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.

This week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press

Here are the stories in this week's issue (September 6 -12) of the Riverdale Review and Bronx Press.

Chris Lighty's body is removed from the crime scene

* Suicide of rap mogul shocks Riverdale neighbors > Chris Lighty, the influential hip-hop music mogul who fatally shot himself at his $1 million-plus Riverdale home, kept such a low profile in the neighborhood that many locals were unaware of his celebrity status. 
* New draft city council district will look a lot like the old city council district > City Council District 11 is set to gain small parts of Woodlawn and Williamsbridge, and lose tiny sections of Bedford Park and Kingsbridge Heights under preliminary draft maps released by the New York City Districting Commission.
* MTA removes trash cans in new cleanup effort > A pilot program championed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to remove trash cans from subway stations has expanded to The Bronx. Authorities announced all means of garbage disposal were removed from two Bronx stations--the 238th Street No. 1 and the East 143rd Street No. 6 platforms--on September 2
* Slow zone unrolls, very slowly > Speed bumps will be added to certain Riverdale streets by November as part of a staggered implementation of the city's Neighborhood Slow Zone program. Department of Transportation officials have confirmed they are currently evaluating streets for possible future speed bumps near P.S. 24 and M.S/H.S 141 in a bid to improve pedestrian safety. It is unknown how many speed bumps are being considered or where they will be located.
* Man injured in North Riverdale shooting > Police are on the hunt for two suspects who struck and injured a man during a possibly drug-related shooting in North Riverdale. Investigators said two men approached Edwin Figueroa, 31, outside his 6687 Broadway apartment just before 7:50 p.m on Friday, August 31.
* Horace Mann alumni return diplomas over sex abuse scandal > Fresh from organizing diploma returns, the Horace Mann Action Coalition now plans to organize forums to discuss child abuse in schools and is considering creating a fund to be held in escrow until the school does the right thing.
* Former Hebrew Institute rabbi reaches new milestone in New Orleans > Life hasn't been easy lately in The Big Easy, but former Riverdale rabbi Uri Topolosky managed to accomplish his mission there in the lingering wake of Hurricane Katrina. He left his post as assistant rabbi at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale in 2007 and headed down to New Orleans with his wife, Dahlia, a psychologist, and their two sons to rebuild Congregation Beth Israel and serve as its spiritual leader.

The fire at 5213 Broadway

* Manhattan College hires two locals > The commute to work will now be very brief for Dr. Joe Cutbirth and Dr. Val Kolesnikov, two new Riverdale residents who have joined the faculty at Manhattan College this semester. 
* Blaze engulfs Marble Hill  discount store > A severe two-alarm fire engulfed a local discount store early Tuesday morning, officials said. The blaze started at 2:48 a.m. at EZ 99 Cent Store, a single-story commercial building at 5213 Broadway in Marble Hill, an FDNY spokesman said. Officials said more than 100 firefighters from 25 units fought to control the blaze and eventually extinguished it by 3:57 a.m. There were no fatalities or injuries. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Also, in the Bronx Press:
* As Naomi Rivera probes grow, Mark Gjonaj becomes frontrunner in hot Assembly seat > At least five government agencies have launched investigations into Bronx Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera following allegations she used taxpayer funds as her personal expense account and awarded cushy jobs to two lovers.