The newest and most controversial candidate in the mayoral race, Anthony Weiner, said he knows he’s got a lot to prove but believes New Yorkers will be looking forward when choosing the next mayor.

“We’re making a big mistake if we think that voters are looking to the past,” Weiner said in a sitdown Friday with the Queens Chronicle editorial staff, the first of his candidacy. “When they go to flip that switch, it is a fundamental, forward-looking, aspirational thing.”

With all the disasters — natural and otherwise — wreaking havoc across the country as of late, as well as the ongoing state of the economy, two presentations at this month’s Community Board 13 meeting on Monday night took on added significance.

Representing the city’s Department of the Aging, Darnley Jones said areas around the borough are still trying to recuperate from the effects of Hurricane Sandy, particularly in the Rockaways, where he estimated it will take another five years to fully recover.

“This is a totally obvious statement, but being the mayor of the City of New York is a tough job, and people need to make sure they have somebody who’s tough enough to lead, but smart enough to listen and to lead in a collaborative way.”

That’s how City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) responded to the first question asked of her during an interview last Thursday with the Queens Chronicle editorial board: the old standard, “What makes you the best candidate?”

“Gravity of the Sculpture: Part II” will remain on display at The Dorsky Gallery, 11-03 45 Ave., Long Island City, through July 3. Call (718) 937-6317, email david@dorsky.org or visit dorsky.org.

The city Department of Education announced Tuesday that it will significantly expedite the removal of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, from city schools from the original 10-year deadline to three and a half years from now — a total of five years from the project’s 2011 start date.

The announcement came as a result of a settlement between the city and the activist organization New York Communities for Change, which sued the city last fall to move up the project after PCBs were found leaking from lighting ballasts in dozens of city schools, including IS 204 in Long Island City.

On Tuesday, Queens borough presidential candidate Barry Grodenchik announced that he is no longer running.

“At this time, I believe that it is in the best interest of my family, team and party to end my candidacy,” Grodenchik said in a statement. “I decided to run for borough president because I believe that this is a pivotal moment for Queens. I have run a campaign on the idea of bringing people together. In the most diverse county in the world, people should feel more than just welcome, they should feel at home.”

The Long Island Chapter of the Knights of Columbus, which includes councils from both Brooklyn and Queens, held its Annual Charity Ball at Russo’s on the Bay in Howard Beach on Saturday May 18.

The event raised $7,500 each for two organizations: Faith in the Future, which helps poor families afford a Catholic high school education for their children, and Mercy Homes, which aids young children and young adults who are mentally and emotionally impaired with housing and education.

Resorts World Casino New York City has hit another big milestone.

The casino, which opened in October, 2011, announced last week that it raked in $67 million in April, putting total revenue since opening at over $1 billion.

(NAPSI)—While the bonds that unite families are usually associated with positive events, such as weddings or holidays, those bonds can be more challenging when entire families are impacted by a hereditary disease. Christie Hardin knows this firsthand. For years, she and more than 30 members of her extended family have lived with hereditary angioedema, or HAE, a rare genetic disorder that can cause severe swelling in various body parts including the hands, feet, face, gastrointestinal tract and airway. But now, on-demand treatments are helping generations of families affected by HAE take more control of their lives.

(NAPSI)—In surprising ways, American youngsters and their parents are helping children half a world away stay in school.

(NAPSI)—Recent health care changes may offer more Americans access to major medical coverage, but consumers should be aware of the effect that out-of-pocket health care costs will continue to have on their bank accounts. Consumers may find themselves financially unprepared for an unexpected illness or injury if they do not understand all aspects of the cost of medical care.

(NAPSI)—A new poll on popular though sometimes controversial schooling issues shows that moms of school-age children are frustrated with K−12 education’s current course. Perhaps as a result, they want the ability to choose where and how their children are educated outside of public schools.

(NAPSI)--For many high school graduates, the path to a professional career will take them to technical schools and community colleges, where they can be trained for good-paying jobs in as little as two years.

(BPT) - No matter where you are in your life, you have a lot of decisions to make. When to buy your first house? What school to attend? Is it the right time for a job change? As things change in life, those changes influence your financial decisions, too.

(BPT) - Whether you are a recent graduate or a seasoned professional, at some point you’ll likely find yourself searching for a new job. And as you start your job search, it’s important to understand the impact your use of social media may have on your career.

(BPT) - As college students graduate and begin the job search, their career decisions won’t be driven by the same factors that drove their parents’ decisions. While baby boomers tended to focus on the vertical climb to find job happiness, today’s graduates and professionals want meaningful and challenging work that satisfies them personally.

(StatePoint) You may remember your parents telling you to turn off the television and go outside or read a book. But these days, it’s harder than ever to separate kids from media devices, especially as their options become more mobile.

(BPT) - Often, we don’t think about heroism until we see it in action - when disaster strikes and ordinary people exhibit extraordinary courage and compassion to help victims in their time of need. The truth is, however, that the best of human nature is on display every day in the lives of millions of Americans who work in public service jobs across the country. Sometimes all it takes to tap that inner hero is an opportunity – and the education – to serve others.

More than 40 percent of the state’s population lives here in New York City, and when you count the other downstate counties, the number soars above 60 percent. Put simply, this is where the people are.

So why does Gov. Cuomo want to see new casinos built upstate only? And why would he continue to deny Resorts World Casino at Aqueduct Race Track the full table gaming he would allow upstate?

Motor vehicle accidents are one of the leading causes of death in the United States today. Each year, nearly 2.5 million Americans are treated in hospital emergency departments as a result of an MVA. While the numbers are staggering, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center’s Trauma Team is dedicated to decreasing the number of these preventable injuries through education, research and community outreach.

Jamaica Hospital operates a Level 1 Trauma Center, the highest designation to treat critically injured patients. Last year, Jamaica Hospital’s ERtreated more than 500 patients injured as a result of motor vehicle accidents and the staffwants to offer the following tip to our community on how to avoid serious injury:

A Hispanic male with dark curly hair, driving a gold minivan who has allegedly been exposing himself to young girls in South Richmond Hill is the subject of a police manhunt.

Deputy Inspector Thomas Pascale, the precinct’s commanding officer, told members of the 106th Precinct Community Council at their May 8 meeting in Ozone Park that the individual they seek has exposed himself three times to two different girls 14 and 19 years old in the area bounded by 111th and 116th avenues from 123th and 126th streets.