This week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press

Here are the stories in this week's (June 28 - July 4) issues of the Riverdale Review and Bronx Press.

* Budget woes force music cuts at PS 24 > PS 24 has fired both of its music teachers and has been forced to shut down its music department in order to balance its bare-bones operating budget.

* Light turnout for primary day > Thousands of Bronx voters headed to the polls on Tuesday to cast their ballots in an unusually times primary election.

* Safety hazards could lead to less parking > Up to six parking spots along one of Riverdale's narrowest streets could be permanently lost because rogue drivers are blocking emergency vehicle access.

* Developer seeks to donate historic Stella D'oro building signs > Metropolitan Realty Associates president Joseph Farkas plans to donate the two signs to the Bronx Historical Society, but the organization said there isn't enough space in their storage room.

* Work at 230th Street mall to commence in November > Construction on the $54 million Broadway Plaza shopping mall is slated to begin by Thanksgiving, pending approval of all relevant permits.

* PS 24 changes schools schedule > Students at PS 24 will start and finish school 10 minutes earlier next year, thanks to the school's attempt to alleviate the traffic snarls and gridlock that have plagued area motorists.

* Residents turn red over left-turn traffic light change at Broadway > City officials have changed the traffic signal at one of Riverdale's busiest intersections in a bid to improve safety and eliminate driver confusion.

* Retired Horace Mann staffer admits to sex with students > A former English teacher at Horace Mann School has revealed he had sex with at least three students while working at the uber-elite private institution.

* Local author/actress is doyenne of Italian-American culture > Riverdale resident Emelise Aleandri's 2002 pictorial history "Little Italy" is about to be published in Italian, and her latest work about Mulberry Street will be released as soon as she choose either of the two publishers vying for it.

* Motorists get break on Muni-Meters > The State Legislature passed a bill last week that would protect drivers from parking tickets while they are walking to a Muni-Meter to purchase a receipt or walking back to their cars to display it.

Also, in the Bronx Press:

* Hunts Point market gets $10 million grant > The Hunts Point Terminal Market is set to receive a $10 million federal grant from the US Department of Transportation to help modernize it and keep it in the Bronx, where it belongs.

* Bronx records surge in bank robberies > With unemployment in the Bronx at record levels, people have been robbing banks at an alarming rate, keeping themselves 

and cops extremely busy--with no fewer than 22 robberies or attempts since January.

This week's Riverdale Review & Bronx Press

Here are the stories in this week's (June 21 - June 27) issues of the Riverdale Review and Bronx Press.

* Massage parlor appears to offer its clients a happy ending > Riverdale may have another recalcitrant massage parlor on its hands. A business trading as Riverdale Spa is placing daily advertisements on popular classifieds website backpage.com and may be soliciting sexual services. When the Review contacted the listed number, the woman stated the establishment was located at 3733 Riverdale Avenue, the same address as Riverdale Skin & Body Care, a parlor that was busted for prostitution four months ago.
* City unveils heating oil relief package > Landlords and building owners will be offered more than $100 million in financial sweeteners to help them comply with the city's controversial heating oil conversion mandate.
* Hebrew Home opens subsidized senior housing > The Hebrew Home at Riverdale opens Hudson House, a new 58-unit low-income senior housing facility on Johnson Avenue.
* Leases out at Stella D'oro mall > National chains Petco, Bank of America and the casual dining restaurant Buffalo Wild Wings are negotiating leases to occupy space at Riverdale Crossing, the mall's developer has confirmed.
* Film shoot disrupts Riverdale > It was the day Ben Stiller came to Riverdale to film his new feature film, but there was nothing funny about his visit. Nearly two-dozen cars were towed from Independence Avenue on June 18 to accommodate film crews shooting a remake of the 1947 film, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty."
* Police issue warning after car break-ins > The 50th Precinct has warned Riverdale residents not to leave valuables inside their cars following a recent spate of car break-ins. Police say car prowlers are plundering GPS units, model airplanes and other valuable goods in order to fuel their drug habits.
* Big trouble in little Riverdale > A local artisan was forced to fire cease-and-desist letters to a Chinese ceramics company after they allegedly ripped her covetable designs and tried to sell exact replicas of her work.
* New lights planned for Broadway > The Kingsbridge Business Improvement District is looking to partner with the Department of Transportation and Con Edison to install new, white LED lights street lights along Broadway.
* Riverdale girl heads to Harvard > Bronx High School of Science 2012 graduate Ashley Vourakis was one of seven New York City high school seniors selected for the Milken Scholars Program, a resource that provides her with a $10,000 scholarship along with mentoring, community service opportunities and other career benefits.
* Community Board 8 welcomes new members and elects new committee chairs > Four seemed to be the magic number following the annual Community Board 8 shuffle--four new committee chairs were elected and four new incoming members were officially welcomed.

Also in the Bronx Press:
* Grandmother found bludgeoned to death in Bronx unit > An 88-year-old woman was found beaten to death in her apartment at the Pelham Parkway Houses in what police say appears to be a push-in robbery.
* Rooftop farm could sprout in The Bronx > The New York City Economic Development Corporation is looking to develop a 200,000 square foot rooftop farm in Hunts Point to further the city's agriculture industry and create new jobs.