Your Neighborhood — Your News® May 12, 2019
Cheating
on the diet:
Morris Park
Avenue road
plan on hold
BY ALEX MITCHELL
Work on the NYC Department
of Transportation’s Vision Zero
‘road diet’ plan for Morris Park
Avenue was supposed to begin the
last week of April.
That was before a lawsuit initiated
by Councilman Mark Gjonaj,
the Morris Park Community Association
and various businesses
on the corridor and subsequent
injunction brought the plan to a
screeching halt on Monday, April
29.
An injunction was issued by
the Bronx Supreme Court on
Thursday, May 2 on grounds of
“community concerns of the potential
damages that would be
caused by the initiative valid
enough to issue a temporary restraining
order barring the city
from moving forward with its
‘road dieting’ plan for this vital
commercial corridor.”
Until the status of that injunction
is revisited by the court on
Wednesday, May 29, Gjonaj and
Morris Park businesses can celebrate
their David vs. Goliath victory
over City Hall.
The councilman met the
MPCA, Community Board 11
chairman Al D’Angelo and others
from the community on Morris
Park Avenue in between Colden
and Paulding avenues on Friday,
May 3 to discuss the temporary
victory.
“This gives the mayor and the
city an opportunity to re-approach
the issue of Morris Park Avenue,”
Gjonaj said.
“Now this time valuing the
long-given input of the community
and reaching something we
can all agree on,” he continued.
LOCAL
CL ASSIFIEDS
PA GE 18
Continued on Page 4
‘OPERATION
OXY-CONCOURSE’
Some of the recovered pills from operation ‘Oxy-Concourse.’
Twitter of Attourney General Letitia James
DEA grabs $2M in pills
Oxy crackdown
BY ALEX MITCHELL
The investigation took almost
a year, but NYS Attorney
General Letitia James and the
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
got their man,
actually ‘men,’ seizing over $2
million worth of drugs, 1,200
oxycodone pills of varying dosages,
while arresting over two
dozen dealers and pill pushers
that were operating in and
around the Bronx on Thursday,
May 2.
The extensive DEA undercover
op was called ‘Operation
Oxy-Concourse’ due to the high
circulation and distribution
of the drug on the Grand Concourse,
according to the DEA.
The DEA also verified that
the drug ring was operating
in Brooklyn, Westchester and
Connecticut as well.
During the ten-month investigation,
over 23,000 oxycodone
pills were sold by the alleged
dealers, authorities said.
The twenty-eight suspects
were charged under two indictments
in Bronx County Supreme
Court, leading to 181-counts of
conspiracy, criminal sale of a
controlled substance, criminal
possession of a controlled sub-
Continued on Page 4
FDNY appoints two heroic Bronx EMS’ to lead bureau
Chief Lillian Bonsignore. FDNY Chief Alvin Suriel. FDNY
BY ALEX MITCHELL
Two of New York’s and the
Bronx’ bravest were promoted
to top-ranking chief positions by
the FDNY commissioner.
FDNY members Lillian Bonsignore
and Alvin Suriel were
sworn in as Chief and Assistant
Chief of EMS on Tuesday, May
7.
Bonsignore is the first woman
to head the FDNY’s EMS bureau,
while Suriel is the first Hispanic
FDNY Assistant Chief of EMS,
and of course they both served
previously in the Bronx.
Chief Bonsignore, a 28-year
EMS worker previously stationed
out of Lincoln Hospital,
will now supervise 4,100 EMT’s,
paramedics, EMS officers and
civilian employees in the EMS
Bureau.
She will also be responsible
for overseeing operations, planning,
strategic initiatives and
logistics.
After responding to September
11th and instructing a 9/11
relief program, Chief Bonsignore
returned to her south Bronx garage,
this time as a lieutenant.
Following that she was appointed
Chief of EMS Academy.
“Lillian Bonsignore is a dedi-
Continued on Page 16
Vol. 8 No. 19 UUPPUDDPAADTTAEETDDE DEE VVEEEVRREYYR YDD AADYYA YAA TTA TBB XXBTTXIITMMIEMESSE..SCC.OOCMMOM