Exploring Our Parks: Through New Visitors Center, Poe Park Expands Programs

After months of construction, renovations, waiting and uncertainty, the transformation at Edgar Allan Poe Park is now complete. The result is a Kingsbridge Heights-area space transformed into a bustling, kid-friendly destination spot with a busy playground, a refurbished historical landmark and an open visitors center.

Bronx Notes: NY Philharmonic, Fireworks in Van Cortlandt Park

After a brief hiatus, the New York Philharmonic is back this summer playing free outdoor concerts in the five boroughs. Tonight, they are playing in the Bronx at Van Cortlandt Park. The performance begins at 8 p.m. Enter the park from Broadway, near West 251st Street. Concert site is north of the baseball fields. Like all of the Concerts in the Parks, the show tonight will be followed by fireworks by Bay Fireworks.

U-Heights Church Wins Latest Legal Battle With DOE

This time, the Bronx Household of Faith prevailed. In the latest round of a drawn-out legal fight between the University Heights-based church and the city’s Department of Education, a judge ruled that Bronx Household of Faith — and some 60 other churches and religious groups citywide — can continue worshiping inside public school buildings during off hours.

Bronx Notes: Veterans Information Resource Fair, July 17

There will be a Veterans Information Resource Fair, Tuesday, July 17, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. at the Bronx’s James J. Peters VA Medical Center, Room 3D-22, 130 W. Kingsbridge Road. For more info contact Johnnie Williams (718) 653-1341.

Teen Bicyclist Killed After Hit-and-Run on Webster Avenue

On an ominous Friday the 13th evening, Bronx teenager David Ellis was riding his bike north up Webster Avenue when he was struck from behind by Nissan Maxima near East Gun Hill Road, according to police. After being hit, Ellis, 18, was thrown into the southbound lane on Webster and hit again, this time by an oncoming Ford Explorer. While the Maxima fled, police said the driver of the Explorer stopped and waited while emergency workers made their way to the scene. Ellis was taken to Montefiore Medical Center, but was pronounced dead on arrival. No arrests have been made, but police are continuing to investigate the incident. Ellis lived on Marion Avenue just north of Fordham Road.

Bronx Youth Heard: Kingsbridge Armory Rink Iced by Teens

Basketball courts. A shopping center. A gym. While there have been many proposals over the past 20 years for ways to make use of the vacant Kingsbridge Armory, the one concept that seems to be sticking is also the one that is most foreign to Bronx residents: a hockey rink. But Bronx youth aren’t too excited about the possibility.

Bronx Notes: Tuition Free Services and Training

SUNY North Bronx Career Counseling and Outreach Center offers daily tuition free services including career counseling, college, financial aid and resume and cover letter assistance, as well as job readiness training at 2901 White Plains Rd. Computer literacy and GED programs are available during the day and evening. Seats are limited. For more information, call (718) 547-1001.

Bronx Youth Heard: Youth Feel the Effects of Teen Violence

The night before Halloween in 2005, Joseph Padro was preparing for a party at his grandmother’s house in the Mott Haven section of the Bronx. He knew something was wrong when his grandmother sat him down on the couch and told him the news: his father had been fatally shot. Joseph is one of the many teens who have lost a loved one in the Bronx due to gun violence.