Thursday, January 22, 2015
Throggs Neck News: Workers Paradise Screwed Over Workers?
Throggs Neck News: Workers Paradise Screwed Over Workers?: Workers Paradise Screwed Over Workers? Fiscal Crisis Could Lead to Layoffs, Residents Getting Slapped with New Fees Community N...
Workers Paradise Screwed Over Workers?
Workers Paradise Screwed Over Workers?
Fiscal Crisis Could Lead to Layoffs, Residents Getting Slapped with New Fees
Community Needs to Pay $6.25M Worker Settlement
#CoopCity #Riverbay #Lawsuit #Legionnaires
By Michael Horowitz
BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY 22- Riverbay president Cleve Taylor, blaming Herbert Freedman and Marion Scott Real Estate, Inc., for Co-op City’s latest crisis, said the community’s board of directors is considering the possibility of imposing a onetime assessment of $128 per room to pay the $6.25-million settlement of the labor case that management’s workers brought against Riverbay in April 2013 and other immediate expenses that must be met over the next five months.
The immediate expenses that must be paid amount to $9 million, Taylor noted. These expenses, the Riverbay president include, in addition to the labor-case settlement, $500,000 for legal expenses in conjunction with the labor case, $1 million to $2 million in costs relating to Co-op City’s recent cases of Legionnaires’ Disease, $300,000 for a litigation and contingency reserve fund, and $1 million for a general reserve fund.
The Riverbay president said that Wells Fargo Bank, which holds Co-op City’s current $621.5-million mortgage, has told Riverbay Corporation representatives that Co-op City can not touch a $45-million reserve fund, set up to pay for specifically designated capital improvements, to pay the expenses that Riverbay now confronts.
Taylor, in a telephone interview, said, “We, as shareholders, are being forced to pay for the mistakes of Marion Scott. It pains me that the community’s shareholders, many of whom are already having trouble paying their monthly carrying charges, are now being forced to pay for 15 years of mismanagement by Herbert Freedman and Marion Scott.”
In addition to the $128-per-room assessment that is being weighed, Taylor noted that the members of the board are also considering an increase in carrying charges of 3 to 4 percent “to rectify the mess that Marion Scott has left for us.”
Taylor noted that the opinions of shareholders on how to proceed in conjunction with the crisis that Co-op City now confronts will be sought at town-hall meetings that will be held in the community in February.
The options, the Riverbay president noted, include suing the Scott firm in conjunction with the $6.25-million settlement of the labor case and suing Scott Trivella, Co-op City’s long-time labor attorney, for malpractice in connection with his advice that it was okay for the Riverbay Corporation to give workers compensating time in lieu of overtime pay.
Informed sources, who wished to remain unidentified, indicated, this week, that both of these possible lawsuits would be difficult to pursue successfully.
Another option for the Riverbay Corporation would be to significantly reduce Co-op City’s corporate expenses --- an option that Taylor thinks would bear little fruit, but Riverbay vice president Daryl Johnson believes could save Co-op City $20 million per year.
Taylor, for his part, stressed, “Even without the need for $9 million within the next five months, it is clear that the Riverbay Corporation cannot continue to operate the way it has been operating. It is unconscionable that Herbert Freedman and Marion Scott depleted our reserve funds to the point that we need to consider drastic measures to meet our immediate expenses and to get by in the years to come. At this point, we have almost no cash on hand to meet contingencies, like the ones we are now facing with reserve funds that are now virtually nonexistent.”
Riverbay president Cleve Taylor said, this week, that a layoff of some of Co-op City’s 1,100 workers has to be considered as one of the options in the desperate fiscal crisis that the community now confronts.
“All options have to be on the table at this point,” Taylor stressed, in a telephone interview on Monday. “The long and the short of it is that we have to increase expenses and/or reduce costs to come up with the $9 million we are going to need over the next five months.”
The Riverbay president noted that within the context of the current crisis, reducing the hours that Co-op City’s employees work and a temporary or permanent layoff of some of Riverbay’s employees have to be considered.
Civic activist Frank Belcher, reflecting on the possibility of laying off Co-op City workers, noted, “I am convinced that we could lay off 10 percent of our workforce without affecting the delivery of services to the shareholders. It has been obvious to me, for years, that we could easily cut the workforce if the Riverbay Corporation changed its culture of corporate waste. We can do more with less if the housing company finally insists on an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay.”
Belcher added, “Before the board starts considering imposing a $128-per-room assessment, the members of the board need to sharpen their pencils and reduce costs. It’s clear to me, and it should be clear to the members of the board, that laying off workers is a much better option than imposing an onerous assessment that many of the shareholders can’t afford to pay.”
Riverbay vice president Daryl Johnson, saying that it was premature to reflect on a possible layoff of Co-op City’s workers at this time, has repeatedly stated that the estimated $700,000 in overtime pay that Riverbay employees take home on an annual basis could be eliminated or be severely cut without significantly affecting the level of services in the local community.
A possible layoff of workers would be difficult for many shareholders in the community to swallow because of their backgrounds with unions and their support for working people.
However, in the final analysis, laying off workers may be the only reasonable option for shareholders trying to avoid an assessment of $128 per room, which would have to be paid over a five-month period.
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Throggs Neck News: DeBlasio Promotes Traffic Changes Here
Throggs Neck News: DeBlasio Promotes Traffic Changes Here: DeBlasio Promotes Traffic Changes Here #DeBlasio #VisionZero 100 PERCENT By Robert Press BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY 21- Last ...
DeBlasio Promotes Traffic Changes Here
DeBlasio Promotes Traffic Changes Here
#DeBlasio #VisionZero
100 PERCENT
By Robert Press
BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY 21- Last Wednesday Mayor Bill deBlasio came to the Bronx to tout his Vision Zero Program. It was the 50th finished Vision Zero project at the intersection of East Tremont Avenue and Silver Street.
The mayor held a press conference at the old DOP traffic court building on Williamsbridge Road a few blocks away from the intersection. The mayor said through lowering the speed limit to 25 MPH, new speed camera enforcement, redesign of intersections and roadways, and the installation of over 400 speed bumps citywide the lowest number of pedestrian fatalities has been accomplished since the statistic was first charted back to 1911. Mayor deBlasio said that in 2014 there were only 134 pedestrian fatalities.
NYC Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg was with the mayor to echo his words as were Councilman Jimmy Vacca and Assemblyman Luis Sepulveda (whose districts East Tremont Avenue and Silver Street is located). Councilman Vacca the former City Council Transportation Committee chair said that he would like to see a speed bump on every street to help lower the number even more. You can go to my blog at www.100percentbronx.blogspot.com to read more, and see photos of the mayor, NYC Transportation Commissioner Trottenberg, Councilman Vacca, Assemblyman Sepulveda, and the intersections of East Tremont Avenue and Silver Street, as well as Broadway and 96th Street, and one Hudson Street intersection in Manhattan before and after the Vision Zero upgrade.
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. is leading a delegation of Latinos to the country of Israel. The aim of the trip is to discover what Israel has to offer, learn why Israel's strength is important, and the growing relationship between the people of Israel and Latinos. The BP mentions that at one time there were more people of Jewish faith in the Bronx than the country of Israel. You can read the entire 'Why I am Visiting Israel' by Bronx BP Diaz on my blog.
Speaking of taking trips, Governor Andrew Cuomo will soon be going to visit Cuba now that President Obama has removed travel and trade restrictions on Cuba. The trip to Cuba by Governor Cuomo is being billed as a 'Trade Mission to Cuba', as part of the governor's 'Global Initiative’.
While on the subject of Governor Andrew Cuomo, former City Council Speaker and failed mayoral candidate Christine Quinn will become a special adviser to the governor in April after she finishes up classes. Quinn was the head of the Woman's Equality Party movement for the governor that helped him win re-election, and form a new ballot line for the next four years at least.
Finally, after keeping his position as District Manager of Community Board 9 by 2 votes in December 2013, Francisco Gonzalez has been relieved of his position of District Manager at the January 15th Community Board 9 meeting. The vote went 17 for dismissal, 2 against, and 2 CB 9 members abstaining. CB 9 will now begin a search for a new district manager. Go to my blog for the official statement by Community Board 9, and the possible reason why.
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr, is accepting applications to become a member of one of the 12 Bronx community boards. You can go to bronxboropres.gov/communityboards to find out more and to download the 2015 Bronx Community Board application. The deadline is February 6th 2015. Only New York City residents, who either live, have a business, or other significant interest in the community district, are eligible to be considered for membership on a local community board.
If you have any political information that you want to share or have checked out, any comments about this column, or would like to have an event listed or covered in this column or on my blog you can e-mail us at 100percentbronxnews@gmail.com or call 718-644-4199 Mr. Robert Press.
Friday, January 16, 2015
Throggs Neck News: NYPD Protesters Mark 20 Years Since Killing of 3 B...
Throggs Neck News: NYPD Protesters Mark 20 Years Since Killing of 3 B...: NYPD Protesters Mark 20 Years Since Killing of 3 Bronxites #NYPD # Police Brutality #AnthonyBaez By David Greene BRONX, NEW YO...
NYPD Protesters Mark 20 Years Since Killing of 3 Bronxites
NYPD Protesters Mark 20 Years Since Killing of 3 Bronxites
#NYPD #Police Brutality #AnthonyBaez
By David Greene
BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY 16- Dozens of vocal demonstrators participated in two gatherings marking the 20th anniversary of the death of three young men who died at the hands of police officers.
On December 22, just two days after police officers Wenijan Liu and Rafael Ramos who shot and killed execution-style in Brooklyn, the families and friends of Anthony Baez gathered on the street where he died.
Baez, 29, was killed during a confrontation with two officers along Cameron Place in the Mount Hope section. Baez had been tossing a football with his brother David, when the ball hit a police cruiser. Officer Frank Livoti then put Baez in a choke hold following after confronting the ball players.
The medical examiner ruled the death a homicide attributed to a choke-hold. Livoti was eventually convicted of violating Baez' civil rights and served six years in federal prison.
Since her son's death, Iris Baez has been an outspoken leader on police brutality. Shortly after her son's death on December 22, 1994, she quickly began meeting family members of other victims and opening her home for gatherings.
"He was just a party kid," the still distraught mother recalled 20 years later. "He just liked to have a lot of people around him... (and) he knew how to defuse a situation."
A little more than two weeks after Baez' death, Anthony Rosario, 18, and Hilton Vega, 21, were shot and killed on Grand Avenue in Morris Heights on January 12, 1995, in a barrage of 28 shots fired by a pair of detectives. Twenty-two of those shots hit their targets and killed both young men.
Margarita Rosario soon immortalized her son and nephew with murals of the pair on her car with the headline: Killed at the Hands of Police. The car was repeatedly vandalized, so she began work on her Kingsbridge Terrace home.
For the last two decades the home has had the larger-than-life murals of the two men along with the names of others killed by police officers.
During a December 27 vigil for Rosario and Vega they added the name of Mohamhed Bah, who was shot and killed by police in Manhattan in September, 2013. Rosario was joined by Hawa Bah, the victims mother.
Addressing the current rift between Mayor Bill de Blasio and Patrolman's Benevolent Association President Patrick Lynch, Margarita Rosario told the crowd she was furious, "When I hear (Pat) Lynch saying how the mayor is disrespecting the police officers... instead of sympathizing with the families" of police brutality victims.
Jonathan Cain of the Grand Concourse explained his peaceful demonstrations against the NYPD, saying, "Every cop is not guilty for what happened to Eric Garner and Mike Brown. It was the cops involved in these incidents who are the guilty ones."
Protester Quase Beasley added, "We need to start a conversation on how to fix this broken system, because it's not working the way it is." Beasley vowed to continue her peaceful protesting into the New Year.
Detectives James Crowe and Patrick Brosnan were exonerated by a grand jury, but the city settled a wrongful death suit in 2009, paying the Rosario and Vega families $1.1 million.
Throggs Neck News: Cops Still Hunt Perv who Attacked Senior
Throggs Neck News: Cops Still Hunt Perv who Attacked Senior: Cops Still Hunt Perv who Attacked Senior X-mas Sex Fiend Arrested #NYPD #SexualAssault #Senior #Bronx By David Greene BRON...
Cops Still Hunt Perv who Attacked Senior
Cops Still Hunt Perv who Attacked Senior
X-mas Sex Fiend Arrested
#NYPD #SexualAssault #Senior #Bronx
By David Greene
BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY 16- Detectives from the NYPD continue to hunt a young woman after a bizarre claim by a senior citizen, that she was sexually assaulted inside her home-- just steps away from Fordham University.
Officers were called to the gated Rose Hill Apartments, that overlooks the New York Botanical Gardens and the Fordham Prep football field at 2855 Southern Boulevard in the Fordham section, at 2:30 p.m. on December 27.
The unidentified victim was transported to St. Barnabas Hospital where she was treated and released.
According to a neighbor of the victim who declined to be identified, the woman was at home with her husband when she was attacked at 11:30 p.m. the previous night.
The neighbor also charged that staff at the assisted-living home for seniors refused to call police, until the victim's grandson arrived the following day.
The witness reported, "The son said that she was sexually attacked, so they called the ambulance."
The witness continued, "I don't know how they went in unless she had the door open... because to come in the building they have security in the front, but there's a lot of Korean people that leave their doors open."
The witness concluded, "They didn't call the police until the son came and then he was so excited there in the lobby, telling them to call the police because his grandmother was sexually attacked."
The resident added, "They have people who speak Korean, but not the people who work here."
The 119-unit building accepts seniors over the age of 62 years-old and is a Section 8 building that boasts in one online advertisement, "affordable housing community serving low income renters." However, sources say studio apartment average $1,324 per month.
An official at Rose Hill Apartments stated, "no comment" and directed calls to the property manager, who was currently unavailable.
Asked about the alleged incident, the official replied, "Actually, I'm not allowed to comment" about the incident.
Sources close to the investigation confirm that the suspect was buzzed in by staff and the suspect gained entry to the apartment by impersonating a caregiver.
According to family members, the suspect eventually pinned the elderly woman to a wall and began to fondle her. The victim resisted, when the young woman fled.
On December 29, the NYPD released a photo of the alleged suspect, a dark haired woman in her 30's, who police say is 5 foot 6 and 135 pounds.
Anyone with any information is asked to call CRIMESTOPPERS at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls remain confidential.
In an unrelated incident, police have announced the arrest of a suspect wanted in connection with the Christmas morning attack of a 51-year-old woman at a Pelham Parkway bus stop.
Investigators say the woman was waiting for a bus at Boston Road and Pelham Parkway North, when she was attacked at 6:20 a.m. on December 25.
Officials say the assailant punched the woman in the face, before dragging her to a secluded location where the attack occurred.
Within hours of the attack police released a surveillance video of the suspect and the following day Bronx resident Jose Roys, 37, walked into the 52nd Precinct and confessed to the crime.
Roys was charged with rape, sex abuse, assault and robbery and was being held without bail on Rikers Island.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Throggs Neck News: NYPD MDs?
Throggs Neck News: NYPD MDs?: NYPD MDs? Cops Save Life with New Drug #NYPD #Drugs #Heroin By Alex Cayman BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY 15- A pair of hero cops...
NYPD MDs?
NYPD MDs?
Cops Save Life with New Drug
#NYPD #Drugs #Heroin
By Alex Cayman
BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY 15- A pair of hero cops and a new drug issued to police officers recently-- saved a young man's life in the Soundview section on the morning of New Year's Eve.
Officers and paramedics were dispatched for an unconscious teen at 1020 Boynton Avenue, at 10:45 a.m. on December 31. Patrolman Fernando Gonzalez and his partner officer Brenda Colon of the 43rd Precinct arrived and discovered the still-unidentified 18-year-old male, who was unconscious and unresponsive.
Gonzalez quickly administered the new drug Naloxone intranasal spray or Narcan as it is often called-- and officials say the teen immediately regained consciousness and was rushed to Jacobi Hospital.
The unidentified victim is expected to make a complete recovery. Naloxone counters the effects of an acute opiate overdose and is delivered without the use of a needle. It is sprayed into the victim’s nose, thus speeding-up the drug's delivery time.
In May, 2014 members of the NYPD were issued the counter-acting drug after a resurgence of the heroin epidemic.
The more than $1 million to fund the new Community Overdose Prevention Program came from the office of State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.
Deputy Inspector Russell Green of the 43rd Precinct congratulated the two officers and stated, "Officers Gonzalez and Colon did a great job remaining calm and saving a life in a stressful situation.”
William Rivera, the Chairman of Community Board # 9 offered, "We thank the officers for their quick response and their training," with the new drug.
Rivera said of the program that puts Naloxone at the fingertips of officers, "This is an example that this program is needed and will be supported for some time.”
The NYPD could not immediately say how many lives were saved with the drug since the program began, but Elisheva Zakheim of the FDNY stated that the drug has been used by paramedics since the 1970's and added, "The drug was administered by paramedic units more than 3,000 times in 2014, and an average of 40 times monthly.”
Zakheim added that Emergency Medical Technicians also began carrying the drug in 2014.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Throggs Neck News: Fear Spreading Among Co-op City Residents Over Leg...
Throggs Neck News: Fear Spreading Among Co-op City Residents Over Leg...: Fear Spreading Among Co-op City Residents Over Legionnaires Outbreak #Legionnaires #Co-opCity By Michael Horowitz BRONX, NEW YO...
Fear Spreading Among Co-op City Residents Over Legionnaires Outbreak
Fear Spreading Among Co-op City Residents Over Legionnaires Outbreak
#Legionnaires #Co-opCity
By Michael Horowitz
BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY 14- A Co-op City couple recounted how their son almost died from Legionnaires’ Disease in early-December.
The victim’s father, who wished to remain unidentified in spoke out about the travails of his son, who is in his 20s, at the town-hall meeting that was held in the auditorium of the Dreiser Loop Community Center.
After the meeting, the victims’ parents elaborated on what their son has been going through in an interview with Co-op City’s only independent community newspaper.
“My son, starting on December 4, spent nine days in the Intensive Care Unit of Jacobi Hospital,” the still-sick man’s mother noted. “I can’t say enough good things about the care he got at Jacobi Hospital, which saved his life. My son still has slurred speech, but my husband and I are confident that he will make a full recovery. We are confident because of our faith in God.”
The sick man’s father stressed, “My son’s whole body, in essence, shut down as a result of Legionnaires’ Disease. He does smoke, but he is certainly not an older person. He was in excellent health before he got sick on December 4, and he certainly is in no condition to go back to work, even at this point.”
The sick man’s mother noted, “My son played just about every conceivable sport when he was growing up, including football, baseball and basketball. He was an exceptional health before he got sick and his whole system shut down. His condition was diagnosed early on, but he is still not close to being his old self.”
Speaking to a capacity crowd of concerned shareholders at the Dreiser Loop Community Center, a spokeswoman for the city’s Health Department said, Tuesday, that two-thirds of 12 recent cases of Legionnaires’ Disease have been reported in Co-op City.
Dr. Sharon Balter, a leading epidemiologist for the Health Department, spoke out after preliminary tests showed that the power plant’s cooling tower, which supplies air-conditioning and heating to shareholders, was contaminated with the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ Disease. Results from more conclusive tests are expected within 10 days.
The cooling tower, which has been shut down pending its cleaning and disinfection by Co-op City’s management, is separate and apart from the systems that carry water, as well as hot water, to the community’s shareholders.
Continuing tests by personnel associated with the Riverbay Corporation and the Health Department are in the offing in an effort to safeguard the health of those who live and work in the local community.
Legionnaires’ Disease can be spread through mists from water sources, such as showerheads, water faucets, or convectors. However, Dr. Balter noted that the disease, which is not spread through person-to-person contact. is usually treatable with the same antibiotics that are used to treat less serious forms of pneumonia, the flu, and an assortment of bacteria that cause severe sore throats.
However, many among the crowd of 600 were extremely uneasy, especially after the father of a victim, who lives at 100 Darrow Place spoke about how his son, who is in his 20s, almost died from Legionnaires’ Disease and continues to have impaired speech more than a month after first contracting the disease.
Dr. Balter, for her part, said that there is no clear-cut way of knowing who will get the disease and who will not, but that there are a number of risk factors. The elderly, smokers, and those with compromised immune systems are more likely to get the disease, the epidemiologist noted.
Riverbay president Cleve Taylor said, this week, that the price tag associated with the cleanup necessitated by eight recent cases of Legionnaires’ Disease here will be at least $1 million.
The major part of the cost is associated with the shutdown of the power plant’s cooling tower, which is used to supply heating and air-conditioning to the community.
With the shutdown of this tower, Co-op City will be forced to get its heat through Con Edison. The additional cost for this temporary changeover is $770,000 for a two-week period.
Also, the problem with the cooling tower, which the Health Department has identified in preliminary tests, is going to necessitate increased testing at the Riverbay Corporation’s expense.
One aspect of the increased costs is the hiring of an environmental consultant, with a specialization in Legionnaires’ Disease, to assess what’s been happening in the local community.
It appears, at this point, that a lack of preventive maintenance on the part of the Riverbay Corporation’s management, which Marion Scott Real Estate, Inc., controlled for 15 years, could have contributed to the problems and added costs that Co-op City’s management now faces.
Critics of the Scott firm have charged, in recent years, that Freedman and his cohorts neglected preventive maintenance in the community in an effort to keep costs down and carrying charges low.
Keeping carrying charges at low levels, for years, had been a centerpiece of the Scott firm’s strategy to maintain control of Co-op City’s management.
Throggs Neck News: Worker Killed in Freak Accident
Throggs Neck News: Worker Killed in Freak Accident: Worker Killed in Freak Accident #NYPD #FreakAccident By David Greene BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY 14- Investigators continue to p...
Worker Killed in Freak Accident
Worker Killed in Freak Accident
#NYPD #FreakAccident
By David Greene
BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY 14- Investigators continue to piece together the events that led up to a worker being sucked into a cement-mixer in Hunts Point. Officials say the man died instantly.
Officers from the 41st Precinct were called to the intersection of Fox Street and Simpson Street in the Hunts Point section at 1:21 p.m. on January 6.
Cops say the victim was "unconscious and unresponsive," with severe trauma to his body. Officials would use a sheet to cover the gruesome scene as they investigated.
After a preliminary investigation conducted by the NYPD's Crash Investigation Squad, officials say the victim, identified as Edraz Lopez, 46, of Queens, NY., was having a mechanical problem with his 1996 Freightliner cement truck.
One police source explained, "When the victim went underneath the vehicle he became pinned in the rotating cement mixer.”
Paramedics arrived and quickly pronounced Lopez dead at the scene.
Lopez, who worked for Cova Concrete Corporation in Jamaica, NY., was delivering the cement to a construction site at the location at the time of his death.
Calls to Cova went straight to voice-mail, where a voice offered,
"Happy Holidays." The company later declined to comment on the incident.
Pain in the Ass Gunman Caught on Tape
Pain in the Ass Gunman Caught on Tape
#NYPD #Gunman
BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY 14- Cops are looking for a real dumb ass who was caught on tape shooting a man in front of his home.
Surveillance video shows the man pulling out a revolver and opening fire at around 11:55 p.m. on December 19. Cops say the gunman targeted his victim as the man stood outside his Sedgwick Avenue home. One bullet struck the victim in his buttocks.
The gunman is described as Hispanic with a light complexion.
Anyone with information is urged to call CRIMESTOPPERS at (800) 577-TIPS. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers Website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or texting their tips to 274637(CRIMES) then enter TIP577. All calls are confidential.
Monday, January 12, 2015
Throggs Neck News: Spirit of Giving Continues
Throggs Neck News: Spirit of Giving Continues: Spirit of Giving Continues Pols Hand out Gifts at 3 Kings Celebration #3KingsDay BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY 12- State Senator Jeff ...
Spirit of Giving Continues
Spirit of Giving Continues
Pols Hand out Gifts at 3 Kings Celebration
#3KingsDay
BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY 12- State Senator Jeff Klein, together with Assemblyman Luis Sepúlveda and District Leader Julia Rodriguez hosted the 2nd annual Three Kings Day celebration on January 11th.
More than 200 community members, families and children came together to celebrate the
“At our second annual Three Kings Day celebration, I couldn’t be happier or more proud to see all of you out here celebrating together. This is a special holiday for so many of our friends, neighbors and community members,” said Senator Jeff Klein. “In a short period of time, this event has grown to be a tremendous success and I would like to thank my colleagues Assemblyman Sepúlveda and District Leader Julia Rodriguez for helping to make that happen. I wish all of you a happy holiday and health, joy and prosperity in the New Year.”
"What makes the holiday season so beautiful is the feeling of community that is indelibly woven into our daily lives," said Assemblyman Sepúlveda. "This Three Kings Day event is a time when our community comes together again at the close of the Christmas season in the hopes that we may maintain those feeling of charity and kindness for the months ahead. Our celebration aims to continue this trend into the new year as a reminder that such good will should be a part of our daily lives."
The celebration began in the early afternoon, where members of the community followed in a spirited procession from Roselyn Johnson Democratic Headquarters to Mechler Hall
“I want to thank Senator Klein and Assemblyman Sepulveda for putting together this wonderful event and bringing the community together. Three Kings Day is one of my favorite holidays and this is such a wonderful way to celebrate. Because of their efforts, I’m already looking forward to next year,” added District Leader Julia Rodriguez.
Friday, January 9, 2015
Throggs Neck News: Let it Snow
Throggs Neck News: Let it Snow: Let it Snow #Bronx Zoo BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY 9 - Snow Leopards enjoy a wrestle in the snow at the Bronx Zoo.WCS’s (Wildlife Cons...
Let it Snow
Let it Snow
#Bronx Zoo
BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY 9- Snow Leopards enjoy a wrestle in the snow at the Bronx Zoo.WCS’s (Wildlife Conservation Society) Bronx Zoo received .7 inches of snow today, and earlier this week on Tuesday it received 1 inch. These five photos highlight a few animals enjoying the season’s first snowfall.
Photos by Julie Larsen Maher © WCS
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Throggs Neck News: 2015 Comes in with a Bang
Throggs Neck News: 2015 Comes in with a Bang: 2015 Comes in with a Bang #NYPD #Shootings (Photo by David Greene) By David Greene BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY 8- As the m...
2015 Comes in with a Bang
2015 Comes in with a Bang
#NYPD #Shootings
(Photo by David Greene)
By David Greene
BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY 8- As the murder rate in New York City fell to its lowest level in 50 years-- 2014 ended with a man shot in Morris Park in the closing minutes of the year and the new count began with the killing of a 26-year-old man in Melrose.
The NYPD reported 328 murders for the year, seven fewer than the year before and the lowest since 1963, the year when records of such grim statistics became necessary. A far cry from the bad old days like 1990, when the city logged 2,245 murders.
The figures offer little consolation to the family of Herb Huntley, 26, who was shot and killed in the lobby of 671 Westchester Avenue at just before 3 a.m. on January 1.
Police closed off the lobby as they conducted their investigation, as revelers returned home from their celebrations and had to enter the St. Mary's Park Houses complex through the stairs to get to the elevator on the first floor.
One woman used the slogan of a roach motel describing the building, claiming, "Strangers walk in this building, but they don't walk out.”
The woman said she heard four shots before police arrived.
Another woman claimed it was the third murder around the complex in as many years. The resident of the complex also claimed that cops no longer patrol the complex and surveillance cameras no longer work— giving free reign to drug dealers who often use the lobby and staircase as their office.
Police say Huntley was shot in the head and chest and died at Lincoln Hospital. Police have no suspects or motive at this time. The year ended with gunfire in Morris Park as a man was reported shot at 11:45 p.m. at the corner of Rhinelander and Hone Avenue. Few details on the incident were available.
One resident asked, "So why wasn't it in the news? Because you didn’t hear about it doesn't mean it didn't happen. Is that suppose to make us feel safer?"
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Throggs Neck News: Hate Speech?
Throggs Neck News: Hate Speech?: Hate Speech? Accused Gunman Made Feelings Known about Cops #NYPD #CopShooting By Dan Gesslein BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY...
Hate Speech?
Hate Speech?
Accused Gunman Made Feelings Known about Cops
#NYPD #CopShooting
By Dan Gesslein
BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY 7- Before the bullet left his gun aimed for two police officers, Jason Polanco’s hatred of cops was on display. The Fordham man was arrested for wounding two cops after robbing a bodega.
Polanco’s Facebook page has photos such as two kids painting “F—- the Police” on a fence. Another had stick figures of an officer beating another figure on the ground stating: “Stop police brutality.”
News of Polanco’s views came to light after the arrest of the Fordham man for allegedly shooting two police officers. Monday night’s shooting, coupled with the such posts on social media, has police believing there is a war on cops.
The shooting, coupled with the anti-cop rhetoric, is eerily similar to the assassination of Officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu. Ismaaiyl Brinsley shot the officers to death as they sat in their squad car in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. Later it was revealed that Brinsley had posted messages of hatred toward the police on his social media accounts.
At this time it appears that Polanco allegedly opened fire to escape arrest and not simply target police officers.
Polanco was charged with attempted murder of a police officer, attempted murder, robbery, criminal possession of a weapon and assault.
His partner, Joshua Kemp of Metropolitan Oval in Parkchester, was charged with robbery, grand larceny, criminal possession of a weapon and criminal possession of stolen property.
Cops say Polanco wounded Kemp when he opened fire on Officers Andrew Dossi and Aliro Pellerano. Investigators were on to Kemp when he went to a Manhattan hospital for treatment after being shot.
Kemp was on parole for robbery and has a record of 10 arrests was busted for his part in the robbery which led to the double cop shooting.
Investigators said the shooting sprang from a robbery earlier. Members of the Anti-Crime unit responded to the armed robbery of PN Deli in Fordham. Surveillance video of the robbery show one gunman holding the employees on the ground, while his accomplice emptied the cash register.
When police approached Polanco at a Chinese takeout restaurant a short time later, the man is seen on surveillance video opening fire.
Friday, January 2, 2015
Throggs Neck News: Grandma Killed on New Years
Throggs Neck News: Grandma Killed on New Years: Grandma Killed on New Years Grandson has Standoff with Cops #NYPD #Standoff (Photo by David Greene) By David Greene BRONX, ...
Grandma Killed on New Years
Grandma Killed on New Years
Grandson has Standoff with Cops
#NYPD #Standoff
(Photo by David Greene)
By David Greene
BRONX, NEW YORK, JANUARY 2- A deranged man shattered a peaceful Throggs Neck street when he created a standoff with police after allegedly killing his 87-year-old grandmother.
Celebratory balloons were still hanging on a staircase of a Hollywood Avenue home as a small army of police confronted a deranged man who held police at bay for nearly 90 minutes on New Year's morning.
Officers from the 45th Precinct were called to 633 Hollywood Avenue at just before 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, January 1, and were met by the suspect who pelted them with household items including several chairs, dishes, even a blow-dryer.
Several squads of the elite Emergency Service Unit and an armored vehicle, as well as members of the NYPD's Hostage Negotiation Team, were called to the scene as police climbed through fences and backyards surrounding the two-story home.
Residents were ordered back into their homes as police confronted the combative man, only dressed in a pair of shorts-- across the street from I.S. 192, which was closed for the holiday.
One 52-year resident of the block was in shock as she walked out of her home and witnessed the chaotic scene. "No I've never seen anything like this. This is sick, what is this world coming to."
As police attempted to negotiate with the man, three people who escaped from inside the home were transported to Jacobi Hospital in stable condition.
Police say a 67-year-old female was treated for an arm injury, a 55 year-old male suffered head trauma and a 56 year-old female sustained a laceration to her face.
Unconfirmed reports stated that the man was quoting scripture and ranting about the coming apocalypse-- as he tossed items off the balcony at police.
Upon entry to the bedroom where the suspect remained barricaded, police apparently used a stun-gun to subdue the suspect and he was placed into a waiting ambulance where paramedics treated him for a leg injury.
Once inside police discovered the body of the suspect’s grandmother, identified as 87 year-old Alice Durso. Police had reported that a shotgun may have been in the home, but one police source stated that Durso had suffered severe head trauma and may have been killed with the broken leg of a wooden table.
The still-unidentified 48-year-old suspect remains in police custody at Jacobi Hospital where he will undergo psychiatric evaluation.
Inside the ambulance the suspect told paramedics he is bipolar.
Durso's husband Vincent, 75, made headlines after he disappeared on April 20, 2010, after a day of tennis in Crotona Park. Police recovered his 1997 Honda Accord, but his body was never found.
Durso's murder in Throggs Neck was not the first murder in New York City in 2015, that distinction went to Melrose where Herb Huntley, 26, was shot to death inside the lobby of a building at St. Mary's Houses.
Wednesday, December 31, 2014
Throggs Neck News: Princeton Tops Fordham in Holiday Classic
Throggs Neck News: Princeton Tops Fordham in Holiday Classic: Princeton Tops Fordham in Holiday Classic #Fordham #Princeton By Howard Goldin BRONX, NEW YORK, DECEMBER 31- Fordham hosted the ...
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