Signe Mortensen, the program coordinator at the West 150th St Block Association and chair of the housing, land use, and zoning committee of Community Board 9, is known by her neighbors as “the tree lady.” She earned the distinct nickname through 12 years of passionately volunteering to revitalize her block’s greenery. However, in order to fund this work, she, like many other community organizers, had to learn to navigate the grant system.

From cars and motorcycles flying by to bus lanes consistently blocked by triple-parked cars, pedestrians face many dangers when trying to cross 125th Street. The street serves as a thoroughfare for buses, houses many flagship stores for local businesses, and connects major highways to Manhattan. However, as it becomes more congested and dangerous, residents worry for their health and safety.

One day in 1990, Kelvin McAllister Sr. stumbled upon an empty baseball field in Manhattanville. Rather than simply seeing an empty lot, though, he saw an opportunity: creating an organization for young people in his community, centered around sports and forging connections. Now, 32 years after chancing upon that empty field, he runs his own nonprofit, Uptown Inner City League.

In late September, a developer withdrew its proposal to rezone a block in Hamilton Heights and construct a 17-story tower at the site, marking the successful culmination of a community-wide struggle to protect the current zoning. Coming amid long-term efforts to combat luxury overdevelopment in the area, the project sparked heated opposition among community members and highlighted local tensions surrounding historic preservation, rezoning, and affordable housing.

A mattress fire broke out on the sixth floor of Brooks Hall after 9 p.m. on Monday, causing hundreds of Barnard students to evacuate their dorms onto Claremont Avenue and Broadway and across Barnard’s campus. No injuries were reported, and the structural damage remains unclear.