BP Calls on Community to Stand Up to Gun Violence

By Dan Gesslein

BRONX, NEW YORK, September 7- As police release surveillance video of the men suspected of wounding an infant with a stray bullet, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. is calling on all Bronxites to stop the violence. 

In a statement, the BP is calling on residents in all Bronx communities to be a part of his “Peace in our Streets” initiative on September 22. 

“Please volunteer your time and work with us to take as many illegal guns off of our streets by helping provide information to fellow Bronxites about ways they can make their neighborhoods safer,” Diaz said. “I also urge all Bronxites with knowledge of illegal guns in their community to call 866-GUN-STOP to anonymously report those guns to the police.”

The BP’s plea comes in the wake of two high-profile acts of gun violence. On Tuesday, Lamin Sillah, a 28-year-old immigrant from Gambia, was shot and killed when two men tried to rob the gas station he worked at. 

The following day, two-month-old Trayvon Bunson was grazed by a bullet while sitting in his stroller in Hunts Point. Cops say the infant was hit in the shoulder when the gunmen opened fire on their intended target. Investigators released surveillance video of the suspected gunmen fleeing the scene. 

"I speak for all Bronxites as we keep Lamin Sellah in our prayers and hope for little Trayvon Bunson's quick recovery,” Diaz said.

"Ending gun violence has been a top priority of mine and I know it is a national problem. Unfortunately, despite our good work, too many firearms end up in the wrong hands both through legal and illegal means. We must all unite in putting an end to this senseless act of violence so we can better prevent these crimes and protect innocent people across our city and nation,” the borough president concluded.

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Book details life with The Boss, the Yankees

Ray Negron’s “Yankee Miracles: Life with the Boss and the Bronx Bombers”

By Howard Goldin

A very interesting story of the major baseball personalities that dominated the headlines during the years of George Steinbrenner’s ownership of the New York Yankees was written by Ray Negron and Sally Cook. Negron, now a community adviser with the organization, began as the team’s batboy in 1973 through highly unexpected circumstances.

Negron offers the reader that strange story and many others that explain many of the events of his life and how those events affected his growth into adulthood. Unlike other volumes of Steinbrenner’s Yankees that were written by sportswriters or historians, this book is a first-person account written by someone who heard the words quoted and witnessed the events described. Negron includes himself in the events in which he was a part, but he does not narcissistically put himself front and center in place of those who were at the center of the story.

The gamut of emotions of the personalities in the story range widely from the heartbreak after the plane crash and death of catcher Thurman Munson and the illness and death of Bobby Murcer to the humor displayed between the players on the Yankees. Thus, the reader is able to experience these same emotions as the pages turn.

Negron, the author of several best-selling children’s books, has written his first adult volume. The similarities between his newest book and earlier children’s stories outweigh the necessary differences in vocabulary. All focus on the New York Yankees under the ownership of Steinbrenner and life in the inner city for youngsters like Negron in the 1970s and many children in the 21^st century. All are intended to be uplifting, to give the readers hope and to encourage the best in all who read his words, whether adult or child.

Negron pictures the book’s characters in a positive light, but that only reflects his mindset. He sees them as human beings, decent at heart but neither saints nor devils. The stories told in the book allows the reader to better understand these Yankees as people rather than as automatons whose only importance is the statistics they compile during their playing careers. Anyone personally familiar with the personalities in the book or the events described will recognize that the affection of the author does not negate the truthfulness of the story.

Negron’s life experiences with George Steinbrenner and the stories he has learned of many others whose lives have been touched in a very positive manner by the late owner of the Yankees are the reason why Negron’s volume is truly a tribute to the life of George M. Steinbrenner.

You don’t have to be a Yankees rooter or a baseball fan to enjoy or be moved by this volume as it is a human story, but being such a fan will certainly increase your involvement.

The publishing company has already scheduled many book signings for the author. Negron insisted that the first be held in the borough that is the home of the Yankees. Thus, Negron will begin his book tour at Barnes & Noble in Co-Op City on Wednesday, September 5.

Another important project that Negron has devoted his energies and talents to in the past few years will come to fruition at Christmas. Negron has produced an animated film “Henry & Me” in which many stars of the entertainment and sports worlds provided the voices of the characters of the film. The film shows the manner in which Yankees of the past and present provide hope to a young boy who is seriously ill.

Book Information:

Title: Yankee Miracles: Life with the Boss and the Bronx Bombers   Publisher: Liveright/Norton

ISBN: 978-0-87140-461-9    Pages: 288    Price: $25.95

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Parkchester News: Second Homicide at Parkchester Building this Summe...

Parkchester News: Second Homicide at Parkchester Building this Summe...: (Homicide detectives return once again to Unionport Road.--Photo by David Greene) By David Greene BRONX, NEW YORK, September 6- Police a...

Second Homicide at Parkchester Building this Summer

(Homicide detectives return once again to Unionport Road.--Photo by David Greene)

By David Greene

BRONX, NEW YORK, September 6- Police are looking for the gunman who shot and killed a Parkchester man, the second killing in the building since June.

Few details were available, but according to the NYPD, a still-unidentified 23-year old man was discovered by a friend inside a first-floor apartment at 1553 Unionport Road, at 2:51 p.m., on Friday, August 31.

Police are withholding the name of the victim pending notification of family members, but did state that the victim had lived in the apartment.

The victim was discovered with a single gunshot wound to the head.

The building was the site of a shooting back on June 22, where one man was killed and another wounded, police at the time described that killing as a, "drug related robbery."

Detectives continue to investigate, but could not immediately say if the two shootings were related.

A friend of the victim vowed, "This isn't the last you've heard of this."

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Reward Offered to Find Immigrant’s Killers

Gas Station Attendant Gunned Down

By Dan Gesslein

BRONX, NEW YORK, September 6- A $12,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a pair of bicycle robbers who gunned down a hardworking African immigrant at an East Tremont gas station.

Yesterday, police announced the $12,000 reward for information leading to two men suspected of killing a 28-year-old Gambian immigrant inside an East Tremont gas station. The victim had apparently been working at the station less than two weeks before he was killed.

Investigators released a sketch of the gunman who was wearing a NY Giants hoodie at the time. 

At around 8:12 p.m. on September 4, Lamin Sillah, 28, was inside the gas station at E. 182nd Street and Southern Boulevard when the bandits rode up on bicycles. Sillah was counting receipts at RC Petroleum when one of the gunman entered the office and showed a gun. Surveillance video shows that as Sillah puts up his hands, the gunman shoots him in the torso. 

Sillah was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital with three bullets in him but he died a short time later.

Police said Sillah was a hard working immigrant from Gambia whose wife is still living in Africa. It is unclear why the robbers gunned down the attendant.

The gunman is described as a black male between the ages of 20 and 25. He has a stocky build and was last seen wearing a NY Giants hoodie. 

Anyone with information is urged to call CRIMESTOPPERS at (800) 577-TIPS. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

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Gas Station Attendant Gunned Down

By Dan Gesslein

BRONX, NEW YORK, September 5- Police are asking for the public’s help in trying to catch a pair of bike riding robbers who gunned down a hard working immigrant in East Tremont.

At around 8:12 p.m. on September 4, Lamin Sillah, 28, was inside the gas station at E. 182nd Street and Southern Boulevard when the bandits rode up on bicycles. Sillah was counting receipts at RC Petroleum when one of the gunman entered the office and showed a gun. Surveillance video shows that as Sillah puts up his hands, the gunman shoots him in the torso. 

Sillah was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital with three bullets in him but he died a short time later.

Police said Sillah was a hard working immigrant from Gambia whose wife is still living in Africa. It is unclear why the robbers gunned down the attendant.

The gunman is described as a black male between the ages of 20 and 25. He has a stocky build and was last seen wearing a NY Giants hoodie. 

Anyone with information is urged to call CRIMESTOPPERS at (800) 577-TIPS. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

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Tiger Cubs Make Their Zoo Debut

(Photo by Julie Larsen, WCS)

BRONX, NEW YORK, September 5– The Tiger Mountain exhibit at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo roared with new activity as three Amur tiger cubs made their public debut.

The cubs were born to mother Katharina and father Sasha. These tigers were bred by recommendation of the Species Survival Plan, a cooperative breeding program designed to enhance the genetic and demographic stability of the tiger population in zoos accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to ensure its long-term viability of the species.

The one male and two females in the litter each weighed an estimated two-and-a-half to three pounds at birth and now weigh approximately 45 pounds. Katharina is 13 years old, and her last litter of cubs was born in May 2010. Sasha is 15 years old, and this is his first litter.

The three cubs will be on exhibit with their mother intermittently for the first few weeks as they acclimate to their surroundings.

“The birth of a rare species like Amur tigers is always an exciting time at the Bronx Zoo,” said Jim Breheny, WCS Executive Vice President and Bronx Zoo Director. “The cubs will play a vital role as representatives for their wild relatives – inspiring zoo visitors to learn more about the threats these majestic animals face in the wild and what we can do to protect them.”

In celebration of the debut of the three tiger cubs, the Bronx Zoo is offering $3 off the purchase of each Total Experience Ticket purchased online. Visit www.bronxzoo.com for more information and to purchase a ticket to visit the cubs.

Amur tigers are also known as Siberian tigers. They are found in the Russian Far East and northeastern China. Male Amur tigers are the world’s largest cat and can grow to weigh 650 pounds. 

Tigers are in trouble. In the last 100 years, the global wild tiger population has plummeted 97 percent to just 3,200 – 1,000 of which are breeding females. Once found in 30 countries across vast areas of Asia, tigers are now just found in scattered fragments across 10 countries.

The Wildlife Conservation Society is on the ground saving wild tigers right now by implementing a “Source Site” strategy to reverse the downward trend. Source Sites are areas in the wild where viable populations of breeding females exist and have suitable habitat to support population growth. Forty-two Source Sites scattered across Asia have been identified as the last hope and greatest priority for the conservation and recovery of tigers.  A WCS delegation is currently attending the World Conservation Congress in South Korea from Sept. 6-13 to fight for tigers and other species at risk from extinction.

As the global leader in tiger conservation, WCS has been conducting ecological studies on tigers since the 1960s and has a long history of protecting these big cats through the establishment of protected areas, increasing enforcement against poaching, and public education.  Wildlife Conservation Society researchers continue their work across Asia safeguarding tigers throughout their range.

For more information on the study and how to help WCS save tigers in the wild, visit www.wcs.org.

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