Living Wage Backers Seek Compromise; Second Hearing Planned for November

Supporters of a living wage bill that’s been lingering in the City Council for over a year now are making another effort to revive the lagging legislation, in a drawn-out battle with the Bloomberg administration and business leaders who say it would ultimately kill jobs. Sponsors of the proposed Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act, which would require developers receiving substantial taxpayer-funded subsidies to pay workers $10 an hour with benefits, or $11.50 without, unveiled revisions to the bill earlier this month in an attempt to compromise with critics. Whether the newly watered-down version of the legislation is enough to

Welcome to Breaking Bronx

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Breaking Bronx, the new blog produced by the Norwood News. This is still a work in progress, but essentially, this will be the space where we post breaking news stories, reports and information that didn’t make it into our print edition, multi-media efforts from our staff and freelancers, opinion and analysis from guest writers, links to relevant and important news stories, meeting and events alerts and much more. As Breaking Bronx evolves, we hope to include regular features like, for example, a local sports column or a guide to weekend events. And, of course, we

Gabriel De Los Santos, a veteran of the Occupy Wall Street movement now stretching into its second month, showed up at the first Occupy the Bronx rally at Fordham Plaza last Saturday. He held a hand-written cardboard sign, a replica of dozens he had created and distributed during the past month. It read: “Land of the Free? Hypocrisy.” Sporting a backwards Suicidal Tendencies baseball cap, sleeveless black Cannibal Corpse T-shirt and a faint wisp of a mustache, De Los Santos is 15-year-old student at Lehman High School who lives just blocks from Fordham Plaza. He was one of close to

CB7 Youth Committee Meeting Tonight

Community Board 7’s Youth Services Committe will meet tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the board office in Bedford Park, 229A E. 204th St. Here’s the agenda posted form the CB7 website: 1) FY 13 (Financial Year 2013) Capital and Expense Requests 2) FY 12 (Financial Year 2012) Goals 3) Additional Items a) Spring physical fitness event

Get Civics Lessons From Your State Senator

Before Gustavo Rivera became a state senator here in the Bronx’s 33rd District, he was an adjunct political science professor at Pace University. In fact, before catching the campaign politics bug soon after moving to New York from his native Puerto Rico for graduate school in 1998, Rivera appeared destined for a career in academia. Although he never completed his masters degree, Rivera continued to teach while serving as a campaign field operative for several politicians, including former Gov. David Paterson, Bronx State Senator Jose M. Serrano and President Obama. Tonight, Rivera slides back into his role as educator at

CB 7 Committe Meetings Tonight: Traffic/Transportation and Sanitation/Environment

There are two Community Board 7 committee meetings — Traffic/Transportation and Sanitation/Environment — tonight at the board office, 229A E. 204th St., both starting at 6:30 p.m. Here’s the agenda for Traffic/Transportation, according to the CB7 website: Old Business: Goulden Ave Update; Update on Gun Hill Road Project; Results of Consultation Hearing New Business: Bike Racks (Katz request) There’s no posted agenda for Sanitation/Environment.

Training Wheels Off For 2011 Tour de Bronx

Bronx bicycling enthusiasts can now get in gear for the 17th annual Tour de Bronx bike ride as registration for the Oct. 23 event is now open. Participants can take in views of the borough on bicycle in a joint project by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Transportation Alternatives, and local hospitals. The idea behind it being to promote the beauty of Bronx, as well as to encourage healthy living and exercise in the state’s unhealthiest county. “Riding a bike around our borough is the healthiest way to see the best of the Bronx, and I invite everyone to join

Lehman College Speaker Series Takes Stage Tonight

Lehman College School of Arts and Humanities’ Fall 2011 speaker series will open with Spanish flair. The series is set to begin tonight with two speakers who will do much more than speak. Francisco Roldan and Thelma Ithier-Sterling will perform, “Music by Spanish and Latin American Composers” as part of the college’s celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. The performance is at 6 p.m. in Recital Hall in the Music Building.