A group that began seven months ago with a few people venting their complaints while eating at the Terrace Diner has evolved into a neighborhood movement, a force dedicated to making the Federal Aviation Administration and the Port Authority work for the residents of Northeast Queens to alleviate the noise and pollution from planes flying out of LaGuardia airport.

Approximately 200 people with similar frustrations attended the first Queens Quiet Skies community education meting on May 2 in the Bayside High School auditorium. While planes rumbled overhead, leaders and experts presented residents with legal and technical information and encouraged them to get more involved.

The nation’s collegiate students are staring down the barrel of a doubling interest rate on academic loans on July 1, but two Queens lawmakers have sponsored legislation that could extend the reduced rate for another two years.

Interest rates on Stafford loans will double from 3.4 to 6.8 percent, as a reduction in rates signed in 2007 and extended last year is set to expire.

The Center for the Women of New York will honor Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan (D-Sunnyside) as its “Woman of Distinction” during its 26th Annual Luncheon on Saturday, April 17 at Douglaston Manor, 63-20 Commonwealth Blvd. in Douglaston.

At the annual fundraising event, which will begin at noon, the organization celebrates men and women in leadership who are committed to women’s rights and who have made major contributions.

Flushing native Steve Chubin spent his childhood playing on the basketball courts of Queens parks with his neighborhood friends. He went on to play for Forest Hills High School’s varsity basketball team before capturing the all-time scoring record at the University of Rhode Island. Now Chubin will join 15 former student-athletes and coaches to be inducted into the Atlantic 10 Conference’s Inaugural Men’s Basketball Legends on March 16 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Dear Editor:

My husband and I recently vacationed in Aruba. Yesterday we received our bank statement. It was a rude awakening. We felt we were robbed and had no place to turn.

On our first visit to an ATM in Aruba we withdrew $800 and were informed there would be a $3 fee for using the ATM. We agreed to that fee. However, our bank charged us another 4 percent fee for that withdrawal, amounting to $32. To add insult to injury, we were charged $6 for using the ATM. Therefore, we were charged $38 for withdrawing $800. Our total cost for using the ATM in Aruba amounted to over $200.

I called our new congressman, Steve Israel, and spoke with his representative Alonso Lara. I suggested that notification on ATMs overseas should alert the public that banks charge 4 percent for their withdrawal. I was extremely impressed with Mr. Lara’s knowledge and demeanor during his explan

ation as to why that cannot be done. For instance, if the person withdrawing is from Canada, there is a different fee, and some banks in the USA charge different fees. My bank informed me that a notification was recently sent informing their customers that the international fee went from 3 percent to 4 percent. I must admit I didn’t read the small print from their three-page communication. The banks and Wall Street sure do have a hold and power in Washington.

I suggested that in Congressman Israel’s next mailing, he should alert his constituents to call their banks and ask what their protocol is when using an ATM internationally.

Kudos to Alonso Lara for his knowledge, professionalism and pristine representation on behalf of our new congressman. It was a pleasure to talk with him.

The recent announcement of a grant meant to help co-op and condo owners affected by Hurricane Sandy has been met with gratitude and caution. It’s needed help, but there’s still work left to be done.

The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development will give Community Development Block Grants Disaster Recovery funding to co-ops and condos affected by the storm.

The new Queens Artists’ Alliance will be hosting an Emerging Artists Show and reception at GEAR Gallery, 61-08 Myrtle Ave., Glendale, on Friday, Feb. 8 from 6-9 p.m. and on Saturday, Feb. 9 from 1-6 p.m. Admission is free and refreshments will be served. All Queens artists are encouraged to attend and to bring photos of their work with contact info on the back to leave with the alliance for possible inclusion in upcoming shows in Queens. For more information, email pattig213@aol.com.

When Nick and Dania Mavros went to Russia in December to meet their soon-to-be son, Ari, the 1-year-old won their hearts immediately. The Little Neck couple brought toys and did their best to bond during the week spent with Ari.

“I think my husband and I saw the brightest light in the world,” Dania said.

A new exhibition at the Godwin-Ternbach Museum at Queens College, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Flushing, Re-Forming the Image in the Dutch Golden Age, on view through March 23, results from a student seminar. The works on display include paintings, prints, sculpture and historical artifacts form 16th and 18th century Europe and colonial New York. Friends and family of the students will be invited to view their work at an opening reception on Tuesday, Feb. 5 from 6-8 p.m. The public is also welcome. Museum hours are Monday-Thursday, 11a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Area legislators met with Federal Aviation Administration officials on Jan. 18 to express ongoing concerns over plane noise resulting from new flight patterns over the borough. They left empty-handed but promised to continue fighting.

Congressional reps Steve Israel (D-LI) and Grace Meng (D-Bayside), state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) and Assemblyman Ed Braunstein (D-Bayside) relayed community concerns over new flight patterns into and out of LaGuardia Airport that have increased the number of planes flying over Northeast Queens.

The Queens Jewish Community Council on Sunday welcomed former Assemblywoman Grace Meng (D-Queens) as a Congresswoman, and veteran Representative Steve Israel (D-Queens, LI) to the neighborhood.

The group hosted its annual legislative breakfast at Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, an event that has become a popular stop with those in Queens either holding or seeking public office.

The borough’s congressional delegation added three new faces to its roster on Jan. 3 with the swearing in of Reps. Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn), Grace Meng (D-Flushing) and Steve Israel (D-Long Island)

Queens’ new legislators entered the 113th Congress at a time of deep partisan division and mounting fiscal headaches. All three promised to ignore the Democrat-Republican divide in the House of Representatives so as to put their constituents first.

Presidents of Queens co-ops and condos have joined elected officials in decrying what they called a discriminatory loophole in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s post-Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts.

What they call a bit of misinterpretation by FEMA has left co-ops and condos looking for Sandy help at the Small Business Association, even though they are residential entities.

The country did go off the fiscal cliff this week, but it was more like a bungee jump than a fall.

Less than 24 hours after billions of dollars in tax hikes and spending cuts went into effect, the House of Representatives agreed to a deal struck by the White House and Senate leaders and passed by the upper body of Congress on New Year’s Eve, before the year-end deadline that had been termed the “fiscal cliff.”

Dear Editor:

I am writing to express my gratitude to the Queens community for re-electing me to serve in the 113th Congress. As I return to the House of Representatives to represent the people of New York’s new 3rd Congressional District, please know that I am grateful for your support, and I am honored to stand up for the values we share.

As we approach the start of a new year, we face many challenges. I am eager to get back to work, fighting harder than ever to protect our veterans and seniors, New York’s middle-class families, and small businesses who want to create jobs here at home. Thanks to your support, I’ll be able to continue working to reform our tax code to recognize the high cost of living in New York, while leading the charge to make college more affordable for students. I am committed to New York’s middle-class families — and I’m looking forward to fighting on your behalf in the halls of Congress.

Finally, please know that my door is always open. I am proud of the record I have built, not only on Capitol Hill, but here at home as a problem solver for my constituents. I’ve gone to bat for families battling insurance companies, small businesses trying to stay afloat, and veterans caught u

p in the VA’s red tape — and I’d be proud to go to work for you too. If I can ever be of assistance, please do not hesitate to contact my office, and we’ll get right to work.

I look forward to working with you and growing our partnership in the years to come. Thank you again for allowing me the privilege of representing you in Congress.

Editor’s note: As of January, the writer will represent the new 3rd CD, which includes a section of northeastern Queens, Beechhurst and Whitestone.

Slow Pitch Softball of Queens is now enrolling for the 2013 summer season. Visit spsofqueens.com or email spsofqueens@gmail.com for more information. Limited space is available.

Democrats appeared to retake control of the state Senate Tuesday, as Republicans failed to win a Queens race they had poured resources into and may have lost several other tight contests around New York.

The likely changeover from GOP control would be one more victory for the party that saw President Obama re-elected and solidified its control of the U.S. Senate even as it lost a few more seats in the House of Representatives.

Rep. Steve Israel (D-Long Island), who is running in a newly-redrawn district that includes parts of Queens this year, is proposing a constitutional amendment to tweak the Electoral College — the system that elects the President of the United States — in future elections.

Israel’s amendment to add 29 votes to the college to be given to the nationwide popular vote winner, reducing the possibility of a president being elected despite losing the popular vote. That scenario has played out three times in American history, most recently in 2000 when George W. Bush was elected despite Al Gore winning the popular vote nationwide. Bush won more electoral votes.

Consider, for a moment, six hours of unadulterated free time. How about twelve? You’re entitled to a folding chair, an electrical outlet, about three square feet of table space to call your own, and an LG plasma screen TV feeding you footage of two empty chairs in a makeshift town hall. Six hours. Maybe twice as much. In some cases, even more.

You’re waiting for those two chairs to be filled. Spent weeks predicting what would happen when they were finally occupied. The chairs are literally a stone’s throw away in a neighboring building. But thanks to the grimacing Secret Service agents roaming around and the helicopters humming overhead, the two chairs might as well be in Siberia.

Queens Historical Society presents “Permanent Residence: Uncovering the Cemeteries of Queens” through April at the Kingsland Homestead, 143-35 37 Ave. in Flushing. Call (718) 939-0647, ext. 17 or email info@queenshistoricalsociety.org

Queens Historical Society presents “Permanent Residence: Uncovering the Cemeteries of Queens” through April at the Kingsland Homestead, 143-35 37 Ave. in Flushing. Call (718) 939-0647, ext. 17 or email info@queenshistoricalsociety.org