Coalition, Occupiers Combine Forces

The old school grassroots organizers with the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition have found an energetic new ally in the growing number of demonstrators with the nascent Occupy the Bronx movement.

Clinton Takes Control of Football Rivalry

With DeWitt Clinton’s thrilling 14-13 high school football victory over John F. Kennedy, the Governors cemented its recent dominance over its northwest Bronx rivals and established momentum as the team pushes toward the PSAL playoffs.

Sick Records at PS 51, & Other Bronx Links

The Daily News obtained several years of records, via a Freedom of Information Law request, from the nurse logs at PS 51–the Bedford Park school that was moved to a new location this fall after testing found hazardous levels of a chemical toxin called trichloroethylene (TCE) in its former building, an old lighting factory. Longtime exposure to TCE has been linked to kidney and liver problems, damage to the central nervous system, as well as dizziness, headaches, nausea and blurred vision. In our Norwood News cover story few months back, concerned parents discussed what they thought was an excessive number of sick

Calling All Local Youth Leaders–Apply Now For Yankees Award!

The staff over at Community Board 7 is looking for local youths to nominate for the Yankees’ Youth Leadership Award, a $750 prize for upstanding young Bronx residents doled out each year by the Yankees Community Council. The deadline is Oct. 31. Each Bronx Community Board gets to submit the names of five nominees, and CB7 District Manager Fernando Tirado says they’ve yet to receive any applications. Applicants must reside within the district–for CB7 that means the neighborhoods of Bedford Park, Norwood, Fordham, Kingsbridge Heights and University Heights–and each youth selected is required to complete 50 hours of community service

Today is officially Food Day in New York City–the first annual government-sponsored day to celebrate “real food and healthy eating,” marked by events across the five boroughs with a focus on nutrition. In the Bronx this morning, Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., and State Sen. Gustavo Rivera were at Mount St. Ursula Academy in Bedford Park to kick off a new health initiative for local schools. The Family Health Challenge, developed alongside the Mary Mitchell Family and Youth Center and the Committee of Interns and Residents, asks students and their families to set small goals for themselves–cut out soda one

Happy Monday, Breaking Bronx readers. From here on out, we’ll be starting each work week off with a post called “Weekend Wrap,” linking to relevant local news and big Bronx stories that went down over the weekend. Make sure you check back with us here every Monday. Some items from the last few days: A bill passed recently by the City Council will require the DOE to provide extensive reports on how school space is being utilized–though local parents are skeptical this will do anything for the crammed classrooms in the notoriously overcrowded Bronx District 10. This Daily News story

PS 51 Parents Hold Rally, Walcott Agrees to Meet

After persistent lobbying, Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott said he would meet with parents of students at PS 51, the Bronx New School, which was moved from Bedford Park to Crotona after the building the school had inhabited for nearly two decades was found to be contaminated.

Bronx Education Summit a Chance to Chart New Path

For the first-ever Bronx Education Summit at Lehman College, Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. said he wanted to spark conversation. He got what he wanted.

Mayor’s ‘Young Men’s Initiative’ Focused on Reading

Mayor Bloomberg and a number of city and elected officials gathered at the Bronx Library Center on Kingsbridge Road last week to launch the first effort of the city’s “Young Men’s Initiative,” a $127 million multi-agency program unveiled this summer to address the disparities faced by the city’s young black and Latino men.