This week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press

Here are the stories in this week's issue (November 22 - November 28) of the Riverdale Review:

Andrew Cohen kicks off his election campaign 

* Cohen throws hat in ring for Council run > It's official: Community Board 8 member Andrew Cohen has entered the race for Councilman G. Oliver Koppell's seat in the 2013 citywide elections. Cohen, a Riverdale resident, ended weeks of speculation and declared his intention to jump into the electoral race during a press event on the steps of City Hall in Manhattan on Tuesday. The announcement means Cohen will now be pitted against Cliff Stanton, the only other candidate in the hotly anticipated City Council District 11 race.
* Bidding war erupts as Delafield Estates goes under the hammer > A Long Island-based developer has snapped up the remaining lots in the troubled Delafield Estates development for a whopping $6.375 million. The 22 parcels were sold off as a single lot during a frenzied public auction at the Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of Riverdale on November 19.
* Community Board approves street renaming > Efforts to rename a local street in honor of James V. Downey has moved a step closer to reality after it got the Community Board 8 nod. Members of CB8 voted 32 to 0 in favor of renaming the stretch of Mosholu Avenue between West 254th Street and West 256th Streets to 'James V. Downey Way.'
* City officials break ice on new Van Cortlandt Park skating rink > The brand-new Van Cortlandt Park ice-skating rink in officially open for business. The Bronx's first public skating rink in nearly 30 years was unveiled by a slew of city officials during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday.
* Hebrew Home takes in displaced Sandy victims > The Hebrew Home at Riverdale has announced that it will temporarily house 130 adult home residents displaced by superstorn Sandy at its recently acquired Passionist Retreat House, a dormitory formerly used by the Passionist Fathers of Riverdale. The Hebrew Home will host the displaced residents until their permanent homes, damaged by the storm, are fully repaired.
* NYPD Bronx Task Force in Riverdale following Gaza crisis > The NYPD is taking steps to keep Riverdale synagogues safe while demonstrators gather in Manhattan to express their anger at Israel's retaliation for ongoing rocket attacks from Gaza. Officials said eight to 12 police officers from the Bronx Task Force are in the area to supplement precinct staff.
* Diaz to seek reelection as Bronx BP > Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. has abandoned plans to run for office of public advocate and will instead seek to keep his current job during the 2013 citywide elections. In a lengthy email to supporters on Tuesday, Diaz said he would not pursue the city's second-highest post because he still had several loose ends to tie up in The Bronx.
* Local restaurants take advantage of Thanksgiving trend > Restaurants in Riverdale are accommodating guests who don't have time or energy to cook an elaborate Thanksgiving feast by opening their doors on the holiday.
* Local artists exhibits tiny whimsical portraits at library > More than 200 portraits by Riverdale artist Nina Seigenfeld-Velazquez are on display in an exhibition called 'What's Mine is Yours' at the Riverdale branch of the New York Public Library through the end of May.
* Area merchants host food drive > Local politicians and members of the North Riverdale Merchants Association came together to do a little good for the community on November 16. The NRMA spearheaded a new food drive to collect nonperishable items for those in need.
* Bronx residents object to MTA fare hikes during public hearing > The Metropolitan Transportation Authority  held a public hearing on November 13 for Bronx residents to voice their opinions on the proposed fare hikes.

Also, in the Bronx Press:
* Three wounded at funeral home shooting > Three people were wounded when a gunman opened fire on a crowd in the doorway of a Parkchester funeral home. Cops were called to the R.G. Ortiz Funeral Home, located at 2121 Westchester Avenue, at 7:15 p.m. on Sunday, November 18. Police said the three victims were shot in the parking lot of the funeral home, around the vicinity of the parlor's entrance.
* Bronx father sought in bizarre kidnapping > Police continue to hunt for the father wanted in connection with a one-man crime spree that included firing a handgun, setting an apartment on fire, kidnapping his own kids, carjacking a man and fleeing the scene.

This week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press

Here are the stories in this week's issue (September 27 -October 3) of the Riverdale Review and Bronx Press.

* SAT scores at RKA drop for second consecutive year > Seniors at the Riverdale Kingsbridge Academy scored an overall average of 1,333 on the 2012 Scholastic Aptitude Test, more than 160 points shy of the national mean. New figures released on Tuesday by the College Board, the company that administers the SAT, shows H.S. 141's composite scores took a 34-point dive in 2012. The school's 113 test-takers averaged a score of 438 on critical reading, 455 on mathematics and 440 on writing, meaning it was ranked 64th among more than 470 city high schools.

Tulfan Terrace is projected to be completed by March 2013,
nine years after construction began

* Tulfan Terrace apartment project, long delayed, is back on track > Thirty luxury units at Tulfan Terrace, the long-awaited apartment building on Oxford Avenue, may finally hit the real estate market in April next year. A representative from Ox-3620 LLC said the high-rise condo tower remains on track to be completed by March 2013-nine years after construction began. Scaffolding and black safety mesh surrounding the building's facade were torn down earlier this month, revealing a curved wall of windows.
* Boston-based Jewish congregation buys Fieldston Road spy house > A congregation with roots in Chernobyl is planting itself in the shadow of Riverdale's Russian embassy complex. The Talner Congregation Beth Davis relocated to Riverdale from the Boston area last year and purchased 5437 Fieldston Road, the site of a nondescript white house reputed to be an intelligence-gathering venue rather than a residence.
* Co-op board reverses error on canine house rules > A dispute between shareholders and a co-op board over canine guests at 3720 Independence Avenue appears to be resolving after nearly six years. The co-op's board of directors threatened shareholders Rita and Murray Hyman with eviction and terminated their proprietary lease, claiming the couple had breached a house rule about harboring pets. But the fight has concluded, according to board president Bob Moll, who said the case against the Hymans has been dropped and that their proprietary lease would be reinstated shortly.
* Henry Hudson Bridge to lose cash tolls by November > The Henry Hudson Bridge will become entirely cashless within two months, the Riverdale Review has learned. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority revealed it would push ahead with plans to implement all-electronic tolling and remove all means of cash collection by mid-November. The MTA's plan, which was obtained by the Review, was unveiled during a closed private meeting on Thursday, September 20.
* Drivers fight Independence Avenue parking ticket bungle > Local motorists are challenging a series of $60 parking tickets following claims that traffic enforcement officers are unfairly penalizing drivers for parking in front of Riverdale Jewish Center. Department of Transportation crews recently repaved the stretch of Independence Avenue between West 232nd and West 239th streets. However, in the course of putting down new road striping, workers erroneously painted additional lines outside 3700 Independence Avenue to indicate three legal parking spaces. The road markings contradict two signs that bookend the stretch, stating it is a "no parking zone." As a result, drivers who have failed to notice the signs have been slapped with a $60 ticket.
* Bronx unemployment rate still towers over city > The Bronx continues to grapple with high unemployment rates despite a slight decrease in overall unemployment in New York City. The county's jobless rate as of July 2012 stood at 13.9 percent, up from 12.8 percent a year ago, according to a report from CUNY's Labor Market Information Service.

James Downey

* Street renaming sought for James Downey > A slew of sporting and religious organizations have called on city officials to rename a local street in honor of James Downey, a community leader whose passion inspired a generation. The North Riverdale Baseball League, St. Margaret 0f Cortona and the Knights of Columbus Pro-Patria Council have joined forces to lobby for the stretch of Mosholu Avenue between West 254th and West 256th streets to be renamed "James V. Downey Way."
* Timber! Tree limbs coming down on Broadway > North Riverdale residents contacting 311 to report a poorly maintained tree are being told Whalen Avenue is not in the city's records and therefore, does not exist.

Also, in the Bronx Press: 
* Co-op City gives high marks to MTA Metro-North plan > More than 250 Bronx residents, business owners and elected officials piled into a Co-op City Community Center auditorium to hear and respond to a new proposal made by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to expand Metro-North service to the East Bronx. According to officials, the plan would cut average travel time to Manhattan in half, and many Co-op City residents think it's about time.
* Bronx Community College unveils $80 million library > With the gleaming new building as a backdrop, Bronx Community college feted the opening of its North Hall and Library last Friday in a lively ribbon-cutting ceremony.
* Man charged in Bronx Zoo tiger encounter > An Upstate man has been charged with misdemeanor trespassing, after performing a death-defying leap into a tiger enclosure before a crowd of horrified spectators at the Bronx Zoo.