Staten Island may soon be as well known for its sushi as its pizza.

The number of Japanese restaurants in the borough have tripled in the last four years, by one observer’s estimate. And some of the new eateries, like the Fushimi Restaurant and Lounge, aren’t even Japanese owned.

“It’s really a big trend now,” Joey Tse, Fushimi’s Chinese owner, said of the sushi boom.

Women’s boxing has gained popularity through movies like “Million Dollar Baby,” and professional fighters like Laila Ali, daughter of Muhammad Ali.

But the gender gap hasn’t closed much when it comes to money. Jill Emery, a 37-year-old former Golden Gloves champ, has found that making as much cash as the male boxers who train beside her at Gleason’s Gym is her toughest fight yet.

The organic food market is a small but fast-growing segment of the food industry with sales up more than 20 percent last year, despite rising costs.

Some Fairway shoppers said it was well worth budgeting the extra bucks to keep organic foods on the table.

The economy may be down, but it’s no time to cry in your beer.

That’s the philosophy of Erik Ness, owner of The Bullpen, a new Upper East Side bar. He’s hoping his establishment will survive the tough times by offering customers reasonable prices, good food and a “neighborhood feeling.”

He’s got a big challenge ahead as the city’s $10 billion restaurant and bar industry braces for a decline. And with alcohol costs rising and a hops shortage pushing beer prices up, bars could be taking a double hit.

Dashawn Gables makes your party her business.

The owner of Brooklyn Favors Party and Print Innovators in Brownsville specializes in making personalized party favors, including capias – flowers dressed up with ribbon frill and glitter.

Gables is looking forward to the busy spring graduation and bridal season, as she uses her talents to capitalize on what’s become a $20 billion a year party favor industry.

Local students, energized by the presidential race, signed up as campaign volunteers – passing out flyers, making phone calls and flocking to rallies leading up to Super Tuesday.

Whether they’re working for Sen. Barack Obama or Sen. Hillary Clinton, the political newcomers said they’re driven by a desire for change – and a hope they can help shape the country’s future.

“People want a renewed faith in politics,” said Anna Durret, leader of Students for Hillary Clinton at Columbia University.

The Rev. Calvin Butts, the politically influential leader of Harlem’s famed Abyssinian Baptist church, endorsed Sen. Hillary Clinton last month. But that didn’t stop volunteers from Harlem For Obama from distributing flyers outside the W. 138th Street church, trying to sway voters.

Djenny Passe-Rodriguez spoke with Harlem churchgoers about the appropriateness of religious leaders endorsing candidates from the pulpit.

Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential bid has drawn the interest of African immigrants – including those from Kenya, where the candidate’s father was born.

Some are planning to vote for Obama, while others say he has no chance of winning because of thee color of his skin.

Adeola Oladele spoke with African immigrants in Brooklyn.

Photographer Anke Michaelson found artistic solace in church.

Churches in and around Staten Island’s North Shore are the subjects of Michaelson’s new photography series, Midnight Churches. The pictures, shot at night, feature churches whose lights are off, save for a few prayer candles in some.

Michaelson, 27, said she photographed the dark church interiors by placing two cameras in each house of worship and allowing the film to expose between one and three hours – creating a scene that can’t be seen by the naked eye.

“It’s just an extraordinary view of something everyone knows,” said Michaelson, whose pictures are on display in her husband’s restaurant, Marie’s Gourmet. “You get this effect like sculptures are illuminated and the colors are different.”

Michaelson said she chose churches because of the stained-glass windows. Sometimes she would have to visit a church four or five times to get the effect she sought. “It was definitely a learning experience,” she said.

The project was funded by a grant from the Council on the Arts & Humanities of Staten Island (COAHSI), said Michaelson, who has lived on Staten Island since emigrating from Germany as an au pair.

Her husband of seven years, Brian Michaelson, said he is glad to have the photos in Marie’s Gourmet, noting the works give the Italian café a feeling of warmth.

“I love them. I think they’re amazing,” he said. “When I was hiring, people came in and would call the booths pews. The pictures communicated that to them subliminally.”

The pictures, which will be on display through at least February 2008, are being sold for $500 to $700 each. Marie’s Gourmet is located at 977 Victory Blvd.

Kindergarteners at Public School 58 tell their teacher “bonjour” when they arrive and “au revoir” at dismissal – and they speak a lot more French in between.

The Carroll Gardens school is one of the three city public schools that now offer French-English dual language instruction, to the delight of parents and the French Embassy, which had pushed for the program.

The city offers dual-language programs at about 65 schools, though most are taught in Spanish or Chinese. In September, 2007, students P.S. 58 and schools on the upper West Side and in the Bronx became the first to get the opportunity to be taught in French, which is spoken by an estimated 200 million people worldwide.

Chika Osaka visited the 4- and 5-year-old emerging French speakers of P.S. 58.