Three major Bronx institutions were all smiles last May when Montefiore Medical Center announced that it had brokered a deal in the decade-long tiff between the New York Botanical Garden and Fordham University. Montefiore offered the roof of its Montefiore II residential high-rise, located at 3450 Wayne Ave. at Gun Hill Road, to host a 142-foot tower for Fordham’s public radio station, WFUV.

It was an exciting year for the followers of Bronx politics with two heated local races, a rash of political scandals, and some unexpected new alliances.

In two community victories on and around Reservoir Oval in 2004, there is a disturbing lesson to be learned: It takes a very long time to get small things done.

The work on the Croton filtration plant has begun. The city has started clearing trees at the site, building access roads, etc. Visitors will no longer recognize the vast area they once knew as the Mosholu Golf Course and Driving Range.

Students and teachers were evacuated from MS 80 Monday following an oil spill in the basement.

It takes most actors decades of hard work and hundreds of auditions to get to Broadway. Ten-year-old Zipporah Gatling is already there.

Various stories, including: Funds for Green Products, BP Details Investment, and Serrano Honored.

For the second straight year, the Norwood News received awards for its coverage from the Independent Press Association-New York at the organization’s annual conference and awards dinner on Dec. 15.

CB7 Roundup: While an initial step toward final approval, the board’s decision is only advisory. The city’s Board of Standards and Appeals must still review the plan before it grants a permit, which is necessary because the tower is not on Fordham’s campus. The Federal Communications Commission must also give its OK. The tower, which will rise 160 feet above the top of the building, has already been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration. Fordham officials hope to commence with the construction of the tower by summer or early fall. Construction will require three three-day lifts of concrete, steel and other material from a crane on the street to the roof. The work within and on top of the building will take six months.