Bronx

(UPDATED) EXCLUSIVE: Oval Park Piano May Have Been Removed as Trash; Not Stolen

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[Update: Following is confirmation from a Parks Department spokesperson that the piano was discarded, not stolen: “Parks workers unknowingly discarded the piano which appeared to have been vandalized and was lying on its side. We were just alerted to this today and we send our apology to the community and sing for hope if any trouble was caused by this.”] According to Deputy Inspector Joseph Dowling, commander of the 52nd Precinct, witnesses interviewed by detectives said that a sanitation truck removed the now-famous, presumed-stolen Sing for Hope piano from near the tennis courts on Williamsbridge Oval, thinking it was a discarded instrument. (A new piano was donated to the community Wed. night, and painted by children yesterday, with the help of the Friends of Williamsbridge Oval, Mosholu Preservation Corp., and community residents.) We’re still waiting for comment from the Parks Department press office, and Dowling said the accounts still needed to be confirmed. An unfortunate bureaucratic snafu if true (we’ll let you know as we find out more), but think of the multiple bright sides this Independence Weekend people: no heartless neighborhood thief stealing music from the children; an indefinite period of public piano playing since Sing for Hope was supposed to retrieve the original piano this weekend; and what better illustration of how awesome the Norwood community is?Have a great, safe Fourth everyone!

Bronx

Bronx Crime Watch: Rally for Clinton H.S. Shooting Victim Grows On Facebook

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Editor’s note: This article first appears in the latest edition of the Norwood News, out on streets and online now. By Alex KratzWhile 15-year-old DeWitt Clinton High School student Yvette Torres fights for her life at Columbia-Presbyterian Hospital, a group of people, many of whom have never met her, some from as far away as Massachusetts, are doing their best to track down the person who shot her in the back of the head and bring them to justice.Yvette was shot in the head after she confronted a gunman at a June 11 party in an apartment building near Fordham Road, on the corner of East 187th Street and Valentine Avenue. It’s unclear exactly what sparked the confrontation or why the gunman fired the shot that hit Yvette. But it is clear that there were witnesses to the crime and the shooter remains at large.On June 17, the New York Post reported that a 17-year-old boy had been arrested and charged with Yvette’s shooting. But the NYPD says no one has been arrested and the investigation is ongoing.Seeing that the investigation had stalled, Queens resident Nelson Figueroa decided the police could use some help.

Bronx

Bronx News Roundup, Friday, July 1

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Happy July!Weather: Sunny tonight with temperatures in the mid 80’s. The sun should stay around for the holiday weekend, except for a few scattered thunderstorms on Sunday. Quick Hits: Facing a $10 billion budget gap, Governor Cuomo has announced that he is going to close seven prisons in New York State, including

Bronx

Orchard Beach Firework Tonight! Plus Other July 4th Weekend Festivities in the Bronx

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Fireworks at Orchard Beach TONIGHT!Kick off the holiday weekend early with the annual Boardwalk Festival and Fireworks Extravaganza at Orchard Beach tonight, Thursday June 30. The fun begins at 6! Come enjoy free music, food, and, of course, fireworks. The big show is expected to stary between 8:45 and 9 p.m., but be sure to get there early so you can get a good view! For more info visit ilovethebronx.com.Other events this weekend: First Fridays at Bronx Museum of the Arts Friday July 1: Head over to the Bronx Museum of the Arts around 6 pm to celebrate the first Friday of the month with with film, art performances, music and other special events.For more information please call 718.681.6000 or log onto bronxmuseum.orgBronx Opera: Don GiovanniFriday July 1: The Bronx Opera presents “Don Giovanni” at 7 p.m. in the Lovinger Theatre at Lehman College, 250 Bedford Park Blvd.SummerStage:Pasi

Bronx

Bronx News Roundup, Thursday, June 30

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Ladies and gentlemen of the Bronx and beyond, welcome to the last Bronx News Roundup of June. Here’s to a lovely Independence Day weekend and a fantastic July. Now, to the news! Weather: Absolutely gorgeous, high in the low- to mid-80s, nice little breeze to cool the sweat beads on the back of your neck. No complaints here.

Bronx News Network

Following Piano Theft, Norwood Residents Say 'You Can't Take Away Our Hope' (VIDEO)

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Norwood residents young and old helped paint the new community piano in Oval Park. (Photos by Rachel Sander)Friends of the Williamsbridge Oval Park and a number of helpful local residents gathered today in the park to paint the recently-donated piano that will replace the Sing for Hope Pop-Up Piano that was stolen earlier this week.It remains a mystery who took the piano and how they were able to remove the hulking instrument from the park, but the Norwood community is celebrating today and once again feeling hopeful. More than two dozen kids and adults chipped in to give the piano a bright new paint job. (See video at the bottom of this story.)”It’s really incredible, because even though this was such a bad and depressing story, within 24 hours, the community came together to help fix it,” Ralph Martell said.Volunteers Mayttee Flaz and

Bronx

Bronx Business: Browse > Home / Latest, News/Features / A Place Where Mexican Cowboys Can Suit Up A Place Where Mexican Cowboys Can Suit Up

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By FAUSTO GIOVANNY PINTOAlong the ethnically-diverse enclave that is the stretch of the Grand Concourse between 182nd Street and Fordham Road, lies African grocery stores, Dominican barbershops and a scene out of a Mexican-flavored Wild West movie.Spurs, heavy-duty rope (to lasso bulls) and countless styles of cowboy boots and hats fill the shelves and walls that make up the niche clothing shop, Rudy El Vaquero.“Here they have what I want, for good prices,” said Angelica Valerio, who has been shopping at the store for over a year. “And whatever they don’t have, they will get.”The business opened 10 years ago as a record shop. Owner Mario Martinez said people were travelling as far away as Queens and New Jersey to get their Mexican music fix and he wanted to offer these tunes closer to home.Then one day after the record shop opened, Martinez brought in a pair of cowboy boots, a style popular among native Mexicans, Martinez included.A pair of boots grew to a few. Soon he had hats, shirts and a growing demand. Six years ago, he moved the record shop two stores down to a smaller location and opened Rudy El Vaquero in its stead.According to the 2010 Census, Hispanics make up more than 50 percent of the Bronx population, including a fast growing number of Mexicans.

Bronx News Network

New Piano Secured For Oval Park

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Here’s an update in the saga of the purloined piano–BxNN reader Lis says a kind-hearted soul offered to donate an old piano of theirs to to replace it, free of charge (local group Friends of Williamsbridge Oval had been planning to chip in and buy a new one).Now they just need folks to help pick it up in Midtown and load it into a truck. Here are the details from Lis:So we are picking it up tonight and placing it in the park tonight; we need all hands on deck! Those who can help with moving and hoisting a piano, please assemble outside of PS 56 on Hull Ave. at 6 pm this evening (Tuesday night). I will be out there in a bright pink shirt with “I Am the Bronx” logo on it…

Bronx

City's Homeless Shelter Plan for Muller Center Blasted By Bronxites

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Editor’s note: We don’t get into this until later in the story, but the big question here is whether Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. will decide to sit down for a vote with the other two members of the local redevelopment authority (LRA), both from the mayor’s office. It’s supposed to happen by tomorrow. He refused to show for a vote in late 2010, preventing the LRA from voting to recommend a shelter as the best use of the center, but Diaz spokesman John DeSio said on Monday he didn’t know what the BP would do. Stay tuned. By Alex KratzDuring his lengthy and impassioned testimony at a public hearing concerning the fate of the vacant Muller Army Reserve Center in Wakefield, Father Richard Gorman compared the Bloomberg administration to A) Josef Stalin and B) a group of slave owners (with Wakefield residents being the slaves).