Funding public schools in New York City

By Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz The state of public schools in New York was rightly highlighted in Governor Cuomo’s State of the State address in January. With fewer than 36 percent of students in grades 3 through 8 proficient in math, fewer than 32 percent of students proficient in English literacy, and only 38 percent of high school students deemed college ready, it is undeniable that much more must be done to improve our public school system in New York.

Stringer’s Office Urges The Related Companies to Resolve Heat Issues

By DAVID CRUZ Following pressure from community activists and elected officials, Comptroller Scott Stringer has sent a letter to the head of a multi-billion real estate firm to resolve nagging heat issues in buildings purchased with city pension funds. Among the bigger requests is the real estate giant to come to the table. Offering a diplomatic take on a mounting situation, Stringer drafted the letter to Jeff Blau, CEO of The Related Companies, requesting Blau send representatives to hear out residents experiencing heat issues in one of 36 buildings the firm purchased. A portion of the $253 million used to

By MONICA MELTON Every Tuesday, the whining sounds of bagpipes can be heard in a basement at St. Margaret’s Church on Delafield Avenue. It’s the sound hearkening back to Old Sod, where bagpipe music symbolized revelry and in many instances a warning to the enemy.

Property Housing Struggling Healthcare Nonprofit in Norwood Up For Sale

By DAVID CRUZ An office building home to a struggling social services firm in Norwood is up for sale, amid heavy selling and buying in the Bronx. The building has been home to Federation Employment & Guidance Service (FEGS), an 81-year non-profit that offers education, healthcare, disability care, housing and employment services primarily for the Jewish community, according to its website. The organization boasts 350 other locations citywide. A report in the New York Daily News in January said the firm is on the edge of filing for bankruptcy after laying off several dozen employees and revealing it’s $20 million in debt. Massey Knakal Realty

COVE Teens Premiere their Spring 2015 Film Shorts

This Norwood community center is getting ready for its close-up. Community Organized for Vision of Excellence (COVE) will host a screening produced by some of the center’s burgeoning student filmmakers from the neighborhood on Friday, March 13 from 7:00 to 9 p.m. Supporters will view these short films at Montefiore Medical Center Grand Hall at 107 E. Gun Hill Rd. This season The COVE teens embraced the theme of social media addiction. Students have created two Public Service Announcements that makes one contemplate “does social media truly help or inhibit one’s ability to socialize on a basic human level?” This

Stagg Purchases Corner Parcel on Grand Concourse

By DAVID CRUZ A vacant parcel of property at a prominent part of Bedford Park is slated to become the next signature development by a real estate giant. The Stagg Group, which has been buying properties in Bedford Park/Norwood, purchased a defunct mechanic shop at 150 Van Cortlandt Avenue East on the corner of Grand Concourse and Van Cortlandt Avenue East. Through loans, The Stagg Group, purchased the site for $7.1 million to convert it to what it dubbed “signature development,” another sign of the developer’s here to stay in the northwest Bronx. The property was marketed and sold through Massey

By JENNY SHARP Teachers and students at Norwood’s PS 94 are thinking creatively to promote both writing and global awareness. For the school’s entire third grade, students are seeing a true blending of the two, thanks to a mixed-media project.

Neighborhood Notes

DYCD Application NYC’s Department of Youth and Community Development is accepting applications for the 2015 Summer Youth Employment Program through April 10. SYEP is available for young people ages 14 to 24 with up to six weeks of entry-level experience at worksites in the city. Participants are selected by lottery for the program, which runs from July 6 through Aug. 15 and are compensated for their work. Worksites interested in providing jobs have until May 16 to apply. For more information, call 311 or DYCD Youth Connect at (800) 246-4646. Poe Cottage Adds Hours The Edgar Allan Poe Cottage, 2640 Grand Concourse, is

By DAVID CRUZ Assemblyman Marcos Crespo was unanimously elected as the next leader of the Bronx Democratic County Committee (BDCC) in a volunteer position that piles more responsibilities to Crespo in exchange for raising his profile.