Health Check: Tips for Tasty Meals During National Nutrition Month

March is National Nutrition Month. Every year, The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics spearheads a nutrition education campaign, and this year’s theme is “Celebrate A World of Flavors.” The goal is to help us improve our nutrition and celebrate flavors and cuisines from both our own and other cultures. This National Nutrition Month, we encourage you to try new flavors and foods from around the world.   Many cultures have foods in common that can be prepared in different ways. For example, beans are a popular food in many cultures. Beans are high-fiber, low-fat sources of protein, and a great


Read More

Health Check: When Muscle Pain in Your Legs Could Mean a Heart Problem

February is American Heart Month, when we raise awareness about heart disease and how to prevent it. Heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in adults living in New York City, and it is important to know if you are at risk for heart disease. New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has tools and resources to help you identify and manage your risk for heart disease. You can access these resources and use their Heart Age Calculator tool by going to https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/health/health-topics/heart-age-calculator.page.   One condition related to heart disease is peripheral artery disease (PAD).


Read More

Sanchez Chairs Council Committee on Housing & Buildings, as Women Comprise Council Majority

On Thursday, Jan. 20, the New York City Council appointed recently elected, Bronx, District 14 City Council Member, Pierina Sanchez, as chair of the council’s powerful housing & buildings committee, which has jurisdiction over New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) and the Department of Buildings (DOB), as well as rent regulation policies and practices.   HPD is responsible for promoting the quality and affordability of the city’s housing by developing new, affordable housing, enforcing the housing maintenance code, and engaging neighborhoods in planning. DOB is the primary regulator of the construction and real estate industries in


Read More

Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell Announces Rank Reinforcements to Curb Transit Crime

Newly appointed Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell announced on Wednesday, Jan. 6, a set of what were described as new innovative deployment strategies to reimagine the NYPD’s safety coverage of the City’s subway system. The formal announcement was made during a press conference that day together with Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.   As of Jan. 2, 2022, year-to-date transit crimes across the City were up 800 percent, compared to the same period last year. In the Bronx, the year-to-date numbers remained stable as of Jan. 2, compared to the same date in 2021. However, Norwood


Read More

Recycle Your Holiday Trees at NYC Parks’ MulchFest or Arrange for Bulk Pick-Up of Large, Artificial Trees

  NYC Parks and NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) officials are encouraging New Yorkers to wrap up their holiday season by saying goodbye to their respective holiday trees during the annual Mulchfest, a New York City holiday tradition of recycling holiday trees.   Residents can put on their boots, haul their trees to a nearby Mulchfest drop-off location near them, between Saturday, Dec. 26, 2021 and Sunday, Jan 9, 2022. City workers will then chip the trees into wood chips for residents to take home and use to nourish trees, and make the City even greener.   More than 29,000


Read More

MTA to Retire 1960s Era “Brightliner” R-32 Subway Cars, Invites Public for Farewell Rides on D Line

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) announced on Dec. 18 that, after 58 years of service, a fleet of subway cars known as the R-32s, nicknamed the Brightliners, and which are among the oldest subway cars to operate in the world, will officially retire from service. To commemorate the historic occasion and the subway cars’ unique design, New York City Transit (NYCT) is placing one R-32 train in service on four consecutive Sundays from mid-December through early January. The first run took place on Sunday, Dec. 19.   According to the MTA, the R-32s were the first large fleet of mass-produced


Read More

Norwood Community Library Brings Free Books to The Bronx

Outside the Keeper’s House on Reservoir Oval East in the Norwood section of the Bronx is a light blue library mailbox which, since around July 2021, has been regularly filled with used books, all waiting for new homes. The library mailbox is a recent initiative by “Norwood Community Library,” an outdoor, mutual aid, book exchange program.   30-year-old Brandon Montes is the founder of the volunteer-run library which launched in 2018, and he hopes the addition of the library mailbox will further strengthen his growing engagement with the community, through a love of reading.   “For a long time, we


Read More

Health Check: Take Care of Your Mental Health

Each year, usually around the start of the year, which is just around the corner, we are encouraged to meet with our primary care physician to assess our physical wellbeing. Not often prioritized as part of this routine is an effort to assess our psychological and emotional wellbeing, which is concerning, because poor mental health has an impact on physical wellbeing and quality of life.   Mental health problems continue to rise across the nation. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in increased isolation, anxiety, unresolved grief, stress, and financial and housing insecurities, all of which are predictors of a mental health crisis. Also at risk are people with chronic medical


Read More

Bronx DA Hosts Resource Fair for Formerly Incarcerated as Bailey’s Bill to Assist with Job Opportunities Passes

  Bronx District Attorney (DA) Darcel D. Clark, together with officials from her office, hosted a fourth Bronx reentry, resource fair on Nov. 6, for individuals reentering the community after having served time in jail or prison. The event was held at Bronx Community Board 12 (CB12)’s office in the Wakefield section of the borough.   During the fair, Clark spoke to the crowd, thanking her office staff and various partner organizations for putting the work in to help the community. “I could not get this work done without the community-based organizations that believe in this work as well,” she


Read More