There is no $2.50 school lunch

School cafeteria dining in Brookline is about to get more expensive. The School Committee earlier this month voted to raise the per-lunch cost for elementary students to $3 from $2.50. High school lunch prices will also rise 50 cents to $3.25. The lunch account has been running a deficit every year, said Alan Morse of the school board's finance subcommittee. It has only broken even in '06-'07 since lower demand followed new, healthier offerings in 2002. Students were ultimately persuaded to try the whole grain pizza and homemade spaghetti sauces, but rising food costs this year brought the account back into the red by about $50,000, said Peter Rowe, deputy finance superintendent. If the $3 doesn't cover costs and the deficit by Christmas, the schools may again hike the price.

The debate continues, but based on the results of parent surveys, seven schools will hire Spanish language teachers for their K-6 world language program. Driscoll will retain its Mandarin program. Because there were strong preferences for Mandarin among some parents, the Lincoln School may replace French with Mandarin as its Grade 7-8 language option, said Superintendent Bill Lupini. The schools started advertising for the positions before the May override vote, and have been "surprised at the number and quality of applicants available," Lupini told the School Committee meeting on June 19.

June is known as the month for brides and roses, and this month has been no exception. Case in point: the 37-year-old Minot Rose Garden, located at St. Paul and Browne streets, has been awash in fragrant bloom. Those enjoying the 70 rose varieties on 324 bushes may also have noticed the new decorative metal fencing, which was erected in May with $10,000 in small, private donations; Park Department funding and labor; and a $10,000 grant from the Brookline Community Fund. A ribbon-cutting and dedication of the fence is scheduled for July 20 at 1 p.m. for fans of roses - or the cake donated by Party Favors.

Got a news item for Brookline? E-mail Andreae Downs at andreaedowns@yahoo.com.

The orange pylons and rough, unpaved roads are finally on their way out at Lafayette Square. Road construction at the Mass. Ave. and Main Street intersection wrapped up in late May, and the intersection now features a park decorated by a red-and-cobalt glass tile mosaic that is part of the city's public artworks program. A dedication ceremony last week marked the culmination of a long debate about what to do with this section of dense pedestrian, vehicular, and bicycle traffic. The park, which is across from the recently rescued Toscanini's Ice Cream and Coffee shop and just down the street from the recently opened Central Square Theater (not the old art-film showplace, but home to two professional theater companies), is likely to be a popular destination on summer evenings.

The metal bins with hinged slots look more like sleek mailboxes than garbage receptacles, and they may soon be making an appearance in Central and Harvard Squares. The City Council approved a request Monday to use almost $60,000 in bus shelter advertising revenue to purchase 16 BigBelly Solar Trash Compactors. The compactors debuted outside the Harvard Science Center last year and at Fenway Park in April. With a photovoltaic strip atop each bin and a motor that crushes garbage with as much as a half-ton of force, the self-contained units are seen as one possible way to keep trash in and rats out.

If you have an opinion - and what Cantabrigian doesn't? - on the traffic along Route 2 and Alewife Brook Parkway, a couple of local representatives are looking for input. A recent report named the route not only one of the 10 most bottleneck-prone roadways in the state, but also the slowest, with traffic moving at a tortoise-like crawl of 12.3 miles per hour on average during congested periods. State Representative Will Brownsberger and state Senator Steven Tolman have been assessing traffic concerns in the area, as well as how the traffic affects area businesses and the wetlands nearby. They can be reached at steven.tolman@state.ma.us and willbrownsberger@gmail.com.

Got a news item from Cambridge? E-mail Victoria Cheng at vcheng@globe.com.

Police have been looking for the third suspect in a June 12 shooting at Pearl and Cross streets. The victim, a 16-year-old Somerville male who police declined to identify, was treated for a shoulder wound at Massachusetts General Hospital and released, Police Department spokesman Paul Upton said in an e-mail. Detectives "quickly learned the identity of the alleged shooter and other suspects," Upton said. They arrested Somerville residents Santos Pleitez, 21, and Salvador Yanez, 22, on charges of armed assault to murder; Yanez was also charged with being an accessory after the fact. Jairo Ulises Miguel, 19, of Somerville, remained at large. Residents can call the police at 617-625-1212.

Summer is just underway, but the Book of Hope is wrapping up its latest year with a cookout tomorrow. The youth writing project helps teenagers at the Mystic housing development express themselves, publish their work, and earn money from the sales. According to the Somerville Arts Council, the project's cosponsor, seven authors completed books this go-round, including Maishka Antoine, Tanya Joseph, Tanisha D, Farah Jean-Baptiste, and Reynalee Miranda Santana. Nearly 100 teens have published books through the project since 1999. The party runs from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Mystic Activity Center.

Residents bothered by pollution from I-93 could soon get some data to back up their complaints. Tufts University has won a $2.5 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study the impact of the highway's pollution on neighbors. Working with the Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership, researchers will measure airborne chemicals via a mobile van and test residents' blood samples for heart and lung problems. Researchers and state officials have recently voiced concern about city asthma rates and their connection to highways. This project closely follows a $20 million NIH grant in May creating an institute that will translate lab finds into news patients can use.

Got a news item from Somerville? E-mail Danielle Dreilinger at djdreilinger@comcast.net.