Hundreds of parents and teachers stopped traffic on the Grand Concourse at a rally earlier this month for safer streets near Bronx schools

Thousands of Bronxites celebrated Bronx Week earlier this month through cleanup campaigns, business and cultural events, a festive parade along Mosholu Parkway, and the annual Bronx Ball. Nine celebrities who got their start in the borough were inducted into the Bronx Walk of Fame. The seventh annual tribute went to Hollywood columnist Army Archerd, hip-hop pioneer Kurtis Blow, Sopranos actor Dominic Chianese, the doo-wop group the Chiffons, Latin musician Joseito Mateo, salsa legend Eddie Palmieri, former NBA star Ed Pinkney, former CBS correspondent Daniel Schorr, and a posthumous honor to Latin pianist Charlie Palmieri.

Nora Feury, the chair of Community Board 7 for the past 17 years, stepped down last week in the face of accusations that she and an associate stole over $800,000 from their Bronx Head Start program, which is overseen by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York. Greg Faulkner, the only Board member who was running against Feury for the chairmanship, is expected to replace Feury during elections next week.

Two suits aimed at stopping the construction of the water filtration plant in Van Cortlandt Park were dismissed last month by two Queens Supreme Court justices.

Montefiore Medical Center is moving forward with a controversial plan to replace nine registered nurses at its Family Care Center with less skilled personnel. Announced last month, the change triggered protest among Montefiore physicians and nurses, but administrators remain steadfast in their decision.

For the third straight year, the grand finale of Bronx Week – the Bronx Week parade – will take place on Mosholu Parkway on Sunday, June 26. It’s a wonderful event that highlights not just Bronxites and their many organizations, but also our very own community.

There are many lessons the mayor might learn from the saga of his failed plans for a Jets Stadium on the west side of Manhattan. The most important is that the outer-boroughs are not outer-space. In all his public statements, even on the day when the entire city seemed to be behind the alternative choice of Queens for an Olympic stadium, the mayor couldn’t help repeating that Queens was not the city’s first choice. The mayor, it seems, found it difficult to believe that Olympians or their fans would enjoy visiting the borough that is already the most international county on Earth.

Recent articles in The New York Times and AM New York call our attention to the air we breathe. The articles report the American Lung Association gives the Bronx (and most of New York City) an F for filthy air. And it is getting worse.

Life without Miss Maggie Battles just isn’t as sweet. "I miss her," said a frowning Muhammad Jogeh, 8. "She was so nice to us at school but then she got sick." Battles, known affectionately as "Sweet Magnolia," has touched thousands of students in her 26 years as an aide at PS 8 in Bedford Park. After falling ill with cancer, she stopped working in March and is undergoing treatment. But PS 8 hasn’t forgotten about her.