This past Monday, August 15th, Senator Jeffrey D. Klein was joined by Morris Park community leaders to announce new legislation intended to protect residents help law enforcement officers defuse potentially dangerous situations with mentally ill individuals.

This change, argued Sen. Klein, would give law enforcement the information they need to plan for potentially violent encounters with these patients and avoid tragedies like the March 21st incident at 1545 Rhinelander Ave., in which a mentally disturbed man was fatally shot by police after he threatened his roommate and lunged at officers with a knife. The man had a history of mental health-related violence and 16 prior arrests – information that responding officers did not have at the time.

“This type of red tape is literally putting people's lives at risk,” Senator Klein said. “We need to make sure that police have the information they need to better protect themselves, as well as innocent bystanders and even the mentally ill aggressors in these dangerous situations.”

The legislation, (S.5871), would require service providers who place mentally ill individuals in residential housing to alert law enforcement agencies if these clients have a history of violence, or are deemed likely to cause physical harm to others.

As of last week, it has been reported, police have been forced to respond to the building 61times this year, and have made five arrests of emotionally disturbed people. Last year, 111 calls to 911 were made in reference to1545 Rhinelander.

This legislation would apply to organizations that operate community residences, or place persons with a mental illness or a developmental disability in residential apartment buildings containing 15 or more units. They would be required to provide written notice to local law enforcement agencies that a resident under their supervision has been certified by a mental health professional as either likely to cause physical harm to other persons, or likely to cause harm to others if he or she ceases to undergo necessary treatments, or therapies.

Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera, (D-Bronx), has agreed to carry this legislation in the Assembly.

As announced this past Saturday, August 20th, leaders of the two unions that have been on strike against Verizon Communications said they were ending the walk-out despite not having yet reached a settlement for a new contract.

The strike, which was the nation’s largest since 2007, when General Motors workers held a two-day strike, ends with 45,000 workers returning to their jobs nationwide this week, which they had left on August 7th.

Leaders from the Communications Workers of America and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers said they were ending the walkout because Verizon management had finally agreed to the serious bargaining they had requested.

Verizon is seeking, among other things, to institute a pension freeze for current workers, fewer sick days, an end to all job security provisions, far larger employee contributions toward health coverage, and the freedom to do as much outsourcing as it wants.

One of the larger sites for Verizon workers on protest was the Verizon store on Fordham Road, where they union workers routinely gathered to denounce the corporate communications giant.

Locally, the response to the strike’s end was carefully optimistic.

“I hope that these new negotiations will preserve the solid, middle-class jobs that the unions were fighting to protect, and I look forward to a speedy resolution to their contract dispute. The hard–working men and women who are employed by Verizon deserve a fair contract.” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

Union Verizon worker Larry, who refused to give his last name, and was outside the Fordham Road location this past weekend was wary of any early celebrations.

“We’ll see,” he said. “We’ll see what happens.”

Mid Bronx Senior Citizens Council and Vishiva Real Management have announced their first Summer Festival event at the Andrew Freedman Home this coming Friday, August 26th at 6 pm.

MidBronx Senior Citizens Council, in partnership with Vishiva Real Management, Bronx Museum and Ichibantei Japanese Soul Food & Steak Restaurant, are together hosting and sponsoring the Freedman on the Concourse’s “Urban Nights of Cinema, Music & Fashion,” a series of programs featuring traditional Japanese food and beverages, live music, art exhibitions and nightly movie screenings under the stars.

The festival’s first event will take place at the Freedman Home at 1125 Grand Concourse in the Grand Lawn, between 166th Street and McClellan Avenue this Friday, August 6th.

For more information, please contact Walter Puryear at 718.588. 8200 or at nohingsun@aol.com.

Ninety-one countries and more than 50 languages – and counting.

That’s the most recent result in an employee diversity campaign started this past month at St. Barnabas Hospital.  On a giant world map displayed in the hospital’s cafeteria, staff and physicians have been asked to stick a pin in the state or country they identify with – where they are from or their family originated – and to check the foreign language they speak.

Nearly 800 pins to date have been placed in places ranging from New York City (“Where exactly is Brooklyn?” asked one employee) to Nigeria, from Haiti to the Hawaiian Islands.  The map features a sea of red (indicating a location representing 20 people), green (for 10) or blue (for one) pins, with more to come.

Although Spanish, as to be expected, is by far the most common foreign language spoken, St. Barnabas Hospital employees also checked off such less commonly heard languages in the Bronx as Tagalog (the next highest) Telugu, Igbo, Assamese and Amharic. 

“Just like the Bronx itself, we are a melting pot of many different cultures, languages and origins,” says Dr. Martha Sullivan, who heads the hospital’s Fordham-Tremont Community Mental Health Center. 

“This campaign presents an opportunity for our people to take pride in who they are and where they came from, and to share their differences and similarities with each other.”

Orlando Marín, the borough president’s nomination to the City Planning Commission, was approved by a vote of the City Council, as announced this past week. Marín serves on the on the City Planning Commission effective August 23, replacing outgoing Bronx City Planning Commissioner Kenneth Knuckles.

“Orlando Marín has the right combination of experience and knowledge to represent the Bronx on the City Planning Commission. I look forward to working with Mr. Marín to ensure that the responsible redevelopment of the Bronx continues. I would also like to thank Kenneth Knuckles, our outgoing Bronx City Planning Commissioner, for his years of dedicated service to both my office and the people of the Bronx,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.
”The experiences that I have gained and the professional acumen that I have developed combined with the skill sets and development expertise that I have honed throughout the years have grounded me and are the basis for my continued desire to serve the City and which I believe will compliment that of those currently serving on the Commission.  I am proud to have been nominated to serve on the City Planning Commission and look forward to working with the currently appointed members,” said Orlando Marín.

A resident of the Longwood section of the Bronx, Orlando Marín has worked in the housing arena for the last 20 years.  He is currently employed with the Bluestone Organization, a private developer of both affordable and market rate housing based in  Fresh Meadows, New York, and has also worked for such prestigious organizations as the Empire State Development Corporation, the New York City Housing Partnership, and served as the special assistant to the City Engineer of Phoenix, Arizona.

Active in his neighborhood since his teenage years, Mr. Marín has played an instrumental role in the redevelopment of his immediate community, where he currently serves as chairman of Bronx Community Board #2.  An architect with a background in Real Estate and Public Administration, Mr. Marín won the American Institute of Architect’s Creative Design award for the development of the “Prototypical School” while employed with the nationally acclaimed office of Perkins & Will. 

While serving as a member of Bronx Community Board #3, he was instrumental in the creation of that board’s 197A Comprehensive Plan, entitled “Partnership for the Future.”

As a graduate of the New York Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Architecture, a graduate of New York University’s Continuing Education Program earning a Diploma in Real Estate with a concentration in Investment analysis, Mr. Marín adds to his credential the participation and successful completion of the National Urban Rural Fellows Program administered in tandem with Baruch College’s School of Public Affairs, where he obtained his Master’s Degree in Public Administration.

The West Nile Virus was recently detected in the following Bronx zip codes: 10457, 10473, 10474, as per surveillance data from the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. These include the neighborhoods of Bathgate, Clason Point and Hunts Point. A recent advisory urges all NYC residents, and especially those over the age of 50, to take personal precautions to prevent mosquito bites.

These include:

- Use repellents that contain DEET, Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus, IR3535, or Picaridin and ALWAYS follow label instructions.
- If outside from dusk to dawn, wear protective clothing if possible, such as loose-fitting pants, long-sleeved shirts, and socks.
- Make sure that your doors and windows have tight-fitting screens.
- Fix or replace screens that have tears or holes.

Mosquito exposure around the home can be reduced if you:

- Eliminate any standing water that collects on your property.
- Remind or help neighbors to eliminate standing water on their properties.
- Call 311 to report standing water. 

For more information about West Nile virus, call 311, or go to www.nyc.gov/health.

To help families prepare for their children returning to school next month, St. Barnabas Hospital hosted its annual Back-to-School Fair this past Saturday, August 13th in front of the St. Barnabas Hospital Ambulatory Care Center at 4487 Third Avenue.  “This is an excellent time for parents to make sure they’ve taken care of all their children’s health needs before the very hectic period when kids return to school,” said Dr. Jenna Scholnick, a pediatrician and Site Director at the Ambulatory SBH Pediatrics Clinic. 

Parents were encouraged to bring their children’s immunization card– the first 150 received a free gift.  Appointments were made for back-to-school physical exams (which is mandatory for students attending any public or private school in New York City). In addition, there were free dental, eye, and hearing screenings, nutritional education, and complimentary rapid HIV testing and WIC and health insurance eligibility screenings. There were also games, prizes, face painting, a martial arts demonstration and refreshments.

One of Puerto Rico’s most revered volleyball coaches will now lead the Monroe Lady Mustangs. Athletic Director Bert Shillingford announced last week that Nephtali Delgado Reyes will take the reins of Monroe women’s volleyball.

“Coach Delgado Reyes is exactly what we want in a coach,” Shillingford said. “He has an unquestioned track record of success and he also emphasizes the kind of work ethic and commitment to excellence both on and off the court that is the hallmark of Monroe athletics.”

Coach Delgado Reyes has an impressive record of success. In 2006 he led the Adianez JV to national championships in the Pimera Hora National Tournament, a third place finish in the Cup El Nuevo Día, and the Championship of the qualifiers to the HS Central American Games. In 2009 and 2010 he coached the Bayamón Military Academy to the Varsity Girls Championship League LACC and in 2010 they were finalists in National Tournament Varsity Girls Team (El Nuevo Día). Also in 2010 he won the Championship in the Primera Hora National Tournament for 14 year-olds. In 2011, he won four tournaments with a Top Select 15 Elite Team including the Baltimore Northeast Qualifier, AAU Florida Regional Championships, the Daytona Tournament, and a Top Select Tournament in 17 Division, the first time any coach had won that combination.

“My mission at Monroe is to win a championship every year,” said Reyes. “The goal is to define the Lady Mustangs by their determination, dedication, commitment, and team work.”

Coach Delgado Reyes also expects to put significant effort to guiding his students so that 100% of them graduate and since Monroe athletes are eligible for two years, ultimately assist them to move on with scholarships at the next level.

In 2009 the Lady Mustangs were Region and District Champions and played in the National Tournament. The Monroe women's volleyball season starts on September 2 with a game at Brooklyn College.

For more information on the Lady Mustangs and Monroe College, please visit www.monroecollege.edu .