A Long Island City elementary school is celebrating the transformation of a barren lot into a state-of-the-art playground that students played a big role in designing.
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A group of elected officials called on the city’s mayor and schools chancellor to reinstate the former principal of the embattled Khalil Gibran International Academy, a Brooklyn school that emphasizes Arab studies, culture and language.

The demand, made Sept. 19 outside Department of Education headquarters in lower Manhattan, marked the first time local elected officials have publicly backed ousted educator Debbie Almontaser.

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Volunteers raced against the clock to collect, identify and count as many living things as they could find in 24 hours at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge recently.

The 250 nature enthusiasts — ages 2 to 81 — hiked the 9,000-acre grounds armed with butterfly nets and binoculars as part of the park’s first BioBlitz, organized by Queens College and the Jamaica Bay Institute.

The tally: 665 species, including birds, mammals, insects and fish.
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Like many of her neighbors, Ethel Thaim grabbed the bare essentials from her apartment before the Fire Department evacuated her unsafe West Harlem building. Now the displaced resident of 305 W. 150th St., is living in an uptown shelter, trying to piece her life back together. (more…)