A second man has pleaded guilty to a hate crime in the case of the vicious beating and robbery of an openly gay man on the streets of College Point. Comment.

The city is taking another eco-friendly step to help fight the pollution in Jamaica Bay. Comment.

Little Neck residents sent a letter to city Department of Transportation Commissioner Maura McCarthy last week in which they called on her to change a recent traffic pattern implemented by the city in their neighborhood which they said has frustrated residents and could be potentially dangerous for drivers. Comment.

FAR ROCKAWAY — A Far Rockaway man was charged Nov. 24 with second-degree murder for allegedly killing his girlfriend by punching and drowning her on a Far Rockaway beach the previous day, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. Comment.

OZONE PARK — A high-speed crash on a street notorious for drag-racing killed one man and injured another Monday morning. Comment.

SOUTH OZONE PARK — A horse was left dead and two jockeys were injured in a major spill during a race at the Aqueduct Race Track Saturday, according to the New York Racing Association. Comment.

A Jamaica man on the lam for allegedly enslaving a teen for prostitution was returned to Queens last week and charged with his crimes, the Queens district attorney said. Comment.

The latest in a string of shootings in southeast Queens left one man dead and another fighting for his life Monday afternoon, police said. Comment.

The Long Island Rail Road helped to beautify several of its elevated bridges in Queens last week and residents who live nearby the graffiti-laden structures said they were happy to have the eyesores gone. Comment.

A new rezoning plan unveiled by the city Monday is designed to preserve south Jamaica’s character and also help residents stay green nutritionally. Comment.

A veteran detective found himself on the other side of the law last week when he was charged Friday with allegedly taking a shot at another man during an argument in Jamaica, the Queens district attorney said. Comment.

Community and business leaders in southeast Queens are praising the opening of a new Applebee’s in downtown Jamaica as a positive improvement for the neighborhood’s economy. Comment.

In the age of talk radio, tweets, blogs and videos shot on cell phones, it is not surprising to see an inconvenience blown up into a national crisis. Such is the case with the pat-downs that became part of airport security. As almost everyone knows, security can now ask passengers to submit to an invasive pat-down if they refuse body scans. Comment.

A Jamaica Hills nursing and rehabilitation center has been working to connect orthodox Jewish communities in several northern Queens neighborhoods — literally. Comment.

Help needy children this winter by giving them one thing they love, one thing they need and one thing they might not want to wear. Comment.

City Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills) took over as chairwoman of the Council Economic Development Committee earlier this month, vacating her previous post as the chairwoman of the Council Committee on Consumer Affairs. Comment.

A man was arrested after allegedly hitting a pedestrian in Forest Hills who later died and accused of fleeing the scene, according to the NYPD. Comment.

Shoppers packed malls and outlet stores around Forest Hills, but avoided higher-end retailers on Austin Street and in Atlas Park on Black Friday. Comment.

The ovens at Pizza Garden in north Flushing were working overtime Sunday night, as the shop celebrated its 50th year serving the neighborhood. Comment.

Those looking to outfit their homes and those of their loved ones this holiday season will have to go no further than Sky View Center in Flushing, where a new Bed Bath & Beyond opened Friday. Comment.

BAYSIDE — Police are searching for a suspect who attempted to force his or her way into a home near Francis Lewis Boulevard and 53rd Avenue at about 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Comment.

KEW GARDENS — The NYPD is asking for the public’s assistance in finding two men wanted for a string of borough robberies. Comment.

BAYSIDE — Police are searching for four unidentified black males who robbed a man as he walked home from Queensborough Community College. Comment.

LITTLE NECK — Police are searching for one or more people who burglarized a home near the intersection of 260th Street and 60th Avenue between the hours of 7 p.m. and 9:20 p.m. Nov. 24. Comment.

BAYSIDE — Police are searching for a suspect or suspects who entered a home on 192nd Street through a rear bedroom window. Comment.

FRESH MEADOWS — Police were looking for suspects who entered a locked, fenced construction yard at the intersection of the Long Island and Clearview expressways and broke into two vehicles to gain entry to three locked construction containers. Comment.

BAYSIDE — A Bayside taxi driver has been charged with allegedly stealing two credit cards from a customer and using them to make hundreds of dollars of unauthorized purchases, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown. Comment.

BAYSIDE — Police are searching for an unidentified black man in connection with a robbery at the 7-11 store at 218-01 Northern Blvd. Comment.

Although we were not happy with the way in which Mayor Michael Bloomberg selected Cathie Black to be the next city schools chancellor, we believe state Education Commissioner David Steiner has made the right decision to back Black’s nomination. The children would not have benefited from a power struggle among the mayor, the state Legislature and City Council members. Comment.

As a fast-talking auctioneer sold off the pots and pans that once cooked many a favorite meal at the Scobee Diner in Little Neck, the restaurant’s former manager watched as the iconic venue was emptied, leaving only memories of an institution residents said was irreplaceable. Comment.

Queensborough Community College in Bayside has received grant money that will help it study stormwater runoff on its campus in an effort to minimize the amount of excess water and pollutants that enter the local watershed and flow into Little Neck Bay and the Long Island Sound. Comment.

Hundreds of residents from northeast Queens were expected to celebrate Hanukkah at the Samuel Field Y this weekend in what has come to be known as one of the largest events honoring the festival of lights in the borough. Comment.

Just in time for the holidays, the busiest runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport has fully reopened after months of renovation that helped to ease congestion, airport officials said. Comment.

Bayside officials said they were relieved the city removed the street cleaning signs along Bell Boulevard that had enraged area residents because the city had not swept Bell Boulevard for at least a decade but had continued to ticket drivers who parked in the areas the city said were designated for cleaning. Comment.

Residents from throughout the borough flocked to stores in northeast Queens to take advantage of massive Black Friday sales last week, and many shoppers said they braved the crowds and long lines to buy most of their holiday gifts on a day that is one of the most important events for retailers. Comment.

LONG ISLAND CITY — The NYPD was looking for help from the public in finding and apprehending four young men wanted for a robbing a deli at 32-02 36th Ave. at about 10:20 p.m. Nov. 20. Comment.

CORONA — A shooting left a man dead Tuesday night in the third floor hallway of a building at 98-23 Horace Harding Expressway, police said. Comment.

We now have the upcoming new U.S. House of Representatives majority leader, John Boehner (R-Ohio), spewing a similar mantra — a noun plus a verb plus “the American people” — anytime he is near a microphone. Comment.

City Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone) did something rare and unusual for an elected official last week. After signing on to a hastily drawn Council resolution opposing Cathleen Black as the new city schools chancellor, he realized he had made a mistake. Comment.

I feel like what Alice must have felt like when she fell into the rabbit hole. Am I hearing and understanding correctly that Pope Benedict XVI, during a series of conversations with a German journalist, said that the use of condoms is acceptable in “some cases,” where the intention is to reduce the risk of infection, such as that of prostitutes trying to prevent HIV infection? Condoms can be justified under Catholic ethical thinking? Comment.

After reading the comments of the weepers and apologists regarding state Sen. Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose), I would like to thank those residents of our community who, like me, recognized the need for transformative change in electing former City Councilman Tony Avella. Comment.

When voting machines first came into wide use during the 1930s and ’40s, it was considered a new beginning for the election voting process. It was believed at the time that the opportunities for fraudulent voting had finally come to an end with paper ballots. Comment.

It has been happening it seems, as we used to say, since time immemorial or at least since the time of the Old Testament. Comment.

Hope everyone had a happy and enjoyable Thanksgiving. Janet Malone, Tony Ramos, Jim Darmos and I were invited to Barry and Debbie Markell-Klinert’s house in Whitestone for a great Thanksgiving dinner. Comment.

The Jewish holiday of dedication, Hanukkah, is second only to Passover among American Jews. The eight-day holiday began Dec. 1 at sundown and will end on the eve of Dec. 8. Frenzied and delirious observers of the holiday are craving to consume the many luscious comestibles to be served in abundance. Comment.

Federal prosecutors Tuesday hit the father of former Flushing resident and admitted terrorist Najibullah Zazi with eight new charges. Comment.

An old neighbor in Long Island City has a message for drivers coming over the Queensboro Bridge. Comment.

Every day is Saturday until the new year. Comment.

An increasing number of Queens residents could not afford food this year, even as many food centers in the borough had to cut back services, according to a survey released at a food center in Long Island City last week. Comment.

Marie Castaldo, the disgraced founder of the Queens International Film Festival who pleaded guilty to fraud in Queens and multiple counts of animal cruelty in Ulster County, N.Y., was recently deported, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said this week. Comment.

Escalating Korean tensions are back in the news again with a fresh attack by North Korea on its neighbor to the south and the reverberations are being felt in Queens. Comment.

Dublin, Ohio-based Cardinal Health announced it will be acquiring Kinray Inc., the Whitestone-based pharmaceutical distributor, for $1.3 billion in cash in a move that is expected to keep both the company and its jobs in Queens. Comment.

In the very back of his cluttered and narrow Junction Boulevard shop, Enzo Biassi was making a floral wreath. He grabbed tall flowers from a glass-doored refrigerator and snipped off their long stems in one fluid motion. Comment.

Members of the Irish community in western Queens were saddened and expecting another wave of emigration from Ireland to the United States after the European Union agreed to provide the country with a more than $100 billion bailout this week. Comment.

The invasion has already begun. Comment.

After surviving the Holocaust, immigrating to Canada and raising a large family, Sara Marmurek said she has always appreciated the ideals of Thanksgiving, but this year was more special for her. Comment.

Hanukkah is early this year, so don’t miss out on these celebrations happening in your neighborhood. Comment.

The fight to end hunger left city officials sparring last week over a controversial requirement for residents in Queens and other boroughs who need food stamps. Comment.

The City Council approved legislation Tuesday to require the city Department of Transportation to establish guidelines in using motor vehicle speed-reducing devices in a campaign designed to better protect pedestrians on Queens Boulevard and other dangerous thoroughfares. Comment.

Queens legislators congratulated Cathie Black on her appointment as city schools chancellor Monday night and said they hoped the head of the nation’s largest school system will soon sit down with lawmakers and those involved in education to discuss her goals. Comment.

Crowds were big at the Queens Center Mall and the new Rego Center on Black Friday, but the Shops at Atlas Park and Austin Street in Forest Hills drew far fewer shoppers. Comment.

A Long Island woman who owns two insurance brokerage firms in Astoria was arraigned late November for allegedly scamming four insurance providers of approximately $600,000 in owed premiums from more than 400 policyholders, the Queens district attorney’s office said. Comment.

Despite the national debate over the U.S. Transportation Security Administration’s new security measures and threats of boycotts, travelers leaving from and arriving at LaGuardia Airport said they had few problems on the ground the day before Thanksgiving and no protests materialized. Comment.

U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside) echoed Clint Eastwood in what he has framed as a “dare” to Republicans to vote for a series of health-care bills he recently proposed. Comment.