FORT WADSWORTH, Staten Island –

Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority Police responded to the Staten Island toll plaza from the Upper Level of the bridge at around 10:30 a.m. Friday morning for a report of a school bus on fire.  The bus was carrying 35 4- and 5-year old students from P.S. 5/Dr. Ronald McNair Elementary), their adult chaperones, and the bus driver.

TBTA Police Lt. Todd Suratt initially spotted the bus on fire and requested assistance from his fellow officers and the FDNY.  As the bus filled with smoke, TBTA officers, along with an off duty NYPD officer, knocked down the bulk of the fire using fire extinguishers.

The students were safely evacuated off of the bus and transported to the bridge’s maintenance facility after being evaluated by FDNY EMS crews.  Bridge management kept the children entertained by teaching them about the history of the bridge while awaiting the arrival of school officials to transport them back to their school.

Afer knocking down the fire, TBTA maintenance crews and the FDNY secured the vehicle and examined the passengers.  Neither the bus driver, the chaperones, nor any students required any further medical treatment.

The Upper Level of the bridge was closed during the incident; normal traffic resumed at around 11:30 a.m. after a staggered lane reopening.  There were no reported traffic impacts on the Lower Level.

FOOTBALL CUP CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

In the Football Cup Championship, Automotive High School of Greenpoint will face South Bronx at the Midwood Athletic Complex at 10:00 a.m. Sunday morning.  Both teams are 11-0 heading into the title tilt, however, the Pistons earned the number 1 seed by virtue of a stronger strength of schedule.

The Pistons are led by senior quarterback Maurice Edwards, who completed 63 percent of his passes this season for 1,328 yards and 15 touchdown passes against only three interceptions.  In the Pistons’ semi-final 20-0 win over Information Technology High School of Long Island City, Queens, Edwards threw for two touchdowns, while Dwon Williams returned a punt for a touchdown.

The Piston defense sacked IT’s quarterback 10 times, intercepted him once, and recovered a lost fumble.  IT’s offense was held to 195 yards of total offense, numbers which were aided by 10 tackles for loss by the Piston defense.  The Pistons, who are seeking their first championship in their four year history, earned their first winning season last year, however they missed the playoffs.

South Bronx defeated Petrides of Staten Island 44-12 last week to reach the Football Cup championship…

FOOTBALL BOWL CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

In the Football Bowl Championship, Thomas Jefferson of East New York (9-1) takes on August Martin (7-3) of Queens on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. at Midwood Athletic Complex.    The title tilt is a re-match of a September 18 regular season game in which the Jefferson Orange Wave defeated Martin 18-12.

Ricky Joseph led the Orange Wave with 179 yards passing, a touchdown pass, and a touchdown run, however, he did give up two interceptions.  Kadeem Bailey ran for 166 yards and scored one touchdown of his own.  The Orange Wave defense sacked Martin quarterbacks four times, forced three interceptions, and picked up 10 tackles for loss…

IF YOU GO: Midwood Athletic Complex, located on East 17th Street between Avenue K and Avenue L, Midwood, is two blocks east of the Brighton Line.  Take the (Q) train to either the Avenue J or Avenue M stations and walk two blocks west.  TA bus routes that run near Midwood Athletic Complex include the B-6 along Avenue J, the B-9 along Avenue M and at Ocean Avenue and Avenue L (three blocks east), the B-49 along Ocean Avenue, and the B-68 along Coney Island Avenue (six blocks west)…

CITY CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINALS PREVIEW

Both semi-finals of the PSAL City Championship will take place in Brooklyn tomorrow; both games are rematches from earlier reguar season contests against teams from Staten Island.

In one semi-final, Fort Hamilton will host Curtis of Staten Island.  Fort Hamilton defeated Curtis 38-24 on September 12 on Staten Island; the Tigers jumped out to a 31-0 halftime lead and never looked back.  Senior running back Alton Richardson led the Tigers with 97 yards rushing and three touchdowns, senior quarterback Frank Laino threw for 158 yards and a touchdown, while Brandon Reddish caught four of Laino’s passes for 109 yards and a touchdown.

In the other semi-final, 2nd seeded Erasmus Hall (10-1) hosts 3rd seed Tottenville of Staten Island (9-2) in East Flatbush.  The Dutchmen are seeking to avenge a 21-8 loss to the visiting Pirates on October 30.

The Dutchmen will have to contain Tottenville’s senior running back Marvin Staten, who ran for 236 yards and accounted for the Pirates’ three touchdowns in the regular season match-up three weeks ago.  The Dutchmen as a team were able to rack up 200 yards as a team, however, they proved to be no match for Staten’s individual performance.

Kickoff for both games will be 12:oo p.m.  The winners will face off in the City Championship game next Saturday at a site to be determined.

IF YOU GO: The Fort Hamilton-Curtis game will be played at Fort Hamilton High School’s stadium, located on 85th Street between Narrows Avenue and Colonial Road.  The B-16 bus stops along 86th Street and is accessible from the (R) shuttle bus operating this weekend at 86th Street and 4th Avenue.  The B-37 bus along 3rd Avenue is three blocks east of the stadium.

The Erasmus Hall-Tottenville game will be played at Erasmus Field at Avenue M and McDonald Avenue, Midwood.  The stadium is accessible via the (F) train, between Bay Parkway and Avenue N stations.  The B-6 bus stops at Bay Parkway and McDonald Avenue; the B-9 bus stops at Avenue N and McDonald.

Passengers heading from Brooklyn to Lower Manhattan should be aware that transfers between the #2, #3, #4, #5, and (A) trains will not be available at the Fulton Street/Broadway-Nassau Street station in Lower Manhattan due to Phase II construction of the Fulton Street Transit Center.  Passengers may transfer between the #2/#3 trains and the #4 train at Nevins Street, Boerum Hill; transfers between the #2/#3 and uptown (A) trains at Park Place/Chambers Street in Manhattan.

Travelers wishing to make a transfer between the uptown (A) and the downtown #4/#5 must ask the station agent for a transfer ticket, exit the station and reenter at Broadway…

Manhattan-bound (A) trains will operate local service from Euclid Avenue, East New York to Canal Street, Manhattan, express from Canal Street to 59th Street-Columbus Circle, local from 59th to 125th Streets, then express from 125th through 168th Streets for work on the Chambers Street signal modernization, 59th Street station rehab, and a track chip out at 163rd Street.

Brooklyn-bound (A) trains will run local between 168th Street and 4th Street, Manhattan, then over the (F) line between 4th Street and Jay Street, Brooklyn Heights, then resume local (A) service between Jay Street and Euclid Avenue due to the Chambers Street signal modernization.

Due to the modifications to the (A) train, (C) train service will not operate this weekend…

(D) train service will not operate between Pacific Avenue, Boerum Hill and 34th Street/Herald Square, due to construction of the free transfer passageway between the Broadway-Lafayette Street station on the (B), (D), (F), and (V) trains and the Bleeker Street station on the #6.  Alternate service is available via the (N) or shuttle buses in Manhattan.  Service adjustments will take effect tonight at 11:30 p.m. through 5:00 a.m. Monday…

(N) train service will be significantly modified due to various TA and NYCDOT projects.

Coney Island-bound (N) trains will operate via the (R) between Canal Street, Manhattan, and DeKalb Street, Fort Greene, then operate local service between Pacific Street, Park Slope, and 36th Street, Prospect Park, then express between 36th Street and Stillwell Avenue, Coney Island.

Manhattan and Queens-bound (N) trains will operate local beween 59th Street, Sunset Park, and Pacific Street, then operate via the Manhattan Bridge between DeKalb Street and Canal Street, Manhattan.

The adjustments are due to NYCDOT repairs on the 65th Street Bridge, maintenance in the Montague Tunnel, and other maintenance projects…

Manhattan bound (Q) and (R) train service will operate via the Manhattan Bridge between 6:30 a.m. and 12:00 a.m. Saturday and Sunday due to maintenance in the Montague Tunnel…

In addition, a shuttle bus on the (R) will operate between 36th Street and 95th Street, Bay Ridge between 11:30 p.m. tonight and 5:30 a.m. Monday due to NYCDOT construction on the 65th Street Bridge.

For additional information on service adjustments, contact the TA Information Center at (718) 330-1234 or visit www.mta.info.

The 200 yard Medley Relay team of Caroline Laskowski, Annie Zhu, Aileen Pablo and Sarah Bouzarouata qualified for the state meet with a PSAL record time of 1:53.41 in their November 5th quarterfinal meet against Fort Hamilton, a meet the Lady Engineers won 60-37.  The Lady Engineers finished second in the PSAL meet behind Stuyvesant of Manhattan.

Bouzarouata also qualified for the state meet in the 50 yard freestyle (25.35, set on Sunday in the finals of the PSAL meet when she placed second in the 50 yard finals behind Rachel Cho of Benjamin Cardozo of Queens) and 100 yard freestyle (55.03, set on Sunday during the preliminary meet of the PSAL meet).

Zhu, who is a member of the USA Junior National Team, qualified for the state meet in the 500 yard Freestyle during the regular season, with a time of 5:01.10, and the 100 yard Breaststroke with a time of 1:04.99.  Both times were set during a October 15 meet against Curtis of Staten Island.

Stuyvesant and Brooklyn Tech will face each other in the PSAL team championship meet on Tuesday 4:00 p.m. at CUNY/Lehman College in Bedford Park, The Bronx.

(IF YOU GO to the PSAL Meet at Lehman College: CUNY/Lehman College is located within walking distance of the Bedford Park Blvd./Bedford Park station on the #4 train and within walking distance of the Bedford Park station on the (B) and (D) train.)

PARK SLOPE -

Within the last hour, the NYPD responded to the 9th Street/7th Avenue station for a report of a person trapped under a train.  The victim was pronounced dead on scene by FDNY EMS personnel.

While the MTA web site does not indicate any delays on the (F) and (G) trains as of the time of this posting, the victim was removed from the station shortly before 9:00 a.m.

No further information is available as of this posting.

CROWN HEIGHTS - Manhattan-bound riders on the (C) Fulton Avenue Line local are experiencing delays due to signal problems at Utica Avenue.  (A) express service through Brooklyn is not reporting delays through the same corridor, nor is Brooklyn-bound (C) service to Euclid Avenue.

CROWN HEIGHTS –

The FDNY was dispatched to a house fire at 12:27 p.m., however, the FDNY claims that two separate 9-1-1 calls by civilians made it difficult for dispatchers to send crews to the correct location, according to the New York Post.

The initial dispatch had firefighters dispatched to Rogers Avenue, one block away from the actual fire scene at 654 St. Marks Avenue.  Crews from Engine 280/Ladder 132 responded to the Rogers Avenue location, however a civilian on scene directed them to the St. Marks location.

Two different FDNY press hacks told the Post that dispatchers were given incomplete information from 9-1-1 callers.

The Deputy Chief in command of the scene told the Post that it took eight minutes for firefighters to respond to the correct location due to incomplete information.  However, Jim Long of the FDNY press office reported that trucks were at the correct address in six minutes.

Another flack for the FDNY elaborated on the incomplete information claims:

“They were dispatched based on information from two 911 callers — both via cellphones — reporting a fire in the vicinity of Rogers Avenue and Prospect Avenue,” said … FDNY spokesman, Frank Gribbon. “[They] learned upon their arrival at the callers’ location that the fire was around the corner. The units immediately proceeded to that location.”

However, it proved to be too late for Myrtel Jean, 42, and his two toddler sons, Fabrice, 2, and Sebastian, 1.  All three were pronounced dead at the scene.

This is the second fatal house fire that the Uniformed Firefighters Association claimed that was caused by a dispatching error.  Crews in Woodside, Queens, were dispatched to the wrong address for a working fire on November 7 in which three men died.

According to the latest CompStat reports released yesterday by the NYPD, the number of crimes reported in the borough were down compared to the same one-week period last year – 687 major crimes were reported during the period from November 9 through November 15; 764 major crimes were reported in the same one week period last year.

The overall decrease in crime offsets an increase in auto thefts during the past week.  The NYPD reported that 94 vehicles were reported stolen in Brooklyn, compared to 74 during the same one week period last year.  In Brooklyn South, 53 auto thefts were reported, compared to 43 last year; there were 41 reports of Auto Theft in Brooklyn North, compared to 31 last year.

The most notable increases in auto thefts occured in the 63rd (3 last week compared to none during the same period last year), 64th (4 last week, up from 1), 70th (7 last week, up from 4), and 81st (3 last week, up from 1) precincts.

The number of felony assaults increased slightly; 110 such incidents were reported last week compared to 107 during the same one week period last year.

The number of burglary, robbery, and grand larceny (theft) complaints saw double digit decreases.  Burglaries decreased 22.7 percent (133, down from 172), robberies decreased 15.4 percent (143, down from 169), and grand larceny complaints decreased 14.5 percent (196, down from 229).

The number of homicides reported decreased from 2 reported borough-wide during the past week, compared to 4 reported during the same period last year.  The homicides were reported in the 73rd and 79th precincts.

Fewer rapes were reported in Brooklyn North (5, down from 7), however, Brooklyn South reported two more rapes compared to last year (4, up from 2).

Even with the increase in auto thefts, major felony crimes have decreased 12.2 percent overall year-to-date in Brooklyn compared to the first 46 weeks of 2008.

In the Class B quarterfinals, top seeded Leon Goldstein High School for Science of Manhattan Beach ended 24th-seeded Bushwick’s dramatic run in the tourney in a two game sweep, 25-12, 25-16.  Goldstein (14-0) had defeated 17th seeded Springfield Gardens in the second round after having a first round bye; Bushwick (11-4) had defeated 9th-seeded School of the Future and 8th-seeded Riverdale/Kings to reach the quarterfinals.

Goldstein will face B-6 Divison rival and 13th seeded Franklin D. Roosevelt of Mapleton.  FDR defeated the 5th seeded East Harlem Pride of Manhattan in a two game sweep.  Goldstein defeated FDR (12-3) in their regular season matchups on September 22, October 7, and October 21; the three games were the only losses of the season for FDR.

The winner of the all-Brooklyn matchup will face the winner of an all-Queens matchup between 3rd seeded John Adams and 15th seeded Scholar’s Academy…

Tonight’s action shifts to Class A, as 5th seeded Midwood takes on 4th seeded Stuyvesant of Manhattan, while 6th seeded Brooklyn Tech faces 3rd seeded Benjamin Cardozo of Queens.

Stuyvesant is ranked 9th in the Post poll:

Cardozo is ranked 4th in the New York Post/PSAL Girls Volleyball poll:

The two matches featuring Brooklyn teams will take place at the Hunter Sportplex at 6:00 p.m.  The other two quarterfinal match-ups have 2nd seeded Susan Wagner of Queens facing 7th seeded JFK of the Bronx, while top seeded Francis Lewis of Queens faces 8th seeded McKee/Staten Island Tech.

Semi-finals in both Class A and Class B will take place at Hunter College on Friday, with the championships scheduled for Tuesday.

IF YOU GO: The CUNY/Hunter College Sportsplex is located at East 68th Street and Lexington Avenue, Upper East Side, Manhattan.  The (6) Lexington Avenue Local stops at 68th Street/Hunter College station.

BRONX -

Brooklyn Tech edged Curtis by one point to capture the team title for the first time since 2001, 80 to 81.  Curtis was led by Jason Stapleton, who captured the Boys’ Individual Championship with a time of 16:43.47.  However, The Engineers captured the team title with strong performances by Michael Coogan, who finished in 3rd with a time 17:00.61, and Zakaraiah Malik, who finished in 8th with a time of 17:23.64.

The Engineers were also helped by strong performances by Chonn Cadiz (21st), Omar Griffin (22nd), and Brandon Seabrook (26th).  Their respective finishes were enough to hold off the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th best times from Curtis.

The team championship is determined by taking the top five finishers from each team and adding the sum of the finishes (ie. 1st place = 1 point, 2nd place = 2 points, 3rd place = 3 points, etc.).  Curtis’ runners placed in 1st, 13th, 15th, 25th, and 27th place; Tech’s runners placed in 3rd, 8th, 21st, 22nd, and 26th.

Seabrook finished exactly one second ahead of Curtis’ 5th fastest runner, Miguel Orea, thus allowing the Engineers to clinch the title.  Had Orea finished ahead of Seabrook, Curtis would’ve captured it’s four team title in the past eight years (Curtis won the team title in 2002, 2003, and 2006).  Finishing in third place was the team from McKee High/Staten Island Tech, last year’s champions, while Bronx Science captured the final state qualifier slot.

The top four teams, along with the top 12 racers who are not members of the state qualifier teams, will compete on Saturday at Bowdoin Park in Wappingers Falls, Dutchess County.

TOP 30 FINISHERS – PSAL BOY’S CROSS COUNTRY MEET, VAN COURTLANDT PARK, THE BRONX

1. Jason Stapleton, Curtis/Staten Island – 16:43.47
2. Daniel Hyman Cohen, Stuyvesant/Manhattan – 16:58.70
3. Michael Coogan, Brooklyn Tech – 17:00.61
4. Raul Avalos, Susan Wagner/Staten Island – 17:02.61
5. Mark Dressman, William E. Grady – 17:13.80
6. Sammy Lazhir, Paul Robeson – 17:17.81
7. Joseph Carlin, McKee/SI Tech – 17:21.48
8. Zakariah Malik, Brooklyn Tech – 17:23.61
9. Hao Zhou, Bronx Science – 17:24.04
10. Younes Benzaid, William C. Bryant – 17:24.96
11. Scott Rizzo, McKee/SI Tech – 17:26.43
12. Matthew Heath, Clara Barton – 17:28.08
13. James Bowen, Curtis – 17:35.34
14. Konrad Surkont, Stuyvesant – 17:37.93
15. Michael Gale, Curtis – 17:43.02
16. Hugh Prince, Thomas Jefferson – 17:44.57
17. Shevaun Marsh, William E. Grady – 17:48.74
18. Stephen McNamara, Bronx Science – 17:51.89
19. Gavin Henry, Midwood – 17:52.49
20. Aaron Somoroff, Bronx Science – 17:54.10
21. Chonn Cadiz, Brooklyn Tech – 17:55.33
22. Omar Griffin, Brooklyn Tech – 17:56.50
23. Jonathan Dixon, Midwood – 17:56.81
24. Steven Popper, Tottenville/Staten Island – 17:58.14
25. Kyle Hannafin, Curtis – 17:59.98
26. Brandon Seabrook, Brooklyn Tech – 18:01.94
27. Miguel Orea, Curtis – 18:02.94
28. Tyler Eckel, McKee/SI Tech – 18:04.36
29. Christopher McSorley, McKee/SI Tech – 18:04.94
30. Tozar Roberts, Curtis – 18:05.55

• Qualified for states as part of top four team finish
• Qualified for states as runner not part of one of the top four teams

Wayne LaRoche of Martin Van Buren High School in Queens is the 12th state qualifier after capturing the Individual Varsity championship with a time of 17:18.51.

TOP 10 TEAMS - PSAL BOY’S CROSS COUNTRY MEET, VAN COURTLANDT PARK, THE BRONX

1. Brooklyn Tech, 80
2. Curtis, 81
3. McKee/SI Tech, 124
4. Bronx Science, 134
5. Stuyvesant, 151
6. Tottenville, 223
7. Midwood, 242
8. Thomas Jefferson, 304
9. William E. Grady, 333
10. Paul Robeson, 376

IF YOU GO: Bowdoin Park, site of the 2009 State Federation Cross Country Championships, is located on Sheafe Road in New Hamburg, Town of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County.

Driving from Brooklyn, go eastbound on the BQE to the Triborough (RFK) Bridge, then take I-95 North to the Hutchinson River Parkway.  Follow the Hutchinson River Parkway to I-684 North just east of White Plains, then take I-84 westbound towards Newburgh.  Take Exit 13-N (U.S. 9) from I-84. From light at exit, proceed approximately 9 miles north on U.S. 9 to traffic light just beyond the Poughkeepsie Galleria Mall (get in FAR LEFT lane.) At light (U.S. 9 & Spring Rd.) you will make a left onto Post Road (Hudson Motors is on left) and go to bottom of hill to stop sign. At stop sign make a left onto Sheafe Road. Follow Sheafe Road for about 2 ½ miles to Bowdoin Park’s entrance on right just after Chapel (directions from Dutchess County web site).

Bowdoin Park is located 1.3 miles to the northeast of the New Hamburg Rail Station on the Metro-North Hudson Line (PDF file, Adobe Acrobat required).  The weekend round trip fare from Grand Central Terminal to New Hamburg is $26.00.

From the Metro-North Station, walk to Main Street, then turn left on Main Street away from the center of New Hamburg.  Walk 0.6 miles (Main Street becomes Channingville Road) to Sheafe Road; the Channingville Deli will be at the corner on your left.  Walk 0.6 miles north on Sheafe Road to the entrance of Bowdoin Park.

A committee is searching for Brooklyn's next Poet Laureate to replace Ken Siegelman, who passed away in June

BOROUGH HALL – Borough President Marty Markowitz and a committee of five Brooklynites are searching for the borough’s next poet laureate.

A five member Brooklyn Poet Laureate Recommendation Committee has been established to name a poet to replace long-time Poet Laureate, the late Ken Siegelman.  Mr. Siegelman, a Gravesend resident, was originally appointed as the borough’s poet on January 24, 2002, and had served as the “Bard of Brooklyn” until his death on June 19th.

One of Mr. Siegelman’s legacies has been the establishment of the Brooklyn Poetry Outreach program along with hosting of workshops encouraging the youth of the borough to write poetry, as in this 2006 video at Myspace, and the workshops held at the Phoenix House.  Mr. Siegelman, who was a social studies teacher at Abraham Lincoln High School on Coney Island, authored over 200 published poems throughout his lifetime.

Community Board 15 recently recommended that the intersection of West 5th Street and Wolf Place, Gravesend, be re-named “Ken Siegelman Way.”

Markowitz described his 2002 appointment of Mr. Siegelman as the borough’s Poet Laureate as “one of his proudest acts as Borough President.”

“Like the borough he loved and wrote about, his life was never boring, and he captured all of it–the good, the bad, the ups and downs–in his poetry,” Markowitz said. Ken will be sorely missed, but his words will remain with us and inspire up-and-coming poets for generations to come.”

It would be fair to say that the next Poet Laureate is going to have some big shoes to fill.

Candidates are being asked to submit 5-to-10 pages of their original work, a two-page biography or resume, and a cover letter that describes their vision of engaging Brooklyn’s various communities in poetry.  The deadline for applications is Tuesday, November 24 at 5:00 p.m.

Applications can be emailed to ekoch@brooklynbp.nyc.gov, faxed to (718) 802-3452, or snail mailed to Poet Laureate Recommendation Committee, Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201.

LINK: Ken Siegelman’s final poem, Stage Fright (Brooklyn Paper)