* Water rates to continue upward spiral > Homeowners could be hosed by yet another massive water rate hike after DEP proposed a 7 percent increase starting July 1 in order to cover escalating debt service on federally mandated infrastructure projects.
* Passover preparations a major production at the Hebrew Home > The Hebrew Home at Riverdale undergoes what is probably the most extensive kashering operation of its kind among New York area senior facilities. The facility estimates nearly 35,000 kitchen items - from forks to fryers to refrigerators - undergo the laborious cleansing procedure required each year before the holiday of Passover.
* Apartment building sells for $17 million > An 84-unit, six-story apartment building in Riverdale has been sold to an undisclosed New Jersey buyer for a mammoth $17.4 million.
* Espaillat announces run for Congress > State Senator Adriano Espaillat will officially challenge veteran politico Charlie Rangel for his seat in Congress. Espaillat, who currently represents a large section of Riverdale in the state Senate, formally announced his candidacy at an annual fundraiser for the Barack Obama Democratic Club in upper Manhattan on Sunday night.
* Plans for Broadway Plaza finalized; city rejects housing > It's official: City authorities have confirmed a long-awaited two-story shopping mall will be built at the 230th Street Broadway Plaza site.
* Attempted robbery at local Chase Bank > Police are on the hunt for a man who carried out a daring but ultimately unsuccessful daylight robbery at a Chase Bank on 3775 Riverdale Avenue at West 238th Street.
* Second youth market planned > Riverdale residents could get their second youth market by the summer, after Friends of Van Cortlandt Park submitted an application for funding to operate a scaled-down farmers market starting in July.
* P.S. 81 earns top marks on Quality Review report > Tweed authorities awarded P.S. 81 the highest possible rating and an overall score of "well-developed" on their latest Quality Review report.
Also in the Bronx Press:
* Lehman HS: A once proud school that was set up for failure > Lehman HS junior Ubayed Muhith responds to Mayor Michael Bloomberg's controversial 'Turnaround' plan with an illustration and opinion piece.
* Highbridge teen injured in elevator plunge > A Highbridge teen was injured after the cables of the elevator he was riding in snapped--plunging the car three stories and crashing into the building's basement.
* AT&T upgrades Bronx network > Since January 2011, AT&T has carried out 238 network upgrades in The Bronx, according to a new microsite for the greater New York region that allows users to see specific network enhancements that the company has made in their area.
