Devastated Milbank Buildings Finally Sold

The now-infamous Bronx Milbank buildings — including 2785 Sedgwick Ave., 2500 University Ave., and 2505 Aqueduct Ave., all in University Heights — were finally sold last month to a new landlord after months of local organizing and city involvement. Tenants, advocates and elected officials had fought to wrest the portfolio of 10 deeply troubled properties from irresponsible bankers and owners to a party who could afford to make them livable again.

Be Healthy: National Health Survey Gives Bronx a Checkup

For the first time in more than 20 years, a national study that measures the health and nutrition status of Americans across the country has set its sights on the Bronx, which is consistently ranked as one of the unhealthiest counties in the nation.

Is Mayor Open to ‘Every Good Idea’ on Armory?

It seemed like the big freeze between the mayor and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. as it relates to the Kingsbridge Armory, was thawing just a tad. “We’re open to every good idea,” the mayor said, exhibiting none of the bitterness some have attributed to him for having his preferred plan for the facility — a mall developed by The Related Companies — killed by Diaz and many of the very same people that were at the press conference to cheer him on for the Bloomberg administration’s efforts to get a portfolio of 10 nightmare apartment buildings into the hands of a new, accountable owner.
Residents of a large apartment building complex on the north side of Mosholu Parkway were confused and upset when their mail stopped being delivered in late January. The mail stoppage, which has since been resolved, is another recent example of the logistical problems that crop up at apartment buildings where transitional and permanent residents mesh. Perry and other permanent residents at 15-19 have endured problems with noise, cleanliness and safety, but the mail problem was probably the most maddening to date.

Editorial: Some Hope Amid Housing Crisis

Over half a million people in the west Bronx live in residential apartment buildings. At least a third of these tenants pay half of their hard-earned wages on rent. Though Bronx residents are paying thousands of dollars a year on shelter, too many of these buildings are in a desperate – sometimes life-threatening — state of disrepair.

Murder on W. 192nd Street

Last Wednesday, April 27, just before 10 p.m., police responded to a 911 call reporting of a male shot in front of 64 W. 192nd St. When they arrived, police said they found Julio Rodriguez, 25, with two gunshot wounds to the torso.

After Deadly Fire, Koppell Bill Back in Spotlight

Local elected officials are looking for ways to crack down on illegally subdivided apartments in the Bronx and across the city after a recent fire at one such dwelling killed three members of a Belmont family. One effort, a bill sponsored by Bronx Councilman Oliver Koppell, would require the Department of Buildings to seek a warrant to gain access to properties they suspect have been illegally converted if inspectors are turned away or unable to enter a building after two attempts.

Health Matters

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Local Officials Say ‘World a Better Place’ Without Bin Laden

As New York City and the world reacted to the recent death of 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden, several Bronx elected officials expressed their responses to the historic news — largely seeing the Al Qaeda leader’s death as a milestone for the city, and a means of closure for those who lost a loved one in the tragedy nearly a decade ago.