Riverdale Pols to Push Board 8 Member for Council Seat

For a while, Cliff Stanton had candidacy for the 11th Council District, which includes Norwood, Bedford Park and Riverdale, all to himself. Now, however, Riverdale’s political establishment, including current 11th District rep Oliver Koppell, is throwing all of its weight behind another candidate, Community Board 8 member Andrew Cohen.

New Disaster Center at Bronx County Building

A new disaster relief center has been set up at the Bronx County Building where residents can help on any number of issues related to the fallout from Hurricane Sandy. Below is the full press release from Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

PS 340 Parents In Uproar Over Mid-Year Transfers

“The education system is going to the dogs,” said Elizabeth Thompson, a representative of the Kingsbridge Heights Neighborhood Improvement Association, at a meeting last week. Thompson, along with a slew of parents from PS 340, lobbied together last Thursday night at the Community Education Council 10 meeting to express their frustrations after being notifying by the school that some 20 students would be transferred midway through the semester to PS 310 due to capping.

Sector George: The Most Dangerous Neighborhood in the Precinct

On a recent Friday afternoon, off-duty firefighter Eddie De La Cruz leisurely walks past Bainbridge Avenue along East 196th Street and stops in front of Our Lady of Refuge Church to chat with Father John Jenik, the parish’s longtime leader. They both greet people passing by, mostly parents with their kids, with pleasantries in English and Spanish. The only sense that this interaction is happening in the most dangerous neighborhoods in the 52nd Precinct, and one of the toughest in the northwest Bronx, is a handful of young men wearing hoodies and expensive sneakers milling menacingly in front of a six-story apartment building down the block. They’re on the lookout and waiting to take over these streets when darkness comes.

Bronx Notes: Job Fair Today

NYS Senator Gustavo Rivera and Assembly Member Nelson Castro will host a job fair, “Let’s Get Bronxites Back to Work,” Nov. 16 from noon to 4 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church Hall, 1948 Washington Ave. (178th Street). Dress professionally and bring your resume. For more information, call (718) 933-2034.

Bronx Biz: On The Fordham Road to Recovery

As Hurricane Sandy whipped through the tri-state area, it left 40,000 in the Bronx without power. Trees went down. They crushed cars. Storefronts were damaged, and branches were ubiquitous. Mostly, businesses were closed. For two days, the city shut down. But despite widespread damage from the storm, Fordham Road — one of the most bustling streets in the borough — began to come back to life swiftly.

Storm Relief Effort Blossoms at Kingsbridge Armory

After more than 15 years of vacancy and several failed redevelopment efforts, it took a storm of unprecedented proportions to put the Kingsbridge Armory back to extended use. It’s now the site of the largest storm relief effort in the Bronx, bringing much-needed food, supplies, cleaning materials and manpower to the region’s most ravaged communities.

Bronx Biz: Corner Pizza Shop in a Crowded Market

The community was buzzing and rumors were flying about what would become of the vacant storefront on the corner of Jerome Avenue and Mosholu Parkway North. Those rumors can be put aside now as the signage for The Corner Pizza Shop was unveiled two weekends ago, just before Super Storm Sandy hit the Bronx.