Well, until RIM can find their way through the bug list and get this major one fixed, the localhost / browser workaround proposed by f_d works really well. I don't care how long they take to fix it. Once I typed the address correctly it was a snap.
Open the browser, type http://localhost:187/ or http://127.0.0.1:187/ into the address bar and you will be presented with six large menu panels..... viola the bridge apps! You can save as a bookmark and there you are. You can take it a step further and add http://localhost:187/messages/ (the final slash is important!) and just open the messages. When you save this bookmark you can choose the option to save to the home screen. Then drag it into the bridge folder. This does not fix the messages app, but you have access to the messages just like before and it DOES clear the notifications! No more wiping, blah, blah...which only works temporarily anyway. What I like is the speed. It may take an extra second for the browser to load, but once you're in the bridge it flies!
Thank you so much f_d !! (Had I played around with the beta, I might have remembered this, but I can't believe no one else thought to use this workaround! There must be 10 threads on here about this horrible bug, but it took a lot of digging to find the localhost thing.) I hope it saves some of you some peace of mind. It does me. I might bury the bridge folder and just use this! ;)