Bill Thompson picked up the check for breakfast early Tuesday morning in St. Albans, where he stopped by to gather the support of community leaders in his bid for the 2013 mayoral election. Comment

A performance, entitled “Jazz Night,” kicked off the Downtown Jamaica Music Festival last Thursday. The concert series is co-sponsored by the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation. Comment

Officers for the newly-formed “Increase Carpenter Chapter” of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) were installed during a ceremony at the historic Prospect Cemetery Chapel of the Sisters on the campus of York College. Comment

MS 226 in South Ozone Park received a visit from two heavyweight educators — one in person and one virtually — last week as the school showed off a piece of new technology that City Councilman Ruben Wills (D-Jamaica) secured for his district. Comment

FAR ROCKAWAY — A Far Rockaway mother was sentenced to 10 years in prison for violently shaking her 7-month-old daughter, who later died of the injuries she sustained, District Attorney Richard Brown said. Comment

FAR ROCKAWAY — A former Far Rockaway man was convicted of attempted murder and other charges for the shooting and robbery of another man in July 2007, the district attorney said. Comment

Sitting inside one of the more popular fast food restaurants in the city, a reader watched as a young girl danced to the music playing over the eatery’s sound system. The child was happy and full of life. Comment

It took Union Rags just over 2 minutes 30 seconds to win the Belmont Stakes, but for both aficionados and casual race fans alike, the 144th edition of the “Test of the Champion” provided an entire day’s worth of spectacle. Comment

City Councilman Ruben Wills (D-Jamaica) was banned from dishing out funds to his district Monday amid claims by state investigators that he failed fully cooperate with a probe of a $33,000 state grant that has allegedly gone missing after it was given to a nonprofit headed by the council member. Comment

It’s summertime and the livin’ is easy for one Laurelton musician whose adaptation of “The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess” is enjoying a run on Broadway by winning the coveted Tony Award for the best revival of a musical. Comment

Developers have begun to make pitches to Gov. Andrew Cuomo for a new casino and convention center in the state, but officials still want Queens to be a viable option. Comment

A little more than two weeks before the June 26 Democratic Party primary, the three challengers for southeast Queens’ congressional seat gathered last week in Springfield Gardens, where they laid out their platforms. Comment

The roar of giant passenger planes landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport continuously interrupts the relative quiet of a fresh water pond in Brookville Park in Rosedale. Comment

Job seekers lined up at York College last week to take advantage of one of the 11 job fairs held across the state under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s NY Works program. Comment

What if artists were asked to solve some of society’s most vexing problems from housing and health care to fixing the economy? Comment

Police were searching for clues Tuesday as they investigated two deadly South Jamaica shootings. Comment

FAR ROCKAWAY — A swimmer off the beach in Far Rockaway drowned last weekend after a 40-minute search, police said. Comment