Bronx News Network

Bronx Adds 52,458 People: Census Data

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The interactive map below, provided by the U.S. Census Bureau, charts the population change in New York. According to Census data collected last year, the Bronx gained 52,458 people over the last 10 years to bring the borough’s population total up to 1,385,108, an increase of 3.9 percent. The Bronx’s growth outpaced that of Queens (+0.1%), Brooklyn (+2.1%) and Manhattan (+3.2%). (Totals for Staten Island weren’t readily available.) New York City as a whole saw an increase of 2.1 percent to put the total number of Big Apple residents at 8,175,133.In reaction to the report, Bronx Congressman Jose E. Serrano said he thinks – no, he’s “certain” – the Bronx population wasn’t completely accounted for due to the fears and non-participation of the borough’s many undocumented residents. In a press release, Serrano said: “I am pleased to see that New York City is growing including a healthy increase in the numbers of people in the Bronx.

Bronx News Network

'Battle for the Bronx' Skate Event Moves to River Ave. Skate Plaza

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The “Battle for the Bronx” skate boarding competition (above is a clip from last year’s competition) returns this spring, but to a new location: the River Avenue Skate Park Plaza. The third annual BFTB will be the first of its kind at the new skate plaza, which opened in August 2010.Last year, the event was held at the skate park in Bronx Park East.Maloof Money Cup, 5Boro and Indigenous Skate Shop are hosting this year’s competition. The event, scheduled for Saturday, May 21, will feature a jam-style contest (a more relaxed, group setting where competitors try out new tricks), product toss (prize giveaway) and other festivities. Spectators are invited to come out and witness local skaters showcase their skills. “With over 200 competitors from the tri-state and beyond expected, the 2011 “Battle for the Bronx” promises to be an event you don’t want to miss,” said Bert Correa, the “Battle for the Bronx” event organizer, in a press release.

Bronx News Network

Young Bronx Thespians Take a Crack at August Wilson Material

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On Tuesday, Fordham High School for the Arts students gathered for the start of the 3rd Annual NYC August Wilson Monologue Competition hosted by Learning through an Expanded Arts Program (LeAp).Participating students chose a two to three-minute monologue from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright August Wilson to perform. Wilson is best known for his 10-play depiction of the African-American experience, called the “Pittsburgh Cycle.”The winners!Three winners were Chasity Tuck, John Reyes, and Shantal Melendez. Vianca Peguero was selected as an alternate.The winning trio will compete in the NYC Competition against students from Curtis High School (Staten Island), Hillcrest High School (Queens), Repertory High School for Theatre Arts (Manhattan) and Brooklyn Theatre Arts High School (Brooklyn) on April 12.Winners from the citywide competition will then advance to the National Competition on May 9, at the August Wilson Theatre on Broadway, where they will compete against students from Pittsburgh, Chicago, Boston, Seattle and Atlanta.In a press release, LeAp said its goal is to not only introduce hundreds of students to one of America’s greatest playwrights, but also to see “that August Wilson will live through our education system in the same manner and reverence as the works of William Shakespeare.”