Riverdale/Kingsbridge schools' grades slip

The Department of Education just issued progress reports for city elementary and middle schools and schools in our area got Bs and Cs for the most part.

Check out our story.

Breaking News: Punks vandalize Vannie with swastikas

Go to The Riverdale Press website for the story.

Breaking News: Body found in Harlem River

Go to The Riverdale Press website for the developing story.

Pedestrian hit, blaze on Kingsbridge Terrace

We have two new stories on our website:

One is about a pedestrian who was sent flying through the air after he was hit on Riverdale Avenue yesterday. We will update it as soon we get more information.

The other is about a fire that forced the FDNY to evacuate a line of apartments on Kingsbridge Terrace, also yesterday.

Who sent those fliers?

Anonymous mailers are still rolling in.

One claiming that Al Sharpton is ORDERING people to vote for Gustavo Rivera in the 33rd District state Senate race arrived in mailboxes late last week.

Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz said he obtained the lit from a constituent who is also a Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club member. Mr. Dinowitz, who is supporting Mr. Rivera, provided a copy to The Press.

The race is now between Mr. Rivera and incumbent Pedro Espada Jr. However, Mr. Espada's campaign denied sending it out.

"We did not send any mailers with or about Sharpton,"spokesman Haile Rivera said.

Another mailer furnished by Mr. Dinowitz, displays unflattering news clips about Adriano Espaillat, running for the 31st District state Senate seat, and references a New York Times editorial which, while reserving some kind words for top contender Mark Levine and telling New Yorkers to "vote against anybody who has done time in Albany," in fact endorsed Mr. Espaillat.

Mr. Levine would not venture to guess who sent out the mailers, but said it was not his campaign. The fight for that seat, however, is definitely getting uglier.

Last week, the Espaillat campaign complained that Mr. Levine sent out a robocall implying he had won The Times' endorsement, provoking Mr. Dinowitz — an Espaillat supporter — to counter it with a robocall of his own.

Then, Mr. Levine called for Mr. Espaillt to repudiate racially-charged comments made by former Mayor David Dinkins when he endorsed Mr. Espaillat on Rosh Hashana (Espaillat is Dominican and Levine is Jewish).

"But it is important, it is so very important, particularly for the people of this district who vote on Tuesday to recognize how important it is to understand that the city is changing. Most people in the city are going to look more like us than others and that's just a fact. It is not a bad thing. It is frankly a good thing," The New York Observer reported he said.

Mr. Levine said the statement was uncharacteristic of Mr. Dinkins and has asked Mr. Espaillat to repudiate it.

"Assemblyman Espaillat was standing right in front of him when it was said," Mr. Levine said.

Padernacht reports fake mailers

Dan Padernacht, who recently dropped his bid for the 33rd District state Senate seat, told The New York Post he had contacted the FBI, postal inspectors and the New York State Board of Elections about a mailer sent out in his name.

Mr. Padernacht denied that literature postmarked days after he dropped his bid came from his campaign. They contained biographical errors and called him Daniel Padernacht. He goes by Dan.

Countdown to primary day

WNYC's The Brian Lehrer Show has unveiled a new website, It's a Free Country, with information to educate voters ahead of tomorrow's Democratic primary election.

As readers go to the polls tomorrow, we hope you will comment on our blog about your experience — whether good, bad, ugly or just interesting.

Endorsements galore

The Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU – UFCW) endorsed Adriano Espaillat for State Senate in the 31st District yesterday. Former Mayor David Dinkins and Congressman Jose´ Serrano also threw their support behind the candidate today.

Pedro Espada Jr.'s spokesman, Franck LaBoy, announced that former vice presidential candidate, Dr. Lenora Fulani, endorsed Senator Espada for re-election today.

Edward Norton for State Senate??

The Gothamist posted a recent issue of El Diario showing the candidates for the 31st state Senate with a picture of Hollywood star Edward Norton standing in for Mark Levine. No, Edward Norton isn't running for the 31st state Senate seat, but he is friends with Mr. Levine. 

In July, we wrote about the Hollywood contributors to Mark Levine's campaign, including a donation of $12,500 from Edward Norton and $15,000 from "friend-of-a-friend" Matt Damon.

Padernacht re mailer: It wasn't me!

The Bronx News Network reported yesterday that fliers for Dan Padernacht, who officially dropped out of the race for the 33rd District state Senate seat Monday, are arriving in voters' mailboxes this week.

Mr. Padernacht told BNN and The Press they did not come from him. And Dan Levitan, a Working Families Party spokesman, said incumbent Pedro Espada Jr.'s campaign is responsible. Votes for Mr. Padernacht are widely viewed as beneficial to incumbent Pedro Espada Jr., who could benefit if the vote is split three ways. Mr. Padernacht's name will appear on the ballot.

“It’s definitely from Espada. I mean, it’s got the same font as Espada’s fliers,” Mr. Levitan said, calling the stunt an example of "classic, desperate dirty tricks."

Haile Rivera, Mr. Espada's campaign spokesman, said he knew nothing about the mailers and that all literature sent from Mr. Espada's campaign have "New Yorkers For Espada" written on it.

The mailer, pictured above and provided courtesy of the New Roosevelt Initiative (supporting Mr. Rivera), was apparently sent out a day after Mr. Padernacht dropped his bid and put his support behind candidate Gustavo Rivera.

Mr. Levitan said Mr. Padernacht -- who endorsed Mr. Rivera -- is working hard to ensure that supporters do not vote for him Tuesday. He said Mr. Padernacht is recording a robocall, sending out a letter to supporters and neighbors, and will be helping to take down his signs from around the District over the weekend, all in an effort to get the word out.

Asked why there wasn't a bigger rush to take down the Padernacht posters, Mr. Levitan said, “The signs are probably the least important of all those things.”

Pyrrhic victory for Stella workers

Crain's New York Business is reporting that the former workers at the Stella D'oro cookie plant in Kingsbridge have won a victory — of sorts — and it could mean some back pay for them.

Union workers spent nearly a year on the picket lines after a private equity firm called Brynwood Partners, which owned the brand, tried to slash wages and benefits at the plant.

An three-member panel at the National Labor Relations Board has reaffirmed a June 2009 ruling that said Brynwood didn't play fair in negotiations with the union. Brynwood claimed economic hardship as the reason the company needed to make the proposed salary cuts, but refused to provide any documentation to the union to prove its case.

The NRLB ordered the workers be reinstated at the plant as part of that 2009 ruling, and also decided that the workers were owed so back pay dating from May when the union agreed to go back to work at their old rate.

As soon as workers returned to their jobs, Brynwood announced it would close the plant and sell the brand, which it did. The cookies are now made at a non-union shop in Ohio.

Endorsement rally

Former New York State Comptroller Carl McCall and Rev. Al Sharpton rallied in support of Gustavo Rivera today. Desiree Pilgrim-Hunter, a community activist who dropped out of the race for the 33rd District state Senate seat, also attended.

The rally was organized by the New Roosevelt Initiative.

Levine v. Espaillat robocalls

Liz Benjamin is reporting that the campaign for Mark Levine, who is running for the 31st District state Senate seat, has been making robocalls bragging about a New York Times endorsement editorial.

But The Times endorsed his opponent, Adriano Espaillat. Saturday's endorsement called them "two good choices," and said: "Mr. Levine has impressive credentials and workable proposals for orchestrating the kinds of reforms we keep pushing for in New York. But it is Mr. Espaillat, a 14-year Albany veteran, who has been an outspoken voice for the most crucial reform of all — an independent redistricting commission to create fairer elections in the state."

To counter what he said was an attempt to deceive voters, Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz -- who has been heavily campaigning for Mr. Espaillat -- recorded a robocall of his own that went out this morning. It said, in part: “Hi this is Assembyman Jeffrey Dinowitz. Like The New York Times, I'm supporting Adriando Espaillat for state Senate. Adriano's opponent may have called you earlier with a message designed to make you believe he was endorsed by The Times. Sadly, Adriano's opponent was being deceptive. The only candidate endorsed by The New York Times was Adriano Espaillat -- the only real reformer ready to shake up the state Senate.

Foreign political party may have helped Espaillat

The dominant political party in the Dominican Republic may have paid for a TV ad backing Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat to take over the 31st District state Senate seat, the Daily News is reporting. The 31st District covers most of Riverdale.

If the members of the Dominican Liberation Party backing Mr. Espaillat are not all legal residents in the United States, or citizens, any financial backing of a candidate would be illegal, though that has yet to be determined.

Mr. Espaillat, whose family background is Dominican, is running against Mark A. Levine in the Democratic primary, which will be decided on Sept. 14.

Padernacht pulls out

In a surprising move from a man who stopped by The Press' offices last week to reassert his commitment to the 33rd District state Senate race, third wheel Dan Padernacht has decided to drop out of the race and throw his support behind Gustavo Rivera, the much-endorsed main challenger to incumbent Pedro Espada Jr., according to The New York Times.

Though it's too late to pull his name off the official ballot, Mr. Padernacht says in The Times' story that he will actively campaign for Mr. Rivera.

Rivera v. Espada v. Padernacht on Lehrer

The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC hosted Gustavo Rivera, Pedro Espada Jr. and Dan Padernacht, all candidates in the 33rd District state Senate race, on his show today.

Check it out.

Last-minute endorsements keep rolling in

Today, the Daily News endorsed Gustavo Rivera in an editorial.

"Among all the bums who must be thrown out, Espada should be first," it said of the incumbent

Also in recent days, the United Federation of Teachers and the Rev. Al Sharpton endorsed Mr. Rivera in the 33rd District state Senate race.

Citizen's Union and El Diaro newspaper recently endorsed Adriano Espaillat running for the 31st District state Senate seat.

Let us know if we missed any ... we know you will.

No debate for Rivera

The Bronx News Network is reporting that at the last minute, Gustavo Rivera backed out of last night's debate for candidates in the 33rd District state Senate race.

Th debate, sponsored by Transportation Alternatives at Fordham Lutheran Church and moderated by the Bronx News Network, ended up being between Democratic candidate Dan Padernacht and Green Party candidate John Reynolds.

“Basically after Monday he just wouldn’t debate,” said Mr. Padernacht, who hashed it out with the candidate on BronxTalk Monday night.

Mr. Rivera, however, sent out a statement saying that Mr. Rivera opted not to engage in the debate because incumbent Pedro Espada Jr. was not attending.

"With all due respect to Mr. Padernacht, Rivera is the only candidate who has received enough support in this community to have a chance of defeating Sen. Espada and bringing the change and accountability we need," the statement said.

However, though they were absent from the debate, both Mr. Espada and Mr. Rivera attended an NAACP community forum.

Rivera v. Padernacht

Here is the link for the debate that took place between Dan Padernacht and Gustavo Rivera on Aug. 30th.

Happy watching!