Saturday Tour to Explore Rezoning Of Kingsbridge and U-Heights

Community Board 7’s Land Use Committee is hosting a walking tour of several neighborhoods in Kingsbridge Heights and University Heights to assess possible rezoning options. The walk is set to begin 10 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 19, in front of the Kingsbridge Armory (West Kingsbridge Road and Davidson Avenue).

Live from Occupy Demonstrations in the Bronx

We’re going to do a little experiment here on Breaking Bronx with some live coverage from the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations happening today as part of the “National Day of Action for the 99%” effort that will culminate in Foley Square in downtown Manhattan at 5 p.m. There will be a handful of events at Bronx subway stations. Norwood News reporters Ronald Chavez and Emily Piccone will be at Yankee Stadium and Fordham Road, respectively, filing reports via Twitter. I’ll do my best to capture all the action here.

Electric Truck Manufacturer Coming to the Bronx

For the first time in what feels like a long time, manufacturing jobs are coming into the Bronx instead of leaving it:  Smith Electric, a Missouri-based company which makes electric trucks, will be opening a facility in Port Morris. Buoyed by a $6 million package of tax breaks, Smith Electric plans to renovate the  Murray Fleiss building, a former lamp warehouse at 275 Locust Ave., according to a press release. The site should be up and running by 2012 and will create 100 jobs, a statement said. “This project is a win-win for the Bronx and the entire State, and


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Small Turnout at Bronx Vigil a Sign That Fear Reigns

A handful of community members gathered in front of Monroe College for last night’s candlelit vigil in honor of Bimal Chanda. Eight flames honored the 59-year-old Fordham resident who died two weeks ago as the result of a brutal beating at the hands of two unidentified thugs.

Bronx’s Rivera and Other Latino Leaders Push for Community Engagement

After Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez was arrested early Wednesday morning at Zuccotti Park for participating in the Occupy Wall Street movement, Latino political and organizational leaders, including northwest Bronx State Senator Gustavo Rivera, are standing in support of Rodriguez and urging community participation during tomorrow’s National Day of Action for the 99%.

Prayer Vigil Tonight for Murder Victim Bimal Chanda

Community leaders and local elected officials will hold a prayer vigil tonight for Bimal Chanda, the Fordham resident who was fatally beaten two weeks ago in the stairwell of his apartment building on West 190th Street. The service will be held outside of Monroe College, 2501 Jerome Ave., at 6 p.m. Community Board 7 member Mohammed Ali, who was a close friend of Chanda’s, is organizing the rally to draw attention to the recent uptick in neighborhood crime, and the vulnerability of immigrants to attack. He believes Chanda, a native of India, was targeted because of his ethnicity. The outbreak in


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Wall Street Protesters ‘Occupy Woodlawn’

A group of protestors from downtown Manhattan’s Occupy Wall Street encampment came to the Bronx this weekend, in a show of support for Woodlawn Cemetery workers campaigning against what they say are unfair labor practices at the landmark cemetery. About 75 Wall Street demonstrators and members from several labor unions showed up on Saturday to rally with the cemetery workers, who for the last couple of years have tried unsuccessfully to address what they said were acts of overt racism by Woodlawn supervisors. “We’re going to be there to support them, because their struggle is our struggle,” said Occupy Wall


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