Suspected Cell Phone Thief Dodges Police Since May

By DAVID CRUZ

Police have a visual on a suspect wanted for robbing a cell phone, and they need the public’s help tracking him. The suspected thief (pictured), allegedly grabbed a 27-year-old victim of her phone while she was sleeping on board the uptown 4 train at the Woodlawn subway station on May 29. The suspect fled and the victim was left without a phone. She did track it down to a cell phone store at 1286A Southern Blvd. near Soundview, thanks to a cell phone tracking app. The suspect was last seen wearing a black t-shirt with white roman numeral numbers and a

The fate of a well-respected management firm that’s provided services to a Mitchell Lama complex in Kingsbridge was put on hold by the building’s board of directors who seek to replace them. For some 60 years, Amalgamated Houses has been tethered to Park Reservoir, the first Mitchell Lama cooperative in the Bronx. It offers amenities that include community get-togethers, and custodial services such as pre-dawn snow shoveling during the winter season. Tenants fear those services will be diminished should a new management firm be hired. “The board felt there was a lot of confusion and anger at them so they

By DAVID CRUZ

An enormous but barren parcel of land at the southwestern tip of the Bronx is one step closer towards development by the city, testing interest in the waterfront while advancing Mayor Bill de Blasio’s overall vision for the South Bronx. The 158,000-square-foot property, settled at the shadow of the Major Deegan Expressway and Bronx Terminal Market near 149th Street, represents one of the city’s larger available spaces in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. The city, through a Request For Expressions of Interest (RFEI), is envisioning a whopping 40-story, mixed-used affordable housing complex overlooking the Harlem River. RFEI’s are a precursor

By DAVID CRUZ

Fifty soccer fields are expected to be built over the next five years across the city, and in the Bronx, as part of a public-private partnership to “leveling the playing field” and increase mentorship opportunities, city officials announced. Mayor Bill de Blasio visited Millbrook Houses in Mott Haven to announce NYC Soccer Initiative, a $3 million venture among the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, sports apparel Adidas, U.S. Soccer Foundation, and the New York City Football Club (NYCFC). The club’s base of operations is at Yankee Stadium. Millbrook Houses, falling under the city housing authority, is one of

Body Camera Survey The NYPD wants your opinion on its officer body-worn cameras. Take the questionnaire or submit comments at nypdbodycameras.org. TV Production Training Workshops on television production are available through BronxNet Television, the borough’s official public access television station, from July 12 through Sept. 3, at either Mercy College or Lehman College. Registration fee is $90 for in-studio training and $100 for field production. For more information, call (718) 960-1181. Free Summer Meals Free summer meals for children age 18 and under is available until Sept. 2 at public schools, community pool centers, New York City Housing Authority complexes,

This week we asked readers their thoughts on the delay of redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Armory into an ice skating center, and if they think the project will ever be completed. I think an ice skating rink should be built there; it would be fun. There’s not many over here. Most of them are far away, like Manhattan. I honestly think they want to build something else there, they don’t want to build a skating rink. I heard some saying it was a waste of money, that once they build it, no one would go. Jahira Davis Yonkers I

By WENDY JOAN BIDDLECOMBE

Lifelong Bronxite Samelys Lopez, former second vice chair at Bronx Community Board 7, is petitioning to become the Democratic Female District Leader for the 78th Assembly District, an area that covers Bedford Park, Kingsbridge Heights, Fordham and a portion of Belmont. The district leader is an elected and unpaid volunteer within both the Democratic and Republican parties, and responsibilities for the position include hiring poll workers, listening to and advocating for community members’ concerns and encouraging people to be involved in the local political process. There are two district leaders for each assembly district, one female and one male, who

By TATYANA TURNER and DAVID CRUZ

With the northeast Bronx still facing the highest number of foreclosures in the borough, a local councilman proposes a plan that could stave off foreclosures, coinciding with a larger goal with city officials. Councilman Andy King, representing the 11th Council District, is turning to extending the deadline on lien sales from one to two years. Liens, a collection of unpaid debts that could include water bills, are given at least one year to be paid off by the city Finance Department. As it stands, liens are typically sold to a lien servicing company after one year. The buyer can attach

Editor’s Pick Summer in the City The public is invited to attend Summerstage, a variety of free performances, all at 10:30 a.m., presented by City Parks Foundation, in city parks (schedule is subject to change): Van Cortlandt Park’s Classic Playground, VC Park South and Orloff Avenue – Todd Rolle: Kids Day Out on July 7; and Chinese Acrobat Li Liu on July 14. Van Cortlandt Park’s Sachkerah Woods Playground at Jerome Avenue and Gun Hill Road – PuppetMobile’s Puss in Boots on July 21; Marc Cary: The Harlem Sessions on July 28. Poe Park, next to the bandstand, Grand Concourse