Comptroller Report Finds Millions for Bronx Project Sat Idle

The Economic Development Corporation left millions of dollars intended for public projects — including $8.9 million for the restoration of a waterfront site in the South Bronx — sitting unused for decades, an audit from the Comptroller’s office found last week.

BP Appoints New Education Director

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., has hired Monica Major, formerly the Bronx representative on the Dept. of Education’s Panel for Educational Policy, as his new education director.

Council Pushes 9/11 Health Bill to Cover Cancer

The New York City Council passed a resolution last week urging a closer examination of cancer cases in Ground Zero first responders and asking that those who suffer from the disease be considered for health care coverage under the Zadroga Act — the bill that provides medical funds for people suffering from 9/11-related health problems.

PS 51 Parents Call Out DOE, Chancellor

The parents of current and former students at PS 51, the Bronx New School, say they are not satisfied with the Department of Education’s response after discovering high levels of toxins at school’s former building in Bedford Park. Next week, in response to the DOE’s lack of response, they will take their list of complaints to the Panel for Education Policy meeting at the Bronx High School of Business next Wednesday evening.

Rebuilt After Fire, Tolentine’s Doors Swing Wide Open

On the corner of Fordham Road and University Avenue this past Sunday, colorful balloons danced in the wind and sunshine. Tethered to railings, the balloons dotted the path up to one of the Bronx’s oldest churches, St. Nicholas of Tolentine, where the doors were wide open for a celebration of the church’s rebuilt vestibule following a 2010 fire.

On State Test Scores, Northwest Bronx Schools Lag Behind

Elementary and middle school students in the Bronx’s District 10, which contains all of the schools in the Norwood News coverage area, scored worse than students across both the city and state on last year’s standardized math and English exams, according to data released last month.

The Making of a Liberal Politician: Part II

It was early spring, 2010, when Gustavo Rivera became a political candidate by default and a dash of desperation. At the time, two other Democrats had declared their intention to run against the incumbent in the 33rd Senate District, Pedro Espada, Jr., who, less than a year earlier, had brought the New York state senate to its knees by offering his party allegiance to the highest bidder.

Bakery Returns to Its Roots on Bainbridge Avenue

The smell of fresh bread is wafting back to Bainbridge Avenue. In 2009, the Bainbridge Bakery in Norwood was gutted, and then completely demolished by a pair of fires in the span of seven months. Nearly two years after the second blaze — which struck just a few days before the business was set to reopen — Ana and Tony Mirdita, the couple that owns the bakery, are preparing to move into a new space on the same block. And neighborhood residents are hungrily waiting. “My wife is more excited, because she likes their bread,” said Mark Goldberg, 71, who

The Bronx continued its annual tradition of remembering the 144 Bronx lives that were taken on Sept. 11, in a ceremony organized by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. and his staff. The feelings of renewing the brotherhood of patriotism were widespread on Thursday, Sept. 15 at Lou Gehrig Plaza, where more than 100 people were gathered.