The recent arrest of a man charged in connection with a string of burglaries in Forest Hills was announced by Captain Thomas Conforti, commander of the 112th Precinct, at the May 8 meeting of Community Board 6.

But a couple of attempted robberies targeting taxi drivers in the area marked a new cause for concern, Conforti indicated.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn,Queens) came to the May meeting of the Lindenwood Alliance, in the Fairfield Arms Co-op, to meet some of his new constituents.

Jeffries told the audience that he was concerned with resolving any issues that residents had with the Federal Emergency Management Agency regarding Hurricane Sandy.

Dear Editor:

Kudos to the staff at Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr.’s office.

Within a week of calling to note the streetlights were out on Cross Bay Boulevard between 133rd and 134th avenues, they were fixed. Thanks for getting the job done.

Another sign that the South Queens communities devastated by Sandy are slowly coming back: The Howard Beach post office’s Station B annex in Coleman Square reopened last Friday.

The branch, which serves Old Howard Beach, Ramblersville and Hamilton Beach, was heavily damaged in Hurricane Sandy when 6 feet of water flooded the building, destroying much of the inside and the metal gates outside. The post office had been closed since the storm.

“With Courage Shall We Fight.”

That line is from a poem written by Holocaust survivor and Nazi resistance fighter Frances Berger, whose two sons Ralph Berger and Albert Berger were the guest speakers at the Rockwood Park Jewish Center’s annual Holocaust memorial service on Sunday.

Ever since her first day on the job three years ago, PS 63 Principal Diane Marino has been complaining about cars double-and triple-parking by the school causing a danger for students and their parents. But her protests had gone nowhere.

Marino said that her request for a traffic light in an intersection near the Ozone Park school has been denied by the city Department of Transportation, who concluded after a study that there were not enough accidents to warrant a traffic light. The DOT did not immediately return a request for comment on this story.

The power of the local press was on full display in the tight 2009 City Council race between Democratic nominee Kevin Kim and Republican Dan Halloran.

Halloran did not allow Multi-Media’s role in the race to go unnoticed. In September 2009, the Tribune ran a story originally headlined “Democratic Victor vs. Pagan Lord” that detailed Halloran’s unconventional religious practices.

As Gov. Cuomo mulls plans to open new casinos in New York State and eyes full gambling — including table games — two Queens legislators are renewing their call to have the gambling age raised to 21 for all of the state’s casinos.

On the day after Superstorm Sandy, I got in my car and toured the district. My Howard Beach office was destroyed like many of the homes in the area, there was a boat in the middle of Cross Bay Boulevard in Broad Channel, schools were closed, and the boardwalk in Rockaway was blown two blocks from the beach where it should have been.

Today, my office is restored, the boat in Broad Channel is gone, schools are open and the boardwalk in Rockaway — well, there’s still so much work to do. It has been three long months since Sandy hit our communities and yet, the southern one-third of my district is recuperating. At this time, over 7,000 residents and businesses are without power in Rockaway. The areas of Broad Channel, Howard Beach and Hamilton Beach are suffering economically and emotionally.

Politics in middle and southwestern Queens was the favorite sport outside of Citi Field in 2012, and the worst storm to hit the region in 74 years devastated some while causing others just a few flickers of their lights.

JANUARY

As the year began, the city filed an appeal of a ruling by federal Judge Nicholas Garaufus that found discrimination on the part of the FDNY against African-American firefighters in the testing and hiring process.

For months it had been characterized as the closest, most expensive state legislative race in the country. The two-term Democratic state senator faced a challenge from a popular Republican city councilman in a newly redrawn district that is far more perilous for a Democrat. These two men shared the same political base and both served the same community in City Hall and in many cases, had the same supporters.

But in the end, the incumbent came out on top — and it was not even close.

State Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach) and challenger Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) remain in a close race for state Senate, according to a Siena Research poll released Monday, with Addabbo holding a slight lead within the margin of error.

A major state teachers’ union is declining to comment on a published report that it is prepared to spend as much as $500,000 to assist state Sen. Joe Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) in what is anticipated to be a tough re-election campaign against Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park).

Republicans at the borough and state level are declining to comment on a published report in which Congressman Bob Turner (R-Queens, Brooklyn) said he might be interested in becoming the chairman of the Republican Party in Queens.

The Queens Chronicle will cohost a debate between incumbent state Senator Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach) and his opponent Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 18 at Our Lady of Grace Church, at 100-05 159 Ave. in Howard Beach.

The Forum newspaper and good government group Citizens Union join the Chronicle as cohosts of the debate, which will be held less than three weeks before voters go to the polls in what could be the tightest state legislative race in New York State.

I am sure by now you have heard of the clichÈs about recycling — it’s good for the environment, it helps create a sustainable future, and so on.Ever wonder if those statements are true? Is it worth the hassle to recycle? Yes and Yes.

Recycling does have a number of important benefits, both locally and globally.Really, recycling isn’t even that much of a hassle when you consider the benefits. Actually, recycling is one of the easiest ways you can protect the environment and prevent unnecessary waste and pollution.

In the final weeks of the Republican primary for the 15th state Senate district, Forest Hills attorney Juan Reyes, backed by the Queens GOP leadership, whacked his opponent, Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park), for being supported by the state Republicans, for often voting against the wishes of his party and even for being a devout Catholic with gay friends.

In the end, none of it appeared to have worked. If anything, it might have backfired.

In the final weeks of the Republican primary for the 15th state Senate district, Forest Hills attorney Juan Reyes, backed by the Queens GOP leadership, whacked his opponent, Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park), for being supported by the State Republicans, for often voting against the wishes of his party and even for being a devout Catholic with gay friends.

Voters throughout much of Queens will go to the polls Thursday, Sept. 13, to cast ballots in primary races held by both the Democratic and Republican parties.

Citizens can expect some changes and possible complications, however. The state Senate and Assembly districts for which the primaries are being held have been redrawn, as per the last Census, so many residents will be faced with names that may not be familiar to them.

In January 2012, more than a quarter of a million seniors around our state were affected by major cuts to New York’s Elderly Pharmaceutical Insurance Coverage prescription-drug program. Consequently, EPIC provided prescription-drug coverage only after a member fell into the Medicare prescription coverage gap (the “doughnut hole”) when the total drug costs for an individual reached $2,930.

Parking scofflaws beware. If you have $350 or more in outstanding parking fines, red-light camera or bus-lane tickets that are in judgment, the city will be looking to boot your car.

The Department of Finance recently rolled out its new state-of-the-art wheel-booting pilot program in Brooklyn. The three-to-six month initiative is expected to be expanded to Queens and the other boroughs later this summer.

A Tudor Village woman was attacked while jogging near the softball field in the Joseph P. Addabbo Playground in Ozone Park around 6:45 a.m. on Tuesday, the 106th Precinct Community Council said.

The perpetrator first exposed himself to the jogger and then tried to force her to the ground, 106th Precinct Community Council President Frank Dardani said. The woman was able to run away from the assailant.

On Monday, New Yorkers all over the state celebrated and honored our veterans. We began honoring the brave men and women who put life and limb on the line for their brothers and sisters across the country and the state 140 years ago.Their’s is the most valiant of sacrifices.

Our veterans should be the object of our admiration for their dedication and determination. Then why is it that New York remains in the top 10 states for veterans’ unemployment rates? At 15.2 percent in 2011, veterans are unemployed at a rate almost double that of the already high statewide unemployment level, especially among post-9/11 veterans under age 25.

As a key Republican Party nomination battle for state Senate shapes up between Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) and Forest Hills attorney Juan Reyes, the Queens Conservative Party today gave Ulrich an ideological boost by throwing him its support.

After repeated requests by elected officials for more police officers for the 106th Precinct, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly finally listened and assigned 15 new ones.

“We got more cops,” said the elated commanding officer, Capt. Thomas Pascale, at the community council meeting last week in Ozone Park, as the audience cheered and applauded.