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On the Streets: The Prostitution Conundrum

By ALEX KRATZ

It’s a slow Monday night for Bianca, a transgender prostitute who operates on the corner of East 192nd Street and Davidson Avenue — a quiet residential intersection near St. James Park, a place where the “tranny” sex trade has flourished, to the chagrin of local residents, for more than a decade.

“What are you doing here?” Bianca asks a potential customer, smiling coyly. “You’re looking good.” Read more

Venerable High School in Spotlight After Day of Fights

By Jeanmarie Evelly

A raucous food fight and student scuffle at DeWitt Clinton High School last month has brought some bad press to the large, century-old institution on the Mosholu Parkway.

Police were called to the school on Oct. 1 after fights broke out in the morning during a change of period, said Department of Education spokeswoman Marge Feinberg.

School staff was low that day because of a severe rainstorm, and while no arrests were made, eight students received disorderly conduct notices and “one student who had an emotional outburst was treated at a local hospital,” Feinberg said.

Since the incident, The Riverdale Press ran a series of stories on safety problems at the school. A Facebook group called “I survived DeWitt Clinton 10/1/10,”—which had 688 members at press time—has turned the day into one of infamy.

But local police and DOE administrators say that, besides severe overcrowding — the school has over 4,000 students and is at 28 percent overcapacity — DeWitt Clinton is typical of most large city high schools in terms of safety, and is not a problem school.

“I don’t think they’ve ever had this sort of thing go on before,” said Marvin Shelton, president of the Community Education Council for School District 10. “These things are bound to happen once in a while. I don’t think it’s a dangerous environment, no more than any other school.” Read more

Milestone in Construction of Lehman Science Building

By Lystria Hurley

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, several Bronx politicians, and CUNY officials gathered at Lehman College on Oct. 28 to celebrate the placing of the last beam of steel on the college’s new science facility.

The $70 million, 69,000-square-foot building has been under construction since 2008, and is scheduled for completion in 2012. Read more

The High Cost of Undiagnosed Diabetes

By Jeanmarie Evelly

When most people find out they have diabetes, it’s in their doctor’s office, following a routine physical exam that reveals their blood sugar is too high. But some people get the news in a more dire way — when they end up in the emergency room.

The Bronx has the highest rate of diabetes in the city, with 12 percent of people here diagnosed with the disease. Many more probably have it, but just don’t recognize the symptoms; the city’s health department estimates that some 200,000 New Yorkers are diabetic, but don’t know it.

November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and health advocates are stressing the importance of screenings in catching the disease early. Unregulated diabetes can cause a number of health problems, like blurred vision and fatigue, to more serious complications over longer periods of time, like heart disease, kidney failure, nerve and eye damage.

“What we would like to avoid are the patients who get hospitalized because their blood sugars are dangerously high,” said Dr. Rita Louard, medical director of clinical diabetes at Montefiore Medical Center.

“For many people, by the time they get the blood test that tells them they have diabetes, they already have the damage,” she said.

Diabetes and prediabetes — a higher than normal blood sugar level that often preludes diabetes, if it goes untreated — can both be diagnosed through one of several blood tests given by your physician. Anyone over the age of 45 should get tested for diabetes every three years or so, according to the American Diabetes Association.

People who fall into one of several high-risk categories, however, should get tested younger than the recommended age. These include the following factors:

• If you are overweight or obese
• If you are physically inactive
• If you suffer from high blood pressure or high cholesterol
• If you have a family history of diabetes
• If you belong to an ethnic or minority group at high risk for diabetes, including African-American, Hispanic, Asian-American, Native American and Pacific Islanders.

It’s also important to be on the lookout for symptoms of high blood sugar, says Dr. James Hellerman, director of endocrinology at St. Barnabas Hospital. This can mean extreme thirstiness, fatigue, frequent urination, numbness or pain in the feet and blurry vision.

But routine screening by your physician is the only way to know for sure, as many diabetics exhibit no symptoms, Hellerman says.

If the disease is caught early, many of the more serious health problems associated with it can be avoided with the help of medication, a healthy diet and exercise.

“If people are proactive in looking out for their health…it turns out better for everybody,” Hellerman said.

Ed. Note: For more information, visit the American Diabetes Association website at www.diabetes.org.

Williamsbridge Oval Park Rec Center Delayed

By Layza Garcia

The reconstruction of the Williamsbridge Oval Park recreation center is experiencing delays, angering local residents who see the park as their

own backyard. Originally scheduled to be completed in spring of 2011, the delays will push the completion date to June 2011, according to the Parks Department.

Jesslyn Moser, a Parks Department spokesperson, said the delays are due to permit approvals that take time to process and are out of the Parks Department’s control. “With winter approaching, the schedule may need to be revised to complete the full scope of work,” Moser said in an e-mail. “The contractor will be asked to submit a revised schedule with a plan to recover lost time.”

Work on the recreation center began in April and local residents are getting impatient with the slow construction pace already. Read more

Everything is Illuminated, Eventually

By Layza Garcia

Over the summer, Friends of the Williamsbridge Oval Park, a volunteer group that advocates for the well being of the park, conducted a night walk around the park and discovered that 21 lights, nearly half of the lights surrounding Oval Park, weren’t functioning.

More than three months later, and after several follow-ups by the Friends and media inquiries, the lights were finally fixed. The episode sheds light on the trouble residents have in navigating the city’s vast bureaucracy.

Elisabeth von Uhl, one of the members of Friends, said that around July 26, Parks Department officials told her they had contacted the Department of Transportation (DOT), which is responsible for light maintenance in city parks, about the non-functioning lights.

Von Uhl’s group conducted another check of the lights on Aug. 23 and discovered that none of the lights had been fixed.

This raised a lot of safety concerns in the community. On July 15, Diego Sinchi, 28, was shot and killed in Oval Park over a dispute allegedly involving an iPhone.

“For security reasons, it is important to fix these lights in the park,” said William Moro, a local resident of Bainbridge Avenue. “There are some people that jog or walk their dogs at night. There needs to be a sense of safety in the park.”

Von Uhl wrote a letter to DOT on Aug. 24. She then spoke to Bronx Borough Parks Commissioner Constance Moran on Sept. 30 on the phone. Moran told von Uhl that the park’s current construction projects were preventing the DOT from fixing the lights.

On Oct. 15, Montgomery Dean, a DOT spokesperson, said DOT had repaired six lights, but were still encountering construction conflicts.

Friends then enlisted the help of local Council Member Oliver Koppell, who made calls into both city agencies.
Finally, Dean said that, as of Nov. 3, all the lights in the Oval had been fixed.

In the future, if there is anything that needs to be fixed in the parks, Parks Department spokesperson Jesslyn Moser encouraged residents to call 311, which the Friends did, more than three months ago.

State Senate Still Undecided Two Weeks Later

By Jeanmarie Evelly

There were few surprises on the local level in the state’s general election on Nov. 2, but three Senate races from other parts of the state are in dispute, several weeks later, as absentee ballots are still being counted.

In the Bronx, every incumbent representative running was re-elected for another term, with the exception of Sen. Pedro Espada, who was defeated in a highly publicized primary in September by political newcomer Gustavo Rivera. Rivera handily won the general election this month in the 33rd District.

Meanwhile, three races elsewhere — one on Long Island, one in Westchester and another in Buffalo — were too close to call, and are still being disputed. According to the New York Times, it looks like the Republican Party is poised to overtake the Democrats, who have held a slight majority in the State Senate since 2008. Read more

New “Business Incubator” Coming to the Bronx

By Jeanmarie Evelly

Michael Bloomberg, New York’s pro-business mayor and an entrepreneur himself, has his sights on the South Bronx as the next hub for start-up businesses. The mayor and the city’s Economic Development Corporation broke ground on a “Business Incubator,” in the BankNote building, on Garrison Avenue in Hunts Point, on Nov. 3.

The new Sunshine Bronx Business Incubator will offer support and affordable office space for people looking to start their own business ventures. The 11,000-square-foot space, which the city expects to have ready by February, will be able to accommodate up to 400 entrepreneurs, according to a press release. Read more

Bronx Pol Says New Schools Boss is Bad Fit

By James Fergusson

Add Bronx Assemblywoman Vanessa Gibson to the growing list of legislators and school advocates criticizing Mayor Bloomberg’s appointment of media executive Cathleen Black as the city’s new Schools Chancellor.

Joel Klein resigned from the post to take a job with News Corp., which publishes the New York Post and Wall Street Journal.

In a letter to David M. Steiner, the commissioner of the New York State Education Department, Gibson said she “remain[s] troubled that Cathie Black would assume the role of Chancellor without neither substantial nor comprehensive educational or professional experience in teaching.”

State law requires that school chiefs hold certain qualifications, including a professional certificate in educational leadership. But the law also allows the commissioner to make exceptions. Klein was given a waiver when he was offered the job in 2002, and Gibson doesn’t want a repeat.

Leonie Haimson of the group Class Size Matters was happy to see Klein go and sees Black as more of the same. “As for Cathie Black, it is unfortunate that once again, the mayor has chosen someone with no educational experience,” Haimson said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Bloomberg heaped praise on Black in a statement last week. “Cathie Black is a superstar manager who has succeeded spectacularly in the private sector,” he said. “She is brilliant, she is innovative, she is driven — and there is virtually nobody who knows more about the needs of the 21st century workforce for which we need to prepare our kids.”

Black said she will build on Klein’s success.

Walk Opens Diabetes Month

By Alina Rodriguez

In recognition of American Diabetes Month, the Clinical Diabetes Center at Montefiore Medical Center sponsored a two-mile walk at Williamsbridge Oval Park on Nov. 3.

Dr. Steven M. Safyer, the hospital’s president and CEO, and Rita Louard, director of the diabetes center kicked off the walk by stressing the importance of raising awareness of the disease in the Bronx, which has one of the highest rates of diabetes in the country.

“We live in a borough with many economic challenges,” said Safyer, adding that combating diabetes in the Bronx is really a 12-month effort. “In many bodegas what you see is sugar products everywhere. When you have that as a food source and introduce it to children, you are doing a disservice to them.” Read more

Neighborhood Notes

By Norwood News

Free Mammos at MS 80
A mobile mammography van will provide free exams for women ages 40 and over who have not had one in the past 12 months. The van will be at MS 80, located at 149 E. Mosholu Pkwy., on Nov. 18. An appointment is required. For more information, call (800) 453-8378 ext. 1.

Classes in the Arts
Mind Builders Creative Arts Center is offering dance, music, theater and martial arts classes for all ages. Registration is held every Tuesday and Thursday from 4 to 6:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Mind Builders’ interim facility at 260 E. 207th St. For more information, visit www.mind-builders.org or call (718) 652-6256.

BCC Open House
Bronx Community College, located at 2155 University Ave. (at West 181st Street), will hold an open house in its Colston Hall lower level, Thursday, Nov. 4 from 3:30 to 7:30 p.m. Faculty and admissions personnel will be available to speak to students about associate degree programs. Prospective students can also tour the campus. To apply for admission during the open house, freshmen need to bring their high school transcripts, a diploma and $65. Transfer students need college transcripts and $70 for the application fee. For more information, visit www.bcc.cuny.edu or call (718) 289-5895.

UI Benefits Training
The New York Unemployment Insurance Coalition is sponsoring a free training session on Wednesday, Dec. 8 from 10 a.m. to noon at BronxWorks, located at 1130 Grand Concourse (light breakfast will be provided). The session will provide community leaders and service providers with the tools and understanding necessary to assist community members who are facing unemployment. Learn who is eligible for benefits, how to claim, and more. For more information or to RSVP, contact Grace Cho at rsvp.for.ui.training@gmail.com.

Holy Nativity Dinner/Dance
The Church of the Holy Nativity, located at 3061 Bainbridge Ave. near the corner of 204th Street, will host a dinner and dance on Saturday, Nov. 6 from 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tickets are $55 for singles and $100 for couples. For more information, call (917) 208-3207 or (718) 679-5364.

Remembering Carlos Laboy
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center – PS 8 at Beacon, located at 3010 Briggs Ave. (at Mosholu Parkway), is hosting an evening of performance on Saturday, Nov. 13, from 6 to 8 p.m., to celebrate the life of Carlos Laboy, who died in August. Laboy founded and ran the center’s StageKids program. For more information, call (718) 882-4000.

MMCC Free Teen Centers
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center offers free teen centers with clubs, classes, group activities and more: At 3450 DeKalb Ave., open Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 6:30 to 9 p.m., and Saturdays 7 to 10 p.m. (call (718) 882-4000 ext. 0 or ext. 388); and at MMCC Tracey Towers, Monday through Friday from 6:30 to 9 p.m. (call Teddy Allen at (646) 623-3745).

Grace Dodge Beauty Salon Reopens
The School of Professional Beauty Care at Grace Dodge Career and Technical High School, located at 2474 Crotona Ave., in salon room 509, has reopened its after school beauty parlor for the fall semester. Hours for The New Image Beauty Salon, for both men and women, are Thursdays and Fridays, 2:45 to 5:30 p.m., offering a variety of services from hair and nails to Brazilian blowout. A licensed cosmetologist supervises the students who are graduating seniors in the school’s cosmetology program. For more information or an appointment, call (718) 584-2700 ext 5084.

Free ESL Classes
PS 94, at 3530 Kings College Place, is offering free ESL classes on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 5:10 to 8:30 p.m. Interested parents can sign up in room 256 or call parent coordinator, Miriam Seminario, at (347) 563-4772.

Small Business Services
The Bronx Small Business Development Center, operated by Lehman College, is ready to assist you in obtaining financing. The Center also offers free workshops and small business consulting services to start or expand your business. For more information, call (718) 960-8806.

Help Find Places for Street Trees
Community Board 7 is asking for volunteers who can help identify areas where trees are needed or in need of attention. Volunteers will help transform streets, parks and public spaces into beautiful green landscapes. For more information, call (718) 933-5650/51.

Love Your Block Grants
The mayor’s office and the Citizens Committee for New York City invite neighborhood groups to apply for a block transformation grant where they can receive grants from $500 to $1,000 and support from city agencies to help revitalize your block. Application deadline is Nov. 15. For more information or an application, call Saleen Shah at (212) 822-9566.

Job Fair
Promoting Specialized Care and Health (PSCH) is hosting a job fair with on-the-spot job interviews every Wednesday from 9 to 11 a.m. Those interested working in health and human services who have relevant requirements should attend one of the fairs, which are held at 30-50 Whitestone Expressway, Flushing, NY. For more information, call (718) 559-0576. Resumes can be e-mailed to Recruiter2@psch.org or faxed to (718) 358-6790.

Quit Smoking Program
The Albert Einstein Cancer Center/Montefiore Medical Center will be hosting an 8-session Quit-Smoking program created by a licensed Health Psychologist. Groups are now forming at Montefiore’s North Division at 600 E. 233rd St. (between Bronx Boulevard and Carpenter Avenue). For more information or to register, call (718) 430-2697 or email besmartquitsmoking@gmail.com.

COVE Pre-Teen Program
There are still openings for the COVE Pre-Teen program, located at 3418 Gates Pl. (lower level). It is a 32-week after-school program, for ages 11 to 13, which includes homework help, arts & crafts, photography, monthly trips, and a Young Men’s or Young Women’s group. For more information, call (718) 405-1312.

Foster Parents Needed
Hundreds of foster children in the area need loving and caring families to make a difference in their lives, and the Foster Care Network is reaching out to potential foster parents in the Bronx. Foster parents receive tax-free financial assistance for the expenses of each child, free training, and foster parent certification. For more information, call NY outreach coordinator Scott Burgher at (800) 454-3727, ext. 105 or visit www.fostercarenetwork.org.

Art Classes at BRAC
The Bronx River Art Center offers Digital Media and Fine Arts classes for all ages after school and Saturdays. For more information, call (718) 589-5919 or visit www.bronxriverart.org.

Shape-Up NYC
The Department of Parks & Recreation, in partnership with Equinox Fitness Clubs, is offering classes aimed at getting New Yorkers into a new habit of fitness. Classes will include yoga, pilates, zumba and intensati. All classes are ongoing, open to the public, and free of charge at St. James Recreation Center, 2530 Jerome Ave. For more information, visit nyc.gov/befitnyc.

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.

Kids Basketball Programs
Saturday afternoons the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center will be teaching the sport of basketball to children. The fee is $85, plus $20 insurance for 8 sessions. For more information, call Chris Pinto (718) 882-4000 ext 280.

Electronic Medical Records Training
The Bronx Community College will offer high technology medical courses to information technology and healthcare professionals in a new health information technology training program. For more information, call (718) 289-5178 or e-mail: Elizabeth.oliver@bcc.cuny.edu.

Volunteers Sought for Brain/Aging Study
The Cognitive Neurophysiology Laboratory at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University seeks volunteers ages 18 to 25 and 58 to 70 to participate in a study on aging and brain activity. The study will examine the link between age, brain activity and day-to-day functioning. It will include two visits, one for a 3-hour screening and the second a reading of brainwaves while participants complete a series of tasks, which will last from 4 to 6 hours. Participants will be paid $12/hr. For more information or to participate, call (718) 862-1828.

Support Group for the Heart
Montefiore Medical Center is organizing the first support groups for patients with heart assisting devices in the New York metropolitan area. For more information, call (718) 920-8279.

MMCC Youth Centers
Mosholu Montefiore Community Center continues to keep open their free Beacon Youth Centers throughout the Bronx for teens in 7th to 12th grades, Monday through Friday nights and Saturdays. Beacon offers sports, clubs, classes in the arts, drama, dance, help with schoolwork, groups, and much more.
For Mosholu Beacon at PS 8 in Bedford Park on Briggs Avenue near Mosholu Parkway, call Director Andre Clark at (718) 329-0595.
For Reservoir Beacon at PS 86 by the Kingsbridge Armory, 2756 Reservoir Ave., call Director Bernie Hernandez at (718) 563-7410.
For Willamsbridge Beacon at MS 113 at 3710 Barnes Ave., call Director Jackie Valez-Gutierrez at (718) 654-5881.
For Seton Falls Beacon at MS 142 at 3750 Baychester Ave., call Director Damont Singletary at (718) 798-6670.

Free Cancer Programs
Albert Einstein Cancer Center is offering two free research programs for cancer patients to help cope with the stress and concerns of the disease. The “Yoga Based Cancer Rehabilitation Program” includes 12 weeks of yoga classes as research to see if yoga can help people with breast, lung and colorectal cancer. There is also the “Stress Management for the Mind, Body & Spirit Program,” which is for eight weeks and offers group discussions on how to cope with stress and other physical and emotional difficulties along with helping patients become more in touch with their spiritual side while dealing with cancer. For more information or to find out if you are eligible to participate, call (718) 430-2380. In addition, free workshops are offered to cancer patients and loved ones by the Bronx Oncology Living Daily Program, featuring fitness and nutrition. For more information, call (718) 430-3613.

Autism Study Recruitment
The Children’s Research Unit at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University is recruiting participants for a study that examines whether multisensory integration is impaired in people with autism. The researchers are currently recruiting both children and adults who have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Compensation of $12.00 per hour is provided. For more information, call (718) 862-1821.

Food Drive
The Riverdale-Yonkers Society for Ethical Culture, located at 4450 Fieldston Rd., is having an ongoing food drive, seeking canned food, that will benefit the Kingsbridge-Riverdale-Marble Hill Food and Hunger Project, Inc. Perishable or expired foods will not be accepted. For more information, call (718) 548-4445.

Service Changes on 2 and 5 Trains
Beginning Saturday, March 27 and for the next 18 months through August 2011, there will be no weekday rush hour 5-train express service in either direction between East 180th Street and 3rd Avenue/149th Street. During this time, 5-trains will make all 2-train local stops. The service change is necessary in order to support two projects on the 2 and 5 lines, including new signal equipment and various station improvements. These service changes are anticipated to add five minutes to riders’ trips. For travel information, call (718) 330-1234.

Juvenile Fire Setters Intervention Program
Fire Commissioner Salvatore J. Cassano wants to remind parents concerned about their child’s inappropriate interest in fire that the free Juvenile Fire Setters Intervention Program is available to help them. For more information, call 311.

Crime Prevention Alert
Due to the high rise on the theft of removable automobile GPSs, the NYPD offers some crime prevention tips: Park in highly visible areas, detach GPS and mounting bracket from windshield, eliminate all evidence that a GPS is in the car including suction cup marks and wires. Do not leave any other electronics or any property visible in the vehicle. Keep your vehicle’s console and interior free of clutter. For more tips, visit the crime prevention website at www.nyc,gov/html/nypd.

Help With College Applications
Mosholu Montefiore Community Center’s FREE College Bound Program, located at 3512 DeKalb Ave., is offering assistance to high school students who need help with the entire college application process. Students will receive professional, individual counseling and supportive services. For more information or to set up an appointment, call (718) 652- 0282.

Volunteers Needed at MS 80
MS 80 is calling on parents/guardians to volunteer as little as one hour per week. The school needs student mentors, math/reading tutors, cafeteria aides and part-time sports coaches. For more information, contact Mrs. Alejandro, Parent Coordinator, at (718) 405-6300, ext. 1131.

Free Classes at State University
The North Bronx Career Center of The State University of New York, located at 2901 White Plains Rd., offers free basic to advanced daytime and evening classes, including computer courses, college prep courses, and more. Some restrictions may apply. For more information and to register, please call (718) 547-1001.

Free Classes for Immigrants at NAWC
The Bronx YMCA New Americans Welcome Center (NAWC) is a “safe haven” committed to serving the immigrant population to achieve literacy, cultural competence, and self-sufficiency. It is currently offering four free classes: English as a Second Language (ESL) Beginners; ESL Intermediate; Citizenship Preparation; and Computer Literacy and Job Readiness. Classes will be held at Ellis Preparatory Academy, 99 Terrace View Ave. For more information, contact Irma Salvatierra Bajar at ibajar@ymcanyc.org or call the Bronx YMCA at (917) 673-8688.

Participate in Medical Research Studies
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University is inviting all interested parties to sign up for ResearchMatch.org, a new online medical research volunteer registry. Once registered, research institutions across the country can contact you to participate in various research studies based on your qualifications.

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.

Fall into Fitness at MMCC
The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center at 3450 DeKalb Ave. has begun its 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.

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.

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.

Workshops: Children With Disabilities
The Jewish Child Care Association at 555 Bergen Ave. will host monthly workshops through June of 2010 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.

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.

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.

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.

Healthy Women Needed for Two Research Studies
Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, 1695 Eastchester Road, are looking for healthy women between the ages of 18-40 to test a vaginal gel for 12 weeks that could help prevent the spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In addition, Doctors are looking for healthy women to test a vaginal gel for 14 days that could help prevent the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STI’s). In this research study, doctors want to learn about the cells that protect women from infection when using the gel. Participants will be compensated for time and travel in both studies. For information call Anna at: 718-430-3253.

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.

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 (718) 733-4260.

Programs for Teens, Toddlers, and Preschoolers
Mosholu Library, 285 E. 205th St., is offering various activities for children and teens. On Mondays at 4 p.m., teens can enjoy playing free Wii video games, and can meet on Wednesdays and 4 p.m. for “Teen Tech Time.” Toddler Storytime for children 1-3 years of age is held on the first Thursday of each month at 10:30 a.m. For children from 3 ½ – 5 years, Preschool Films is held on the second Thursday of each month at 10:30 a.m. 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.

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 to receive more information, call Hanna Gabris at (718) 884-0700 ext. 202.

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.

Autism Study Recruitment Announcement
The Children’s Research units at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University are currently recruiting participants for a study that examines whether multisensory integration is impaired in people with autism. The researchers are currently recruiting both children and adults who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Compensation of $12.00 per hour is provided. Please call (718) 862-1821 if interested or to find out more about the study.

Shape-Up NYC
The NYC Department of Parks & Recreation in partnership with Equinox Fitness Clubs are offering classes aimed at getting New Yorkers into a new habit of fitness. Classes will include yoga, pilates, zumba and intensati, all classes are open to the public and free of charge. Classes begin May 17 at St. James Recreation Center, 2530 Jerome Ave, or visit nyc.gov/befitnyc.

Summer Youth Employment Program
SYEP provides New York City youth between the ages of 14 and 24 with summer employment and educational opportunities. The program is designed to emphasize real-world expectations, increase awareness of services offered by community-based organizations and provide opportunities for career instruction, financial literacy, academic improvement and social growth. Apply now at application.nycsyep.com.

Summer EcoCrafts
Join Friends of Van Cortlandt Park at Van Cortlandt Park South and Gouverneur Avenue., to create picture frames, puppets, masks and more natural and recycled crafts using everyday items in exciting ways, Tuesdays, July 6 through August 24, from 11am to 2 pm. For more information visit www.vancortladt.org or call (718) 601-1553

Garden & Compost Crew
Join Friends of Van Cortlandt Park, Thursdays July 8 through August 26 from 10 am to 1 pm, to donate to Part of the Solution, help pull weeds, turn sift compost bins, and tend to plants. Group meets near Broadway and Mosholu Avenue. For more information visit www.vancortladt.org or call (718) 601-1553

 

Out & About

By Judy Noy

Onstage
 
Lehman Center for the Performing Arts, located at 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W., presents Bayanihan Philippine National Dance Company, Nov. 7 at 4 p.m. (tickets are $15 to $25; $10 for kids aged 12 and under); New Orleans Nights, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. (tickets are $25 to $35); and Oscar D’Leon including Willie Villegas’ Tribute to Joe Cuba, Nov. 20 at 8 p.m. (tickets are $55 to $85). For more information, call (718) 960-8833.

The Bronx Arts Ensemble presents Chamber Music, Nov. 14 at 3 p.m., in the home of Andrew and Beth Haase Meyers, 4673 Delafield Ave. Admission is $25. For more information, call (718) 601-7399.

The Bronx Library Center, 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. off Fordham Road, presents Joy of Dance, by the International Dance Ensemble, Nov. 6 at 2:30 p.m.; and A Salsa Concert, by Sonido Costeno Band, Nov. 13 at 2:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 579-4244/46 or visit www.nypl.org.
Events

The Bronx Zoo hosts Madagascar! in its Schiff Family Great Hall, Nov. 4, 6 to 8 p.m. (enter at Southern Boulevard Gate C). A light buffet will be served. For more information, call (212) 360-1357.

The Church of the Holy Nativity, located at 3061 Bainbridge Ave. at 204th Street, hosts its 110th year Anniversary Dinner and Dance Fund-raiser, Nov. 6, 7:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tickets are $55 for singles and $100 for couples. For more information, call (718) 652-5853 or (917) 208-3207.

Lehman College’s Lovinger Theatre, located at 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W., presents Short Film Concert, featuring several short films, Nov. 6 at 8 p.m., hosted by “Precious” star Gabourey Sidibe (tickets are $15).  For more information, call (718) 510-6929.

Lehman College, located at 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W., presents Merrill Parra: Women and Disability, Nov. 17, in Carman Hall, room 221 (call (718) 960-1160); and Theatre for a New Audience, Nov. 18, in the Speech and Theatre Building, Studio Theatre (call (718) 960-8715). Both are free and run from 12:30 to 2 p.m.

JASA Van Cortlandt Senior Center, located at 3880 Sedgwick Ave., hosts Swing Time, with Sheri Wagner and her band, Nov. 7 at 1:15 p.m., preceded by lunch at 12:15 p.m. (suggested contribution $4). To RSVP or for more information, call (718) 549-4700.

Woodlawn Cemetery will host Using Cemetery Records to Grow Your Family Tree, a two-hour workshop of how to use cemetery records to research family members buried at Woodlawn, Nov. 13 at 1 p.m. ($25). Meet at the Jerome Avenue Gate House. For more information, call (718) 920-1463 ext. 252.

Wave Hill, located at West 249th Street and Independence Avenue, offers two free family art projects: Colors of Autumn, to make collage prints from varied shapes of fall foliage, Nov. 6 and 7; and Dances With Leaves, to make a crown or costume from fall leaves and leaf rubbings and collage leaf designs to take home, Nov. 13 and 14; both in the Ecology Building from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Grounds admission is free until noon on Tuesdays and Saturdays. For more information, call (718) 549-3200 ext. 305 or visit www.wavehill.org.

Exhibits

The Museum of Bronx History, located at 3266 Bainbridge Ave. at 208th Street, presents the following ongoing exhibits: Gone But Not Forgotten, featuring Bronx mansions, through April 10, 2011; Enhanced Edgar Allan Poe Cottage, with new additions including furniture from the actual cottage; and New Poe Cottage Video, 18 minutes long. For more information, call (718) 881-8900.

The Bronx Museum of the Arts, located at 1040 Grand Concourse (between 165th and 166th streets), will host the Aperture Foundation’s exhibit, Paul Strand: The Mexican Portfolio, through Jan. 2, to commemorate the bicentennial of Mexico’s independence and the centennial of its revolution. For more information, call (718) 681-6000 or (212) 946-7111.

The Bronx Council on the Arts and the Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture present Las Casas Revisited, at the Hostos Community College’s Longwood Art Gallery, 450 Grand Concourse at 149th Street, to run through Dec. 11, Mondays through Saturdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The closing reception will be held via the Bronx Culture Trolley on Dec. 1 from 5 to 9 p.m. For more information, call (718) 931-9500 ext. 33.

Lehman College’s Art Gallery at 250 Bedford Pk. Blvd. W., hosts free exhibitions Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Photographing Woodlawn, in collaboration with Friends of the Woodlawn Cemetery, through Dec. 15; and Exhibit: The Craft, through Dec. 16. For more information, call (718) 960-8731.

The New York Botanical Garden hosts Resplendent Roses, on display in the Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garden through the fall; and Greenmarket, which offers fresh local produce, to take place Wednesdays through Nov. 24 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the base of Library Allée. For more information, call (718) 817-8700/8747.

Library Events

The Bronx Library Center, at 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd. off Fordham Road, presents the following programs: For children: Films, Nov. 10 and 17 at 4 p.m.; Preschool Story Time, Nov. 4 and 18 at 11 a.m. (ages 3 to 5); and Leaf Book Making, Nov. 4 at 4 p.m.; and Turkey Magnet Making, Nov. 18 at 4 p.m. (both for ages 5 to 12). For adults, there is Let’s Talk About HIV/AIDS and Sexual Health, Nov. 10 and 17 at 10 a.m.; and The Bronx, Then and Now, featuring authors Dr. Gary Hermalyn and Kathleen A. McAuley, Nov. 10 at 6 p.m. For more information, call (718) 579-4244/46 or visit www.nypl.org.

The Mosholu Library, at 285 E. 205th St., hosts Knitting Circle, Nov. 4 and 18 at 3 p.m., for adults; and Toddler Story Time, Nov. 4 at 10:30 a.m.; and Preschool Films, Nov. 18 at 10:30 a.m. (both for children). Adults and seniors can enjoy Wii, Tuesdays at 3 p.m.; Documenting Faith, a film screening of El Moulid: Egyptian Religious Festival, Nov. 13 at 2:30 p.m.; and Free English Conversation Program, for speakers of other languages (intermediate level), for ages 16 and over; first come, first served (info: (212) 340-0918); groups meet Tuesdays through Nov. 23, 6:30 to 8 p.m. For more information, call (718) 882-8239.

Jerome Park Library, at 118 Eames Place, presents Bookmaking, Nov. 4 at 4 p.m. for teens and young adults. For more information, call (718) 549-5200.

Public Service Announcement

Daylight Savings Time ends on Sunday, Nov. 7 at 2 a.m. Turn clocks back one hour.

NOTE: Items for consideration may be mailed to our office or sent to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org, and should be received by Nov. 8 for the next publication date of Nov. 18.

Park Day Makes Room For the Barkers

By Layza Garcia

Williamsbridge Oval Park was home not just to 40 or so volunteers for It’s My Park Day on Oct. 23. The canine class was also invited for the companion “Bark in the Park” event.

After a morning of greening and cleaning the Oval, organized by the horticulture program of Mosholu Preservation Corporation, the nonprofit that publishes the Norwood News, dog owners dressed up their pooches for a dog costume parade. They also learned about the various pet services such as spay/neuter programs, vaccinations, licensing, and proper “petiquette.” 

Friends of Williamsbridge Oval organized “Bark in the Park.” “I think there were 45 registered dogs for the parade and, at least, 100 humans there,” said Elisabeth von Uhl, a member of Friends.

For It’s My Park Day, local residents and students from the Marble Hill School for International Studies and their nonprofit partner, buildOn, planted bulbs, cleaned up pathways, and painted benches. 
 

Standing Together Against Bigotry

By None

By Wiliam Murray

Following a recent rash of gay teen suicides and homophobic attacks in the city, a gruesome hate crime struck home for Morris Heights’ residents, making a bad situation worse for the borough’s community as a whole, especially the gay populace.

Earlier this month, three young men were brought to a vacant apartment at 1910 Osborne Place where they’d fallen victim to assailants who, motivated by prejudice, committed unspeakable violence against the individuals targeted because of their sexual orientation. The word spread fast throughout the Bronx Community College campus of the tragedies in our vicinity, and the feeling of most people, faculty and students alike, was that direct action should be taken. Led by Sue Moss, a BCC professor of Dance and Physical Education, the plan was laid to have a silent protest-rally demonstrating our alliance against discrimination and cruelty. Hundreds of collegial participants assembled on Oct. 28 outside of the Roscoe C. Brown Jr. Student Center, accompanied by Public Safety, police, local news reporters and partner organizations such as Montefiore Medical Center’s own Adolescent AIDS Program for “The March for Dignity.”

In peaceful dissent, we marched and distributed a statement to pedestrians and shopkeepers en route: “We will not tolerate belittling or abuse of lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, or transgendered people on our campus. Bronx Community College must be a safe space for all students, faculty, staff and community members to explore and grow.”

At the building, we solemnly placed 100 white and purple carnations in honor of the victims, and took the moment to reflect on our intentions. There we stood, together, on our dignity, and against all bigotry.

The writer is a student senator at Bronx Community College.
 

City Steps In, Demands Repairs at Milbank Buildings

By Jeanmarie Evelly

After taking a tour of several dilapidated Bronx apartment buildings, officials from the city’s Department of Housing and Preservation vowed to take more aggressive action in getting the properties repaired and livable.

The 10 buildings, scattered through the northwest Bronx and including 2505 Aqueduct Ave., 2500 University Ave., and 75 W. 190th St., were formerly owned by Milbank Real Estate, and have been in worsening states of disrepair since they went into foreclosure last year.

LNR Property Corp., the Florida-based firm that is the servicer to the mortgage on the properties, has repeatedly ignored pleas—from tenants, city officials and one Bronx Supreme Court order—to put money into repairing the portfolio’s 3,000 housing violations. LNR has also been looking to sell the properties, along with the $35 million loan debt that’s attached to them.

HPD Commissioner Rafael Cestero took a tour of three of the buildings in October, with tenant leaders and organizers from the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, and said conditions there are some of the worst he’s ever seen.

“I have to say, in my 21 years working in the affordable housing industry in this great city, I have never been more shocked, angered and frustrated,” he told reporters.

Cestero and City Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced last week that the city will more aggressively address Milbank’s plight by making thorough inspections, issuing violations and starting repairs on the most health-threatening problems, like apartments with lead paint in them.

HPD normally sends out inspectors to look at an apartment when someone lodges a housing complaint with 311. But officials said that taking this “proactive” approach with Milbank — going in to make an inspection in an apartment even if no one has complained about it yet — will make the difference in turning the buildings around.

“That should send a message to any potential buyer,” Quinn said. “HPD is going to be on the owner 24/7.”

The potential buyer is Chestnut Holdings, a Riverdale-based company that’s been in talks with LNR. Housing advocates warned that a mortgage that high, combined with an expensive repair to-do list, is too much debt for a new owner to handle.

Neither LNR or Chestnut Holdings have returned calls seeking comment.

City officials have met with LNR, but say the company has “no clear sense of how much they need to put in to make these buildings livable,” according to Quinn. LNR has proposed spending about $5 million to $7 million on repairs, she said, which is nothing close to the $24 million that her own assessment, conducted by an outside architecture firm, estimates it will cost.

“They understand how bad things are,” Jonathan Levy, a lawyer from Legal Services-NYC, said of LNR. “They just don’t think it’s their responsibility.”

A Bronx Supreme Court judge thinks otherwise: at the end of September, the court ordered LNR to pay $2.5 million in repairs on the properties within 30 days, though tenant advocates say they have yet to see a penny of that.  LNR is appealing the judge’s order.

Milbank tenants have long complained about leaking ceilings, rotting floors, mold infestations and permanently broken elevators.

“We shouldn’t have to live like this,” Sergio Cuevas, of 2785 Sedgwick Ave., said at a prayer vigil the tenants held last month. “I don’t invite anyone over to my home.”
 

Bronx Foodie: Supermarket Finds and Cooking Tips

By Ivonne Salazar

The Food Education Project at Montefiore Medical Center held its second workshop-type session two weeks ago. It focused on choosing healthy products at the supermarket. Guest speaker and seasoned chef, Allison Fishman (pictured), author of “Cook Yourself Thin” and former co-host of TLC’s “Home Made Simple,” led the hour-long session on buying healthy and tasty foods.

Fishman shared a list of relatively healthy products found in most supermarkets that she and other Cooking Light staff members personally taste-tested for a recent issue.
Here are some of Fishman’s picks:

•    Rudi’s Organic Bakery, 100% Whole Wheat Bread
•    Uncle Ben’s Boil-in-Bag Brown Rice
•    Progresso Reduced Sodium Chicken Noodle Soup
•    Fage Plain, nonfat Greek Yogurt
•    Tribe Classic Hummus
•    Turkey Hill Vanilla Bean Light Ice Cream
•    Del Monte No-Salt Diced Tomatoes
•    Hellman’s Canola Mayonnaise

Audience members received samples of many of the products. Fishman also made a “1-Minute Salad” with arugula, parmesan cheese, sunflower seeds, and truffle oil for the audience to taste as well. She ended the session by providing her top 5 cooking tips. Check them out below.

Fishman’s 5 Tips for Healthy Cooking

1.    Use low calorie, high flavor ingredients, like herbs, lemon juice, yogurt, and balsamic vinegar.
2.    Use high calorie ingredients sparingly. For example, nuts, seeds, and cheese.
3.    Eat mostly plants and foods that your grandmother would recognize. (Borrowed from Michael Pollan)
4.    Give hearty foods a healthy makeover. Try using chicken sausage instead of pork.
5.    Fill half of your plate with vegetables.

The next workshop will be held Wednesday, Nov. 3, and will feature a presentation about the Norwood Food Co-op by Greg Lobo-Jost.

Ed. Note: Ivonne Salazar’s “Bronx Foodie” column will appear on the Bronx News Network website, bronxnewsnetwork.org, every week. The Food Education Project is sponsored by Montefiore’s Office of Community Health in conjunction with the medical center’s departments of Food and Nutrition and Clinical Nutrition. Sessions are held every other Wednesday from 1 to 2 p.m. in the Food Pavilion at Montefiore’s Moses Division. For more information, call (718) 920-4692.

To Ban or Not to Ban? City Looks to Stop Soda Drinking

By Jeanmarie Evelly

A new city proposal to ban the use of food stamps to buy soda and other sugar-heavy drinks has sparked a fervent debate among health advocates.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor David Paterson requested that the U.S. Department of Agriculture remove soda from the list of allowable purchases under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamp program, for two years in New York City.

The effort, Bloomberg said, is part of an overall attempt to improve the health of New Yorkers, citing sugar-sweetened drinks as the “largest single contributor to the obesity epidemic,” according to a press release.

“Citywide, there is a significant increase in obesity and Type-2 diabetes, and a tremendous portion of that burden is on low-income people,” said Kathy Nonas of the Department of Health. The proposal, she said, is one of the city’s many efforts to “increase the access to healthy food and decrease the access to unhealthy food.”

The Bronx has the highest obesity and diabetes rates in the entire city. Nutritionists agree that soda is a particularly dangerous culprit when it comes to weight gain.

“We want to ensure that when people purchase food, they’re purchasing food that’s nutritional. Soda — there’s nothing real about it. It’s a man-made food that contributes nothing but calories,” said Miriam Pappo, the director of clinical nutrition at Montefiore Medical Center. “It’s always advocated to eat your calories rather than drink them.”

A 32-oz. bottle of regular soda, she said, has nearly 400 calories. It’s recommended that people consume no more than 2,000 calories a day to maintain a healthy weight.

“Some kids are getting all the calories they need a day just from soda,” said Dr. Peggy Shafaghi, a pediatrician at St. Barnabas Hospital.

But some food and hunger advocates say that targeting food stamp recipients sends a negative message, and confirms stereotypes already associated with the program.

“I’d be the first to say that soda is not a great thing for people, and we should definitely tell people to drink less soda,” said Joel Berg, executive director at the New York City Coalition Against Hunger. But he disputes the claim that soda is the number one cause of obesity, and says making bans like this will discourage people who need the help from enrolling in the food stamp program. 

“There’s no evidence at all that people in the food stamps program eat any less wise than other poor people,” Berg said. “[The ban] sells the message to low-income people: ‘we’re making your choices for you.’”

Berg says there are more effective ways to help people eat more nutritionally than just restricting what they can buy. In areas like the Bronx, he said, the city should work to increase the number of places food stamps are accepted, bring healthier foods into markets and neighborhood bodegas, lend support to farmers markets and community supported agriculture projects, and make those projects accept SNAP payments.

“The problem isn’t bad choices,” Berg said. “The problem is they don’t have the money to make good choices.”

A Bike Tour Tribute to Megan Charlop

By Norwood News

This year the Tour de Bronx honored the memory of Megan Charlop, a tireless health advocate, who died in a bicycle accident last March. At the end of the ride, at a ceremony in the New York Botanical Garden, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., paid tribute to Charlop and presented a proclamation to her family. Pictured at left are two of her four children, Aaron and Sarah Charlop-Powers, and her husband, Richard Powers is at far right.

Hope for Milbank Tenants

By Editorial

Last spring, a portfolio of buildings in the northwest Bronx caught the attention of housing advocates due to an onslaught of complaints from tenants who described horrendous living conditions.

The properties were owned by Milbank Real Estate, a private equity firm based in Los Angeles that purchased the buildings during the boom times with a risky $35 million mortgage. In 2009, Milbank defaulted on the loan, sending the properties into foreclosure proceedings. The buildings are now in the hands of a servicer, LNR Property Corp., which has been looking to sell them to a new owner.

Since foreclosure began, Milbank tenants have seen conditions in their homes deteriorate.  The 10 properties have over 3,000 housing violations among them—rodents, mold infestations, leaking ceilings and rotting floors are the norm. For months, at protest rallies, prayer vigils and in the courts, these tenants, with the support of the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, have pleaded for help to make their homes livable again.

But there’s some good news.  Last week, HPD announced that it would step up its game by conducting more thorough inspections, and then repairing the worst violations and putting liens on the properties. Essentially this means – or could mean – that the buildings will be turned around. It’s about time, and we urge our elected officials to ensure the agency makes good on its promise. 

Of course, Milbank isn’t the only landlord to treat Bronx housing as a mere commodity, rather than as a service essential to people’s health and well-being. They were only one in a rash of private equity financing of Bronx buildings over the last several years.

HPD and city officials need to keep a close eye on all of these over-leveraged properties so that the Milbank disaster and its effects on thousands of Bronxites will never be repeated.

Thousands Take Biking Tour of the Boogie Down

By Norwood News

Some 5,000 cyclists tackled the 15th annual Tour de Bronx, the largest free biking event in the state, on Sunday, Oct. 24.

Riders received free shirts from organizers and helmets from the DOT, and followed either a 25-mile route, or a more challenging 40-mile one. The ride began at 161st Street and the Grand Concourse and ended at the Botanical Garden.

“Tour de Bronx gives us the chance to show thousands of people that the Bronx is filled with beautiful places to visit,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. who rode in the event for the first time. “Riding a bike around our borough is the healthiest way to see exactly what the Bronx has to offer. I want to thank the many visitors who participated on our tour and to keep the invitation open for them to continue experiencing our wonderful borough.”
 

Public Hearing on Webster Avenue Rezoning

By Alex Kratz

Community Board 7 and the Department of City Planning are holding a public hearing on Thursday, Nov. 4, as part of the city’s official land use review process as it weighs the merits of a rezoning initiative sponsored by the Board.

Through a series of up-zoning changes along Webster Avenue in Norwood and Bedford Park, the Board is aiming to change the feel of a commercial corridor made up of mostly industrial and heavy commercial buildings. They want to attract more residential and light commercial developments, such as retail stores and restaurants. At the same time, the Board wants to preserve the character of several other neighborhoods by down-zoning them.

The Board spent nearly two years working with City Planning to come up with the proposed zoning changes.

The hearing will be held at the Bronx Library Center auditorium in the basement level, located at 310 E. Kingsbridge Rd.

The first hour of the hearing, which begins at 5 p.m., will be an open house with City Planning staff and the Community Board members, who will be on hand to answer questions.

A presentation of the rezoning proposal will begin at 6 p.m. Immediately following the presentation, the Board will open up the floor for testimony and comments from the public until 8:30 p.m.

Ed. Note: For more information about the hearing or the rezoning effort, contact Community Board 7 at (718) 933-5650.
 

Public and Community Meetings

By Norwood News

•    Community Board 7 will hold its general meeting at Kittay House’s Fox Auditorium, located at 2550 Webb Ave. For all Community Board 7 committee meetings, call (718) 933-5650 or visit www.bronxcb7.info.

Orchard Beach Gets $13 Million in Restorations

By Jeanmarie Evelly

Orchard Beach, the Bronx’s only beach, is set to get a major makeover in the coming months.

A $13 million restoration project, funded by the Parks Department and federal money secured by Bronx representatives Jose E. Serrano and Joseph Crowley, began at the Pelham Bay beach on Oct. 29.

Workers will infuse the beach, formerly billed the “Riviera of New York,” with 250,000 cubic yards of new sand, replacing sand that has been lost over time to wind and the tides, and to prevent future erosion.

“The people of the Bronx will soon have a restored, functional and expansive Orchard Beach, as it was envisioned by its creators decades ago,” Serrano said.

The beach, which attracts around one million visitors a year, last received new sand in 1964.  The city expects to finish the project in time for next summer.

Locals Residents Cast Their Ballots

By Jeanmarie Evelly

New York State’s General Election took place on Tuesday, Nov. 2. Results of the election were not tallied by press time, but Democratic incumbents in the Bronx (with the exception of 33rd District State Senator Pedro Espada, who lost to Gustavo Rivera in the September primary) were all predicted to hold on to their seats for another term.

Still, voters turned out to their local polling stations to cast their votes.

“I vote in every election,” said Norwood resident Herbert Hall, who voted at St. Brendan’s School on East 207th Street. “Democratic all the way.”

The scene was bustling at Mosholu Montefiore Community Center, where nearly 60 voters had cast their ballots before lunchtime. Poll coordinator Marie Sparks said voter turnout was steady and that everything was going smoothly.  

“It’s really been fine,” she said.

(Ed. Note: Find all the election results at bronxnewsnetwork.org.)

Things didn’t go quite as well during the September primary, when a new, scanner-based voting system caused confusion and minor chaos for voters and poll workers alike. Many poll sites opened late that day or had broken ballot scanning machines. Mayor Bloomberg called the Board of Elections’ performance a “royal screw-up.”

All those voting mishaps led to the firing of BOE Executive Director George Gonzalez at the end of October, just a week before the general election. Gonzalez, a longtime Bronx Democrat, received the short-lived position this August after Bronx Democratic Party

Bronx Pols Say Living Wage Study is Rigged

By Alex Kratz

New legislation guaranteeing good paying jobs at development projects that receive significant city subsidies is gaining momentum in the City Council. But backers of the bill, including Bronx Councilman Oliver Koppell, say the mayor’s office is stacking the deck in opposition to it.

Recently, the city’s Economic Development Corporation, which is controlled by the mayor, spent $1 million to commission a study of how wage guarantees would impact the city economically.

Last week, however, Koppell and several other Council members blasted the EDC at a press conference in front of City Hall, saying the group they commissioned to produce the study, the Boston-based Charles River Associates, has demonstrated a history of opposing living wage ($10 an hour, plus benefits, or $11.50 an hour without benefits) and even minimum wage guarantees.

EDC spokesman Julie Wood said the agency issued a request for proposals to find a suitable organization for the study and chose Charles River because they were the best of five candidates.

The Council members based their charges on the findings of the Fiscal Policy Institute and National Employment Law Project. The nonprofit groups created a report detailing Charles River’s record of opposing guarantees.

“It appears that our worst fears about the fairness of the EDC study have now been confirmed,” said Koppell, who is the primary sponsor of the bill, called the Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act. 

The report on Charles River says the firm’s economists, David Neumark and David Hamermesh, have ties to the Employment Policies Institute (EPI), an organization created by Washington, DC lobbyist Richard Berman and funded by low-wage employers to fight wage guarantees. A group called Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington created a website dedicated to “exposing” Berman for, among other things, fighting against wage guarantees using front organizations fueled by money from industries that benefit from low-wage workers.

“David Neumark, the economist leading EDC’s study, has spent his entire career criticizing not just living wage policies, but even the minimum wage,” said Paul Sonn, of the National Employment Law Project, in a statement. “On the EDC study, he’s proposing to use a ‘junk science’ methodology that has already been exposed by other researchers as flawed and unreliable.”

In a statement, EPI responded, saying “Studies by Neumark and Hamermesh are not the opinions of political hacks; they are the careful and studied conclusions of experienced labor economists, who are more than qualified to serve as economists on a study of a proposed living wage law.”

Wood said the groups criticizing Charles River were picking and choosing their facts and that, if you look at the whole body of work for the economists, they have a well-rounded history of analysis. “They won’t ever be happy,” Wood said of the groups criticizing Charles River.

The push for living wage guarantees began after the City Council killed a plan to turn the Kingsbridge Armory into a shopping mall because it did not guarantee living wage jobs for workers at a revamped Armory. 

Officials for the Related Companies, the Manhattan-based outfit picked by the city to develop the Armory, said they wouldn’t agree to guarantee living wage jobs at any New York development project unless it was required by law.

The Related Companies was set to receive nearly $100 million in tax breaks and other city subsidies.

Koppell, who represents parts of Norwood and Bedford Park, says the Fair Wages act would guarantee living wages for permanent jobs created at city-subsidized developments.

The bill now has 28 sponsors, which would be a majority, but not the two-thirds super majority needed to overturn a mayoral veto of the bill. Annabel Palma, the head of the Bronx’s Council delegation is a co-sponsor of the bill.

Living wage legislation has been passed in 15 other cities.
Koppell will read the study produced by Charles River, but says he doesn’t “think it’s going to convince me to stop pushing these bills.”   

Struggling Football Rivals Look Toward the Future

By Selim Khan

Entering their matchup on Oct. 23 at Coach Horowitz Field in Marble Hill, the John F. Kennedy Knights and DeWitt Clinton Governors, two local rivals experiencing growing pains this year, were both looking forward to better days ahead.

But the optimism that exists for both squads was tempered by the painful lessons they have endured this season. Clinton arrived sporting a 1 – 5 record, while Kennedy was 3 – 3.

Governors coach Howard Langley said this is year one in a two-year rebuilding process towards something special. Most of the team is comprised of talented but inexperienced underclassmen. “The following two years we will be good,” Langley said.

This year, the team has already lost as many games as it did the past two years combined. Langley attributes this season’s struggles to two major reasons: QB Joaquin Dejesus not being healthy and “giving a young team too much information.”

Kennedy first-year head coach Andy Lancberg is also facing similar challenges. He inherited a team that had been a perennial power over the years, but went 1 – 8 last season. To compound things, he’s dealing with his own injuries and young roster.

After starting the season with two losses, Lancberg said the team’s signature win came in a 32 – 12 blowout against Grand Street Campus. Without that win, Lancberg thought “the ship would break.” Looking forward, Lancberg points to the talented nucleus of junior RB/LB Evans Housey, OT/DT Francisco Mendez and sophomore RB/LB/backup QB Mathew Evora.

On Oct. 23 the Governors showed it’s not how you start the game, but how you finish it. The Governors came out playing sloppy, fumbling twice on their first two possessions. But the Knights were unable to capitalize on these early gifts — a precursor to their offensive woes.

Despite the early miscues, the Governors rolled to a 26 – 6 victory, their second win of the season.

On his way to a huge day, Clinton sophomore RB Ashton McKenzie put the Governors on the board early in the second quarter. After receiving the handoff, McKenzie cut back away from Kennedy’s defensive pursuit and scampered down the right sideline for the 6 – 0 lead.

The Knights tied it up on a run by QB Isiah Sledge after a big kickoff return.

In the second half, the Knights would be plagued by delay of game penalties and turnovers. Early in the third quarter, Sledge’s pass was picked off by Governor defensive back Patrick Lindo and returned for a TD.

The Governors would tack on two more touchdowns, one by Joaquin Dejesus, their oft-injured QB, who Langley said was finally “able to run hard.”

Last Saturday, Clinton built on its success, beating Midwood 24-12, to improve to 3-5, the same record as Kennedy, which lost to Lehman, 20-14.
 

Pumpkin Carving King Brings Quest to the Bronx

By Alex Kratz

As an Oregon farmer, Scott Cully grows one of nature’s smallest fruits: blueberries. But his passion in life — or “quest” as he calls it — leads him to the world’s largest pumpkins, which he transforms into the world’s largest jack-o-lanterns.

This past weekend, Cully’s quest brought him to the north Bronx’s New York Botanical Garden, where he molded the latest record-breaking pumpkin into a spooky and somewhat gory three-faced jack-o-lantern.

“It’s great, I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Garden volunteer Marge Graham.

The giant pumpkin-carving bug bit Cully on a sunshine-drenched fall day in 1988 when he was living in Hartford, Conn., where he grew up (he now lives in Eugene, Ore.). After harvesting a 400-pound pumpkin from his personal patch, Cully sat down with his wife, a “smoking hot” pitcher of apple cider, a bunch of knives and went to work. He took the jack-o-lantern to a Halloween party that night. It was a hit. He’s been carving enormous pumpkins ever since.

Cully says he usually carves about 10 to 12 pumpkins a year; at casinos, shopping malls and county fairs throughout the United States. “I always try to find the biggest pumpkins,” he says.

And he has. Cully holds the Guinness World Record for carving the world’s largest pumpkin. This year’s record-breaker was grown by Chris Stevens in New Richmond, Wisconsin. Stevens brought the pumpkin to New York in the back of a pickup truck. At 1,810.5 pounds, the pumpkin contains enough flesh to make 900 pumpkin pies.

Stevens’ pumpkin, along with the other two pumpkins on display — weighing in at 1,725 pounds and 1,674.5 pounds — made up the largest three pumpkins in the world this year, according to the Great Pumpkin Commonwealth, the governing body of more than 80 pumpkin weigh-ins worldwide.

The gregarious Cully, who brought his wife and daughter out to New York to join him, started carving on Friday morning. In between cuts with a vast array of carving tools, he posed for photos with Garden visitors, making faces and stabbing motions toward his latest creation. He finished up on Sunday afternoon, just barely holding the mammoth pumpkin together using various rods and wraps to keep everything in place.

Flanking Cully’s piece were two almost-as-big pumpkins carved by Westchester pumpkin-carving artists Michael Natiello (who turned his into a furrowy-browed, big-eyed face with a stem nose) and Sara Mussen (hers consisted of spiders and spider webs: “a little creepy but not too scary”).

Mussen and Natiello both praised Cully’s work and said they enjoyed watching him come up with his vision.

“He’s really passionate about it,” Natiello says. 
 

Bronx, Mayor Disagree On Plan To Bring Schools to Armory

By Alex Kratz

A plan to transform the Kingsbridge Armory annex buildings into schools is in jeopardy as Bronx activists and Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. once again find themselves at odds with the mayor’s office over a development project.

Last week, in protest of the city’s plan to turn a vacant army reserve center into a homeless shelter, Diaz did not attend a scheduled meeting with city officials, setting up a showdown reminiscent of Diaz’s battle with Mayor Bloomberg over the fate of the Kingsbridge Armory.

Diaz, along with Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs and Tokumbo Shobowale, the chief of staff for Deputy Mayor Robert Steel, make up the three members of the Muller Local Redevelopment Authority (LRA), a group tasked with finding a new use for the Sgt. Joseph A. Muller Army Reserve Center in Wakefield. The Department of Defense closed the center this year as part of its Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) effort.

For the past several months, Diaz and other elected officials have advocated for using the building to house the National Guard units that occupy two annex buildings attached to the north side of the Kingsbridge Armory on 195th Street.  The removal of the guard units from the Armory’s annex buildings would free them up to become schools, which activists have long advocated for and overcrowded School District 10 badly needs.

But lately, it had become increasingly clear that the other two members didn’t share this plan. Instead, according to Diaz and others involved with negotiations, they wanted to recommend that the Muller Center be turned into a 200-bed homeless shelter for men. (The Department of Defense has final say.)

Two weeks ago, in a final effort to sway his fellow authority members, Diaz sent a letter to the offices of the two deputy mayors explicitly opposing the shelter plan.

“Local elected officials at all levels, including my office, have expressed support for relocating the National Guard units from the Kingsbridge Armory to the ARC [Army Reserve Center], and are opposed to the homeless shelter proposal,” Diaz wrote in the letter.

The letter had little effect. Last week, Diaz became convinced the deputy mayors were going to vote on the homeless shelter recommendation, putting his voice in the minority. In a strategic move, Diaz decided not to attend a scheduled meeting of the authority at the downtown offices of the Economic Development Corporation (EDC, which is handling administration for the project), leaving the authority without a quorum to make an official vote.

“I do not feel that the concerns of the Bronx have been taken into consideration on this matter,” Diaz said in a statement, “and I feel that we need more time to negotiate the proper use of the Muller space which, in my opinion, should be the next home for the National Guard units currently located at the Kingsbridge Armory.”

Some believe the deputy mayors might be pushing the shelter recommendation as payback for Diaz’s effort last fall to kill the city’s plan to turn the Armory into a shopping mall.

“In what decidedly is the most disgraceful act of revenge and disregard for his duty as Mayor, King Bloomberg has decided to ignore the educational needs, security and will of the people of the Bronx,” said Desire Pilgrim-Hunter, an activist with the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, in a statement.

Father Richard Gorman, the chairman of Community Board 12 where the Muller Center is located, has also criticized the mayor for seeking revenge for the Armory vote. More homeless shelters, he said, were unwarranted and amounted to overkill.
Diaz spokesman John DeSio said he doesn’t think it’s a case of payback. “The mayor’s office is above those types of petty games,” he said.

“I can’t blame [the mayor’s office] for wanting more homeless housing,” said Councilman Oliver Koppell, who has been trying for years to put schools into the Armory. “But in this instance, the [Wakefield] community has already had to accept a significant number of homeless shelters.”

As part of BRAC, local redevelopment authorities are required to look at the needs of the homeless in the community and determine if a homeless facility makes sense.

“Look at the federal guidelines: it’s pretty clear,” said Julie Wood, a spokesperson for the EDC. “Rules are rules.”

But Diaz and other activists in the community argue that the BRAC guidelines are not as cut-and-dried as the EDC and mayor’s office make them out to be. 

They argue that although the homeless population should be considered, this particular part of Wakefield is already inundated with shelters and other transitional facilities. Some 160 beds for homeless are already in the works within a three-block radius of the Muller Center. Another 200 beds would damage the community, Diaz argued in his letter.

“Bringing 360 units/beds online at the same time within a three-block radius will have a tremendous impact on a low-rise, middle-class, homeowner community that currently plays host to the largest number of group homes in the borough,” Diaz wrote.

In a paper about BRAC for the Congressional Research Service, which provides nonpartisan research and analysis for the federal government, lawyer R. Chuck Mason writes that a local development authority has several options for appropriate usage, including looking at homeless shelters.

“Screening of the property must be performed to determine if a homeless assistance use would be appropriate,” Mason writes. “There are also a variety of ‘public benefit transfers,’ under which the property may be conveyed for various specified public purposes.”

Last week, on the day Diaz strategically skipped his scheduled meeting with the deputy mayors, the Bronx Borough Board, which is made up of the borough’s community board chairs and City Council delegation, voted to back Diaz’s stance on opposing the homeless shelter idea and support the guard relocation plan.

At the meeting, Adolfo Abreu, a youth leader with Sistas and Brothas United, said the relocation of Armory guard units is a priority for everyone except the mayor.  “Community Board 12 and Wakefield residents want the Guard to move to their community. Elected officials are in support,” he said. “Our barrier is still that our mayor has an entirely different agenda.”
 

A ‘March for Dignity’ After Bias Attacks

By James Fergusson

Bronx Community College students and staff took part in a silent march last Thursday to show support for the gay community following the vicious and well-publicized assaults that occurred just blocks from the campus in early October.

The 250-person-strong crowd, many of whom carried banners (“We are all the same,” “Love not hate,” “Put the homophobes in the closet”), gathered outside the Roscoe C. Brown Student Center at noon. They then walked south, to a house on Osbourne Place, where police say a gang of youths and 20-somethings brutally attacked a man and two teenagers on Oct. 8.

The victims were targeted because they are gay or perceived to be gay, the authorities said. A fourth man — a brother and roommate of one of the victims — was also beaten and robbed in his apartment later that day. 

Upon reaching the house, the protesters left white and purple carnations on the sidewalk, before making their way slowly back to BCC. 

“I think what they did is really messed up and I just want to promote non-violence,” said Zyesha Phillps, a student at the college who took part in the march.

“First of all, this is about dignity,” said Eduardo Arias, another student. “I’m gay, and I feel that what I am, God made me this way. I’m a normal person who just likes guys, not girls. We’re normal people. It’s not right to beat someone because they’re gay.”

During the march, students handed out fliers about the event to passersby. “We need the surrounding community to know that, at this school, we are accepting of diversity and we would like that sentiment to permeate throughout our area,” said William Murray, a student government senator at the college who helped organize the event with other students and faculty.

Murray said the march was also prompted by the recent spate of suicides among gay youth, including Rutgers freshman Tyler Clementi who jumped off the George Washington Bridge after being secretly filmed in bed with another man.

“Gay youth often think they have no way out and they have no allies, and I thought it was important to show that there are groups and community members [who are allies],” Murray said.

Groups represented at the march included the Adolescent AIDS Program at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore Medical Center, as well as several BCC clubs, such as Urban Unity, and the Peace and Social Justice Club.

Police investigating the Osbourne Place assaults have arrested 11 individuals, all of them allegedly members of a gang who call themselves the Latin King Goonies. Four of the suspects were released last week because of insufficient evidence; the other seven have been indicted. Charges include gang assault, robbery, sexual assault, and unlawful imprisonment. Many of the counts are being charged as hate crimes.  
 

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