Be Healthy – Warding Off Shingles Takes a Shot in the Arm

By KIMBERLY JACOBS   Vital Signs: 80 – Percentage of Americans over 60 years old that have not received the shingles shot. (Source: Centers for Disease Control) After getting over the chickenpox, don’t be relieved just yet. The chickenpox virus, varicella zoster, lies dormant in the body, leaving us vulnerable to getting shingles as people get older and the immune system becomes weaker after age 60.

Extended Enrollment Period for Affordable Care Now in Effect

New York State of Health, the State’s official health plan marketplace, announced a special enrollment period (SEP) for uninsured individuals and families who can attest that they were unaware of the tax penalty for being uninsured when they filed their 2014 tax returns. This extended enrollment period started on March 1 and ends at 11:59 p.m. on April 30.

Neighborhood Notes

MMCC Pre-K Applications The Mosholu Montefiore Community Center is accepting applications for its Pre-K, Head Start and child care programs at the Van Cortlandt Village Child Development Center, located inside the VC Jewish Center, 3880 Sedgwick Ave.  For more information, call (718) 543-0231 or (718) 882-4000.

New Bus Schedules for BxM4 Riders to Manhattan

The stress of the morning rush, where minutes matter and a mad dash to the bus is the norm, might become a bit easier for some north Bronx commuters. This comes after the MTA agreed to reschedule BxM4 buses a cool 10 minutes earlier. The buses take riders from Woodlawn to midtown Manhattan in just over an hour. The goal was to resolve a tardiness issue for passengers slated for work at 7 a.m. For afternoon rush commuters taking the BxM4 back to the Bronx, departure times will also be 10 minutes earlier. The changes, set to take effect April


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Letters to the Editor

Criticizing West Bx Housing  Although I agree that Ms. [Sally] Dunford [executive director of West Bronx Housing] is “on the ball,” there are many factors that disagree with my experiences recently. The first is that Ms. Dunford or the Mosholu Preservation Corp., did not tell the people of Norwood that they were moving their office to Bedford Park. The new location is also difficult to get to. Having been healing from severe injuries does not make this trek any easier nor were maps indicated in your paper.

Inquiring Photographer

By DAVID GREENE This week we asked readers to pick out where some of the borough’s most harrowing potholes can be found following a dismal winter. Personally, I think the worst potholes are in the Boston Road area in the South Bronx. It’s pretty bad especially in the winter time. The potholes can be treacherous. It’s gotten better, but still some areas are still really, really bad. I think most of it comes from all of the construction going on. It’s gotten a lot better, but there can still be some improvement. Dwayne Gittens Melrose

See the Photos: Patrons Take Part in Norwood’s Good Friday Processions

By JASMINE GOMEZ (Photos by JENNY SHARP)  Despite a solemn rain, St. Brendan’s Church and The Shrine Church of St. Ann’s, both located in Norwood, hosted their yearly Good Friday procession, a reenactment of The Passion of Jesus Christ. This was also the final procession for St. Ann’s, which is set to merge with St. Brendan’s Church later this year.