Bronx News Roundup: West Nile Virus Spraying Begins This Week and More

The Norwood News is putting together our next print edition, which will hit streets later this week. In the meantime, here are the Bronx news stories we’re following today.

Musical Slideshow: Making Music NY-Style in Oval Park

On the first day of summer, Make Music NY organized more than 1,000 concerts in the five boroughs, including a show at Williamsbride Oval Park, featuring local band Forty Indy and singer/guitarist THEO. Photographer Adi Talwar put together this slideshow. The accompanying music was performed by Fort Indy.

Bronx News Roundup: Nelson Castro, the Ghost from the Machine

If you haven’t done so already and you’re interested in Bronx politics, you need to read this article, written by Steve Fishman and published in New York Magazine two weeks ago, about former Bronx Assemblyman Nelson Castro. It delves into the beginning of Castro’s political career, how he got busted for perjury and how nobody in politics wants to talk to him. Compelling read that offers insight into the often shadowy world of the borough’s political scene. We urge you to read the whole thing, but in the meantime, here are some of the highlights:

Timetable Accelerated for Removal of Toxic Light Fixtures

Schools Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott, Corporation Counsel Michael A. Cardozo, and City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn announced in May that a settlement had been made between the Department of Education and New York Communities for Change to accelerate the removal of contaminant-filled light fixtures in 645 schools across the city.

Inside Albany: The Search for Jeff Klein

With the Assembly dominated by Democrats and Speaker Sheldon Silver, all eyes are on the Senate, which is controlled by an unprecedented coalition of Republicans and four independent Democrats, led by Bronxite Jeff Klein, who is nowhere to be found.

Bronx Crime Report: Norwood Grandma Killed With Hammer; Son Commits Suicide (Plus Stats)

The Story Norwood Grandma Killed With Hammer; Son Commits Suicide The son of a Norwood grandmother found beaten to death with a hammer in her apartment, has reportedly taken his own life in a seedy E. Gun Hill Road motel. Officers from the 52nd Precinct were called to 3525 Perry Avenue at just after 10:20 p.m., on Tuesday, June 25, to conduct a wellness check on longtime resident Magda D’Agostino, 64. Upon entering her second-floor apartment, police discovered the woman’s lifeless body, which had suffered severe trauma. Police sources say a bloody hammer lay nearby. Almost immediately, police began to

Report: Following Toxin Exposure, Increased Risks of Health Effects for Former PS 51 Students, Teachers, Staff

The high toxicity levels of a known cancer-causing chemical found at the site of a Bedford Park building that housed PS 51, the Bronx New School, until 2011, poses an increased risk for health effects for students, teachers and staff members who attended and worked at the school, according to a new report by the state health department.

After Violence, A Bronx Community Talks Bullying

In recent years, a string of high-profile bullying incidents, some ending in violence or early suicide, has forced the topic into the national conversation. Following a particularly disturbing instance of bullying at Middle School 80 on Mosholu Parkway three months ago has brought the conversation to the local level.

Bronx News Roundup: Suspect of Murder Commits Suicide

By Hugh Thornhill Sorry for the lack of news roundups this week, here’s todays roundup: – Yet another teacher has been arrested for having sex with a minor on Wednesday in the Bronx, the Daily News reports. High school music teacher Brian Kearins has been accused of having sex with a 15-year-old girl after the victim’s sister found a string of emails and text messages between the pair that described their sexual relationship. – A man suspected of killing his mother in her Perry Avenue apartment was found dead on Wednesday in an apparent suicide, the Daily News reports. John