UPDATE NYS AG James Sends Letter to Facebook Opposing Proposed “Instagram for Kids” App

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The ongoing fallout over Facebook’s proposed “Instagram for Kids” app continued this week, prompting a response on Sept. 18 from the company’s VP of Global Affairs, Nick Clegg. Almost four months ago, on May 10, NYS Attorney General Letitia James sent a letter, along with 43 other state attorneys general, to Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, urging him to abandon plans to launch a version of Instagram for children under the age of 13. A scathing article on the topic by the Wall Street Journal published on Sept. 14 did little to temper the debate. In the May letter, the coalition

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New York Public Library is expanding its services effective Monday, May 10, at some branches to allow limited browsing and desktop computer use under Phase 2 of its reopening. In the Bronx, the branches that have reopened under Phase 2 include Allerton, Baychester, Belmont, Edenwald, Francis Martin, Highbridge, Jerome Park, Kingsbridge, Parkchester, Van Cortlandt, West Farms and Woodstock. The library system also plans to open all available branch libraries (except those undergoing renovation or being used by the City) with expanded service by mid-July, with the full complement of services such as general space use, programs, and classes

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Fordham University plans to provide financial assistance to ‘neighbors’ of the university’s Rose Hill campus, located in Fordham Manor, beginning this fall. The Fordham School of Professional and Continuing Students (PCS) announced the launch of its Good Neighbor Initiative for the Fall 2021 term on Thursday, May 6. According to the university, this unique program, Good Neighbor Initiative, for adult learners provides an automatic 30 percent discount on tuition fees for undergraduate-seeking PCS students at the Bronx campus who live within certain neighboring zip codes. The selected zip codes cover neighborhoods in the Bronx, lower Westchester County

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Applications are open for a scholarship program for local Bronx youth headed to college. The Bronx Rising Initiative (BRI) has opened applications for the Brandon Hendricks Scholarship, offering $5,000 to multiple, high school seniors from The Bronx who have recently been admitted to college. The money is to be put toward their education, as the winners choose. BRI representatives said the scholarship program launched last year in honor of and in partnership with the family of a rising star from the community who, as reported by Norwood News last year, was shot on June 29, 2020, one week before

By DAVID GREENE, SÍLE MOLONEY & JOSÉ A. GIRALT

The following story is an updated version of the one that appears in our latest print edition. As officials from the Bronx office of the New York City Board of Elections were busy tallying votes at their Grand Concourse headquarters to determine the outcome of the District 11 and District 15 City Council special elections a few weeks ago, the president of the Bronx NAACP, said voter education is key to the future of a free and fair society. It may also be key to a more dynamic primary election season. Biarni Burke, president of the Bronx chapter

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner, Basil Seggos, announced on Sunday, May 2, that “New York State Compost Awareness Week” is taking place from May 2-8. Compost Awareness Week raises awareness statewide of the environmental benefits of composting, and the declaration was formalized in a recent proclamation signed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. Recycling food scraps, grass, leaves, yard clippings, and other organic materials through composting reduces New York’s dependence on landfills and combustors and helps to lower climate-altering emissions while producing valuable, nutrient-rich compost that improves soil health and water quality. Seggos said New

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (JATC) for Ironworkers, Local Union #40 & #361, will conduct a recruitment drive from May 5 through May 19, 2021 for 100 ironworker (outside) apprentices, the New York State Department of Labor announced on Friday, April 30. The agency said that the 100 individual apprenticeships represent the total number of openings across two separate recruitment regions – Long Island and New York City. Applications must be obtained and submitted online at www.nycironworkers.org, starting at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, May 5, 2021 and ending at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. Applicants

By SÍLE MOLONEY

CUNY in the Heights is a program which brings more educational opportunities to neighborhoods by creating multiple pathways to degrees and careers with family-sustaining wages. The program is administered by Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) and serves The Bronx, Inwood, and Washington Heights communities. CUNY in the Heights and BMCC are hosting a virtual town hall for the communities of Northern Manhattan and parts of the Bronx on May 4 from 4 p.m. until 5 p.m. A newly renovated and expanded CUNY in the Heights campus is set to reopen to students in Fall 2021. BMCC would like

By PS/MS 95 Staff

Members of the PS/MS 95, The Sheila Mencher Van Cortlandt School community in Van Cortlandt Village, held a socially distanced, outdoor remembrance event on April 21 in tribute to our colleague, Omara Flores, beloved, long-time assistant principal at the school who died tragically and unexpectedly on April 6, 2020 of COVID-19. She left behind a husband and two adult children, both graduates of PS/MS 95. The event which was attended by about 35 people was filled with sweet remembrances of an esteemed and admired colleague, with the participants immersed in a collective sea of sorrow. Under the leadership of

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Education

UPDATE NYS AG James Sends Letter to Facebook Opposing Proposed “Instagram for Kids” App

Public Libraries Expand Services Incrementally, Effective Monday, May 10

Fordham University Offers Tuition Discount to Adult Learner “Neighbors” of the College

Update: Applications Now Open for Bronx College Students for “Brandon Hendricks Scholarship”

Bronx NAACP President Sees Need for Voter Education in Future Elections

DEC Announces MAY 2-8 is New York State Compost Awareness Week

Department of Labor Announces Ironworker Apprenticeships

CUNY Seeks Community Input on Expansion of Educational / Training Opportunities in The Bronx

Obituary: Omara Flores, A Jewel in our Lives