Welcome back to another edition — the Bronx Olympic update edition — of the Bronx News Roundup. Hope everyone had a lovely weekend. Here are the stories we’re following today, starting with the weather: Mostly sunny, high of 84, rain possible this evening.
We’ll start with some Olympic action involving Bronxites.
John Orozco, the young gymnast who’s receiving a lot of media attention for his made-for-TV, rags-to-riches rise from a poor home in the south Bronx to the top ranks of world gymnastics, came out strong during team qualifying on Saturday. In leading the United States to the top team qualifying score, Orozco posted the fourth highest all-around overall score, finishing just a little more than half a point behind US teammate Daniel Leyva. Orozco and the US team are back in action today, starting at 11:30 a.m., for the team final. (The NY Times will be live-blogging from the event.) The individual final starts tomorrow and individual events are scheduled for later in the week. (Couldn’t find a way to embed any highlights from Saturday, but here’s a link to NBC’s montage from the men’s competition.)
The other Bronx Olympian you may have heard of, swimmer Cullen Jones (who now lives in Jersey), contributed to the US team’s silver medal finish yesterday in the 4 X 100 freestyle relay. [Times] In Beijing four years ago, the US team, with Jones competing, barely edged out a trash-talking French squad by the narrowest of margins in one of most thrilling moments of those games. This time around, France returned the favor, beating Jones and Co. (including stars Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte) to the finish by an arm’s length. Jones is off today, but will back in the pool tomorrow for the 100 meter freestyle and will compete in the 50 meter freestyle later in the week.
Two fencers from the Bronx — 34-year-old Riverdalian Timothy Morehouse (a 2008 silver medalist) and Daryl Homer, a 22-year-old St. John’s student from St. Thomas — both made it to the quarterfinals of the Individual Sabre competition and lost. Both will be competing in the team finals later this week.
In other news:
Following the deaths of 4-year-old Lloyd Morgan and 14-year-old Kemar Brooks, both victims of gun violence in the Bronx last week, there was an “outpouring” of support by local churches and elected officials, the Times reports. One Bronx Assembly candidate, Mark Gjonaj (80th AD, facing Naomi Rivera), gave Lloyd Morgan’s family $6,000 to help with funeral costs. A third suspect was charged in the shooting that killed Lloyd, DNAinfo reports.
Although five or six shell casings from fired bullets were found on the basketball court in Haffen Park, near where Kemar was playing tennis the night he was killed, police believe the 14-year-old high school freshman may have been hit by a stray bullet fired from two blocks away — several hours after the first shots were fired near the basketball court, the NY Post reports.
To show how easy it is to bring illegal guns into the Bronx (and other parts of NYC), Brooklyn Assemblyman Eric Adams purchased an assault rifle equipped with a high-apacity magazine and drove it to the Bronx border (Yonkers) and held a press conference with, among others, Bronx DA Robert Johnson, the NY Post reports. Assault weapons with high-capacity magazines are outlawed in the city, but not other parts of New York state.
Continuing with our gun violence theme, sadly, the son of Good Dine (a West Indian restaurant on East 223rd Street) owner Kenneth Clarke, Gary Clarke, was found murdered, with a gun shot wound to his chest, near East 228th Street and White Plains Road on Saturday morning, the NY Post reports.
Jeffrey Smalls, one of the founders of the Bronx Design and Construction Academy on the Alfred E. Smith campus, has big plans for his students, the NY Post reports. All of his students, he says, will be ready to enter the workforce in the construction trades or go to college. The school is in its second year.
On Saturday morning, the Daily News reports, the intersection of Mosholu Parkway North and Webster Avenue was dedicated as “Police Officer Eric Hernandez Memorial Corner” in honor of Hernandez, a police officer with the 52nd Precinct who was killed by fellow cops during a fight at a local White Castle restaurant. (More on coverage on this later.)
Two entertainers, including Play from the hip hop duo Kid n’ Play, are coming to the Bronx Library Center (E. Kingsbridge Road, just north of Fordham Road), to talk about financial literacy, the Daily News reports. “Fame and (Mis)Fortune” starts tomorrow at 6 p.m. at the Library Center.
An SUV crashed into a Parkchester bus shelter on Sunday morning, injuring a woman who was waiting there.
A fire broke out at Hunts Point warehouse this morning, NBC news reports.
And finally and least importantly, Katie Holmes and daughter Suri hit the Bronx Zoo over the weekend.
Enjoy the day. Send links and news tips to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org.