This week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press

Here are the stories in this week's (July 5 - July 11) issue of the Riverdale Review.

* The day the music died at PS 24 > The fallout continues from PS 24's controversial decision to excess both of its music teachers and shut down its music department. Outraged parents have penned letters to protest the cuts, claiming it was reckless and unnecessary, and that their children will be adversely affected.

State Senator Adriano Espaillat at a press conference outside
a senior center in Washington Heights on Monday, July 2

* Engel wins big; Rangel up in air > An official winner has yet to emerge following last week's five-way 13th Congressional District race. Amid claims of voter suppression, irregular tally counts and ballots not being counted, an attorney for State Senator Adriano Espaillat has filed a lawsuit against the city's Board of Elections. Incumbent Charles Rangel currently leads by a razor-thin margin of 802 votes  with more than 3,00 absentee and affidavit ballots still to be counted. Those are due to be tallied on Thursday, July 5.

* More work on Henry Hudson Bridge > MTA workers are preparing to repair the steel structure underneath the roadway of the bridge. However, before that project begins, a temporary shield has to be built over the course of four weeks starting on Monday, July 9, and that the work will be performed between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. Workers cannot work during the day because it is over Metro-North's right of way. As a result, residents in Spuyten Duyvil have been warned they may notice some lights.

* New MTA bus schedules draw mixed results > Planned schedule changes on six bus routes in Riverdale have yielded mixed results for local commuters. Under the revisions, to take effect in September, straphangers who ride the Bx3, Bx7 and Bx10 on weeknights will face a slightly shorter wait for the bus. However, those who take the BxM1 and BxM3 during the morning peak period will endure slightly longer waits.

* Local groups funded by Koppell > Community nonprofit organizations, local groups and public schools will share nearly $5.5 million in discretionary funds from City Hall in the upcoming fiscal year. City Council documents reveal Councilman G. Oliver Koppell was allocated $5 million for capital projects-slightly less than last year-and $500,000 in expenses as part of the new $68.5 billion city budget.

* Chef's Warehouse to expand in Hunts Point > Another food company is planning to expand in the Bronx and some locals aren't too pleased. The Chef's Warehouse, a speciality food service distributor, last week announced they would take over a massive 176,000 square-foot building in Hunts Point as early as next June.

We also have a great photo of the Stella D'oro cookie factory, or what is now left of it. Construction workers have demolished the cherished biscuit plant and are currently removing tons of debris from the site. A shopping mall, anchored by BJ's Wholesale Club, will rise from the ground in its place. The center, dubbed Riverdale Crossing, is scheduled to open in October 2013.

That's how the cookie crumbles: The former Stella D'oro cookie factory has been razed
and will make way for a shopping mall to be anchored by BJ's Wholesale Club.

And, in the Bronx Press:

* More than 8,500 union ConEd employees were locked out of plants across the city as contract negotiations broke down after a midnight deadline on Saturday, June 30. The workers are now picketing outside plants across the city as some 5,000 managers perform the emergency repairs needed to keep the power flowing.

PS Happy belated July 4th! To the right is a photo of local Korean war veteran Herb Barret placing US flags at each of the 40 plaques at the Memorial Grove in the lead-up to the birthday celebrations. Barret had spent the past six years fighting for the grove's refurbishment and finally got the beleaguered memorial finished in late May.