Pizza Party in the Bronx

CiCi’s Pizza to Open Outside Co-op City

BRONX, NEW YORK, July 9– CiCi’s Pizza, home of the custom pizza buffet, celebrates the grand opening of its first Bronx location on July 16. The grand opening will kick off a five-day celebration from July 16 through July 20.  

The first 100 guests each day to purchase an adult buffet at the new location during the celebration will receive a free pizza buffet each month for a year. The 5,313 square-foot restaurant is located at 1776 E. Gun Hill Road in the Bronx at the intersection of I-95 and Gun Hill Road.

CiCi’s endless pizza buffet features more than 28 different pizzas in rotation plus delicious pasta, hot soup, crisp salad and oven-baked desserts. Guests can enjoy CiCi’s everyday value at $6.99 for an adult buffet and $3.99 for the kids buffet.

“The Bronx restaurant opening marks an important milestone for CiCi’s as we continue our ‘Build the Brand’ growth initiative, said CiCi’s Pizza COO Bill Spae. “This restaurant is the first to come to the five boroughs and will serve as a flagship store for continued growth in the area.”

The Ansari Pizza Group, led by veteran CiCi’s franchisees, Tahir and Nabeel Ansari, owns 12 CiCi’s Pizza restaurants in Florida, Tennessee and now New York. The company tapped into experienced CiCi’s operator, Michael Rogers, to run the new Bronx Restaurant.

“New Yorkers know their pizza. Now with CiCi’s coming to town, they’ll have access to the nation’s leading pizza buffet,” said Nabeel Ansari. “Our new restaurant will bring new jobs to the area and offer a family-friendly environment for our neighbors to enjoy great food and endless variety at an outstanding value.”

If guests don’t see their favorite pizza fresh and hot on the buffet, they can just ask and a CiCi’s team member will make it on the spot and bring it directly to the table. All pizzas are also available to go and 15” one-topping carryout pizzas are regularly priced at $5.99.

The restaurant phone number is (718) 671-2575 and its hours of operation for dine-in and carryout are Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.  

Espaillat makes it Official

100PERCENT

By Robert Press

BRONX, NEW YORK, July 9- State Senator Adriano Espaillat held a press conference to announce that he will abide by the Board of Elections results of the June 26th Democratic primary results for the 13th Congressional District that have him coming in a close second to Charlie Rangel. 

Espaillat said that the official margin of victory (953) was still greater then he felt could be overcome in court. He said that other organizations will continue the fight about how fair this race was and that he hopes change comes about at the Board of Elections for a better system. As for running for his old state senate seat, Espaillat said that a decision will come about in a few days, but we are sure that he will run for his old state senate seat in September.

Mayor Bloomberg has blasted the Board of Elections as have many others on the new system of voting, with Bloomberg saying, “It is the most corruptible system in the world.”

Board of Elections Republican Commissioner J.C. Polanco has fired back saying, “Senator Espaillat's team should apologize not only to the commissioners, but to the hard working employees of the Board of Elections.”

Polanco was also angered at Daily News columnist Juan Gonzalez for his story that Deputy Chief Clerk for the Manhattan Board of Elections (and the person supervising the count in the Manhattan portion of the congressional district) Timothy Gay had met with key Rangel supporters and district leaders three days before the election. When asked Gay said that he attended on his own time, and attended the meeting at the request of the Manhattan Democratic County Leader Keith Wright to provide his district leaders with lists of Democratic poll workers and to discuss general election matters in general. Gonzalez goes on about other problems that happened including the lists of poll workers district leaders loyal to Espaillat being virtually ignored, and much less Spanish translators at voter sign in tables.

Staying on the September primary, 87th A.D. candidate Luis Sepulveda will be having a fundraiser on Saturday July 21st hosted by Mr. David Rodriguez starting at 7 PM till midnight at 175 Walnut Avenue. For more information and to RSVP you can call 917-560-6137, or e-mail ctr719@aol.com.

Petitions are being handed in as you read this for State Assembly and State Senate, as are “General Objections” to some of those petitions. Specifications to those objections will be due in a few days later and the Board of Elections will hear from both sides and decide just who will get to be on the September primary ballot. 

We spoke to Mr. Mike Nieves currently working on the Charlie Rangel campaign and at the Bronx Board of Elections for the count of the affidavit and absentee ballots who told us that his next job will be to knock off the challenger to Bronx Assemblyman Jose Rivera, that being Rivera's current 78th State Committeeman and Chairman of the Committee of 100 Democrats Mr. Richardo “Ricky” Martinez. Mr. Martinez is running this year as Assemblyman Rivera has redistricted his son Councilman Joel Rivera into the 78th A.D. We have been told that Rivera's idea is to pass down the assembly seat like a monarchy when his son Joel is term limited out of a job in 2013.

Don't forget to check my blog at www.100percentbronx.blogspot.com for the latest breaking news on the petitioning for the September primary, and any other items that may occur after our deadline or that we didn't have space for in this column.

If you have any comments about this column or would like to have an event listed or covered in this column or on my blog you can e-mail us at 100percentbronxnews@gmail.com or call 718-644-4199 Mr. Robert Press.

Bloody Holiday Week

Club Violence Leaves One Dead, Eight Wounded

(Photo by David Greene)

By David Greene

BRONX, NEW YORK, July 9- Two incidents around area bars have left one man dead and eight others wounded. Three others were killed and at least four others were wounded in at least five other violent incidents reported across the borough.

On July 6, police were called to the Whispers Inn, located at 1246 E. Gun Hill Road in the Laconia section. The victim, Dwight Lewis, 27, of the Claremont section was shot dead at just before closing time after getting into an argument with a fellow patron.

The mortally wounded Lewis was rushed to Jacobi Hospital where he expired from his injuries.

An unidentified man inside the club, stated, "The man unfortunately died. The police are looking at the surveillance video now."

Moments later a pair of detectives would exit the watering hole, one carrying a laptop computer, apparently with the video of the incident.

A second unidentified man wearing a Metropolitan Transit Authority uniform was seen locking up the club, he fumed, "Don't take my picture, I'm not the owner. I'm just a worker," before getting into a vehicle and speeding away.

The following morning at just after 4 a.m., cops were called to a the topless bar, "Club Eleven," located at 1152 Randall Avenue in the Hunts Point section. A brawl in the street left two men shot and six individuals slashed. All of the victims are expected to survive.

The carnage was not limited to local watering-holes as a 19-year -old man was shot in the leg in front of 1662 Vyce Avenue in Claremont Village, at 2:30 p.m., on July 5.

Later that same night a young mother allegedly killed her two young children before attempting to commit suicide-- but failed, inside her Parkchester home.

At just before 4:30 a.m., on July 6, one man was shot in the leg and a second suffered a graze wound outside of 270 E. Burnside Avenue. Both victims were reported to be in stable condition.

Ten minutes after the Burnside shooting, a 25-year-old man was stabbed to death inside his home at 578 E. 141 Street. Police would question and later arrest his girlfriend.

At just after 2 a.m. on July 8, another individual was reported shot at White Plains Road and E. 225 Street. That victim was also expected to recover.

The NYPD has registered 802 shootings in the first six-months of 2012, up nearly 11 percent over the previous year, but the murder rate is still down for the first half of the year with just 194 killings.

Crime on the rise

Wakefield Area News

By Mary V. Lauro

BRONX, NEW YORK, July 9- There is no doubt that crime is on the rise throughout the City. 

From January 1, 2012 to June 31, 2012, crime throughout the City rose 4.31 percent. In the Bronx it rose 2.67 percent. But don't let those figures fool you. They are averages. Some areas have seen more of a rise than other areas. For example, the 47th Precinct saw a rise of 6.44 percent. That means that so far this year, it is not the contender for the most crime ridden. To date, Comp Stat figures show it at 959 felony crimes running fourth behind the 43rd, 44th and 52nd Precincts.

By the same token, all areas of the 47th Precinct do not have the same crime rate. Of the 11 sections into which the 47th is broken, the safest and least crime ridden is the Woodlawn community which has only three percent of the crime. Compare that with our own Wakefield which has 13 percent, making it the second highest crime section in the 47th. Keep in mind that if crime were equally spread throughout the precinct, all sections would have 9 percent of the crime

With sarcasm we note that so far, we have lost our title to the highest number of homicides. That distinction goes to the 48th which had 8. The 47th had 7. We were, however, the highest in rapes at 19. The 46th trailed us at 16. The 43rd beat us at robbery. It had 255. We had 230. In felonious assault the 43rd also beat us at 248, but we were close behind at 236. But in burglary, we beat them all at 511.We also get the title for the most auto thefts at 111.

The largest drop in crime was achieved by the 40th Precinct which fell by 10.12 percent. The 45th also did well at a drop of 6.61 percent. By contrast, the 47th went up by 6.44 percent.

We never cease to wonder at the 50th Precinct which always has the lowest crime rate, but continues to fall. The 50th includes Riverdale which, as everyone knows, is not a poverty area. One wonders whether its success ties in an overabundance of police presence in its streets. We suggest strolling through Riverdale noting how many patrol cars one meets. Then stroll through Wakefield to note the same thing. But don't hold your breath.

The NYPD loves to include in its Comp Stat figures changes that have occurred 2 years ago as well as 11 and 19 years ago. No matter how much crime rises, it insists that we look at how much more improved crime rates are from the height of the crime wave back in 1993. That is silly. That crime rate was the result of foolishness on the part of the NYPD. We expect it to be more efficient than it was then.

We note however statistics for the 2-year difference which add proof to the increase in crime throughout the City. These past two years the City rose in crime by 4.31 percent, the Bronx by 1.98 percent. Note the, rise in the 47th Precinct was substantially higher at 9.23 percent!

All of this is not to be construed as a criticism of the officers or commanders in our 47th Precinct. We can only praise them for the job they do with their limited resources. It is to be construed as an indictment of the manner by which the NYPD assigns officers. Last April we were overjoyed that Commissioner Kelly sent 43 officers to the 47th which it sorely needed. Less than a month later, 25 were removed!

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STAY COOL, SAVE ENERGY

NEW YORK, June 6 – Another burst of hot weather looms this weekend, and Con Edison is reminding customers about the best ways to stay cool and save money while doing it.

Saving on your electric bill is easy if you follow Con Edison’s energy-saving tips:

• Turn off air conditioners, lights, and other appliances before leaving home. Use a timer to have your air conditioner turn on shortly before you are scheduled to arrive home; 

• Make sure air conditioner filters are clean so the machines will run at peak efficiency;

• Set thermostats no lower than 78 degrees. Each degree lower increases cooling costs by 6 percent;

• If you have a room air-conditioning unit, close off the rooms not being used; if you have central air, block vents in unused or vacant rooms;

• To reduce heat and moisture in your apartment or home, run appliances such as ovens, washing machines, dryers and dishwashers in the early morning or late at night when it’s generally cooler outside. Use a microwave to cook, or barbecue outside, if possible;

• Keep shades, blinds and curtains closed. About 40 percent of unwanted heat comes through windows. Simply drawing blinds and curtains, which act as a layer of insulation, can reduce heat in your apartment or home, and,

• Try using fans instead of air conditioners, but be sure to leave your windows open for ventilation. Fans use as little as one-tenth the energy as air conditioners.

Con Edison also urges customers with central air conditioning to accept the company’s offer of a free programmable thermostat for homeowners, religious institutions and small businesses. The thermostat can be programmed manually or from the internet. To learn more, call 1-866-521-8600 or visit www.coned.com/cool. 

The company also reminds customers that $25 rebates are available for customers who invest in cost-cutting Energy Star-rated room air conditioners.  Applications for the $25 rebate can be downloaded at www.coned.com/roomacrebates.

Con Edison has invested $1.2 billion for system improvements this year, including $928 million for cables, transformers, and network protectors, $34 million for transmission upgrades, and $208 million on new substation installations and related equipment. (See http://www.coned.com/summerprep for details.)

Despite that, sustained hot weather sometimes triggers service problems or power interruptions. If that occurs, customers can report them, and also view any service restoration information, either online at www.conEd.com, on their cell phones, or on their PDAs.  Customers also may call Con Edison at 1-800-75-CONED (1-800-752-6633). 

When reporting an outage, customers should have their Con Edison account number available, if possible, and report whether their neighbors also have lost power. Customers who report outages will be called by Con Edison with their estimated restoration times as they become available.

Energy-savings tips are also available on Facebook at Power of Green, on Twitter @ConEdSara and by downloading the company’s Power of Green iPhone app.

Con Edison’s Green Team continues to offer a host of energy-savings programs for homes and businesses. Customers can take steps to reduce energy usage this summer with rebates and incentives now available for energy-efficient appliances and cooling systems in their homes and businesses. To learn more or enroll, go to www.coned.com/GreenTeam  or call 1-877-870-6118.

Calling All Choirs

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, July 5- The Pathmark Gospel choir competition is back and better than before! 

Does your church, school or community choir have what it takes to compete? All gospel singing groups are invited to audition and compete in the 12^th Annual Pathmark Gospel Competition for over $10,000 worth of prizes. 

This year the historic contest takes place on Saturday, July 21, at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, NY. Entries are on a first-come, first-serve basis, so sign your choir up quickly.

For more information or to register for the competition, please visit http://www.pathmark.com/gospel_choir.asp.

NYPD Pours Cold Water on Illegal Fireworks

BRONX, NEW YORK, July 3- The NYPD reminds all New Yorkers to celebrate the 4^th of July safely and legally this week. 

Through July 1, police have made 93 separate seizures of assorted illegal fireworks in various volume through arrests, vehicle check points and buy operations. The firecrackers, aerial displays, rockets and fireworks cakes confiscated so far fill more than 300 boxes and bags, from individual packages up to gallon trash bags.

Fifty-six individuals have been arrested for illegal fireworks and an additional 33 issued summonses. Fifty cars were found to have been transporting illegal fireworks, 12 of which were confiscated from their operators. Citizens are encouraged to call 311 to provide information about anyone using or selling illegal fireworks, and 911 to report crimes in progress.

Fireworks violations increase as the Fourth of July approaches. From Jan. 1 to July 5 last year the NYPD made 579 seizures of illegal fireworks, or an estimated 6,500 lbs – more than three tons – of assorted pyrotechnics. Confiscated fireworks are destroyed in controlled burns at the NYPD range in Rodman’s Neck, the Bronx.