in opposing the project from two other borough presidents and the public advocate. Each borough president has an appointee to the commission.

The votes of the Brooklyn and Manhattan borough presidents’ appointees are important because the final decision will be made by the City Council and the borough leaders’ wishes could instruct the votes of many members. The Council will vote within 50 days.  

In his formal role in the city’s land use process, Diaz recommended last month that the City Planning Commission reject the plan because of the absence of a binding Community Benefits Agreement and a requirement sought by unions and community leaders in the  Kingsbridge Armory Redevelopment Alliance (KARA) that the developer only rent to retailers willing to provide a living wage ($10 with benefits) to their workers.

“Related has not adequately addressed the concerns that my office, in conjunction with the elected officials, community board and community groups from the area, have laid out in our community benefits agreement, nor does the developer seem at all interested in doing so,” Diaz said in a statement on Monday after the vote. “We are not asking for anything radical or extreme. We are simply asking that, in a borough that has the highest poverty rate in the nation and has consistently seen the highest unemployment numbers in New York State, Related and their future tenants provide living wage jobs with benefits that allow Bronxites a chance to provide for their families and to build a better life.”

Diaz added that he hoped Related would still sit down to hammer out an agreement.

In explaining why the appointee of Borough President Marty Markowitz of Brooklyn voted against the plan, Laura Sinagra, Markowitz’s spokesperson, told the Norwood News that her boss “agrees with the position that jobs created by this project should pay a living wage.”

The appointees of Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum also voted against the plan. The mayor has seven appointees on the Commission and rarely, if ever, suffers a defeat there.

The Related Companies has repeatedly said that the living wage requirement is not realistic because of the economic downturn since retailers would be paying more than they do at their other locations in the borough. But some experts say a living wage saves retailers money because better paid workers translates into less turnover among employees and requires less training expenses. 
Regardless, neighborhood leaders insist that because the Armory is a public facility that Related will receive public subsidies to develop,  the company must reach an agreement with community residents and local elected officials.

“This is a public project and its development must improve the lives of working people in the community,” said Bedford Park resident and KARA leader Heidi Hynes. “Our City Council representatives now have a golden opportunity to set a precedent that ensures that future development in the city benefit the people of the city, and not just the developers. The City Council must vote ‘No’ on the development of the Kingsbridge Armory until Related signs a binding Community Benefits Agreement.”

By Norwood News

John Liu, the Democratic and Working Families Party nominee for comptroller who will take office in January unless one of his three challengers scores an epic upset in the general election, visited the Norwood News on Aug. 18.

His campaign was the only citywide campaign to reach out to request a meeting with the paper.
Following is an excerpt of the interview, with particular emphasis on Liu’s answers to questions about local development issues.

On the Croton Filtration Plant project and other local developments …
The filtration plant fiasco is a glaring example of mismanagement where the goals and timetables are not clearly laid out in advance, but there’s a fancy announcement on the part of the mayor and … wholesale promises of jobs … and nobody is keeping an eye on the actual delivery of these promises.

As comptroller, I would have a huge amount of leverage through the powers of the office to ensure that the original promises made are actually kept and, to the extent that we see serious lapses in the fulfillment of these commitments, to put these promises on a clear timetable, with marked milestones along the way, to actually ensure that the promise of jobs, the promises of housing and other so-called community benefits items are actually delivered.

On Yankee Stadium …
With Yankee Stadium, it’s about some of the financial estimates that went into supporting the project, it’s about the level of subsidies, it’s even about issues like what happened with the promises of box seats for the city, the expense of 100 parking spaces. Those are all details that I would review with a powerful microscope.

On subsidies and tax breaks for developers …
I do not see a general need for that. I think when it comes time to balance our budgets and when sales tax is being increased and senior centers are being cut back, that when it comes to hard choices, eliminating those tax breaks have to be a part of that equation as well. And I’ve made it a part of my platform that … a lot more light needs to be shone on agencies like the EDC [Economic Development Corporation] like the IDA [Industrial Development Agency]. …  There’s a huge lack of transparency when it comes to what the IDA, EDC and there are a couple of other obscure entities within city government that need a great deal of sunlight to be shone on them and I will certainly provide that sunlight.

Ed. Note: Liu’s opponents are Republican Joseph Mendola, Conservative Stuart Avrick, Libertarian John Clifton, and Salim Ejaz of the Rent is Too High party. The election is Nov. 3.

By Norwood News

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polling sites around the city will be open on that day from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. If you do not go to the correct polling site indicated for your address, you will not be able to vote.

If you have questions on how to find your nearest polling place or for qualifications on who can vote, visit the Board of Elections Web site: www.vote.nyc.ny.us or call (718) 299-9017.

If you cannot make it to the polls, you can go to the Board of Elections borough office in the Bronx (1780 Grand Concourse, 5th floor) and request to vote early from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on any day before the election. If you are voting by mail you must request an Absentee Ballot Application by phone (1-800-For-Vote), online, or in person, stating the reason for voting absentee along with your name and mailing address.

To find out more information regarding the election, as well as to hear statements from the candidates, visit the Voter Assistance Commission’s Web site, www.nyc.gov/voter.  Here’s a list of all the candidates in the local and citywide races:

Mayor (Citywide)
William Thompson, Jr. (Democratic, Working Family) www.thompson2009.com; Michael Bloomberg (Incumbent, Republican, Independence/Jobs & Education) www.mikebloomberg.com; Stephen Christopher (Conservative); Francisca Villar (Socialism and Lib); Dan Fein (Socialist Worker); Billy Talen (Green) www. voterevbilly.org; Jimmy McMillan (Rent Is Too High) www.mcmillan09.org; Joseph Dobrian (Libertarian) www.dobrianformayor.com.

Public Advocate (Citywide)
Bill de Blasio (D, WF) www.billdeblasio.com; Alex Zablocki (R) www. alex2009.com; William J. Lee (C); Maura Deluca (SW); Jim Lesczynski (L) www.site.lesczynski.com.

Comptroller (Citywide)
John Liu (D, WF) www.liunewyork.com; Joseph Mendola (R) www.joemendola.com; Stuart Avrick (C); Salim Ejaz (RITH); John Clifton (L).

Bronx Borough President
Ruben Diaz Jr. (D, C) www.diaz2009. com; Allison M. Oldak (R).

Local City Council Races:
11th District
Oliver Koppell (Incumbent, D, WF) www.koppell2009.com; Stylo A Sapaskis (R); Stephen Bradian (C).
   
14th District 
Fernando Cabrera (D, WF) www.fernandocabrera.us; Yessenia A. Duran (R) www.yesseniaduran.com; Lisa Marie Campbell (C).

15th District
Joel Rivera (Incumbent, D, WF); Steven M. Stern (C).

By David Greene

On Oct. 11, Bloomberg parachuted (not literally) into Morris Park for a brief march in the annual Columbus Day Parade. Thompson didn’t make it. Before the mayor jumped back into his black SUV, he was heckled by about a dozen protesters (and one dog) upset with the city’s opening (without community notification) of several new homeless shelters in the borough, according to reporter David Greene.

John Bonizio, of the Westchester Square Merchants Association, called Bloomberg a “traitor,” adding, “His coming up to this middle class neighborhood to march in a parade for votes is disrespecting us, with what he’s getting ready to do to this neighborhood.”

Bloomberg walked with Bronx GOP leader Jay Savino, just ahead of a crew of Bronx Democrats, including Councilman Joel Rivera, State Senator Jeff Klein, Assemblyman Michael Benadetto, Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., and State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.

Five days after passing up an opportunity to march in the same parade (in order to prepare for a televised debate, he said), Thompson joined local officials for a campaign walk through Kingsbridge

Thompson met Diaz, Jr. and Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz at West 230th Street and Broadway. The three marched up Broadway, stopping in several stores along Broadway and West 231st Street. While many responded favorably, one woman asked, “Who’s Bill Thompson?”

Speaking to a handful of reporters, Thompson hit Bloomberg on several key issues in the Bronx. He blasted the mayor for inaction regarding the closing of the Stella D’oro cookie factory just up the road, as well as the Westchester Square homeless shelter.

“Stella D’oro was a part of New York City for decades,” Thompson said. “To have them go now is just outrageous.” He added, “The Bloomberg administration has done nothing to try and keep them here. It’s just another example of failed leadership.”

Regarding the city’s proposed homeless shelter in Westchester Square, Thompson said that as the city’s Comptroller, he has joined the lawsuit challenging “the legality of the City’s recent placement of homeless families at 1564 St. Peter’s Ave.”
Bloomberg’s office released a statement regarding Stella D’oro, saying, “The mayor appointed an arbitrator to try to resolve the matter, but the two sides were unable to reach an agreement. The loss of jobs is always troubling, especially during a national economic recession, where replacing them is harder than usual.”

 
CAP: On a campaign trip through Kingsbridge, Bill Thompson (center) is flanked by Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz (left) and Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. (right).    
-Photo by David Greene

On the Blog

Public and Community Meetings
 

By Ashley Villarreal

While most mothers are juggling work and home life, Francisca “Frances” Villar (pictured, center, right), a 26-year-old mom and a student at Lehman College in the Bronx, has started a fierce campaign to run against Mayor Bloomberg in November’s election.

Villar, who lives in University Heights with her two young kids, is running on a third-party ticket for the Party for Socialism and Liberation (PSL). Saving affordable housing and supporting immigrant and criminal rights are some of her main platforms.

She was a community college senator and is now president of her apartment building’s tenant association. Villar spearheaded a protest last month outside Riker’s Island prison asking officials to “shut down” the prison because of deplorable conditions. The daily Metro heralded Villar recently as the “real face of socialism.”

If New York City is not ready for third party politics, Villar says there are really only two choices in this election: the destructive force of capitalism or socialism. Only the latter, she says, represents working class people.

“I want to show people that socialism is not oblivious and it’s not just a philosophy,” Villar says. “It’s an actual system and I want to try to show people that it benefits all of us, not just a handful of us.”

When she pulls off the biggest upset in the history of mayoral elections, Villar wants to make higher education affordable to low-income people, stop evictions and foreclosures, make unionization efficient for city workers, and raise the minimum wage to $20. She says many of these things can happen if we “stop the $5 billion in taxes and fees we are currently using to pay off all the corporations and banks.”

According to the New York City Campaign Finance Board, Villar has almost $8,000 in funds, most of it coming from in-kind contributions from PSL.

Last week, Villar protested outside El Museo del Barrio in Harlem during the first general election mayoral debate to dispute the campaign finanace board’s policy that candidates raise at least $50,000 before participating in mayoral debates. She says she protested in support of all candidates “who didn’t have a voice.”

Despite being shut out of the debates, not to mention a lack of funding and visibility, Villar says she has just as good a chance as anyone to become mayor. “It’s a problem that our country puts precedence on how much money you have in the bank, because that’s really not what being a political leader should be about.”

Ed. Note: You can read more about Francisca Villar on her campaign Web site, www.pslweb.org. —Ashley VillarREAL

By Ashley Villarreal

It’s five o’ clock on a Friday and Eshawn Hall is just starting his evening. Slipping through the doors of the 4-train at Bedford Park Boulevard with CDs in hand and fat headphones wedged above his ears, the veteran rapper/entrepreneur drops his backpack as the train starts moving.

Hall swaggers through the subway cars in a bright blue T-shirt that reads “Magnetic Entertainment” on the back, peddling his wares. He belts out the same jingle in a catchy singsong style. “If you don’t like hip-hop—right now—we don’t either,” he declares.

“I don’t want a CD, but can I have your autograph?” a man says, motioning to Hall as he approaches.

The 34-year-old Hall has made his name as a traveling salesman by being a walking advertisement for his own music, which he’s successfully turned into a part-time business venture.

Over the past decade and a half, Hall (rap alter-ego: DJ Mista Smoke) says he’s independently sold more than 300,000 CDs. Two of his songs are licensed to the cable television show “Starved” and he’s performed alongside the likes of L.L. Cool J and, 2 Live Crew. (He says he had the chance to perform with the Notorious B.I.G. but was working at Pizza Hut and couldn’t afford to lose his job.)

A recent graduate of Metropolitan College, where he earnedith a master’s degree in public administration, Hall lives in the Edenwald section of the Bronx with his wife of four years. When he’s not working his full-time job working for a at a nonprofit housing agency, Hall is hustling his music every week on the subway while riding the train for hours at a time, from the Bronx to Brooklyn and back again.

“We’re in the middle of an economic downturn,” Hall says. “I understand if someone’s not as willing to reach in their pocket and pull out a five dollar bill when they could be using that to pay for gas or for a MetroCard.”

Nevertheless, Hall says he manages to make an extra $70 a day, a little less than when he started in 2004, but with the same motivation to reach out to customers on the trainspread his righteous hip-hop gospel.

“A lot of hip-hop right now is just negative and idiotic,” Hall says.

Hall says his music is different because it doesn’t talk about violence, objectifying women or dealing drugs. (For example, a song written about his lighter talks about all the other ways he uses it besides to smoke cigarettes or weed; “I light it for them, warnings for those that steal, that steal, is it worth getting killed? Getting killed?”)

“I rap about everyday things like arguments with my wife, or trying to make money, and my experiences selling my music,” says Hall, crediting his education for his enlightened lyrical style.
Growing up in the Bronx River Projects, Hall had a front seat to the rise of the Zulu Nation, a cultural movement to revitalize positive hip-hop ideals, founded by legendary hip-hop icon Afrika Bambaataa. 

“I was just a little kid and everyone looked like they were having a great time,” Hall said. “I was just up there looking down from my window, just watching and wishing I could have been part of it.”

At South Carolina State University, Hall began spinning records and performing. He and two like-minded friends formed the musical group, M.P.C., or Most Popular Criminals. After gaining a presence by selling their product out of the trunks of cars, Hall moved back to New York looking to spread his popularity on the East Coast.
One day on the subway he formed his next great idea.

“I was sitting there and I saw these kids come through, doing their whole routine dancing for money,” Hall said. “After a while you want to stop watching, but you know, it’s like a commercial, you’re right there and you can’t avoid them.”

After a mobile candy store and a homeless man had also passed through, Hall thought, “I could do that.” And he has.

But what really drives Hall, he says, is the message he is trying to get out—that the pen is really mightier than the sword. 

“I want kids to see that you can go to school and rap and it doesn’t make you any less of an artist,” he said.

It’s easy for someone to stand on the corner and sell drugs, Hall says. But going to school, getting your degree and legally earning money for your family? That’s hard.

To help those who want to stay on the right path, Hall says he wants to write a self-help book for new college students. “It’s a whole, brave new world for them. A lot of things they’re going to see are going to be drug use, peer pressure, sororities,” he says.

“All these people are just trying to fit, but they’re still expected to go to school and get an education.”

Though he’s still looking for that big breakthrough, Hall prides himself on having made enough money to pay for his entire wedding, including the ring and honeymoon.

“If I don’t get anything else from it, at least I got that.” Hall said. “And that’s a beautiful feeling.”

Ed. Note: To check out music by DJ Mista Smoke, visit his Web site at http://web.mac.com/eshawn_3

By Alex Kratz

Our Lady of Refuge Church, on 196th Street, is under siege. Nearly every night, after longtime maintenance worker Luis Lugo closes the church compound’s 15-foot-high, chain-link gates, neighborhood kids climb over them, looking to cause a ruckus.

Lugo is usually able to chase them out, but he says it’s an example of how brazen, disrespectful and unwieldy the local youth have grown. 

For decades, Our Lady of Refuge has acted as an oasis in the middle of one of the most crime-ridden neighborhoods in the northwest Bronx. Despite pleas by church leaders and local residents, drug dealing, youth violence, late-night muggings and illegal parties remain a constant thorn in the side of the community.

“It’s worse [now],” said Lugo, after testifying in front of a Community Board 7 public safety hearing held at the besieged church last Tuesday night. “The youth are domaining [sic] here and the police department doesn’t have the power to stop it.”

Board 7 leaders called the public safety hearing in response to an avalanche of complaints from residents throughout the board’s geography about everything from excessive noise, increased graffiti and prostitution to ubiquitous dog poop. Complaints like these are common, but the amount of them and the fact they came from all over the Community District 7 led Board members to believe, like Lugo, that the situation had become worse.

About 35 people, including board members, elected officials and city representatives attended the meeting. Deputy Borough President Aurelia Greene, Assemblyman Nelson Castro and Sigfredo Gonzalez, a staffer for State Senator Pedro Espada, Jr. all came for the first part of the hearing. Castro and Gonzalez both testified. Only about 10 non-affiliated residents came to the meeting and only a handful, including Lugo and Our Lady of Refuge pastor, Monsignor John Jenik, spoke. Their testimony was limited, but alarming. 

One woman, who had just moved into an apartment on 197th Street in July, said simply, “This a terrible place to live.”
The recent transplant, who wanted to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, said an abandoned garage across the street from her home had been turned into a makeshift night club where people partied loudly until the early morning. The situation had deteriorated to the point that when the woman heard a neighbor threaten to kill the operators of the illegal club, she actually thought it wasn’t such a bad idea. 

Another woman, a native New Yorker who said she moved to Norwood four years ago, said the neighborhood where she lives near the 205th Street D-train station had “turned into the Wild West.” She complained about blatant drug dealing and worried that the now unstaffed D-train station was turning into a haven for vagrants and criminals. The vacant parking lot on Webster Avenue and 205th Street, which is going to be turned into a new elementary school, had become a “garbage dump,” she said.

Castro talked about a block on 183rd Street and University Avenue that had become overrun with drug dealers.

Many said they were feeling a lack of police presence, which the Norwood woman thought was odd given that the headquarters of the 52nd Precinct (which is contiguous with Board 7) is just a few blocks away on Webster Avenue and Mosholu Parkway.

Lugo said the lack of police presence is allowing young criminals to believe there won’t be any consequences to their ill behavior. Right in front of the church, he said, teenagers play football with little regard for parked cars or passing pedestrians. Many of them, Lugo said, also deal drugs for some of the local operators. At night, underage drinking is rampant and completely out in the open. Teenagers have no qualms about tossing bottles at passing cars, Lugo said.

Lugo also runs a youth program for kids at the church and says he loses many of them to the streets. He said many of these kids see drug dealers wearing gold chains, riding around in Cadillacs and see role models.

“It’s hard for us to help our kids,” Lugo said. “They see [all the drug dealing] going on all the time and they think it’s not even illegal.”

Lugo said he’s worried it will eventually drive the good, working-class people out of the neighborhood, further driving it downhill.

According to police numbers, violent crime is down significantly in the 52nd Police Precinct. But the precinct is stretched thin in terms of manpower (the precinct is down nearly 90 officers from a year ago), meaning so-called “quality of life” calls, such as noise complaints, underage drinking and graffiti, have become a lower priority for patrolling officers.

After the meeting, Captain Phil Rivera, the precinct’s executive officer, said despite the lack of manpower, the precinct would find a way to beef up its presence. He said in addition to redeploying the precinct’s own resource, they would work with other agencies and other borough-wide police units, such as narcotics and transit, to complement them. 

“We’re taking this very seriously,” Rivera said.

Board 7 Chairman Greg Faulkner said he thought it was good for the precinct to see that it wasn’t just the Board complaining about quality of life issues. “We want to work with them and start up a dialogue,” he said.

By Megan Taylor

Heavy metals have been discovered at Harris Field in Bedford Park during the park’s reconstruction, the Norwood News has learned.

The Parks Department declined to answer specific questions about what heavy metals were found, the levels of contamination, or the steps taken to make the site safe. Although the agency claims proper procedures were followed, further questions were referred to its legal department and the Norwood News has filed a Freedom of Information Law request to obtain the information.

Construction at Harris Field, which lies between Lehman College and the Bronx High School of Science, started in April 2008 and is slated for completion in the fall of this year, though workers at the site said the project is behind schedule. It is one of dozens of Bronx parks projects benefiting from a $200 million pool of funds stemming from the city Department of Environmental Protection’s Croton Water Filtration Project in Van Cortlandt Park.

Though the city is required to notify the state Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) when any quantity of a hazardous or toxic substance is released that might violate air or water quality standards, the DEC had not been alerted to the contamination at Harris Field, said spokesperson Maureen Wren when asked by the Norwood News last week

Since that inquiry, the DEC’s regional director has contacted the Parks Department’s deputy commissioner for Capital Projects to request a briefing on the site’s status, according to another DEC spokesperson, Arturo Garcia-Costas.

Heavy metals are metallic elements with high atomic weights like mercury, chromium, cadmium, arsenic, and lead. Heavy metals become toxic when they are not metabolized by the body and accumulate in the soft tissues. They can enter the body through food, water, air, or absorption through the skin, according to an article by the Life Extension Foundation.

Harris Field is near several schools and is used for Little League games and by the High School of American Studies.

Don Bluestone, executive director of the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, said he hadn’t been told about the situation, but was not surprised. He has been frustrated by the effect of local parks’ construction on his Center’s youth baseball league.
“They almost destroyed our league,” Bluestone said. “The fact that we had zero fields to play on [at Harris] last year was hysterical.”

The Center’s league and other leagues had permits for Harris Field last spring but they were revoked only two weeks after the season started in April. As a result, hundreds of children weren’t able to participate in the league, Bluestone said.

Keisha-Gaye Anderson, a Lehman College spokesperson, also said they had not been alerted to the contamination at Harris.
“They told us nothing,” echoed Phoebe Cooper, assistant principal at the Bronx High School of Science.

Parks spokesperson Jesslyn Moser said in an e-mail that the renovations were budgeted at $8.9 million, although the Department of Parks and Recreation Web site shows a budget of $9.5 million.

The original renovations included rebuilding six fields, adding three staircases and handicapped access, a picnic area, fitness/exercise station, a play area for 5- to 12-year-olds, a water spray area and a play area for toddlers.

Now, according to the Parks Department Web site, the scope of the project appears to be limited to athletic fields, staircases, and ADA access leading into the park.

The land where Harris Field now sits used to be a part of the Jerome Park Reservoir. The Department of Water Supply, Gas & Electricity acquired the land in 1895, but then returned it to the city in 1917.

Harris Field was acquired by the Parks Department in 1940.

Neighborhood Notes

By Norwood News

It’s My Park Day!
Volunteer at Williamsbridge Oval Park on Saturday, Oct. 24. There will be bulb planting, weeding and winterizing from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and trash can painting from noon to 2 p.m. Meet in front of the Recreation Center. For more information, call (718) 324-4461 ext. 249 and ask for Jenn Beaugrand.

Flu Shots
Flu shots will be available at Leroy Pharmacy, located at 314 E. 204th St. on Wednesday, Oct. 14 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information, call (718) 882-5614.

Auditions for Free Workshop
Stagekids auditions for a free acting and performance workshop are scheduled for Oct. 10 at 2 p.m. at the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center Beacon Youth Center in the PS 8 auditorium (3010 Briggs Ave.). Students ages 12 to 16 should prepare a monologue and a song for the audition. For more information, visit www.stagekids.cityslide.com.

Invisalign Open House
Concerned Dental Care – Dr. Jay Fensterstock DDS will host an open house on Invisalign for teens and adults at 55 E. Mosholu Pkwy., N. on Friday, Oct. 9 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Doctors and staff will be on hand to speak about Invisalign, a clear and wireless alternative to braces. For more information, call Margie Rivera at (718) 652-7370, ext. 12, or visit www.concerneddentalcare.com.

Free Mammograms
The Mobile Mammography Van offers free mammograms to women over age 40 who have not had one in the last 12 months. The van will be at MS 80, 149 E. Mosholu Pkwy. on Wednesday, Oct. 14. Call (718) 405-6300 ext. 1131 to make an appointment.

HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
The Montefiore Medical Center’s AIDS Center and The Bronx HIV CARE Network will host their annual Latino HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on Friday, Oct. 9 in the Cherkasky Auditorium at 111 E. 210th St. from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a panel discussion from noon to 1 p.m. Educational materials on HIV prevention, blood pressure screenings, and free HIV testing will all be available. Also featured will be entertainment, guest speakers, and free raffle drawings. For more information, call Selma Torres at (718) 231-3296, ext. 23.

Mothers Guild Reunion
The Mothers Guild of Our Lady of Refuge at 290 E. 196th St. is planning a reunion on Sunday, Oct. 18. Mass will be held at 12:30 p.m. followed by lunch in the Parish Center. For more information, call Bernadette Groarke at (914) 237-6928 or Joan Cintron at (718) 548-2493.

Self-Defense and Boxing at MMCC
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center at 3450 DeKalb Ave. is offering self defense classes on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays starting at 5:30 p.m. Its boxing program meets on Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. and on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5:30 p.m. for ages 7 and up. For more information, visit www.mmcc.org or call (718) 882-4000 ext. 0 or ext. 256.

Healthcare Talk
James G. Sheehan, the Medicaid Inspector General for New York State, will speak about “Personal Ethics: An Imperative in Healthcare Today” at Lehman College’s Carman Hall in Room B-04, 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W. on Wednesday, Oct. 14 at 6 p.m. of. This event is free and open to the public.

MS 80 Shirts Available
From Sept. 28 to Oct. 12, parents and guardians of MS 80 students will be able to order the school shirt for the fall and winter months. For more information, call Mrs. Alejandro, parent coordinator, at (718) 405-6300 ext. 1131 or the Parent Association President, Mrs. Jackson, at (728) 405-6300.

NMCIR Immigration Assistance
The Northern Manhattan Coalition for Immigrant Rights is offering immigration assistance to Bronxites. There is assistance with U.S. citizenship, family petitions, and travel permits. It is offered at Refuge House, 2715 Bainbridge Ave., Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call (718) 484-8294 or email info@NMCIR.org.

Scouting for Girl Scouts
Girls from 5 to 17 years old looking to serve the Bronx community, make friends and learn life skills are encouraged to join the Girl Scouts of the Bronx. For more information about joining a Girl Scout troop, visit www.girlscoutsnyc.org or email webbx@girlscoutsnyc.org.

Volunteer at North Bronx Healthcare
The North Bronx Healthcare Network is seeking volunteers for the Sexual Assault Treatment Program run at North Central Bronx Hospital, Jacobi Medical Center, and Lincoln Medical Center. Those interested should be willing to volunteer twice a month and commit to serving the program for one year. For more information, call (718) 519-4788.

Workshops re. Children With Disabilities
The Jewish Child Care Association at 555 Bergen Ave. will host monthly workshops from November through June of next year for families and professionals requiring services for children with disabilities. For detailed information and to register, call (212) 677-4650 ext. 20 or visit jccany.org.

Foster Parents Needed
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.

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.

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.

Donate Backpacks to Homeless Kids
Bronx BP Ruben Diaz, Jr. is encouraging Bronx residents to donate backpacks and school supplies to “Operation Backpack.” “Operation Backpack” provides homeless children and students in New York City with backpacks and school supplies to help them succeed in school. To contribute, drop off a new backpack at the Bronx BP office at 851 Grand Concourse, Room 209. To find out more information about Operation Backpack or to make a donation, visit www.OperationBackpackNYC.org.

Farmers Market at Botanical Garden
There will be an all day Wednesday and Saturday Farmers Market at the Botanical Garden through Nov. 14. The Wednesday market will be held near Tulip Tree Allee and the Saturday market will be across the street from the Garden’s Mosholu Gate entrance. Vendors from New York’s Hudson Valley region and beyond offer a variety of home grown products, meats and home baked goods. For more information, visit www.nybg.org/edible_garden/farmers_market.php or call (718) 362-9561 and press 403#.

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 E., is holding computer classes on Thursdays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Learn how to use the internet and MS Office software. For more information, contact Albert Davis or Tuwanda Ruffin at (718) 654-1851.

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.

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.

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.

-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.

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.

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 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.

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.

Adult ESL Level 1and 2 Classes
Beginning September 2009 through June 2010, P.S. 94 will be offering Level 1 and 2 ESL classes on Tuesday and Thursdays from 5:30pm to 8:30pm. For more information, contact Ms. Seminario, at (347) 563-4772 or (718) 405- 6345. You can also come to room 201 for more information and for sign up.

Out & About

By Judy Noy

Onstage

The Bronx Library Center located at 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. hosts Mariachi Real de Mexico, Oct. 10 at 2:30 p.m.; and Flamenco Music and Dance by Flamenco Latina, Oct. 17 at 2:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 579-4244/46.

The Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, located at 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W., presents several shows this month: Oct. 11 at 4 p.m.: Shaolin Warriors, kung fu direct from China ($25 to $35, $10/ages 12 and under); Oct. 17 at 8 p.m.: Eddie Palmieri, salsa legend performs with his orchestra and The Latin Jazz All-Stars ($40 to $55); and Oct.  24 at 8 p.m.: Johnny Ventura, performing merengue and joined by four meringue icons ($55 to $75). For more information, call (718) 960-8833.

The Orchestra of the Bronx will perform a free concert of classical music featuring strings at Lehman College’s Lovinger Theatre, 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W. on Oct. 18 at 3 p.m. For more information, call (718) 365-4209 or visit www.bronxorchestra.org.

The Bronx Arts Ensemble will perform Peter and the Wolf at the Riverdale Y, 5625 Arlington Ave. (at 256th Street), Oct. 18 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $8 and can be purchased online. For more information and tickets, visit bronxartsensemble.org or call (718) 601-7399.

Events

Latin Fest ’09 will take place on Oct. 10 from noon to 6 p.m. at the Hub on Third Avenue between 149th and 154th streets. In addition to delicious food, performing live will be Ray Castro y su Conjunto Clásico, and featuring meringue, reggaeton, Salvadorian, and Mexican bands. For more information, call (917) 974-4892.

The Bedford Park Congregational Church, located at 201st Street and Bainbridge Avenue, will hold a Fun Fair and Flea Market, Oct. 24 from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The event will include refreshments, raffles, and games. For more information, call Reverend Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj at (718) 367-8996.

Bronx-born author Allen Jones, along with co-author and Fordham professor Mark Naison, will discuss his book, “The Rat That Got Away: A Bronx Memoir” on Oct. 9 at 8:30 p.m. at The Bronx Museum of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse.

“Celia the Queen,” a special documentary film screening relating the story of Celia Cruz who influenced people all around the world through her music, will be shown at Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, located at 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W., Oct. 9 at 7 p.m. Free tickets may be obtained at the center’s box office. For more information, call (718) 960-8833.

Join New York’s largest free bicycling event, which promotes healthy living, the Tour de Bronx. This event, which will take place on Oct. 18 (rain date: Oct. 25), offers both 25-mile and 40-mile rides with two starting points: the Bronx County Building at 10 a.m. at 161st Street and the Grand Concourse; and at 9 a.m. at Fordham University’s Rose Hill Campus parking lot. The ride ends at the New York Botanical Garden with a Grand Finale Festival. To register or to volunteer, call (718) 920-7301 or visit www.tourdebronx.org.

The New York Botanical Garden presents several events this fall: The Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden offers Gardens ‘Round the World featuring Caribbean Garden, a pinwheel-shaped plot garden featuring Caribbean crops. Farmers Market/Greenmarket will run through Nov. 15 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesdays at the base of the Library Allee and Saturdays at the Metro-North Parking Area near Mosholu Gate. Visitors can learn about composting, recycling and growing vegetables at noon, and can take part in cooking or gardening demonstrations. Goodnight Garden will take place Tuesdays through Sundays from 1 to 5:30 p.m. through Nov. 1 in the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden, to harvest and taste fresh vegetables, make bouquets, and till the soil. For more information and a detailed schedule, call (718) 817-8700 or visit nybg.org.

The Bronx: Then and Now & Authors Night will be held at the Museum of Bronx History, 3266 Bainbridge Ave. (at 208th Street), from Oct. 15 through April 15, 2010. The opening reception on Oct. 15 will take place from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Come meet the Bronx authors to discuss their latest books. For more information or to RSVP, call the Bronx County Historical Society at (718) 881-8900.

Wave Hill, located at West 249th Street and Independence Avenue, offers a family art project, A Garden of Shapes, to sketch shapes, then make a collage, Oct. 10 and 11 in the Kerlin Learning Center from 1 to 4 p.m. For more information, call (718) 549-3200 or visit www.wavehill.org.
Exhibits

Edgar Allan Poe – A Bicentennial Celebration will take place at the Museum of Bronx History, 3266 Bainbridge Ave. (at 208th Street), from Oct. 15 through April 15, 2010. Learn about Poe, his life and his time spent in the Bronx. For more information, call the Bronx County Historical Society at (718) 881-8900.

Beyond Appearances, an exhibition bringing together a group of approximately 40 artists, includes painting, drawing, sculpture, video, and installation, will be on display Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., through Dec. 11 at the Lehman College Art Gallery, Fine Arts Building, 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W. There will be a curator talk on Oct. 14 at 12:15 p.m. and a reception on Oct. 20 from 6 to 8 p.m. For more information, call (718) 960-8731.

Holiday Events

Boo at the Zoo featuring family activities, including a Haunted Safari Adventure, will take place on weekends at the Bronx Zoo, Oct. 10 to 12, 17 to 18, 24 to 25, and 31 to Nov. 1. Visitors can also enjoy wildlife magic shows, pumpkin carving demonstrations, haunted hayrides, music, entertainment, trick or treats, and more. Children wearing a wildlife costume will receive free general admission with a full priced adult admission purchase. For more information, call (718) 367-1010 or visit www.bronxzoo.com.

The Bronx Library Center located at 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. presents Make a Ghost, Oct. 15 at 4 p.m. for school-aged children; and Live Bat Encounter, Oct. 23 at 6 p.m. for the entire family. For more information, call (718) 579-4244/46.

Scarecrow and Harvest Weekend will be held in the Everett Children’s Adventure Garden and the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden of the New York Botanical Garden, Oct. 10 to 12 from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., to create apple tarts, make applesauce and cornhusk dolls, build a scarecrow, and sip apple cider. For more information, call (718) 817-8700.

Library Events

The Bronx Library Center has events for all ages:
For children and preschoolers, there is Jumpstart’s Read for the Record Day, Oct. 8 at 11 a.m.; films, Oct. 14 and 21 at 4 p.m.; Preschool Romp, Oct. 8, 15 and 22 at 11 a.m.; Family Time, Oct. 10 at 11 a.m.; and BLC’s Theatre Group, Oct. 19 at 4 p.m.
Also, for school-aged children, there is The Art of Mime, Oct. 11 at 2 p.m.; and Rhythm and Sound in Theatre, Oct. 18 at 2 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 Jerome Park Library, at 118 Eames Place, presents Arts & Crafts, Oct. 13 at 4 p.m.; and Toddler Story Time, Oct. 23 at 11 a.m. both for school-aged children. For more information, call (718) 549-5200.

Public Service Announcement

The Norwood D-train station at 205th Street and Perry Avenue no longer has a station customer assistant assigned to this entrance, effective Sept. 20. For additional personal assistance, riders will need to enter at the station’s other end located at 206th Street and Bainbridge Avenue.

NOTE: Items for consideration should be received in our office by Oct. 12 for the next publication date of Oct. 22.

Local Successes Highlight Big X-Country Race

By Alex Gibbons

Hundreds of runners descended upon Van Cortlandt Park last Saturday for the sixth annual Mayor’s Cup Cross-Country Championships.

The event featured dozens of schools from the Public School Athletic League, Catholic High School Athletic Association, and Association of Independent Schools to compete in the day’s races, allowing a huge mass of runners to convene and vie for supremacy in one of the fall’s most exciting cross-country events.

The 2.5-mile varsity races included several impressive performances from local Bronx high schools. Only the Bronx Science girls team competed in the championship race, which pitted last year’s top teams against each other. They finished 8th out of 15 teams.

In the regular girls team races, the DeWitt Clinton girls team finished second, Bronx Science fifth, High School of American Studies 17th, Kennedy 26th and Evander Childs 30th. Standout individual performances included Alana Menendez of American Studies who placed ninth, and Jakierra Oates of Kennedy, who placed 16th.

Andre Knight, of the Clinton boys team, placed 12th in the boys varsity race. The Clinton guys team finished 10th overall out of 52 teams. Evander Childs finished 25th, American Studies 28th and Kennedy 33rd.

Racers were lucky enough to avoid rain, which had been forecasted for the day. Bronx cross-country teams will reconvene at Van Cortlandt at the end of October for the Bronx Borough Championship, a race that promises another large, but more limited, footrace.   
 

Bronx Speaks Out Against USPS Closing Argument

By Katie Riordan

With seven Bronx post offices on the chopping block, including the Botanical Station site in Bedford Park, local officials and residents urged the Postal Service for a stay of execution.   

The United States Postal Service (USPS) says the closures represent necessary cost-cutting measures, but residents and officials counter that the offices offer vital neighborhood services, especially to lower-income seniors and immigrants.

Last week, at a hearing held at Fordham University, commissioners of the Postal Regulatory Commission (PRC), an independent agency that oversees the USPS, listened to the testimony of 11 witnesses, some in favor, but most of them against the consolidation of postal services. 

State Senator Jeff Klein, from the 34th District, and Aurelia Greene, the deputy Bronx borough president, both said in statements that the closures would create unnecessary hardships for citizens of the Bronx, many of whom depend on the postal services for all their banking needs. “Of all the ingredients of a neighborhood, the post office is one of the most relevant facilities to the local citizen,” said Greene.

Several speakers were there to support Botanical Station, located on Webster Avenue in Bedford Park, which is heavily used by senior citizens and immigrants.

“For these seniors who are mostly on a fixed income and often have limited means to travel, this station is the only viable source for their postal services,” said Fernando Tirado, the district manager for Community Board 7, which includes Botanical Station. 

Tirado said the station was locked into a six-year lease and would be required, in accordance with the Postal Workers Union, to relocate all of its employees, meaning the savings from closure would be limited. 

USPS spokesperson Darleen Reid said the terms of leases are considered when making the decision to merge a station. Reid also said the Botanical Station is tied to a lease until 2016 and would have to sublease the space should the office be slated for consolidation.      

In support of the downsizing, Wendy Smith, of Publishers Clearing House, believes that if the Postal Service does not follow through with consolidation, postage will continue to rise, further turning away business and citizen mailers alike.

There is no specific deadline for the release of the PRC’s official recommendation. However, the USPS will be releasing an updated list of stations scheduled for closure on Thursday. Reid said the list will be smaller and that no service changes will be made until 2010.  She added that they received more feedback than anticipated.

“They love their post office, which is good to hear,” said Reid. “It means, we’re still relevant.”

Save a Piece of Yankee History

By George Molé

Beloved old Yankee Stadium, scene of 86 years of beauty and drama, sits alone across the street from its popular young replacement, awaiting execution. It won’t be long until the familiar silhouette begins to shrink, then disappears, and the trucks take it away as rubble. But there’s still time to save a little piece of it—and we’ll never stop regretting it if we don’t.

As New Yorkers know too well, many of our city’s most historic places—sports venues among them—exist only in photographs or in memory, having been demolished without regard for their significance.

Ebbets Field, where Jackie Robinson and Branch Rickey changed America’s culture, was wiped from the earth almost 50 years ago. The Polo Grounds—where the term “hot dog” originated, and Bobby Thomson fired the “shot heard round the world”— was pounded to dust with the same wrecking ball used on Ebbets Field.

Their sites are marked only by plaques in the housing projects that replaced them. And though there’s a shiny new arena next door, nothing survives of Shea Stadium’s 45 years of incredible moments but plaques in a parking lot showing the location of its bases and pitcher’s mound.

Now the old Yankee Stadium—the Bronx’s most famous and important structure—has been consigned to the same fate as those landmarks, despite its even longer history. According to current plans, its site will become a much-needed public park. But contrary to earlier plans, and promises made when the new stadium was proposed, not one brick of the old stadium is to be preserved in the new park.

Young people will not even have the thrill of playing on the famous diamond—the new park will be built upon landfill, erasing the historic significance of the ground itself. The Parks Department says it cannot provide enough recreational space without bulldozing the stadium and reconfiguring the site.

Fortunately, an elegant solution exists in the form of “Gate 2,” one of the old stadium’s majestic entrance gates, which faces the new stadium on East 161st Street. A movement has begun to preserve this architectural jewel—which still looks much as it did when the stadium opened in 1923—as the main entranceway into the new park, a tangible and inspiring link to the site’s storied past.

As can be seen on the informative Web site www.savetheyankeegate2.com, saving Gate 2 is a winning proposition for the Bronx and the whole city. Like Washington Square’s arch, the gate would become a New York icon and a draw for visitors. And because it is at the edge of the site, and relatively shallow, it would not subtract from available recreational space. So far, however, the Parks Department remains determined to destroy every bit of the old stadium, including the gate. And, shamefully, none of our elected officials has shown a willingness to get involved.

Many generations have walked through Gate 2 into Yankee Stadium. And what was waiting for them on the other side? The 1928 football game where Knute Rockne urged Notre Dame to “win just one for the Gipper.” The 1938 Louis-Schmeling fight, where Joe Louis punched a hole in Nazi racial theories and homegrown Jim Crow. Lou Gehrig declaring himself “the luckiest man on the face of this earth” as disease ate away his body. Ruth, DiMaggio, popes and presidents, Muhammad Ali, Nelson Mandela, 39 World Series…

Almost a century of rich American history, played out on a single square block in the Bronx.

And Gate 2 witnessed all of it.

The cathedral of baseball will be missed, like every other lost and irreplaceable New York treasure. But this time, at least, let’s make sure there’s more than a plaque left to show our kids. You don’t have to be a Yankee fan to tell your elected officials to save Gate 2, one little piece of the original Yankee Stadium; you just have to be a fan of this city and its amazing past.

George Molé, an NYPD captain and Bedford Park resident, writes about urban issues. This is an expanded version of an article that originally appeared in the Daily News.

A Voice for the Bronx

By Editorial

Since 1994, Gary Axelbank and his top-notch cable TV show, BronxTalk, have elevated the borough’s civic dialogue.

BronxTalk, on the public access station BRONXNET, celebrated 15 years on the air Monday night and many of his frequent guests – politicians, activists, journalists, and artists — filled the studio for an on-air tribute.

Axelbank’s love for his home borough, where he attended DeWitt Clinton High and Lehman College and still lives, comes through in every one of the 707 episodes of BronxTalk, whether he’s interviewing a politician or a salsa musician.

The Bronx, despite a population of 1.4 million, does not have the civic amenities of cities a fraction of its size.  We don’t have a daily newspaper or network news channels. And our mayor is also the mayor of about 7 million other people.

BronxTalk, expertly produced by Jane Folloro, has helped bring the mainland borough the attention it deserves. Mayors, Council members, comptrollers and city commissioners have all visited the BRONXNET’s basement studio at Lehman College for a sit-down with Axelbank. Some, like Rudy Giuliani, bristled at Axelbank’s tough questioning and never returned. But most were delighted to have a welcoming forum to publicize the work they did in the borough we all love. And it was often an education for the guests themselves. Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. told viewers last night that Axelbank was the first person who ever interviewed him, when he was running for assemblyman in 1996.

Axelbank got in some hot water a few years back when he took on an advocacy role outside the studio in the filtration plant fight. It is widely believed that his activism on that issue resulted in the cancellation of his daily morning show. That was a shame, but it is indicative of the passion that makes Axelbank such a good host and it hasn’t dimmed his commitment and enthusiasm for his calling. BronxTalk on Monday nights remains a glittering gem in the borough’s media landscape.

If you’re not familiar with BronxTalk, check it out any weekday evening at 9 p.m. on Cablevision channel 67 (it airs live on Monday and re-airs throughout the week.) The show is posted to the Web as well, so look for it at www.bronxnet.org or at www.bronxnewsnetwork.org, where we regularly link to the latest shows.

Also, an archive of the shows is being donated to the Bronx County Historical Society and will soon be digitized for the Web.
Here’s hoping for another 15 years of Bronx TV journalism that matters. Congratulations to Gary and BRONXNET.

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