Nearly 100 Bronxites gathered for a peace rally in front of the Kingsbridge Armory last Friday, denouncing the U.S. occupation of Iraq.

At the first meeting of the Facilities Monitoring Committee (FMC) for the filtration plant last Thursday, the participants decided that future meetings, to be held monthly, should not be open to the general public.

You don’t have to be an economic development expert to know that an extra $500 million in the hands of New Yorkers would be a good thing for city residents and the city at large.

In our last issue, we reported that the first meeting of the Facilities Monitoring Committee for the Croton filtration plant would be closed to the public, but that the participants would discuss whether to open up future meetings.

While we’re talking about open government, we’d like to reiterate our support for Sunshine Week, which begins on March 13. Organized by the American Society of Newspaper Editors, Sunshine Week is meant to educate the public about their rights to obtain public information and state and federal Freedom of Information laws.

Most local school construction and repair will be postponed for at least a year under the latest version of the city’s capital plan, sparking an outcry when it was announced last month.

Beverly Miller is good at handling crises, even when they come rushing in her door. "I want them to know it’s OK to talk to me about things," Miller said after a crowd of children, in the throes of a dispute, left her office relatively pacified. "There’s only one rule, and that is you don’t lie."

The city steadfastly denies that stink bombs were used by safety officers to disperse loitering students, despite charges made by Walton High School teens last month.

Mention W-2s and 1040s, and most people grit their teeth at the thought of tax preparation. Mention it to Wendy Garcia and she’ll tell you what it can mean – thousands of dollars back, painlessly.