I have a soft spot for community radio. Where else can you hear programming by and about sex-workers, psychiatric survivors, independent artists, ethnic communities and other voices that mainstream radio doesn't include.

So, it was news to me when I heard about the drama threatening another of Toronto's alternative radio stations, the University of Toronto's CIUT.

It's been a year since the Sunrise Propane explosion that left two people dead and 12,000 temporarily homeless in Toronto, and things are still a mess.

One resident trying to rebuild his damaged home feels shafted by the city's bureaucracy and potential $30,000 out-of-pocket fees; Sunrise Propane is still working in the industry despite being shutdown after the explosion. Where's the justice?

Queen's Park was the colour green yesterday as Torontonians participated in the global day of action in solidarity with protesters in Iran. Green is the colour of Iran's protest movement.

Since the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, many in Iran took to the streets to contest the election and demand democracy. Protesters are being arrested, beaten and killed by the hardline Iranian regime. Neda Agha-Soltan's you-tubed death became the symbol of this struggle.

I woke up yesterday morning to news of a pedestrian safety blitz being conducted across the city of Toronto.

Youth graduates of the CAA School Safety patrollers and the Toronto Police Service Traffic Services were at six key intersections throughout downtown Toronto during the morning rush-hour. They were educating pedestrians on how to safely cross the street.

Edyta Zdancewicz, a CAA representative, told me the event was well received. "Many pedestrians went up to the kids and thanked them for the reminder of how to cross safely. We're all in a rush. Sometimes we forget."

It was a feel good story. So why did I have a bitter taste in my mouth?

I like gritty subways, and I like Dufferin subway station. I feel a part of urban history as I descend underground into the minimalist platforms and lean against institutional-coloured tiles meant to curb rowdiness while I wait for my ride.

I recount to myself my admiration for outdated subway aesthetic while walking to the open house of the Dufferin station revamp on Monday. Dufferin's reno is part of the Station Modernization program announced in 2007 that revitalizes the Bloor-Danforth and the University line stations. The event was at Dovercourt Baptist Church, Dufferin station's neighbour. I walk in and hear the rumbling of the subway mix with the chatter of people pouring over design plans placed on easels throughout the room.

I join the crowd and reluctantly echo their "oohs and ahhs."

I notice Linda Smith wipe her tears with her hand at the unveiling of a mural her 12 year-old daughter helped paint in the new community space in Don Mount Court.

"It's beautiful," says the long-time resident of Don Mount, whose own mother was one of the original tenants of the public housing project built in 1968.

Don Mount, now renamed Rivertowne, recently underwent an urban makeover or, more aptly, reconstructive surgery. It's the first public housing development in Toronto razed and rebuilt as a mixed-income community, preceding the more publicized Regent Park and Lawrence Heights revitalizations. Though construction is still underway, Smith, along with other public housing residents, moved back to the Riverdale neighbourhood a year ago.