BP TO AMTRAK:
GET ON BOARD
Bronx, Westchester offi cials
demand clear tracks
BY ALEX MITCHELL
He didn’t wear his Santa hat
this time, but Borough President
Ruben Diaz, Jr.’s sentiment that
Amtrak belongs on the naughty
list this holiday season is unwavering.
Joined by Westchester County
executive George Latimer, Diaz
and other Bronx elected offi cials
once again aired grievances over
the regional rail line’s delay tactics
regarding negotiations with
the Metropolitan Transportation
Authority over east Bronx access
to Penn Station.
Since the MTA and Metro
North Railroad announced a
Metro North service expansion
that would bring commuters
to Manhattan via the Hell Gate
Bridge earlier in 2018, adding
four new Bronx stations at Co-op
City, Morris Park, Parkchester
and Hunts Point, Amtrak has not
cleared the tracks for the project
to move forward, literally.
The city’s plan depends entirely
on Amtrak allowing the
MTA to use its already existing
right-of-way that runs adjacent
to I-95 in Westchester and the
Runaway
youth shelter
a concern:
Gjonaj
BY ALEX MITCHELL
Many residents in the Zerega
community are uneasy regarding
the anticipated arrival of a
Covenant House-run facility,
that predominantly deals with
runaway youth, at 1550 St. Peters
Avenue.
It’s not the concept of a youth
homeless shelter that’s bringing
tremendous anxiety from its
host community, though. Councilman
Mark Gjonaj along with
members of Community Board
10 and others are unhappy with
the lack of transparency shown
by Covenant House.
“Neither the board or Councilman
Mark Gjonaj’s offi ce
were notifi ed (by the organization)
of the plan,” said CB 10 district
manager Matt Cruz.
“They say they’re coming
here to be good neighbors, but
that starts with notifying the
community board and elected
offi cials,” he added.
That concern is in addition
to what Cruz described as
‘treading in waters that we’ve
never been before,’ as Covenant
House will be the fi rst shelter
in CB 10 specifi cally placed for
youth.
After learning of Covenant
House’s Bronx expansion,
Gjonaj and CB 10 arranged a
meeting with representatives
from the non-profi t on Tuesday,
December 18.
“The city’s decision to unilaterally
locate this program in
the community without at the
very least consulting the community
board, civic associations,
or myself, as the elected
council member, is the latest
step in this administration’s
consistent and willful neglect
of the considerations of our res-
Penny Marshall, top-grossing
movie producer, Bronxite, 75
BY ALEX MITCHELL
Even though there’s no crying
in baseball, many tears
have been shed for the late
Penny Marshall, who passed
away at the age of 75 on Monday,
December 17.
The Bronx’s own actress,
director and producer was responsible
for the fi lms, ‘Big,’
‘Awakenings,’ and of course, ‘A
League of Their Own,’ in addition
to many other classics.
Born Carole Penny Marshall
on Friday, October 15, 1943, she
Continued on Page 4
was named after her mother
Marjorie Irene’s favorite actress,
Carole Lombard. Marshall
spent her youth growing
up on the northern tip of the
Grand Concourse along with
her brother, Garry Marshall,
whom passed at the age of 81 in
2016.
Their 3235 Grand Concourse
home was just across from Mosholu
Parkway and Penny’s future
spouse, actor Rob Reiner.
She spoke openly of her
Your Neighborhood — Your News® December 30, 2018
LOCAL
CL ASSIFIEDS
PA GE 10
The Best Medicine
Code 1 Training honored its Class of 2018 graduates during its annual
commencement ceremony on Wednesday, December 19. Yanibell Guiterrez
(r) received a congratulatory hug from her family.
Photo by Fernando Justiniano
Continued on Page 4 Continued on Page 11
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