The death of a classmate brings two high school girls together, but racial tensions threaten their friendship--one teen is African-American, the other is white--in “Girlfriend,” an intelligent, deeply affecting ABC Afterschool Special (today 3 p.m., channels 7, 3, 10, 42).

Torrance Harvey, 49, of Newburgh, recently released, "America, America!" a collection of his poems described as an "open letter to our nation," according to an announcement from his publisher, Dorrance Publishing Co.

Surprised, because when you listen to him unpack his life story, you realize he has been favored by fortune and has been graced with many amazing opportunities.

In celebration of Black History Month, The Storm King School hosted a very special guest with the help of the BLSU (Black and Latino Student Union). On Thursday, February 28, Newburgh Mayor Torrance Harvey joined students and faculty for dinner in Henderson Dining Hall before addressing the community at the Walter Reade Jr. Theatre. Throughout the evening, Mayor Harvey highlighted the area’s history through the lens of an African-American as he told inspiring stories from his life as a poet, historian, high school teacher, and most recently, a politician.