This week's Riverdale Review & Bronx Press

Here are the list of stories in this week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press (Sept. 29-Oct. 5):

Is skating rink on life support?
RKA red-flagged in Regents test cheating probe
Local schools have traffic tie-ups
Mixed results for Riverdale on school progress reports
Problem parking plagues West 256th Street
Private island off Bronx coast is up for sale
Discrimination charged in apartment rentals
Manhattan College's Holocaust, Genocide, and Interfaith Eduction Center hosts Hope and Healing Post 9/11
Group seeks to ban smoking - even in your home

And in this week's Bronx Press:
Waste charged in EDC South Bronx job creation program
Bloody weekend in borough

Baseball fans think Yankees will win the Fall Classic

The Bronx Bombers are favored by
fans to win the Fall Classic.

Baseball fans think the Bronx Bombers will win their 28th World Series this year, according to a new Marist poll. 

More than one in five -- 22 percent -- think the New York Yankees will round the bases into their 28th championship, 16 percent say the Philadelphia Phillies will take the win, and only six percent believe the Boston Red Sox will slide into victory.

It's worth noting that this poll was conducted Sept. 13 and 14. Way back then, the Red Sox were 5 1/2 games ahead of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for the American League Wild Card. Today? The Sox are in a tie with the Tampa Bay Rays and the Angels have been eliminated from contention.

Last year’s World Series champions, the San Francisco Giants, are favored to repeat by just three percent of baseball fans -- but they've also been eliminated from the playoffs. The same proportion -- three percent -- thinks the Texas Rangers, the Atlanta Braves, or the Detroit Tigers will steal the title. 17 percent believe another team entirely will take the title, and 26 percent are unsure.

A similar situation happened in the National League that happened in the AL Wild Card race. On Sept. 14, the Braves were a solid 4 1/2 games up on the Cardinals. Today? Atlanta only has a one-game advantage.

While more baseball fans sit behind the Yankees dugout, their arch rivals, the Boston Red Sox, have fallen from grace in the eyes of baseball fans. When Marist last reported this question in July, 17 percent favored the Bronx Bombers while 15 percent boasted the Red Sox. 10 percent touted the Phillies while four percent cheered on the Giants. Now out of the top five, four percent thought the St. Louis Cardinals would go all the way. 23 percent, then, said another team would be crowned the champions of baseball while 27 percent were unsure.

Register now for Tour de Bronx

Bronxites and bicycling enthusiasts from throughout the region are invited to join Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. for the 17th Annual Tour de Bronx, New York State’s largest free bicycling event, on Sunday, Oct. 23. The ride will begin at the Bronx County Building, located at 851 Grand Concourse at E. 161 Street in the Bronx; check-in is at 9:30 a.m. and the ride departs promptly one hour later.

The Tour de Bronx takes riders to most sections of the borough.

Participants will have the opportunity to see Bronx historic districts, vibrant neighborhoods, beautiful waterfront and great greenways while enjoying a 40- or 25-mile bike ride.

Diaz completed the 25-mile ride last year and will be participating in the event again.

Highlights include riding on the Sheridan Expressway, a portion of which is closed to traffic especially for Tour de Bronx riders, the newly-opened extension to the Soundview Park Greenway; and an end-of-ride festival at the world-famous New York Botanical Garden.

The event is co-hosted by Transportation Alternatives and sponsored by Montefiore Medical Center and St. Barnabas and Bronx-Lebanon Hospitals. It is produced by the Bronx Tourism Council at Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation. The community ride promotes bicycling as a healthy choice for both the body and the environment. Register now at www.tourdebronx.org.

Diaz marches down aisle with brides (UPDATED w/Video

Diaz greets participants in the march at a rally
on the steps of the Bronx County Building.

On Monday, Sept. 26, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. participated in the 11th Annual Gladys Ricart and Victims of Domestic Violence Memorial Walk, more commonly known as the “Brides’ March.” 

This annual event began in 2001 to remember Gladys Ricart, who on Sept. 26, 1999, was murdered by her abusive former boyfriend on the day she was to marry her fiancé. The Gladys Ricart and Victims of Domestic Violence Memorial Walk mourns and memorializes the many other victims whose lives have been taken as a result of domestic violence related incidents, and serves to raises awareness of the seriousness and horrors of family violence. 

Following the rally, Diaz walked down the Grand Concourse with the assembled marchers.

UPDATED: Jump below for video.

Koppell pledges a brighter future for Seton and Ewen parks

Should Seton Park be
natural or artificial grass?

Here's a story from this week's Riverdale Review. Enjoy.

By Brendan McHugh 

Seton Park’s soccer field is getting a makeover, but whether the pitch will be natural or artificial is up to the community.

City Councilman G. Oliver Koppell, who has slated $900,000 for the park’s refurbishment, toured Seton Park with a handful of community members last month and found a number of issues with the field.

“It’s not in good shape,” he said, noting the puddles that form because of drainage issues. “But in order to do all of Seton Park, it’d be like $2 million dollars.”

So Koppell has put forth the largest allocation of funds toward the park to reconstruct the field, which will also fix the drainage issues and clear out embedded rocks and other debris.

Jump below for the rest of the story, including Ewen Park news at the bottom.

Owen Dolen groundbreaking

Here's another story from this week's Bronx Press. Last week, community leaders rejoiced during a groundbreaking ceremony in Westchester Square's Owen Dolen Park. 

By Brendan McHugh 

Improving a triangular park is a step towards revitalizing Westchester Square. 

Local pols and community members were thrilled last week to break ground on a $5 million reconstruction of Owen Dolen Park, a necessary process in erasing memories of a once derelict area.

“We want the square to comeback,” Vacca said. He allocated $4.5 million and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. allocated the additional half-million.

The reconstruction of Owen Dolen Park is a major
step in the revitalization of Westchester Square.

“We always had things to do in Westchester Square,” Vacca said, reminiscing about all the things he used to do as a child, including going to the library, the local shops and restaurants and more to the point, just enjoying the area.

“We can bring that back if we do it right,” he added, noting plans to bring a library to the area. “We can very truly say that Westchester Square has good days ahead.”

The funding will expand the public plaza and repave many of the paths and sidewalks. New fencing, benches and landscaping will also be added along with better drainage, water lines and hydrants. A drinking fountain will be added. In addition, new lighting and electrical service for outdoor events will be built.

Jump below for the rest of the story.

This week's Review

Here are the stories in this week's issue (Sept. 22-28) of the Riverdale Review and the Bronx Press:

Study casts new light on our local schools
Daily traffic chaos reigns outside P.S. 24 and RKA
Golf staffers at two local courses play for bragging rights
Proposals sought for Kingsbridge mall
Fear schedule pressures will thwart skating rink review
Attempt to save Putnam Trail hits roadblock
New after school programs to enhance RKA
Koppell pledges a brighter future for Seton and Ewen parks

Also in the Bronx Press:
Diaz: A real hotel will rise near Stadium
Owen Dolen groundbreaking

Diaz: A real hotel will rise near Stadium

Diaz hopes he will be the one to bring
a first-class hotel to the Bronx.

Before this becomes old news, I wanted to give you the article that is in this week's Bronx Press about the first-class hotel Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. wants to see near Yankee Stadium. The Village Voice pointed out that if the hotel takes away parking spaces, it would have to replace lost spaces for stadium events (The hotel will replace a 9,100 space garage that's mostly unused). However, some of the people who were at the announcement said that could be negotiated out, seeing as the garages around the stadium aren't even at 50% capacity.

Also, jump below for the full story, plus a video of Diaz speaking at the announcement.

By Brendan McHugh 

A Bronx hotel would be a home run for the borough, Ruben Diaz Jr. said Monday.

The Bronx borough president announced the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corp., the economic arm of Diaz’s office, is seeking a developer to build a hotel at E. 153rd Street and River Avenue; the site of an underused parking garage run by Bronx Parking.

“For too long, the borough has lacked a first-class hotel,” Diaz said in front of the garage, just two blocks from Yankee Stadium. Hours before Yankee great Mariano Rivera saved his record 602nd game, Diaz said a hotel would help save the Bronx.

Jump below for the full story and a video.

Feds want earlier NY primary date

The federal Justice Department has filed a motion seeking an order to move New York's primary election date to no later than Aug. 18, 2012.

Currently, primaries are held the second Tuesday of September, but this is a violation of federal law.

As Celeste Katz of the Daily News reports, U.S. District Court Judge Gary Sharpe has scheduled a hearing for 9 a.m. on Oct. 20. New York’s opposition papers are due Oct. 3.

DOJ’s proposed order provides that: “New York shall conduct its 2012 federal non-presidential primary election on an appropriate date no later than 35 days prior to the 45-day advance deadline set by the MOVE Act for transmitting ballots to the State’s military and overseas voters, i.e., at least 80 days before the November 6, 2012 federal general election.” (Eighty days before Nov. 6, 2012 is Aug. 18.)

New York has applied for a waiver under the MOVE Act for 2012 and but the feds have not yet ruled on the application.

New York lawmakers say it would be an unfair advantage for their challengers, because the legislators are stuck in Albany until the end of session, which is suppose to be the end of June, but typically runs into July as / they / drag / out / the / difficult / arguments (Umm...some of those...yeahhh). If legislators are stuck in Albany, they say they will have a hard time running a campaign if they are only in their district full-time for a month.

However, with incumbents in New York having a reelection success rate of 96 percent over the last ten years, the amount of "damage" incumbents would see moving the primary up one month is anyone's guess. Also, one out of every 11 legislators who did get the boot was shrouded in ethical misconduct or criminal issues.

Jump below for the full document from the Justice Department.

Fashion Week ends and a much better week, Craft Beer Week, begins

Rejoice, beer fans of the Bronx! It's Craft Beer Week!

Better than Fashion Week.

Now that all those hoytie toytie fashionistas of the world are done with their "art," us real New Yorkers can get down to enjoying what's important in life: ice cold beer.

From Sept. 16-25, the fourth annual New York Craft Beer Week will be taking over bars and restaurants throughout the city. Over 100 venues are participating with discounts on craft beer, music, parties, giveaways and so much more. You can purchase a 'passport' that will give you the opportunity to buy your first beer at each bar for only $3. They also allow you to buy it as an app for your Android or iPhone, so you can just show that to the bartender for the discount.

Enjoy over 150 craft beer destinations with the much-anticipated NYC Beer Passport 2011, the official NY Craft Beer Week program and resource guide. Passports are $10, and allows for promotional offers at participating venues. During the Beer Week, use your Passport to purchase a beer from each bar's featured brewery, and instead of paying $6 or 7, it's only $3 for the same beer through the Passport program (Passports have an offer for one serving at each bar). The bars will also offer a one-time promotion of $2 off a NY State produced beer through Labor Day 2012 to extend the Passport's value for those consumers unable to visit every bar during the Beer Week (offers may vary).

Unfortunately, you'll only find three places in the Boogie Down where the week will be celebrated. The availability for craft beer in the Bronx still isn't where it should be, though the guys from the Bronx Brewery and Jonas Bronck's Beer Co. are quickly changing that.

Jump below to find out where you can go to celebrate Craft Beer Week.

The Sept. 15-21 issue of the Riverdale Review

I can't promise this will come every week, but here is this week's issue of the Review. Enjoy.

Hint: Click the pages to zoom in/out.

Open publication - Free publishing - More bronx

Diaz brings 'Peace in Our Streets' to Soundview

Diaz talking to community members in
a 2010 'Peace in Our Streets' initiative.

Following the heinous Labor Day weekend shootings throughout the city, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. is bringing his 'Peace in Our Streets' initiative to Soundview Saturday.

Joining members of the Bronx Clergy Task Force as well as elected officials, law enforcement and local community leaders, the initiative is about spreading information about how to get guns off the street. In addition, Diaz and others will hand out literature promoting 866-GUN-STOP, an NYPD program that offers rewards to citizens who report illegal guns anonymously. In 2010, he blogged on the Huffington Post website about 'Peace in Our Streets,' which you can read here. In it, Diaz said:

After coming together at the Greater Faith Temple in the Wakefield section of the northeast Bronx, a room we were able to use thanks to the generosity of Pastor Michel White-Haynes, our group split up into several smaller groups. We then walked the streets, speaking to Bronx residents about the need to take guns off of our streets and giving them information, in both English and Spanish, on how they could do just that.

WHEN:  Saturday, September 17, 2011

TIME:  Participants will convene at 12:30 p.m.

WHERE:  Monroe Houses Community Center -- 1780 Story Avenue (bet. Rosedale & Taylor Avenues)

Of course, not everyone thinks 'Peace in Our Streets' is worth the time...

MTA unveils The Weekender

OK, here's something new I'm trying out. Instead of uploading these documents as pictures, I wanted to try Docstoc to show you MTA's new pet project, The Weekender. Press the 'expand' button to get a better view of the document.

Launching today, this new feature of MTA.info is intended to transform the way riders navigate the subway system on weekends. It will take over the front page of MTA.info each weekend beginning this afternoon, making it easy for subway riders to visualize exactly how weekend work will affect subway service.

What appears to be the best feature of The Weekender is that it allows you to view only one line at a time, so you won't get confused with all the irrelevant information about Queens and Brooklyn. Stations impacted by service diversions are highlighted by blinking icons. Users click to choose one of three ways to view the map:

• Service by Line: Click on a subway line symbol to get a line diagram showing an overview of the line’s service changes, as well as text summaries of the changes. 
• Service by Borough: Click on a borough for text-based information about any service changes impacting a borough. 
• Service by Station: Select a station for details on any service changes impacting that station, or click on the map to zoom to a detailed area.

Supplementing the base diagram, The Weekender provides for the first time an electronic venue for the popular Neighborhood Maps that are posted inside subway stations. These maps show the precise locations of subway station entrances within the street grid, along with locations of popular area destinations.

Weekender images

 

Jump below for some quotes from MTA officials, as well as where the design's inspiration came from.

Rivera's chief of staff leaves for Central Labor Council

Bronx state Sen. Gustavo Rivera's chief of staff, Marco Carrion, is leaving his position to begin working as the legislative/political director for the NYC Central Labor Council.

Capitol Tonight reported the departure, and we spoke to Rivera's communications director Conchita Cruz and confirmed it. Cruz, in fact, is replacing Carrion as chief of staff.

Carrion had great things to say about both Rivera and Cruz:

“The Senator and I have been close friends for many years – this change is in no way an end to our partnership and collaborations. I am confident that I am leaving Senator Rivera in good hands – Conchita’s national political experience and wide networks will enhance Senator Rivera’s already rising national and statewide profile as a Latino leader.”

He was Rivera's campaign manager during the 2010 election, when Rivera easily took down the embattled Pedro Espada, Jr. This isn’t Carrion’s first stint with organized labor: prior to working with Rivera, he worked for the UFT and also for the AFL-CIO – both in New York and at the national level. 

Jump below for more.

Vote! Artificial or Natural Grass?

Seton Park, as seen from the Whitehall

If you check the top right side of the blog, you'll see a new poll. City Councilman G. Oliver Koppell has a couple hundred thousand dollars he wants to put toward repairing field conditions at Seton Park, but hasn't decided what type of playing surface should be built.

During a site visit over the summer, the group he was with was split on whether or not to make more of the grass artificial, or simply repair the natural grass that is already there. Currently, only the baseball infield is artificial.

Please vote! I'd like to get my own census for a story I'd like to write this week. Feel free to email us at bronxpolitics(at)gmail(dot)com if you'd like to comment for the paper, or just leave your feedback below for the website.

Jump below for the pros and cons.

Giuliani headlines 9/11 remembrances

The former mayor returns to his alma mater
to share his story of 9/11.

For your consideration, here is my story on Mayor Rudy Giuliani speaking at Manhattan College that appeared in this week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press. 

By Brendan McHugh 

No one has the same experience of Sept. 11 as Manhattan College alumnus and former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, and he shared his story in front of hundreds of wide-eyed college students Friday afternoon. 

While some lectures at Manhattan College end up with students checking cell phones and whispering to one another within a few minutes, Giuliani held the room for over 30 minutes, discussing the day’s horrific events and the conclusions he has drawn in the 10 years that has followed. 

Jump below for the rest.

This week's Review

Here are the stories in this week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press (Sept. 15-21):

Giuliani headlines 9/11 remembrances here
Celebrity cef pledges to make Riverdale a 'dining destination'
Parents become 'school suppliers'
Manhattan College profs take different view of 9/11
Last would-be synagogue bomber sentenced
The never-ending SAR parking dialogue
Tension between MC students & neighbors
P.S. 24 finally fills two-year old assistance principal vacancy
Hearing held on political redistricting
Vacate order for Van Cortlandt Village house

And also in the Bronx Press:
The Bronx marks 10th anniversary of 9/11
Staff at two Bronx golf courses compete for bragging rights

Video for today's 'Anthrax Day in the Bronx'

As we blogged last week, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. declared today, Sept. 14, 'Anthrax Day in the Bronx.' He met with the heavy metal band at Yankee Stadium, where they will be joining Metallica, Slayer and Megadeth in a mega-concert tonight.

The video posted here is Diaz giving Anthrax a proclamation for their special day. As you can see, bassist Frank Bello got a kick out of the statement--as does the rest of the band--because Diaz threw a handful of the band's song titles into it.

Anthrax's Bello, Charlie Benante and Rob Caggiano are all Bronx natives. Both Bello and Benante grew up in Throggs Neck, while Caggiano is a native of Pelham Parkway.

The statement reads:

"WHEREAS, For over 30 years, Anthrax continues to Bring the Noise through the Persistence of Time in the Bronx, New York City and across the world; and

WHEREAS, Anthrax, a band with strong Bronx roots, is worshiped by their fans worldwide for giving them a Fistful of Metal, both by touring and selling albums in the millions; and

WHEREAS, Today, I welcome Anthrax back home, as they 'Keep It in the Family' 'Among the Living' here in the Bronx, while bringing a State of Euphoria through the Sound of White Noise to tens of thousands of people in Yankee Stadium;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Ruben Diaz Jr., President of the Borough of the Bronx, do hereby proclaim September 14, 2011 Anthrax Day in the Bronx;

And urge my fellow citizens to take appropriate recognition of the occasion and get Caught in a Mosh."

Legislators call for extended public hearing on hyrdofracking

A real cartoon character
from a coloring book.
Click here to check it out.

Five Bronx legislators have joined 23 others from around the state in sending a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo calling for an extension of the comment period and expansion of the public hearing process for the revised Draft Supplemental Generic Environmental Impact Statement on the Oil Gas and Solution Mining Regulatory Program (dSGEIS), which concerns hydraulic fracturing in New York.

According to The Journal News, Department of Environmental Commissioner Joseph Martens defended the department’s decision to move forward with proposed regulations and an Environmental Impact Statement at the same time:

Martens said there’s no reason the comment periods can’t be held at the same time and represents a more effective use of the department’s resources. A set of four public hearings will be held in November, with testimony being heard for both documents at each hearing.

The letter is below the jump.

Free VIN etching in Riverdale Wednesday

Despite his role in movies about illegal cars,
Vin Diesel will not be etched onto your car.

Riverdale isn't known for a hefty amount of crime, so the biggest issues are typically stolen iPods, car tire thefts, and bandits posing as Con Ed employees to rob the elderly. 

OK, so one of those isn't exactly a reoccurring issue. But the car tire theft certainly is. So much so, that last year, then 50th Precinct commanding officer Deputy Inspector Brandon Del Pozo was a leading voice in wanting manufacturers to begin putting a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) on commonly stolen parts, such as tire rims and windshields. He worked with his local elected official, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, who found a co-sponsor in fellow Riverdale official state Senator Jeffrey Klein, to create legislation that would require VIN be engraved on the wheels of all motor vehicles sold in New York.

Tomorrow, to promote the legislation, the 50th Precinct (now commanded by Captain Kevin Burke) will join the two elected officials and offer free VIN etching from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Riverdale Neighborhood House.

I put in a call to Geico (my insurance company), and they said it will reduce my bi-annual payment by $4.40. That's not much, but that equates to either one Guinness, one gallon of milk, 4.25 hours of metered parking or a slice of buffalo chicken pizza. As Dinowitz put it, "Better the money be in your pocket than the insurance company's." According to his office, State Farm gives a 3% discount for anti-theft VIN etching. I think I need to call Geico back and start complaining...3% is much more than the pocket change Geico wants to give me.

9/11 remembered by politicians

The 9/11 Memorial in Manhattan.

Jump below for statements from various politicians remembering Sept. 11. Check the upcoming issue of the Riverdale Review and Bronx Press for coverage of the events from this past week.

Cabrera named co-chair of City Council task force to combat gun voilence

In case you've been living in a hole this past week (and we can't blame you), there's been a spike of gun violence in New York City. Living up to its stereotype, a good bad portion of that has been in the Bronx. The City Council has taken note and created the task force to figure out the best way to handle the situation and naming Bronx City Council Member Fernando Cabrera co-chair of the task force. 

The group will work with academic experts, law enforcement and community based groups across the five boroughs to examine the root causes of gun violence, locate resources to combat gun violence and develop additional ways of tackling the problem across the city. 

“Gun violence is a stain on our communities that disproportionately affects neighborhoods of color,”  Cabrera said. “This is an unfortunate reality that many of us have to live with and it is time that we examine this issue deeply and take comprehensive action towards workable solutions. This task force aims to do just that.”

Jump below for more.

Local pols react to Obama's job speech (Update)

President Obama, with
Vice President Joe Biden (left)
and Speaker of the House
John Boehner (right) behind him.

Here are statements from Congressman Eliot Engel and City Comptroller John Liu regarding President Obama's speech last night. I've shortened them up quite a bit. Jump below for the statements, as well as videos of Obama's speech.

Update: I found Rep. Jose Serrano's statement, which is posted below the jump.

Engel, who has been clamoring for a jobs bill from the Republican party for months now, had this to say:

“The Republican House promised a ‘laser-like’ focus on jobs during the 2010 campaign, and they have failed to produce a single jobs bill. After the Republican Senate filibustered every jobs bill in 2010, this doesn’t come as a surprise. However, this is too important of an issue to be bogged down in the partisan politics of the past. Out-of-work Americans know no political affiliation.

Gillibrand reflects for 10th anniversary of 9/11

Here is a letter we received from U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on the 10th anniversary of 9/11. Jump below for the entire piece.

“Remembering Our Heroes Sacrifice”

By U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand

Like all Americans, I will never forget where I was the morning of the 9/11 attacks. I was traveling with my husband when I received the call from my mother that would change my life. I was living in New York City at the time, so when I heard the news, I was overwhelmed with horror, trepidation, and extreme anxiety for friends and loved ones in harm’s way.

As I reflect on that terrible day 10 years later, the overwhelming image that stays with me is the amazing acts of heroism and selflessness we saw that absolutely define us as a nation – ordinary Americans who didn’t need to be asked to commit extraordinary acts. They ran up those towers as everyone else was running down to search for survivors and save lives, spending countless hours on the pile of rubble in the days that followed recovering those we had lost.

The Bronx welcomes 'The Big 4' with 'Anthrax Day'

The Big 4 will be in
the Bronx next week.

The Bronx is known for hip hop and salsa, but the borough has also produced a good amount of head banging and heavy metal.

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. is rolling out the welcome mat for fans coming to town to see iconic heavy metal bands Metallica, Anthrax, Megadeth and Slayer, “The Big 4,” all performing live right here in the Bronx on Wednesday, Sept. 14 at Yankee Stadium.

A bonus in this mega concert is Anthrax has a handful of members born and bred in the Bronx - Charlie Benante, Frank Bello and Rob Caggiano. Both Benante and Bello grew up in Throggs Neck, while Caggiano is a native of Pelham Parkway. In honor of the band’s return home, Diaz has officially declared Sept. 14 as “Anthrax Day in the Bronx." 

Diaz, whose love of hip hop is well known and who initiated the first-ever “Bronx SalsaFest” this past summer, is “moshing” to a much heavier beat this month, hoping the event will spur some economic activity in the area. 

“This mega concert, one of the most anticipated events in recent memory, will bring thousands of new visitors to the Bronx,” said Diaz. “We’re inviting concert goers to come early and count down to the start of the show at our great neighborhood restaurants and bars, and take in a little of what the Bronx has to offer. 

“The Bronx may be known as the home of hip-hop and salsa, but make no mistake, our musical contributions are much more expansive. These heavy metal legends grew up right here in our borough, and I am proud to welcome Anthrax back to their Bronx home."

However, not everyone may be excited for the metal heads to invade the Bronx. As Candice Giove at the New York Post (formerly at the Riverdale Review) pointed out two weeks ago, 161st Street BID executive director Dr. Cary Goodman is worried that what happened at other concerts may happen here. "Heavy-metal devotees shut out of sold-out performance venues rioted last year in Colombia and Chile, leading to hundreds of arrests and damaged property," Giove wrote Goodman told her.

Jump below to see what the Bronx Tourism Council has in store for the event and a video of Bronx bred Anthrax.

This week in the Review...

Here are the headlines in this week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press (Sept. 8-14):

Property values plummet here
Large 14-acre riverfront property about to change hands
9/11 remembrances throughout area
More skating rink delays seen
Police seek driver in Riverdale hit-and-run
Koppell spurs clean up on Greystone Avenue
Board to formulate wish list for Broadway mall
Runners beg city: 'Don't pave Putnam Trail'
Local LGBT organization plans monthly get-together

And also in the Bronx Press:
Raiders win inaugural Bronx Little League championship (Go here for the story)
Tour bus driver pleads not guilty in 1-95 crash

Again, no Person on the Street until our fall intern starts, but if you have any idea for us, leave a comment and we'll have it for you in next week's paper!

Cabrera to deliver petitions to Bloomberg concerning prayer at 9/11 10th Anniversary Ceremony

They're praying to pray at the 9/11 ceremony.

At the steps of City Hall Wednesday, City Councilman Fernando Cabrera will join community leaders and clergy members in presenting Mayor Bloomberg a petition with over 60,000 names on it in hopes of allowing prayer at this year's 10th anniversary ceremony.

“During 9/11, the faith community served as pillars for many New Yorker’s coping with the tragedy. As a pastor during the tumultuous aftermath, I know firsthand that it was a time where people were searching for meaning and things bigger than themselves,” Cabrera said. “People’s Faith helped fill this void and continue to serve as spiritual and emotional support.”

“While many of the voices in this effort have divergent views on a wide-range of issues, I believe that we can put our differences aside to call for the uniting force of prayer,” said Councilman Cabrera. “I sincerely hope that the Mayor will allow prayer in this year’s ceremony as we remember and honor the victims of a tragedy that is still being felt today.”

Bloomberg has declined to have any religious representation at the ceremony. A mayoral spokesperson told CNN last week:

The ceremony was designed in coordination with 9/11 families with a mixture of readings that are spiritual, historical and personal in nature. It has been widely supported for the past 10 years and rather than have disagreements over which religious leaders participate we would like to keep the focus of our commemoration ceremony on the family members of those who died.

Engel renews the call for new jobs, increased attention to infrastructure

Renewing his calls from earlier this summer, Congressman Eliot Engel has urged Washington to put aside political differences and find a way to give the American people jobs. His announcement comes in light of yesterday's announcement by no change in jobs added.

He also urged the Republican House Majority, Senate Leadership, and President Barack Obama to come together and produce a long-term surface transportation funding extension to improve the nation’s infrastructure.

For those interested, here is a piece by Michael Kink, a political activist in Albany, about what New York State should do about the job situation.

Jump below for Engel's full statement, which focuses on how Hurricane Irene exposed the weaknesses in the country's roads and bridges.

Little League Raiders take inaugural Borough President's Cup

Wednesday, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and the New York Yankees co-hosted the first ever Borough President's Cup Little League Championship. We'll have a full story for next week's Bronx Press, but since it will be nearly a week, here's a recap of the game.

Playing at Yankee Stadium was a dream come true for the teens.

The Little League Raiders and the Rolando Paulino Little League competed for the Bronx title at Yankee Stadium. The Little League Raiders won the game, defeating the Rolando Paulino Little League 9-7 in extra innings.

Diaz with RP's Joel Paulino.

The Raiders were down 3-0 going into the fourth, but scored two runs. In the fifth, they pulled ahead 7-3 after a run-scoring error, two bases-loaded walks and a two-run single.

But the Rolando Paulino Little League didn't give up. In the bottom of the seventh (typically the final inning in Little League), down 7-3, a two-run single with the bases loaded brought the score to 7-5. With the winning run at the plate, an RP player then struck out swinging, but then Felix Camacho's liner into left field was misplayed by the fielder and tied the game up.

Jump below for the rest of the recap.

This week in the Review...

You may not have missed it, but we weren't able to get the papers out by Wednesday night--because of the storm, our printer still didn't have power Tuesday. However, we worked out a deal with a different printer, so the papers are now out on the streets (you'll notice a little color difference and a fold in the page). Here are the stories from this week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press (Sept. 1-7).

Armageddon, No; Annoying, Yes! (Hurricane Irene coverage. Or, eh hem, Tropical Storm Irene)
Further delays seen for controversial skating rink
Ravitch to keynote education confab
#1 Train may be no bargain, but its better than most
Residents raise $$ to bury neighbor
Investigation of PS 24 principal continues
Watch out! City won't remove poison ivy here

Also in the Bronx Press:
A Bronx-wide story on the storm
Frank Arricale, Educator and Public Servant, was 81 (obit)

No 'Person on the Street' this week, because our intern Amanda Macaluso has gone back to school at Manhattan College. Amanda was a great help all summer and has a bright future ahead of her; we wish her the best of luck.