civil rights

Love Your Heart During American Heart Month & Forever!

By ARIEL PACHECO & SÍLE MOLONEY
Heart disease is preventable, yet it is the leading cause of death in the United States according to the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute (NHLBI) with more than 800,000 people dying of cardiovascular disease every year. Despite this, a recent poll conducted by Harris and the American Heart Association found that more than half of U.S. residents are unaware of these facts.

UPDATE Family & Friends Remember Cecilia “Ceci” Greene

By DAVID GREENE
The Amalgamated Houses and the larger Jerome Park community is mourning the recent death of Cecilia “Ceci” Greene at the age of 91. Friends have offered an outpouring of tributes to the German immigrant who grew up during and survived the Nazi occupation only to seek and find lifelong friends and a better life in America. Greene died on Jan. 23.

Bronx Book Swap Promotes Love for Reading and Beer in The Bronx

By SHERICA DALEY
In a quiet, industrial area located in the Throggs Neck section of The Bronx, something unexpected took place in mid-December. The Bronx Brewery hosted a Bronx Book Swap event on Dec. 17 in conjunction with Norwood Community Library, a bookworm’s event at no cost. Participants came to donate, swap books, listen to live music with DJ Buddy Lee, and enjoy a cold brew beer. The event was the first such event when books in Spanish and in other languages were made available and sought, and it laid the ground for the “Books & Brews” Book Club which launched in January 2024.

UPDATE Eight Bronx Building Owners Fined for Non-Compliance with Lead Paint Regulations

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Eight Bronx building owners, including two in Norwood, one in Bedford Park, one in Kingsbridge, and one in Fordham Manor, are among ten owners who were collectively fined over $150,000 by NYC Department of Housing, Preservation & Development (HPD) for failing to comply with lead-based paint regulations, HPD officials said on Jan. 16.

Coalition Calls to Eliminate 5-Year Statute of Limitations for Human Trafficking Survivors to Press Charges

By SÍLE MOLONEY
Coinciding with Human Trafficking Awareness Month in January, Northwest Bronx Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (A.D. 81), a Democrat, was among a coalition of elected officials, advocates, and survivors who joined Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Jr., on Jan. 18, to call on the New York State legislature to support survivors by eliminating the five-year statute of limitations for sex trafficking and child sex trafficking.