Bus chats

Riverdale resident Ed Ravin shares his thoughts on the new pedestrian island on Broadway and West 238th Street and gives the city a few suggestions on how to make it even better on Streetsblog this week.

Top stories in Riverdale this week

After the Public Service Commission demanded it provide more information, Con Edison has released its newly revised construction plan for the massive power line that will run the length of Riverdale. While there are some noticeable changes, many details concerning the big dig are still missing.

The city Department of Education graded local schools, and like many across the city, parents and politicians in Riverdale aren't too happy with the results. City Councilman Oliver Koppell has demanded the city revise the grades.

Just a month after a celebration was held in her honor, Mary McLoughlin, a tireless community advocate and one of the founders of the Kingsbridge Heights Community Center, has died.

Also, a 19-year-old was shot in Marble Hill last week; police officers collared six teens who allegedly mugged a 15-year-old in Van Cortlandt Park; and car break-ins continue — all in Police Beat.

Have an eyesore?

Our roving photographers are always on the lookout for eyesores. Graffiti tags are easy enough to spot, but maybe you know of a more interesting blot on the Riverdale landscape. Share it here or e-mail Joshua Bright, photo editor, at jbright@riverdalepress.com.

One up, one down

Since our post last week, city Department of Transportation workers have replaced the middle arrow sign off exit 22 on the northbound side of the Henry Hudson Parkway. But not long after, as you can see, another sign was mowed down and lopped off at its base by a speeding car.
Riverdale residents have requested that additional signs be installed before the West 253rd Street exit to warn drivers of the sharp curve. The DOT still has not taken action. We'll continue to keep track of how many times the arrow signs are knocked down and set back up again.

Riverdale: the new destination?

InToTheBox.TV, a Web site featuring short videos on New York City neighborhoods, has trained its camera lens on Riverdale.
Featured are a young couple who moved from Manhattan into what appears to be a spacious Riverdale co-op and Shmuel Jonas, the developer behind the Riverstone Apartments on Arlington Avenue.
While Riverdale was once a well-kept secret, the show's host remarks, trendy new developments, cultural attractions and green features have made it the new hot destination for Manhattanites. Watch the video.

Making the grade

The city Department of Ed released school progress reports Monday, grading each city school on a scale of A through F. Top local elementary schools PS 24 and PS 81 both received Bs, while schools with historically low test scores — PS 7, PS/MS 37, PS 310 and PS 360 — all snagged As. The DOE marked the David A. Stein Riverdale/Kingsbridge Academy, MS/HS 141, with two contrasting grades — a C for the middle school but an A for the high school.

The grading system is complex to say the least. For the most part, a school's grade is determined by how well they closed the achievement gap. High-need students (groups scoring in the lowest third citywide) that improved test scores over a year boosted a school's grade. But high-performing schools, like PS 24 or PS 81, that have little or no room for improvement were, in effect, penalized for not "improving."

The grading system has angered local parents. Both Councilman Oliver Koppell and Marvin Shelton, president of the Community Education Council of District 10, called the grading "unfair."

Look for a full analysis on our local school's grades in tomorrow's issue. But first, find your local school's report card here.

Tech-savvy teens

Our local schools are becoming more wired by the day.

This school year, Salanter Akiba of Riverdale Academy has started its own podcast, titled "The Sounds of SAR." In this week's podcast, students explore the concept of change. The podcasting crew interviewed fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth graders to explore how school has changed for them this year.

What's your carbon footprint?

The Riverdale Nature Preservancy held its annual meeting Nov. 1 and invited environmental experts to discuss how to "live green" in Riverdale. Look for a list of suggestions in this week's issue. But first, calculate your own carbon footprint here.

Set 'em up, knock 'em down

Well that didn’t take long.
Just two months after the city Department of Transportation erected three new arrow signs at the West 253rd Street exit of the Henry Hudson Parkway, warning drivers of a sharp curve ahead, one has already been plowed down.
The sign was cleanly decapitated at the base of its pole.
For years, Riverdale residents have asked the city agency to put up better signage to notify drivers of the hairpin turn.
On Aug. 30 The Press ran an article on the situation.
At that time a DOT spokesman said that the agency would further examine the exit to determine if any additional signs were needed. Nothing has been done since.
One down, two more to go...

Former Riverdalian found murdered

Linda Stein, 62, who grew up and Riverdale and went on to be a so-called “Realtor to the Stars,” was found murdered in her Fifth Avenue apartment late Tuesday night.
Ms. Stein is the daughter of Ira and Mabel Adler, who owned a Kosher catering business in Riverdale. She also taught fifth grade in Riverdale before she went on to co-manage The Ramones.
Articles on Ms. Stein’s suspected murder were covered in the
New York Times, the Daily News, the New York Post and the New York Sun.