Bronx News Network

Rasta Afternoon at Monte

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The Fingees in the courtyard at Montefiore Hospital.Monday afternoon felt more like happy hour at a Jamaican resort than lunchtime in the courtyard at Montefiore Medical Center.As part of a weekly Summer Concert series (on Mondays), Bronx reggae band, The Fingees, performed for a moderate crowd of Montefiore employees under a ceaseless summer sun. As hospital employees enjoyed their lunchtime meals, The Fingees set a relaxing Caribbean atmosphere, adding to the already tropical weather. Playing two sets of three songs each over half an hour, The Fingees were a pleasant surprise for an afternoon work break.The Fingees are comparable to the Wailer-esque “island sound,” but with an added Bronx edginess. Imagine if Bob Marley grew up near the Grand Concourse instead of Trenchtown.The newly finished courtyard and ongoing programming is part of an effort to utilize outdoor space and create a more campus-like environment throughout the three Montefiore hospitals, according to Monte President Dr. Steven M. Safyer, MD.The courtyard, which is now providing musical acts every Monday afternoon throughout the summer is on track to providing the type of atmosphere Safyer is aiming for. A recent article in the Norwood News by Jordan Moss features a more in-depth look at the courtyard’s construction at Montefiore.

Bronx News Network

Benjamin Holds Off on Serrano Challenge

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Finding a general lack of political support, Bronx Assemblyman Michael Benjamin has decided not to challenge Congressman Jose E. Serrano this fall, according to a story on City Hall magazine’s website. He added, however, that he would give it another shot in 2012. Benjamin, who generated some buzz for calling Tea Partier Rand Paul an “idiot” a couple of weeks ago, had already indicated that he would not seek re-election to his assembly seat. Carl Heastie, the Bronx Democratic Party Chairman and a colleague in the assembly, tried to talk Benjamin out of running against Serrano several times over the past months, Benjamin said.Benjamin believes that he might have a better chance to defeat Serrano after the congressional district lines are re-drawn in the near future, but City Hall said that reapportionment may not sway things in his favor.

Bronx News Network

Police Hunt Killer in Perry Avenue Shooting

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Detectives are looking for the individual who shot and killed a man along Perry Avenue (pictured above), a quiet tree-lined street in Norwood, just three short blocks from the 52nd Precinct.Police were called to Perry Avenue, between Mosholu Parkway North and E. 204 Street, at 2:24 a.m., on Saturday, June 19, when officer’s discovered the victim, who had been shot several times.The victim was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival at 3:55 a.m.One resident of the block, who declined to give his name, said, “I heard about five or six shots. I looked out the window and I saw a dead guy, he was wearing a white t-shirt and people were yelling, ‘Help, Help.'”The resident said the victim was shot behind the wheel of a silver Mercedes, but no such vehicle was seen on the block just a few hours later.Police have since identified the victim as 27-year old Jason White, but would not say where White was from. Police officials would also not comment on a possible description of the suspect, which one police source described as a Hispanic female wearing black Spandex pants.

Bronx News Network

The Yankees, Unobstructed — June 21

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England hasn’t won, France hasn’t won, Spain hasn’t won, this World Cup has been bana….wait, baseball is still on? Ugh, fine. We can talk about that.The Yankees have recaptured first place! They’ve got the best record in baseball and they lead the division by a whopping one game over two teams.Two teams? The Rays and who?

News

Housing Costs Devour More Family Budgets

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Despite neighborhoods littered with vacant homes and sale prices that dropped dramatically in the past three years, more Americans are spending more of their money on housing expenses than ever before. A report by Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies found 18.6 million American households –renters and homeowners alike – spend more than half their income on housing, up from 13.8 million in 2001. Dedicating more than 30 percent of income to rent or mortgage is considered unhealthy. The study, Harvard’s annual State of the Nation’s Housing report found that as the housing market slowly recovers, it is getting harder for low-income people to afford their homes. More homeowners and renters are devoting half or more of their income to housing costs than ever before.

Bronx

Landlord Pinnacle Group Challenges Class Action

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Two months after a federal judge granted class action status to a group of tenants suing the Pinnacle Group, the formal process of finding people who think they were wronged by the giant landlord is on hold. Pinnacle has asked the Second Circuit Court of Appeals for permission to challenge that class certification, and a ruling on that motion could come any day.Until that ruling comes, those who might have been eligible to join the class, which would include all current and some former rent-regulated residents of Pinnacle buildings, aren’t receiving official notification of their right to add their name to the suit. But that hasn’t stopped the plaintiffs and their supporters like Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer from informally starting to recruit people to join the case. On Saturday, plaintiff Kim Powell and a representative from Stringer’s office briefed a tenant group about it. Pinnacle lawyer Ken Fisher predicted in an interview with City Limits that the plaintiffs will get few takers.