By David Cruz

Bronx Times

It’s the end of an era for Ruggiero & Sons Funeral Home.

After 85 years in the Morris Park community, the family-run business has been sold to a former employee.

New owner Joseph Lucchese will rename it the Joseph A. Lucchese Funeral Home.

For funeral director and businessman Bobby Ruggiero, retiring from his Morris Park business was bittersweet.

“Life’s been like a hurricane,” said Ruggiero, in the business since 1965.

He thought he could keep the name alive by passing the torch to his 17-year old son Nicky.

“I asked Nick, ‘Do you want to go to med school and start training how to be a funeral director?” said Ruggiero. “He says, ‘Dad I want to be a US Marshal’.”

His other son Christopher also wasn’t interested.

“With my son going off to college, what’s left?” said Ruggiero.

Another sign was a series of deaths that came “one right after the other.”

The first happened on Thanksgiving morning of 2008 to his father Vincent, the home’s funeral director for 55 years.

“Dad fell down the stairs, broke his neck,” recalled Ruggiero.

Soon his brother died in 2010, and then his mother last year.

Then health issues afflicted his wife and business partner, Tina.

But his “coup de grace” was exhaustion. He knew it was time to throw in the towel after a middle-of-the- night call for a pick up at a nursing home.

“I’m standing in the rain waiting for the guard to unlock the door, and at 60 I’m saying, ‘What the hell am I doing this for?’” said Ruggiero.

He decided to end a 135-year-old family business opened in Brooklyn by Ruggiero’s great-great grandfather Francesco.

He interviewed several prospective buyers until he met with Joseph Lucchese, a former employee who made his living as a funeral director in Westchester.

On top of an offer, Lucchese gave Ruggiero a 5-year business plan, as requested. Ruggiero was impressed.

“Joey’s very proficient with himself,” said Ruggiero.

“I had my mind made up in 30 seconds,” said Lucchese, a Morris Park resident.

Ruggiero is now spending time organizing a Morris Park Business Improvement District, in the works for the several years.

He’s now head of the Morris Park Business Alliance, but feels it’s a good time to ramp up the BID.

“My stepping back from the funeral home is going to free me up from doing more for the BID,” said Ruggiero.

Reach reporter David Cruz at 718-742-3383 or email dcruz@cnglocal.com.

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By Bob Kappstatter

Bronx Times

Riverdale Assemblyman Jeff Dinowitz’s been grinning like the Cheshire Cat, keeping folks wondering if he might be want to trade Albany for term-limited City Council Ollie Koppell’s seat.

Now there’s a new rumor the consumer affairs chair’s been approached to run for Public Advocate.

No comment from Jeff, who DID list who looks good for Ollie’s seat BESIDES himself (Wink, wink, nod, nod).

That includes chief of staff and 81st A.D. female district leader Randi Martos; Dan Padernacht, potential spoiler in the Pedro Espada/Gustavo Rivera knockdown senate race, and Community Board 8 member Andrew Cohen.

Ben Bash

Speaking of Riverdale, lots of political buzz at the Ben Franklin Reform Dem club bash at the Riverdale Temple May 2.

Rep. Charlie Rangel there, using a walker after back problems. With new district lines moved into heavy Hispanic territory, he’ll face Upper Manhattan/Riverdale state Sen. Adriano Espaillat.

Beep Vs. Beep

Former Bronx BP Freddy Ferrer endorsed Espaillat at City Hall Monday, as BP Ruben Diaz Jr. said he’ll endorse Charlie - the smart thing to do unless Ruben’s plans for higher office include running against an incumbent Latino congressman....

Heastie’s Star

Bronx Dem Party Chief Carl Heastie named a rising star in Sunday NYTIMES piece on city’s powerful and soon-to-be-powerfuls. New NYT Bronx bureau chief Winnie Hu calls Carl “a consensus builder” who’s united “the famously fractious Bronx, where rival political families have taken grudge-holding to new levels.”

We’ll second that!

Maison Halal

Bronx Supreme Court Justice Doug McKeon has ruled that sex assault lawsuit by hotel maid and Bronxite Nafissatou Diallo against almost-French-president Dominique Strauss-Khan will be tried in the Bronx.

For lunchbreak dining, Dom should try the no-Michelin-star halal food wagon near the courthouse on 161st Street. We’d recommend a Cabernet Sauvignon to wash it down.

Cop Corner

Already undermanned Bronx detective squads being squeezed to give up seven detectives to Bronx District Attorney Rob Johnson’s official NYPD squad...It’s 25-and-out for Detective Billy Coakley at the 4-4 Squad in Highbridge...

Spinning Our Wheels.

Maybe it’s time someone SPOKE (ouch!) up over last Sunday’s Five Boro Bike Tour. It runs all over the other boros, but when it comes to Da Bronx, it’s gone in a flash, rolling in over the Third Ave. Bridge and zipping lickety split out over the Madison Ave. Bridge. Thankfully, there’s the annual Tour de Bronx in October which shows off the borough.

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By David Cruz

Bronx Times

Drivers trying to find parking along the White Plains Road shopping strip are crying “No Fare!”

They charge taxis illegally hanging out near the No. 2 and 5 IRT Pelham Parkway subway station are illegally hogging all the spaces.

“They’re there all day long taking up parking spaces,” complained Hazel Miura, who sits on the 49th Precinct Community Council. “The other day when I went to Petland, there were four taxis parked at the meters and three double-parked.”

Residents can see Lincoln TownCars or Crown Victoria models hanging by the elevated subway station, waiting for homebound commuters.

They also honk at shoppers coming and going to the many stores like jewelry boutiques, restaurants and salons.

There was a legal taxi stand there several years ago, according to the city Department of Transportation. Parking signs posted along White Plains Road limit parking to one hour.

“When one taxi leaves, another slips into the spot,” said Miura, upset over the practice since privately-owned vehicles are left with little to no parking options. “I see the same car circling around the block trying to find parking and these guys are taking up three or four spots.”

Discount Taxi driver Ali Ramzan, who said he has been driving around the Bronx for 30 years, said he never had a problem idling along the Pelham Parkway station.

“A sergeant and captain from the 49th Precinct said it’s okay if three cabs park here,” said Ramzan.

Joe Thompson, interim president of the White Plains Business Improvement District, said store owners have been dealing with this issue ever since they first organized the BID in 1994.

“The merchants are not pleased with it,” said Thompson. “DOT has not come down hard on these drivers.”

The nonprofit BID covers a four-block area in the Morris Park/Pelham Parkway section, with 100 stores as members.

At a May 1 meeting of the 49th Precinct Community Council, Deputy Inspector Kevin Nicholson said he has launched crackdowns from time to time, only for the problem to return.

“It’s one of the things we address. We stop. It gets worse. We address again,” he said.

He told Miura he will again place the issue “on the agenda.”

Thompson said he is talking to merchants to see what might be done to fix the problem, but he wasn’t hopeful, saying “This problem is almost an unfixable thing.”

Reach reporter David Cruz at 718-742-3383 or email dcruz@cnglocal.com.

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By Patrick Rocchio

Bronx Times

With 150,000 people on a waiting list for public housing in New York City, you have to start somewhere.

That includes new affordable housing to rise in Morrisania that promises hope for 49 families.

Officials broke ground at 1070 Washington Avenue on Friday, May 4 for a new 7-story, $21.7 million building holding a mix of 21 public housing and 28 affordable housing units.

Ten of the affordable units will be for veterans and formerly homeless individuals and families, who will receive supportive services on site. It will include 16 studios, 11 one-bedroom units, 20 two-bedroom units, and one three-bedroom apartment.

The building’s affordable housing units will be set aside for individuals or families making below 60% of the Area Median Income, which is $49,080 for a family of four.

Tenants for the affordable housing units will be chosen by lottery, and those interested in these and other affordable housing units should visit the ‘apartment seekers’ section of the HPD website, www.nyc.gov/hpd.

The building will rise on a stretch of Washington Avenue rezoned in 2003 from light industrial and manufacturing to mixed-use, allowing for the residential boom in the area, said Community Board 3 district manager John Dudley.

The site’s was previously a parking lot for commercial vehicles, and there are still several commercial establishments along the street there.

Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.’s office will provide $575,000 for green features for the building, said Samantha Magistro of builder Bronx Pro Group.

The South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation, CB 3 and the borough president’s office pushed for the rezoning which allowed for residential development that has “brought life back to Washington Avenue,” Dudley said.

“This serves as a catalyst to promote mixed uses along Washington Avenue,” Dudley said.

The project marks the first time NYCHA has used “replacement housing factor,” said NYCHA chairman John Rhea. Construction of the 21 NYCHA units will use federal funding to finance the replacement of units being retired elsewhere, Rhea said.

Leasing is scheduled to begin in March 2013, with construction scheduled for completion in late 2013.

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By Patrick Rocchio

Bronx Times

Call it the muni-meter mess.

With discarded parking receipts from the machines creating a new littering problem for local merchants, the Throggs Neck Merchants Association and Community Board 10 are teaming up to help give merchants a break from getting slapped with littering fines for messes not of their own making.

Muni-meters are expected to be installed in all commercial corridors in the borough by Memorial Day.

Outside the CB 10 office at 3165 E. Tremont Avenue, the litter is clearly visible on a daily basis, said district manager Kenneth Kearns.

The board has teamed up with the local Throggs Neck Merchants Association to create a flyer to be displayed in member stores, urging shoppers on the E. Tremont Avenue strip to properly dispose of their expired metered chits.

“Muni-meter tickets can be found all over the street,” Kearns said.

“It is a problem, and all people have to do is throw their muni-meter receipts into a waste basket,” said TNMA president Steve Kaufman, “We hope that they will pass a law where people can use the remaining time on their tickets and get full value for the time they pay for.”

This may make them less prone to throw the parking receipts on the ground, Kaufman said.

Councilman Jimmy Vacca is currently sponsoring legislation that he said is being fast-tracked through the city council to allow motorists who purchase their tickets at one pay station to reuse them in a different area until their time expires.

“Muni-meters are now coming to Pelham Bay, one of the last communities in the borough that will receive them,” Vacca said. “But in other communities we are already seeing a new problem with litter with muni-meter receipts in the street.

“People have to realize that merchants can be ticketed for those receipts if they are dropped into the street.”

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By David Cruz

Bronx Times

A pair of sharp-eyed cops who helped take down a rapist got the thanks of the community and their boss with the 49th Precinct Cop of the Month award.

Partners Sgt. Tracey Donato and Officer Robert Santarello arrested a “predator” who confessed to raping a woman in March.

Deputy Inspector Kevin Nicholson presented the crimefighting duo with the award at the 49 Precinct Community Council meeting Tuesday, May 1.

Nicholson said a young woman was walking to her Britton Street home early March 4 when she was followed and attacked.

“She actually held the door open for him,” said Nicholson. “He followed her into the building, then forcibly raped her.”

Precinct cops and the Special Victims Unit launched a full-scale manhunt for the “stranger rapist”, as he was called. A photo from a video that caught him walking past a nearby bodega was distributed all over the neighborhood.

Fast forward to April 16. Sergeant Donato and Officer Santarello were on their regular nightshift patrol when they received a radio report of a sexual assault on Allerton Avenue and Bronx Park East.

“The officers start the canvas looking for the description of the perpetrator,” said Nicholson. “They happen to stop this gentleman.

“The two officers just start to look at him and say, ‘I think that’s the guy that everybody’s been looking for,’” said Nicholson.

Their instincts later proved true. The suspect was taken into custody and later identified in a lineup by his first victim..

The suspect later confessed to the sexual assault, the inspector said.

Reach reporter David Cruz at 718-742-3383 or email dcruz@cnglocal.com.

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By Patrick Rocchio

Bronx Times

Don’t call it Bronx Week anymore.

This year’s celebration of the borough has grown to ten whole days.

And it promises to be the largest and most exciting celebration in the event’s 40-plus year history.

The celebration has been held annually since 1971, when it was called Bronx Day, said Bronx Historian Lloyd Ultan.

This year’s celebration officlaly starts today.

Borough President Diaz said at a kickoff presser on Monday that 120 different and mostly free events will be taking place through to the “grand finale” on Sunday, May 20 at the Bronx Walk of Fame and a parade and festival along Mosholu Parkway.

Joining him was Walk of Fame inductee Valerie Capers, an award-winning jazz musician.

The kickoff featured beer from Bronx Brewery, which recently set up shop in Port Morris, as well as food from Mike’s Deli of Arthur Avenue and Delicioso Coco Helado.

“This is a perfect time for people to discover and revisit the Bronx,” Diaz said.

“We invite Bronxites, New Yorkers, and visitors from all over the world to join us in the Bronx for our annual celebration of what makes the Bronx a great place to live,” Diaz said.

“Bronx Week gets bigger and better every year and has something exciting for everyone,” he added.”I look forward to seeing you all here!”

Also joining Capers as new members on the Walk of Fame on May 20 will be Hip-Hop legend Fat Joe, Hollywood cinematographer Sol Negrin, and supermodel and actor Tyson Beckford.

The event is organized by the borough presidents’s office and the Bronx Overall Economic Development Corp. and its Bronx Tourism Council.

Some of the highlights of this year’s Bronx Week will include the 14th annual Bankers Breakfast featuring keynote speaker Mayor Bloomberg at Villa Barone Manor; the first annual Bronx Solar Economic Development Conference at St. Paul’s Church, and the Fair @ The Square, both in Westchester Square on Saturday, May 12, and the 2nd annual Bronx Film Festival at the Bruckner Bar and Grill at 1 Bruckner Boulevard on Saturday May 12 and Sunday, May 13.

The highlight will be the black-tie Bronx Ball at Orchard Beach on Saturday, May 19; the Bronx Walk of Fame induction ceremony on the steps of the Bronx County Building at 851 Grand Concourse at 11 a.m. on Sunday, May 20; and the 41st annual Bronx Week Parade and festival on Mosholu Parkway on Sunday, May 20 from noon to 5 p.m. The parade will include a concert featuring Hip Hop legend Doug E. Fresh and Salsa stars Los Hermanos Morenos.

“We look forward to a terrific Bronx Week 2012,” said Dr. Steven Safyer, CEO and president of Montefiore Medical Center, the main sponsor this year.

For a complete listing of Bronx Week 2012 events, times and sponsors, visit www.ilovethebronx.com.

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by Bob Kappstatter

Bronx Times

When it comes to gerrymandering - OOPS! We MEAN redistricting -it is good to be the Rivera Bronx political clan - Jose, Joel and Naomi

Assemblywoman Naomi, known to readers of this column as Snooki (Hey, some electeds just wanna have fun) will see the large Morris Park chunk of her 80th Assembly District where she’s actually been known to stay 15 whole minutes at community meetings with the Unwashed, score a hat trick.

She’ll trade a number of white voters for Latinos, pick up a bunch of nursing homes as a trade-off for losing some hospitals (think campaign contributions) and see at least four past and future potential challengers - Irene Rukaj, Joe Thompson, Anthony Friedman and Rob Giuffre - as well as local civic leaders zoned out of her district,

Snooki has Bronx Dem Party Boss Carl Heastie’s backing, (we can’t wait to hear him praise her accomplishments), but she’ll still have to get off her culo to fight well-heeled Realtor Mark Gjonaj (jo-nigh). He’s counting on a heavy vote by the large Albanian-American community.

Meanwhile, assemblyman dad Jose made sure to keep his Fordham/Bedford Park 78th A.D. seat warm for term-limited Council majority leader hijo Joel.

Seems the legislature figured Papi Jose’s district would be better balanced if it stretched one block to take in Joel’s Pelham Parkway apartment building. It also drew a line around the apartment building of a potential Jose/Joel-in-the-future challenger, Bronx Democratic Party executive director Ischia Bravo, booting her over to Assemblyman Nelson Castro’s 86th A.D. in Morris Heights to the west.

Papi Jose is 75 and the guessing game is not IF, but how soon after getting reelected he’ll step down, with the committee on vacancy naming hijo Joel to fill out his term.

Surrogate Robes

Other than upcoming assembly contests, the hottest election in the Bronx this year is for Bronx Surrogate, whose office parcels out lucrative assignments to lawyers (Dem Party friendly, of course) to handle estates of persons who die without wills.

Bronx Surrogate Lee Holtzman, being probed by the state Office of Judicial Conduct for allegedly allowing very fat fees to lawyers, isn’t expected to run again. His former legal counsel, Mike Lippman, is under indictment by Bronx D.A. Rob Johnson.

We hear on good authority that Bronx Dem Party Boss Carl Heastie has already measured Darcel Clark for the new judical robes, with party backing.

An African-American Bronx state Supreme Court judge sitting in the criminal term, she and Bronx Civil Court Judge Nelida Malave recently received qualified ratings from the party’s independent judicial screening panel. But don’t expect a brawl from the party’s Latino faction, like the one that sparked the Rainbow Rebellion and toppled Jose Rivera as party boss over his backing a Latina judicial candidate. “It’s not their turn,” said one party insider.

A Left Hook-Ah

Funny case bubbled up in Bronx Criminal Court recently - assault with a hookah smoking pipe. Vic was in stitches - 27 of ‘em.

Fat Joe Ho’-Oh!

BP Ruben Diaz Jr. taking a beatdown from former Riverdale Press co-publisher Buddy Stein for choosing rapper Fat Joe for Bronx Week’s Walk of Fame.

Now a Hunter College journalism prof, Buddy b-slapped Hip-Hop fan Ruben in an editorial in the student-produced Hunts Point Express over Fat Joe’s lyrics demeaning women, which we, in our usual good taste, dasn’t repeat here.

Grand Master Ruben’s Spokes-b-boy John Desio argued Joe’s contributions outweigh his lyrics. Yo yo!

Pork Diem

Morrisania Assemblyman Eric Stevenson, who says he’s from the poorest district in the state, recently spanked in ink for pigging out on the taxpayers’ dime to the tune of $31,351 in food and lodging per diem in Albany.

Which brings to mind the time back at the Daily News in the 70s when a reporter covering the space program put in a rather ‘cherce’ expense account for a fancy dinner with one of the astronauts. Only problem was, the astronaut happened to be in space at the time....

Cop Corner

Deputy Chief Terry Monahan, exec officer over at Patrol Boro Bronx for a record nine years, trading places with Queens Patrol Boro North counterpart, Dep Chief Pat Conry. Terry’s big love in his early days was working narcotics - and being first one through the door. The best, pal.

Recent shakeups, with Morris Heights’ 4-6 Precinct Dep. Inspector Tim Bugge (Boo-shay) swung to Narcotics in The Kremlin (1 Police Plaza), replaced by D.I. John Hart...Longtime 4-6 detective squad Lt. John Gogarty now running the 5-0 squad for the Riverdale P.D., replaced by old Bronx hand Lt. Mike Ruzzi.

And big thanks to the 11,000-member metro area Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 100 for the Man of the Year award. Like I said, the toughest relationship in the world - OTHER than with my ex-wives - is between cops and reporters.

Birthdays

Bronx Beep Ruben Diaz Jr., April 26, and former BP Freddy Ferrer, April 30 (Both Taurus - “Determined Energy”).

And with that shaved head, we can’t tell if Ruben’s going gray, bald or both.

Proud Dad

Morris Park/Allerton real estate broker “Sonny” Vuksan Vataj on diaper doody with new son.

Contact Kappy at bkappstatter@cnglocal.com.

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By Patrick Rocchio

Bronx Times

Dog walkers who don’t pick up the poop - beware.

Sanitation agents are planning an undercover stink operation at a local Throggs Neck park.

In the early morning and evening hours, many dog owners who walk their dogs in Bicentennial Veterans Memorial Park are not cleaning up after their four-legged friends, said Pat Devine, chairman of the Bicentennial Veterans Memorial Park, Inc., which lobbied for the creation of the park, alongside the Throgs Neck Expressway near Meeker Avenue, in the 1970s.

The group has teamed up with Community Board 10 to have the Parks and Sanitation departments have enforcement agents issue summonses there, said Board 10 district manager Kenneth Kearns.

“A lot of people do take care of their responsibilities, but a good core of people do not,” Devine said. “We are asking help from the Parks committee of CB 10, which is going to write a letter to Bronx Parks Commissioner Hector Aponte and ask that when these dog owners are fined, they receive the maximum fine allowed.”

The sanitation department has responded that they will send enforcement agents into the park between the hours of 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. to issue summonses to dog owners caught in the act.

“We want this article to be a heads up to people who are walking their dogs and not cleaning up after them,” Devine said.

Since the park’s million-plus dollar renovations, red signs urging dog owners to clean up after their pooches have been posted along all paths leading into the park.

“After the Parks Department was contacted and shown pictures, they quickly responded by putting up red curb your dog signs,” said CB 10 chairman John Marano.

“Everyone should remember that the park is a memorial to veterans in the borough, and needs to be respected, he said. “Treat the park as if it is your own.”

Once word gets out - and summonses are issued - the issue should resolve itself, Marano said.

A summons for not picking up after your dog can take a stiff bite out of your wallet - up to $250.

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By David Cruz & Kirsten Sanchez

Bronx Times

Borough medical clinics are stepping in to fill the gap left by Gov. Cuomo cutting off funding to embattled Pedro Espada’s Soundview Health Care Network.

The funding cutoff has left close to 20,000 patients flooding into local hospitals or seeking healthcare treatment elsewhere.

As Espada and his son Pedro Jr., accused of looting the clinic of government funds, were awaiting a jury verdict at their trial in Brooklyn Federal Court, other lawyers are battling it out in court over the state’s funding cutoff.

“They told my childen’s mother that they will not be able to accept her insurance,” said Hunts Point resident Steven Johnson as he stood outside Espada’s clinic on White Plains Road. “She has to go to another clinic, so you have to do what you have to do.”

Roman Gonzalez, 65, said even if he’s exonerated he would not believe Espada’s innocence.

“Espada’s a criminal,” said Gonzalez. “He stole that money that belonged to the people.”

Meanwhile, Urban Health Plan Community Health Center, Morris Heights Community Health Center, Medaliana Health Center and Acacai Health Network are among those other health care services that have stepped in to fill the health care gap.

Soundview was forced to stop treating patients last week after it began running short on medical supplies.

On Tuesday, clinic spokeswoman Rachel Fasciani told The Bronx Times the clinic was fully staffed and currently open, but experiencing severe cash flow issues.

It was offering only podiatry and gastro-intestinal medical services, she said, and taking dental and psychiatric patients “on an emergency basis.”

Other patients were being referred to local hospitals, she said.

Meanwhile, she said it’s lawyers are asking for state funds for services already rendered, and to be used to directly pay for supplies and employee salaries.

Bronx Supreme Court Justice Mark Friedlander had ordered the state Department of Health to release the funds, but the state is now appealing his ruling.

“For the state to not give funding back to the clinic is a crime,” Fasciani charged.

A spokesman for the state health department said “DOH complied with all applicable rules and regulations and honored all court orders that were issued.”

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By David Cruz

Bronx Times

Pupils at this Morris Park elementary school now have a first-hand lesson in civic duty.

The children at P.S. 108 spent the school’s first-ever Community Day engaged in caring for the elderly, the disenfranchised and the patriotic.

“They become better citizens in the end,” said new assistant principal Caren Shapiro, who introduced the Community Day in February.

She asked the student council to find ways to help their Bronx neighbors.

The council set up eight stations in the school playground on Monday, May 7.

Kids then taught kids to make birthday cards for the elderly at a nearby nursing home, write letters to U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan and create placemats for the soup kitchen at nearby St. Lucy’s Catholic Church.

Students also painted a mural on a wall of the school, at 1166 Neill Avenue.

The goal, said Shapiro, was building self-esteem -. “They become better citizens.”

She learned about the power of Community Day after working with the nonprofit Children for Children, which trains kids to become leaders, helping them learn about volunteerism at a young age.

“Their early involvement is like a basement to the top of the world.”

Among the students involved in Community Day was third-grader Uroj Bajwa, who prepared “Bracelets of Hope” for children hospitalized at Montefiore Medical Center.

“We’re going to send it to them to give them hope and courage,” said the sprightly child.

“We worked on them for many weeks,” added Isabella McClary. “We want the kids to be happy when they get them.”

At the start of the semester, the nonprofit Penny Harvest asked the school to collect pennies.

A portion - $750 - was given back to the school to pay for the supplies needed to make the items for Community Day.

Local businesses, including the Van Nest Tru Value Hardware store, Anthony’s Flower Shop and Bagel Den on Williamsbridge, also helped support the effort.

Reach reporter David Cruz at 718-742-3383 or email dcruz@cnglocal.com.

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Press Release

Bronx Times

The Pelham Bay Red Hat Divas are off to the races.

They’ll be heading to the new Aqueduct Casino in Queens, with a bus leaving at 9 a.m. Tuesday, May 22 from Ampere Avenue and Kennelworth Place, and around 9:05 a.m. from Buhre and Hobart avenues. Tickets are $25, with $10 in slot play and 25% off food during a six-hour stay. All are invited, but no payments will be accepted the day of the trip. For information, call Fran Arico at (718) 828-5073.

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By Kirsten Sanchez

Bronx Times

The “minority” has now become the majority.

With about 88,000 Mexicans in the Bronx, they now have a place to call their own.

The CUNY Mexican Studies Institute , the first center of its kind east of the Mississippi, was launched at Lehman College on Friday, May 11 with a public conference focusing on health advantages and disadvantages experienced by the growing Mexican population.

The launch of the program comes at a significant time as the number of Mexicans living in the city has jumped from 58,000 in 1990 to more than 340,000 in 2010, according to the 2012 census.

In a census brief done by the New York City Department of City Planning, a neighborhood tabulation done of the E. Tremont area showed the Puerto Rican population declined by 11 percent, and Mexican population increased by 171 percent.

The launch also comes at a time when the federal immigration and Customs Enforcement agency acting through the FBI will begin using fingerprints from NYPD arrests to round up illegal immigrants.

Despite objections from Governor Andrew Cuomo and other city officials, the NYPD was informed, along with local police departments in New York, that the Secure Communities program will be activated this week across the state.

There are currently about 167 Mexican-American students registered at Lehman college, but Alyshia Galvez, of Lehman’s Department of Latin American and Puerto Rican studies thinks there are probably more who have not self identified.

The center’s goal will be to provide a place for demographic and academic research, as well as cultural events and forums.

“Mexican immigrants arrive in the United States, on average, in better health than most Americans, and continue to enjoy better outcomes despite their difficulties in accessing health care,” said Galvez.

“But their children do not fare as well.”

Galvez said that first generation Mexicans begin to experience the same conditions that afflict the U.S. as a whole including obesity, heart disease and diabetes.

The conference, entitled “¡Salud! Beyond Deficits and Paradoxes in Mexican Immigration and Health,” brought in experts on Mexican immigration and health.

Speakers included Dr. David Hayes-Bautista, director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at the UCLA School of medicine, as well as experts from the University of Minnesota, the University of California at Berkeley, Rutgers University, SUNY Albany, and the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee.

“The number of Mexicans and Mexican Americans in New York City, as of 2010, was close to 350,000 and growing,” said Lehman President Ricardo Fernåndez.

“Lehman College is proud to provide a home for this important CUNY initiative, which will focus on both academics and service, providing a hub for research and advocacy projects throughout the University and the region.”

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By David Cruz

Bronx Times

By David Cruz

This is one feel good Bronx Tale.

Police officer Marlene Croom burst into tears after receiving a grant for her special needs child, especially after it was personally handed to her by “A Bronx Tale” author and star Chazz Palminteri.

He and Philip Foglia, the state deputy inspector general, stopped by the 49th Precinct on April 25 to present the Detective Philip Foglia Memorial Fund grant to Croom, the mother of 23-year old Christina Walker, who is mentally handicapped.

The grant is named after Foglia’s father, NYPD Detective Philip Foglia Sr.

Croom was starstruck.

“I wasn’t expecting Chazz,” said Croom, who has two other kids.

Seeing the $3,500 check, Croom couldn’t hold back tears of joy.

“People tend to forget about handicapped children,” she said. “They’re just unique in a different way.”

Despite her demanding job and caring for Christina, Croom said she’s able to juggle both well. “I’m a good manager,” she said Croom with a smile.

The memorial fund is linked with Foglia and Palminteri’s nonprofit, The Child Reach Foundation, which donates money for pediatric diseases. The two have recently expanded its humanitarian mission by giving a total of $25,000 in direct grants to law enforcement families of children with special needs.

The grant has a personal meaning for Palminteri and Foglia, whose respective dads worked in civil service jobs.

The 49th Precinct was chosen since the elder Foglia lived in the community until he died.

Foglia Jr., a former assistant Bronx district attorney and federal prosecutor reached out to the 49th Precinct to see if anyone matched the organization’s requirements.

Palminteri, known for playing tough guy roles, is a real-life supporter of police officers.

“They’re underappreciated,” said Palminteri who finds giving the grants personally “a good feeling,” a reason he stopped by the station.

As a direct grant, the money can be used for anything, said Foglia.

It’ll come in handy just in time for Croom, who just bought a home, complete with a backyard.

Croom had Christina in mind when she first thought of buying the home, since she can’t go out by herself.

“That was the purpose of me buying the home - she wanted her own space,” said Croom.

Reach reporter David Cruz at 718-742-3383 or email dcruz@cnglocal.com.

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By Kirsten Sanchez

Bronx Times

Burglars walked in the front door of a Pelham Bay public school recently, making off with four computers from classrooms, police said.

They walked into P.S. 71 at 3040 Roberts Avenue sometime after school closed on Friday, April 28, with the break-in discovered the next day.

“It appears that someone entered the school through the front door and the alarm was deactivated at that time,” said Capt. Russell Green of the 45th Precinct. “They then removed computers from four classrooms.”

He said no force was used during the burglary and “it appears that keys were used to open the classroom doors.”

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By Kirsten Sanchez

Bronx Times

“This too shall pass,” read one of thousands of t-shirts hung at the annual Crime Victims Week Clothesline Project.

The clothesline, hung in the Bronx County Building Rotunda April 25 and 26, displayed t-shirts decorated by children and adults who have suffered domestic abuse, rape or gun violence and other types of abuse. Beth-Ann Holzhay, director of the Crime Victims Assistance Unit in the Bronx District Attorney’s office, said the clothesline was adopted by the borough in 1993 and can have many different meanings.

“The clothesline was used because that was a place where women used to communicate with each other, while they were hanging their laundry on the clothesline,” she said.

Another interpretation, she said “is that we are airing out America’s dirty laundry behind abuse.”

Although the clothesline was originally started for violence against women, Holzhay said it was expanded to include men.

“We expanded it because in Bronx County, we see it happens to men just as much as women,” she said. “Abuse happens to everyone.”

Each t-shirt represents a survivor or a family member of someone who was killed, while the different colors signify which type of abuse they suffered.

“For me personally, it is important to see people put these messages out there rather than keep it stuck inside,” Holzhay said. “It is a way for them to express their pain.”

The project now has over 2,000 shirts, she said.

The clothesline can also be used for education.

“This year we contacted four local schools and brought them in and used the clothesline to organize some educational events,” she said. “They were able to walk around and view the clothesline and watch skits about cyber bullying and sexting, and then had discussions on these two issues.”

Other activities throughout the week included speeches by victims and seminars on elder abuse.

“The clothes line,” she said, “is a way of showing survivors they are not alone.”

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By Kirsten Sanchez

Bronx Times

“If there’s a book you really want to read but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it,” said Toni Morrison, the first black woman to receive a Nobel Prize in Literature.

Shelley Polanco agrees.

A fourth grader at the Museum School on Reverand James A. Polite Avenue in Longwood, she is one of this year’s citywide winners of the Ezra Jack Keats Bookmaking Competition for grades 3 to 12.

Ezra Jack Keats, an author of children’s literature who used multiculturism and urban settings in his writing, started the foundation to help humanity.

As the main character in her own book, Polanco helps steer a young Martin Luther King Jr. to his destiny.

Polanco said her story takes place when she is researching King for a school project.

“The research is so boring that I fall asleep, and in my dream I am on a bus continuing my research when I hear the bus driver say something about 1958 and I realize I am the only minority in the front of the bus,” Polanco said. “After the bus driver tells me to go to the back of the bus and I refuse, I am thrown off the bus where I meet Martin Luther King.”

She convinces him to continue his path by explaining to him all of the doors he has opened for minorities in this country.

Polanco said she was inspired to write her book by Keats’ ability to take everyday things and make them extraordinary by writing about them.

“Winning this award was an honor,” she said. “Ezra Jack Keats was a brilliant author, and I wanted to show kids that history doesn’t have to be boring.”

The 26-year-old contest was started to promote reading literacy, art, and to instill a love of learning in children.

Executive director of the Ezra Keats Foundation Deborah Pope said the program has very few restrictions to limit the creativity of the children participating.

“All we require is that the books are made solely by the children, We never know what the books are going to be made of,” Pope said.

A medal awards ceremony for the four citywide and 22 boroughwide winners will be held May 18 at the main Brooklyn Library. The citywide winners also will receive $500 and 22 boroughwide winners $100.

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By Kirsten Sanchez

Bronx Times

Funeral services were held April 28 at St. Clare’s Church for well known Morris Park Realtor and retired police officer Daniel Fasolino, who died at his home April 24, at age 74.

Fasolino served as a police officer for 20 years in the 41st Precinct in the south Bronx before retiring and starting a career in real estate.

“He spent the next 40 or so years running Morris Park Realty,” his brother Sam said. “He tried to help as many people as he could in that area.”

Al D’Angelo, president of the Morris Park Community Association and a fellow member of the Morris Park Kiwanis, said his earliest memory of Fasolino was when he sold him his house in Morris Park 33 years ago.

“He showed me my house and we were friends and associates ever since,” D’Angelo said. “He was very active in Morris Park and always there to give a helping hand to anyone who needed it. He will be missed.”

Fasolino was also a lifetime honorary member of the Knights of Columbus and past president of the Morris Park Kiwanis.

Fellow Kiwanian Sal Conforto said his friendship with Fasolino dates back a lifetime.

“We were on the force together, and we stayed friends after he went into real estate, so I have fond memories of him from many different walks of life,” he said. “He was a very charitable man. He was a good person and he will be very much missed.”

Fasolino is also survived by two sisters Lucy and Angie, his wife Susan, and his five children Neil, Nancy, Danielle, John and Ronnie.

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By Kirsten Sanchez

Bronx Times

The new sound system was literally music to their ears.

Students at P.S. 105 danced and swayed to the music coming from it at dedication ceremonies in the school auditorium,where new lighting and video equipment was also dediccated, thanks to a $100,000 grant Councilman Jimmy Vacca secured through the City Council.

The upgrades also included new stage lights, new side lights and a new projector.

Principal Christopher Eustace said the upgrades were much needed, as he expressed his thanks to the councilman.

“We have a lot of art, dance and theatre performances that take place here,” Eustace said. “With our old system, people in the back of the auditorium wouldn’t be able to hear what was going on, so this really enhances the children’s experience.”

After an introduction by Eustace, students from P.S. 105’s theater group - Roy Hidalgo, Sabier Melendez, James Jansen and Marques Taylor - performed a song and dance number to “Jolly Holiday” to showcase the new sound system.

“There’s a lot of things that go into having a successful school, and we all know that money is a big issue,” Eustace said.

“In order for us to have a lot of the extra special things we have here at P.S. 105, we need money, and we have been lucky enough to have someone to provide us with these special extras.”

“I represent you at City Hall, and part of my job is to try to bring back to our neighborhood some of the resources we need,” he told the students.

“An auditorium is a focal point, a gathering place, and when we gather we want to enjoy each others company and see how our fellow classmates perform. So how can we do that? We have to have the equipment.”

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By Kirsten Sanchez

Bronx Times

Julius Jeremiah Sidoine, a member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen duriung World War II and active in his Soundview community, died April 20 at age 95.

Sidoine, known as J or JJ, was born and raised in Castries, St. Lucia before coming to the U.S. in 1933.

He was drafted into the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and served as a sergeant with the 332nd Fighter Group of the Tuskegee Airman, stationed in Italy.

After the war, he was employed by the Post Office and the Department of the Army Pictorial Center, retiring in 1971.

Sidoine served as treasurer for the East Bronx Branch of the NAACP, and volunteered at the Bronxdale and James Monroe Senior centers.

He was married for 60 years to his lifelong sweetheart, Irene Evangeline Davis, who died in 2003, and is survived by children Barbara Elizabeth and Albert Davis.

Services were held for Sidoine April 27 at Granby’s Funeral Service.

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