A 15-year-old boy has gone missing after leaving his home on Williams Avenue in Canarsie, and his loved ones are pleading with the community for help in bringing him home.

Oladimeji Odeyemi, a student at one of Explore Schools’ Brooklyn campuses, was last seen leaving his home within the 69th Precinct on May 25. Police said he is 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs approximately 120 pounds. He was last seen wearing a light blue jacket, black pants, green-and-white sneakers and carrying a black backpack.

“Oladimeji is a bright, responsible student who is deeply loved by our school community,” leaders at Explore Schools wrote in an email to the media. “We are gravely concerned for his safety and well-being, and we are doing everything we can to support his family and raise awareness.”

Oladimeji is one of several children reported missing in recent weeks, according to the school’s statement. While most have been found safe as of Thursday, he has now been missing for 11 days. Staff said they believe increased visibility through local media could play a critical role in helping bring him home.

“Every minute counts,” leaders wrote.

Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.

In 1925, Ernest F. Coe, a landscape designer and nurseryman from Connecticut, donated a collection of Japanese trees and shrubs to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Now, a century later, the garden is marking the anniversary of that gift with a months-long tribute to the art of bonsai and the individuals who have shaped its legacy.

Today, the Garden’s bonsai collection includes nearly 400 living specimens — including three trees from Coe’s original 1925 donation: a Japanese maple (Acer palmatum), a daimyo oak (Quercus dentata), and a Japanese red pine (Pinus densiflora).

“Brooklyn Botanic Garden has been the proud caretaker of this remarkable bonsai collection for 100 years, fostering a practice that is equal parts horticulture, art, design, and patience,” said BBG President Adrian Benepe.

Much of the collection’s growth and influence is credited to Frank Okamura, a Japanese-American horticulturist, World War II internment survivor, and BBG’s first bonsai curator.

In 1947, Okamura arrived in New York and soon began working at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, where the bonsai collection had dwindled to just 11 specimens. Over the next three decades, he transformed it into a national treasure, expanding the collection to 1,000 trees and introducing American audiences to the nuanced discipline of bonsai.

Okamura also pioneered the use of tropical and subtropical species — such as ficus, serissa, natal plum and citrus — making bonsai more accessible for indoor cultivation in New York. Many of the trees he trained remain on display today, still housed in their original containers.

This summer, visitors can enjoy rotating seasonal displays at the C.V. Starr Bonsai Museum, curated by BBG bonsai gardener David Castro. Highlights include a 500-year-old Rocky Mountain juniper styled in a dramatic cascade and a trident maple with roots coiled around a stone like weathered fingers.

“We have so many bonsai, and this is such a rare collection,” said Castro. “I try to keep the display dynamic — with flowering and fragrant trees whenever possible.”

Complementing the horticultural exhibits is “The Mountain, the Tree, and the Man,” a manga-inspired installation by graphic novelist Misako Rocks! Told through the eyes of a bonsai tree, the story follows a young Frank Okamura as he navigates postwar America while caring for the garden’s collection. A restored 1971 documentary about Okamura will also screen in the Conservatory Gallery, offering a deeper look at his legacy.

Beyond the museum, the celebration extends throughout the garden. Yellow Magnolia Café and Canteen will serve Japanese-inspired dishes and drinks all summer, with special sake dinners scheduled for September. Weekend bonsai tours will be offered in June, followed by monthly guided walks through October.

The on-site shop, Terrain, has also expanded its bonsai offerings to include trees, tools, planters, and exclusive merchandise featuring Frank Okamura’s original illustrations on tote bags and card sets.

Festivities officially begin Saturday, June 14, with expanded exhibits, live music and guided tours. Most events are included with Garden admission. For more information, visit bbg.org.

Progressive standard-bearer Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez announced her long-anticipated endorsements in the Democratic primary for NYC mayor on Thursday morning — ranking Democratic socialist Assembly Member Zohran Mamdani first on a slate of five candidates.

In making her June 24 primary picks, Ocasio-Cortez, who revealed them via The New York Times on Thursday morning, fully embraced using ranked-choice voting to try and overcome former Gov. Andrew Cuomo — who holds a double-digit polling advantage in the race.

She ranked City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, city Comptroller Brad Lander, his predecessor Scott Stringer, and Brooklyn state Sen. Zellnor Myrie as her second through fifth choices.

The Congress Member, whose Bronx and Queens district overlaps with Mamdani’s, said in a statement to the Times that the Assembly member has “demonstrated a real ability on the ground to put together a coalition of working-class New Yorkers that is strongest to lead the pack.”

Mamdani has built his campaign on a simple message of using government to make life more affordable for New Yorkers by making city buses free, instituting universal subsidized child care, and freezing rent increases for stabilized tenants. His strategy using that message to build grassroots enthusiasm among progressives echoes Ocasio-Cortez’s own that led to her upset victory over former US Rep. Joe Crowley in 2018.

AOC and Mamdani also share a savvy for using social media to communicate their message to young voters.

“Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a once-in-a-generation leader and I am honored to have her endorsement as we seek to turn the page on the broken politics of the past,” Mamdani said in a statement. “In 2018, AOC shocked the world and changed our politics for the better with her historic victory. On June 24th, we will do the same.”

Ocasio-Cortez’s backing could give Mamdani, who has been polling in second place to Cuomo, a significant boost in the final days before the primary. While Mamdani was shown to be closing his polling gap with Cuomo in an Emerson College survey released last week, he is still 12 points behind in the first round of ranked-choice voting and eight points in the 10th round.

AOC’s profile has also grown among Democrats in recent months as she’s rallied with Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, another progressive leader, across the country in opposition to President Trump’s policies. The “Fight Oligarchy” rallies have drawn tens of thousands of people in each location.

The Bronx/Queens Congresswoman has also been floated as a possible challenger to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer when he is up for re-election in 2028. 

Her endorsement could also elevate Speaker Adams, who has placed third and fourth in recent polls, to the top of progressive voters’ ballots. The speaker was a late entrant into the race and is still unknown to most voters.

“I am so proud to have @AOC’s support in this race,” Speaker Adams said in a Thursday X post. “She knows what it takes to stand up to Trump and stop Cuomo—and she sees that we’re building the broad, working-class coalition that it takes to win. Let’s do this, together.”

Four of the five candidates Ocasio-Cortez supports also appear on the New York Working Families Party slate. The progressive WFP also ranked Mamdani first last week, but placed Lander second, Speaker Adams third, Myrie fourth, and state Sen. Jessica Ramos fifth.

It comes on the morning after the first of two televised debates in the contest.

The two-hour affair saw the AOC-endorsed candidates hammer Cuomo with an onslaught of attacks. They painted the former governor as corrupt, beholden to corporate interests pouring money into a super PAC supporting his bid, and wholly unapologetic for scandals that sunk his political career.

Агенты ICE окружили группу нелегальных мигрантов, которых вызвали на прием в Нижнем Манхэттене в среду, а также попытались арестовать обвиняемого венесуэльского воровства, но им помешал […]