Westchester Square BID Enters Fourth Year With Bounty of Success

By DAVID CRUZ On a recent afternoon in May, a prospective business owner toured the Westchester Square Business Improvement District, one of nine Bronx business corridors where special property taxes finance cleaning and marketing services at the behest of merchants.

DOT to Install Speed Hump on Hull Avenue Following Car Crash

By DAVID CRUZ The city has been given the green light to finally install a speed hump at a Neighborhood Slow Zone in Norwood weeks after a car overturned there. This is also comes amid wrangling from a local city Councilmember and a report by the Norwood News. Crews with the city Department of Transportation will install the speed hump at Hull Avenue , roughly the same spot as where the car flipped after cruising down the one-way street, a spokesperson confirmed. Well before the crash, neighbors were pressing Councilman Andrew Cohen in convincing the DOT to fast track the

Rent Laws Have Expired, What Do You Do Now?

By DAVID CRUZ Elected officials are stepping in to handle the aftermath of rent laws expiring. Their first assurance: don’t panic.

Public & Community Meetings

COMMUNITY BOARD 7 will hold its general board meeting on June 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the New York Botanical Garden Visitor Center Café (Note: The Board will go on hiatus until September). CB7 committee meetings are held on the following dates at the board office, 229A E. 204th St. at 6:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted: Housing/Land Use/Zoning & Senior Services on June 17; Education/Libraries on June 18; and Parks & Recreation on June 24. For more information, call (718) 933-5650. THE 52ND PRECINCT COMMUNITY COUNCIL will meet on June 25 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Part of the

Bronx Youth Heard capped its winter/spring session with a series of stories written and reported by Bronx high school students. The students spent 12 weeks learning the basics of news gathering and writing for the print medium. Bronx Youth Heard is extremely proud of the work these students have completed. For all, it was their first time being published. These stories were published in Vol. 28, Issue No. 12 edition of the Norwood News. Summaries of these stories can be found below: The Sneaker Habit That’s Costing Teens: Reporter Medelin Cuevas takes a look at how teens are prioritizing their money. For

By MEDELIN CUEVAS Many teenagers in high school wear popular shoe brands. Those include Nike, Adidas and Converse. But among the more sought after pairs is the Nike Air Jordan, long considered the popular shoe of choice. An average pair runs between $120 and $300, roughly the same price as a college textbook. And while the “sneakerhead” sub-culture is dominating a teen’s life, some have found it’s replaced the need to use money for college tuition, favoring the hottest trend over a path to education. Its popularity is widespread in the Bronx, where the debut of the latest pair

The Dangers of Online Teen Dating

By ANGELICA SANCHEZ Maryanne DeJesus started dating at age 11. That was five years ago. But Maryanne, now 16, learned a lesson: “Don’t start dating online,” she said. “Online dating is dangerous because the person you’re actually talking to can actually be way older than you. In many cases, the start of teen dating comes somewhat with a learning curve–teens may simply not know what they are getting themselves into. Statistics show five percent of online sex predators pretend to be teenagers, according to Online Safety Site, a group that offers outreach in how to protect oneself from the Internet.

Questioning One’s Faith Often Leads With Tough Decisions

By ANGELINNA VERAS Jada Cuveras is a teen attending the Academy of Mount St. Ursula High School, an all-girls Catholic school in Bedford Park, who doesn’t believe that God truly loves us all. “I think He has favorites and chooses who to care for and love,” Jada said when asked about her faith, which she admits is at an all-time low. It seems that attending a Catholic school has not helped her faith at all. “I’m grateful, but I also think He has favorites like the people who are wealthy and are in good health,” Jada said. And in some cases, the loss of faith, or

Fighting With Parents: a Phase Marking the Start of Adolescence

By PAMELA VENTURA About three years ago, Rubi Ventura, 13, went out with her friends. She claims her curfew was set for 10 p.m., though she arrived home at midnight. According to her, the trains were delayed. As soon as she gets home her mother is up waiting for her. That’s when it started. Soon a war of words ignited. They could not agree on anything and it only got worse. “We don’t have a close connection,” said Rubi. “We’re always fighting. She doesn’t understand me.” The kind of argument that is commonplace in Bronx households–adolescents reaching an age of