Neighborhood Notes

Bronx Youth Heard The Norwood News is accepting applications for Bronx Youth Heard, a free afterschool program that teaches journalism skills to Bronx high school students ages 14 to 18. Applications are available online at http://bit.ly/BYHFall2016. For more information, contact David Cruz, program director for Bronx Youth Heard and editor-in-chief of Norwood News, at dcruz@norwoodnews.org or at (718) 324-4998. “Treecycling” Recycle your holiday tree to nourish parks throughout the city. Free mulch and free collection bags will be provided at Van Cortlandt Park’s golf course at Bailey Avenue and VC Pk. So., Jan. 9 and 10, from 10 a.m. to

Community Board 7’s Screening Committee is expected to unveil its recommended district manager candidate for the Board at the next general board meeting. The post was vacated in October by Dustin Engelken, who resigned for personal reasons. He was at the helm for just over a year, making him the third district manager to leave the position in three years. Thomas Lucania, the Bronx Borough President’s Director of Community Boards, had since been filling in the position. District managers are paid city administrators who serve the needs of a community board comprised of volunteer residents. The Screening Committee will present

By VIVIAN R. CARTER

When the clock struck midnight on Jan. 1, 2016, hundreds of new laws and policies passed by city and state governments and regulatory agencies took effect. Several of these are notable in extending assistance to New York residents, like those in the Bronx, striving to make ends meet. Minimum Wage The most talked-about, an increase in the minimum wage from the statewide $8.75 to $10.50 per hour for New York City fast-food workers (and $9.00 for others), will benefit working-class Bronxites on a massive scale. Annually, that’s a raise of at least $500 for all full-time minimum earners, and over

Bronx Youth Heard, the after school program that teaches the fundamentals of journalism, is out with its first edition of 2016. The original work is a culmination of the elements of journalism taught at the class by Dalila Johari-Paul, the program’s lead instructor, and David Cruz, Bronx Youth Heard’s program director. Below is synopsis of each student’s piece: At Catholic Schools, Lessons Extend Beyond the Classroom: Jonathan Mercedes explores the benefits of after school programming at high schools under the jurisdiction of the Archdiocese of New York. Teen Pregnancy Rates Drop, But Still Pose Problems in the Bronx: Teen pregnancy rates

Greetings Readers! The Norwood News is out with its first edition of 2016! We ring in the new year with 20 pages of community news you can use. We also feature the work from students of the Norwood News‘ Bronx Youth Heard program, a twelve-week course that teaches the fundamentals of journalism to Bronx high school students. But first, we take you to Kingsbridge Heights where some behind-the-scenes dealings at the Kingsbridge Armory could finally jumpstart renovations for the highly anticipated Kingsbridge National Ice Center. Thanks to the state, the public can finally get a chance to see the long awaited project get

By ARLENIS PENA

Senior year is not what my friends and I imagined it would be. Instead of the fun of going on class trips, taking the perfect yearbook photo, or just cooling off after three years of high school, the 12th grade is surprisingly stressful. According to a UCLA survey of college freshmen in 2015, 18 percent of students spent 16 hours or more with their friends each week during their senior year of high school. That’s compared to 37.9 percent of students surveyed in 1987. I can relate to that statistic. As a high school freshman at International Community High School

By TAYRELL JACKSON

Teens looking for part-time jobs in New York City may have a hard time finding work because employers discriminate based on age, and the process is unfair, say some students. Lerret Jackson is a 17-year-old high school senior who now works at Dunkin’ Donuts but remembers the job search being difficult and the “constant rejection” a lot to deal with. The Bronx resident is not alone. In the past 13 years, the number of jobs held by teenagers ages 14 to 18 has decreased by 33 percent. Nationally, that’s an estimated 1.7 million teens unemployed from April to July of

By SAFIYA HYLTON

Teen pregnancy rates have fallen in the Bronx, but the push to drop the teen pregnancy rate continues. The latest figures from the New York City Department of Health (DOH) shows that teen pregnancies dropped 10 percent since 2012 and 37.6 percent since 2004. “We attribute the drop in teen pregnancy to a decline in sexual activity and an increase in the use of hormonal or highly effective birth control,” the city’s health department said in a recent statement. Still, the problems persist in the Bronx, a borough with the highest number of teen pregnancies, according to the DOH. Babies