Last week, myself and nine other reporters from various ethnic and community newspapers in New York, flew out to Denver to cover the Democratic National Convention. I stayed in a house on the outskirts of Denver, and travelled into the city center every morning, to take in the sights and sounds. In the evenings I blogged about my experiences on the West Bronx Blog, at www.westbronxnews.blogspot.com.

The race for the 33rd District State Senate seat has had its fair share of twists and turns, but perhaps the most surprising thing is how each candidate for the position explains why he is right for the job. The incumbent, Senator Efrain Gonzalez Jr., who has represented the 33rd since 1989, speaks of what he believes he can do for the community, while the challenger, Pedro Espada, talks about what he has done.

As we reported in our last issue, a race for the Civil Court is doubling as a proxy between two factions of the Bronx Democratic Party. The faction of six Assembly members and three senators who are challenging the leadership of Party Chair Jose Rivera took the unusual step of holding a rally for their candidate Elizabeth Taylor on the steps of Borough Hall on Aug. 22. Those present were Assembly Members Aurelia Greene, Michael Benjamin, Michael Benedetto, Ruben Diaz Jr., Jeffrey Dinowitz and Carl Heastie as well as Senators Rev. Ruben Diaz, Eric Schneiderman and Ruth H. Thompson. The

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State Senator Efrain Gonzalez’s bid to have his indictment dismissed has been denied by U.S. District Court Judge William H. Pauley III. Gonzalez’s co-defendant, Neil Berger, also failed in his effort to have his trial separated from that of Gonzalez and two other co-defendants, according to the U.S. attorney’s office. The trial will proceed as scheduled on Oct. 6.

•    Community Board 7 will have its general board meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 6:30 p.m. The location is to be determined. For more information, call (718) 933-5650. •    The Croton Facility Monitoring Committee will meet on Thursday, Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. The location is to be determined. For more information, call (718) 231-8470. •    The 52nd Precinct Community Council will meet on Thursday, Sept. 25 at 7:30 p.m. at the precinct, 3016 Webster Ave. For more information, call (718) 220-5824. •    The Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coalition will hold its monthly meeting Thursday, Sept. 4 at

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A pizza place that’s been a fixture on East 194th Street for almost three decades is closing on Sunday. Silvio and Maria DiMeglio, owners of the aptly named Silvio and Maria’s Pizza, say that they would have stayed longer, but their landlord decided to sell the property to a developer.

I read your report on Select Bus Service with great distress. When I learned about this new service, on June 23rd, and when I started experiencing this “select” service (does not “select” imply a choice?), I started a petition to the MTA to reinstate the stops on Fordham/Sedgwick. This is where Fordham Hill Oval Co-op is located, and where I have an apartment. Eventually, we the residents had a meeting at which representatives from Community Board 7 and the MTA, as well as local politicians were present.

In an otherwise informative news story about the Academy of Mount St. Ursula in your July 10-23 issue, the reporter seems a bit confused concerning the use of geographical terms in past centuries. He writes that in 1892, the Ursuline Sisters "acquired a plot of farmland in northwest Bronx County, an area now known as Bedford Park," on which they built the Academy. Actually, the name Bedford Park has been in continuous use since the 1870s. On the other hand, in 1892 there was no geographical area called "the Bronx" or "Bronx County"; the site of Mt St Ursula was in the City and County of New York. Between 1874 and 1898, the section of New York City lying north and east of the Harlem River was known as the "North Side" or the "Annexed District." Before 1874, all of this area was part of Westchester County.

Free GED and Business Courses The State University of New York’s North Bronx Career Center located at 3950 Laconia Ave., at East 224th Street, is now accepting applications for the fall semester. Classes offered are GED Prep and basic to advanced MOS Certification Computer classes. Free training in Business Office Technology (Word, Excel, PowerPoint), Job Readiness (Resume, Cover Letter, Interview Skills) and Pre-Certification Training in various careers (Child Care, Security, CNA and more). Students wishing to apply must meet state income and academic guidelines. This is an HRA approved program. Classes begin in September. To begin the application process or

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