The Bronx Ink

Mayor Michael Bloomberg is expected to sign legislation into law today that bans smoking in many public spaces around the five boroughs.

nder the new law, smoking will be banned in the city’s 1,700 parks and 14 miles of public beaches and. City pools and recreation centers will also be smoke free.

The bill also bans smoking in city pedestrian plazas, where people congregate.

Violators could face a $50 fine.

The goal is to reduce secondhand smoke – and trash. But those who spoke with NY1 earlier today were split as to whether this new legislation is a positive thing for the city.

“There’s a lot of kids and all that second-hand smoke, it’s killing everybody so I think it’s a good idea,” said one New Yorker.

“A lot of smokers are starting to get a little upset about it, because we abide by the rules, we don’t smoke in bars, we don’t smoke in restaurants, but when does it stop?” asked another. “Are you going to stop everything? We’re going to police everything now?”

The City Council overwhelmingly approved the measure earlier this month.  [NY1]

Watch video of Dr. Hawkins explain what is causing the epidemic, the factors contributing to the disease in the Bronx, and the rewards of her work.

Around the world today,  170 million people are living with diabetes.  That number is expected to increase to 370 million in the next 20 years.  Health professionals call diabetes an epidemic.  The disease requires a lifetime of expensive medication and is deadly to 90 percent of diabetics in developing countries.

According to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 23.6 million children and adults have diabetes in the U.S.  One in three children will develop the disease in their lifetime.  About 40 percent of people born in the year 2000 will develop diabetes when they become adults.

According to the New York City Department of Health, the Bronx is the borough with the highest death rate for diabetes melitus.

Dr. Meredith Hawkins at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, one of 17 diabetes research centers in the U.S., is trying to do something about it.

“We have a problem that is dwarfing HIV AIDS somewhere between six and ten times, and yet we’re not yet getting an awareness of this to the people that are giving the money,” she says.

Hawkins is director of a program called the Global Diabetes Initiative.

Her team of researchers and physicians have traveled to several developing countries to help find ways to combat the disease .  They have teamed up with other universities around the world, as far and wide as Uganda, India and Thailand to increase researching efforts.

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(Photos by: Ethan Frogget)

Pook Diemont & Ohl designs and builds stage equipment for theaters and performance venues all over the world.

By Ethan Frogget

We researched  the numbers on the borough and found that the Bronx continues to have the highest unemployment rate in New York.  It is the youngest borough in the city with one out of five residents under the age of 18.  But educational attainment is still a problem.  Only 2 of 10 Bronxites have a college degree, compared with 3 of 10 Brooklyners and 6 of 10 Manhattan residents.

Click on the buttons above to see statistics on education, age groups, employment and the time it takes to get to work.

compiled by Manuel Rueda, Ethan Frogget, Mehroz Baig and Yiting Sun

The Environmental Protection Agency says 10 of 13 samples taken at PS 68 showed PCB levels above the federal limit of 50 parts per million.

The chemical was found in leaking lighting fixtures.

The Department of Education says it took immediate action to replace them, adding they are evaluating ways to address the issue citywide.

While some parents were concerned, some teachers who spoke with NY1 say they think the school is safe.  [NY1]

Hazmat crews were called to the scene in Pelham Manor at around 3 a.m. on the off-ramp of exit 14 of the New England Thruway.

The NY Traffic Authority reported the tanker slid off the exit ramp.

According to fire officials, no one was exposed to anything dangerous. Homes in the area were being monitored. Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound that in some forms can be dangerous if inhaled.

The driver of the truck suffered a minor injury. It’s not clear what caused the accident.

The exit ramp remains closed.  [My Fox New York]

Firefighters were called to the six-story building on Valentine Avenue in Fordham just after 2:30 a.m. When they arrived, they found the body of an 82-year-old woman inside a third-floor apartment.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

At around 5:30 a.m., firefighters responded to another fire near the intersection of North Street and Jerome Avenue.

Sources say an 86-year-old woman was killed. [NY1]