News Of The Neighborhoods
COMPILED BY LIZ GOFF

School Cutback Critics

Parents and others seeking a way to vent their anger or frustration over announced cutbacks to the city school system are urged to dial "311" to do so.

School advocates, including teachers and principals, are urging parents to call the citywide information hotline to air their beefs with Mayor Michael Bloomberg and to ask the mayor to restore funding for programs and services eliminated in his budget.

LaGuardia 'Powers' Travelers

Travelers venturing in and out of LaGuardia Airport may now power up laptops, cellphones and other electronic devices at no charge at 12 "power poles" installed by the Port Authority at checkpoints in the airport's Central Terminal Building.

Airport officials said the Port Authority installed the poles to answer a need by travelers who are held up by delays and by those who disembark with low or no battery power for their electronic devices.

'Zero Tolerance' On Street Hails

Officials at the city Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) last week announced a new, "zero tolerance" crackdown on livery drivers who illegally take street hails.

Agency Chairman Matthew Daus said the crackdown is necessary due to a rise in the number of street hails that are being taken by liveries and "black car" drivers.

Agency officials said the crackdown will include an increase in summonses written by TLC agents, Police Department and Port Authority Police, all of which patrol streets and airports.

Wheelchair Accessible Garden At Farm Museum

Officials at the Queens County Farm Museum recently announced a new children's planting project that will be accessible to youngsters in wheelchairs.

The children's vegetable and flower garden, funded through a $10,000 grant made possible by the Walter Kaner Children's Foundation, will feature wheelchair accessible pathways and planting beds raised two feet off the ground, officials said.

The raised garden is designed to give children in wheelchairs a close-up look at the various stages of plant development.

The children's garden is expected to open to the public in September, around the time of the Museum's annual Fall Festival.