Getting a Leg Up in the High School Application Process

By MARTIKA ORNELLA

With the deadline to apply to public and specialized high schools extended to Friday, Dec. 14, middle schoolers in the Bronx have hours left to christen the Department of Education’s (DOE) newly erected online application system. Aimed to alleviate the confusing process of applying to city high schools, the DOE’s new MySchools website allows parents and students to browse and apply to public high schools. But the initial rollout wasn’t without some hiccups, including site crashes and slow-downs. For eighth-grader Janely Cruz, 13, the ease to which middle schoolers navigate the high school application process depends less on website errors

A History Sign for the Namesake Behind Risse Street Park

By DAVID CRUZ

Learning about Risse Street Park’s ancestry is not exactly common knowledge to Norwood residents. In a few months, residents passing the tiny park will know the name. Pssst: it’s the grandfather of the Grand Concourse. Tom Campanella, a Cornell University professor and city Parks Department Historian in Residence and his assistant, Zachary Falk, a student from Cornell University, have been tapped to draft a brief history of the Norwood park. The findings will be included in a new signage slated to be installed by the Parks Department as part of its Historical Sign Program. The near 20-year program has acknowledged

NYPD Probes 52nd Pct. Over Claims of Semen Found in a Water Bottle

By JOSEPH KONIG

The NYPD has confirmed it’s looking into Det. Yesenia Maida’s claims a fellow officer at the 52nd Precinct placed semen in her water bottle. The New York Daily News first reported the claims last week, which reported that a 12-year-old girl was the first to discover the mysterious substance. Maida, a mother of two and wife of a fellow Five-Two officer, heads up the precinct’s NYPD Explorer program. “We have to change something in this department,” Maida said in a follow-up article. “It’s not OK, but sexual harassment happens in this department every day. As women and as cops, we

By JOSEPH KONIG

The incoming Democratic majority in the state Senate handed out committee chair assignments on Tuesday, with several Bronx senators getting tapped to lead key committees by incoming state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart Cousins of Yonkers. As committee chairs, the Bronx Senate Delegation can set the agenda for the upcoming legislative session. Sen. Gustavo Rivera will head the Health Committee, Senator-elect Alessandra Biaggi will chair the notoriously ineffective Ethics Committee, and Sen. Luis Sepulveda will preside over the Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee. Sen. Jamaal Bailey, who represents most of Norwood and Bedford Park, will chair the Codes Committee,

Authorities Rule Homicide in Death of Bedford Park Teen

By DAVID GREENE

Police are investigating the death of 17-year-old apparently pushed by assailants into oncoming traffic on a frigid Monday evening in Bedford Park, according to police. Officers from the 52nd Precinct and paramedics were called to 2669 Bainbridge Ave. between East 194th and East 196th Streets just before 6 p.m. on Dec. 10 for a report of a pedestrian struck. The victim was struck by a white Ford Econoline ambulette that stopped at the corner of East 196th Street. One resident said the driver was seen “pacing back and fourth” after striking the teen. The driver of the vehicle was not

By SHIRLEY SYMISTER

Even as winter approaches, there is still time to enjoy exercising outdoors. Grab a partner, a warm jacket, and comfortable shoes, and don’t let the colder weather keep you from being healthier, especially as the new year draws near. If you want to avoid indoor activity, there’s plenty to do in the north Bronx, home to several beautiful parks in Norwood. There are several perfect areas for you to boost your heart rate and enjoy the scenery along the way: The Williamsbridge Oval: The park has basketball courts, a soccer field, running track, a playground, and a recreation center with

By DAVID GREENE

Police have charged the gunman accused of robbing a pair of drug dealers, before exchanging gunfire with police, wounding two bystanders as other residents ducked for cover in University Heights. Edwin Castillo-Concepcion, 37, was charged with multiple counts of attempted murder and criminal possession of a weapon after police say he robbed two men of a kilo of drugs in the lobby of 98 W. 183rd St., before shooting it out with police. In a statement issued by NYPD Chief of Department Terence Monahan, read in part, “At approximately 6:08 p.m., plainclothes officers from the 52nd Precinct were in the

By DAVID CRUZ

Travelers driving through the northern edge of Bainbridge Avenue finally can breathe: the massive construction project is no longer blocking drivers going northbound towards the Major Deegan Expressway. But the project is not nearly over. Construction crews for the massive water pipe replacement project have entered into the second phase of the project, with EIC Associates Inc. set to install a massive trunk main that won’t disrupt service, but will likely expand the search for parking. Crews have knocked out street parking from beginning at the intersection of Jerome and Bainbridge avenues, and heading towards the Major Deegan Expressway, to

By DAVID CRUZ

The holiday season is coursing through the Bronx this year, with several Yuletide events meant to brighten you up. It first began with the Festival of Lights, with Mosholu Montefiore Community Center lighting up the Menorah for the first day of Hanukkah. Councilman Andrew Cohen and Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz helped light the traditional candles on the second day of Hanukkah. There have been several events courtesy of Bronx Community Board 7, which held its annual tree lighting ceremony. Photographer Jose Giralt was there to catch the action. Carolers from PS/MS 20 laid the soundtrack to the nighttime event that also