February 17-23, 2017 Your Neighborhood — Your News® 75 cents SERVING THROGGS NECK, PELHAM BAY, COUNTRY CLUB, CITY ISLAND, WESTCHESTER SQUARE, MORRIS PARK, VAN NEST, PELHAM PARKWAY, CASTLE HILL TASERED MAN’S FAMILY TO SUE $10M lawsuit claims negligence by city BY ROBERT WIRSING city and the NYPD is based on fl ower Avenue. The family of a Pelham the negligence, carelessness Upon arrival, three uni- Bay man who died after being and recklessness of the NYPD, formed offi cers and a sergeant Tasered twice by a NYPD ser- sergeant William Melrose and were confronted by Galarza, geant plan to sue the city for other NYPD members in caus- 49, who allegedly threatened $10 million. ing Galarza’s wrongful death. them with an intact glass bot- On Monday, January 30, The notice of claim is the tle when they entered his base- the family of Ariel Galarza fi rst step before a lawsuit can ment apartment inside the fi led a notice of claim accus- be initiated. multi-family, 2-story house. ing the city of negligence in its As previously reported, Sergeant Melrose, a 13-year ability to handle situations in- 45th Precinct police offi cers veteran, discharged his Taser volving mentally or emotion- responded on Wednesday, No- at Galarza who fell to the fl oor, ally disturbed people. vember 2 at 5:35 p.m. to a call but quickly recovered and The family’s lawyer San- of an emotionally disturbed continued to struggle with of- ford Rubenstein said the no- man armed with a knife be- tice of claim fi led against the having violently at 1840 May- Continued on Page 60 Still no movement on Bruckner ShopRite BY ARTHUR CUSANO plans to move into the 41,840 on construction in anticipa- More than a year after square foot property in Janu- tion of an early 2017 opening. a ShopRite food store an- ary of 2016. The store would be the nounced it would be moving The move was announced fi rst ShopRite in the Bronx. Taking The Plunge into the site of a former Key at the time by Senator Jeff However, to date, the Food in Bruckner Plaza, res- Klein, who championed the building sits dark and va- The Bronx Polar Bears took the plunge for the annual ‘Dip Against idents are still waiting for news. cant, it’s windows covered to Homelessness’ off the icy shores of Orchard Beach on Saturday, work to begin. The Key Food store in the conceal the bleak interior. February 11. Michael Max Knobbe (l), BronxNet executive director, New Jersey–based Village plaza closed in October of The company has applied joined Valdis Freimane (c) and the Bronx Polar Bears for some Super Markets, a corporation 2015 after refusing to sign a for an $8.5 million tax incen- wintertime fun in the sun. See more photos on page 39. that owns 29 ShopRite stores new lease. tive through the NYC Eco- Photo by Silvio Pacifi co in New Jersey, Maryland and Village Super Market ex- nomic Development Corpo- Pennsylvania, announced pected to spend $14 million Continued on Page 60 A CNG Publication • Vol. 37 No. 7 www.bxtimes.com BRONX EARN YOUR OPEN HOUSE Saturday, Feb. 25 DEGREE FASTER! 11AM-2PM RSVP NOW WhatsYourPurpose.NYC I 877-957-6981 GoFor To More Our Blog Information To See Our Weekly Visit Specials!Us At VistVisit Our Our New www.bronxdentistny.comNEW Web-ite: Web-Site: www.reliablebronxdentist.com www.reliablebronxdentist.com GOT IMPLANTS DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO NEXT COME SEE US (718) 547-5280 2 BRONX TIMES REPORTER, FEBRUARY 17-23, 2017 BTR Members of the Edgewater Park Volunteer Hose Company displayed the American fl ag they made using fi re hoses from 9/11 at the Eugene Lobbe memorial service at Schuyler Hill Fu- neral Home. Lobbe’s family and fi re department members assembled around the fl ag. Photo by Silvio Pacifi co Edgewater Park Volunteer Hose Co. Honors ‘Nam vet BY ROBERT CHRISTIE ther deserved it.” The Edgewater Park Volunteer Lobbe said he has no regrets about Hose Company honored an Edgewa- his dad’s passing since he got to spend ter Park resident and veteran Eugene time with his father at Calvary Hospi- Lobbe with an American Flag made of tal during his last days. fi rehose after his recent passing. In happier times they spent many Lobbe served in the Vietnam War a night watching Jeopardy and NFL during the late 1960s and - accord- football games together. ing to an article in the Herald States- Eugene was diagnosed with lung, man from April 19, 1968 - received trachea and brain cancer in August of the Bronze Star for his “heroism in 2015. connection with military operatives Lobbe, who died at the age of 69, was against a hostile force in Vietnam.” originally told he had three months to Tom Lobbe, Eugene’s son, ap- live. proached members of the fi re depart- Tom, 47, said he remembers his dad ment in the fall about creating the fl ag as a family man. to honor his father. He recalls Eugene telling him to Lobbe got the idea from a similar copy his best qualities when fathering piece the department made to honor his own children and refraining from 9-11. copying his worst qualities. Mark Schoenstein, the 21-year old “It’s a lesson I live by everyday,” captain of the Edgewater volunteer Tom said. fi refi ghters, said Lobbe donated ply- Tom, who has lived in Edgewater wood to make the original fi re-hose his entire life, was especially touched laden fl ag around September 11, 2016. by the fi re department’s gesture be- Since then, Lobbe, Schoenstein and cause his dad wasn’t a fi refi ghter and a couple of the fi refi ghters had been the makers of the fl ag didn’t really discussing honoring Eugene with a know his father. similar fl ag. However, Schoenstein said the fi re Once Eugene passed away from department’s actions are indicative of cancer on January 23, Tom said he and Edgewater Park’s dedication to its res- the fi refi ghters decided to start work- idents. ing on the fl ag “Edgewater Park is a very small Schoenstein said the entire process tight-knit community,” said Schoen- took about fi ve days. stein. The group used an old, gray fi re- He added that when he had an al- hose which they cut and laid on 1-foot most-terminal illness at age 14, the by 3-foot plywood to make the fl ag’s community brought food to his house stripes. and visited his family to see how he They then painted every other was doing. stripe red and left the other fi rehoses “I’ve witnessed fi rst-hand what gray to give the fl ag a rustic look. neighbors could do for each other,” he Finally, they painted the top left said. corner of the fl ag blue and placed Eugene Lobbe lived in Edgewater white-painted wooden stars on top of Park for 15 years after moving to the the blue background. Bronx from Yonkers in the early 70s. The fi re department presented the He was a mailman for 30 years be- Lobbe family with the fl ag during Eu- fore retiring in the early 2000s. gene’s February 4 wake. He is survived by his wife Sheila, “When I saw it, I fell in love with his sons Tom and Bryan and his daugh- it,” said Tom Lobbe, “I wouldn’t have ter Jennifer. asked for this if I didn’t think my fa- BTR BRONX TIMES REPORTER, FEBRUARY 17-23, 2017 3 around town Your Neighborhood — Your News by Patrick Rocchio Mail: Bronx Times 3604 E. Tremont Ave., The Bronx Times Reporter Happy Birthday! Bronx, NY 10465 will publish your announce- Nicholas Soli celebrated To Subscribe: ments. Send announcements his 12th birthday on Tues- (718) 260-4595 with photo to: Bronx Times day, February 7. General Phone: Reporter, 3604 E. Tremont His mother, Lisa Soli, had (718) 260-4595 Avenue, Bronx, NY 10465 or the following to say to her e-mail [email protected]. son: General Fax: (718) 518-0038 Please include a phone num- Where has time gone? We ber or a way to contact you in are s o prou d of you! We l ove you News Phone: (718) 260-4597 case of questions. to the sun, moon and beyond! Hello readers and wel- God bless you today and al- News E-Mail: come to another edition of ways. Hope you have a ball on [email protected] Around Town. your birthday. Love, Mommy, Sports Phone: Daddy, Diesel, Spanky, Bluey (718) 260-4597 the Fish, grandma and all the Sports E-Mail: family. [email protected] U.S. Sailor serves at na- Display Phone: val medical center (718) 260-4593 Borough native Joseph Classified Phone: Vargas, a petty offi cer fi rst (718) 260-2500 class in the U.S. Navy is cur- Display/Classified E-Mail: rently serving at the U.S. [email protected] Navy Medical Center in San Diego. He serves as a hospi- Bronx Times Reporter (USPS #730390) is published weekly by Bronx Times tal corpsman at the facility, Reporter, Inc., a subsidiary of News which provides medical care Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc. Joseph Vargas Copyright © 2017. Periodicals postage for service members, veter- rate is being paid at the Bronx, N.Y. ans and families. Post Offi ce. 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