Bronx News Network

Fernando Ferrer Appointed to MTA Board

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? File photo? Former Bronx Borough President and two-time mayoral candidate Freddy Ferrer has been appointed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo to the MTA Board, the governing body that oversees the agency (and, most notably, approves all of those fare hikes and service changes).Ferrer served as Borough President of the Bronx for 14 years, from 1987 to 2001, before making a run for Mayor. His most current gig is with public affairs firm Mercury. ??

Bronx News Network

Bronx Events: “Parent Power” Film Screening at the NYBG

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As part of the onoing Bronx Week festivities, the Borough President’s Office and the Annenberg Institute for School Reform are hosting a special film screening of “Parent Power,” on Thursday night, at the New York Botanical Garden. The documentary chronicles grassroots efforts in the Bronx and other communities of color to improve and reform local schools. Check the flier below for more and for RSVP information. You can see a full calendar of Bronx Week events here. Other Bronx events can be found in our community calendar, here.

Bronx

Mainland Media Opens Showroom to Show Off Bronx-Themed Goods

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Celebrating Mainland Media’s new showroom were, from left, Jamie Jones of New York Graphic Studios, who shares the space; Paul Ramirez; Anthony Ramirez; John Martin and Felicia Reyes (Photo by Jordan Moss)Around 2004, John Martin and Anthony Ramirez worked at the big nonprofit SoBro and they were looking for Bronx-related posters to decorate their offices with. They couldn’t find any. So, after mulling this for a bit they rented a helicopter – no kidding – and took aerial images of the Boogiedown that they then sold on a website. Mainland Media, named for the only borough that is attached to the rest of America, was born just a year later in 2005.Fast forward six years, and there they were – the Bronx-loving entrepreneurs who first met at Horace Mann High School in Riverdale – presiding over a well-attended opening of their studio in a tenement on East 135th Street around the block from the Bruckner Bar and Grill with their business partner Felicia Reyes, an art director and graphic designer. Ramirez’s brother Paul Ramirez is also a key member of the operation, which features ultra-hip Bronx t-shirts, posters by Bronx artists like painter Daniel Hauben and photographer Ron Terner, mugs, etc.”Everything we sell is creating by Bronxites for Bronxites,” said Anthony Ramirez, who explained that fromthebronx.com is the on-line storefront for all the Bronx-focused gear and artwork.

Bronx

Bronx News Weekend Roundup, May 16

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Weather: It’s a foggy, blustery morning in the Bronx today, with temperatures in the 60s and scattered thunderstorms predicted for this afternoon. We’ll pay for last week’s near-perfect spring weather with rain storms for the rest of this week.Story of the Day: Diaz Family on Opposite Sides of Gay Marriage FightThe Times describes the scene at Sen. Ruben Diaz, Sr.’s anti-gay marriage rally, which he held yesterday at the Bronx Borough Courthouse on the Grand Concourse to protest the legalization of same-sex marriage in New York (You can read an editorial about Diaz’s rally, from the most recent issue of the Tremont Tribune, here.)Among the attendees there in opposition to Rev. Diaz’s stance was his own granddaughter, Erica Diaz, an openly gay 22-year-old who was discharged from the Navy last year after she told her superiors she was a lesbian. The younger Diaz told the paper it was important for her grandfather to know her stance on his politics. “It is in my blood to stand up for what I believe in — regardless of who I am up against,” she said.Quick Hits:Lots of drama at Yankee Stadium this weekend: the Atlantic argues that hitter Jorge Posada’s “hissy fit”-he backed out of Saturday night’s game against the Red Sox after being demoted on the team’s batting lineup-is just one example of rampant bad behavior by sports stars.A psychiatric patient being transferred from a Long Island hospital took off in an off-duty police officer’s car, leading authorities on a wild chase that ended in the Bronx yesterday afternoon. A retired New York City firefighter is accused of owning several Bronx apartment buildings that are illegally divided-a practice experts say is a dangerous fire hazard, and which played a role in a tragic blaze that killed three people in Belmont last month.City budget cuts could close City Island’s only firehouse, Ladder Company 53.

Bronx News Network

Other Bronx Week Events This Weekend

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Lots going on this first weekend of Bronx Week(s). In Bronx Foodie, we mentioned the urban farm tour on Saturday and in the Roundup we discussed Sunday’s Bronx Puerto Rican Day Parade (set for a 1 p.m. start time), as well as The Rev’s anti-gay marriage rally. But there’s more!Today, the Borough President will host a Veteran’s Appreciation Day event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Maestro’s restaurant (1703 Bronxdale Ave.). The guest speaker will be William Kraus, acting executive director at the New York State Division of Veteran’s Affairs. And on Sunday, at about the same time of the PR Day parade (always a huge draw), the BP is putting on a star-studded hip hop block party at the Bronx Museum (1040 Grand Concourse) from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Here’s the long list of music acts expected to show up: Prodigy (Mobb Deep/G-Unit), Wu Tang, Lord Finesse, Large Professor, Neek The Exotic, Cuban Link, Grand Daddy IU, Grafh, Ma Barker, GrandWizard Theodore, Pebble Poo, Zulu Nation, Reggae Star Ravon, Wordsmith, Busy B, T-Ski Valley, D Chamberz, NYB, M.cia The Artist, Lynn Carter, Tyrone “Fly Ty” Williams, and Chip Fu aka Jungle Rock Jr.(On a side note: The block party is being billed as a “family-friendly event featuring interactive activities to inspire creativity in youth through the power of music.”

Bronx News Network

A Tremont Tribune Editorial: Sen. Diaz's Misguided March

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Editor’s Note: This editorial first appeared in the most recent issue of the Tremont Tribune, out now. We’re experiencing some technical difficulties right now with the paper’s website, but we’re hoping to have them worked out soon.On Sunday, May 15, State Senator Ruben Diaz, Sr., who represents the 32nd District, will lead an organized march down the borough’s tree-lined Grand Concourse. That very same day, less than five miles south, thousands of other New Yorkers will also be walking, through Central Park—part of the city’s annual AIDS Walk New York.But Diaz and his allies won’t be marching to raise money to fight a life-threatening disease, or in the name of cultural celebration, or to protest a gross violation of civil rights—quite the opposite, in fact. The senator is rallying against the idea of legalizing same sex marriage in New York, an idea that’s set to be considered by the legislature in Albany this spring and has the strong support of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, not to mention a growing coalition of residents and gay-rights groups. In his actions, Diaz (not to be confused with his son, the borough president, who is a gary marriage supporter) is asserting that his personal religious beliefs are enough to justify denying an entire group of New Yorkers the multitude of benefits that come with legal marriage—the right to visit your partner in the hospital should they get sick, the right to access your spouse’s health insurance coverage, to name just a couple.“I have never preached hatred toward anyone, and I denounce those who do,” Diaz said in statement he sent out recently, defending his decision to host the anti-gay marriage parade.

Bronx News Network

Bronx Foodie: Bronx Urban Farm Tour Tomorrow

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To mark the one-year-ish anniversary of the Bronx Food Summit (which took place on May 1, 2010) several Bronx groups are organizing a Bronx Urban Farm Tour and stopping at several locations in the Bronx. The day will include workshops on seeding and composting and live music. The tour starts in Manhattan (part of an effort to drum up tourism from other boroughs), but if you live in the Bronx, you can go straight to the farms. Below is a schedule of events. The Bronx Tourism Council is the main organizer, and along with the Bronx Food and Sustainability Coalition, Bronx Green Up and the Botanical Garden, are planning monthly farm tours through out the summer, so stay tuned for more details. You can also visit www.ilovethebronx.com for updates.

Bronx

Kids, Parents Take Action: Bring Budget Message to Foster, Mayor

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PS 64 parents and students, who are members of the New Settlement Parent Action Committee in Mt. Eden, delivered a giant dollar sign yesterday to Council Member Helen Foster’s office. Written on the sign, according to the group, were a list of things they don’t want cut from their school as outlined in the mayor’s budget. Foster’s chief-of-staff Jim Fairbanks said that Foster would deliver the statements on the dollar sign to the mayor.(Photo courtesy New Settlement Parent Action Committee)