Riverdalian reacts to the case of the Newburgh Four

Riverdalian Ted Conover recently wrote an article on the Newburgh Four for Slate titled "The Pathetic Newburgh Four: Should the FBI really be baiting sad-sack homegrown terrorists?"

He writes:

Americans appear to be nearly unanimous in our support for the above. And yet, should we accept the tawdry results of this effort so far? Why does the government's anti-terror net catch such unconvincing villains: black men near mosques who, in exchange for promises of money, sign on to knuckleheaded schemes that would never exist if it weren't for the informants being handsomely paid to incite them?

Indian Pond struggle migrates to Facebook

On Nov. 21, Beth Haase created a Facebook page called Friends of Indian Pond. The description reads:

An oasis to migrating birds, indigenous wildlife, pets, nature lovers, and generations of students and campers, Indian Pond is a treasure of the Fieldston neighborhood of Riverdale. If you've ever thrown crumbs to the goldfish, sampled the water for your biology project, or walked past an egret on a summer afternoon, join us in your support for this wonderful resource.

A plan to build three new homes close to Indian Pond has caused a stir in the community recently. Many residents are worried the construction will interfere with the pond, located between Indian Road and Livingston Avenue in Fieldston.

For past stories click here:

Planned homes clash with Fieldston residents

Brothers hope to build three new houses in landmarked Fieldston

Gustavo gets props

Newly elected Bronx state Sen. Gustavo Rivera, 34, was featured in The Village Voice's annual Thanksgiving Honor Role, which gives props to New Yorkers who work to better the City.

The Voice lauded Mr. Rivera for beating Pedro Espada Jr., a "statewide embarrassment" who "lives miles away [from the Bronx] in the suburbs" and "drew his campaign support from ... real estate titans."

Mr. Rivera "provided one of the few hopeful notes in a gloomy political season," according to the newspaper.

A tour of J.F.K.'s mansion

My Fox New York's Greg Kelly recently toured the mansion where John F. Kennedy resided in the late 1920s. Kennedy spent two years living at the mansion, located on Independence Avenue near West 252nd Street, (though the article mistakenly calls it 232nd Street. The house is in disrepair, but is undergoing substantial reconstruction, according to the story.

To read the story and watch the video, click here.

This week in the neighborhood

Check out our website for this week's stories, plus web exclusives.

We have an updated story about a fire that ripped through a popular Johnson Avenue eatery early Thursday morning.

We also have a developing story about JFK's recently released Progress Report grade that was delayed because of a DOE probe.

Extra! Extra!

Check out our website for stories from this week’s paper and more.

We also have an exclusive story about the Department of Education's withholding of JFK's Progress Report grade until apparent irregularities in its discharge rate are resolved; a piece about the recent success of a longstanding effort — spearheaded by a local father and Councilman Oliver Koppell — to institute pitch counts; and another that tells you how local candidates fared in Tuesday's election.