Monday, January 11, 2010

Round'em Up

Here are some Bronx-related stories which we've rounded up you, our lovely readers, while trolling the interweb with our horse and lasso this fine morning:

There will be a free spay/neuter clinic at the Phipps Classic Center in the South Bronx this Sunday [Daily News]

A reporter uses HopStop to chart how dramatically some commutes will change with the MTA's proposed cuts...the absence of the X32 bus would mean that a journey from DeKalb Avenue in the Bronx to 26th Avenue in Queens would increase by a full hour [New York Times]

In case you haven't heard, the woman who ex-NYPD chief Howard Safir backed his SUV into on Friday is from the Bronx. Did we mention that she's pregnant? Oh, and that Mr. Safir basically fled the scene? Classy move, Howie! [New York Times]

The navy recruiters who are set up on Fordham Road give back to the community in many ways that you probably didn't realize [Yournabe.com]

Some updates on the Bronx music scene, including upcoming live performances at City Island's Starving Artist Cafe [Yournabe.com]

Bronx activist Victor Toro may find out today whether he will be deported or be granted political asylum [NY1]

SoBro was recently awarded an $18,000 grant from ConEdision in support of their Green Vocational Training component within the Disconnected Youth Training Program [Yournabe.com]

Bronx Community College will be reclaiming space that they've leased to University Heights Secondary School for almost 25 years [Mount Hope Monitor via BxNN]

There are also two relevant articles posted on the Crain's website, but they're subscription only. To access them, Google 'after two fires, bronx struggles to rebound' and 'armory battle is just first round.'

~ErLu

1 comment:

Guywithacause said...

I have a subscription to Crain's, so here are the most important points from the Armory article (and none of it is good):

-The Bronx's rebound has stalled and once again the most economically troubled area of NYC.

-The Bronx has highest unemployment rate of anywhere in NYS @ 13.3%.

-Experts trace the jobless problem to 2 underlying stats: The Bronx has the least educated population and highest rates of incarceration in the city.

-The Bronx's relatively low rents and abundance of subsidized housing have exacerbated the gap with the rest of the city. The Bronx is a place for folks who can no longer afford to live in Upper Manhattan or Harlem. This can be seen in median income, which has DROPPED 5% between 2000-2008.

-With the destruction of the Armory deal, led by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, the city's business community state it has crippled future development.

-"What you have done is make it much more difficult to do business in the Bronx. Developer will simply go elsewhere where they are welcome."

-Some key stats: 35% of Bronx work force employed in health care and social assistance. 68% of residents over 25 with high school diploma vs 84% for entire state. 5%decline in median household income from 2000-2008.