Housing money paid for politicians’ trips, says complaint Taxpayer funds intended for two low-income housing projects in Mott Haven paid for trips to Puerto Rico for Councilwoman Maria del Carmen Arroyo and her mother Assemblywoman Carmen Arroyo, according to a federal criminal complaint charging the assemblywoman’s grandson with embezzlement. RichardRead More

By Azriel James Relph [email protected] When you subtract nearly a thousand guns from the arsenals of residents, what do you get? Safer Bronx streets, say the organizers of the Fourth Annual Mother’s Day Walk Against Gun Violence. In April, the most successful gun buy-back since the New York City PoliceRead More

But a controversial proposal could keep playing fields off-limits By Lindsay Lazarski [email protected] Elected officials and the Parks Department describe Randall’s Island as an invaluable resource, and boast that its waterfront pathways provide scenic views and “increased access” to recreation “for the neighboring communities of East Harlem and the SouthRead More

Several South Bronx and East Harlem organizations and residents filed suit on May 27 in an effort to keep the city from carrying out its plan to reserve most of the ball fields on Randall’s Island for Manhattan private schools on school-day afternoons. The suit charges that the New YorkRead More

Local non-profits, government agencies and environmental activists provided hands-on activities and information on everything from paddling the Bronx River to conserving energy in your home at the second annual South Bronx Earth Fest on April 25 in St. Mary’s Park.

Diaz emphasizes spending on schools and green jobs By Caroline Linton [email protected] The Bronx Borough President’s race was all about the numbers: 21; two; $200; $270,000; three and 149. Twenty-one was April 21, the date of the special election to replace Adolfo Carrión, Jr., now a member of the ObamaRead More

On the southern end of the Grand Concourse, barbed wire, car dealerships and auto parts suppliers line the road, surrounded by industrial buildings that have seen busier days. The Mott Haven waterfront is dotted with ministorage buildings, rows of school buses and piles of trash.

But this may change.

The city has a plan that could bring new life – and new investment – to the lower Concourse and Harlem River waterfront.

Where auto shops and empty factories now predominate, apartments and a hotel would rise By Maria Clark [email protected] The lower section of the Grand Concourse is almost entirely dedicated to the auto industry. The road is lined with busy auto repair shops, a gas station, a newly revamped car washRead More