Mar
31
The former director of a Bronx nonprofit pleaded guilty Monday to looking the other way while former Bronx state Sen. Efrain Gonzalez looted cash meant for troubled kids.
Neil Berger, 57, faces up to a year behind bars as part of a plea deal reached with Manhattan federal prosecutors.
Berger could have faced up to 10 years after admitting he diverted federal funds sent to Pathways for Youth.
Berger, of Teaneck, N.J., will not be required to testify against Gonzalez when the disgraced Democratic pol and gal pal Lucia Sanchez go on trial May 4 on charges of using a Bronx community affairs association as their private piggy bank.
The suspected misdeeds earned Gonzalez a spot in the Daily News’ rogues’ gallery of Albany pols, which was published Sunday Read more..
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Mar
30
A three-alarm blaze engulfed most of a Bronx block early Sunday, destroying a row of businesses, officials and witnesses said.
The fire ignited just after 1 a.m. and spread quickly through several one-story buildings on White Plains Road between E. 235th and E. 236th Sts., officials said.
More than 140 firefighters were needed to battle the stubborn fire.
The buildings share a cockloft - space above the ceilings but below the roof - enabling the flames to jump from store to store, FDNY officials said.
By the time the fire was extinguished at 2:50 a.m., multiple stores, including a deli, a computer repair store and a Caribbean restaurant, were gutted.
“We’re tax accountants! We were ready for the tax season,” said a mournful Alfred Simms, manager of an accounting firm damaged in the blaze.
No one was injured in the blaze. The cause of the fire remained under investigation late yesterday, FDNY officials said.
Business owners said another fire ignited on the block last December and FDNY marshals had deemed it an act of arson. Read more..
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Mar
30
In celebration of the Mets’ and Yankees’ new stadiums, NY1 presents a five-part series looking at each ballpark’s construction, its amenities, and its impact. NY1’s Dean Meminger filed the following report on how Bronx residents are responding to the new addition to the neighborhood.
The new Yankee Stadium stands out on 161 Street like a shiny championship ring. And plenty of people who live and work in the area cannot stop looking at it.
“I like it a lot,” said one local resident. “It is a brand-new structure.”
“I’m excited for the season to start and for the buzz that the stadium is going to create for the area,” said another.
“Well, it is a lot better than the old stadium,” said a third. “As you can see, everything is up to date now.”
So far, the stadium has cost the Yankees $1.5 billion. The city has loaned the team the majority of the stadium’s financing in tax-exempt bonds. Read more..
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Mar
30
Don’t pop the cork on the champagne just yet for that long-stalled 911 emergency call center in the Bronx.
First, the good news: The City Council is expected to give its final approval this week to zoning-related actions required for the $750 million project on a tract of land in Morris Park.
And now the bad news: The city still hasn’t reached a deal with the private owners of the 8.75-acre site, just north of the Hutchinson Metro Center.
Councilman James Vacca (D-East Bronx) helped pave the way for the expected zoning approvals by negotiating a community benefits agreement with the city.
For one, the height of the center will be capped at 254 feet, down 10 stories from the original 351 feet. And city officials agreed to a $1.1 million study of whether separate entrance and exit ramps should be be built to the site from the Hutchinson River Parkway. Read more..
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