Talk Bronx New York

A group of Bronx tenants were crowing Tuesday after scoring a court victory that rolls back recent rent hikes and could bolster rent regulation protections across the city.

Tenants at 1600 Sedgwick Ave. sued their landlord, Riverview Redevelopment, for hiking rents on 80 apartments after removing them from a federal rent regulation program, which the tenants’ lawyers argue was done illegally.

In late December, a Bronx state Supreme Court judge issued a preliminary injunction, ruling that the landlord must charge regulated rents.

“We are thrilled that this judge agrees that our landlord - whether they like it or not - must charge rent-stabilized rates,” said tenant leader Cora Bennett, who was targeted for eviction for refusing to pay the added rent.

The court cited a March appeals court ruling that Manhattan’s Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village landlord Tishman Speyer could not deregulate apartments while receiving J-51 tax abatements and exemptions from the city.

Riverview Redevelopment has collected over $150,000 in the same tax breaks since 2000, according to the Urban Justice Center, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of tenants.

“By extending the victory of the tenants in Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, the state Supreme Court’s preliminary injunction has put all predatory landlords on notice,” said UJC attorney Garrett Wright.

Riverview Redevelopment took the 80 apartments out of the federal Below Market Interest Rate program early last year and then hiked rents by hundreds of dollars. The landlord had already begun eviction proceedings against a half a dozen tenants for nonpayement of rent by the time UJC filed suit. Read more..

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Bronx Science had no reason to pitch to Riverdale/Kingsbridge junior shortstop Nelyssa Rosario. Not in the fourth inning. Not with two runners on. Not ahead by four runs.

“She’s just an unbelievable hitter,” Wolverines coach Tom Morris said.

So, Morris called for pitcher Kelly Chewens to intentionally walk Rosario. The sophomore hurler had the right idea on the first pitch, but the second one she threw directly over the plate and Rosario belted a three-run home run.

RKA got within one run on the homer, then took the lead in the fifth, but Bronx Science tied the game up in the sixth and went ahead in the seventh in what was a wild, 14-11 road win against Riverdale/Kingsbridge on Tuesday in PSAL Bronx A softball.

“It was a lot closer than it needed to be,” Morris said. Read more..

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Automotive improved to 5-0 in Brooklyn A West with an 89-44 demolition of Secondary School for Law, Journalism and Research on Monday. Jonathan Delacruz led the Pistons with 16 points and Eli Richardson and Clareld Stabler had 12 apiece.

Coach Will Stasiuk is enjoying the ride. Automotive was expected to return 13 players, but only seven have showed. A few have been injured and others quit. It has made them a small team: Richardson, a 6-foot-5 center, is their tallest player.

“I’m pleasantly surprised with how well we’re playing this year,” Stasiuk said. Read more..

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The New York City Department of Education must be doing some introspection after a recent analysis by the New York Times highlighted the racial imbalance that persists at the city’s elite public high schools. According to the newspaper, black and Hispanic students remain underrepresented at the city’s best high schools, including Stuyvesant High School and the Bronx High School of Science, two schools that U.S. News recognized as gold medal schools last year. (U.S. News will publish new high school rankings in December.)

The lack of racial diversity continues to be a problem for these schools, despite their efforts in recent years to increase the enrollment of underrepresented minority students. New York City public schools serve 1.1 million students; about 40 percent are Hispanic, 32 percent are black, 14 percent are Asian, and 14 percent are white. Yet, the Times reports, Asian students make up more than two thirds of Stuyvesant High School’s 3,247 student body, up from 48 percent in 1999. At the Bronx High School of Science, there are 2,809 students, but only 4 percent or 114 are black.

It is not clear what more education officials plan to do to address the enrollment disparities. In recent years, they have tried to do more outreach and expanded a program that helps students prepare for the test that determines admission to the top high schools. While students who attend the test-prep program are more likely to pass the test, the participation and performance of black and Hispanic students remain low. Read more..

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Victoria House is lone Bronx Science golfer to record win in PSAL semifinal loss to Tottenville on Thursday.

Bronx Science junior Victoria House finished the season undefeated, even though the Wolverines fell one match short of playing for the championship in today’s PSAL golf final.

House, the Wolverines’ No. 1 golfer, won her match last Thursday in the semifinals, edging Tottenville Alyssa Kuhn 2-0 at Dyker Beach GC in Brooklyn. It was the Wolverines’ only win in a 4-1 loss to the defending champs.

“I didn’t have big expectations or anything; it definitely is intimidating facing Tottenville,” said House, who brushed aside her nerves and improved her personal record to 10-0. “I’m really proud of our team, and I was really happy that we came this far.” Read more..

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