Queens Chronicle South Edition 02-16-23

SOUTH QUEENS EDITION

Serving Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park, City Line and JFK Airport

YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

NIGHTSTRIFE

Noise and bar issues mount for Community Board 9

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Quality-of-life concerns were the focus at Monday’s Community Board 9 meeting. Resident Juliet Ganpat, above, demanded that ong oing issues with Blend Nightclub be addressed and the board voted against a liquor license for Infi nity Bar & Lounge, which would replace Showtime Bar & Lounge, another spot that has been the site of recent crimes.

MIDDLE SCHOOL DEMAND

Pushback on proposed elementary site

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CHARTER SCHOOLS

Section

PAGES 18-19

A SHOW TO DIE FOR

Christie’s classic ‘Mousetrap’ means murder in MidVille

SEE qboro, PAGE 27

PHOTO BY DEIRDRE BARDOLF

City IBO offers some good budget news

Present-year tax revenue exceeding expectations; spending drops $1B

by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor

The city last week received some qualified good news about the 2023-24 budget that is in negotiations, as well as projected deficits for the following three years.

The city’s Independent Budget Office in a 24-page report released Feb. 9, said the city will end the present fiscal year with a surplus of $4.9 billion, or $2.8 billion more than was estimated by Mayor Adams in his preliminary budget plan released on Jan. 12.

The IBO report estimates $1.8 billion more in tax revenues than the mayor’s Office of Management and Budget forecast last month. It also estimates city-funded spending line items will come in about $1 billion less than projected a month ago.

The IBO also is forecasting a budget surplus for the fiscal 2024 budget, which must be approved by Mayor Adams and the City Council and must be in place by July 1.

The office also said out-year deficits projected by the administration last month should come

down substantially.

“IBO assumes the city will prepay some of next year’s expenses with this year’s surplus, resulting in a surplus of $2.6 billion in fiscal year 2024,” the report states.

“After 2024, IBO projects gaps of $2.8 billion, $3.9 billion and $2.9 billion in fiscal years 2025, 2026 and 2027, respectively. These gaps, while not insubstantial, are well within the range the city has closed

chose a local

in the past.”

The administration’s last projections for out-year deficits were at $5 billion for FY 2025 and $6.5 billion for 2026.

The report states that the largest risk to its forecast “likely” will be the unsettled contracts with the vast majority of the city’s labor unions that are being negotiated.

“According to the OMB, there is enough funding in the city’s labor

reserve for annual 1.25 percent wage increases,” the IBO says.

“Actual increases are expected to be higher, given both the pattern in the most recent civilian contract settlements, which included three annual increases of 2.0 percent, 2.25 percent and 3.0 percent, along with inflation averaging 8 percent during calendar year 2022.” The IBO estimates that an average raise of 1 percent across the board would cost an additional $362 million in FY 2024 if all the contracts kick in on July 1 of this year.

Other red flags are in the existing spending plan, which runs through June 30; the city, unlike the federal government, cannot end its fiscal year with red ink in its ledgers.

The Department of Education will require an estimated $306 million more in city funds this year than is budgeted, a figure expected to grow to $905 million in the fiscal year beginning in July and to $1.5 billion two years later in FY 2026.

The city will need another $5 million before the end of this fiscal year to pay for recurring edu-

cation expenses that now are being covered by expiring federal Covid-19 aid. It could reach $881 million by July 2025.

Overtime already has exceeded budgeted amounts for this year in some departments.

Police Department overtime for the budget ending June 30 is already $369 million more than allocated. While $109 million has been offset by cuts in other portions of the NYPD personnel services line item, an additional $260 million is needed this year, with similar numbers trending out in future years.

The IBO estimates FDNY overtime next year will require $115 million more than the administration has budgeted. The city also is expected to need an additional $31 million this year for Department of Correction OT.

While Department of Sanitation overtime looks to be coming in under budget this year, the IBO estimates that the DSNY must add $58 million this coming year and in out-year budgets.

continued on page 6

that “gets me.”

New York City coffers last week got an unexpected boost, though some financial red flags still exist for things like uniformed services overtime and education spending. PHOTOS BY MICHAEL GANNON

Nightclub and noise issues continue as other concerns are addressed Quality-of-life talk at CB 9 meeting

by Deirdre Bardolf Editor

Issues surrounding nightclubs and ongoing noise from parties in the South Richmond Hill area persist.

At Monday’s meeting of Community Board 9, one resident demanded that the panel revisit complaints surrounding Blend Lounge dating back to 2021, and the members voted against a liquor license application for a new spot that would be where Showtime Bar & Lounge, another hotspot, used to be.

“Moving forward with full transparency, I ask for a complete investigation of this incident and all relative activities of Blend Nightclub and its associates by this board,” said Julia Ganpat at the monthly meeting on Monday night.

She claimed that the board in December 2021 recommended in favor of a liquor license renewal for Blend, despite issues at the nightclub, and that a board member owned the business.

Back in November, the board voted to send a letter to the State Liquor Authority to have Blend’s license revoked.

“Whatever happens in there spills outside and then we also have issues with parking, we have people urinating,” Ganpat told the Chronicle at the time. “We have all this coming from the crowd there ... it has

Elementary school proposed for D27

by Deirdre Bardolf Editor

A new, 696-seat elementary school is being proposed in Richmond Hill for the former Rubie’s Costume Company.

The project is still in its “infancy stage,” Danielle Schaaff, external affairs manager for the School Construction Authority, told Community Board 9 on Monday. It would include District 75 special education seats.

Public comment is open until March 8.

Many chimed in with their opinions during the presentation, stressing the need for a middle school in the area, not another elementary school.

Emilee Wyner, a Richmond Hill mother of three, said parents are “desperate” for an easily accessible middle school and that they are mobilizing to fight for one.

D27 middle schools are far for their children, she said, while those in D28 are actually closer but hard to get a seat in. Their zoned middle school, MS 137, is over capacity and a new location would be necessary to meet the impending class size mandates.

CB 9 members Cristal Rivera, Carmela Isabella and Regina Santoro echoed the need for a middle school, too.

“Parents have no option,” said Santoro. “They have to either bus their kids or send them to a private school, which sometimes is not affordable ... There really should be something in our district that they can walk to. There are multiple elementary schools,” she said.

Schaaff said analysis indicates that the need is for 822 K-5 seats in the district.

The proposal includes both buildings and the parking area on Jamaica Avenue between 120th and 121st streets.

Comments can be submitted to the SCA by mail or at sites@nycsca.org. Q

not been safe.”

Last October, a fight that started in the club spilled out into the street and shots were fired, according to reports at the time. Police confirmed that two men were shot,

one fatally.

Chair Sherry Algredo told Ganpat that the board would meet regarding her concerns and look into the situation.

Public Safety Committee Co-chair Maharani Singh said, “We will address it. I’m not sure if we need to get the Borough President’s Office involved in this or whatever it is. We need to check everything to satisfy this woman, she is a concerned citizen.”

The Public Safety Committee later voted against recommending a liquor license be granted to Infinity Bar & Lounge on 101st Avenue.

Last March, a shooting occurred outside that location following an apparent dispute, police said. In September, a woman was killed after being run over by a driver who may have been fleeing a nearby knife fight outside the bar, according to reports.

Singh recommended voted against the application because the business had not submitted the required notice to the board.

Noise issues near Phil “Scooter” Rizzuto Park persist, another resident said, and resi-

J train work starting in Woodhaven: MTA

by Deirdre Bardolf Editor

Station renewal projects are set to commence along the J Train at the 75th StreetElderts Lane and 85th Street-Forest Parkway stations.

The 75th Street work is set to start this month and continue through winter 2024, said Danielle Verdecchia, a project manager for the contractor Gramercy PJS JV, at the Community Board 9 meeting Monday. She was joined by Lucille Songhai from the MTA.

The work will begin with the Queensbound track, which should wrap up in September, and then work on the Manhattanbound track will start. The project will work concurrently with the ongoing ADA installation work being done at Woodhaven Boulevard bypasses.

In winter 2024, the 85th Street-Forest Parkway work will begin, starting with the Queens-bound track and followed by the Manhattan-bound track.

“The work being conducted here is stateof-good-repair work, meaning that there will be new structural improvements to all of these stations, including upgraded architec-

tural components, installation of arts and design, upgraded communication systems, improved lighting conditions at all stations, as well as upgraded plumbing systems,” Verdecchia said.

“So this construction project is being conducted to not only strengthen and extend the life span of all of the stations over the next 25 years but we’ll also be rehabilitating the platform components, including installing detectable warning strips at the platform edges,” she continued. “We will be improving the stair conditions by replacing the stairs which go from the mezzanine, which is where the public access is, the stations going up to the platform level, and upgrading the lights and replacing the existing fixtures.”

Protective and environmental measures will be installed during construction, Verdecchia said.

Questions centered on congestion along Woodhaven Boulevard as the other work there continues and representatives said they are working with businesses to mitigate impacts on the area. Local stops will still be made and there are not currently plans to install elevators at the stations. Q

Capt. Jeremy Kivlin of the 102nd Precinct gave a crime update at the Community Board 9 meeting and residents spoke about ongoing quality-of-life concerns. PHOTOS BY DEIRDRE BARDOLF

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Emilee Wyner, left, comments on the middle school proposal presented by Danielle Schaaff, right. PHOTO BY DEIRDRE BARDOLF

Leadership seeks more crackdowns on unlicensed storefront weed vendors Marijuana causing a stink in District 6

by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor

As state and city officials scramble to backfill at least some of the gaps left by legislation to legalize marijuana, neighborhoods have been left to handle the fallout, as well as the ever-present aroma.

Some folks weren’t taking kindly to it at the Feb. 8 meeting of Community Board 6, especially with the number of illegal dispensaries that have sprung up along business corridors.

“Community District 6 currently does not have a licensed conditional adult-use retail dispensary,” Board Chairperson Heather Beers-Dimitriadis told members and the general audience at American Legion Continental Post 1424 in Forest Hills. “In fact, there are only two in New York City, and both are in Manhattan.”

District Manager Frank Gulluscio said the district does have one business that is a legal, licensed dispensary for medicinal marijuana patients.

Beers-Dimitriadis said when the state is weighing an application within the district, the board will be advised.

“And we will have a very small role in that process,” she said. “We will look at the application and respond — not respond with a vote, but respond with any concerns we have or issues to the Office of Cannabis

City budget

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Then there are the present and projected costs for housing and caring for more than 40,000 immigrants seeking asylum who have come to the city since 2022.

“The city budgeted $1 billion in federal funding in 2023 to reimburse the city for costs of providing services to this population,” the report cites. “The federal government has only authorized $800 million for asylum seeker expenses nationally, and the share that will come to New York City remains unknown.”

The IBO projects $609 million in costs for asylum seekers for shelter alone this year and $852 million next year. Assuming 29 percent cost sharing with the state, the city’s totals come to $432 million and $605 million respectively.

“An influx of asylum seekers beyond our current forecast would increase this estimate, as would a reduction in the proposed state funding,” the IBO says. “Conversely, any federal reimbursement that does come would reduce the city’s costs.”

The city already is allocating $120 million for nonshelter costs and $303 million for NYC Health + Hospitals for medical care, all budgeted as being covered by federal funding. Q

Management. They’re not going to be sneaking one in.”

She and City Councilwoman Lynn Schulman (D-Forest Hills) encouraged anyone seeing stores they believe to be selling marijuana unlicensed to call 311 or to contact the CB 6 office with the information.

But while there have been some highly publicized raids on illegal vendors with some contraband seized, New York City Sheriff Anthony Miranda recently testified that there are about 1,400 citywide. A law enforcement source recently told the Chronicle that there are 225 in Queens.

“There’s a big difference between legal and illegal,” Gulluscio said. “It’s a problem for everybody. The calls are coming into the office — and it’s the hottest topic. There is one a couple of doors down from here. There’s one a couple of doors down from the office.”

Even the raids, Gulluscio said, sometimes can be of limited value.

“Let’s say they hit the business two doors down. Then he’s calling the guy on Austin Street. And he’s calling the guy on 63rd Drive, saying, ‘The sheriff’s in town,’” giving some vendors time to conceal their merchandise before law enforcement shows up.

In other business, Schulman and board members were looking to set the record

straight on rumors about what might be happening with the initial planning stages of the QueensWay park planned for a section of Forest Hills and Glendale on the former Rockaway Long Island Rail Road line. Beers-Dimitriadis said the board likely will create a special committee to work with the city and get all information out to the public as soon as possible.

Mayor Adams back in September committed $35 million for the first 5-acre sec-

tion of a 47-acre park that would extend from the area on a right-of-way by the Metropolitan Expeditionary Learning School on Metropolitan Avenue.

“This is so the public can have the opportunity to have the information it needs,” Beers-Dimitriadis said. “Facts. Not what are reading on social media. Not what you are overhearing at Trader Joe’s, but the facts. And you’re going to be getting it straight from the horse’s mouth.”

Schulman said all the land being discussed for stage one already is owned by the city. That, the chairperson pointed out, means that the board does not have a yes or no verdict on the project.

“We will be working transparently,” Beers-Dimitriadis said. “We understand your concerns.”

Gulluscio said he is pleased that the project seems to be moving forward.

“I’ve been working on QueensWay for 20 years,” he said during his district manager’s report.

In that same report, Gulluscio said another project that appears to be moving along nicely through city channels is the future conaming of a street for the late Joe Hennessy, who served as chairman of the board for 23 years. Hennessy was 82 when he died in April 2020. Q

CB 9 issues

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dents have exhausted all the options they can think of, like filing 311 complaints, notifying the 102nd Precinct and going to the board.

Capt. Jeremy Kivlin, commanding officer of the 102nd Precinct, said crime overall was down, with no shootings yet this year but an increase in felony assaults, which are mostly domestic violence-related.

The precinct is working to establish relationships with businesses on commercial corridors and owners have been compiling videos of shoplifters for police.

Celeb spotting in Old HB

It’s not yet Ocean’s Fourteen in the works, but actors George Clooney and Brad Pitt teamed up near the bay to film an upcoming thriller.

A film crew was rolling on Monday near the 99th Street bridge where Pitt, above in white, and Clooney, who starred in “Ocean’s 11,” were seen on the set.

Howard Beach resident Tony Modaferri, who moonlights as a performer and now paparazzi, shared the shots to social media, as did many others.

Though a notice said the film would be called “Unicorn,” online reports indicate the project in the works will be called “Wolves” for Apple TV+. — Deirdre Bardolf

Ido Shargal from the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit acknowledged the citywide issue of overnight truck parking and said the office is surveying residents for input on it until Feb. 24. He also said he is looking for recommendations for houses of worship that might be able to take in asylum seekers. “That’s something that’s going to be coming down the pike,” he said. Q

PHOTOS BY TONY MODAFERRI

Councilwoman Lynn Schulman discussed everything from a new park to trouble with the legal weed market at Community Board 6 on Feb. 8. COURTESY PHOTO / FILE

Quake kills Corona family

Couple and young sons visiting Turkey lost in disaster

by Deirdre Bardolf Editor

The devastating earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria last week claimed a Corona family described as being the light of their loved ones’ lives.

Burak and Marilyn Firik and their 1- and 2-year-old sons were visiting Burak’s family in Turkey when the second of two major quakes hit and the five-story building his family lived in crumbled on top of them, according to reports. Burak’s mother was killed as well.

The 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude quakes, accompanied by numerous aftershocks, claimed over 41,000 lives, left nearly 100,000 people injured and displaced 2.4 million.

Rescuers continue to dig through rubble as aid pours in from across the world.

Burak was previously a board member for the the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

“It is with sadness we

announce that former CAIR-NY Board Member, Burak Firik, and his wife and two baby children, passed away in the earthquake in Turkey,” the council posted on social media.

It continued, “We pray for Allah’s mercy for our brother Burak, his family, and all those

who have returned to our Creator. Ameen.”

Marilyn’s father started a fundraiser on GoFundMe for Burak’s family, who he wrote have lost their entire livelihoods following the natural disaster.

“I am asking on behalf of my deceased daughter for any help

OP drive for quake victims

to support her in-laws in Elbistan,” Edwin Salazar wrote in the description.

The family was staying in the southern Turkish town, just north of the initial quake, which hit closer to the Syrian border.

“She was always a kind soul who would put others’ needs above her own, and I know this is what she would want to do,” Salazar wrote of his daughter.

He said his family is “grief stricken” and has lost the “light of our lives.”

“I keep imagining that they will be coming back to our home in NY and hearing the sound of their footsteps and laughter at our breakfast table ... but I know this will only be in my dreams now.”

The GoFundMe fundraiser, which had raised nearly $29,000 as of print time, can be found at bit.ly/3xoAxqg.

Vigils took place in Queens and New Jersey, where there is a large Turkish population, in the days since the quake. Q

South Queens is coming together once again to send help abroad to areas struck by tragedy — this time, in Turkey and Syria, following the Feb. 6 earthquake that killed more than 35,000 people.

The Ozone Park Residents Block Association, the Ozone Park Howard Beach Woodhaven Lions Club, the Deshi Senior Center, Bangladeshi American Community Development and Youth Services and Masjid Al Abidin mosque are coming together to collect necessities for victims.

Items being sought include blankets; tents; winter clothing such as jackets, gloves and headgear; over-the-counter medications like flu, cold and pain relievers; baby products like formula and diapers; and feminine hygiene products.

Items can be dropped off at the Deshi Senior Center, located at 83-10 Rockaway Blvd., on Saturday, Feb. 18, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Last year, the block association held a massive drive for Ukraine relief efforts. This time, the mosque will be coordinating the shipment abroad. Call (718) 641-0405 for more information. Q

— Deirdre Bardolf

The Firik family of Corona was killed while visiting Turkey last week when a massive earthquake wrecked the region. PHOTO VIA GOFUNDME

P

Jets in, horses out, homes up

We agree with state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr.: If you’re going to have fútbol in Willets Point, you may as well have football, too.

Addabbo, the longtime South and now midQueens lawmaker, proposes bringing the Jets! Jets! Jets! back to New York, where they belong. He threw the idea downfield a few days ago on CBS 2’s “The Point with Marcia Kramer.”

“I think their fan base is still in New York,” said Addabbo, who’s one of those fans. “I think their fan base grows exponentially if they come back to New York. There are so many Jet fans out there who want to see them come home. Bring the Jets home. Make that NY on the side of the helmet really mean New York.”

Mayor Adams announced in November that the New York City Football Club will get a new home in the old Iron Triangle as part of the area’s redevelopment. The plan is for a stadium that will seat 25,000 soccer fans. Addabbo says make it 80,000 and make it a gridiron. There’s more than enough land to do it.

What a great match a Jets stadium would be with Citi Field just across the way. The Jets played in old

Shea Stadium for years. They’ve been associated with the Mets a long time and share countless fans.

We’d much rather see football at Willets than a casino, despite Mets owner Steve Cohen’s hopes to build one on the Citi Field parking lot (which is legally protected from that). Keep the gambling at Resorts World in South Ozone Park, next to Aqueduct Race Track. Which brings us to another idea Addabbo supports: moving all horse racing to Belmont Park and closing down Aqueduct. That would be a harder pill to swallow for many — Queens has a long and storied tradition of horse racing, and Aqueduct is all that remains — but it’s an idea whose time may finally have come. Gov. Hochul has put concrete support for it in her new budget plan: $455 million to redevelop Belmont, located just over the Queens line in Nassau County.

Then new housing could be built at Aqueduct. It’s needed, the land is flat and presumably isn’t highly toxic like Willets Point. It’s probably quite well fertilized in fact, an aid to future residential landscaping.

These are visions of Queens’ future worthy of carrying into the end zone, though it’ll be a long drive.

LETTERSTO THE

Beyond a gas leak

Justice for a mourned mom

Aside from prosecuting the two young men allegedly responsible for her death, the authorities could bring a measure of justice to slain Astoria mother-of-two Gudelia Vallinas by going after the larger circle of criminals terrorizing the populace in and around her neighborhood. And that’s just what top city officials said this week they have been doing since she was gunned down near the Woodside Houses two years ago as she walked home to her family.

Nearly two dozen alleged gangbangers from the Woodside Houses and Astoria Houses have been indicted on 85 charges collectively, many involving gunplay, Mayor Adams, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell and Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced Tuesday. The charges are the result of an investigation Adams said was sparked by the so-called stray-bullet slaying of Vallinas on March 12, 2021.

But will those who get locked up just be replaced by others in the two warring crews of Crips doing the shooting? Probably. It will take a lot more than one major takedown, however worthy, to change the culture of gun violence that ensnares so many young people. Even more aggressive targeting of gun carrying crooks by police would help. So would somehow restoring the two-parent nuclear family. Vallinas was part of one. You can bet few if any of the defendants are. Our society needs some serious correctives. Until then, keep the arrests coming.

E

Dear Editor:

Apparently some Queens County elected officials paid to represent all Downtown Flushing residents are determined to leave the concerns of constituents on their back burner, gas off.

Why?

Michael Gannon Senior News Editor

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NYC rent-stabilized apartments are an endangered species whose end began with the Manhattan co-operative gold rush of the mid1980s. The systematic cancellation of well over 1.2 million truly affordable rent-stabilized units transformed under the glitz of co-operative chintz gauze into oblivion ensued.

The noneviction co-op plan for the 100-unit building where I live has left fewer than 10 remaining rent-stabilized apartments. The destiny of all the residents is now dictated by overwhelmingly nonresident co-op owners (some based offshore).

Who’s surprised that the property was cited by Con Edison on Jan. 13, 2023, with a gas leak warranting an immediate building-wide cooking gas shutoff, with heat and hot water supply intermittently negatively impacted?

The rent stabilization law was ravaged at the altar of co-operative greed with zero legal accountability or transparency.

Why hasn’t the city Law Department filed an “Order to Show Cause” against the property owner/LLC, co-op board and management company/managing agent, compelling them to

DITOR

immediately implement in good faith a plan to restore cooking gas to hundreds of residents?

F.E. Scanlon Flushing

No lower speed limit

Dear Editor:

Gov. Hochul’s proposed lowering the NYC speed limit to 20 mph strikes me as being close to ludicrous.

My husband and I are lifelong NYC residents, working in hospital administration and early childhood education, respectively. We are both retired, and, as always, enjoy building community and participating in the democratic process.

Both of us have histories of responsible driving. However, since the NYC speed limit was set at 25 mph, each of us has received numerous

“speeding” tickets (photo-enforced), each of which carries the fine of $50. All of them have been on major thoroughfares (such as Woodhaven Boulevard and Union Turnpike) in ou r immediate neighborhood. And in each case, the offending speed was from 30 to 35 mph. In 2022, we paid about $500 in these fines.

I propose there be a distinction made between the smaller streets in residential areas and school zones and the six-lane roads that crisscross our county and have well-controlled traffic lights at intersections for turning and for pedestrians. We all need to be conscientious when it comes to public safety, but the laws do need to be within reason.

I have written to the governor, and I urge others who find this proposal objectionable to do the same.

RoseAnne Clear y Glendale

LETTERSTO THE EDITOR

Merciless moneymaker

Dear Editor:

An experience I had with a speed camera on Crossbay Boulevard in early December, 2022: My wife and I woke up early in the morning and we both felt sick, and around 7 a.m. we made the decision to go to urgent care on Crossbay Boulevard. Sure enough we both had Covid.

While going there, without realizing it I went 37 mph — 2 miles over the 35 mph actually allowed in the posted 25 zone. I received the ticket a short time later showing me traveling around 7:15 am going to urgent care.

I sent in copies of our diagnosis and asked for leniency, but guess what? The decision came back that Covid is no excuse: Guilty. I never ever received a ticket in Howard Beach for speeding before, so that wasn’t the reason for finding me guilty.

These cameras are a money-grabbing tool to take from the citizens, and now they want to lower the limit even further. If the state and the city really want to protect pedestrians from accidents use speed bumps. You definitely have to slow down.

Anthony Falco Howard Beach

Safety? No. Cash grab.

Dear Editor:

Kudos to City Councilwoman Joann Ariola for calling Gov. Hochul’s proposal to lower the speed limit in New York City from 25 mph to 20 mph what it is (“City could lower speed limits again,” page 2, Feb. 9). Hochul and her supporters can cite all the safety numbers they want, but this is not about safety at all. If Hochul were really concerned about the safety of New Yorkers, she’d do something about the rampant crime and reverse the legislation she enacted that enables it. This is about money, plain and simple.

Just think how many more speeding tickets (camera or NYPD-generated) such measures will bring and all the additional revenue that these tickets will generate.

With the current economic crisis, Hochul and her colleagues might have a hard time raising taxes on city residents, but this is a way to fill the coffers while masquerading as a safety measure.

And I’m sure it’s not a coincidence that lowering the speed limit in the city would most impact residents in Queens and Staten Island, who rely on their cars more than people in the other boroughs to get around, but who also voted more than people in the other boroughs for her Republican challenger, Lee Zeldin, in September.

It’s bad enough that the school speed camera program has been expanded so far beyond its original purpose — to protect children crossing streets near their schools at the start and end of the school day — to nothing but a cash cow to

fuel out-of-control government spending. This latest scheme by Hochul to take more money from middle-class New Yorkers in the outer boroughs needs to be exposed for the political money-grab that it is. With rampant crime, homelessness and drug overdoses, city streets are certainly no safer today than they were when the speed limit was 30 mph.

Leonard Klie Glendale

Toll of the war on cars

Dear Editor:

The city’s war against the automobile continues unabated. It seems that every week there is a new proposal to discourage, restrict or prevent automobile drivers from operating their vehicles. With the latest proposal to further reduce the speed limit it won’t be long before we’ll be getting around by horse and buggy. Seriously though, has anyone in city government thought about the ramifications of ridding the city of automobiles?

What will this do the economy? What will happen to all the people who work at gas stations, auto dealerships, parking garages, repair shops, auto supply stores, car washes and other related businesses? How many jobs will be lost, how much economic activity will be lost, how much in sales taxes and other tax revenues will be lost?

What will happen to Costco, Trader Joe’s, Home Depot and all the other businesses that sell in bulk and large items? How will people get to the stores and how will they get their purchases home? With their parking lots empty how will they survive?

For almost everyone over the age of 40 bike riding is a thing of the past. How will these people get around? Especially if they live in the outer reaches of the outer boroughs where public transportation is sparse. An automobile is a necessity. Seniors and the disabled will be most affected.

Will the city provide tens of millions of dollars to seniors, the disabled and even those over 40 to enable them to travel (how about free Uber?) just as the city has spent tens of millions of dollars to promote bike riding among the young?

Why is the city trying to lower the quality of life for millions of people and hurt the economy besides?

Richard Nebenzahl Astoria

Raindrops are falling

Dear Editor:

Composer Burt Bacharach, who died on Feb. 8 at 94, is part of Queens’ rich musical heritage. Born in Kansas City, Mo., Bacharach grew up in Kew Gardens and graduated from Forest Hills High School. He teamed up with lyricist Hal David to create such hit songs as “I Say a Little Prayer,” “Walk On By” and “Anyone Who Had a Heart,” sung by Dionne Warwick. He won six Grammys and three Oscars.

Other music icons whose careers began in Queens include singer Art Garfunkel, singersongwriters Paul Simon and Carole King and composer Marvin Hamlisch. Jazz legend Louis

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OPEN HOUSE SCHEDULE

LETTERSTO THE EDITOR

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Armstrong, a New Orleans native, lived in Corona from 1943 till his death in 1971. His home is now a museum, operated by Queens College.

Hamlisch and Armstrong are no longer with us, but their music lives forever. So will that of Burt Bacharach. “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” was one of his biggest hits. He poured sunshine into all of our hearts. RIP Burt Bacharach.

Richard Reif Kew Gardens Hills

Love and bagels

Dear Editor:

I hope my beloved New Yorkers had a happy Valentine’s Day! You work so hard, and I have faith in you to make this a better world and better place! Love everything

Write a Letter!

We want to hear from new voices! Letters should be no longer than 300 words and may be edited for length, clarity and other reasons. They may be emailed to letters@qchron.com. Please include your phone number, which will not be published. Those received anonymously are discarded.

about you! Let’s have oceans more coffee, pizza, hero sandwiches and bagels. (And pizza bagels, of course!)

Let’s believe in peace.

Eva Tortora Staten Island

Stand firm, Governor

Dear Editor:

(An open letter to Gov. Hochul)

In your speech when you took the oath of office, you said, “I got steel running through my veins,” implying that you would stand firm and have the courage of your convictions in your decision making.

Well, now is the time to do just that and take whatever means necessary to bring Justice Hector LaSalle’s nomination to the full state Senate for a vote! He is your first pick to head the Court of Appeals and he is a man of integrity and impeccable credentials and deserves to be recognized. And in all fairness, we would like to congratulate you in your support to raise the cap on charter schools. About time!

We hope in the future you will continue to use your voice to fully amend the bail reform law and address the current teenage violence in our city.

Anxiously awaiting your reply.

Thomas and Constance Dowd Oakland Gardens

Rich Hill biz aids the blind

Richmond Hill’s Alphapointe is the largest employer of visually impaired individuals in the state, employing approximately 200 people, about 135 of whom are blind.

In operation for 111 years, the manufacturer produces products such as janitorial supplies and clothing items for vendors and small businesses across New York. It fulfills city, state and federal contracts and makes top-ofthe-line medical and tactical gear.

State Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr., third from left, visited this week and marveled at the scope of the operations, wishing them luck and promis-

ing to help their visions for success.

“The fact that they took a formerly dormant space and turned it into a fully operational factory and distribution center is remarkable,” Addabbo said in a statement.

“I was able to meet with some of the dedicated employees who, despite their impairment, are able to manufacture military apparel and products for our city.”

Addabbo greeted workers and stands here with Tracy Colletti-Flynn, Anthony Lemma, Scott Thornhill, Lisa Futterman, Mark D’Altorio and Carroll Foreman. — Deirdre Bardolf

PHOTOS COURTESY NYS SENATE

Funds are for new equipment: Meeks Jamaica Hospital receives $4.3M

by Naeisha Rose Associate Editor

Jamaica Hospital Medical Center on Tuesday received a sweet Valentine in the form of more than $4.3 million in federal funding from U.S. Rep. Greg Meeks (D-Jamaica) to obtain medical equipment that would enhance surgical services at the institution.

“This is the No. 1 trauma center hospital in New York,” Meeks said. “In order to keep pace with what their responsibilities are they need modern equipment.”

The new neurosurgery and orthopedic operating room equipment will be purchased and installed for $2.4 million, according to Meeks. The devices include an Olympus Orbeye Exoscope ($400,000), a Stryker Mako Robot ($1 million), a Stryker Spy System ($500,000) and a Hana Table ($500,000). An additional $1.905 million will go toward a state-of-the-art Da Vinci System.

The latter apparatus is a surgical platform that will allow surgeons to perform a wide variety of minimally invasive procedures that will result in faster recovery, minimal scarring and less pain and bleeding for patients, according to Sabiha Raoof, JHMC chief medical officer.

The exoscope will allow doctors to visualize the most minute tissue structures in 4K 3D imaging quality and has been proven to lead to

better outcomes during advanced procedures as well as be reliable in identifying tissue boundaries, blood vessels and lesions.

The Stryker Mako Robot has a long track record in improving patient outcomes for knee replacements and the Stryker Spy System will allow orthopedic surgeons to fix fractures while minimizing the risk of complications.

The Hana Table is a multifunction surgery table that gives physicians the flexibility to perform various surgeries on the same table.

Jamaica Hospital has the 22nd-busiest emergency department in the whole country, according to Bruce Flanz, JHMC president and CEO.

“In a few months we are going to be having a groundbreaking in our new emergency department and we are going to be adding 22 intensive care unit beds,” Flanz said. “I’m very excited about that.”

The medical center was originally built for 60,000 hospital visits a year but it currently sees 120,000 annually, and the future expansion of the emergency department and the new equipment bought with federal funds allocated by Meeks will allow it to accommodate up to 150,000 people, the JHMC president added.

Meeks said his constituents, who live in all or part of Broad Channel, Cambria Heights, Hollis, Howard Beach, Jamaica, Kew Gardens, Laurelton, Queens Village, Richmond Hill, St.

Albans, Springfield Gardens, South Ozone Park and the Rockaway Peninsula, deserve “the very best.”

He went on to say he will make sure the hospital continues to be upgraded so it can grow.

Speaking of upgrades, Jamaica Hospital is collaborating with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, which is considered one of the top cancer centers in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report, a weekly magazine.

MSK will enable access to its specialized cancer care for Queens by helping to develop a robust oncology program at Jamaica Hospital, the JHMC CEO explained.

“We signed a memorandum of agreement and we have already started to recruit oncologists,” Flanz said. “The immediate plans are to hire the physicians. The long-term plan is to have a fully developed and equipped cancer center ... It is all in process and still in development.” Q

Students at York get stipend and new lab

U.S. Rep. Meeks wants $2.1M in grants to give scholars job training

by Naeisha Rose Associate Editor

Jobs, jobs, jobs. That is what U.S. Rep. Greg Meeks (D-Jamaica) hopes more than $2.1 million in federal funding he allocated to York College in Jamaica will yield.

The money that is set aside for the CUNY institution will go toward the geology, environmental and pharmaceutics science workforce-training initiatives and student stipends, according to Meeks.

The geology and environmental science programs will receive $1,267,500 toward student grants, equipment and a pilot for a faculty/student mentoring program for new geology majors, the majority of whom are from Southeast Queens and are first-generation Americans, he added. The latter program will receive $850,000 for workforce training, including devices and the establishment of a state-of-the-art Pharmaceutical Analytical Laboratory, which will enable scholars to learn emerging trends in drug identification, analysis and discovery.

“Infrastructure is what we need to do as a country,” Meeks said at a check presentation at the CUNY campus. “We have infrastructure dated back to the ’50s and we have to catch up again.”

The congressman said some of the funds will allow students to go to professional work-

shops and field assignments. Those enterprises will help them obtain their future goals of becoming geologists who can upgrade and maintain infrastructure.

“There will be job growth in construction — subsoil investigation, dam inspections, urban planning, housing subterranean utilities and green energy are anticipated in making this a long-term high-growth job sector. These

are the jobs being created for tomorrow ... York’s program is uniquely positioned to leverage this demand.”

Professor Nazrul Khandaker of the earth and physical sciences program agrees.

“The funding will help attract minorities to get to know the value of a [science, technology, engineering and math] education,” Khandaker told the Queens Chronicle. “There is a

tremendous gap in the STEM field that is not filled, especially by underserved and underrepresented groups ... This will give them much needed training in order for them to be competitive.”

The additional resources will also help potential clinical trade scientists to formulate new medicine by learning how to use equipment that includes an ultra performance liquid chromatography system and a spectrometer that detects and analyzes drug phenomenon, according to the congressman.

“This is visionary,” Meeks added. “The students can get state-of-the-art lab training that leads to a six-figure-paying job.”

Seniors Shehrin Shorif and Akshat Shrestha of the pharmacy program share that sentiment.

“The funding will immensely help with our lab works and future job training,” Shorif said. “We will be better prepared for future jobs.”

Shrestha said that during job interviews he was asked about his experience with ultra performance liquid chromatography, the modern standard for determining the compositions of drugs, according to the student.

“I’m getting into research and development,” Shrestha told the Chronicle. “That is a skill we need for quality control and quality assurance ... being able to use this equipment will be a big help.” Q

Sabiha Raoof, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center’s chief medical officer, left, and JHMC CEO and President Bruce Flanz, right, receive a more than $4.3 million grant for new equipment, including an Olympus Orbeye Exoscope, inset, from U.S. Rep. Greg Meeks. PHOTO BY NAEISHA ROSE; GRAPHIC COURTESY JHMC

Berenecea Johnson Eanes, York College’s president, as well as the CUNY school’s faculty and students were happy to receive $2.1 million in funds for new equipment and stipends for geology and pharmaceutical scholars from U.S. Rep. Greg Meeks.

PHOTO BY NAEISHA ROSE

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War between Crips in Woodside and Astoria puts all in danger: DA Katz Alleged gangsters hit with 85 charges

by Peter C. Mastrosimone Editor-in-Chief

Nearly two dozen purported members of the Crips gang were hit with a collective 85 counts in an indictment alleging conspiracy to commit murder, attempted murder, reckless endangerment and criminal possession of a weapon, top officials announced Tuesday.

The alleged gangbangers belong to two warring sets of Crips, according to the authorities, one based at the Woodside Houses and the other at the Astoria Houses.

The investigation that led to the charges was sparked by the killing of innocent mother-of-two Gudelia Vallinas, according to Mayor Adams. Vallinas was shot dead by a so-called stray bullet March 12, 2021 near the Woodside-Astoria line as she walked home after running errands for her family.

Adams joined Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell and Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz to announce the charges in a press conference.

Saying public safety has always been his administration’s top priority, Adams applauded Katz and the NYPD for “another victory in our work to remove New York’s most dangerous individuals from our communities.”

“Warring gangs are not just a threat to themselves, but to all of us,” Katz said. “The reckless criminality we saw during the course

of this investigation is the kind of lawlessness that has killed law-abiding New Yorkers caught in the crossfire of gang gun violence. I commend the NYPD’s Gun Violence Suppression Unit and my Violent Criminal Enterprise Bureau for their outstanding work over the course of this long investigation, and I thank them for the important work they do.”

Sewell praised the same units and said, referring to the defendants, “Their particular reign of retaliatory violence is over. But our work — the work of keeping people safe and free from fear in every New York City neighborhood — goes on.”

An announcement sent by Katz to the media said the majority of the defendants were arraigned last week and listed 21 of the 23 the authorities said were charged. They are Delante Aiken, 21, Tahji Alexander, 25, Kechante Brown, 29, Timothy Brown, 33, Shalimar Carson, 33, Kaiam Donovan, 40, Nasir Fisher, 23, Barkim Hicks, 28, Hakeem Jamison, 28, Amir Jordan, 22, Waliek Mccaskill, 33, Miguel Tapia, 23, Yurhun Palacios, 27, Djuan Price, 32, Elijah Price, 26, Luis Ramirez, 22, Milton Ribot, 22, Sean Roberts, 27, Michael Shepard, 27, Jaheen Stephenson, 21, and David Wilson, 30.

All but Timothy Brown live in Queens. He is from the Bronx. All but Ramirez face up to 25 years in prison if convicted of all charges.

Three years in prison for Rich Hill sex abuser

Defendant brought down by victim: DA

by Naeisha Rose Associate Editor

A Richmond Hill man was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to persistent sexual abuse on Tuesday, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz’s Office.

Basam Syed, 43, was brought up on sexual abuse charges last summer after forcibly rubbing his genitals on a college woman who was in Jamaica canvassing the area seeking signatures for a petition, prosecutors said.

Shortly after collecting the defendant’s signature, the victim was abused on the sidewalk near the intersection of Parsons Boulevard and Jamaica Avenue. The perpetrator then fled on foot, said Katz’s Office.

Syed was previously convicted for sex abuse and forcible touching in 2015 and

had to register as a sex offender, according to the state Division of Criminal Justice Services. He served one year in jail for each crime — the first was prosecuted in Queens, the latter in Manhattan.

He was ultimately brought down this time by the very information he provided the intern, prosecutors said.

The woman used the details that the defendant gave her to identify him, according to Katz’s Office. Syed was arrested a week after the Aug. 1, 2022 assault and pled guilty on Jan. 24.

After Syed’s prison sentence, he will have five years of post-release supervision, Katz’s Office added.

“The sentence punishes the defendant’s lewdness and should teach him that his disgusting behavior has no place on our streets and simply will not be tolerated,” Katz said in a statement. Q

He faces up to 4 years.

According to Katz’s office, the war between the two sets of Crips began on Aug. 4, 2018, when Isaiah King of the Woodside Houses assaulted Djuan Price of the Astoria Houses over a drug deal. Price and his brother, Elijah Price, went to Woodside to retaliate

the next day. They could not find King but shot his close friend and fellow gangbanger Jaffvonta Reid in the leg, the DA’s Office said.

The feud — which Katz said has seen more than 18 acts of gun violence, including homicide and attempted murder — was fueled by social media and rap videos. The Astoria Crips are in the Rollin’ Crip set and rap as the Hip Hop Boys, according to the DA’s Office. Their Woodside rivals are with the 8 Trey Crip set and rap as Tru Cash Gettas.

The violence often took place in daylight, the authorities said, giving several examples.

On June 14, 2020 at about 6:35 p.m., Woodside Crips Devine Moore and Shepard confronted a passing vehicle they thought a gang member was in. Shepard allegedly fired standing next to an ice cream truck where a little girl was dancing.

In retaliation, Stephenson, Alexander and Aiken allegedly walked into the Woodside complex the next day and fired at gang members who were in a courtyard along with young children. Moore and a bystander were hit. Another such shooting occurred on Aug. 22, 2020, but no one was hurt that time.

Katz’s office also said that multiple incidents involved gang members shooting at people from motor scooters, as Palacios and Tapia allegedly did on May 6, 2021. Q

She tried to kill with poison cheesecake

A Brooklyn woman has been convicted of attempted murder for poisoning a Forest Hills woman with drug-laced cheesecake in 2016 in an effort to steal her identity.

Viktoria Nasyrova of Sheepshead Bay also was convicted of first-degree attempted assault, second-degree assault, unlawful imprisonment, first-degree larceny and petit larceny for the plot she arranged to look like a suicide, according to the office of Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. Nasyrova, 47, faces up to 25 years in prison when sentenced by Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder on March 21.

“The jury saw through the deception and schemes of the defendant,” Katz said in a statement from her office on Thursday. “She laced a slice of cheesecake with a deadly drug so she could steal her unsuspecting victim’s most valuable possession, her identity. Fortunately, her victim survived and the poison led right back to the culprit. The defendant deserves to be held accountable for her crime with a long term of incarceration.”

Nasyrova befriended the victim, who was 35 at the time and to whom she shared a strong physical resemblance, including

dark hair, skin complexion and other traits. Both also speak Russian.

Published reports say Nasyrova is a dominatrix and the victim was her beautician.

On Aug. 28, 2016, she brought a cheesecake poisoned with Phenazepam to the victim’s Forest Hills residence. The drug is a sedative that is illegal to sell for human consumption in the United States according to the website of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

The victim ate a slice of the cheesecake. She soon began feeling sick and lay down Her last memory before passing out, according to Katz’s Office, was seeing Nasyrova walking around her room.

The victim was found the next day lying on her bed with Phenazepam pills scattered around her in an apparent attempt by Nasyrova to make the incident appear to be a suicide attempt. The cheesecake was tested by the DEA and found to contain Phenazepam.

After returning from the hospital, the woman found that her passport, employment authorization card, a ring and other valuables had been stolen. Q

— Michael Gannon

The stray-bullet slaying of Gudelia Vallinas was front-page news and sparked rallies and a deep criminal investigation.

Wealth Opportunity Realized Through Homeownership (WORTH) Initiative

HOUSING EXPO

South East Queens Housing Workshop

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Learn About:

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Many more resources available

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Wednesday, February 22, 2023 4:00 - 7:00 PM

RSVP at nhsnyc.org/news-events/calendar/

Faculty Dining Room (AC2D01)

York College

94-20 Guy R Brewer Blvd

Jamaica, NY 11451

Directions: Subway F to Parsons Blvd, Subway E, J, Z to Sutphin Blvd, Bus Q111, Q24, Q41, QBx44-SBS, Q54, Q56 to Sutphin Blvd/Archer Avenue

Mortgage Lenders

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Home Insurance Agents

Attorneys and more

Lenders will give pre-approvals on-site!

Bring copies of:

Tax Returns & W2s (last 2 years)

4 most recent paystubs

3 months previous bank statements

For more information visit www.nyc-worth.org or email worth@lisc.org

The South East Queens Housing Workshop is Co-sponsored by: Congressman Gregory Meeks · Senator Leroy Comrie · Senator James Sanders

Assemblywoman Vivian Cook · Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman · Assemblyman Khaleel Anderson

Assemblyman Clyde Vanel · Speaker Adrienne Adams · Majority Whip Selvena Brooks-Powers Council Member Nantasha Williams · Council Member Linda Lee

Migrant crisis, enrollment drops felt but hope for support from NYS Charters chug on in changing times

by Deirdre Bardolf Editor

Mitchell Flax, founder and head of Valence College Preparatory Charter School in Rego Park, gets to shake the hands of every fifthand sixth-grader entering each morning.

That is the beauty of a school with around 440 students in fifth through eighth grade.

The tuition-free, public charter middle school sets kids on a track to graduate from college early on. It is small but academically vigorous, said Flax, and an alternative to the large city public schools in the area, which parents, mainly in the Elmhurst and Corona neighborhoods, welcome.

While waitlists amass for sixth, seventh and eighth grades, fifth grade can be hard to fill because parents must take their kids out of their final year of traditional public schools. But it is necessary for Valance to fulfill its promise to families that students will be brought up to grade level by seventh grade.

Students break out into small groups every day to receive reading and math intervention and each family is assigned a personal advisor to meet with weekly.

Scholars there score 85 percent above their national peers in math and 70 percent in reading on the Measure of Academic Progress test.

Now in its fourth year of existence, Flax said Valance is excited to see the schools its

first cohort of eighth graders go onto. Specialized city high schools are of interest and students receive SHSAT prep.

There is room to grow, though, and a demand for elementary schools in the area, said Flax.

“Families should have really good choices,” he said. And new charter seats could alleviate

overcrowding in District 24, historically one of the most overcrowded in the city. But the funds must be there to do that and maintain quality programming. A proposed increase in per pupil funding for charters from Gov. Hochul might just cover the needs driven by inflation. Recruiting and retaining talent, Flax said, is a top priority.

“We have a small shop and a motivated board but we are stretching the same public dollars as other schools,” he said.

But it is worth it because the staff sees real progress in the scholars. “The work is hard but it is meaningful,” said Flax.

There is no shortage of meaningful work to be done at Our World Neighborhood Charter Schools, either, which has an elementary and middle school in Astoria, an elementary in Howard Beach, and an elementary currently in Elmhurst until a third permanent space in Corona opens this fall.

That location, which serves kindergarten and first grade now and will grow to K-5, has taken in students from migrant families coming from Texas, said Mark Crusante, director of external relations for OWN.

“We do what we can to give them the support that they need, whether it’s directing them to food banks, giving them where to go to get city services,” Crusante said.

Administrators will help parents with English language learning services and even figuring out how to obtain an ID.

“It’s all hands on deck at OWN 3,” he said.

Crusante said the network is “happy where we are” with no intentions yet for a fourth or fifth location but that for the bigger picture of the charter school movement, lifting the

continued on page 20

learners.

Charter schools, like Valence College Prep, are sought after for their rigorous and diverse curriculums, but government support is needed to keep them successful.

PHOTO BY SHAMRIN HASAN

Our Founding

When we set out to found Valence in 2017, we met hundreds of families who were looking for a small, academically strong charter middle school in Queens and were commuting hours to fi nd one. In turn, we spent two years in study of over fi fty of the strongest charter schools in the country to design Valence for our Queens community.

We started this journey on September 5th, 2019 with 120 founding fi fth-graders because all scholars deserve a rigorous middle school education. We are a tuition free, public charter school serving grades 5-8 in Central Queens.

Valence College Prep equips all scholars with the academic skills, professional habits, and strength of character to graduate from college and lead lives of opportunity.

The Present

Did you know that only 23% of students graduate from high school college-ready in East Elmhurst and Corona? (Coalition for Educational Justice). That is why we promised our families: We will teach your child to be excellent readers and writers.

Valence scholars grew 70% more than their nationwide peers in reading and 85% more than their nationwide peers in math in the 2021 - 2022 school year!

Our scholars are challenged through enriching activities, such as STEM, Capoeira, and the arts! Small group instruction is provided to every student and support is provided for English language learners and scholars with IEPs.

The Future

In June, our founding class will go to high school, to college, and on to lead lives of opportunity. They will be equipped with the academic skills, professional habits, and strength of character to do so. This is why our work is important.

Our team will work with scholars on alumni relations and ensure the fulfi llment of our mission. Once a Valence scholar, always a Valence scholar.

To learn more about our school and the work we do, please visit www.valencecollegeprep.org, visit us on social media (@valencecollegeprep), or call us at 929-571-7115!

Valence College Prep equips all scholars with the academic skills, professional habits, and strength of character to graduate rom college and lead lives of opportunity.

Senate votes down LaSalle nomination

Dems make history as suit forces hand; guv goes back to square

by Sophie Krichevsky Associate Editor

After a rush to bring the matter to the floor, the state Senate voted 39-20 against Gov. Hochul’s nomination of Justice Hector LaSalle for chief justice of the state Court of Appeals Wednesday afternoon.

With Wednesday marking the first time in state history the Senate has rejected a governor’s pick for the position, some have raised questions about the future of such nominations. As St. John’s University political science professor and analyst Brian Browne put it: “Is LaSalle the new Bork?”

Hochul stood by her nominee in a statement after the vote. “As I have said from the very beginning, the Constitution requires a full Senate vote on a Governor’s nomination for Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals,” she said. “While long overdue, the Senate has finally acquiesced to a vote on the floor on the nomination of Justice Hector LaSalle.

“This vote is an important victory for the Constitution. But it was not a vote on the merits of Justice LaSalle, who is an overwhelmingly qualified and talented jurist.”

LaSalle’s nomination was controversial as some critics viewed him as too conservative, and cast doubts on his position on abortion as well as his past decisions in labor cases. Meanwhile, Democrats have also expressed a need for a more diverse state bench; LaSalle, who is Puerto Rican, would have been the Court of Appeals’ first Latino chief justice. The Judiciary Committee voted on Jan. 18 not to send the nomination to the full Senate for its approval by a 10-9 vote.

Wednesday’s vote, which was not planned, comes days after state Sen. Anthony Palumbo (R-Suffolk), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, last Thursday filed a legal complaint against the state Senate, Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers) and the Democratic members of the committee for the panel’s failure to advance the nomination for a vote in the full Senate. Among those committee members included in the complaint were Queens state Sens. John Liu (D-Flushing), Toby Stavisky (D-Flushing) and Jessica Ramos (D-East Elmhurst).

Much like the governor, Palumbo and his lawyer, former Suffolk District Attorney James Catterson, interpret the state Constitution — which says that the “Governor shall appoint, with the advice and consent of the Senate,” a nominee — to mean that the full Senate must weigh in. The governor was reportedly considering a lawsuit against the Senate on that basis, and received wide criticism from Senate Democrats for that.

Browne said the fact that Republicans moved forward with legal action after Hochul threatened to do so was “strange.”

“We’re certainly navigating uncharted waters here,” he said. “Senate Republicans

one

LaSalle on Wednesday, with the exception of Sen. James Sanders Jr. (D-Far Rockaway), who was absent.

But the vote against LaSalle does not mean the lawsuit is moot; Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt (R-Niagara) has reportedly said the case will move ahead anyway.

While LaSalle’s bid for the Court of Appeals has come to a close, questions remain both for Hochul and the Senate as the nomination process heads back to the drawing board

Browne said Hochul’s next steps will be key. “How soon does she move on from this?” he said. “Or does it fester?”

Nor is it clear what she will look for in a new nominee. “Does she stick with, ‘I want to make history with a Latino’ and now it’s going to be a progressive, more progressive Latino?” Browne said. “If she doesn’t go that route, does she say, ‘We missed our opportunity’?”

are kind of — I don’t want to say ‘carrying the water,’ but at least helping to carry the water.”

Stewart-Cousins moved to hold a vote before proceedings were set to begin Friday.

“Despite being in accordance with our State laws, the outcome of that Judiciary hearing has not been accepted by all members of government,” Stewart-Cousins said in a statement before the vote. “The recent court case brought by Republican Senators proves that prolonging the LaSalle nomination — which never had the requisite votes to pass — is merely a wedge issue to distract us from other pressing matters at hand.

“We have a state to run. The 2023-2024 $227 billion dollar budget is due in six weeks. Our highest court has no appointed Chief Judge, and we need the court system to function. This court case, if allowed to continue, would’ve dragged on for months and stymied our judicial system. It’s time to put this matter to rest.”

Liu said as much during Wednesday’s floor debate. “I haven’t heard much from my constituents about this nomination for the last month, month and a half. There was some feedback right after the nomination, but nothing thereafter,” he said. “What people are contacting me about are schools, healthcare, people need jobs. They need housing. And yes, a lot of other things, also.”

Referring to Sen. Mike Gianaris (D-Astoria), he continued, “So when Deputy Majority Leader Gianaris says, ‘We need to get past this, and do the people’s work,’ that’s exactly what we’re doing here today.”

That sentiment was shared by a number of Democrats on Wednesday. Republicans, however, maintained that the vote was long overdue, even as Democrats’ views on LaSalle and their reasons for voting against

him varied.

But state Sen. Neil Breslin (D-Albany), the chamber’s longest-serving member, kept it simple. “My opinion wasn’t ‘Ah, he’s a bad guy, or he’s a bad judge,’” he said on the floor Wednesday. “I just said we can do better.”

The entire Queens delegation voted against

Charter schools

continued from page 18

regional cap in New York City, also a proposal in Gov. Hochul’s budget, would make sense.

“You have up and coming leaders building excellent schools, school leaders who want to build a charter school from the ground up, make it a community-grown organization and they don’t have that ability because there’s a cap in New York City,” said Crusante.

OWN could use other government support, though. Its first location, opened in 2002 and grandfathered in before the charter law changed in 2014, receives no rental assistance as ones that came after do.

Rent is going up for those older charters and Crusante said there will be a point when some are priced out.

“It’s not like I’m going to take that money and go to Resorts World,” he said. “I’m going to utilize it to make sure that the kids have a roof over their head and get a worldclass facility with a working library, computer labs, smart boards and everything.”

At the Rochdale Early Advantage Charter School, which was founded in 2010 and serves K-8, space is also an issue. The school has a unique situation in that it is located in and sponsored by the New Jerusalem Worship Center.

The school’s leader, Sylvia FaircloughLeslie, said that partnership is appreciated as the church has helped the nondenomina-

The fact that a vote was held after the threat of a lawsuit in itself could set a precedent, Browne said, but even more, it’s not clear what the Senate’s actions mean for future nominations.

“Ultimately, what happened to Hector LaSalle was really unprecedented,” he said. “And I just wonder, is it a one-off? Was it the perfect storm of political events coming together? Or is it the new normal?” Q

tional charter grow. It has used every room the church could offer, Fairclough-Leslie said, expanded and is in the process of building another extension, hoping to eventually bring the pre-K students, who are at a different location, there.

REACS also offers longer school days, a rigorous curriculum, diverse extracurriculars like chess and karate, and even Mandarin starting in kindergarten.

But waitlists topped 600 last year, said Fairclough-Leslie, and the community frequently asks if REACS will create a high school next. With a low student-to-teacher ratio and a focus on social and emotional learning, she said the focus remains on bringing their whole school community together, retaining instructors and bringing back prepandemic success.

There are other state programs unavailable to charters, like the Empire State AfterSchool Program, that would help them.

It comes down to a commitment from the governor and mayor to expand the education movement here and Crusante still questions if that support will come from them.

Changing leadership within the SUNY Charter Schools Institute and its collaboration with the state Board of Regents, two of three charter authorizers in the state, along with the city Department of Education, will be crucial as well.

“What we really want to do is help our kids, give them the best that we can, but also be involved and have those partnerships and dialogue with everybody that’s a stakeholder,” said Crusante. Q

The state Senate on Wednesday voted against Justice Hector LaSalle, above, Gov. Hochul’s pick to head the highest court in New York State. NYS SENATE SCREENSHOT

“Is LaSalle the new Bork?”

— Brian Browne, political science professor and analyst, St. John’s University

Black History 2023 throughout Queens

Music, theater, science and more explored in World’s Boro

by Naeisha Rose Associate Editor

Black History is all around Queens and there will be events celebrating the culture, significant figures and their work throughout the borough for the rest of this month.

The Black Spectrum Theatre in St. Albans has a revival of its Science, Technology, Engineering and Math-oriented play “Dr. Mae Jemison: The First African-American Female Astronaut,” according to Carl Clay, the president and founder of the theater company.

“This is part of our repertoire,” Clay told the Queens Chronicle. “We brought it back because of its relevancy and everyone being aware of STEM and STEAM, because of technology and math being very important.”

Jemison was chosen as a subject matter for a play because she embodied triumph over struggle, according to Clay.

“She didn’t have a straight path and didn’t always do well in all her subjects in school,” Clay said. “She at one point gave up the idea of being an astronaut and found different ways of developing herself.”

Jemison worked as a doctor for the Peace Corps in Africa in 1983, served on the board of directors of the World Sickle Cell Foundation from 1990 to 1992 and would later join the Space Shuttle crew of the Endeavor, which orbited the Earth from Sept. 12 to 20 in 1992, as a NASA astronaut.

“You can struggle through things and still get to where you want to go,” Clay said about Jemison, who was a mission specialist on the Endeavor team.

Clay added that Black history should not be the theme of just one month, it should be studied all year round. The histories of all people should be studied, he said, not just that of one ethnic group or European history, to give an accurate account of the past.

“There is a Mae Jemison in the Native American community, there is a Mae Jemison in the Latino com-

munity — but most of all as Americans we have to look at all of history if we are going to continue to develop as a country,” he said.

The showtimes for the play are Feb. 16 and 17 at 10:30 a.m. and Feb. 18 at 2 and 7 p.m. Tickets are for $15 and one teacher gets to go to the play for free for every 20 students who are from the fifth to ninth grades. The doors open one hour before the performance. For details on how to get tickets visit blackspectrum.net or call (718) 723-1800.

Black Spectrum is located at the intersection of 177th Street and Baisley Boulevard within Roy Wilkins Park.

“Black Resistance” is the theme for Queens Public Library’s offerings for Black History Month.

At the Rochdale Village Library, middle school students (grades 4 to 8) will have the opportunity to use mixed-media materials and draw inspiration from Afrocentric films, music and images to create their own Afrofuturistic face collage on Feb. 18 at 3:30 p.m. The library is located at 169-09 137 Ave.

At the Queens Public Library Tech Lab at Queensbridge in Long Island City, a teen-centered program will be conducted Feb. 18 and 25 at 3 p.m. It will focus on Lewis Latimer and other AfricanAmerican inventors who have contributed to the STEM field. The Queensbridge branch is located at 10-43 41 Ave.

The Langston Hughes Library in Corona will host “Libraries and Liberation Open Mic,” on Feb. 25 at 12 p.m. The open mic event will explore the history of the library, as well as that of mobile libraries that were founded by Black people and organizations such as J-Expressions, Reading 4 Black Lives and

Lena’s Library.

The library sits at 100-01 Northern Blvd.

“The Meeting,” a one-act play depicting a fictional meeting in Harlem between Malcolm X and The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., will be performed at the Hunters Point Library on Feb. 25 at 1:30 p.m. This library is at 47-40 Center Blvd.

“The Role of Buttons in the Social Justice Movement,” a program hosted at Glen Oaks on Feb. 28 at 4 p.m., will highlight the roles of badges, buttons and pins during the civil rights movement. Guests will also get to create their own buttons. The Glen Oaks Library is at 256-04 Union Tpke.

To learn more about the events and additional information on Black History Month booklists, film screenings and resources visit connect.queenslibrary.org/3287.

Musica Reginae Productions, which provides fine music in Queens, will have its “Sedalia to Harlem — A Celebration of Black History” program at the Church-inthe-Gardens in Forest Hills on Feb. 25 from 7:30 to 9 p.m. The venue is at 50 Ascan Ave.

MRP Executive and Artistic Direct Barbara Podgurski will play the piano and will be accompanied by singers Geraldine McMillian (soprano), Jay Aubrey Jones (baritone), and Byron Singleton (tenor). David Close, the founder of MRP, will also play the piano and host the festivities, which will include performances of 21 jazz, opera and African-American spiritual songs that trace the tradition of Black music, art and culture in America.

“Sedalia is where Scott Joplin lived in Missouri, where he was starting out as a music teacher and a composer,” Podgurski told the Chronicle. “It is the birthplace where he wrote his ragtime music.”

Joplin’s music was heard at the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1893 Podgurski noted.

“People went crazy over the new genre,” she said.

James P. Johnson developed the genre of stride piano, a jazz piano style, in Harlem, the artistic director added.

“The program is featuring music of different genres that is important to Black culture, which is mostly vocal ... and we will have little anecdotes about the pieces we are about to do here.”

Podgurski hopes that guests will enjoy the personalized and interactive experience.

“We want them to feel a part of the show and learn about the culture,” she added.

Tickets for adults are $20. Student tickets are $10 and kids under 12 get in free. People can purchase tickets in advance at eventbrite.com or at musicareginae.org. Cash and credit cards will be accepted at the door. For more details call (718) 894-2178.

Starting at the Daniel Carter Beard Mall at the intersection of Northern Boulevard and Linden

Place, the Parks Department will host the Flushing Freedom Mile Walking Tour on Feb. 25 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. .

Ranger Sgt. Matt O’Keeffe will lead the tour, which will showcase 13 historical sites, including the John Bowne House, the Lewis Latimer House and Flushing High School, and their connection to the Underground Railroad or freedom in general. The tour will also include information on activists who fought for universal human liberties.

“John Bowne, his wife, Hannah Feake Bowne, Frederick Douglass and Lewis Latimer are some of the notable activists we will discuss,” O’Keeffe told the Chronicle. “One of the most significant buildings was the John Bowne House; it was one of the first places of worship for the Flushing Quakers.”

Inventor Lewis Latimer, the selfeducated son of former slaves, will be another figure mentioned on the tour, said the sergeant.

“He started working at a patent law office and taught himself mechanical drawings,” O’Keeffe said. “He co-patented a toilet system called a water system for railroad cars and later he began working for Alexander Graham Bell.”

Latimer drafted the drawings and helped obtain the patent for Bell’s telephone designs, and he invented a carbon filament that made light bulbs more affordable, O’Keeffe added.

“Flushing High School was the first free public secondary school in New York City, it received its charter in 1875,” he said. “People should come out to the event because it is free ... we talk about the importance of Flushing, the importance of freedom, freedom from slavery, freedom of religion, free education and it’s a significant story.”

The Kofago Dance Ensemble will perform in Jamaica Feb. 25.

PHOTO COURTESY JCAL

Singers Byron Singleton, left, Geraldine McMillian and Jay Aubrey Jones will be accompanied by pianists David Close and Barbara Podgurski for a Black History Month presentation in Forest Hills. PHOTOS COURTESY MUSICA REGINAE continued on next page

Celebrate Black History Month

continued from previous page

To learn more visit nycgovparks.org.

The Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning is hosting a special Black History Month presentation by the Kofago Dance Ensemble on Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. at 153-10 Jamaica Ave. Tickets will be $10.

The Kofago Dance Ensemble, which was founded by Kevin McEwen, was initially a dance project to highlight police brutality in 2015.

Three years later McEwen became a codirector for a Labor Day performance that required 150 dancers, but once the holiday came and went, he didn’t want to see the young performers’ talents go by the wayside.

After a few of the dancers performed at his father’s repast, McEwen decided to form the Kofago Dance Ensemble.

“The other reason I created this was because there were several dancers who said they hadn’t dance in a while,” McEwen told the Chronicle.

One particular dancer hadn’t danced for four years because she was sexually assaulted by a dance partner and didn’t feel she had a safe place to pursue the art, McEwen added.

“Several other women dancers then told their story,” McEwen added. “This was during the #MeToo Movement ... that is where Kofago 2.0 came about.”

Oct. 15 will be the fifth anniversary of

the ensemble, which produces West African, Caribbean and modern African-American dance numbers.

“Our first dance number was at the Making Moves Dance Festival at JCAL,” McEwen added. “The message is to use dance as a healing modality. For people of color there are a lot of things that are thrown at us on a daily basis ... The dance space is our church.”

Selected to choreograph the event was Crystal Craigen.

“A lot of work goes into studying the culture and preserving it, so getting to highlight it feels good,” said Craigen. “My personal moving preference is traditional West African dance and music, but I enjoy it all. They are all different ways to highlight dance and the diaspora.” Q

Civic honors Queens’ own

The Our Neighbors Civic Association of Ozone Park last week celebrated Black History Month at its monthly meeting, honoring Black leaders from the city and state.

Mayor Adams, Rep. Gregory Meeks, Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, state Sen. James Sanders Jr., City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards were honored Tuesday at the Ozone Park American Legion.

The mayor’s Community Affairs Unit

IS COMBINING GREAT CARE WITH CONVENIENCE.

posted that it was “happy to attend” and accept the honor of behalf of Adams.

Above, civic President Joe Caruana, left, Vice President Robert Joseph Mestrandrea Jr. and transportation director Carl Perrera present Lisa George, second from left, from Sanders’ office with his award. Representatives of Meeks, Speaker Adams and Richards also attended.

The civic meets every first Tuesday of the month. — Deirdre Bardolf

Dr. Mae Jemison FILE PHOTO

V’ball Battle of the Badges

The second annual FDNY vs. NYPD men’s volleyball match pitted New York’s Bravest vs. New York’s Finest in a fundraiser at Maspeth High School to benefit the families of the city’s heroes who have died in the line of duty.

For the second time, the NYPD won the bestof-five match in four games by scores of 25-23,

Tax help at Ariola’s office

The March 15 deadline to apply for property tax exemptions is fast approaching and free assistance is available.

Consultations are available Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Ozone Park office of Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park) for residents of District 32, and over a dozen property owners have been helped so far. Constituent liaison and tax specialist Alex Leguisamo, who is fluent in English and Spanish, is available for the appointments. Call (718) 738-1083 to schedule one.

“There are a lot of people in our district that may qualify for property tax exemptions, but just don’t know about them,” said Ariola. “With the economy the way it is, it’s important to save every dollar we can — especially for many of our seniors and others who might be on a fixed income ... If our residents can save some money, we can make a real improvement in their quality of life.”

The office determines eligibility and provides the paperwork and information needed to file. More information on the exemptions can be found at bit. ly/3S3Ny1R.

— Deirdre Bardolf

25-17, 19-25 and 25-19.

The Feb. 11 match and the pregame ceremonies were dedicated to the memories of NYPD Dets. Wilbert Mora and Jason Rivera, Firefighters Jesse Gerhard, Timothy Klein and William Moon, and EMS Lt. Alison Russo-Elling, all of whom were killed in 2022. — Michael Gannon

Dismissed Board 5 member strikes back

by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor

One month after being dismissed from Community Board 5 for an alleged racial slur, Richard Huber returned as a private citizen.

Borough President Donovan Richards dismissed the longtime board member following the Jan. 11 meeting after complaints that Huber used the term “Wu flu” to describe Covid-19, a reference to its origins in China’s Wuhan Province.

At the Feb. 8 meeting last week he criticized Richards, and also CB 5 first Vice Chairman Walter Sanchez and District Manager Gary Giordano.

Sanchez, who was filling in for CB 5 Chairman Vincent Arcuri, also is the publisher of the Queens Ledger. Huber accused Sanchez of attacking him in the paper. Giordano last month was quoted in the Ledger and the Chronicle as saying that in his opinion, there was cause for Richards to remove Huber.

Speaking during the public comment section of the Feb. 8 meeting, Huber said he was removed by Richards “without notice, due process or consideration for

Property tax workshop 2/28

years of service.” He accused Sanchez of besmirching his character, and of having a conflict of interest by both heading up the board meetings and operating a paper that reports on them.

“When I tell people I was removed from Board 5, they ask what horrible transgression did I commit. I say ‘I used the W-word ... If I time it correctly the coffee comes shooting out their nose.”

“Zika virus comes from the Zika Forest in Africa,” he continued. “Ebola is from the Ebola River in the African Congo.” Huber added Hantavirus, West Nile virus, Spanish flu, German measles and Lyme disease. “Wu is not a race. It is a place where a severe, acute respiratory disease comes from ... This was a shot across the bow, a warning to all members of the board to fall into line, stick with the narrative, vote correctly, shut up and march in perfect lock-step, or else.”

Sanchez and Giordano declined to comment at the meeting and when called by the Chronicle. Richards declined to comment in an email. Sanchez did point out that the public comment session by tradition “is not for personal attacks.” Q

Councilman Bob Holden (D-Maspeth) is hosting an opportunity for his constituents to review and possibly reduce their property taxes in an outreach event at his district office in Maspeth from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 28.

Staff from the city Department of Finance will be on hand to help residents review and challenge their assessments; determine if people qualify for any exemptions; and answer questions people might have about property taxes and their assessments.

“Take advantage of this opportunity to learn how to save on your property taxes,” Holden said in a press release from his office on Monday.

“See you there!”

The councilman’s district office is located at 58-38 69 St. Anyone with questions about accessibility for the event is asked to contact the office at (718) 366-3900, or by email atdistrict30@council.gov.

Anyone in need of other accommodations in order to attend is asked to reach out to the district office at least three days in advance of the workshop. Q

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL SHAIN

Keyspan Gas East Corporation d/b/a National Grid

PURPOSE: THE FILING OF NEW TARIFF AMMENDMENTS TO P.S.C. NO. 1 GAS TO COMPLY WITH THE COMMISSION’S ORDERS DATED JANUARY 19, 2023, IN P.S.C. CASES 14-M-0565 AND 20-M-0266.

TEXT: Notice is hereby given that Keyspan Gas East Corporation d/b/a National Grid has fi led new tariff amendments with the Public Service Commission to comply with the Commission’s Orders dated January 19, 2023, to become effective February 1, 2023.

Keyspan Gas East Corporation d/b/a National Grid (“KEDLI”) fi led tariff revisions in response to a New York State Public Service Commission (“PSC”) Order Authorizing Phase 2 Arrears Reduction Program. Phase 2 of the Arrears Reduction Program provides automatic relief through direct bill credits to residential non-Energy Affordability Program (“EAP”) and small-commercial customers who have eligible arrears and who did not receive relief under the Phase 1 program, by issuing a one-time bill credit to reduce or eliminate accrued arrears through May 1, 2022. The PSC Order also establishes the Arrears Management Program (“AMP”) Phase 2 Surcharge to recover costs of these bill credits effective February 1, 2023.

Notice is hereby given that starting on February 1, 2023, the AMP Phase 2 Surcharge will commence on customer bills and will be included in the Delivery Revenue Adjustment line. The AMP surcharge is located on the KEDLI website. For Residential customers: https://www.nationalgridus.com/ Long-Island-NY-Home/Bills-Meters-and-Rates/?regionkey =nylongisland&customertype=home and Business customers https://www.nationalgridus.com/Long-Island-NY-Business/Bills-Meters-and-Rates/?regionkey=nylongisland& customertype=business.

The Brooklyn Union Gas Company d/b/a National Grid NY

PURPOSE: THE FILING OF NEW TARIFF AMMENDMENTS TO P.S.C. NO. 12 GAS TO COMPLY WITH THE COMMISSION’S ORDERS DATED JANUARY 19, 2023, IN P.S.C. CASES 14-M-0565 AND 20-M-0266.

TEXT: Notice is hereby given that The Brooklyn Union Gas Company d/b/a National Grid NY has fi led new tariff amendments with the Public Service Commission to comply with the Commission’s Orders dated January 19, 2023, to become effective February 1, 2023.

The Brooklyn Union Gas Company d/b/a National Grid NY (“KEDNY”) fi led tariff revisions in response to a New York State Public Service Commission (“PSC”) Order Authorizing Phase 2 Arrears Reduction Program. Phase 2 of the Arrears Reduction Program provides automatic relief through direct bill credits to all residential non-Energy Affordability Program (“EAP”) and small-commercial customers who have eligible arrears and who did not receive relief under the Phase 1 program, by issuing a one-time bill credit to reduce or eliminate accrued arrears through May 1, 2022. The PSC Order also establishes the Arrears Management Program (“AMP”) Phase 2 Surcharge to recover costs of these bill credits effective February 1, 2023.

Notice is hereby given that starting on February 1, 2023, the AMP Phase 2 Surcharge will commence on customer bills and will be included in the Delivery Revenue Adjustment line. The AMP surcharge is located on the KEDNY website. For Residential customers: https://www.nationalgridus. com/NY-Home/Bills-Meters-and-Rates/Gas-Rate-Statements and Business customers https://www.nationalgridus. com/Long-Island-NY-Business/Bills-Meters-and-Rates/ Gas-Rate-Statements?regionkey=nylongisland&customerty pe=business.

Copies of the proposed revisions are available for public inspection and can be obtained on the Company’s website at https://www.nationalgridus.com.

Copies of the proposed revisions are available for public inspection and can be obtained on the Company’s website at https://www.nationalgridus.com.

Creedmoor forum in Queens Village

Martin Van Buren HS will host tonight

by Naeisha Rose Associate Editor

Empire State Development, the state’s economic growth agency, will host a workshop at Martin Van Buren High School in Queens Village about the transformation of approximately 50 acres of land with 12 semiconnected buildings at the south campus of Creedmoor Psychiatric Center today, Thursday, at 7 p.m.

Two weeks earlier approximately 90 people from Queens Village — the location of Creedmoor — Hollis Hills, Glen Oaks, Floral Park, Bellerose Manor and Bellerose shared their vision for the proposed redevelopment site at a forum held by ESD at PS/IS 208 in Bellerose.

Throughout that meeting, residents expressed that they wanted an intergenerational community center, a multisport complex, a veterans’ hospital, an ADA senior space and affordable houses.

The citizens of Eastern Queens were opposed to the site becoming a space for a big box store or apartment buildings over four stories, which would require the need for an additional school to accommodate any potential new families moving to the area.

Many of the buildings that were subject to the visioning meeting are vacant and were decommissioned many years ago, Mijatovic told the Queens Chronicle.

“As part of the [Office of Mental Health’s] capital planning efforts, OMH regularly reassess older buildings that are unused, or underutilized, and consolidate programs where appropriate,” Mijatovic said. “When this occurs, OMH sometimes decommissions vacant buildings to avoid unnecessary operational costs and reimagines additional uses for the property.

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The workshop scheduled this evening at the high school at 230-17 Hillside Ave. will recap the information provided by those who attended the vision meeting and provide feedback to any questions that were brought up, according to Emily Mijatovic, an ESD spokeswoman.

“The presentation will include new content with a focus on new questions,” Mijatovic explained over email. “The upcoming workshops will include discussions on: preservation of existing buildings, recreation and open space, uses and density, and mobility and access.”

“This helps reduce the state’s fixed cost base while at the same time stimulating economic development [and] job growth and helps generate local property taxes.”

At its height, when Creedmoor’s inpatient population was larger, the decommissioned buildings on the south campus provided inpatient residential services, staff housing, storage, maintenance and garage functions, Mijatovic added. Because the buildings were decommissioned there will be no negative impact on the OMH and Office for People With Developmental Disabilities-licensed and certified programs.

“Like the surrounding community, these programs stand to benefit significantly from the revitalization effort,” she said. Q

OPEN HOUSES:

January 28th & February 11th (10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.)

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“Big Enough to Challenge-Small Enough to Care”

A workshop will be held in Queens Village at 7 p.m. Feb. 16 about the Creedmoor redevelopment site. PHOTO BY MIKE SHAIN

by Mark Lord

Agatha Christie’s world-famous play, “The Mousetrap,” opened in London in 1952 and continues to draw audiences more than 70 years later, pausing only during the height of the Coronavirus pandemic.

It has racked up over 28,000 performances (more than double the number reached by Broadway’s “Phantom”), earning the distinction of being the longest-running play in theatrical history.

Strangely enough, the murder mystery has never found its way to Broadway, though that is scheduled to change sometime this year, with an opening night date yet to be announced.

In the meantime, interested audiences should make their way to Maggie’s Little Theater in Middle Village, where three performances in a five-show run remain.

For those yet to have experienced the play’s many delights (it has made its way to the borough over the years, though not recently), it takes place in a single room at a guesthouse in Berkshire, an historic county in England.

flickering flame from a fireplace offers what little light there is. An unseen radio announcer informs us that a murder has been committed.

The wheels are set in motion.

We meet Mollie and Giles Ralston, a young married couple who run the recently converted manor. It’s opening day, in fact, and the Ralstons have very little experience in this business.

A scream is heard in the dark, followed by raucous chatter. Music begins to play (you will likely never think of the nursery rhyme “Three Blind Mice” in quite the same way again). A

The guests begin to arrive: a hyperactive young man with an unruly head of hair who, like several of the others, seems to be running away from something; a highly critical older woman named Mrs. Boyle, who is pleased by nothing; Major Metcalf, about whom very little is known; Miss Casewell, a rather masculine if petite woman with a horrific childhood in her past; and one unexpected visitor, a Mr. Paravicini, a man with an unknown place of origin, an equally

continued on page 29

Christie’s classic ‘Mousetrap’ means murder in MidVille

King Crossword Puzzle

I HAVE OFTEN WALKED

Kitty Genovese’s killer brought evil to South Ozone

by Ron Marzlock Chronicle Contributor

Alphonso and Bessie Moseley’s only child, Winston, was born on March 2, 1935. He grew up in Harlem on West 145th Street.

In 1961, he married Elizabeth Grant, a registered nurse and they had three children. They bought a 22-by-91-foot house with a corner lot at 133-19 Sutter Ave. in South Ozone Park.

But Moseley was no good. On March 13, 1964 he was driving around in his Chevy Corvair looking to rob or hurt someone. He saw a barmaid closing a tavern in Hollis and decided to follow her home to Kew Gardens. He stabbed the woman, Kitty Genovese, and robbed her of $49 dollars. A neighbor heard the noise and scared him off.

But he returned, raping her and continuing to stab her to death. Weeks later he was picked up on an unrelated crime and the police noticed his car was exactly the same as the one seen at the scene of the murder. He confessed to the crime along with two

other unsolved murders plus various robberies. He assumed he would be determined criminally insane. He was convicted of firstdegree murder instead. He never showed remorse and was repeatedly denied parole. He died in Clinton Correctional Facility upstate on March 28, 2016. Serving 52 years in prison made him one of the longest-serving inmates in the state penal system. Q

The home of Winston Moseley at 133-19 Sutter Ave. in South Ozone Park, as it looked in the 1950s, before he bought it in 1961.

Con Brio Ensemble back at Church-in-the-Gardens

by Michael Gannon senior news editor

Now in its 42nd season, the Con Brio Ensemble of Forest Hills still is doing what it set out to do from the beginning — bringing classical chamber music to a wider audience, while close to home.

Three members will be performing in a twilight concert at the Church-in-the-Gardens at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 26.

The featured performers will be Diana Mittler-Battipaglia, pianist and a founding member of the group back in 1978; Paul Roczek, a professor emeritus of violin at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria; and cellist Hamilton Berry, who also is a member of the Grammy-nominated group PUBLIQuartet.

The performance is scheduled for just over an hour and admission is free.

“Though if anyone would like to make a contribution, we will always accept it,” Mittler-Battipaglia told the Chronicle during a recent interview.

The Ensemble performs a series every year in Manhattan and Queens, and presently is in residence at Lehman CollegeCUNY in the Bronx.

The group’s website, conbrioensemble. org, lists 10 musicians and singers on the roster. Mittler-Battipaglia said the musical

selections for a given performance depend largely on the performers.

The pieces on the set list for Feb. 26 include Dvorak’s folkloric “Dumky Trio”; Mozart’s “Sonata in G Major K 379” for violin and piano; and Debussy’s avant garde “Sonata for Cello and Piano.”

Mittler-Battipaglia said Roczek suggested the Mozart opus.

“I wasn’t familiar with it, but it really is an excellent piece, almost in a revolutionary way,” she said.

Mittler-Battipaglia had played the Debussy sonata with Berry for a video last

year. She is impressed with the sound the French composer was able to coax out of the musicians’ instruments.

She said the Dvorak piece draws heavily on the Slavic folklore of his native land near Prague in what was then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and now is the Czech Republic.

“It’s a good contrast with the other pieces,” she said. “With Dvorak there always is a feeling of Slavic dance. It’s very appealing. It has changes of mood and contrast.”

While Mozart (1756-1791) lived in the 18th century, Dvorak (1841-1904) and

Debussy (1862-1918) were contemporaries who lived into the 20th century.

Most scholarship on the matter indicate that while they were aware of each other, they never met. And Dvorak has ties to New York City, where he taught at the National Conservatory of Music from 1892 to 1895.

Mittler-Battipaglia said he would be both a great influence on American music and greatly influenced by it.

“He was brought here by a rich American woman who felt that American composers needed to find something that really represented America,” Mittler-Battipaglia said. He went on to instruct those who would go on to teach the likes of Aaron Copeland, George Gershwin and Duke Ellington. She said Dvorak was captivated when he overheard one of his students, a Black baritone singer named Harry Burleigh, singing an African-American spiritual in a hallway and asked him about the songs.

“When [Dvorak] heard them, he said, ‘This is what is going to lead to distinctive American music.’”

The Church-in-the-Gardens is located at 50 Ascan Ave., three blocks south of Queens Boulevard. Mittler-Battipaglia said parking passes will be made available for those who arrive by automobile. Q

No blind mice in Maggie’s ‘Mousetrap’ audience

unidentifiable accent, a face full of makeup and, oh, yes, a sadistic streak.

As is often the case in plays of this sort, a heavy snowfall traps the denizens, who begin to bicker among themselves. We gradually learn that each has something to hide. More than one of them uses an alias.

“Perhaps nobody can be trusted,” Mollie says at one point. Smart cookie!

Time passes and, sure enough, another

Crossword Answers

murder takes place. This time, one of the residents is the victim. It seems clear that one of the others must be the murderer.

In charge of the investigation is the only other character who appears in the play, a man who arrives — on skis — rather late in the proceedings and introduces himself as Sergeant Trotter. Suspicions and accusations begin to run amuck.

Of course, the mystery gets solved and the elaborate plot wraps up neatly — in a little over two hours not counting intermission. Thanks to Christie’s script, the taut direction by Thom Harmon, with an assist from Jason Fischedick, and a game cast, the time is well spent.

Reviewed via a video recording of opening night, the production at Maggie’s features an ensemble cast of eight, each of whom has ample opportunity to make an impression. Kudos to (in alphabetical order) Bernard Bosio (who has a grand time as Paravicini), James Curran (one of several cast members making Maggie debuts), Ari Miller, Sarah Nowick, Karen Schlachter, Andrew Villa, Mark York and Camilla Zhang.

An occasional bit of overplaying and

some inconsistencies in accents do little to mar the overall effectiveness of the performers.

The impressive set design, featuring, in addition to that fireplace, French windows and a snow-filled backdrop, is the handiwork of Ed Voyer.

Remaining performances at St. Mar-

garet Parish Hall (66-11 79 Place in Middle Village) are on Feb. 17 and 18 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 19 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $20; or $18 for seniors 65 and over and children 11 and under. Masks are required for all attendees. For more information, call (347) 286-8508 or visit maggieslittletheater.org. Q

Diana Mittler-Battipaglia, left, Paul Roczek and Hamilton Berry of the Con Brio Ensemble will perform at the Church-in-the Gardens on Feb. 26. COURTESY PHOTOS / FILE

Performing in “The Mousetrap” are James Curran, left, Karen Schlachter, Bernard Bosio, Sarah Nowick, Andrew Villa, Camilla Zhang, Mark York and Ari Miller. On the cover: Bosio as Paravicini and Nowick as Mollie Ralston. PHOTOS BY THOM HARMON

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Exterminator nyc.gov/parks

NYC Parks seeks Exterminators to prevent, control and eliminate insects, vermin and other pests from buildings and surrounding areas. Inspect parks, playgrounds and park facilities for area of pest infestations. NYS Certified Commercial Pesticide Applicator (7A) & driver license required. Apply by: 2/24/23. Full description & requirements at: www.nyc.gov/careers/search: Job ID# 571631.

The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual’s sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.

CPR/AED INSTRUCTORS WANTED

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Administrative Openings Monticello Central School School Building Principal (2 positions) The Monticello CSD is seeking forward thinking and dynamic School Building Principals who can lead MCSD’s highly engaged faculty, staff, parents, students and community. The successful candidate will have vision of educational excellence, be highly motivated and demonstrate the ability to impact student learning. Starting salary: $125,000, commensurate with experience. NYS SDA/SDL/SBL Certifications Required. plus 2 yrs. of previous administrative leadership and 5 yrs. exp. as a classroom teacher preferred. Please apply to online by March 5th at https://monticelloschools.tedk12.com/hire EOE

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Parks Enforcement Patrol nyc.gov/parks

NYC Parks seeks outstanding candidates to ensure the safety & enjoyment of park users & the protection of Parks’ property. Qualifications: min 21 years of age, NYS driver license, US citizen & qualify for Special Patrolman status. $50,635/ year plus excellent benefits.

AUCTIONS

2,000 sq ft unit for auction at: 5900 Decatur St. Ridgewood, NY 11385. Unit contains furniture, sofas, a loveseat, etc. Auction will close on 2/23/23

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PLEASE CALL LORI, 1-929-361-0643 (Cell Phone). I PAY THE BEST, MOST HONEST PRICES FOR ESTATES, FURNITURE, CHANDELIERS, LAMPS, COSTUME JEWELRY, WATCHES (WORKING OR NOT WORKING), FURS, COINS, POCKETBOOKS, CHINA, VASES, GLASSWARE, STERLING SILVERWARE, FIGURINES, CANDLESTICKS, PAINTINGS, PRINTS, RUGS, PIANOS, GUITARS, VIOLINS, FLUTES, TAG SALES, CLEANOUTS, CARS

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AUCTION

800 sq ft unit for auction at: 5900 Decatur St. Ridgewood, NY 11385. 12-14 pallets of encased spring water. Auction will close on 2/23/23

Please visit StorageTreasures.com for more details.

Educational Services

COMPUTER & IT TRAINING PROGRAM! Train ONLINE to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk Professional now! Grants and Scholarships available for certain programs for qualified applicants. Call CTI for details! 844-947-0192 (M-F 8am-6pm ET). Computer with internet is required.

Financial Services

ARE YOU BEHIND $10K OR MORE ON YOUR TAXES? Stop wage & bank levies, liens & audits, unfiled tax returns, payroll issues, & resolve tax debt FAST. Call 888-869-5361 (Hours: MonFri 7am-5pm PST)

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Tax Services

Legal Notices

Multi-Service Available

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Miscellaneous

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Autos Wanted

Wheels For Wishes benefitting

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Classified Ad Special. Pay for 3 weeks and the 4th week is FREE! Call 718-205-8000

Classified Ad Deadline is 12 Noon on Tuesday for Thursday’s paper.

Legal Notices

1781 OCEAN LLC. Art of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 12/16/2022.Offi ce: QUEENS County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, LEGALCORP SOLUTIONS 1060 Broadway Suite 100 ALBANY, NY 12204 Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notifi cation hereby is given that Wells Fargo Bank, National Association, 101 N. Phillips Avenue, Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57104, has fi led an application on February 16, 2023 with the Comptroller of the Currency, as specifi ed in 12 C.F.R. 5.30 of the Comptroller’s regulations, for permission to establish a domestic branch to be known as Little Neck located at 24840 Northern Blvd, Little Neck, Queens County, NY 11362. Any person wishing to comment on this application may fi le comments in writing with the Director for Large Bank Licensing, Offi ce of the Comptroller of the Currency, Mail Stop 10E-2, 400 7th Street SW, Washington, DC 20219 within 30 days after the date of this publication. The public may fi nd information about the fi ling in the OCC’s Weekly Bulletin available at www.occ.gov. Additionally, the public portion of the fi led application is available upon request.

18-54 CORNELIA ST. LLC. Arts. of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 01/13/23. Offi ce: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 18-54 Cornelia Street, Ridgewood, NY 11385. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

4 SOUTH RESTORATION LLC. Arts. of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 01/26/23. Offi ce: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 27-47 McIntosh Street, 1st Floor, East Elmhurst, NY 11369. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

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Notice of Formation of 42-06 FLUSHING LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 10/06/2022. Offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: THE LLC, 150 GEORGE ST, BROOKLYN, NY 11237. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

46-04 VERNON BOULEVARD, LLC. Arts. of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 01/19/23. Offi ce: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 430 Maspeth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

6901 REGO LLC. Arts. of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 01/30/23. Offi ce: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 69-01 Woodhaven Boulevard, Rego Park, NY 11374. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of ACTIVE LINK LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 01/31/2023. Offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: ACTIVE LINK LLC, 6933 69TH RD, MIDDLE VILLAGE, NY 11379. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of AUTO KING RENTALS LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 01/21/2023.

Offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: AUTO KING RENTALS LLC, 24604 57TH DRIVE, LITTLE NECK, NY 11362. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of BOBBI SINCLAIR LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 09/30/2022. Offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: NORTHWEST REGISTERED AGENT LLC, 90 STATE STREET, SUITE 700, OFFICE 40, ALBANY, NY 12207. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Builtinc, LLC fi led w/ SSNY 12/9/22 Off. in Queens Co. SSNY desig. as agt. of LLC whom process may be served & shall mail process to Christian Cedillo, 4004 34th Ave, Apt. 401, LIC, NY 11101. The reg. agt. is Christian Cedillo at same address. Any lawful purpose.

CITI HOMES HOLDING LLC

Articles of Org. fi led NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 11/8/22. Offi ce in Queens Co. SSNY desig. agent of LLC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to PO Box 180608, Richmond Hill, NY 11418. Purpose: Any lawful purpose. Principal business loc: 61-43 186th St., Ste. 437, Fresh Meadows, NY 11365.

NOTICE OF FORMATION: DGK RIVERDALE LLC. Art. of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 01/26/2023, effective date 01/26/2023 Offi ce: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to Glenn Karmi, 26910 Grand Central Pkwy Apt 20K, Floral Park, NY 11005 Purpose: Any lawful purpose

Notice of Formation of Q I A HOME LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 01/07/2023. Offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: ALEJANDRO ANTONIO LOPEZ, 5120 90TH ST, APT 3FT, FLUSHING, NY 11373.

Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Real Estate

EQUAL HOUSING. Federal, New York State and local laws prohibit discrimination because of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, marital status, familial status or disability in connection with the sale or rental of residential real estate. Queens Chronicle does not knowingly accept advertising in violation of these laws. When you suspect housing discrimination call the Open Housing Center (the Fair Housing Agency for the five boroughs of New York) at 212-941-6101, or the New York City Commission of Human Rights Hotline at 718722-3131.

The Queens Chronicle reserves the right to alter wording in ads to conform with Federal Fair Housing regulations.

Apts.For Rent

Bushwick, 272 Knickerbocker Ave, #3L. 2 BR, 1 bath railroad apt, $2,300/mo. Eat-in kit, tile fls. Tenant pays heat, gas & electric. Avail NOW. Call Stellina Napolitano 646-372-7145. Capri

Jet Realty

Greenpoint, 738 Humbolt St, #2. 4 BR/2 bath apt—$4,900/mo. Fully renov, new & modern apt, kit w/SS appli & dishwasher, W/D, Central AC. Heat & water incl. Avail now. Call Agnes Siedlik, 917-288-0660. Capri Jet Realty

Howard Beach, 1 BR, utils incl, $1,500/mo. Call 718-848-6431. Leave message.

Maspeth, 61-22 55 St, #1. 3 BR, 2 bath, $3,100/mo. Avail NOW. Heat, gas & water incl. Full renov apt, dishwasher, microwave. Call Agata Landa, 914-255-7284. Capri

Jet Realty

Rooms For Rent

Howard Beach, 1 room for rent, share kitchen & bath, $600/mo. Call 718-738-7449

Having a garage sale? Let everyone know about it by advertising in the Queens Classifieds Call 718-205-8000 and place the ad!

Houses For Sale

Howard Beach/Rockwood Park, New Listing. Colonial, Move-in cond. 5/6 BR, 2 full baths, full fin bsmnt, Heated salt water pool. Asking $1,050,000. Connexion RE, 718-854-1136

Open House

Howard Beach/Lindenwood / Fairfield Arms, Sat 2/18, 3-5pm, 151-20 88 St. (High-Rise) unit 4C Lg 2 BR, 2 baths, al new carpeting, Reduced $228K. Unit 2D, 3 BRs converted from 2 BRs, 2 full baths. Reduced $259K. Unit 5D, 2 BR, 2 baths, needs TLC, 5th fl. Reduced $225K. Connexion Real Estate, 718-845-1136

Howard Beach/Lindenwood. Sun 2/19, 1-3pm, 151-14 80 St. Brick attached 2 fam, great investment property. Walk-in fin bsmnt w/door to yard. 1st fl has 2 BR, 1 bath apt w/terr. 2nd fl has 1 BR, 1 bath apt w/terr. A must see! Reduced $998,000. Connexion Real Estate, 718-845-1136

Howard Beach/Rockwood Park, 40x100, Hi-Ranch, unique 5 BRs, 2 full baths, 3 BRs, 1 bath, top flr & 2 BRs on walk-in level, new kit, HW flrs & new baths. Cement & pavers front & back. Full 1 car gar, sep ent to walk-in. Reduced $965K. Call Arlene— 917-796-6024 for appt, 2/18 or 2/19, 3-4:30pm. Connexion Real Estate

Classified Ad Special. Pay for 3 weeks and the 4th week is FREE! Call 718-205-8000

Legal Notices

Notice of Formation of WESTIN FLUSHING OPERATIONS

LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 01/05/2023. Offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: GEORGE XU, 3366 FARRINGTON STREET, SUITE 200, FLUSHING, NY 11354. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

To Advertise Call 718-205-8000

Legal Notices Legal Notices

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK - COUNTY OF QUEENS BANK OF AMERICA N.A., V. ERROL W. PARRIS, AS HEIR TO THE ESTATE OF SYLVIA BELL AKA SYLVIA JUSTINA BELL, ET AL. NOTICE OF SALE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure dated January 5, 2022, and entered in the Offi ce of the Clerk of the County of Queens, wherein BANK OF AMERICA

N.A. is the Plaintiff and ERROL W. PARRIS, AS HEIR TO THE ESTATE OF SYLVIA BELL AKA SYLVIA JUSTINA BELL, ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction RAIN OR SHINE on the COURTHOUSE STEPS OF THE QUEENS COUNTY COURTHOUSE, 88-11 SUTPHIN BLVD., JAMAICA, NY 11435, on March 10, 2023 at 12:00PM, premises known as 216-24 132ND AVE, SPRINGFIELD GARDENS, NY 11413: Block 12923, Lot 18: ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN THE BOROUGH AND COUNTY OF QUEENS, CITY AND STATE OF NEW YORK Premises will be sold subject to provisions of fi led Judgment Index # 704124/2015.

Martha Taylor, Esq. - Referee. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing.

*LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/CLERK DIRECTIVES.

Notice of Formation of RENTALS BY SANTOS LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 02/04/2023. Offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: MATTHEW SANTOS, 4337 216TH STREET, BAYSIDE, NY 11361. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of JABEDA

LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 12/22/2022.

Offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: JABEDA LLC, 109-12 175TH ST, JAMAICA, NY 11433. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Notice of Qualifi cation of Kasada, LLC.

App. For Auth. fi led with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 1/20/23.

Offi ce location: Queens County. LLC formed in Louisiana (LA) on 10/10/16. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.

SSNY shall mail process to: Capitol Services, Inc., 1218 Central Ave, Ste 100, Albany, NY 12205. LA address of LLC: 910 S. Acadian Thruway, Baton Rouge, LA 70806. Arts of Org fi led with LA Secy of State, 8585 Archives Ave, Baton Rouge, LA 70809. Purpose: any lawful act or activity.

L42kathill LLC, Arts of Org.

fi led with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 1/11/2023. Cty: Queens. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to 26 Bow St., Forest Hills, NY 11375. General Purpose

MARTIN BURGER, PLLC. Arts. of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 11/18/22. Offi ce: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the PLLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the PLLC, 219-51 Jamaica Avenue, Queens Village, NY 11428. Purpose: For the practice of the profession of Law.

Notice of Formation of NEW DA ZHONG SERVICE LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 01/04/2023. Offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: NEW DA ZHONG SERVICE LLC, 5422 102ND STREET, CORONA, NY 11368. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

REFEREE’S NOTICE OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF QUEENS

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS TRUSTEE FOR MERRILL LYNCH FIRST FRANKLIN MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST, MORTGAGE LOAN ASSETBACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-H1, Plaintiff - againstGEORGE W. SCHIEREN, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered on November 3, 2022. I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the Courthouse steps of the Queens Supreme Court, located at 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, New York on the 24th day of February, 2023 at 10:00 AM. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, situate, lying and being in the Borough and County of Queens, City and State of New York. Premises known as 105-22 135th Street, South Richmond Hill, New York 11419. (Block: 9594, Lot: 9) Approximate amount of lien $939,385.14 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of fi led judgment and terms of sale. Index No. 707008/2015.

Angelyn D. Johnson, Esq., Referee. McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC, Attorney(s) for Plaintiff, 420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 840, New York, NY 10170, Tel. 347/286-7409

For sale information, please visit Xome.com at Xome.com

Dated: November 17, 2022

During the COVID-19 health emergency, bidders are required to comply with all governmental health requirements in effect at the time of sale including but not limited to, wearing face coverings and maintaining social distancing (at least 6-feet apart) during the auction, while tendering deposit and at any subsequent closing. Bidders are also required to comply with the Foreclosure Auction Rules and COVID-19 Health Emergency Rules issued by the Supreme Court of this County in addition to the conditions set forth in the Terms of Sale.

Notice of Formation of RG CLOTHING & ESSENTIALS LLC

Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 09/15/2022. Offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: THE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, 137-24 161ST STREET, QUEENS, NY 11434. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK – COUNTY OF QUEENS INDEX #713107/2022 FILED: 12/4/2022 SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS. Plaintiff designates QUEENS County as the place of trial. The basis of venue is: The location of real property being foreclosed. LIMA ONE CAPITAL LLC, Plaintiff, against PRICES LANE HOLDING CORP.; JOHN KAZAS, if they be living and if they be dead, the respective heirs-atlaw, next-of-kin, distributees, executors, administrators, trustees, devisees, legatees, assignees, lienors, creditors and successors in interest and generally all persons having or claiming under, by or through said defendant(s) who may be deceased, by purchase, inheritance, lien or inheritance, any right, title or interest in or to the real property described in the Complaint; THE BOARD OF MANAGERS OF GARDEN BAY MANOR CONDOMINIUM; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; “JOHN DOE No. 1’’ through ‘’JOHN DOE No. 100’’ inclusive, the name of the last 100 defendants being fictitious, the true names of said defendants being unknown to plaintiff, it being intended to designate fee owners, tenants or occupants of the liened premises and/or persons or parties having or claiming an interest in or a lien upon the liened premises, if the aforesaid individual defendants are living, and if any or all of said individual defendants be dead, their heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, executors, administrators, trustees, committees, devisees, legatees, and assignees, lienors, creditors and successors in interest of them and generally all persons having or claiming under, by, through, or against the said defendants named as a class, of any right, title, or interest in or lien upon the premises described in the complaint herein, Defendant(s). To the above named Defendants: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the complaint is not served with this summons, to serve a notice of appearance on the plaintiff’s attorney(s) within 20 days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after service is complete if this summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York); and in case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint. NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME. If you do not respond to this Summons and Complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. The foregoing summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an order of the Honorable Phillip Hom, a Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, Queens County, granted on the 17th day of November, 2022, and filed with the Complaint and other papers in the office of the County Clerk of Queens County. The object of this action is to foreclose a mortgage upon the premises described below, executed by PRICES LANE HOLDING CORP. to RECOVCO MORTGAGE MANAGEMENT LLC, bearing date November 8, 2018 and recorded January 29, 2019, in CRFN: 2019000031982 in the County of Queens, which was assigned to WILMINGTON TRUST, N.A. NOT IN ITS INDVIDUAL CAPACITY, BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE OF MFRA TRUST 2016-1 by instrument executed November 13, 2018 and recorded August 20, 2020, in CRFN: 2020000234550, which was further assigned to LIMA ONE CAPITAL LLC by instrument executed March 30, 2022 and recorded April 12, 2022, in CRFN: 2022000152574. Said premises being known as and by 21-31 78th Street Unit B1, Jackson Heights, NY 11370. A/K/A 21-31 78th Street, Unit 1, East Elmhurst, NY 11370, bearing tax map designation Block: 974, Lot: 1027, which is more fully described in the Schedule “A” attached to the Complaint. To the above named Defendants: YOU ARE HEREBY PUT ON NOTICE THAT WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. There is due and owing to plaintiff the sum of $312,908.00 plus interest thereon from January 1, 2020 in addition to those accumulated late charges and those recoverable monies advanced by Plaintiff and/or Plaintiff’s predecessor-in-interest on behalf of Prices Lane Holdings Corp together with all costs, including but not limited to, attorneys’ fees, disbursements, and further allowances provided pursuant to the underlying loan documents and applicable law in bringing any action to protect the Mortgagee’s interest in the Subject Property. The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt described above. UNLESS YOU DISPUTE THE VALIDITY OF THE DEBT, OR ANY PORTION THEREOF, WITHIN THIRTY (30) DAYS AFTER YOUR RECEIPT HEREOF THAT THE DEBT, OR ANY PORTION THEREOF, IS DISPUTED, THE DEBTOR JUDGMENT AGAINST YOU AND A COPY OF SUCH VERIFICATION OR JUDGMENT WILL BE MAILED TO YOU BY THE HEREIN DEBT COLLECTOR. IF APPLICABLE, UPON YOUR WRITTEN REQUEST, WITHIN SAID THIRTY (30) DAY PERIOD, THE HEREIN DEBT COLLECTOR WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH THE NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE ORIGINAL CREDITOR. IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED A DISCHARGE FROM THE UNITED STATES BANKRUPTCY COURT, YOU ARE NOT PERSONALLY LIABLE FOR THE UNDERLYING INDEBTEDNESS OWED TO PLAINTIFF/CREDITOR AND THIS NOTICE/DISCLOSURE IS FOR COMPLIANCE AND INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. Aldridge Pite, LLP, Attorneys for the Plaintiff, 40 Marcus Drive, Suite 200, Melville, NY 11747 File 1679-001B

Notice of Formation of ROXON, LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 01/10/2023. Offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: ROXON, LLC, 8325 LEFFERTS BLVD., 2FL, KEW GARDENS, NY 11415. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

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50-22 40th St., Unit 5BC, Sunnyside Gorgeous 3BR/2BA Co-op in Elevator Building! $699,000

661 Metropolitan Ave., Williamsburg X-LG 6 Family w/ Huge Upside in Prime Williamsburg! $1,888,000

431 Metropolitan Ave., Williamsburg Mixed-Use

34 Apollo Street, Greenpoint Gorgeous Brick 2 Family w/Full Basement & Backyard! $1,699,000

154 Conselyea Street, Williamsburg Charming 2 Family (3 Levels) w/Oversized Backyard! $1,849,000

2024 LaFontaine Avenue, Bronx Great Development Opportunity in Bronx! $1,249,000 94-29 86th Street, Ozone Park Income Producing Large 4 Family w/ Backyard! $1,299,000

153 Clinton Ave., Unit 1A, Clinton Hill Gorgeous Renovated 1 BR Co-op Unit! $545,000

Greenpoint Renovated Rent-stabilized

Family in Prime Greenpoint! $2,550,000

B SPORTS

Kyrie, KD chaos ends

by Lloyd Carroll Chronicle Contributor

The Brooklyn Nets have had a frustrating history with superstar players dating back to their days on Long Island, when Rick Barry had to leave to honor a previous commitment to the then-Golden State Warriors. A few years later, cash-strapped owner Roy Boe had to sell Julius Erving’s contract to the Philadelphia 76ers to afford the entry fees into the NBA after the merger with the American Basketball Association.

Last week the Nets decided to trade two probable Hall of Fame inductees, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. Time will tell if the deals were good, or if they got pennies on the dollar for the assets they gave up, but it is hard to argue with Nets owner Joe Tsai or General Manager Sean Marks for pulling the trigger on the trades.

One can devote several columns to Irving’s self-made controversies, ranging from his declaration the Earth is flat to his refusal to get vaccinated against Covid-19 while saying it had nothing to do with health concerns to promoting an anti-Semitic documentary. Ironically, he was playing the best basketball of his career and was low-key since the documentary brouhaha.

That is why it came as a surprise (though nothing he ever does is truly shocking) Irving demanded the Nets trade him less than a week before the NBA trade deadline. The Nets obliged him by sending him to the Dallas Mavericks for

guard and popular ex-Net Spencer Dinwiddie, forward Dorian Finney-Smith and a couple of draft choices.

Irving was frustrated the Nets did not give him a maximum salary extension. They apparently were waiting until the end of the season to see how things played out. Irving is slated to be an unrestricted free agent. He would have had a better negotiating posture with teams had he simply played out the season without drama for the Nets.

Four days after dealing away Irving, the Nets dispatched Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns for Cam Johnson, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder and four future first-round draft choices. Crowde r was flipped to the Milwaukee Bucks for more draft capital. Durant had urged the Nets to trade him before the season started but rescinded that demand. He quietly asked them to move him again when Irving was traded.

Durant is obviously a great player but some have questioned his leadership. Some Nets fans think he enabled Irving’s off-putting behavior by his refusal to confront him. Although Durant was not mentioned by name, a disgusted James Harden had the Nets trade him to the Philadelphia 76ers because he tired of Irving’s mishegas.

The Nets have a roster composed of very good players. The problem is teams with superstars win NBA championships. Q

See the extended version of Sports Beat every week at qchron.com

82-17 153 RD Ave., Suite 202, Howard Beach, NY 11414 718-835-4700

69-39 Myrtle Ave., Glendale, NY 11385

718-628-4700

• OPEN HOUSE •

Saturday, Feb. 18th 12:30 - 2:00 pm 12-15 Cross Bay Blvd.

• Broad Channel • Beautiful open fl

• OPEN HOUSE •

Thursday, Feb. 16th 3 - 4:30 pm

230 East 71st Street, Apt 2F

• Manhattan • Move right in to this charming prewar, beautifully maintained true 2 BR, 1 bath Co-op apt in a prime Lenox Hill location. Corner unit is approx 1000 SF. & features ample windows & high ceilings. Master BR is fully soundproofed, guaranteeing peaceful sleep. The 2nd BR can comfortably fi t a queen size bed & can be used as a BR, or a large home offi ce. All closets & cabinets throughout were custom made & tailored to the room. Open kitchen is a modern design w/white quartz countertops.

• Old Howard Beach • Charming 1 family ranch style home in Howard Beach. This well-maintained home was originally a 3 BR but was converted to a 2 BR & the cedar closet has ample space. The 2nd BR is very spacious. Home features a formal living & dining room perfect for entertaining. There is plenty of counter space in the renovated kitchen that is only 5 years young; featuring SS appliances; Oak cabinets & quartz countertops. Home has full basement w/an outside entrance & full attic. Pvt dvwy that fits multiple cars & has a det 2 car garage.

• East Setauket • Beautifully updated home (2022). Quiet neighborhood. Semi Detached, 3 BR 1.5 BTH. Hi-Ranch, Master w/large WIC & balcony. EIK w/FP, DR, LR/Den. Extension great room, 16x19 w/2 skylights & plenty of light overlooking

EAST

Beautiful 3 BR, 2 full bath 1 half bath house. Fin bsmnt with full bath. Ren. kitchen with S.S. appliances. Hardwood fl oors. Washer/Dryer included. Backyard. Close to all shopping, schools, public trans. 1 car parking. Rental Price: $3,500/Mo

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SHEEPSHEAD

FOREST

JAMAICA

This is a beautiful Victorian Style 1 family renovated home with 5 BRs, 2 full baths, 3 half baths in Jamaica. All marble countertops with a wrap around Porch. New heating system, new aluminum sidings, near to schools, hospitals, shopping, public transportation & next to Van Wyck Expwy.

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ASTORIA Investment opportunity for Rent stabilized apartment building with 6 units. Prime Location Ditmars and Steinway. Boiler replaced 3 years ago.

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Contact

SPRINGFIELD GARDENS

Beautiful one-of-a-kind home is now available for sale in Springfi eld Gardens. Amazing amount of space in this home over 2 levels. Parking for 3 vehicles, very generously sized bedrooms complimented by a beautiful kitchen, formal dining room and home offi ce. Ready to welcome new owners.

Price: $710,000