Be Healthy (Bronx Youth Heard Edition) – Depressed Teens Seek Comfort Beyond Medication

By JESSICA MENESES Vital Stats: 11 – Percentage of teens who will experience depression by age 18. Source: National Alliance on Mental Health Arsenis, a Bronx resident living on Intervale Avenue, has been battling depression since she was 13. That was four years ago. These days her depression makes her “fall into a rut very often and think about death.” But instead of popping a pill or talking to a doctor when she feels bad, Arsenis routinely picks up a pen. She used to be on medication, though its effects left her “trained to think that it fixes your problems

By Briana Anderson The lost art of letter writing may be followed by the art of cursive in New York City public schools. In an age that celebrates digital knowhow over old school traditions, legible handwriting is often overlooked in schools while lessons in cursive writing is all but ignored in many classrooms. Aaron Reid, 16, a student at DeWitt Clinton High School in Norwood, called cursive “a waste of time.” “Why do we need cursive when nowadays typing and print is the new penmanship?” he asked. But Joshua Corder, 15, a student at Harry S. Truman High School in

by David Cruz Thursday ushers in the latest edition of the Norwood News, available at nearly 300 locations throughout the northwest Bronx. This week we delve into a five-year cluster site in Norwood that’s apparently worn out its welcome, according to rent paying tenants. The Norwood News spoke to both sides, who largely feel misunderstood. We also look at the Stagg Group as it edges closer to opening its three-building complex along Webster Avenue. By and large the buildings are deemed the linchpin to the building boom happening along the northwest Bronx corridor. Hear what residents have to say about the market rate

by David Cruz The forecast this Election Day is calling for mild weather for early November. It’s a perfect time to vote! Polls at schools, community centers and senior centers are open until 9 p.m. in a General Election that’s already perceived as having a very low voter turnout despite a New York gubernatorial contest that needs to be decided. The top races in the Bronx have already been decided during the September Democratic primary, considered more important given the overwhelming number of registered Democrats in the Bronx. The Bronx Democratic County Committee helped garner wins for its incumbents, though

By Hayley Camacho On his dining room table, Victor Rosario has six letters from the city Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s Code Enforcement Division certifying the numerous violations in his apartment at 3540 Decatur Ave. Rosario has been fighting an uphill battle for the last several years to get the landlord, Bob-Al Management Corp, to make the necessary repairs.

Put the Pedal to the Metal at the 20th annual Tour de Bronx

by David Cruz Strap on your helmet, tune up the two-wheeler and get set for the 20th annual Tour de Bronx. The state’s largest bike outing, according to Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., is a way of shattering the nagging stigma of the Bronx. “And the best way to do that is to show people that the Bronx is not what it was, but so much more,” said Diaz, as he stood outside the Bronx YMCA in Castle Hill, overlooking a scenic view of the East River and Whitestone Bridge. The largest free bicycling event in the state, the

Opinion: Rebutting The Climate Change Argument

by Joe Massaro A recent letter to the editor by Diana Pedi titled, Climate Change Happens in The Bronx Too took aim at fracking even though it’s thanks to fracking and the increased use of natural gas that the U.S. has significantly lowered greenhouse gas emissions. According to Pedi, fracking is to blame for climate change because, “fracking releases methane.” That claim has been directly contradicted by the EPA, which just released data from its annual Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. EPA found that oil and gas producers reduced emissions of methane 12 percent from 2011 to 2013, and methane emissions

Bronx Youth Heard (Fall application deadline September 18.) The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Heard (formerly known as the Bronx Youth Journalism Initiative), a free after-school journalism program for Bronx high school students. There are two sessions each school year: one in the fall and another in the spring. We are currently accepting applications for our fall 2014 semester, which is scheduled to start on Thursday, September 25. Classes are held at Hostos Community College, 450 Grand Concourse, on Thursday afternoons from 4 to 6:00p.m., and run for 12 weeks. [ATTENTION: Fall applications are DUE THURSDAY, September 18. Download your application now!] Students learn the

Memorial Tees Sweep Bronx Schools

There’s a new way teens are remembering the dead that is gaining a lot of attention. By wearing picture T-shirts, teen mourners are memorializing those who have passed. But in an odd twist, many teenagers who wear the apparel find it difficult to discuss their loved ones’ passing.