This week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press

After a two-week hiatus, here are the stories in this week's issue (October 25 - October 31) of the Riverdale Review and Bronx Press.

The entrance of Delafield Estates

* New apartments planned for Henry Hudson Parkway > Three local residential houses will be completely demolished to make way for a new seven-story apartment building, the Riverdale Review can reveal. Excavation crews are slated to begin razing the row of two-story homes, located at 2727-2737 Henry Hudson Parkway, on Thursday, October 25.
* Long-delayed Delafield Estates may be back on track > The remaining 22 lots in the troubled Delafield Estates development will finally go under the hammer on Wednesday, November 7. The real estate firm marketing the estate, Brown Harris Stevens, announced news of the upcoming public auction on Monday.
* A fast look at the Riverdale Neighborhood Slow Zone > Nine new speed humps will be installed on Riverdale streets by November as part of a staggered implementation of the city's Neighborhood Slow Zone program. For the first time, officials circulated a map pinpointing the nine proposed speed hump locations, with the majority positioned in the immediate vicinity of PS 24 and MS/HS 141.

VCP's delay-prone comfort station

* Relief may be on the way in Van Cortlandt Park > After three years of delays and setbacks, the comfort station and district headquarters at Van Cortlandt Park could finally be opened by Christmas. The dilapidated single-story building, located on Broadway near West 242nd Street, has been covered in scaffolding, plywood slabs and blue tarpaulins since late 2009. But a Department of Parks spokesman said: "We are scheduled to ope the district headquarters/comfort station this fall."
* Motorists get a break from confusing ticketing on Independence Avenue > City officials have removed the confusing road markings in front of the Riverdale Jewish Center following claims that local motorists were being unfairly ticketed. Department of Transportation officials recently scarified the section outside 3700 Independence Avenue and eliminated lines that had previously indicated three legal parking spaces.
* Local student involved in presidential debate > Riverdalian Yaritza Pena, a Hofstra University student, was selected to work as a volunteer during the October 16 presidential debate held on the campus in Hempstead, New York.
* Rabbi Avi Weiss to turn over leadership of innovative yeshiva > Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, the open Orthodox rabbinical school founded by Rabbi Avi Weiss of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, has announced that the role of yeshiva president will transfer from Rabbi Weiss to Rabbi Asher Lopatin this coming July. Rabbi Weiss will continue to teach there and to serve as senior rabbi at HIR, a vibrant 850-family congregation on Henry Hudson Parkway.
* Anxious foodies get ready to Savor the Bronx during restaurant week > Move over Manhattan and Brooklyn--it's time for The Bronx to grab the dining spotlight. The second annual Bronx Restaurant Week--Savor The Bronx, which showcases the borough's diverse  delights kicks off on Monday and runs through Friday, November 9. Under the promotion, foodies will be able to score a three-course lunch for $16.41 and a bargain dinner for $20.12 from more than 25 Bronx resturants. A few establishments will even throw in a free dessert or take 15 percent off the entire tab.
* Superintendent cleared over theft charges > A North Riverdale building superintendent, who was arrested on April 16 after being accused of pocketing cash from an elderly tenant's bank account, has been cleared.
* Former governor speaks to Manhattan College students > Former New York governor David Paterson addressed Manhattan College students and faculty last Tuesday with a discussion on subjects ranging from student loan debt to MTA encounters.

Also, in the Bronx Press:
* Heartless criminals steal stereo system from Norwood church > An Episcopal church in Norwood that had overcome a devastating fire in 2009 must now deal with the damage left by an invader who got away with only a sound system worth about $1,000.
* More Bronx restaurants now have all-important Zagat listings > A record number of Bronx restaurants have landed a highly coveted mention in the 2013 Zagat dining guide. A total of 33 Bronx establishments made it into the latest version of the gastronomic bible, compared with 28 the previous year and 24 in the 2011 guide.
* Police arrest four over Pelham Parkway murder > Bronx homicide detectives have charged four individuals and are seeking a fifth in connection with a double shooting that resulted in one man's death.