A South Bronx principal has been accused of using school funds to help pay for her daughter's "Sweet 16" party. Liza Cruz Diaz, principal of Public School 31 on East 156th Street, is also accused of stealing nearly $5,000 more and messing with school records to hide her thefts. Jeez, why couldn't she have done things like a normal parent and just asked Nicki Minaj to perform as a favor? more ›

Things are not looking good for Sharron Smalls, the principal of the troubled Jane Addams High School in the South Bronx. It was bad enough that her "persistently low-achieving" school got a terrible independent external review which recommended it be shut down—she's also become embroiled in a massive course credit scandal. Students have turned on her now too, accusing her of charging them for free parking. Oh, and they also plastered a scantily clad photo of her grinding with a half-naked man around the school. more ›

A father and his ten-year-old son were fired upon by three men in the South Bronx early this morning, which led to a chase and eventually a police shoot-out. The father and ten-year-old were sitting in a Dodge Durango in front of Saint Peter's Church in Parkchester around 3:15 a.m. when one of the men opened fire. The ten-year-old was grazed by a bullet, while the dad was hit in the finger. more ›

Between the NY Press cover story last year, the documentary Superheroes and the book, "Heroes in the Night: Inside the Real Life Superhero Movement," the group of real-life superheroes known as the New York Initiative have been getting a lot of press lately. Though we have yet to see them in person ourselves, the BBC followed them around recently on one of their missions, and it sounded mighty...real: "Tonight, NYI members are patrolling the notorious South Bronx projects, looking for troublemakers and their victims." more ›

A Sunoco station in the South Bronx has become the first in the city to carry biodiesel made from recycled restaurant grease. Company Tri-State Biodiesel takes the used oil from 3,000 restaurants in the city (and Yankee Stadium!) to refine, and Sunoco owner Richard Finkelstein began stocking the 5% biodiesel blend at four pumps late last year. Tri-State Biodiesel CEO Brent Baker said, "It looks and pumps the same as diesel. The difference is what comes out the tail pipe—reduced emissions." Biodiesel? Bike paths? "SoBro" has happened. more ›

Graffiti artist Cope2, whose given name is Fernando Carlo, was arrested earlier this week for tagging a train at the 207th Street NYC Transit yard in the Bronx . According to the Daily News, "Police said Carlo, 41, spray-painted a train Sept. 11, 2009, using black, blue, purple and pink. Cops said he wasn't busted until this week, because they were waiting for him to return from abroad." more ›

"It was gross. I did not want to do it," Randy Estevez, a 14-year-old eighth-grader at In-Tech Academy in the South Bronx, tells the Daily News. Estevez is referring to his detention punishment last fall, when he and another student were allegedly assigned janitorial duties on two days, with tasks including cleaning up feces. Now the Department of Education is investigating the school, but In-Tech's principal is all like whatever: "Someone's on a mission. This is so untrue," says Principal Rose Fairweather-Clunie. more ›

The cop wounded by a gunman inside a Bronx apartment fired the rounds that killed the perp, police investigators believe. Even though Officer Robert Salerno had been hit twice—his Kevlar vest halted a third shot to the chest—the three-year NYPD veteran unloaded his 16-round clip, striking Santiago Urena in the the abdomen, shoulder, and temple, police officials told the Post. more ›

The Bronx resident who wounded a police officer after a home health aide rejected his romantic advances was killed by NYPD bullets—not a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The medical examiner's officer has determined that 57-year-old Santiago Urena was struck by three rounds fired by cops after he opened fire on Officer Robert Salerno, the Times reports. more ›

The cop shot three times in an "ambush" in a South Bronx housing project yesterday wouldn't have survived if he wasn't wearing a bullet-resistant vest at the time. Officer Robert Salerno, 25, was hit twice in the lower torso, but his Kevlar armor protected him from a shot to the chest fired by a 57-year-old who was furious that a home health aide had turned down his romantic advances. more ›

Even though the Bronx has some of the highest obesity rates in the nation, it also has some of the hungriest people, according to recent study. The Times says the seeming contradiction can be explained through a redefinition of the word “hunger.” These days “food insecure” is the term used by researchers to describe low-income people who have high calorie diets with poor nutritional value. “Hunger and obesity are often flip sides to the same malnutrition coin,” said Joel Berg, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger. But what is the city doing about it? more ›

With rooftop farms all the rage right now, it's nice to see the eco-trend has even made it over to the South Bronx. We're told "a new state of the art affordable housing complex planned for the South Bronx will feature a 10,000 square feet (930 sq meters) fully integrated rooftop farm. The greenhouse will use left-over heat from the residential portion of the building and water harvested from the greenhouse roof. The farm will be used to provide fresh, perishable vegetables to a local non-profit food cooperative." All in all, the farm will supply enough produce to meet the annual veggie needs of up to 450 people! A great thing in any neighborhood, but particularly the South Bronx, which we're told "suffers from food deserts, where residents lack access to fresh vegetables at affordable prices." Learn more about the urban farm here; that's one step closer to becoming the urban farming capital of the world! more ›

Adolfo Carrión Jr., the Bronx borough president who was recently appointed Urban Policy Director in the Obama administration, is one of many who are urging the Landmarks Preservation Commission to declare that Rincón Criollo and other South Bronx casitas are city landmarks. more ›

The Birthplace of Hip Hop, 1520 Sedgwick, was recently sold to a new owner (a developer), leaving its future more questionable than ever. Luckily, folks are preserving the history of the area in any way they can, most recently Bronx Rhymes launched, which is a multi-media installation by digital artists Claudia Bernett and Maria Ioveva that "celebrates Hip Hop's innovative artistry, inspirational impact and community contributions. It highlights now legendary locations and milestones through a guerilla graphics campaign in the borough where it all began." more ›

The last time we looked at the South Bronx it was 1979 through 1987, and now photographer Ray Mortenson focuses in on 1982 through 1984 in his new exhibit titled "Broken Glass: Photographs of the South Bronx." Opening November 14th (and running through March 9th) at the Museum of the City of New York, Mortenson's exhibit of 50 black & white prints will take a look at "the abandoned, burnt out, and razed structures of entire city blocks in the South Bronx in the aftermath of the 1970s, during which this neighborhood experienced dramatic decline." (Did you know about 12,000 fires occurred annually in the neighborhood throughout the decade?) more ›

Author and photographer Lisa Kahane spent a good deal of the 1980s documenting the South Bronx, which at the time was plagued by arson, disease, poor economic planning and displacement. She captured "the human side of urban decay" as the neighborhood fell apart and tried to pick itself back up. She now shows it all, decades later, in her book Do Not Give Way To Evil: Photographs of the South Bronx, 1979-1987 -- here are some images from it. more ›

Everyone's least favorite Paul McCartney ex, Heather Mills, is trying to earn points by doing some good...and right here in New York, no less (where she resides part-time). NYMag reports that after cashing in on her divorce with the Beatle to the tune of $50 million, she is now donating $1 million in vegetarian food products to the children of Hunts Point (Mills is a honorary chairperson of the Hunts Point Alliance for Children). The South Bronx neighborhood, where more than half the population is below poverty level, will now be stocked up with soy products from the vegan--and she'll be on hand tomorrow, grilling up some of the goods, at a ceremony with Congressman José Serrano. more ›

Vendors at the Hunts Point wholesale produce market, located on 125 acres of city-owned land in the South Bronx, have said they will consider leaving the site for points “north or west” because the city is not cooperating with their expansion needs. According to the AP, the market supplies 3.3 billion pounds of fruits and vegetables a year, mostly to restaurants and small grocers. more ›

Cardinal Hayes High School, says the allegations are “absolutely, positively 100% false." Officials have confirmed that Keogan’s hard drive was storing pictures of nude men and that since there were no minors depicted, Keogan does not face any criminal charges, though of course his career is destroyed. more ›

Although Rev. Al Sharpton appeared with officer Christopher Ridley's family after the Mt. Vernon cop's death, advising people not to rush to judgment, questions about the shooting are turning in the direction of race and societal divisions. The Friday night shooting occurred when Ridley, off-duty police officer, tried to stop a fight and Westchester police shot at him. more ›

The city’s food charities are dealing with dire shortages this year, exacerbated by cutbacks in federal food aid. Many places like St. Benedict the Moor Neighborhood Center in the South Bronx are almost barren; according to today’s Times, the center’s pantry used to be stacked up to the ceiling with food but now holds just “a few sacks of potatoes, some cornflakes, juice and peanut butter.” To help fill the void, City Harvest, the non-profit... more ›

Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a double stabbing at 14-19 31 Drive in Queens, a double shooting at 138th St. and 59th Ave. in Queens, and a commercial robbery on East 12th St. between 3rd and 4th Aves. in Manhattan. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is committing millions of dollars to residents of the South Bronx, pleasing some, rankling others, and infuriating the Mayor of Caracas, which is Venezuela's desperately poor capital. Marilyn Kaytor, who... more ›

Plans for a water park on Randall's Island are on the verge of collapse as the developer granted a state concession to build the amusement complex missed its second deadline in seven months to secure financing. According to the Daily News, many East Harlem residents and park advocates were ecstatic at the project's possible failure. Tickets for the water park would have been priced at $37 a person and would result in a de facto reduction of public park space for those unable to afford admission. The neighborhoods closest to the proposed water park are the South Bronx and East Harlem. more ›

It was reported last week that the 71 year-old Hartsdale, Westchester Carvel -- the very first outpost of the ice cream shop -- will likely be demolished at the end of next summer to make room for businesses that presumably make more money. Yes, the 68% milkfat solid, sidereal softy known as Cookie Puss is crying tiny crunchy tears as we speak; Flying Saucers are slowing down for their final approach. While the building’s current location is the site of the original Carvel store, the fact that it has been renovated over the years to look more retro apparently complicates bids for historic preservation. Tom Carvel, the chain’s gravelly voiced founder who also used to narrate its television commercials (vintage WPIX, anyone?) once lived with his wife Agnes in quarters behind the shop. more ›

The summer of 1977 was host to a serial killer, a day-long blackout and a crime rate around 75% higher than today's. The NY Sun reports that "politicians, police officers, and reporters are gathering together to remember that time and celebrate." John Jay College of Criminal Justice's Eugene O'Donnell is the one holding the press conference today which will focus on the anniversary of the capture of David Berkowitz, aka the " Son of Sam." more ›

When Omar Freilla founded Green Worker Cooperatives, an incubator for eco-friendly worker coops, he set the initial goal of $700,000. “We weren’t even sure how we were going to raise that much,” he said in a recent telephone call. Almost four years later, the organization has raised well beyond their initial goal, thanks to RSF Social Finance and numerous local churches. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg returned from Sun Valley's media mogul conference to stump for his congestion pricing program at three churches yesterday. And today he's headed to Albany, as the congestion pricing program will be discussed by the Legislature. The Bloomberg administration has pointed out that the federal Department of Transportation is pretty willing to give $537 million in funding to NYC if the concept of congestion pricing is passed by Albany lawmakers, but the deadline for that money is today. more ›

In response to the annual Fancy Food Show taking place July 8-10 at the Jacob Javits Center, Marlow and Sons buyer and fromager Tom Mylan, along with artisanal cheese expert Sasha Davies, will be staging the first ever New York Unfancy Food Show, to be held at the East River Bar in south Williamsburg this Sunday afternoon from 1 to 7 PM. For a $5 suggested donation, attendees will be able to sample a score of products from mostly local producers. It should be a day of small batch, hand-made, farm-to-table, heirloom, and award winning food; all just steps away from the illustrious East River, and definitely free of the blitz that occurs when anywhere from 19,000 to 32,000 food industry folk descend on Jalepeno Popper Pavillion at the Javits Center every year for the golden-fried, cream cheese and bacon flavored kind. The smaller scale, Unfancy Food Show participants include Mateo from Jasper Hill Farm, Roger Rephol from Bronx Bee Honey (made in the South Bronx!), and Jon Orren from Wheelhouse Pickles. Representatives from Gorilla Coffee, Consider Bardwell Farm, and Taza Chocolate will also be on hand with samples of their products, and it is likely that some grass-fed beef will be grilled up by Josh and Jessica Applestone from Fleischer’s Meats. As if the mere prospect of attending the culinary underdog event of the summer season isn’t compelling enough on its own, some assorted trophies (size, shape, meaning and purpose as yet to be determined) will be given out to best-in-show participants; all purveyors currently signed on for the Unfancy Food Show seemingly qualify for the title. It is needless to say that eating local is a win-win situation, and this is a great, no nonsense opportunity to meet the people who actually produce local food. It's also taking place at a bar. Go and talk about sustainability, washed rind cheese, or just the weather. Mark your calendars now. more ›

Con Ed is laying the blame on Mame Mother Nature for the two power outages this past week. The utility issued a statement saying that the 48-minute blackout on Wednesday - the one that hit the Upper East Side and South Bronx - was caused by a "strong lightning strike." This is what the Con Ed statement said:

Information obtained from real-time lightning tracking data show that detection instruments measured a lightning strike of 34,000 amperes in the vicinity of a substation in Queens at 3:42 p.m. on Wednesday, precisely at the time of the power loss. The lightning strike momentarily affected communication equipment that prompted circuit breakers on multiple transmission feeders to open, causing the service interruption.

We're getting reports of a blackout on the Upper East Side, from the East 60s up to Harlem, on Third Avenue (mostly about transit blackouts) and York Avenue in the 80s. Subway service is affected - the 4/5/6 line is down. A reader whose friend was at Randalls Island says a Con Ed station exploded. more ›