It was juice that brought Roberto Camano to the Bronx and juice is the reason he’s staying. Camano has spent the last year making smoothies at Tita Mini Market Juice Bar at 137 E. Gun Hill Rd. and, with the way business has been going, he’s not stopping anytime soon.

After working at a juice bar in Manhattan, Camano came to the Bronx when Tita managers decided to open one of their own. It’s one of three shops in the area now offering smoothies.

Sitting on benches inside Whalen Park, the concrete-covered corner near the Mosholu Library in Norwood, a group of five friends, most of them homeless, slowly drank beers and speculated about the mysterious death of their compatriot, Billy “Peanut” Murphy.

Days earlier, on Sunday, Aug. 15, Murphy, 47, had succumbed to injuries suffered from what appeared to be a severe beating. It was the latest in a string of violent incidents involving the local homeless population.

When doctors told Carlos Laboy this spring that he had a rare blood cancer, he didn’t cry-he was his usual upbeat self, cracking jokes to lighten the mood and make those around him laugh. The only time his illness got to him was when he was told that, because of treatment, he would have to leave his job at the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center (MMCC), where he’s directed the drama program for nearly 15 years.

Laboy passed away Sunday after a months-long battle with Mantle cell lymphoma, a non-Hodgkins lymphoma. He was 59.

Aside from the fact that he’s running for the 33rd District Senate seat currently held by Pedro Espada Jr., here’s something you may not know about Gustavo Rivera: the guy is a huge Trekkie.

"Dude, I was a mega nerd," said Rivera, a 34-year-old native of Puerto Rico who has picked up a slew of institutional support over the past several weeks in his bid to unseat Espada in the Democratic primary

Most residents of the 33rd Senate District, which stretches from Norwood to Tremont in the northwest Bronx, have heard of their representative, Pedro Espada Jr. But very few could place Espada’s two opponents in the upcoming Democratic primary, Daniel Padernacht or Gustavo Rivera, according to interviews with more than two dozen randomly selected local residents.

Despite a poll showing him in last place in the three-way race for the 33rd District Senate seat and all the endorsements and funding going to his fellow challenger, Dan Padernacht still believes he has a chance to emerge victorious in the Democratic primary on Sept. 14.

Here are three ways to find out where the candidates in the 33rd Senate District stand on the issues you care about.

One man was killed and eight others were injured on Aug. 10 when a livery taxi driver violently crashed into a bus stop after swerving to avoid a minivan making an illegal U-turn on busy West Kingsbridge Road.

•    Community Board 7 will hold its general board meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 21 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. The location has yet to be decided.  For more information, and for details of upcoming committee meetings and other CB7 meetings and events, visit bronxcb7.info/calendar or call (718) 933-5650. •    The Croton Facilities Monitoring Committee is scheduled to meet on Thursday, Sept. 16, at the DEP’s community office, at 3660 Jerome Ave. Call the office nearer the time at (718) 231-8470 to confirm the day and time. •    The 52nd Precinct Community Council will meet on Thursday, Sept. 23 at 7

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