Weather appeared to be the largest contributing factor to airport delays on Wednesday as the federal budget sequester resulted in continued staff reductions in air traffic control towers nationwide.

In a statement issued on Tuesday afternoon, the Federal Aviation Administration said roughly 1,500 of its 15,000 air traffic controllers would be furloughed on any given day.

There will never again be a tropical storm or hurricane named Sandy.

The World Meteorological Organization’s hurricane committee, responsible for naming tropical cyclones around the world, has retired Sandy from its list of names.

Technology has permeated all aspects of the economy, helping companies conduct business with partners, attract customers and earn revenue faster and more conveniently. Nonprofits, such as charities, universities and government entities, also have embarked on the bandwagon of electronic business practices. Philanthropic institutions of all sizes have implemented procedures to accept, process and track donations online and via mobile. Gone are the days when these institutions would only rely on cash and check donations to fill their operating coffers.

Queens woke up to a thin blanket of snow Friday morning, nothing like what came down in the last storm but enough to louse up the morning commute on the one hand and beautify unpaved areas on the other.

Debbie Gianopoulos awoke Tuesday morning to find her Subaru Impreza wholly useless. It was the third car she’s lost to a freak accident. This time, it was squished like a bug under the hulking mass of a tree on 194th Street at 42nd Avenue. She wasn’t surprised. She had warned the city about the tree.

It had been struck by lightning, shed branches and generally spent most of its time rotting from the inside during the 26 years Gianopoulos stared at it from her front window.

Hurricanes are not rare in New York. Dozens have hit the area in the last century, including, most recently, Irene, only 14 months ago.

But Hurricane Sandy was not like most of the others.

Say goodbye to those noxious odors that had been coming from Shellbank Basin and wafting through the Howard Beach community during the summer months.

Within the next few weeks, the city Department of Environmental Protection is expected to wrap up construction of a $3.5 million destratification facility on the edge of the basin to eliminate the odors and oxygenate the area’s waters, keeping the crab and fish populations healthy.

While it won’t make anyone forget Joe Namath’s victory guarantee in Super Bowl III 40 years ago, Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez had declared the team’s 2009 season opener against the Houston Texans to be a “must win.” And Gang Green came through.

They grow organic tomatoes, peppers and broccoli, predict the weather based on the temperature of the soil and air, which they prudently measure and track each day, and cultivate pee-wee caterpillars until they develop into full-fledged butterflies.

Long Island Power Authority President and CEO Kevin Law and Consolidated Edison Chairman and CEO Kevin Burke have announced their public-private partnership is moving forward with plans for a new study on a major offshore wind farm.

Those who disregard the threat of a hurricane in Queens have not looked into the city’s recent history.

Michael Rader talks about his photographs in a straightforward, no-nonsense way. His refreshing lack of “art-speak” betrays the absence of a formal art education, save for a few photography classes taken at the School of Visual Arts.

When Lidia Miller of Jamaica opened the mail recently, her eyes welled with tears. She would have to pay $1,129 for her Allstate home insurance this year, a $234 increase from the previous year, and an even larger jump from the year before when she paid $790.

Against Abortion

Legendary Yankee Stadium organist Eddie Layton died Sunday at his home in Forest Hills after a brief illness. His death was announced by the team he worked for since 1967.

At the Solomon Schechter School of Queens, children don’t just learn about science and the weather, they help measure it.

(photo by Tangerine Clarke)

Community School District 29 unveiled a high-tech learning laboratory at Middle School 192 in St. Albans last week that educators hope will get students thinking about their futures.