The eyes of the shivering audience in the late autumn chill near Van Cortlandt Park South were fixed on the sign for Hillman Avenue — or rather, on the white plastic rectangle beneath it, and the brown twine leading away. The crowd was waiting for what was hidden behind the white plastic — the new ceremonial name for this particular corner, “William J. Scribner Way,” after the late founder of the Bronx Arts Ensemble. more

Even when there’s a choice, leaving home is an intensely difficult action. It’s harder, scarier, when one is forced to leave. The hope is that one can move forward, to keep living without forgetting roots, and maybe learning what home can be. Art can reveal this struggle. more

Jazz and the Balkans don’t seem compatible. The music is rooted in humidity, dancing, history and communication between souls, while the land is that of mountains, snow, a fierce language, and fierce people. But for Alma and Rale Micic, Belgrade and New Orleans are not that far apart. more

New York City might soon have some new leaders — the kind that could convince you to step out of your car and get around in a way that is more friendly to the environment. more

Some things are worth more than money — like taking time out of a hectic schedule to lend a hand to an organization that helps many others. more

Bake sales, seasonal festivals, movie nights, potluck dinners — all things that may feel like small events, but show a school’s parent association might be doing more than many might think. more

They say when your ears are ringing, someone must be talking about you. But for the dozen or so people who assembled at the Episcopal Church of the Mediator on a recent cold Tuesday night, that noise is something far more serious. more

As sure as a group of people work together toward a goal, there will be politics — especially if the work itself is politics. In a Point of View opinion column published last month in The Riverdale Press, Jennifer Firestone described the lengthy process she endured to join the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club. more

Most people use the phones on display in a tech store to check out the newest models, maybe take some selfies for notoriety, and kill time waiting for the next salesperson to free up. more

Yonkers, in the early afternoon, is the sound of landscapers and slowly driven cars. A mere 20-minute walk from the city line, the area seems calm and distant. Yet in one of the large, well-kept houses that line the roads is an artist filled with the excitement and verve that comes from growing up in New York City. That artist is Julia Eisen-Lester. more