Local Churches Targeted In String of Break-ins

Detectives continue to hunt for the individual or people responsible in a string of break-ins and burglaries of churches and Catholic schools in Bedford Park, Norwood and Kingsbridge Heights. The thief or thieves responsible have netted thousands of dollars in cash and electronics. On Monday morning, Our Lady of Refuge, on 194th Street and Briggs Avenue, became the fifth church or Catholic school targeted in the last three weeks when church officials found that someone had broken in through a basement window and stolen a pair of laptop computers, a video camera and $1,300 in cash.

Espada Misses Vote on Housing Bill

State Senator Pedro Espada’s absence at a special Senate session in Albany on Monday was a conspicuous one. The Majority Leader failed to make the trek to the capitol, while the man who will replace him in a month, Gustavo Rivera, did. Also making the journey to Albany? A group of city housing advocates intent on supporting an important housing bill to extend current rent stabilization laws until 2018 — a lobbying effort that ultimately failed, as the bill fell a few votes short of the 32 needed to pass. Espada missed the vote on the bill despite the fact that he, as chairman of the Senate’s housing committee, happens to be the legislation’s main sponsor.

Black is the New Schools Chancellor, Bronx Pols Divided

After much debate and political maneuvering, Cathleen Black, the veteran publishing executive, is the city’s new schools chancellor. She replaces Joel Klein. Black was put forward for the job by Mayor Bloomberg in early November, but her candidacy had been in jeopardy after the State Education Commissioner David Steiner questioned her lack of related work experience. Schools chancellors need a professional certificate in educational leadership and other qualifications. Black has had a successful career in business and publishing — she’s been called the “First Lady of glamorous glossies” — but she’s never been a teacher, and her resume boasts just a single day as a guest principal in the Bronx.

Public and Community Meetings

• Community Board 7 will meet on Tuesday, Dec. 21 at 6:30 p.m. at Dallas BBQ Restaurant, Cellar Level, 283 W. Fordham Rd. For more information, call (718) 933-5650. For all the Board 7 committee meetings, click here. • The 52nd Precinct Community Council will meet on Thursday, Dec. 16 at 7 p.m. at the New York Botanical Garden, across from Fordham University. Come at 5:30 p.m. and see the Holiday Train Show for free. The Council will also be collecting unwrapped toys to donate to local charities. For more information, call (718) 220-5824.

Faith Leaders Throw Support Behind Living Wage Bill

Clergy members from the Bronx and across the city led a silent march on City Hall on Nov. 17 to voice their support for the Fair Wages for New Yorkers Act, or “Living Wage Bill.” The legislation, sponsored by Bronx Council members Oliver Koppell and Annabel Palma, would require most development projects that receive public funding to pay workers employed there a living wage — $10 an hour with benefits or $11.50 an hour without. The bill was sparked by a contentious debate last December over the redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Armory, when the City Council — backed by a fierce coalition of Bronx advocates and Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. — voted down plans for a shopping mall at the hulking Kingsbridge Road landmark.

Webster Re-Zoning Moves Ahead

Community Board 7 members voted unanimously on Nov. 16 to approve re-zoning changes for Webster Avenue and select blocks in Norwood and Bedford Park. The borough president’s office will hold its own public hearing on the zoning changes on Thursday, Dec. 2 at Borough Hall, 851 Grand Concourse. “This has been a long four-year project,” said Fernando Tirado, district manager of Community Board 7. “We hope that with the help of City Planning we can turn this [stretch] into an inviting area for people to come in.”

After 7 Months, Telco Calls It Quits

Telco Department Store, on the corner of East Fordham Road and Marion Avenue, opened seven months ago. In October, there were still “Grand Opening” signs in the storefront. But now, Telco is planning to clear out and close up shop following the holiday shopping season. “We spent a fortune to get this store running here and now we are leaving,” said Telco manager Ahmed Wahman, 50, as blaring speakers promoted the liquidation sales. After opening its first store in 1972 in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, Telco expanded to various outer-borough locations across the city. Their core customers were middle-class families, Wahman said. In the Bronx, however, people weren’t buying, Wahman said.

Giving Thanks By Giving Back

Several local groups and churches brought Thanksgiving to the less fortunate last week. Last Wednesday afternoon, Epiphany Lutheran Church in Norwood held its annual Thanksgiving meal in the basement of its church. On Thursday, Part of the Solution (POTS), the area’s sole soup kitchen and multi-service center provided a free feast at Our Lady of Refuge Church. On Wednesday night, at the Monte Carlo Room, a nightclub in the shadow of the Kingsbridge Armory, a small non-profit called Hands On New York gave away more than 100 frozen turkeys.