LATEST NEWS

Bronx News Morning Roundup

Here are just some of the stories on the Bronx that are circulating today:

Residents at 755 Jackson Avenue are upset that much needed urgent repairs ha end been made in their building. The building, which was taken over by private equity firm Stabilis Capital Management, is on the city’s Worst Landlord Watchlist. [Read More: Mott Haven Herald]

Meet Your Bronx Bloggers Tonight At The Gun Hill Brewing Company!

Back when I first started blogging in 2009, the Bronx pretty much just had a couple of active bloggers — the original BoogieDowners Erin and Lou Cicalese who started actively blogging in 2008 and Nicole Perrino, founder of BronxMama who also started in ’08.

East Harlem Tragedy May Point to Larger Ticking Bomb

The following is written by Bronxite Edwin Pagán.

On the days following the March 12 tragic explosion that leveled two five-story tenement buildings in Spanish Harlem (that is being attributed as possibly gas-related), the death toll had been officially verified at eight. One of the victims was found just after sunrise, as the surrounding community arose to prepare for another work day, to send its children off to school, and to open the doors of their local businesses and service organizations.

As Use Of Stop & Frisk Declines, So Do Complaints Against NYPD Officers In the Bronx

Stop and Frisk has declined during the past years and with that came a drop in complaints against the NYPD.

THE 40th Precinct in the Bronx which covers Melrose, Mott Haven, and Port Morris and had the largest complaints citywide still saw a drop of over 6%.

Let’s not forget that murders dropped by 20% in NYC in 2013 despite a decrease of the controversial program which advocates of stop and frisk said would lead to chaos and an increase in homicides.

Legend Has It That Green Beer Was Invented In The Bronx On St Patrick’s Day in 1914!

As legend has it, green beer was invented in Melrose on 163rd Street near 3rd Avenue 100 years ago today just as our borough of the Bronx was born according to an article The Daily Meal by Editor, Joanna Fantozzi.

If the legend is true, then it is quite fitting as the Bronx is the unofficial Irish Capital of New York City!

Here’s the article from The Daily Meal:

LATEST NEWS

Murders & Shootings Drop Precipitously Since De Blasio Took Office Despite Fear Mongering From Critics of A Return To The Dark Years In NYC

According to data obtained by the Daily News, murders have dropped a whopping 21% from January 1st to March 9th of this year when compared to the same period last year. Shootings also dropped 14% along with overall crime by 2% during this same time period INCLUDING an historic 10 day murder-free span in February — the longest period ever on record.

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30-Year Plan vs. 30-Day Soccer Stadium: Affordable Housing, Small Businesses, Vibrant & Safe Streets

The following is a Welcome2TheBronx reader submitted article by Jonathan Keller.

The Bronx is in the midst of a rebirth. Crime is down, demand around the metropolitan area for housing is up, and the old narrative of the Bronx is crumbling, revealing what many of us already know: the Bronx is beautiful and a great place to live and work.

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The Bronx Leads New York State With Residents Paying The Highest Percentage Of Income For Rent: Illustrates Affordable Housing Crisis Further

New York State Comptroller, Tom DiNapoli released a report today which tells us what we already knew in the Bronx: That there is an affordable housing crisis in our borough.

According to the report, “Incomes and housing costs vary regionally statewide and are generally higher in the New York City metropolitan area, although housing affordability is a statewide challenge. Bronx County, for example, had the highest proportion of renters with housing costs of 30 percent or more of income in 2012, at nearly 58 percent.”

It’s no secret that Bronxites are struggling to make ends meet and even though the Bronx saw some of the highest numbers of new construction affordable housing units in the city, rising rents and stagnant income are keeping many of our residents in a perpetual cycle of poverty.

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Times Ledger: Willets Point business owners sign lease to move to the Bronx

From the Times Ledger:

By Alex Robinson

The Sunrise Co-op signed a lease Friday on a 84,000-square-foot space in Hunts Point, at 1080 Leggett Ave.

Many of the group’s members have been without properties to conduct their business since the end of January when they accepted deals worth six months’ rent from the city to vacate their businesses. Some accepted payments worth 12 months’ rent to leave the Iron Triangle by the end of November.

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