These are the Bronx news stories we’re following today:

— This is a huge story, not just in the Bronx, but in the entire city: In a decision issued this morning, federal judge Sheila Scheindlin ruled that the NYPD’s use of stop-and-frisk tactics, which have come under heavy scrutiny over the past couple of years, violated the rights of thousands of New Yorkers. Scheindlin took the extra step of appointing a former prosecutor for the Manhattan district attorney’s office, Peter Zimroth, to monitor the police department going forward and make sure it complies with the Constitution, the New York Times reports.

Mayor Bloomberg, who claimed stop-and-frisk tactics were one of the primary reason for the city’s significant drop in violent crime over the past decade, wasn’t pleased with the ruling, saying the judge showed bias, and vowed to appeal it. Here’s a snippet from his press release sent out this afternoon:

“Throughout the case, we didn’t believe that we were getting a fair trial. This decision confirms that suspicion, and we will be presenting evidence of that unfairness to the Appeals Court.

“We will also be pointing out to the Appeals Court that Supreme Court precedents were largely ignored in this decision. The NYPD’s ability to stop and question suspects that officers have reason to believe have committed crimes, or are about to commit crimes, is the kind of policing that courts across the nation have found, for decades, to be constitutionally valid.

“If this decision were to stand, it would turn those precedents on their head – and make our city, and in fact the whole country, a more dangerous place.”

— With a trial set to start in about a month, the city agreed to pay $12 million in damages to 12 east Bronx families whose children contracted Leukemia while living near a landfill. Three of children have died, CBS News reports.

— The Daily News discovered that the two gun connected to slain Bronx boy Shaaliver Douse, the 14-year-old who was killed by police last Monday, were purchases out of state and somehow found their way into the city.

That’s it for today. We’ll be back on Wednesday and don’t forget to check out the Bronx Crime Report tomorrow afternoon.