Toll-Free Henry Hudson for Bronxites
Starting in a year, the Henry Hudson Bridge will be free through the form of a rebate for cars registered in the Bronx and equipped with an EZ pass, following an agreement secured by State Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, the Riverdale Press reports. It is currently $2.80 with an EZ pass and $7 without. The toll leads to “bridge shopping,” which causes traffic jams and exhaust fumes in Kingsbridge and Marble Hill, Dinowitz said. Dinowitz, who supports congestion pricing for lower Manhattan, said his backing the toll rebate didn’t mean he doesn’t still support public transit. “The best way to get people to stop driving is by making mass transit the clearly superior option,” Dinowitz said.

Thief Sentenced for GTO
A Bronx Supreme Court Justice sentenced Reynaldo Nazario, 42, to five to 10 years in prison for stealing three vehicles throughout the Bronx including in the 52nd precinct, District Attorney Darcel D. Clark said. The defendant was convicted of stealing 14 older-model Hondas and falsely filled out DMV forms in order to sell the cars to scrap yards for $250 each, Clark said. Nazario pled guilty to the charges in March.

AG Unveils All-Electric Truck Fleet
New York State Attorney General Letitia James’s office is providing nine electric, battery-powered, zero-emission delivery trucks to six local nonprofits. The donation was made using the money from a settlement American Electric Power paid the AG’s office in a suit over violations of the Federal Clean Air Act. Most delivery trucks use diesel, which contributes to air pollution. Emissions from trucks and buses contribute to 170 deaths per year in New York City, with lower-income communities being hit the hardest, according to a study from the Environmental Health Journal.

Support for Tenant Organizing Bill
The coalition that backed the city’s Right to Counsel law—which gives the right to free legal representation to low-income New Yorkers facing eviction—rallied on the steps of City Hall on April 18 to support a new bill to require the city to work with community groups to spread awareness among tenants about their legal rights in housing court. In attendance were Councilman Mark Levine, the sponsor of the bill; Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson, who represents the West Bronx where a pilot program on Right to Counsel began; Nadia Metayer, tenant leader at Community Action for Safe Apartments (CASA) in the Bronx; and Yarisme Guilamo, tenant leader at the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition.

New Interim Catholic Schools Superintendent
Michael J. Deegan, the Deputy Superintendent of Catholic Schools for the New York Archdiocese, will serve as Interim Superintendent for the archdiocese until a new superintendent is appointed, Archbishop Timothy Dolan announced. Deegan attended elementary school at St. Philip Neri School in Bedford Park. His wife of 27 years, Angela, is principal of St. Francis Xavier School in Morris Park.

Fordham U. Tragedy
Sydney Monfries, 22, died after accidentally slipping and falling from atop of one of Fordham University’s tallest towers, through an opening in the Keating Clock Tower’s stairwell during the early hours of April 14. She was a senior set to graduate from the school’s Rose Hill Campus. Monfries was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in Greenburgh. The university will honor her with a posthumous bachelor’s degree.