Mary Higgins Clark, who was born and raised in The Bronx, has died at the age of 92.
Born on December 24, 1927 to Irish parents (her father was an Irish immigrant and mother was an American born Irish woman), Mary Theresa Eleanor Higgins would eventually attend and graduate from St Francis Xavier Grammar School in Morris Park and then, in 1945, she graduated from Villa Maria Academy in Country Club.
Mary Higgins Clark / via Wikipedia
After years of writing and countless rejections, it wasn’t until 1974 that her first big success came when her first novel, Where Are the Children, had its paperback rights sold for $100,000.
Two years later, Higgins Clark’s second novel sold for $1.5 million.
During the span of her career, she published 51 suspense novels, each which became a top seller in the United States as well as across several European countries.
We are forever grateful for the legacy which Mary Higgins Clark has left behind for not just The Bronx but for the world.
She is yet another shining example of inspiration from The Bronx.
Slowly across the country, more and more cities are creating new green spaces as well as acres of land for more housing.
How?
They’re doing so by capping portions of highways that slice across their cities like ugly scars.
And this is exactly what we need to do in The Bronx and heal the wounds created by Robert Moses when he cut our beloved borough in half with the Cross Bronx Expressway — America’s parking lot.
Abysmal Cross Bronx traffic makes it America’s worst expressway.
With over 200,000 vehicles spewing toxic fumes into the air as they creep along towards their destinations, Bronx asthma rates, as a result, are some of the worst in the nation.
By beginning to cap the Cross Bronx, we can begin to help literally clean up the air in these very vulnerable communities with the added benefit of creating new land that can be used for a combination of open green spaces and to create critically needed housing in our borough.
Before and after Dallas, TX where a portion of Woodall Rodgers Freeway was capped creating the 5.2 acre Klyde Warren Park in 2012.
And this isn’t an entirely new concept for our borough.
Residents and institutions alike have been calling for something like this for years.
One resident in particular, Nilka Martell, founder and Executive Director of Loving The Bronx is working with local officials and capping a small portion in Parkchester.
“Loving The Bronx is excited to be working on capping a small portion of the Cross Bronx Expressway near the Parkchester train station between Virginia Park and Virginia Playground.” said Martell to Welcome2TheBronx.
She added, “We have engaged in conversation with our Senator and look forward to making this a reality. We realize these projects take decades to complete, but we are dedicated to seeing this manifest.”
Several years ago, Welcome2TheBronx reported on a study conducted by Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public health which stated that just by decking over 2.4 miles of the notorious expressway would positively impact the lives of almost 230,000 Bronxites by adding almost two months to their life expectancy.
According to the case study, “Deck parks can produce multiple health benefits. Most notably, they remove contact between pedestrians and automobiles. In doing so, they not only reduce accidents but they also encourage active, pollution-free transportation such as biking or jogging. Deck parks also place vehicles in a tunnel, thereby reducing noise and air pollution in surrounding neighborhoods. Finally, deck parks provide green space in which people can exercise and relax. In doing so, deck parks have the potential to reduce diabetes, heart disease, mental illness, cancer, low birth weight, and death associated with accidents.They can also have positive impacts on property values.”
Imagine a park over the Cross Bronx in Parkchester…
Although that particular study focused on creating a park, we’d like to take it a step further and add truly affordable housing that’s not just rental but with affordable home ownership opportunities as well.
Not only would we help restitch The Bronx and its communities that were destroyed by Moses but we would also help alleviate our current housing crisis and abysmal health rankings.
Less toxic fumes from an expressway = cleaner air and less asthma triggers.
And this isn’t getting rid of the expressway, it’s simply covering it up and letting our borough carry on with a greener, cleaner future for all.
Imagine a day in the future when you can walk across a park instead of a highway spewing deadly pollutants.
It’s possible. We just need the political will and muscle to make it happen.
Last year Krispy Kreme signed a long-term lease for a 26,000+ square foot industrial space over in Zerega in The Bronx to serve as a base for its expanding New York City operations after announcing their massive, soon-to-open 45,000 square foot flagship in Times Square
Rendering of Krispy Kreme’s soon-to-open Manhattan flagship in Times Square.
Now today the company has announced that it’s opening 5 additional shops including one in The Bronx, bringing the famous donut shop to our borough.
Scheduled to open sometime next month, Krispy Kreme’s Bronx location will be at 371 E Fordham Road between Marion and Decatur Avenues just two blocks away from Fordham University.
Krispy Kreme’s first Bronx location will be at 371 E Fordham Road just two blocks from Fordham University.
We’ll probably still stick to our local Bronx bakeries for our freshly baked donuts but we’ll definitely indulge in a decadently glazed Krispy Kreme delight on occasion.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, they’re still hiring for both the shop on Fordham and the warehouse in Zerega so take a look at their job openings here.
A new study by real estate website RentHop has come up with the top ten most ‘livable’ neighborhoods for renters in New York City and as per usual (sadly), it’s safe to assume that not one Bronx neighborhood made the list.
But they did, however, provide which are the top in our borough.
Utilizing metrics such as population density, transportation, park coverage, cleanliness (poop/rodent complaints), quietness, renter friendliness, and safety, RentHop then calculated a score for each area.
So which neighborhoods made the list?
It isn’t surprising that Pelham Bay, Country Club, and City Island made the top of the list in our borough with a median 1 bedroom rent of $1,550 and a cleanliness score of 96.9 making it one of the highest marks in the city.
Check out the full list below:
You can also browse the map below and look through each neighborhood across The Bronx and NYC!
For years Welcome2TheBronx has been a big advocate of the Triboro Line connecting The Bronx to Queens and Brooklyn — without having to go through Manhattan — a reality.
Last June, Assemblywoman Latrice Walker of Brooklyn proposed a bill so that would compell the Metropolitan Transit Authority to study the project.
A few months later in October, the MTA announced that they were studying the feasebility of the project by looking at the southern half portion of the 22 stop line between Brooklyn and Ridgewood, Queens.
Now, New York City Councilman Costa Costantinides of Queens has sent a letter to the MTA’s Chairman as well as president in support of the study.
“I add my voice to support the call for a formal MTA-commissioned study that will analyze the technical feasibility of the Triboro line, along with ridership forecasts and price estimates,” Constantinides wrote in his letter. “My hope is that such a study will take this proposal from a schematic vision to a tactical plan to move forward with.”
According to the RPA, the Triboro line would address the MTA’s Manhattan-centric transportation system and the transit deserts in the outer boroughs. They cited job creation as one reason people need more access between the outer boroughs, since they found that more than “50 percent of New York’s job growth in the last 15 years has occurred outside of Manhattan.”
The Regional Plan Association estimates that the 22 station line stretching 22 miles from Co-op City in The Bronx to Bayridge, Brooklyn would cost anywhere between $1 to $2 billion utilizing existing right of way rail and would connect to 17 different subway and rail lines along the way.
$4.5 billion for a 3 new stations for the new 2nd Avenue Line…we could have had two Triboro Lines connecting millions across 24 miles instead of a few hundred thousand across 2.
The Bronx stops would include one, possibly two stops in Co-op City, Morris Park, Parkchester, Hunts Point, and a possible extension to 3rd Avenue and 149th Street at The Hub in Melrose.
If some of those stops sound familiar it’s because they’re the same ones for the four new East Bronx Metro North stations that are coming soon.
Considering that the 2nd Avenue Line, which cost $4.5 billion for just three new stations and we consider it to be a miserable failure for not connecting to The Bronx, this potential new line is not only necessary but also a no-brainer.
It’s time we ditch Manhattan-centric oriented transit. We’re a city of five boroughs not 1.
It’s time our transit system reflects that.
To learn more about the Triboro Line, check out this interactive feature at RPA.
Not only did three Bronx high schools make it to the top ten list of best high school’s in the New York City area, but they also are considered to be some of the best in the country according to a recently released rankings by education website Niche.
Under private schools, Horace Mann in Fieldston took top honors in The Bronx and 3rd in the city followed by Riverdale Country School which placed 10th on the list. In the nation, the schools placed 12th and 40th respectively.
Bronx Science came at #7 on top public high schools in New York City.
As for public schools, it comes as no surprise that the New York City specialized high school, Bronx Science, took the 7th slot in the city and 21st nationally.
According to Niche, the 2020 ranking, “… is based on rigorous analysis of academic and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education along with test scores, college data, and ratings collected from millions of Niche users…” with greatest emphasis on academic grades weighting 60% of the overall score.
While both Horace Mann and Riverdale Country School both have annual tuition of just under $55,000 making them out of reach of the average Bronx student but both are committed to providing financial aid to students in need.
Riverdale Country School
Collectively for the 2019-2020 academic year they have budgeted or issued over $20 million in financial aid with 15% of students at Horace Mann having received over $11 million in aid and Riverdale Country having budgeted $9.5 million for such cases.
Meanwhile, although there is no tuition over at Bronx Science, students do have to take a placement test which, much like tuition at the aforementioned elite high schools, becomes a barrier for students, particularly of color an from low-income families.
Horace Mann placed 3rd in NYC and 12th in the nation according to Niche, an educational website.
At least the two hill top schools on the list aim to keep a diverse student body putting millions behind that commitment.
Not bad for The Bronx to have three schools make the cut. It’s worth mentioning that not one Brooklyn school made either list and under the private schools category, neither did Queens or Staten Island.
The world’s first African-American Circus Troupe, The King Charles Troupe began right here in The Bronx back in 1958.
11 years later they debuted at Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey’s Circus in Madison Square which lead to an 18 year with the world’s most famous circus.
Via The King Charles Troupe website
Now the troupe is has been inducted into the Circus Ring of Fame for their contributions to circus world.
The King Charles Troupe was the first circus act comprised entirely of African Americans. During their show, the group played a game of high-energy basketball on unicycles.
“The main focus was always that bike,” said Floyd Sweets Harrison, an original member.
JLo’s voice announcing “Next stop, my block, Castle Hill!” on the 6 train or Cardi B screeching, “Next stop 167th Street EEEEEEOOOOWWW” on the 4 may actually now be a possibility thanks to a the MTA experimenting with turning subway announcements into ads.
While there has been ZERO mention of any interest from these two Bronx born and made celebrities, this week the MTA began running subway announcements on the 7 train with Queens native, Awkwafina’s voice popping jokes in between to promote her new show, ‘Nora from Queens’.
Can you picture these two making subway announcements?
It’s the first time this has been done in transit history according to Tech and Transit YouTube video clip where you can hear some of the announcements that are running until next week on the 7 train.
If the MTA can make good money doing this then why not? Anything that would prevent another fare increase for crappy service is welcomed at this point.
Check out the announcements below and let us know who you’d like to hear on your train!
Plans for a new 13-story office tower in Melrose at The Hub have been revealed.
Currently an empty lot at 631 Bergen Avenue and East 152nd Street, directly across from the massive 1.1 million square foot La Central development which is currently under construction, the development is slated to contain 60,000 square feet of office space and ground floor retail.
Rendering of 631 Bergen Avenue
According to the listing for the proposed development, there will be 6,840 square feet of retail space available on the ground floor and 8,610 square feet of space available for a community facility from the second through the fourth floor of the building.
Just one block down on Bergen and Westchester Avenue, another office building is currently under construction which will add just over 147,000 square feet across 10 stories and house offices and a charter school.
631 Bergen Avenue (left) is currently a vacant lot across from La Central.
Plans for 631 Bergen Avenue have yet to be filed with NYC Department of Buildings but is expected within the next month or so.
No official completion date has been reported for this proposed development.
A newly graduated NYPD officer, Angel Familia who grew up in The Bronx is bringing joy to the local deaf community.
According to Familia, his first language was sign language and in fact was his only form of communication until about the age of 7 due to having two deaf parents.
Officer Familia with members of the hearing impaired community at St Elizabeth’s Church/Video Still via News12 The Bronx
Now he’s a police officer who can speak to hearing impared which is making parishioners at St Elizabeth’s Church in the 19th precinct on Manhattan’s Upper East Side quite happy.
After careful consideration and listening to both sides, whether in favor of a rezoning or not, Council Member Rafael Salamanca, Jr has publicly rejected the proposed Southern Boulevard Rezoning.
Citing concerns of displacement along racial lines which the city has yet to answer for as has happened countless times across New York City after major rezonings of communities of color Councilman Salamanca said in an op-ed in City Limits:
” Unfortunately, I have seen the negative aspect of how irresponsible development can lead to the gentrification of entire communities, displacing thousands of low-income Black and Latino families and seniors who make up the very bedrock of that which makes New York City who we are. We cannot let that continue to happen, and we certainly cannot let it happen in the South Bronx.”
Approximately 130 blocks along Southern Boulevard between the Bruckner to the south and Crotona Park and the Cross Bronx to the north are part of the Southern Boulevard Rezoning study area.
Like Salamanca, we are also not against development and rezoning but we are against irresponsible development and rezonings that do not take into consideration the negative consequences that will impact our communities.
To put the breaks on yet another major rezoning in The Bronx is absolutely the correct thing to do.
We acknowledge that the city is growing and yes, we need to somehow accommodate them but at what expense? At the character of our neighborhoods that make them what they are in the first place?
At the expense of the residents who’ve lived there for decades and generations?
While some argue that change is inevitable, displacement is something that isn’t.
Displacement is done by design and The Bronx has suffered for far too long by the powers that be ramrodding their will down our throats whether by way of Robert Moses destroying our communities, red lining our neighborhoods so we couldn’t take mortgages to buy or repair our properties, getting rid of basic city services, and yes, rezonings.
Churches United for Fair Housing (CUFFH) issued a scathing report which confirmed what many activists have been saying for years: That such rezonings displace thousands of people of color in low income communities.
This report went on to illustrate how Greenpoint and Williamsburg in Brooklyn lost 15,000 Latino residents between 2000 and 2015 despite a 20,000 growth in residents due to a 2005 rezoning of the area.
Because of this report and many unanswered questions and unknowns, Salamanca is cosponsoring legislation along with Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, which would require a racial impact analysis for any rezoning.
We applaud Councilman Salamanca for not only taking his time to listen to both sides but to ultimately make the right decision in the end for residents and not developers.
amNY is reporting an exclusive story that there are plans to rename E 161st Street, “Jeter Street” in honor of the famed Yankee’s upcoming induction into Cooperstown Baseball Hall of Fame.
Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson and co-sponsoring Councilwoman Diana Ayala will officially introduce the bill to the New York City Council which will then be voted on on a later date.
If approved, Jeter Street will intersect with Rivera Avenue named after Yankee Mariano Rivera.
“Upon his anticipated Hall of Fame induction, two Bronx councilwomen are introducing legislation to rename E. 161st Street, located right outside of Yankee Stadium and then some eastbound blocks, as “Jeter Street.”
“Jeter Street will also intersect with River Avenue, which was renamed to “Rivera Avenue” upon the unanimous Cooperstown induction of fellow colleague, Mariano Rivera.
“Depending on the final vote tallies next week, it is possible for that intersection to become the world’s only to feature two unanimous hall of fame baseball players.“
That’s pretty cool for The Bronx and yet another feather in our cap!
