Bronx Notes: Get a Free Tree

Million Trees NYC will be having several tree giveaways over the coming month, including: April 14, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., at Hunts Point Riverside Park, Lafayette Ave. (between Edgewater Rd. & Bronx River), April 28 at Waterbury Lasalle Community Association, 3075 Baisley Ave., May 5 at Drew Gardens, 1071 East Tremont Ave., and May 5 at Friends of Van Cortlandt Park, Broadway and Mosholu Ave. Trees are limited; reserve a tree online at www.nyrp.org/bronxtrees. For more information, visit milliontreesnyc.org. For further questions, contact Michael Mitchell at (212) 333-2552 or mmitchell@nyrp.org. Ed. note: Every weekday, we highlight Bronx programs,

Report: Stadium Parking Falls Short on Jobs Promise

A company that received millions in tax-exempt bonds to finance the development of parking lots around Yankee Stadium did not deliver on the number of jobs it said it would create, an audit from the City Comptroller’s office detailed recently. Bronx Parking Development Company LLC received $225 million in private activity bonds to build 2,184 parking spaces near the new Yankee Stadium. The city’s Economic Development Corp. (EDC) approved the financing for the project despite the fact that the organization’s parent company had defaulted previously on tax-exempt economic development bonds, the report said. “The EDC has enormous power to create

Bronx Links, Tuesday

Here are the Bronx stories (some important, some just funny) that we’re following this Tuesday. Weather: partly cloudy, high in the low-60s, showers possible this afternoon.

State Budget Deal Met With Praise and Criticism From Bronx Pols

State lawmakers in Albany announced last week that they’d reached a $132.6 billion budget deal with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, passing each of the 11 budget bills on Friday — a few days early, before the annual budget deadline of April 1. The plan decreases overall state spending compared to last year, but increases funding for some agencies and projects that some local officials have hailed as a boost for New York City.

Op-Ed: Livable Neighborhoods, Without the Gentrification Label

It’s been almost seven years since the New York Times wrote about the south Bronx transforming into a hip and gentrifying “SoBro,” citing an influx of white residents, artists, croissants and mesclun salad greens. Just last month, the Times ran a similar article, by the same author, once again boldly declaring gentrification in the south Bronx – now on the lower Concourse.

Bronx Activists Say Do Right or You Can’t Have Our Armory

With proposals for the Kingsbridge Armory on the verge of being vetted behind closed doors, more than 200 local activists made it clear that any developer chosen by the city will have to deal with and provide benefits to the community.

Bronx Sports Report: Baseball Preview Edition

Because of the mild (non-existent?) winter this year, it may be tough to tell, but it is spring and that means baseball season is firmly upon us! We’ll be following the borough’s high school and college teams closely as well as checking in with Bronx Bombers as they do battle in the extraordinarily tough American League East. For a today’s start with the Yankees, who open their season against the Rays tomorrow.

State Offers Support to PS 51 Parents, City Another Story

In late March, the parents of current and former PS 51 students met with state officials to ask questions and discuss their concerns about potential health effects caused by exposure to contamination at the school’s former site on Jerome Avenue.

Bronx Notes: Volunteer to Improve Bronx Parks

New York Cares seeks 5,000 volunteers to improve 12 green spaces in the Bronx on April 21 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Teams can register until April 6 and individuals can register until April 20. For more information, contact Eileen Sullivan at (212) 843-8016 or esullivan@rubenstein.com, or visit www.newyorkcares.org.