Bronx

Jurors get paid a pittance to serve -- certainly not enough to make up for lost wages. In this era of high underemployment, the forgone pay associated with missing work to do your civic duty is cutting deeper than ever. It can even result in less-than-perfect justice.

Dodgeball: perhaps no grade school sport is infused with more cringing memories and dark humor. And the story of 12-year-old Shane Reese surely has both elements, along with a little "what were they thinking?" and could spell doom for the activity's future in New York schools. The boy's been...

Poor Subway. The sandwich chain was already smarting from bad press for its mistreatment of Leon Batie, a franchise owner stationed in Afghanistan. Now it finds itself fighting another battle -- a strip club owner has used Subway-branded wrappers and menus in his combination sandwich shop and...

While the forthcoming increase in the minimum wage has workers rejoicing and retailers grimacing, the living wage debate continues to fester. Widely demonized as a euphemism for Socialism, the idea of offering entry-level employees salaries that encourage long-term job loyalty may well provide the...

This week, Brynwood Partners, the owners of Stella D'oro pastries, announced that it is closing the company's only factory. While some of the brand's products will continue to be produced in other facilities, the loss of Stella D'oro's Bronx bakery represents more than just the end of a factory; in...

Over the past few months, as the economic outlook has grown increasingly gloomy, various pundits, commentators and all-purpose wing nuts (including yours truly) have offered tips to help the average person weather the financial downturn. We've given suggestions for lowering bills, saving money on...

When my wife and I lived in Southwest Virginia, we bought most of our food at Wal-Mart. It was close to our house, the produce section was outstanding, and the prices were low. In retrospect, it's pretty clear that we were spoiled; when we moved to the Bronx about a year and a half ago, we were...

When I first moved to the Bronx, I was amazed at the food prices. While I could often find exotic foods like plantains or cassavas for a fraction of the prices that I had grown to expect in Virginia, relatively mundane foods cost a fortune. Peanut butter was easily twice as expensive as it had...