Police have stepped up surveillance and residents are taking precautions after a string of violent attacks last month in the vicinity of Kingsbridge Road and Morris Avenue that left one man dead and five others hospitalized.

With giggling, running children as a backdrop, as well as a crane hovering nearby over the mammoth crater that will eventually host a water filtration plant, the city cut the ribbon on a new playground for the southeast corner of Van Cortlandt Park on June 28.

Australian media titan Rupert Murdoch’s company News Corp., which specializes in tabloid-style journalism and produces the New York Post, officially announced the purchase of the Bronx Times Reporter and the Bronx Times papers last week.

Congressman José Serrano presided over the passage of a Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Bill that he said will provide hundreds of millions of dollars for consumer protection, community development, taxpayer assistance and grants to help states comply with the Help America Vote Act.

Congressman Eliot Engel introduced the Greenhouse Gas Accountability Act of 2007, a bill that would create a comprehensive registry of companies’ greenhouse gas emissions. The bill is one of two proposals under consideration that aim to reduce emissions through greater disclosure.

City Council Speaker Christine Quinn visited the Poe Park Greenmarket to spread the word about the growing number of farmers markets that accept food stamps and EBT cards.

* Community Education Council 10 will meet Thursday, July 19 at 6:15 p.m. at PS/MS 279, 2100 Walton Ave. * Community Board 7, the 52nd Precinct Community Council and the Croton Facility Monitoring Committee will not meet again until September.

Are you a resident of New York City? Do you have excellent communication, managerial and organizational skills? What about experience in urban planning and managing budgets?

Fordham Bedford Housing Corporation will acquire and renovate 283 apartments in six buildings in the northwest Bronx, thanks to a $23 million loan from the city’s new Acquisition Fund. It’s the first loan made through the $230 million initiative.