With the city’s blessing, plans for the New York Botanical Garden’s new parking garage are now official, although there still may be a few details to work out with the community.

Healthcare executives, union representatives and politicians, including Congressmen Joe Crowley and Jerrold Nadler, came together late last month at Montefiore’s Children’s Hospital to rally for Congress’ reauthorization of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).

A delegation of 3-year-olds and their teachers from the Amalgamated Nursery School paid a visit to the office of Congressman Eliot Engel on May 30, where they presented his chief of staff, Bill Weitz (pictured) with a 12-foot “Peace Tree.” The tree, made by 17 kids and their families, was decorated with messages of peace in multiple languages.

Members of Sistas and Brothas United (SBU), a grassroots local youth group affiliated with the Northwest Bronx Community and Clergy Coalition, have their sights set on the old Fordham Library as a new community center.

There are only a handful of nonprofit community newspapers like this one in the country. Mosholu Preservation Corporation (MPC) created it almost 20 years ago for two reasons: there wasn’t one, and neighborhood residents and businesses had no way to communicate.

As we went to press, we learned that Rita Kessler will be retiring from her job as district manager of Community Board 7. Kessler will be remembered as a dedicated watchdog for our neighborhoods.

Ecstatic Lehman College graduates celebrate during the commencement ceremony on Thursday, May 31. Around 5,000 graduates, one of the largest classes in a recent years, listened to New York City Congressman Charles B. Rangel give the main address.

New Unit Not Responsive Sympathy for Dog Owner

In a time of soaring prices for higher education, don’t overlook the City University of New York (CUNY), which costs less than $6,000 a year, but many question the quality of its education. At CUNY, I found a school that offered opportunities I had never considered and friendships that influenced the direction of my future.