Change for a Dollar: Gentrification 2: If You Build It, Will They Come? It’s not uncommon for withering brown bananas to lay limp on the counter of my local bodega; or for the often-sticky floors to claim the soles of my shoes; or for the shelves to hold a product hostage long past its shelf life. (read more)

Change for a Dollar: Gentrification (column intro): Al Green’s rhythm-inspiring “Let’s Stay Together” cascades from a tenement window, and the scent of jerk chicken wafts down Nostrand Avenue, as I walk pass yet another new high rise and the newest glass-front café that sells mochas and organic scones. (read more)

Artist defends 42nd Street mural under fire: Sofia Maldonado got started in her native Puerto Rico where she saw no limits to expressing her artistic vision. The artist has gone from painting on abandoned buildings to being featured in art galleries from California to France. (read more)

Beverly Johnson: 35 Years After Her Historic Vogue Cover: In August 1974 Beverly Johnson became the first black woman to land the coveted cover of American Vogue. However, back then the driven 22-year-old did not realize the social significance of her accomplishment. (read more)

Ruined: Congolese Diamonds in a Rough: Despite the sirens of gunfire and bloodshed taking place in the rainforest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, patrons retreat to Mama’s Place, where they can escape the war, and “Leave behind whatever mess they made out there. (read more)

The Femme Candidate: Professing to be “unbossed and unbought,” Shirley Chisholm was the first black female major-party candidate for President of the United States, and the first black woman to be elected to Congress. (read more)

The Poet: Gwendolyn Brooks “I could not have told you then that some sun would come, somewhere over the road, would come evoking the diamonds of you, the Black continent-somewhere over the road.” (read more)

The Activist: Fannie Lou Hamer In the 1960′s, being Black and exercising your right to vote mean losing your job, being beater or even lynched. But for Fannie Lou Hamer, voting rights activist and civil rights leader, there was no point in being scared. (read more)

Traffic Jammin’ Session Tens of thousands of football and music fans will rock Columbus Circle this afternoon in a free concert that will slow traffic from the Upper West Side to Midtown. (read more)

Grieving Mother: I Could Have Saved My Son The grieving mother of a disturbed Brooklyn man who fell to his death after being Tasered by police said yesterday the tragedy might have been prevented if cops had let her talk to her son. (read more)

Bus Boy’s Ordeal Ten-year-old Evan Bongirne lives in the East Village and goes to school on the Upper West Side – but it takes him nearly two hours to get home. (read more)

A Boffo Revival It used to be that the only things standing still in Times Square were lost or awestruck tourist, but yesterday, the Crossroads of the World became a nice place to sit and relax. (read more)

Guardian Angel Murdered A crazed homeless criminal lurking outside a Queens woman’s house beat and stomped to death a protective neighbor who had come to her aid, police said yesterday. (read more)

Liquid Assets This New Yorker got all wet for chump change (read more)

Traffic Miracle on 34th Street The city yesterday opened a red bus lane across 34th Street (read more)

NY Toddler Killed The priest who led mourners in saying a tearful goodbye to little Kyle Smith yesterday ripped into the guardians accused of beating, torturing and killing the 3-year-old boy, calling them “extremely” evil. (read more)

Subways’ Blood-Bug Invasion Don’t let the bedbugs swipe. (read more)

Pet Heroes Are A Buncha Animals They look like your worst nightmare, tattooed hell-raisers prowling the streets just looking for trouble – but that’s OK. (read more)

Teens eager for journalism opportunity Teenagers in the Bronx are pounding on keyboards to be heard, and they have a platform that prompts a vast audience to pay attention – a newspaper. (read more)

Funny Wisdom: A Bronx Comic Sounds off Cracking wise comes naturally to Bronx-born Mike DeStefano. The 40-year-old is a stand-up comic who grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Throgs Neck and still lives there. He wanted to be a wise guy but instead is killing audiences. (read more)

Dirty criminals? Students fight stereotypes via film People from the Bronx are loud, dirty, drug dealers or criminals and the borough overflows with murderers and thieves. These are the answers South Bronx students gave when their teacher asked them about stereotypes associated with the Bronx. (read more)

Tenants try to buy complex where hip-hop began The large white awning that hangs over the entrance to 1520 Sedgwick Ave. is not commonplace. It reads: “We Won’t Be Bought. No Nos Compraran.” (read more)

Program seeks to get police, community in sync Clad in blue, a group of police officers marched into Makky Jamme Masjid—a graffiti-speckled mosque tucked away in a sepia-colored residential brick building on East 168th Street in the Bronx. (read more)

MTA call for subway, bus upgrades Jennifer Bell’s life may soon get a little easier and her wallet a little fatter. Right now, the 28-year-old security guard has to spring for a cab when going home because the Bx1 bus stops running at midnight. (read more)

Hunts Points workers get free shuttle lift The Hunts Point area may feed the city but getting there has been daunting for workers who must travel through desolate streets at all hours to the remote location. (read more)

Alumnae Panel: Covering Power The discussion touched on the Bush administration, the 2008 presidential election, new media, and more. However, students seemed most concerned with getting advice on how to access those in power and securing a job covering power. (read more)

Beat on the Street Video People in the Bronx react to Eliot Spitzer’s prostitution scandal. (see video)

Why can’t I find a summer job? Securing a summer job is not as easy as it used to be. With the complications of resumes, cover letters, networking, online job services, and interview etiquette, the hunt for meaningful summer employment has become increasingly tedious and time-consuming. (read more)