Big stink in Riverdale

We've been getting complaints and inquiries all week about the reek coming from Van Cortlandt Park between the 240s and 250s. The Parks Department's been working to completely remake the Parade Grounds for quite a while. Eventually there will be ballfields and lots of grass to lay around on.

But right now, the only thing that anyone around here cares about is the smell of compost that's strangling the neighborhood. Sometimes it smells like horse manure. Sometimes it smells worse than that. People have called to say they're keeping their windows closed and huddling around the air conditioner even on cool nights just to keep the smell out.

We're investigating to find out when we can expect the stench to blow over, so to speak, and we'll post more details as we have them.

Did anyone go to the Philharmonic concert in the park last night? It started off OK, but ended up stinky. We'd love to hear your experiences.

You can also share with us on Twitter. We've tagged the stink #riverstale.

Bike racks in the Bronx

BoogieDowner noticed recently there aren't any bike racks in Marble Hill. Riverdale doesn't have any either.

The borough president's office — when Adolfo Carrión was running it — released a study identifying all the bike rack locations in the Bronx. I mapped the locations using Google Maps to help me while I was writing a story about this a couple of months ago. If you're looking for a place to park your bike, here's where they are, according to the beep's office:



If the friendly bloggers from Bedford Park noticed this problem, we figure maybe other folks have noticed too. So here's some information on the dearth of bike racks throughout Riverdale, which we've written about twice before.

Stella D’oro union gets crucial win

By Kate Pastor
kpastor@riverdalepress.com

Stella D’oro workers, out on strike for nearly a year now, won their first victory yesterday when the National Labor Relations Board ruled in their favor.
“There’s nothing else I could ask for,” said Joyce Alston, president of Local 50 of the Bakery, Confectioners, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union, which represents the 136 striking workers.
The union charged the company with negotiating in bad faith and the union is reporting a favorable ruling in the case.