Bronx Links, Monday

Happy Monday, everyone! Lots of Bronx news to catch up on today and from this weekend. If you missed it, Alex Kratz took a look at Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr.’s State of the Borough speech in Friday’s Bronx Breakdown. We’ll have more on that–with some photos from the event–later today. In the meantime, here are some local stories we’re following this morning: An elderly Parkchester man and his 46-year-old mentally handicapped son were discovered dead in their apartment on Saturday. Though the cause of their deaths is unclear, neighbors speculated that Joseph Valerio Sr., 85, may have died

Welcome to another thrilling edition of the Bronx Breakdown. This week we talk about the real state of the Bronx, hypocrisy in the FreshDirect deal, an ongoing racism problem at Fordham University and one ridiculously sad crime story and what you should do this weekend. Let’s break it on down.

Bronx Business: Fordham’s One-Stop Santeria Shopping Destination

Stepping into Original Products Botanica on the corner of East 189th Street and Webster Avenue, visitors are welcomed with the aroma of fresh herbs, smiling employees and Spanish-Caribbean music playing from overhead speakers. It’s an expansive 15,000-square-foot store housing a vast collection of items — from altar tools and supplies, to ritual and saint candles, tarot cards and everything else in between.

BP Diaz, Bronx Business Leaders Defend Fresh Direct Funding

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., is looking to appease critics of online grocer FreshDirect, which was granted $127.8 million from the city last week in exchange for staying in New York. The company had been considering another lucrative offer to relocate to New Jersey, prompting the Bloomberg administration to counter with an even bigger package of tax breaks and subsidies to convince it to move its headquarters to the Bronx’s Harlem River Yards instead. FreshDirect is currently based in Long Island City, Queens. Some have lashed out against the deal as too generous to a company that pays 38% of

With Valentine’s Day just days away, we went straight to the most tenured and trusted jeweler in the area, Allan Freilich, of Freilich Jewelers, which opened in Norwood in 1939, to get some advice on buying the perfect gift for your special someone. Here are the highlights from our conversation.

Bronx Neighborhood Note: Forum on Supporting Immigrant and Minority Entrepreneurs

The Center for an Urban Future and the Fund for Public Advocacy are facilitating a discussion about the role of immigrant and minority entrepreneurs in the Bronx, the challenges they face, and how to support their growth, Feb. 14, from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. at Hostos Community College

Fresh Direct Will Move Headquarters to the Bronx

The Boogie Down comes out ahead–again!–in the latest business battle with New Jersey, with the news that grocery delivery company Fresh Direct will be relocating to the Bronx from their current headquarters in Queens.

Bronx State Sen. Klein to Sponsor Minimum Wage Bill

Bronx State Sen. Jeff Klein announced this morning that he would be introducing a bill in the Senate to raise the state’s minimum wage, another version of which was first introduced in the State Assembly last week by Speaker Sheldon Silver.

Breaking Bronx Eats at Mar & Tierra; Caribbean Cuisine Comes to Bainbridge

Breaking Bronx Eats is a periodic feature where we highlight neighborhood restaurants. If you would like us to check out a restaurant in your area, write to us at norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org. The shops and restaurants clustered around the last stop on the D train are multiplying. A mile from the Botanical Garden and right below the newly-refurbished Reservoir Oval Park, the few blocks of commerce have a unique charm that still reflects an older time. Within less than a mile, there’s McDwyer’s Pub, the oldest Irish bar left standing in Norwood, Sal’s Pizza, the neighborhood’s oldest (and possibly best) pizza spot