Weather: Another warm one. Partly cloudy for most of the day, with temperatures in the high 70s.Story of the Day: Budget Cuts Threaten Firehouses (Again)Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed city budget could shutter 20 FDNY firehouses across the city, three of which are in the Bronx: Engine 60 in Mott Haven, Engine 46 in Bathgate and Ladder 53 on City Island. The move has spurred neighborhood protest rallies and one angry column from Daily News Bronx bureau chief Patrice O’Shaughnessy, who says the mayor should focus on fixing his budget instead of his “Orwellian” city park smoking ban (which went into effect yesterday).It’s not the first time the city has threatened to shut firehouses: much like the budget dance over senior center closures, Bloomberg has threatened the FDNY before only to restore funding at the last minute. Eddie Brown of the Uniformed Firefighters Association called it a “budget game the mayor plays with the Council, using the people as pawns.”Quick Hits:A first-class hotel and banquet hall could be coming to the Hutch Metro Center in Pelham Bay, according to director Joseph Kelleher, per Bob Kappstatter’s column. bringing a major hotel to the borough has long been a dream of Bronx political leaders, including Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. Two Bronx high schools-John F. Kennedy and Herbert Lehman-are among five chosen by the city to get solar panels installed on their roofs.
