Bake Sale On Steroids

So much for providing healthier food for schoolchildren:

Blatantly defying nutritional guidelines imposed by the city educrats, a Bronx high school is selling belly bombers and other banned junk food to students, the Daily News has learned.

The “supermarket” in the basement of Walton High School peddles a smorgasbord of fatty alternatives to cafeteria food — including ice cream, beef patties, gyros, frozen White Castle hamburgers and canned ravioli, students and teachers revealed.

The store, which aims to raise money for school clubs and provide job training for special education students, has a microwave to heat up the forbidden food. It also sells banned sodas to wash down the treats.

“It’s street food. The only thing that is healthy is milk,” said Juan Finch, a Walton freshman who has downed his fair share of the market’s White Castle burgers. “Students get angry when the store is closed.”

On most school days, a line of students — as well as security guards and teachers — snakes down the hallway outside the supermarket, according to students who told The News they’d rather starve than eat cafeteria food.

“This is regular food, things we eat at home,” said Jarleen Sambou, a Walton senior who routinely buys instant soup, soda and spaghetti in a can from the supermarket.

. . .

Many large high schools run on-campus stores, selling snacks and notebooks to kids as a way to raise money for school clubs.

But in the last few years, principals have adjusted store menus to comply with a healthful-food-only rule. In many cases, sales plummeted.

Sounds Like A Deal!

The City Council overwhelmingly approved a new Yankees Stadium yesterday:

The new stadium for the Yankees would represent the culmination of a long quest by the team, which had pushed for a new home in Manhattan but ultimately decided to remain in the Bronx as the borough’s fortunes improved.

Under the financing plan for the stadium, the Yankees will pay for the construction through $930 million in bonds issued by the city, of which $860 million will be tax-exempt. Taxpayers will also bear some of the costs because the team will pay back the bonds through payments in lieu of taxes to the city.

In their current home, the Yankees pay rent to the city but only after deducting the cost of maintenance. The team pays no capital expenses. While the Yankees will not pay rent for the new stadium, the team will be responsible for the maintenance and operation costs and any capital improvements. The state’s share would be $70 million of the $320 million cost of building four parking garages that could be used by local residents throughout the year; the remainder would come from private developers.

Under the deal, the city would spend at least $138 million to demolish the old stadium, create new parkland to replace the 22 acres being used for the stadium in Macomb’s Dam and Mullaly Parks, and to make improvements to other nearby parks.

. . .

[Yankees president Randy] Levine said construction on the new Yankee stadium could begin as soon as this spring. When completed it will seat slightly fewer people than the current one, but will offer 42 more luxury sky boxes, which are lucrative for teams, and 3,000 more parking spaces. In another change, the new stadium will have standing room for another 1,000 people.

Never Forget What?

A convenience store owner in the Bronx finds that Sept. 11 murals don’t prevent graffiti like they used to:

A mural paying tribute to those who died on September 11, 2001 was hit with graffiti vandalism recently, prompting an outcry by local elected officials, community leaders and residents.

A side wall of the Bronx Convenience store at 674 Allerton Avenue features a large mural honoring those who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center . It showcases a flowing American Flag, the Twin Towers and the message “God Bless America” in large block letters.

Despite the patriotic symbols and words of affection for the country, an unidentified graffiti vandal or vandals tagged the mural recently, spraying yellow paint over it.

Ali Monesar, an owner of the convenience store, said he commissioned a local mural artist four years ago to paint the tribute to the victims and heroes of the 9/11 tragedy. He said the artist specifically indicated in the lower corner of the mural that the artwork was designed as a memorial to those who perished in the attacks. It reads, “Please respect, no tags.” The mural managed to avoid graffiti tags for the past few years, but someone decided to destroy the mural in recent weeks.

Goddamn Yankees

Unless something strange happens — something strange like, I don’t know, the City Council actually giving a shit about the residents living across the street from the site of a proposed new stadium or, say, someone in city government acting like they’re being responsible with public funds — the House That George Built Using Parkland And $135 Million Of City Money will move forward:

Last-minute haggling continued yesterday, but the Yankees’ plan to build a new $800 million stadium on appropriated parkland appears headed for approval tomorrow in the City Council.

Council insiders involved in the process said two committees are expected to approve the stadium project in the morning, allowing the full Council to give its approval at its afternoon session.

So far, only one of the eight Bronx Council members has publicly declared she will vote against the stadium plan — Helen Foster (D-Highbridge), whose district physically borders Yankee Stadium but doesn’t include it.

. . .

Under the city’s Uniform Land Use Review Process, the Council has until tomorrow to vote on the Yankees’ and city’s plan to build a new 53,000-seat stadium on 13 acres of parkland on 161st St. across from the Bombers’ current 83-year-old stadium.

. . .

The new stadium would occupy 13 acres sliced out of Macombs Dam Park and John Mullaly Park. Other pieces ofthe two parks also would be used for four new parking garages.

The city, in turn, has promised to spend $135 million to create 28 acres of new parkland and recreation space, including turning the House That Ruth Built into a “Heritage Field” baseball facility for youth teams.

The state will also spend $70 million to finance the construction of the four parking garages.

Is it supposed to be some kind of consolation that the Yankees are willing to spend $800 million on the new stadium when taxpayers will contribute $205 million in public money? Do you know what you could get for $205 million? It would just about cover, for example, the City of Newark’s entire contribution to the proposed arena for the Devils (according to sources, $210 million).

Still, the best part of the deal is that the Yankees are willing to spend a whopping $28 million over 40 years to support causes in the Bronx:

And though it’s not officially part of the plan the Council will vote on, the Yankees have offered a community benefits agreement that includes distribution of $28 million over 40 years — at $700,000 a year — to local nonprofit organizations, schools and sports groups.

Of course! We give you $205 million in infrastructure improvements and you give us $28 million over 40 years. What an idea . . . I’m glad this isn’t controversial or anything.

For your entertainment and/or to raise your blood pressure — Lukas Herbert’s Unnoffical Guide To The Yankee Stadium Draft Environmental Impact Statement (.pdf). An excerpt:

The Yankees have made it clear that they want a modernized facility, with more space and more amenities, for their team. No longer will the majority of the seats be on the upper deck. No longer will the seats be too narrow for today’s expanded waistlines. No longer will the concourses be crowded with people, and the lines to buy a hot dog too long. No longer would the Yankees have to share a weight room with the opposing visiting team. The new stadium would fix all of these problems — plus you’d get a stadium that reminds you of a past stadium that was destroyed . . . AND you’d get a cup-holder at your seat. There would also be more parking. And the team would not move to New Jersey, a perennial threat that most New Yorkers have learned to simply ignore.

But the worst thing — the worst thing — is that the new plan makes getting loaded at those skeevy-yobbo River Avenue bars that much less convenient. Bastards!

Anarchy In The Bronx Continues

Security guards continue to strike in the Bronx:

Although police officials say patrols of Co-op City have increased since the strike began, many of its older residents say they no longer go out at night. (Those 65 and over make up as much as one-sixth of Co-op City’s population.)

Some women do not venture into basement laundry rooms. Some parents refuse to let children out after dinner. And residents speak ominously about what might happen to their high-rise village if the strike drags on.

. . .

Joyce Liston, 73, who has lived in Co-op City since 1999, said that she had attended functions at the complex three to four times a week for years, but that she had been out after dark only once since the strike began.

“It makes me very scared to go out at night,” she said. “I make sure I’m in my house by 6 p.m. or 6:30 p.m.”

Authorities maintain that crime has not gone up since the private patrol officers went on strike March 15.