Bedford Park News: New Skate Park

Bedford Park News: New Skate Park: New Skate Park For Norwood Riverdale Report By Robert Press BRONX, NEW YORK, JULY 30- Last week Councilman Andrew Cohen, alon...

New Skate Park

New Skate Park For Norwood

Riverdale Report

By Robert Press

BRONX, NEW YORK, JULY 30- Last week Councilman Andrew Cohen, along with Bronx Parks Commissioner Hector Aponte, Community Board 7 Parks Committee Chair Barbara Stronzer, CB 7 District Manager Dustin Engelken, and dozens of local skateboarders took the first step in creating a new skateboard park area in the Williamsbridge Oval in Norwood.

Councilman Cohen announced that he has allocated $750,000 of capital expense funds for the construction of this skate park in the Oval. Bronx Parks Commissioner Aponte said “NYC Parks is appreciative to council member Cohen for this allocation towards building a new skate park in the Williamsbridge Oval. Cohen said that the skate park had been a request of Community Board 7, and Norwood residents for quite some time. This idea goes as far back as 10 years ago, and after the project was supported by CB7 it will now become reality he added. The expected date of the first shovel going into the ground however could be years from now as the Parks Department is so backed up from projects from the Croton Filtration Plant mitigation money. Some projects that were to be finished years ago are still on the drawing board. Go to my blog at www.100percentbronx.blogspot.com to read more and see a photo of everyone at this announcement.

This past Saturday night the movie Frozen was shown in Seton Park in Riverdale by KRVDC with help from State Senator Klein. Almost 400 people were on hand including Councilman Andrew Cohen, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Community Board 8 Chair Dan Padernacht, Senator Jeff Klein, and even Senator Klein's opponent for the September Democratic primary former Councilman Oliver Koppell. The forecast of rain held off, and everyone had a cool time. You can go to my blog and check the KRVDC listing in the archive on the lower left to see what other upcoming events that KRVDC has lined up for you. More movie nights and two street festivals.

Otherwise things were very quiet this past week in the Jeff Klein/Oliver Koppell 34th State Senate race, and it was to quiet if you ask me. Senator Klein touted out several more union endorsements while challenger Oliver Koppell touted the endorsement of the Amsterdam News, an upper Manhattan newspaper. There is however always next year for Koppell, as I told him Saturday night. Next year will be the race for Bronx District Attorney. Koppell is certainly qualified for Bronx DA having been state Attorney General before. I said to then Councilman Oliver Koppell at the 2011 Bronx Democratic County Committee Dinner that he would make a great candidate for Public Advocate. By the way Oliver I missed you at this year's Bronx Democratic County Committee Dinner last week.

Finally it looks like the summer street repaving is starting in Community Board 8 as a few streets are being milled down and repaved. One such street is Bailey Avenue between the Van Cortland Park Avenue exit off the Deegan Highway and West 238th Street where the new BJ's shopping center is scheduled to open soon. I wonder if that is so the trucks can get to BJ's on a smooth road that didn't need to be repaved? Now if only the city can fix and repave the real streets that need it since the Con Edison street construction has done a great job of helping to ruin many of the streets.

If you have any comments about this column or would like to have an event listed or covered in this column or on my blog you can e-mail us at 100percentbronxnews@gmail.com or call 718-644-4199 Mr. Robert Press.

Bedford Park News: Jobs wanted

Bedford Park News: Jobs wanted: Jobs wanted --Photo by David Greene Hundreds of Bronxites turned out for the second annual Bronx Jobs Fair held at DeWitt Clinton H...

Jobs wanted

Jobs wanted

--Photo by David Greene

Hundreds of Bronxites turned out for the second annual Bronx Jobs Fair held at DeWitt Clinton High School, located at 100 West Mosholu Parkway South. Sponsored by Assemblyman Mark Gjonaj and Senator Jeff Klein, the event was held on July 10. Job-seekers were able to sit down with many of the representatives of fifty-three local companies and businesses represented, including the NYPD, the New York Daily News and the Bronx Zoo. Organizers hope to exceed the 2,000 job-seeker's who attended a similar jobs fair held last October.

Bedford Park News: Did Groper Strike Near Truman HS?

Bedford Park News: Did Groper Strike Near Truman HS?: Did Groper Strike Near Truman HS? Two Victims Reported in Co-Op City By David Greene BRONX, NEW YORK, JULY 17- Police are hunt...

Did Groper Strike Near Truman HS?

Did Groper Strike Near Truman HS?

Two Victims Reported in Co-Op City

By David Greene

BRONX, NEW YORK, JULY 17- Police are hunting a serial groper wanted in 9 recent attacks on girls, teens and young women-- an individual who may have now struck twice in Co-op City.

The still-unidentified suspect had been wanted for nine attacks in the Wakefield, Edenwald, Williamsbridge and Eastchester neighborhoods since February.

The 47th Precinct, which serves those neighborhoods, received 50 additional officers on July 7, due to a recent uptick in violent crime, which may explain the suspect moving to the Co-op City area that is covered by the 45th Precinct.

In the latest incidents reported on Thursday, July 10, a 14 year-old and an 18-year old reported being attacked as they walked over the I-95 overpass along Eastchester Road.

Police were still investigating the latest incidents to determine if it is the same suspect or a copycat.

Outside of Harry S. Truman High School, most students had not heard about the attacker.

One female student recalled, "We were talking to this man yesterday and he was asking for my friend's number," a second girl added, "And we told him were only 15 years-old, but he kept following us and talking to us."

The girls stated that the "buff" brown-skinned man said he had just got back from serving with the U.S. Army.

Waiting for students outside of Truman, a driver with the Consolidated Bus Transport Service suggested, "They should put signs on the busses to alert people of this guy."

On June 24, the NYPD released a wanted flyer with a police composite sketch of the individual wanted for nine separate incidents of forcible touching of females between the ages of 12 and 21.

The first incident was reported on February 13, at 7:50 a.m., when a 14-year-old female was attacked on her way to the subway along Eastchester Road.

On February 15, a second attack was reported by another 14-year-old girl who was violated by the creep as she walked passed the intersection of Burke Avenue and Eastchester Road at 9:30 a.m.

The pervert waited more than a month when he struck again, this time he inappropriately touched a 13 year-old as she walked along Magenta Street at 7:30 a.m. on Friday, March 28.

A fourth incident was reported on Monday, April 28, when he grabbed a 13 year-old from behind as she walked near Baychester Avenue at 8 a.m.

Again waiting more than a month, he struck again on Thursday, May 29, when the suspect jogged up to an 18 year-old victim and forcibly touched her in the area of Burke Avenue.

The suspect struck again the following day when he approached and attacked a 12 year-old victim in the area of East 233 Street.

On Monday, June 9, a 16 year-old reported she was attacked at 6:55 a.m., along Boston Road.

On Wednesday, June 11, at 8:15 a.m. a 21-year-old woman reported a forcible touching attack as she walked along Fish Avenue. Fifteen minutes later a 12 year-old reported a similar incident as she walked along Schieffelin Avenue.

Although traumatized, none of the victims were physically injured.

Police describe the suspect as 20 year-old black male, 5 foot 10, thin build and was last seen wearing a black hooded jacket, blue jeans and black sneakers. Investigators say the suspect also has a scar under his right eye.

A similar crime pattern was reported in the area of the most recent attacks, along the Eastchester Road footbridge leading to Co-Op City between September, 2010 and June, 2011.

In that string of groping incidents three, 19-year-old females were attacked by a black man between 22 and 28 years-old, 5 foot 6 tall and weighing 160 to 180 Pounds. Police could not immediately say if this suspect was ever apprehended.

The attacks have prompted a local citizens group called the New York Hero Imitative to patrol the affected neighborhoods in searching for the suspect and passing out flyers to residents.

One group member, "Spectre" said the group was encouraged by the communities reaction to their presence and added, "We're going to re-visit a few areas where we had some promising leads on this case."

One source at the local community board stated that the local community was informed of the attacks in mid-May, after a fourth attack was reported.

One police official questioned could not explain the delay in alerting the public to the pattern-crime.

The source added that detectives and police are in the process of going back to all nine locations in a search for surveillance video of the suspect.

Anyone with any information on the suspect is urged to call CRIMESTOPPERS at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls remain confidential.

Bedford Park News: $10G Reward for Pizza Shop Killer

Bedford Park News: $10G Reward for Pizza Shop Killer: $10G Reward for Pizza Shop Killer BRONX, NEW YORK, JULY 16- The FBI is now offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leadi...