Good riddance, 2009 Comment.

The Locust Point Civic Association has a lot to be proud of. A new state-of-the-art playground is planned for its clubhouse grounds and more residents want to join its board. Comment.

The MTA’s axe is set to execute Sunday service on the Bx8 bus and residents of geographically isolated neighborhoods such as Locust Point and Edgewater Park are upset. Comment.

Hess Corporation has demolished a canopy at the former Shell gas station at E. Tremont and Baisley avenues. It appears that construction on a new Hess Express gas station and mini-mart could begin soon. Comment.

A neighborhood Mecca where thousands of young people developed an appreciation for music, thanks to lessons on the piano, drums and guitar, closed before the start of the New Year. Comment.

Five remarkable young people accepted awards at a Community Board 11 general meeting on Thursday, December 17. Teens Nicholas Sette, Michael Zagreda, Lauren Murphy, Grace Fragale and Melissa Balais earned New York Yankees Youth Leadership Awards. Despina Miller earned a McDonald’s Youth Leadership Award. Comment.

Many merchants experienced a less than stellar holiday season this year, but feel it could have been a much better. Comment.

One of Throggs Necks’ most beloved residents suffered a heart attack and passed away last week, leaving behind fond memories for those who knew him. Comment.

A steady stream of people, many of them teenage friends of Kaitlin Booth, mourned the death of the 12-year old Waterbury-LaSalle resident at her wake on New Year’s Day. Booth died in a tragic car accident on the Bruckner Expressway service road. Comment.

The Iona in Mission program—which provides students with the opportunity to serve people most in need in the U.S. and internationally—has won an inaugural $500 scholarship from The Pilgrimage, a service learning program in Washington, D.C., to work with, learn from and learn about urban poverty. Comment.

After a year of fighting to get health insurance coverage for her 4-year-old granddaughter, Bronx grandmother Anna Basile, with the help of Senator Jeff Klein, won her case. Comment.

For the Sailors of Navy Recruiting District New York’s Fordham Road Recruiting Station, it’s all about the numbers. Comment.

Assemblyman Michael R. Benedetto, in conjunction with Project Renewal, formerly operating as Women’s Outreach Network, will be sponsoring a free Mobile Mammography Screening Van which will be outside of his office located at 3602 E. Tremont Avenue on Saturday, January 23, beginning at 1:30 p.m. Comment.

Thinking about John McNamara last week reminded me that he was in a group that walked over the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge when it opened on April 29, 1939. They were able to use one of the two pedestrian walkways. When it was discovered that the bridge was oscillating a little too much in the 1940s, stabilizing trusses were added at which time the walkways were removed and the traffic lanes widened. Comment.

The FDNY Mobile CPR Training Unit will begin holding regularly scheduled free CPR classes in all boroughs starting on Tues., Jan. 5. The first Tuesday through the fourth Tuesday and the fourth Thursday of every month there will be Borough CPR training sessions in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Staten Island and Queens. Comment.

Westchester Square, Unfair-Share! Westchester-Square, Unfair-Share! Comment.