This week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press

Here are the stories in this week's issue (January 3 - 9) of the Riverdale Review:

Contractors were spotted putting the finishing touches on
the district headquarters and comfort station at VCP. The
building has been under renovation since late 2009.

* PS 24 in violation of state law and city regulations > PS 24 principal Donna Connelly allegedly violated both the state's open meetings law and the school chancellor's regulations when a reporter was asked to leave last month's school leadership team meeting. The school leaddership team, made up of parents, school administrators and faculty, meets monthly with the primary goal, according to the chancellor's regulations, of developing the school's Comprehensive Educational Plan and ensuring it is aligned with the school-based budget. Another Riverdale Review reporter was present at previous SLT meetings after presenting sections of the chancellor's regulations to prove that the public was allowed to observe proceedings. However, during the December 18 meeting, Connelly and PS 24 interim acting assistant principal Emanuele 'Manny' Verdi would not allow the media to stay.
* New technology allows commuters to track subway arrival times > Local straphangers can track the arrival times of all trains on the No. 1 subway line, thanks to a new smartphone application released by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. MTA officials unveiled the much-anticipated MTA Subway Time app during a press conference last Friday. Under the free app, riders can access the real-time subway arrival times at 156 stations on seven of the city's 24 routes--the No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, as well as the 42nd Street shuttle.
* Commander of 50th Precinct receives promotion > If history is any indication, Kevin Burke's days as a commanding officer at the 50th Precinct may be numbered and he could soon be transferred to another post. Burke, a 15-year veteran with the NYPD, was promoted from captain to deputy inspector during a ceremony at police headquarters on December 21. Deputy Inspector Burke said he was pleasantly surprised when he received news of the promotion. He has been at the helm of the 50th Precinct since June 1, 2011.
* Hoffnung lands bigger role in comptroller's office > Riverdale resident Ari Hoffnung is set to play a larger role in the city's financial affairs following his promotion to deputy comptroller for budget. City Comptroller John C. Liu announced that Hoffnung, 39, would assume oversight of the comptroller's Bureau of Fiscal and Budget Studies as of January 1. Hoffnung replaces Simcha Fedler, the Brooklyn Democratic state senator-elect who ruffled feathers last month after he decided to caucus with the Republican conference. Under his enhanced role, Hoffnung will oversee the publication of a wide range of fiscal reports on the city's economy and budgetary outlook. He will continue to serve as the deputy comptroller of public affairs--a role he was promoted to in December 2009.  Hoffnung was quick to stress that the promotion would not influence his decision over whether to jump into the hotly anticipated City Council District 11 race.
* Man charged over cold case murder > A 60-year-old Westchester man has been indicted for the 1993 murder of a prostitute whose body was found in North Riverdale. Lucius Crawford of Mount Vernon was indicted by a Bronx grand jury on a second degree murder charge on December 18. According to the indictment, Crawford acted with intent and caused the death of Nella West, 38, by "blunt force trauma and sharp injuries to the head, face and abdomen." According to police, West's body was discovered by a cab driver near 5815 Liebig Avenue in Riverdale just after 3 a.m. on October 20, 1993.
* Local resdient Irving Ladimer produces patriotic play > Community Board 8 member Irving Ladimer, a lifelong expert on the interface of law and iboethics and a relentless activist for seniors, has decided to break into show business. Ladimer, pushing 97, thought it would be a good idea to celebrate the 225th birthday of the U.S. Constitution. So he wrote a brief comedic play named "We the People."
* Corlear Avenue gets more signage > City officials will install additional alternate-side parking signs on Corlear Avenue after several residents lodged complaints about insufficient signage in the area. The east side of Corlear Avenue between West 230th and 231st streets is cleaned every Wednesday between 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., but just one sign located on the south end of the block details the alternate-side parking regulations for the entire block. Department of Transportation officials have agreed to install additional signs in the area. Authorities have committed to completing the installation by the end of next month.
* Schervier launches 'Come Mend With Your Friend' > Caring for Fluffy and Fido may help in the healing process, research has found. Starting this month, Schervier Nursing Care Center will harness the power of pets with its Come Mend with Your Friend program, offering on-site room and board for pets whose companion humans are undergoing short-term rehabilitation at the facility. Schervier has been given a $58,400 two-year grant from the Amie's Place Foundation to create a pet-friendly temporary home on its Independence Avenue campus. The animals will be cared for by a veterinary technician, who will ensure that the beloved beasts are themselves in good health and are properly vaccinated before they take up residence.
* City extends deadline on sulfur limit on heating oil > The New York City Department of Environmental Protection has extended a temporary waiver of the .15 percent sulfur limit set for No. 4 heating oil, giving New Yorkers until January 18 to make the switch to cleaner oil. DEP reported that the destruction caused by superstorm Sandy has left fuel oil producers and distributors in a bind as they struggle to meet the new city requirements.

Also, in the Bronx Press:
* Bronx resident charged over Newtown shooting fundraising scam > A Bronx woman has been formally charged with lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigations after she allegedly swindled donors by posing as the aunt of a child killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. Federal authorities accuse Nouel Alba, 37, from Soundview, of seeking donations on Facebook just hours after shots were fired in the suburban elementary school.

This week's Riverdale Review and Bronx Press

Here are the stories in this week's issue (December 6 - December 12) of the Riverdale Review:

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr joins Rabbi Levi Shemtov to
light the largest menorah in the Bronx, located at Bell Tower Park.

* Engel and Klein reach for the pinnacles of power > Congessman Eliot Engel has been anointed as  the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee in Washington D.C., and as such he wants to push for peace in the Middle East. The Foreign Affairs Committee has jurisdiction over bills and investigations related to foreign affairs of the United States.

* DNA evidence helps local police solve cold case murder > Detectives from the 50th Precinct finally may have cracked the 1993 murder of a prostitute in North Riverdale, thanks to DNA analysis. Police said Lucius Crawford, a 60-year-old ex-con from Mount Vernon, last week confessed to the fatal stabbing of Nella West--a crime he allegedly committed nearly two decades ago. According to police, the body of West, 38, was found by a cab driver face-up outside 5815 Liebig Avenue just after 3 a.m. on October 20, 1993. The victim, a known prostitute, suffered multiple stab wounds to the head, face and torso, a broken eye socket and a crushed skull during the brutal attack that took her life. The cold case had remained unsolved until five-og Detective Chris Boerke and Malcolm Reiman from the Bronx Homicide Squad made a breakthrough earlier this year. The pair ran biological evidence collected from the scene through the current DNA database and found a match.

* Local nursing home rocked by sex assault allegation > The distraught family of an 81-year-old female resident who was sexually assaulted at Hudson Pointe may file a lawsuit against the nursing care facility. Experienced Cheryl R. Eisberg Moin, who has been enlisted by the victim's family, accused the facility's administration of breaching their duty of care toward Gertrudis Munoz. Police allege Munoz was sexually assaulted bby a janitor in  the third-floor dementia unit of the Hudson Point at Riverdale Center of Nursing and Rehabilitation on November 29. Jorge Sarmiento, 56, of Washington Heights, has since been arrested and charged with endangering the welfare of an incompetent person and attempted sexual assault.

* Algiers still without gas > Residents of The Algiers in central Riverdale remain without gas nearly three weeks after a fire on the south side of the complex forced Con Edison to shut off gas service.

* Reporter tossed from community board meeting > The chair  of Community Board 8 allegedly violated the state's open meetings law when he tossed the media out of this month's executive committee meeting. CB8 chair Robert Fanuzzi asked a reporter from the Riverdale Review to leave last Wednesday's meeting after members spent 40 minutes discussing whether the law applied to the executive committee.

* Settlement in co-op discrimination suit > Parties involved in a housing discrimination lawsuit at 3800 Independence Avenue have reached an agreement. According to a press release from the United States Attorney's Office, Loventhal Silver Riverdale, Goodman Management and Jesus Velasco allegedly discriminated against African-American apartment seekers. The release charged that Velasco, the building's superintendent, admitted he informed prospective African-American buyers that there were no vacant units in the complex. On the very same day, he informed potential Caucasian buyers that there were available units. The United States District Court in the Southern District of New York signed a settlement and consent decree on October 16, but news of the decision only surfaced last week. Loventhal Silver Riverdale and Velasco are required to pay a $40,000 civil penalty.

* North Riverdale merchants weigh BID > Merchants in North Riverdale are in the preliminary stages of establishing a business improvement district in the neighborhood. The ambitious plan is still two to three years away, but local merchants said the BID's formation is part of a wider beautification project.

* Fuel conversion strains local buildings > Building owners and managers are already scrambling to meet their first deadline under the Clean Heat program announced by Mayor Michael Bloomberg last year. The program requires all residences to convert from No. 6 heating oil to cleaner-burning No. 4 by 2014. By 2030, all buildings must upgrade to the still-cleaner No. 2 or to natural gas. According to Con Edison's gas conversion procedures, building owners have until January 11, 2013, to submit both an acknowledgment and a load letter in order to participate in the 2013 area growth program. A load letter requires that a certified plumber examine a buildings' heating system and come up with an estimate for the conversion. But with the influx of requests, there are not enough certified plumbers to go around because many are involved with repairs in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy.

* Spellman charged with manslaughter > Riverdale resident Kevin Spellman, a now-retired NYPD detective, was convicted last Thursday of second-degree manslaughter for the death of Kingsbridge resident Drane Nikac in October 2009, Bronx district attorney Robert Johnson announced. Witnesses said Spellman drove through a red light on Kingsbridge Avenue near West 232nd Street at around 6:30 a.m. when the victim, a 66-year-old Albanian native, began crossing the avenue with a cart containing bottles and cans for recycling. Spellman, 45, faces up to 15 years in prison and is free on bail awaiting sentencing on February 15.

* Benefit concert at HIR for Sandy relief > A varied lineup of performers will offer a Hurricane Sandy Relief Concert this Sunday, December 16, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale. Admission is $36, but donations of larger amounts are welcome. Proceeds will go to a fund administered by the UJA-Federation of New York to help those still in need as a result of the October storm that wrecked several of the city's neighborhoods.

* Local workers sought for 230th Street mall construction > It will be the $54 million two-story shopping mall that Bronx workers helped to build. The developer of the Broadway Plaza shopping center has announced that the borough's tradesmen will have first crack at filling a portion of the construction jobs on offer. Equity One last week revealed they have started hiring for the project and are seeking resumes from qualified, but currently unemployed, tradesmen who live in the northwest Bronx.

* Koppell declares war on graffiti > Graffiti vandals be warned: If you plan to tag in Riverdale, it probably won't stay up for long. Councilman G. Oliver Koppell has teamed up with CitySolve, a graffiti removal business, to remove to handiwork of graffiti vandals across his district. Koppell kicked off his campaign last Friday and personally painted over defaced sections of the West 235th Street Henry Hudson Parkway pedestrian overpass during the launch.

Also, in the Bronx Press:

* Campaign to save Clinton HS gathers steam > DeWitt Clinton High School on Mosholu Parkway, labeled as a failing school for the past three years by the Department of Education, has been on the chopping block twice and has become a dumping ground for failing students. Yet students, parents and teachers poured into the school auditorium for a hearing on December 6 to show their support and to prove to the DOE that their school deserves another chance.

* Eight injured in mattress fire in Longwood > At least five residents of an apartment building, said to be a recently converted homeless shelter, are recovering after a mattress fire near the lobby entrance. Firefighters got the call at 5:30 p.m. on December 9, as the billowing black smoke climbed up into the six-story building at 941 Intervale Avenue, creating panic among the trapped residents. RMS reported at least eight injuries, including five civilian and three firefighters. 

* Norwood resident gunned down along Murder Row > A popular Norwood man was shot and killed during an early-morning dispute on Decatur Avenue, just two blocks from his home. The deadly confrontation took place outside of a three-family home at 3089 Decatur Avenue between Mosholu Parkway North and East 204th Street at 2:2 a.m. on December 9. The victim was later identified as Gary Rodriguez, 46, of 3285 Decatur Avenue.