Bronx News Network

Residents Gather in Oval Park to Push for Playground Opening; Parks Dept. Says 'Next Week'

|

Local residents gathered in Williamsbridge Oval Park yesterday to demand that two newly renovated sections of the park are completed by June 28, the last day of school.Asked to confirm a completion date for the new playground in the southern part of the Oval, along with the spray showers in front of the park house, the Parks Department said: “We are working with the contractor on the final preparations, including some minor fence work and site cleanup, needed to open the playground area. We expect to open this area next week.” They did not give a specific date.The new basketball court will be open next month. Organized by the Friends of Williamsbridge Oval, parents and kids gathered yesterday to make posters and get their message across. The Friends have asked residents through a steady stream of Facebook postings to call the contractor and the Parks Department to urge them to get the new areas open by Tuesday.

Bronx News Network

Bronx Health: Senator Looks to Shed Pounds, Promote Healthy Living

|

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.Story and Photos by Fausto Giovanny PintoDressed in Rocky-esque training attire — hooded sweatshirt, jogging pants and sneakers — State Senator Gustavo Rivera walked into the Mary Mitchell Family and Youth Center and challenged himself to a weigh-in.Rivera was joined by Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. (sans workout attire) and numerous organizations, to launch the Bronx CAN Health Initiative.CAN, which stands for Change Attitudes Now, looks to promote a healthier lifestyle among Bronxites, who often rank last on health polls. To help promote the initiative, which will encourage Bronxites to set healthy goals, Rivera said his goal was to lose 20 pounds by the end of the summer without using any gimmicky diet or workout program.“There is no magic,” said Rivera. “Eat three-fourths of a plate, less fat, less sugar, less salt, less everything.” Dr. Jane Bedell, assistant commissioner for the Bronx District Public Health Office, prefaced the weigh-in with some grim facts. One-third of Bronx adults are currently obese, she said. Even more startling was the prediction that if trends don’t change, as many as 50 percent of Bronx children will develop diabetes.“We have come together before when our children were in danger and now it’s time to come together again,” said Bedell, comparing how Bronxites passed laws in the past for child hazards such as lead poisoning.

Bronx News Network

BP Diaz's Testimony From Last Night's Muller Center Hearing

|

The public hearing over the future of the Muller Army Center in Wakefield took place last night, at P.S. 21 on 225th Street.BxNN reporter Alex Kratz was there and will post a more detailed account later, but he said the majority of those who attended-a strong showing of Wakefield and Woodlawn residents, and many members of the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition-are against the city’s plan to fill the building with a homeless shelter, and support the idea of moving the National Guard from an annex at the Kingsbridge Armory into the Wakefield site to free up school space (you can read some more background in yesterday’s news roundup).Kratz said that Father Richard Gorman of CB 12 got the crowd going with an impassioned speech that took several hilarious digs at Mayor Bloomberg. Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr., who sits on a panel overseeing the building’s redevelopment, also testified-you can read his full statement in the document below.(function() { var scribd = document.createElement(“script”); scribd.type = “text/javascript”; scribd.async = true; scribd.src = “http://www.scribd.com/javascripts/embed_code/inject.js”; var s = document.getElementsByTagName(“script”)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(scribd, s); })();

Bronx News Network

Bronx News Roundup, June 23

|

Weather: Foggy and 71 degrees at the moment, with scattered thunderstorms predicted.Story of the Day: Kemba Walker Ready for His NBA Close-upSoundview native Kemba Walker, who was launched into basketball stardom after leading his UConn Huskies to a national championship this spring, is expected to be a lottery pick in tonight’s NBA draft,

Bronx News Network

Bronx News Roundup, June 22

|

Weather: In the high 70s today, and thunderstorms likely this evening. Story of the Day: Future of the Muller Center To Be Debated TonightA hearing is scheduled tonight to get public input on the fate of the Muller Army Reserve Center, a 55,000-square-foot former military base in Wakefield that the Bloomberg administration wants to turn into a homeless shelter.Community leaders and elected officials, including BP Ruben Diaz, Jr., strongly oppose the plan, arguing the neighborhood is already over-saturated with homeless shelters. Diaz and education advocates propose the 238th Street site become the new home for the National Guard, currently stationed in an annex of the Kingsbridge Armory-a move they say would free up the Armory space so the city could build a new school there, providing more classroom seats for School District 10, one of the most crowded districts in the city. The decision was in the hands of the Muller Redevelopment Authority (LRA) – a panel made up of Diaz, Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs and Tokumbo Shobowale, the chief of staff for Deputy Mayor Robert Steel. Last fall, Diaz intentionally missed a scheduled meeting of the authority in order to delay a vote on the issue.

Bronx News Network

Oval Park Meeting to Press for Opening of New Spray Showers and Playground

|

Frustrated with the delay in opening the new playground and spray showers in the Williamsbridge Oval Park, the volunteer group Friends of Williamsbridge Oval Park is gathering and requesting that concerned residents join them at 4:30 today in the southern section of the soccer field near the construction fence. We’ve heard from Parks officials at the site that the spray showers and playground should be open by July 4, but the Friends are insisting that the renovated areas open by the end of school on June 28. We’ll have more later today on official word from the Parks Department on when these new play areas will be open for ruse.

Bronx News Network

Bronx Crime Watch: Rally for Yvette (Updated)

|

The recent shooting of 15-year-old Yvette Marie Torres and lack of progress in finding the person who shot her has led a group of concerned residents, from the Bronx, Queens and even Massachusetts, to take the investigation into their own hands.The group, led by Nelson Figueroa, a childhood friend of Yvette’s mother, have organized a “Rally for Yvette” this Saturday at 2396 Valentine Avenue, near the corner of E. 187th Street, just below Fordham Road. That’s where Yvette was shot after apparently standing up to a bully during a party. They created a “Rally for Yvette” Facebook page to advertise the event. Figueroa also set up a phone number (347-670-3843) and an e-mail address (JUSTICE4EVIE@gmail.com) so witnesses and or anyone with information about the shooting, who might not feel comfortable dealing with police, could come forward. According to Figueroa, Yvette was taken out of a medically-induced coma yesterday and given two days to respond.

Bronx News Network

Kingsbridge Armory Task Force Releases Report on Potential Uses

|

The Kingsbridge Armory (Photo by Adi Talwar) The latest formation of the Kingsbridge Armory Task Force (there have been others over the last 17 years since the National Guard vacated the main structure), chaired by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. and Councilman Fernando Cabrera, released its report today – 267 pages actually (much of it background material, thank goodness). We obviously haven’t had time to go through it all, but the bottom line is that the task force is not recommending any one, or combination of, uses. They are instead calling on the city’s Economic Development Corporation, which has overseen all the unsuccessful proposals and plans over the years to issue another request for proposals (RFP). The report includes the findings of the NYU’s Capstone project. Film studios, a megachurch, sports and recreation entrepreneurs, and the sustainable food industry (culinary school, farmers’ markets) all have expressed an interest in the facility.

Bronx News Network

Bronx News Roundup, June 21

|

Happy summer solstice! The season will kick off with some rain showers later this afternoon, and temperatures around 80 degrees. Scattered thunderstorms predicted for tomorrow. Story of the Day: Armory Report ReleasedThe Kingsbridge Armory Task force released a 267-page report today detailing plans for how the long-vacant building should be filled (ideas: a hockey arena, a culinary center and a mega-church). For more on the report, see our previous post here.

Bronx News Network

Bronx Health: Free Prostate Cancer Exams

|

Montefiore Medical Center will be offering free prostate cancer tests for all men 40 and over at the following times and locations: Wednesday, June 22, 4 to 7 p.m.Moses Division, Gold Zone, Ambulatory Oncology111 East 210th StreetThursday, June 23 4 to 7 p.m.Montefiore Medical Park1695 Eastchester Road, 1st FloorFriday, June 24, 1 to 5 p.m.1521 Jarret Place, 1st Floor According to the latest statistics available from the Center for Disease Control, nearly 30,000 men in the United States died from prostate cancer in 2007. For more information, contact Montefiore’s Office of Community Relations, (718) 920-7744.