American Idol returned last night to just ok ratings but it still managed to piss off Bronx beep Ruben Diaz, Jr.. Let us explain: last night's audition episode—featuring Bronx native/new Idol host J.Lo!— included a segment about 16-year-old Bronx-native Travis Orlando, a boy who apparently has had a rough childhood that included time in shelter. He describes his formative years as "tough," surrounded by "gangs, drugs, violence," and continues later to boast his neighborhood has "robberies, killings, anything you can possibly imagine goes on here." Enter an angry Diaz! more ›

Last year Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. fought and conquered the building of a mall in the historic Kingsbridge Armory; now—facing a possible bid for citywide office—he has to figure out what to do with the hard-to-fill space. "He's got a big problem," a Bronx elected official told the Post. "No one's been able to do anything with this thing, and now he comes along and stops the only development that seemed to have a chance." more ›

As expected, Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr. (D-Bronx) won the special election for the Bronx Borough President seat vacated by Adolfo Carrion Jr. (Carrion is now at the White House.) Diaz Jr. won with 87% of the vote—over 28,000 votes— over Republican district leader Anthony Ribustello. Diaz told NY1 about his plans, "I want to meet the mayor of the City of New York. I want to meet with the speaker of the New York City Council. I want to revise the vacancies and appointments on the community boards. And all the different development projects that are on their way here to the borough of the Bronx. I want to go talk to the staff at the Borough President's Office. There's so much to do. I'm ready and I'm anxious and eager to go and work at Borough Hall." Diaz's term will be up December 31, which means he'll need to mount another campaign this fall. more ›

While there is a special election for the Bronx Borough President's seat today, since Adolfo Carrion Jr. headed to the White House in February, it's widely expected that Democrat Assemblyman Ruben Diaz Jr. will win. The NY Times reports that Diaz has the wide support of Bronx Democrats and "His lone opponent is Anthony J. Ribustello, a Republican district leader who is best known, to the extent he is known at all, as the actor who played Tony Soprano’s beefy driver on 'The Sopranos.'" The Times adds a footnote about Diaz being son of State Senator Ruben Diaz Sr., "a Pentecostal minister who is an outspoken opponent of gay marriage and abortion. The elder Mr. Díaz was one of the so-called Gang of Three conservative Democratic senators who flirted with Republicans last year and threatened to block the Democrats from assuming control of Senate leadership." Earlier this year, the Daily Politics reported that Diaz Sr. said "his son played a crucial role in convincing him to back Smith for majority leader." more ›

Upon hearing that Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz named their baby "Bronx" (Bronx Mowgli Wentz, to be exact), we asked Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión, Jr. what he thought. He told us: “It’s great to hear that Pete Wentz and Ashlee Simpson named their son after such a great place. I hope baby Bronx gets the opportunity to see what a beautiful and eclectic borough he was named after.” But just what are the chances of these three taking a family trip to the borough? At the very least, the MTA really should start making onesies so they can make him look all legit. more ›

Back in 2006, an agreement signed the day construction started for the new Yankee Stadium promised the team would pay $1.2 million a year in cash and in kind to a fund benefiting Bronx residents for 40 years. It was a gesture to make up for the inconvenience during construction and loss of parkland the new stadium was costing the neighborhood. After a year and half, none of the money has been distributed - and it's unclear who will be distributing it, if ever. more ›

Just because the 2009 elections are over 22 months away doesn't mean some interesting moves can't happen. Adolfo Carrion Jr. (pictured, on left), the Bronx Borough President, has decided to run for City Comptroller in 2009, making it a tough field and shedding light on the mayoral contest. more ›

Yesterday, Mayor Bloomberg presented PlaNYC: A Greener, Greater New York, his administration's thinking about what the city needs to do by the year 2030 in order meet sustainability goals. The plan involves 127 initiatives under the areas of Brownfield Remediation, Housing, Open Space, Transportation, Energy, the Water Network, Water Quality, Air Quality and Climate Change, but the big topic was congestion pricing. After much speculation, Mayor Bloomberg even acknowledged that congestion pricing was the "elephant in the room" and explained that the city would ask the state to embark on a 3-year pilot program:

I’ve thought about [the congestion pricing] question a lot. And I understand the hesitation about charging a fee. I was a skeptic myself. But I looked at the facts, and that’s what I’m asking New Yorkers to do. And the fact is in cities like London and Singapore, fees succeeded in reducing congestion and improving air quality. Many people are already paying to drive into Manhattan – there are tolls on most bridges and the four tunnels. But to avoid those tolls, many people drive through neighborhood streets. That not only clogs the streets, it increases air pollution – and asthma rates... more ›

Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion, Jr. wants Germany to apologize for an army instructor telling a trainee, "You're in the Bronx, a black van pulls up in front of you and three African-Americans get out and start really insulting your mother… act!" Carrion calls the video "inaccurate and bigoted," and says, "The Bronx and the African-American community are owed an apology." more ›

- Affordable rent and health insurance are big challenges for the middle class

The next mayoral election may be more than two years off, but it's never too soon to start courting the union vote, especially when it's the Transit Workers Union. The men and women who make sure the trains run on time have the ability to derail any politician's campaign, so Democratic hopefuls took turns addressing the rank and file at a TWU "Save Our Union" meeting yesterday. more ›

Mamadou Somare, the Malian immigrant cab driver whose wife and four children were killed after last week's devastating Bronx fire, will be able to bury his family in Mali and return to the U.S. Soumare's status was unclear: Though an illegal immigrant, he had applied for asylum many years ago; earlier reports suggested he either missed a court date or did not file the necessary paperwork. more ›

State Comptroller Alan Hevesi pleaded guilty to charges and resigned from office today. From the AP:

The plea ends an investigation by Albany County District Attorney David Soares, who had been presenting evidence against the Queens Democrat to a grand jury. Hevesi will serve no jail time, but will pay a $5,000 fine and agreed not to file any appeal. He also agreed not to take office on Jan. 1. Friday's agreement also heads off a process that could have ended in the Legislature removing Hevesi from office.

Where's Reverend Billy? That quote is from today's NY Times article about people trying to stop a Wal-Mart from coming to the Bronx. Nevermind that Wal-Mart hasn't officially said that they'd like to bring one of its store to the borough - activists are just making sure it never ever happens. This is in spite of the majority of Bronx residents saying they would welcome a Wal-Mart. more ›

Did you see the crazy Post article about baseball groupies in the city? We say crazy because it gives readers tips on developing on MO to have a fling with players:

This, [Melody] says, is how it works: She'll get a call or a text (sometimes from one of her players, sometimes from a go-between) to tell her that the team is in town and does she want to party? more ›

Hundreds of thousands of revelers enjoyed the beautiful weather and celebrated during yesterday's Puerto Rican Day Parade. And this year's theme was, "Boricuas...We count, We Vote!" Though Marc Anthony was the Grand Marshal, the real attraction was his wife, Jennifer Lopez. Mayor Bloomberg, who marched with the couple, said, "In the pictures tomorrow, I will be lucky if I am noticed at all." Anthony and Lopez ultimately needed the help of Guardian Angels to keep the paparazzi off them and keep moving along the parade route. And the couple was also there to promote their upcoming film, El Cantante, but the El Cantante float broke down towards the end of the route. more ›

We hope you've got your padded spandex and your cushy bike seat, because May is bike month here in New York City. Organized by the good people at Transportation Alternatives, there are over 150 great events going on all about the city. While some of the events have already happened, there are tons of events left (the month is so jam packed that there were events in April and there are some in June) including some of the bigger ones starting tomorrow. more ›

Warning! Nothing serious but we thought we'd give you a heads up: The way the news played out today, Extra, Extra just isn't extra happy. So steel yourself. To start with, as the search for her killer continues, Imette St. Guillen was buried in Boston. more ›

After reading our umpteenth post dreaming about pandas in our own backyard, a reader who was at the National Zoo sent us some exciting news:

Just thought you'd like to know, that when I was there, one of the pandakeepers said the Bronx Zoo had already filled out its paperwork for "borrowing" some pandas from China. So pandas might be closer to NY than you think. Of course the NY Times article on how pandas don't actually make any money for zoos won't help the cause much.

Nothing the Yankees do is without controversy. The proposed new stadium for the Bronx Bombers is coming under fire from some Bronx residents as the plan calls for the stadium to be built on two parks - the Macombs Dam Park and John Mullaly Park. The public hearing on the $800 million project had 85 speakers which the Daily News reports were chanting back and forth - "Build it now!" and "Not on the park!". The two parks, totaling 22 acres, is eventually to be replaced by 28 acres of new park. more ›

Well before New Yorkers headed to the polls on Tuesday, city Democrats were wondering who would be able to take back City Hall in 2009. The Daily News and NY Times talk to Democrats about the situation. It seems that newly reelected City Comptroller William Thompson, Bronx Borough President Aldolfo Carrion (also just reelected), and Congressman Anthony "Runner Up" Weiner are the ones who might have what it takes; plus, they each admitted that they would put together exploratory committees next year. Thompson and Weiner have the highest profiles, with Thompson speaking about the city's fiscal future frequently and Weiner known for his scrappy primary campaign. Carrion is probably hoping that his South Bronx revitalization projects will give more citywide perception. But if Bloomberg does well in the next four years, it's very possible that Police Commissioner Ray Kelly could run on the Republican ticket. more ›

After yesterday's sub-scintillating mayoral debate, the first to include both Mayor Michael "I got money" Bloomberg and former Bronx Borough President Fernando "Bloomberg's got too much money" Ferrer," the poltiical analysts weigh in. The NY Times called it Ferrer's best day of the race ever in that he was able to position himself simply as "an alternative to the Bloomberg juggernaut." However, the Daily News thinks that Ferrer's debate effort was "too little, too late" - not surprising, as the Daily News has endorsed Mayor Bloomberg. The Post calls Ferrer "animated," chalking up his aggressive tactics to possible desperation. Mayor Bloomberg tried to get some licks in, by tangling with Ferrer about gun control (Bloomberg has supported gun control measures; Ferrer hasn't) and over massive Brooklyn development, pointing out that Ferrer endorser Rev. Al Sharpton supports a development that is called the "twin brother" of the Atlantic Yards project Ferrer denounced. Overall, the thinking that Ferrer associated Mayor Bloomberg with President Bush was probably a smart move, as the President is dead political weight to any politiician these days. more ›

It's deja vu all over again! In the recent Democratic mayoral primaries, runoffs were threatened and this year's was no exception as campaigns squirmed in too-close-to-call limbo. While former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer has essentially 40% of the vote needed to avoid a runoff, he's about 0.04-0.05% short of a perfect, unequivocal 40%, which translates to a handful of votes. And Congressman Anthony Weiner, who has 29%, will be demanding that every vote be counted, including 8,422 valid absentee ballots. Which means that the results for the Democratic primary might not be known for days, even a week. Ferrer was in the odd position of being so close to victory, but not guaranteed of it, last night at his party, while Weiner's party got more interesting as Ferrer's numbers dropped. more ›

Okay, so it's crunch time for the Democratic mayoral candidates, with just hours until the polls open tomorrow and New Yorkers (hopefully) go and vote for a Democratic candidate. Former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer received an endorsement from Reverend Al Sharpton yesterday, which helps his frontrunner status, but many polls show the Congressman Anthony Weiner is right at Ferrer's heels - and that Ferrer still might not be able to avoid a runoff. While a lot of polls and surveys seem to indicate that Mayor Bloomberg is uncommonly popular for a Republican mayor in our blue city, the NY Times finds some voters that do want him out but, as ever, it comes down to who will actually come out and vote. The big questions are the middle-class (Miller or Weiner) and African-American population (Fields, Ferrer, or maybe even Weiner?). What Gothamist has been finding interesting in this final stretch is that we've been noticing the NY Post has been talking up Congressman Anthony Weiner's chances a lot, perhaps trying to sway voters to force Ferrer into a run-off. The latest stories about Gifford Miller seem to be more about his finance troubles, and C. Virginia Fields seems to have faded completely. Gothamist thinks it's too close to call whether or not there will be a primary. What do you think will happen tomorrow? more ›

It was the Democratic mayoral hopefuls' second-to-last-debate-gasp to get in some good punches, but it was actually kind of boring because the answers were 25 seconds. Former Bronx Borough President and frontrunner Fernando Ferrer, Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields, City Council Speaker Gifford Miller and Congressman Anthony Weiner mainly tried to attack the Mayor whose popularity with Democrats is confounding their campaigns. And with Hurricane Katrina very much the top story of the news, they all said the Mayor's plans in the event of a disaster woudl be "muddled". The NY Times noted that the candidates "in many cases they either overstated their own accomplishments, exaggerated problems facing the city or did not have sufficient backup for their claims about the state of the city." Read the transcripts here and here's Gotham Gazette's handy primer on the Mayoral race. more ›

- Bob Denver passed away at age 70; Gothamist spent so many hours of our youth watching Gilligan's Island on Channel 5 that we really feel like we've lost a bumbling friend who looked great in the color red more ›

On what was surely one of the most beautiful "last day of the summer" in recent memory, millions of people celebrated in Brooklyn at the 38th West Indian American Day Carnival and Parade. While people with roots in the Caribbean were the main participants, they weren't the only ones: The NY Times reported that "four rabbinical students donned do-rags with the colors of the Jamaican flag." And Gothamist's favorite quote comes from Newsday, where Jason Ridges said, "I'm not from any island but Coney Island. This is the one day of the year I can feel Caribbean." more ›

rough and tumble thirty some years ago, versus the Starbucks and Barnes and Noble Babyville it is now... still, Gothamist would prefer to say "down at the heels"), not getting into Stuyvesant, and how Senator Schumer Weiner to run for Congress in Brooklyn and not Florida. An interesting quote occurs when the Times suggests that Weiner has been "frustrated" in Congress (his "does not have a long list of significant legislative achievements"):

"I frankly in some degree have found my voice as a member of the minority party with Bush in the White House. When you are the 200th person following the president's coalition, like I was to some degree in my first term under Clinton, to some degree you're a foot soldier. When you're a third-termer or a fourth-termer in the minority party, it's much more entrepreneurial. You kind of have to think a little bit about how you're going to approach the job, and I think I really found my voice."

Yesterday morning saw the second debate of the Democratic mayoral hopefuls and as it was hoped, this debate featured more zesty repartee. The debate was on a CBS 2 News set, with all the candidates sitting next to each other, which was a more intimate setting and perhaps made some of the candidates feel more comfortable to jostle with each other more. Congressman Anthony "Stickball" Weiner was in pitbull mode, with City Council Speaker Gifford "Don't bring up my kids' schooling even though I bring them to events" Miller a close second. Former Bronx Borough President Fernando "Journeyman" Ferrer tried to take the higher road by just faulting what Bloomberg has done, and C. Virginia "What will my campaign workers do next to screw up" Fields actually patted Weiner's hand while he attacked her. Weiner played on the general feeling that the Democratic party in NYC is faltering by saying:

"One thing I'll say to my Democratic brothers and sisters, the campaign for 2006, 2008 starts today: We have to start articulating what the vision of our party is. It's not just enough to say, 'I'm a Democrat, vote for me,' or 'I'm not Mike Bloomberg' or 'I'm not George Bush.' We have to articulate a view."

The first official Democratic candidate mayoral debate took place last night with all four candidates, including Congressman Anthony Weiner who had been passed a kidney stone earlier in the day. After that, we can only imagine the debate was a walk in the park! The NY Times has a transcript of the debate, but there's nothing like seeing City Council Speaker Gifford Miller get all pissy when asked if he would send his kids to public school (they attend private pre-K now). Former Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer tried to redirect criticism from himself to the Mayor, Manhattan Borough President C. Virginia Fields was the only candidate to eagerly say she wanted the Reverend Al Sharpton's endorsement, and Weiner came away with the best one-liners. All in the all, the debate was kind of boring, like the candidates themselves; the Observer's Ben Smith and Lizzy Ratner explain the problems with all the candiates, including Mayor B, in an article today called the "Aristo-Democrats," with the most frightening cartoon EVER. more ›