Bronx News Bits

Big Apple aid for Haiti
By LORENA MONGELLI

The city has dispatched an elite search-and-rescue team to dig through the rubble of Haiti's ravaged streets and help coordinate disaster relief.

The 80-member unit includes cops, firefighters, EMTs and a canine team.

"We're going to be dealing with heavy concrete," said firefighter Joseph Downey, 47. "It's going to be much more difficult to move and maneuver and find people. We're going to be under a lot of pressure down there, but we're looking to make an impact."

NYC trashing seized clothes instead of donating to charities
By ASSOCIATED PRESS

New York City has destroyed tons of new counterfeit designer clothes seized from illegal knockoff operations, saying local charities had not requested they donate the clothes last year.

The city had a practice of sending most of the seized knockoffs to not-for-profit organizations. A police spokesman says the department is willing to supply clothing to charities but hadn’t received any requests for donations last year.

But the operators of the New York City Clothing Bank, which supplies clothes to needy city residents, told The New York Times they had made many requests to the city for the bootleg goods.

Clothing bank board member William Montana says he hopes practical heads will prevail so the knockoffs can go to help people in need.

Just last month, clothing retailer H&M promised to stop destroying unsold merchandise at its Herald Square store in Manhattan after they were caught chucking bags of unworn cloths.

An H&M spokesman said the retail giant will instead donate the garments to charity.

Catholic school parents demand state $$
Rally at Cardinal Spellman High School
By Patrick Rocchio Bronx Times-Reporter

Hundreds of parents joined elected officials at Cardinal Spellman High School on Thursday, January 14 to pressure New York State to reimburse Bronx Catholic schools for mandated attendance and health services.

New York Archdiocese Catholic school superintendent Timothy McNiff, Senator Jeff Klein, Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson, Assemblyman Michael Benjamin, Assemblyman Michael Benedetto, Assemblywoman Vanessa Gibson, a representative for Assemblyman Carl Heastie and more than 800 Bronx Catholic school parents urged Governor Paterson to make good on $243 million dollars in reimbursements. The rally also focused on legislation sponsored by Klein and Benedetto that would mandate $6 million in annual reimbursements for religious and independent schools’ contributions to the MTA payroll tax.

Parents expressed outrage when informed that Catholic school employees are subject to the tax, while public school employees are exempt.

“Last year I joined Cardinal Edward Egan and we had a very successful rally. We were able to convince the state to repay Catholic schools $30 million,” Klein said. “I have two bills pending this year. The first would require that New York State pay 100 percent for mandated services. The second would exempt Catholic schools from the MTA payroll tax.”

Catholic school parents have won some victories. When Paterson proposed an $11 million cut from the state’s mandated services and attendance policy reimbursement program, he was blocked by the legislature.

“We are enormously grateful to the senate and assembly members from the Bronx for protecting Catholic schools from additional cuts,” said James Cultrara of the New York State Catholic Conference.

Since 1974, the state has reimbursed religious and independent schools for mandated services. But the state has fallen behind on the payments in the last three years. Parents are worried that the lack of reimbursements will affect schools, force them to cut back on services or raise tuition.

“Religious and independent schools are dedicated to providing a quality education for a great number of New York City students,” Klein said. “Parents already pay a costly amount for their children to attend these schools and they shouldn’t be forced to shell out even more money for the MTA payroll tax. Public schools receive reimbursements for this tax and I believe religious and independent schools should be entitled to the same.”

Assemblyman Benedetto expressed his support as well.

“The reason we’re here is that we believe in what you’re fighting for,” Benedetto said. “You’ve got to hold back your votes, because that’s what your elected officials will understand.”

Gibson highlighted a parent’s right to send his or her children to the school of his or her choice.

“It’s about choice,” Gibson said during the rally. “You should not be penalized for that choice. Working together, we will do all that we can to make sure [that] parents of independent and Catholic school students get what they deserve.”

Parents at the rally asked questions. Some need to absorb increased tuition payments or enroll their children in public school.

“This lack of payment by the state is very unfair to us,” said Ben Amaefule, father of a student at St. Martin of Tours School. “Catholic schools are a bedrock of morality. Public schools are always taken care of first. I’m considering taking my kids out of school and sending them back to my country [of origin] to be educated.”

Bronx elephants on the march
By Daniel Beekman
Bronx Times-Reporter

Bronx elephants are on the march. Not in the Bronx Zoo but to Pelham Bay. The Bronx County Republican Committee has moved from Williamsbridge Road in Pelham Parkway to the corner of Middletown Road and Hobart Avenue.

The Pelham Bay storefront, a former drycleaners, moonlighted as a Mayor Michael Bloomberg re-election campaign office in 2009. It was also the target of weekly protests by peeved Westchester Square merchants and residents when Bloomberg’s Department of Homeless Services plopped a homeless shelter on St. Peter’s Avenue. Democrat mayoral candidate Bill Thompson later upset Bloomberg in the 82nd Assembly District, to which Pelham Bay belongs.

Perhaps the corner is cursed. Republican Committee chairman Jay Savino thinks not. His office will open soon.

“We don’t expect protests,” he said.

Savino and 82nd Assembly District leader Fred Ramftl think the new office will boost the GOP’s profile in the Boogiedown. The Williamsbridge Road office, established by former state senator and Republican Committee chairman Guy Velella, sat in the middle of its block on the second floor of an unmarked building. A steep staircase to the office kept seniors and disabled Republicans away.

“Our landlord prohibited signs on the building,” Ramftl explained. “Some people had no idea we were there.”

The Pelham Bay office opens onto the street and is steps from the 6 IRT and several buses. The GOP will install a new soon to remind neighbors that “there IS a Republican Party in the borough,” Ramftl said.

The elephants will endorse candidates in a number of 2010 state elections. As usual, they’ll focus on the 80th, 81st and 82nd Assembly District and the 34th Senate District.