By Hugh Thornhill

Here’s your news roundup for the day:

– Kenneth Giordano, whose Willie’s Steakhouse became the center of the Bronx’s Latin Jazz community, died at from Melanoma at the age of 70 on Monday, the Daily News reports. After buying out Willie’s from its former co-owner Willie Fornes in the 1990s, Giordano greatly increased its jazz performances. Jazz greats such as Johnny Pacheco, Dave Valentin, Willie Colon, Eddie Palmieri and Tito Puente were regulars at the restaurant.

– Police are currently after five suspects in a string of armed robberies that are targeting Bronx women, News 12 the Bronx reports. The incidents occurred on June 21 and 27.

– According to a NY1 report, there’s a heated battle going on between the city and the firefighter’s union over the response time to a fire that occurred Wednesday morning in the Bronx. The city’s 911 system has come under heavy scrutiny for being prone to technical glitches. The firefighter’s union claims that there was a 12-minute gap in relaying crucial information about the fire because of such a glitch.

– Another fire took place on Wednesday at an apartment on Commonwealth Ave., the Daily News reports. Two of the children living in the apartment, Destiny and Jazlynn Velez, were trapped in their room but were able to escape through their window and down the fire escape.

– The Riverdale Press wrote a report on the City Council District 11 debate that happened on July 11. For a large portion of the debate, the candidates addressed the issue of whether Riverdale receives more attention and funding due to the higher voter turnouts in the area during election season.

That’s your news roundup for the day, we’ll be back next week.