Community Meetings
The city's Department of City Planning will hold a public meeting that will include discussion of the proposal to build a new Yankee Stadium on Jan. 11 at 10 a.m. at Spector Hall, 22 Reade Street, in lower Manhattan. People may speak at the hearing after signing up to do so the day of the meeting outside of the meeting room. Comments are limited to three minutes for each speaker. Public officials are allowed to speak first. Written comments are also accepted and should include 20 copies.

At Council Member Helen Diane Foster's district office at 1377 Jerome Avenue: Friends of the Parks Council will meet Tuesday, Jan. 3 at 6 p.m. and include speakers from the Bronx Botanical Garden and New Yorkers for Parks. The Council of Youth Groups will meet on Monday, Jan. 9 at 6 p.m. and will include speakers from the Urban Divers Estuary Conservancy and the Highbridge Child Welfare Organizing Project. The Clergy Council will meet on Thursday, Jan. 12 at 6 p.m. The Tenant, Block and Neighborhood Council will meet on Monday, Jan. 23 at 6 p.m. The Senior Citizens Council will meet on Thursday, Jan. 26 at 3 p.m. and include a speaker from Well Care to discuss the Medicare Part D Drug Benefit. The 27th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Service of the 16th Council District will be held on Sunday, Jan. 15 at 3:30 p.m. at the Grand Concourse S.D.A. Temple, 1275 Grand Concourse and 169th Street.

Culture
The Bronx Museum of the Arts at 1040 Grand Concourse (at 165th St.) presents "Irreducible: Contemporary Short Form Video" through Feb. 26. This exhibition presents 24 videos by artists from North and South America, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia that are structured around a particular situation, event or performance. Call 718-681-6000 ext. 120 for details.

The Valentine-Varian House/Museum of Bronx History at 3266 Bainbridge Ave. at E. 208th St. presents two exhibits celebrating the history and heritage of Bronx African-Americans: "The Bronx African-American Experience" and "Morrisania Memories" through April 16. Call 718-881-8900 for details

The New York Botanical Garden: (Info: 718-817-8700/8777; for classes: 718-817-8743/8845): (Free admission Wed's all day and Sat's 10 a.m.-noon; 718- 817-8616/8700): "Flowers By Redoute: Artist for an Empire" in the Mertz Library, through Jan. 22, 2006.; "The Luminous Lens of Mick Hales: Photographs of the New York Botanical Garden," in the Arthur and Janet Ross Gallery, through March 15; and "Children's Tree Garden," located across from the Adventure Garden, featuring trees decorated by Bronx schoolchildren with their own handmade ornaments, through Jan. 8. "The Holiday Train Show," featuring a reproduction of natural landscapes showcasing New York's landmarks, and "Gingerbread Adventures," to decorate a gingersnap cookie to take home, in the Everett Children's Adventure Garden, both through Jan. 8. Call 718-817-8700 for detailed schedule.

Announcements
Free Assistance: National Student Partnerships, based at Refuge House, 2715 Bainbridge Ave., offers free and confidential assistance with job searches, housing, child care, legal services, education/job training, navigating public benefits and health care. NSP is open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the phone number is (718) 733-3897

Heating and Rent Help: Seniors and households with young children or disabled individuals are urged to apply for the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), which provides assistance with heating costs. For more information on HEAP, call (800) 342-3009 or visit www.otda.state.ny.us

Applications for the Disability Rent Increase Exemption (DRIE) are also now available. Call 311 to request an application. DRIE is a new program that offers an exemption from future rent increases to eligible renters with disabilities.