Williamsbridge Oval Park Rec Center Delayed
Everything is Illuminated, Eventually
Over the summer, Friends of the Williamsbridge Oval Park, a volunteer group that advocates for the well being of the park, conducted a night walk around the park and discovered that 21 lights, nearly half of the lights surrounding Oval Park, weren’t functioning.
More than three months later, and after several follow-ups by the Friends and media inquiries, the lights were finally fixed. The episode sheds light on the trouble residents have in navigating the city’s vast bureaucracy.
State Senate Still Undecided Two Weeks Later
There were few surprises on the local level in the state’s general election on Nov. 2, but three Senate races from other parts of the state are in dispute, several weeks later, as absentee ballots are still being counted.
In the Bronx, every incumbent representative running was re-elected for another term, with the exception of Sen. Pedro Espada, who was defeated in a highly publicized primary in September by political newcomer Gustavo Rivera. Rivera handily won the general election this month in the 33rd District.
Meanwhile, three races elsewhere — one on Long Island, one in Westchester and another in Buffalo — were too close to call, and are still being disputed. According to the New York Times, it looks like the Republican Party is poised to overtake the Democrats, who have held a slight majority in the State Senate since 2008.
New “Business Incubator” Coming to the Bronx
Michael Bloomberg, New York’s pro-business mayor and an entrepreneur himself, has his sights on the South Bronx as the next hub for start-up businesses. The mayor and the city’s Economic Development Corporation broke ground on a “Business Incubator,” in the BankNote building, on Garrison Avenue in Hunts Point, on Nov. 3.
Bronx Pol Says New Schools Boss is Bad Fit
Add Bronx Assemblywoman Vanessa Gibson to the growing list of legislators and school advocates criticizing Mayor Bloomberg’s appointment of media executive Cathleen Black as the city’s new Schools Chancellor.
Joel Klein resigned from the post to take a job with News Corp., which publishes the New York Post and Wall Street Journal.
Walk Opens Diabetes Month
In recognition of American Diabetes Month, the Clinical Diabetes Center at Montefiore Medical Center sponsored a two-mile walk at Williamsbridge Oval Park on Nov. 3.
Dr. Steven M. Safyer, the hospital’s president and CEO, and Rita Louard, director of the diabetes center kicked off the walk by stressing the importance of raising awareness of the disease in the Bronx, which has one of the highest rates of diabetes in the country.
A ‘March for Dignity’ After Bias Attacks
Bronx, Mayor Disagree On Plan To Bring Schools to Armory
A plan to transform the Kingsbridge Armory annex buildings into schools is in jeopardy as Bronx activists and Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. once again find themselves at odds with the mayor’s office over a development project.
Last week, in protest of the city’s plan to turn a vacant army reserve center into a homeless shelter, Diaz did not attend a scheduled meeting with city officials, setting up a showdown reminiscent of Diaz’s battle with Mayor Bloomberg over the fate of the Kingsbridge Armory.
Last week, in protest of the city’s plan to turn a vacant army reserve center into a homeless shelter, Diaz did not attend a scheduled meeting with city officials, setting up a showdown reminiscent of Diaz’s battle with Mayor Bloomberg over the fate of the Kingsbridge Armory.
Pumpkin Carving King Brings Quest to the Bronx
As an Oregon farmer, Scott Cully grows one of nature’s smallest fruits: blueberries. But his passion in life – or "quest" as he calls it – leads him to the world’s largest pumpkins, which he transforms into the world’s largest jack-o-lanterns.
This past weekend, Cully’s quest brought him to the north Bronx’s New York Botanical Garden
This past weekend, Cully’s quest brought him to the north Bronx’s New York Botanical Garden