It’s Budget Time: City Council Rallies for Restorations, While State Lawmakers Strike a Deal

It’s that time of year again–budget negotiation time, as lawmakers hammer out deals on how much the city and state governments should spend, and on what. City Council members have until the start of the next fiscal year, on July 1, to agree on a plan for the city’s spending. Mayor Bloomberg released a $68.7 billion preliminary budget proposal in February, which he boasted would close a $2 billion budget gap without raising taxes. But not everyone, of course, is happy with the Mayor’s plan. Bronx City Council Member Annabel Palma, who represents Parkchester, Soundview, Castle Hill, and Classon Point,

Two Bronx legislators are looking to pass a bill that would ban employers from requesting social media site passwords from job applicants, a practice they say is growing in popularity and a threat to the privacy of job-seekers. “This legislation will address a terrible and growing abuse by certain employers,” said Assemblyman Jeffery Dinowitz, who is sponsoring the version of the bill in the Assembly. “Employers should not be snooping on social media communications that are private, and they certainly should not be given passwords that are supposed to be kept secret. It’s like an employer asking for a copy

Former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, who has spent the past three years working for the Obama administration, is taking a job in the private sector with CSA Group, which bills itself as the “largest architectural, engineering, environmental services, consulting, and construction and program management company in the United States.”

Bronx Notes: Board 7 Land Use/ Zoning Meeting Tonight

Every weekday, we highlight Bronx programs, announcements, services, opportunities, public meetings/hearings or community events. Find a full listing on our Neighborhood Notes page.. The Land Use/Zoning Committee will meet tonight, Thursday, March 29 at 6:30 p.m. at the Community Board Office, located at 229-A East 204th Street. For more information, call (718) 933-5650 or visit www.bronxcb7.info

Motorcyclist Killed on Mosholu Parkway in Latest Deadly Road Incident

A young motorcyclist was killed this morning after crashing on Mosholu Parkway in a tunnel that runs underneath Jerome Avenue. The crash site was just a short distance away from where a young pedestrian was struck and killed in a hit-and-run incident back in December.

Be Healthy! Wednesdays: Healthy Eating Tips from Bronx Dietician

Editor’s Note: Every Wednesday, Breaking Bronx features a health-related story, event or tidbit as part of an online expansion of our Be Healthy! column. March is National Nutrition Month, and with just a few days left until the end of the month, we thought we’d share some diet and nutrition tips from Katie Downes, a Registered Dietician here in the Bronx who works with the Visiting Nurse Service of New York. “Many of the patients I care for in VNSNY’s Long Term Home Health Care Program find eating healthy meals a challenge—especially those who live alone,” Downes said. “I spend

Bronx Links Wednesday

Happy Wednesday, and welcome back to Breaking Bronx. It’ll be cloudy and in the mid-60s today. Here are the news stories we’re following this morning: Good news for museum-goers on a budget: in honor of its 40th anniversary, the Bronx Museum of the Arts is eliminating its $5 suggested admission fee starting tomorrow. Is the South Bronx gentrifying? A New York Times piece this week says yes, pointing to an influx of white, middle-class professionals who are making their homes around the Grand Concourse area near Yankee Stadium. UNHP’s Gregory Jobo Lost, in a guest post on the new blog

On Monday night, 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 contamination at the school’s former site on Jerome Avenue. The building, which was home to the Bronx New School for nearly two decades, tested positive last year for high levels of trichloroethylene (TCE), a toxin linked to cancer. Representatives from the State Departments of Health and Environmental Conservation met with Community Board 7 members and PS 51 parents, who have been organizing with the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition under the

Bronx Notes: Board 7 Education Meeting Tonight, Closure of MS 80 On Agenda

Bronx Community Board 7’s Education Committee will meet tonight, Wednesday, March 28 at 6:30 p.m. at the board office, located at 229-A East 204th Street. A major topic of conversation will be the proposed closure and revamping of MS 80, which has already claimed the job of former Principal Lovey Mazique-Rivera who was replaced last week. A group of concerned parents and local residents have come together to advocate for, among other things, keeping the school’s name, Middle School 80, through the planned transition, which will include a complete overhaul of the school’s staff. For more information, call (718) 933-5650