Bronx Bound Books Bolsters Literacy in The Bronx

By SARAH HUFFMAN

Latanya DeVaughn loves books. Her love of books can be traced back to her childhood, from watching her grandmother read to neighbors who couldn’t, and from scouring yard sales for used books with her aunt. Years later, that love manifested in the mobile bookstore, Bronx Bound Books.

Eric Adams Launches Expansion of Summer Rising Program in The Bronx

By SÍLE MOLONEY

New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced on March 11, the expansion of the Summer Rising program, connecting 110,000 elementary and middle school students to fun, culturally-relevant, hands-on experiences to strengthen their academic, social, and emotional skills this summer. Enrollment began in April for Summer Rising, a free program that, according to City officials will be administered by the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) and the New York City Department of Education (DOE). The program follows the mayor’s announcement of 100,000 summer jobs for city youth last month. “Our children grow every

By SÍLE MOLONEY

Phipps Neighborhoods, a non-profit social service provider in New York City, announced on Monday, April 11, that it is seeking applications for the City’s Department of Youth and Community Development’s Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), which will connect youth from The Bronx and Upper Manhattan with career exploration opportunities and paid work experiences. This year, Phipps Neighborhoods aims to serve 1,000 students with employment opportunities, an increase from its previous record of serving nearly 575 students last year. Andre White, president and CEO of Phipps Neighborhoods, said, “This year, the Summer Youth Employment Program will employ 100,000 young people across

By JULIAN NAZAR

Editor’s Note: The following is an updated version of the story that appears in our latest print edition. Bronx Buccaneers presented their case for getting kids more involved in sport during the March meeting of Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7) Education, Youth & Libraries committee. The local sports group are of the view that sports ultimately help students advance along their educational path and do all they can to support kids on that journey. Keith Spivey Jr., president of the Bronx Buccaneers Youth Football Program, spoke at length about the group’s football program. He thanked the committee for

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

A group of almost 200 students at St. Brendan School in Norwood helped unveil a mural in support of the people in, and fleeing, Ukraine, a country which has been under attack from Russian troops since Feb. 24, causing the greatest displacement of refugees since World War II. So far, it has resulted in “five weeks of bombardment, thousands of deaths in ruined cities, and the displacement of more than 10 million people inside Ukraine and beyond” according to a report by BBC News. There have also been several reports of war crimes carried out against civilians, including the

By SÍLE MOLONEY

The NYPD announced Saturday, April 9, that an arrest has been made in the case of the shooting of three teenagers who were shot, one fatally, in the vicinity of South Bronx High School, located north of the Mott Haven border in the South Bronx, on Friday, April 8. During a press conference held Friday afternoon, Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell described the incident “as a tragic shooting that took the life of a teen, a young woman with a bright future and injured two other teenagers who were struck by bullets on the streets of The Bronx.” “At this

By SARAH HUFFMAN

Editor’s Note: The following is an updated version of the story that appears in our latest print edition. Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson held the annual “Herstory” celebration on Thursday, March 10, at the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG), an event which honored five women for achievements in their respective fields to mark Women’s History Month. Gibson welcomed the guests saying, “March is Women’s ‘Herstory’ Month, and it is a time of the year when we celebrate our women and all of the great contributions that our sisters have made to history, to culture, society,” before

By DAVID GREENE

Women’s History Month kicked off with a pair of celebratory events held at Monroe College in Fordham Manor and at Jacobi Hospital in Morris Park, following International Women’s Day on March 8. On March 9, Mayor Eric Adams was expected to speak at the “My Sister’s Keeper Female Empowerment Conference,” held in the Mintz auditorium of Monroe College, located at 2501 Jerome Avenue. However, the mayor reportedly cancelled at the last minute. Judging by the reaction of the crowd of young, female, high-school students in attendance, they did not appear to be too disappointed, however. Stepping in for

By JOSÉ A. GIRALT

The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition. On Jan. 15, an 11-hour standoff at the Colleyville Congregation in Texas ended when the gunman was distracted by Rabbi Charlie Cytron Walker, allowing the Rabbi and three others to escape. Once alone in the synagogue, Malik Akram was killed by an FBI hostage team. The incident ushered in a new year of national attention on the rise in antisemitic crimes. Figures released by the FBI reveal that more than half of all religious bias crimes target Jews according to the American