Queens Chronicle South Edition 03-02-23

Top agency officials talk public safety

Fires, pot shops, Rikers and more addressed at first virtual briefing

by Deirdre Bardolf Editor

Deadly battery fires, budding cannabis vendors, Rikers Island and school safety were the focus last Friday during the first in a series of briefings to be held by a host of city agencies.

“I think it’s important that we inform the public of what we’re doing but as long as there is fear in the city, as long as people are being victimized, I will take no victory lap,” NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at the virtual briefing when asked by a reporter to describe the goal of the new initiative, which will be led by Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks.

About 1,000 officers were surged into the subway system and, thanks to that and collaboration with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, ridership is on the rise, said Sewell. Fare evasion summonses are up and overall crime in the transit system is about 8 percent less than it was prepandemic, she said. Year-to-date it is down over 18 percent.

“But again, what does that mean if people don’t feel safe?” Sewell added.

People taking the same trains every day to work should see the same officers whenever possible, she said, and increased visibility in subways and engagement with commuters will continue with upcoming NYPD initiatives.

FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh addressed the ongoing dangers posed by lithium ion batteries used in e-bikes and one of the two public questions that was taken was about the regulation of them, asked by PJ Marcel of Howard Beach.

Just this year, there have been 22 fires, 36 injuries and two deaths due to the batteries, officials stated.

On Jan. 20, a battery fire killed an East Elmhurst man and

injured 10 others, including four firefighters, the Chronicle reported at the time.

Kavanagh said the department is working with the City Council and the Consumer Product Safety Commission to regulate them.

“Part of our outreach to the Consumer Products Safety Commission is to ask them to make sure that all devices being sold are UL-certified so in addition to us encouraging the public to buy a UL-certified device, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is also working with the administration to crack down on noncertified devices and make sure they’re not sold in the city,” she said.

UL certification refers to the Underwriters Laboratory, which is an international certification company approved by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to test and certify

equipment and appliances as safe.

But there are also all of the devices in people’s homes already that they rely on for work, which Kavanagh said can be incredibly dangerous if unregulated and improperly used.

She advised to not charge them while sleeping, not tamper with batteries and not leave them blocking hallways or exits.

Recently, FDNY inspectors and the Sheriff’s Office found locations with dozens of devices and batteries.

Kavanagh shared a video of one bursting into flame in Manhattan, illustrating the “sudden nature” in which they can combust. The video can be seen at bit.ly/3YWzMkc.

The other hot topic was the proliferation of smoke shops illegally selling cannabis products.

Sheriff Anthony Miranda of the city Sheriff’s Office said that a task force started on Nov. 14 has been inspecting licensed smoke shops.

Since then, Miranda said, the Sheriff’s Office has issued 285 violations accounting for half a million dollars and 135 criminal summonses; and seized over $8 million in merchandise.

In February, there were 34 inspections throughout the boroughs. Twelve inspections led to felony arrests; two arrests led to the seizure of firearms; 399 cartons of cigarettes were seized totaling $45,000; 112 pounds of cannabis flower worth $202,000 was seized as well as 220 pounds of THC edibles worth $60,000.

“These are dangerous situations,” said Miranda. “People, the store owners and people inside the stores, are starting to arm themselves to protect themselves against robberies.”

He continued, “We do not want you to start arming yourselves. We believe there are steps to be taken to protect both the community and the location and we’ve been working hand in

continued on page 12

Officials gave the first in a series of upcoming public safety briefings last week.

PHOTO BY CAROLINE WILLIS / MAYOR’S OFFICE

With only 230 responses, group pivots to focus on political action Civic scraps plan for private security

by Deirdre Bardolf Editor

The Howard Beach Lindenwood Civic Association is scrapping plans to bring a private security detail to the neighborhood after less than a quarter of the feedback needed to move forward was received.

The community demand was not high enough, the civic determined after circulating surveys for the past month, but new strategies seek to effect change on the legislative level to address the root problems of concern.

The group held its monthly meeting on Tuesday night and Copresident Barbara McNamara announced that, with only about 230 surveys received on how much residents would be willing to chip in for a private detail, it was not something the civic would pursue. The group had determined it needed 1,000 households to participate in order to move forward.

The civic association looked into potential options based on requests from the community. Back in January, 100 people tuned into a Zoom call on the matter. At the in-person meeting in February, the St. Helen Catholic Academy cafeteria was more packed than usual as people came for the security talks.

“It’s not something that the civic was actively seeking to do or that we were promoting in any way, shape or form, contrary to some of the things that were on Facebook,” said McNamara at the meeting.

“So at this point, it is not something that’s overwhelmingly wanted by the community and we will not continue to pursue it from the civic.”

She added, “It’s also something that, quite honestly, I don’t know that we really need or that it would even be helpful.”

Twenty-three years ago, before “handle surfers” trying car doors to snatch any valuables inside could be shared across Facebook, McNamara said diapers and baby formula were stolen from her unlocked car.

“It’s the same thing happening now,” she said. “Nothing is really changing here ... everybody thinks, ‘Oh, my God, we’re going to hell in a handbasket.’ Not happening. It’s the same thing that’s been happening for years and years. It’s just now, it’s promoted on Facebook.”

Co-president Phyllis Inserillo said the same momentum that drew crowds to the recent meetings needs to be kept up.

“We want to see this every time and we want you to bring the questions for our elected officials,” she said on Tuesday night.

“And we want them to have answers for us because that’s what they were [elected] to do, represent us, not represent whatever their agenda is.”

The civic is distributing letters for people to fill in their information and then mail to their elected officials.

“As representatives of New York State and of the community of Howard Beach in the state legislature, I am writing to you to make sure that you are representing the constituents that you serve when formulating legislation, when you are casting your

vote on the legislation that will affect our city and when the Governor is signing legislation into law,” it begins.

It cites citywide rises in crime and says offenders are “emboldened to act because they know that there are limited consequences to their actions.”

The letter calls for the age threshold in the Raise the Age law to be lowered, for judges to have more discretion in setting bail and for repeat offenders to be held until their court dates.

“That’s more important than any patrol can be,” said Inserillo.

More attendees also pressed the representatives from elected officials’ offices for their bosses’ positions on policies like bail reform and the banning of gas stoves, representing a push for more substantive updates instead of just highlight reels.

“What’s going on in Albany? Can you tell us what they’re working on?” one attendee asked simply, to laughs.

Some of the representatives could not give specifics on their bosses’ stances on those popular issues, deferring to their legislative counterparts and advising people to call their offices. State officials are

sellers — and it is a citywide issue.

An attendee asked Ariola if there was any update following the mention of Howard Beach on a November episode of “Law & Order: SVU.”

The character played by rapper Ice-T called the community “racist, sexist and phobic of just about everything.”

Ariola said a lobbyist from the network actually came to her office asking what they could do following the blowback and repeated calls from her office.

“I said, ‘They need to do something good for us.’ They need to do something nice for us because you know why? They depicted us in a way that was so horrific.”

now in Albany and therefore not attending meetings in their districts regularly.

Nick Spinelli, board member and chief of the West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire Department, asked why regular updates were not sent out to constituents on what lawmakers were currently voting on and why it is so difficult to get a copy of the governor’s budget proposal.

Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park) touted recent wins for her Common Sense Caucus counterparts in City Hall including the dropping of vaccine mandates for city workers and visitors to city public schools and new plans to lock school entrances.

She dispelled rumors that housing for asylum seekers was going up in the area, which were sparked by the recent building of a modular home.

Ariola said she met on Tuesday with detectives from the NYPD police commissioner’s office regarding the vendors selling candy near Cross Bay Boulevard and Pitkin Avenue.

She said it endangers the lives of kids, some of whom run between lanes of traffic, as well as the babies swaddled to the backs of the

Also on the agenda Tuesday was an update on the upcoming plans to close the Gateway National Recreation Area’s portion of Spring Creek to conduct surveys of the radioactivity of the Superfund site where radium has been detected.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Project Manager Kathleen Cuzzolino gave the update alongside National Park Service representatives.

The Park Service will be fencing off portions of Spring Creek, which borders New Howard Beach, and clearing the brush to do gamma walkovers. Heavy machinery will be brought in to conduct the studies.

That step in the process is expected to take until 2026 as the NPS creates a sampling and analysis plan, conducts field investigations, analyzes data and risk assessment and then creates a remedial investigation report.

Then would come several more steps including a feasibility study, a proposed plan and record of decision, remedial designs and actions and eventually construction and long-term monitoring.

The contamination in the area dates back to the late 1940s when the wetland areas throughout Gateway were backfilled with waste because dumping could no longer be done in the ocean.

Often with similar former landfill sites, a cover of some type is placed on top to contain the radioactive materials, Cuzzolino said.

Answering a question about toxins migrating to water sources, she said in theory it could be possible but has not been seen at similar sites. Q

The Howard Beach Lindenwood Civic Association, led by Co-presidents Barbara McNamara, left, and Phyllis Inserillo, met Tuesday and discussed public safety and more. PHOTOS BY DEIRDRE BARDOLF

“Everybody thinks, ‘Oh my God, we’re going to hell in a handbasket.’

Not happening.”

— Barbara McNamara

Kathleen Cuzzolino, U.S. Army Corps project manager, explains the upcoming Spring Creek closure and studies.

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School construction brief covers specialized HS, Rich Hill concerns Parent board hears about SCA projects

by Deirdre Bardolf Editor

The Queens Borough President’s Parent Advisory Board meeting on Monday covered ongoing and upcoming School Construction Authority projects as well as concerns about a proposed Richmond Hill elementary school and demands for specialized high school seats.

Several questions and comments from parents were about the recent site selection of the former Rubie’s Costume Company in Richmond Hill for an elementary school and the desire for a middle school there instead.

Monica Gutierrez, director of education at Borough President Donovan Richards’ Office, read one of the submissions: “Myself and a constituency of parents in District 27 feel strongly that this should rather be a middle school as there are three other elementary schools in the immediate area in which the graduating children have no walkable middle school. The children from PS 66, 254 and 56 all have to travel far, crossing Woodhaven Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue to get to their eventual middle schools, which are already overcrowded.”

Ben Goodman, School Construction Authority external affairs manager for School Districts 25, 26 and 30, addressed the question.

“We are taking the concerns into account and we did hear folks loud and clear so we are

going to see here what we can do,” he said.

Danielle Schaaff, SCA external affairs manager for Districts 24, 27, 28 and 29, who presented the elementary school plans at the Community Board 9 meeting last month and was met by testimony from one area parent, was unable to attend the meeting on Monday.

Goodman noted that the site selection hearing with the community board and Community Education Council 27 had already been held. Public comments are open until March 8.

The proposal includes both buildings and the parking area on Jamaica Avenue between 120th and 121st streets and would include District 75 special education seats.

Richards and Gutierrez explained to attendees at the virtual meeting, which can be viewed on YouTube, that the period to apply for Resolution A funding from the borough president, which allows for capital improvements or enhancement projects and is funded by individual grants from City Council members or bor-

City sued over Council maps

Lines dilute voting strength of Asian groups: activists

by Deirdre Bardolf Editor

A lawsuit filed last week against the city Districting Commission and the city and state Board of Elections allege that the new City Council maps violate the City Charter by splitting up the Richmond Hill and South Ozone Park communities.

“As one of the fastest growing populations in the city, Richmond Hill/South Ozone Park has a thriving Asian American community made up of immigrant and native-born New Yorkers of Guyanese, Punjabi, Trinidadian, Surinamese, and Bengali descent,” Jerry Vattamala, democracy program director of the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, said in a prepared statement.

“Yet despite the protections of the NYC Charter and our warnings throughout the redistricting process, the council map carved up the community and muffled their voices, continuing our city’s painful history of dividing, marginalizing, and disenfranchising communities of color,” Vattamala said.

The AALDEF brought the lawsuit last Friday in the state Supreme Court. It was filed on behalf of 18 individual petitioners from the area as well as the nonprofit Desis Rising Up and Moving.

It says that the Council map carves up the community and disenfranchises their voices, diluting their voting strength.

The charter mandates that the Districting Commission “ensures the fair and effective representation of racial and language minori-

ty groups” to “the maximum extent practicable.”

In the new maps, which were approved by the City Council in October after previously being rejected and revised by the Districting Commision itself, Districts 28 and 29 would be split by Liberty Avenue. The groups argue that the avenue is a major thoroughfare in their communities and an anchor to the Indo-Caribbean community.

The lawsuit called for a delay in petitioning, which started this week, in the upcoming City Council primary election until a plan that complies with the Charter and is more effective and fair is put in place.

Activists instead support a Unity Map, proposed by a coalition of voting right organizations, that would broaden District 32, currently represented by Councilmember Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park), to include the South Richmond Hill and Ozone Park communities but cut it off at Jamaica Avenue.

It would cut off District 29, held by Councilmember Lynn Schulman (D-Forest Hills), closer to Atlantic Avenue, giving the district the northern part of Richmond Hill. District 28, held by Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (D-Jamaica), would include only part of South Ozone Park, leaving Liberty Avenue intact. Q

ough presidents, has ended.

Many questions were about more specialized high schools as well as extensions to them.

“Thank you for your response on specialized high schools, would love to see much more in Queens,” Gutierrez read and responded, “Yes, absolutely, so would we.”

She said the Borough President’s Office is in talks with the SCA for a new building, not an extension, for the Queens High School for the Sciences at York College.

The team is looking at a movie theater a block away from the school and Gutierrez called it a great site because it is near the Long Island Rail Road, government buildings and commercial areas. Otherwise, a location on Hillside Avenue would be considered.

Goodman said there are no additional high school seats that are funded at this time and that the SCA is fully sited for high schools.

Gutierrez maintained that many students do not get into any of their top high school choices and told parents not to get discouraged by what they were hearing. The capital plan is a “living, breathing document” that could change, she said, adding that the borough president is advocating for more high schools.

Many of the schools, she acknowledged, have more applicants than seats available. “So that’s something that we have to look at ... and create more schools.” Q

Man, 25, dies after stabbing

A 25-year-old man died early Tuesday morning after being stabbed the night before near Woodhaven Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue on the WoodhavenOzone Park border, according to police.

Police received a call just after 8 p.m. Monday that a man was assaulted. The victim’s friend called 911, the Daily News reported, and he was stable when medics transported him but his condition worsened and he died at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center. The identity of the deceased is withheld pending proper family notification.

Police found the man inside an SUV with stab wounds to the torso but they do not know where exactly the incident occurred because it appeared as though he was stabbed before reaching the intersection, according to the 102nd Precinct. There have been no arrests and the 102nd Precinct Detective Squad is investigating.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 577-TIPS (8477), or, for Spanish, 1 (888) 57-PISTA (74782). Tips can also be submitted by texting 274637 and then entering TIP577 or on Twitter @nypdtips or nypdcrimestoppers.com. Tips are strictly confidential. Q

A lawsuit filed last week alleges that new City Council maps, above, violate the City Charter.

Parents expressed the desire for a middle school, not elementary, at the above Richmond Hill site and more at a recent parent advisory board meeting. GOOGLE MAPS SCREENSHOT

New jobs, new amenities, new artwork, expanded taxi plaza at Term. 6: PANYNJ Gov. Hochul breaks ground at JFK Airport

by Naeisha Rose Associate Editor

JFK International Airport is on its way to being a 21st century global gateway, according to Gov. Hochul, who celebrated the start of the final phase of the redevelopment of the Queens transportation hub — the groundbreaking of Terminal 6 — last week.

“It’s not an exaggeration to say that the last 14 months have been among the most dramatic and transformational in the history of JFK. It was 75 years ago that President Truman was here for the first flight,” Hochul said at a press conference last Thursday. “What we’ve done since that time is nothing sort of extraordinary in a short few months.”

Terminal 6, which is the last of the access points at the airport to be transformed, will expand into Terminal 7’s space and include 10 new entries, including nine wide-body gates for larger planes, according to the governor. The $4.2 billion project, which comprises 1.2 million square feet, will create 4,000 new jobs, including 1,800 construction jobs.

Thomas Topousis, a spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said there will be many career paths at the airport.

“There will be people manufacturing the equipment that goes in [the terminal], there will be design jobs, and delivery people,” Topousis told the Chronicle. “It doesn’t even

have to be on-site. It can be a company in Queens fabricating materials or providing materials.”

The new terminal will have stateof-the-art security, a streamlined roadway access and new amenities, added Hochul’s office.

“There is going to be a larger selection of restaurants and gardens and recreation space for kids,” said Topousis. “There will also be large installations of public art.”

The recreation space includes an indoor park for kids, and the businesses will include stores from Queens, according to Topousis. Work is now underway to select some restaurants from the borough and artwork.

“A lot of this is being designed right now, but there will be a more eclectic bunch of stores and restaurants than you typically find in the older terminals,” he said. “Typically the airline terminal operators work with a partner in the arts world to help them curate the artwork that will appear.”

In the meantime, the Port Authority is developing a program that will help local businesses to qualify in getting a concession at the airport terminal.

“We will also provide systems for them so they will learn how to operate and maintain enterprises in the terminal,” Topousis said. “That is coming together and we will revisit that in the next few months ... We are trying to level the playing field for the local businesses so that they

can get a chance at running a business at the terminal.”

The Port Authority’s partners at JFK include JetBlue Airways, the project’s airline sponsor; RXR, a New York real estate operating company; American Triple I, a certified minority-owned investor (30 percent equity stake), owner, developer and manager of infrastructure assets; Vantage Airport Group, an industry-leading investor, developer and manager of award-winning global airport projects; and JFK Millennium Partners, a private airline and aviation company that is developing the new terminus.

The advanced security technology will include automated TSA security lanes, biometric-based access control systems and a flexible design to accommodate future machinery or regulatory changes, according to the Port Authority.

JFK Millennium Partners was not available to provide further comment on the technology, but said in a statement that it is ready to deliver a terminal that transforms the guest experience. While inside there will be a spacious, bright and airy new terminal with floor-to-ceiling windows, outside there will be an expanded taxi

plaza and designated space for forhire vehicles that will be shared with Terminal 5, which will help to reduce traffic congestion and maximize connectivity across the airport, according to the Port Authority.

“The interesting thing about Terminal 6 is that JetBlue is one of the partners, and JetBlue also operates in Terminal 5,” Topousis said. “Those two terminals in many ways will function as one big terminal. Terminal 5 is primarily domestic flights and Terminal 6 primarily will have international travel.”

Terminal 8, which cost $400 million, was completed November 2022; the $9.5 billion redevelopment of Terminal 1 broke ground in September 2022: and the $1.5 billion expansion project at Terminal 4 is now underway, according to the Port Authority. As some of the first new gates are scheduled to open at Terminal 6 in 2026, the remainder will open in 2028 after a 50-year-old facility at Terminal 7 is demolished to make way for the expansion of the former facility.

“There will be no Terminal 7 moving forward,” Topousis said. “Terminal 7’s major airline was British Air. They moved to Terminal 8. Terminal 7 will be in operation temporarily by the company that is building Terminal 6.”

In addition to JetBlue, other airlines at the terminal include Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines. Q

JFK used in alleged Russian smuggling

U.S. counterintelligence devices were also sent to North Korea: USAO

by Naeisha Rose Associate Editor

A Russian national used JFK Airport to allegedly smuggle technology from the U.S. to his home country and North Korea, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.

Ilya Balakaev, 47, of Moscow, was charged in a five-count indictment with conspiracy and smuggling last week, in relation to trafficking 43 devices used in counterintelligence operations out of the U.S. to Russia and North Korea for five years, according to Brooklyn federal prosecutors.

“The defendant frequently flew in and out of JFK as part of the scheme,” a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office told the Queens Chronicle. She also noted he traveled out of the country approximately 14 times between Feb. 2017 to March 2021.

Balakaev, who lives in Richmond, Va., is

alleged to have used his company, Radiotester LLC, in conjunction with the Federal Security Service, the principal intelligence and security agency in Russia, to procure 10 contracts to repair spectrum analyzers, signal generators and gas detector software — items used to sweep for surveillance bugs, transmit covert communications and detect deadly combustible gases, according to authorities.

On or around Oct. 20 and Nov. 27, 2020, Balakaev allegedly flew from Russia to JFK Airport, stayed in the U.S. to procure the spectrum analyzers and returned with them to his home country. The U.S. Attorney’s Office was not able to comment on how much Balakaev made from the alleged contracts.

The defendant was allegedly aware of U.S. export laws and knew that selling the devices to Russia and North Korea was prohibited, and enlisted other co-conspirators to purchase items to ship to those countries, as noted in email

exchanges obtained by prosecutors.

On Nov. 5, 2019, one email had a hyperlink to a document titled, “Don’t Let This Happen To You!: Actual Investigations of Export Control and Antiboycott Violations.”

If convicted, Balakaev could face 75 years in prison and forfeiture of his property, according to authorities.

Michael Driscoll, FBI assistant director-incharge for New York, said that he will work with partner agencies to continue to protect national security.

“The defendant allegedly operated schemes to smuggle software and devices from the United States and provide them to hostile foreign government services in violation of U.S. sanctions,” Driscoll said in a statement. “FBI New York and our partners will continue to protect the national security of the United States by disrupting the procurement of sanctioned equipment and technology.”

Ilya Balakaev, a Russian national, was indicted on conspiracy and smuggling charges for allegedly selling counterintelligence devices to hostile foreign governments.

Gov. Hochul at last week’s groundbreaking for JFK Airport’s Terminal 6, which cost $4.2 billion, with other elected officials and airline industry leaders. PHOTO COURTESY NYS

Group says fewer vehicles, more walker safety measures necessary Austin St. advocates seek ‘pedestrianizing’

by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor

Forest Hills residents who would like sections of Austin Street to have more pedestrian amenities and less automobile traffic scored a victory on Feb. 23.

The Transportation/Public Transit/Street Safety Committee of Community Board 6 that night approved a resolution calling for a study from the city Department of Transportation.

The resolution states, among other things, that there were 71 crashes resulting in 83 injuries on Austin Street between Yellowstone Boulevard and Ascan Avenue between January 2018 and November 2022. It states that 50 involved pedestrians or cyclists.

“It’s very congested,” Pedro Rodriguez, a volunteer with Neighbors for a Safer Austin Street, told the Chronicle. “There’s a lot of traffic. Every time I go there I almost always see a near miss. We expect people traffic [on a business strip] and we do expect some car traffic. But hazards and pedestrian injuries? Those should not be expected or accepted anywhere.”

He said Austin Street was one of the reasons he and his wife moved to Forest Hills.

The resolution of the Transportation Committee calls on the city to examine the possibility of widening sidewalks; “eliminating car congestion and honking”; creating outdoor seating areas; creating more crossings; “pedes-

trianizing” segments of Austin Street between Yellowstone and Ascan; and the effect the oneway westbound conversion of Austin Street would have on safety.

The resolution could be presented to the full board as early as March 8.

Previous attempts to limit or in some cases

shut down sections of Forest Hills roadways to vehicles have run into stiff opposition from businesses. Leslie Brown, president of the Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce, did not answer repeated requests for comment on this issue.

But Rodriguez said the group has sought to

bring the business community on board.

“We recognize this is a business and commercial strip,” he said. “We have an ongoing business outreach. We have reached out to over 20 businesses.”

He said 10 have signed on to support their call for a DOT study, while two or three others looked at their letter and are dead set against it. The remainder, he said, have not furnished an answer one way or another.

Rodriguez also said “pedestrianization” does not necessarily mean creating pedestrian plazas that have all but banned cars in some sections of the city.

He said, for example, that reducing traffic two blocks west and one block east of 71st Avenue would, among other things, increase safety while improving the performance of the Q23 bus; allow businesses to receive deliveries, including Target, which relies on large trucks; and still give the NYPD’s 112th Precinct, located at the west end of Austin Street, a clear, straight run in an emergency with police cruisers less subject to the roadway’s frequent traffic snarls.

He also said streetscaping such as new trees and benches on wider sidewalks would be a benefit for businesses.

CB 6’s next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. on March 8 at Borough Hall at 120-55 Queens Blvd. in Kew Gardens. Q

Educating our students to be independent thinkers and lifelong learners.

A group of Forest Hills residents are hoping the city will take up a study to alleviate traffic congestion and increase pedestrian safety along Austin Street. A petition calling for a Department of Transportation study was unanimously approved by the Transportation Committee of Community Board 6 on Feb. 23. PHOTO BY DEIRDRE BARDOLF

AGEP

Cooking up outdoor dining rules

You thought your waiter was taking a long time to get back to your table? He’s got nothing on the City Council, which apparently has been dithering for about a year on its promised regulations on outdoor dining, which is either the greatest thing ever or a gross blight on the city, depending on your outlook.

And it’s possible that once the legislation is laid on the table, it might need to be sent back to the kitchen like that entree that was not cooked the way you ordered it at all.

We fully backed outdoor dining when it was established at the height of the pandemic, as a way to boost an especially hard-hit industry and to maintain some semblance of society as so much of it had to be abandoned. But this is not 2020. While many outdoor dining sheds are still being used, many others have just become eyesores, so much so that the mayor famously took a sledgehammer to one himself in a photo op highlighting a crackdown on unused ones.

Now, after creating new zoning law to accommodate the sheds, the City Council reportedly is prepping legislation that finally will go further and address things like which agency will oversee them (the Department of Transportation really was never designed to regulate restaurants, but once

they were put in the streets, literally, it got to do so). As with anything, the dining devil will be in the details. Key among those is deciding what fees to charge restaurants.

One element of the bill reportedly will be to make roadside dining seasonal, since few want to eat in the street when it’s cold and there’s no longer a reason to. That may be good for some, but think of those details. As one restaurant owner quoted by Crain’s New York Business wondered, where is he supposed to put the pieces of his outdoor shed each year if he has to tear it down? We’d prefer that sheds that actually get used stay up year-round as long as they’re heated. The ones that are just sitting there empty? Tear ’em down. If nothing else, the city needs the parking spaces, especially as more and more of those are lost. Metered parking on business strips, where restaurants are, brings in city revenue.

As for those eateries that only can fill seats during the warmer months, let them do so (though maybe smaller ones, those with revenue of less than say, $1 million or $2 million a year, could see their fees waived to help cover the cost of tearing down and rebuilding their sheds).

Whatever the pending bill contains, the public has to have its say in the process to ensure we get what we ordered.

Hosanna and hizzoner

If Mayor Adams doesn’t actually have a messiah complex, he’s sure doing a good imitation of it. It was God himself who put him into office, the mayor said Tuesday during a speech at an interfaith breakfast. “I strongly believe in all of my heart, God said, ‘I’m going to take the most broken person and I’m going to elevate him to the place of being the mayor of the most powerful city on the globe,” Adams told the crowd.

Politicians have long cited God in their speeches, and of course our Declaration of Independence says it is our “Creator” who endows us with certain inalienable rights. But such language sounds less familiar in these more secular times and Adams takes it a couple steps further, saying he implements policies with a “God-like approach” and also seeming to blast right through the wall of separation between church and state. We’re not really worried about him forcing others to adhere to his faith, but saying “Don’t tell me about no separation of church and state” is a bit over the line, especially for the leader of a city whose residents (of Flushing) famously demanded religious freedom in 1657, 119 years before the U.S. was born. Whatever drives him, Adams should cool the rhetoric a bit and maybe exhibit more of the humility his faith calls for.

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Prayers work

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Dear Editor:

I was very disappointed by the cartoon that appeared in last week’s paper. The cartoonist, Margulies, equated thoughts and prayers as they relate to mass shootings as garbage. That is an insult to all people of faith regardless of their religion.

It is true that thoughts and prayers should be accompanied by action. It is also true that people may have different solutions to the gun problem facing our country.

However, prayers are never garbage. Polls show that more Americans than ever do not identify with any religion yet more Americans are unhappy. Maybe if everyone practiced their faith and prayed more those trends can be reversed and we will have less gun violence.

Lenny Rodin Forest Hills

Fix property tax before 421a

Dear Editor:

Re ”Don’t conflate 421a and Good Cause bill,” Feb. 23:

The cost of housing in New York has become a burden, but as usual the burden of renewing the $2 billion 421a developer tax break, billed by proponents as spurring construction of less expensive housing, will again fall disproportionately on middle-class

homeowners devastated by the unfair property tax system.

These homeowners are significantly in and around districts represented by the state senators cited in the Chronicle. All indicate openness to renewing the developer tax giveaway.

Toby Ann Stavisky (D-Flushing) supported it when it was first proposed. “We will see,” says John Liu (D-Bayside). Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Woodhaven) states he has supported 421a since his City Council (2002-2008) days.

A Bloomberg story last year (bloom. bg/3SGQxxp) featured a Queens “Cape Codstyle house” whose taxes tripled to nearly $15,000 since the despairing current owner purchased it (during Addabbo’s City Council days).

Contrast that with the “Bushwick Townhouse,” recently showcased in the New York Times (nyti.ms/3YbeL3Z), selling for $1.7 million, with taxes “$148 a month” — a small fraction of what constituents of those esteemed senators struggle with each year.

Addabbo, Stavisky and Liu need to set aside their developer-friendly 421a sanctimony and step up, finally, for their beleaguered constitu-

ents with property tax reform legislation.

Edwin Eppich Glendale

DOT delays responders

Dear Editor:

Your Feb. 23 editorial “DOT making streets ugly” fails to mention the effect these bollards, planters and cement blocks are having on hampering emergency vehicles. A video was posted on Twitter showing how a fire truck spent five minutes trying to make a left turn on 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights and finally had to back up because it couldn’t make the turn.

Allan Rosen Brooklyn

CUNY students need aid

Dear Editor:

Re Alice Lee’s Feb. 23 letter, “Students fight for ed”:

As a Queens College alumnus (BA, 1962), I share Ms. Lee’s concern for the financial plight

LETTERSTO THE EDITOR

of CUNY students. Tuition was free for all CUNY students during my time at QC, when NYC fully funded America’s largest municipal college system. That ended in 1976 after NYC nearly went bankrupt. New York State took control of CUNY and now funds one-third of its budget. The rest comes from tuition fees and donors’ contributions.

QC students carrying 12 or more credits per semester pay $6,930 a year (QC website), a fraction of what private colleges like my graduate school alma mater (Northwestern University; MSJ, 1964) charge: $62,000 a year. The Princeton Review rated QC as one of the best U.S. colleges for education value (Sept. 8. 2021). That means QC students get a great bargain for their bucks.

Lee noted New York State’s Tuition Assistance Program as one source of financial aid. New York’s Excelsior Scholarship program is another source. It serves individuals and families earning up to $125,000 a year and has benefited over 940,000 students since it began in 2017 (ny.gov.services). Check it out. Federal student loans are also available, though that means graduating with some debt. But students also invest considerable time in their college education. My time at QC has yielded a huge return on investment over the past 61 years. I hope current students get the same benefit.

Richard Reif Kew Gardens Hills

EBT cut as prices rise

Dear Editor:

The removal of emergency benefits for EBT recipients due to end of the Covid pandemic will really be harmful. Inflation has kicked in and all food prices have gone up. Look at eggs at over $4 per dozen. The higher costs of basic groceries are permanent, and the higher allotment should be kept on.

Raymond Hackinson Ozone Park

Shrinking crime caucus

Dear Editor:

Fifteen members of the New York City Council’s Progressive Caucus voluntarily left the caucus because they refused to sign on to the provision of its Statement of Principles that says its members will do “everything we can to reduce the size and scope of the NYPD.”

However, Queens Councilmembers Tiffany Cabán, Jennifer Gutiérrez, Shekar Krishnan, Nantasha Williams and Julie Won signed the provision and remain in the caucus.

I suggest that these Council members can take immediate action to reduce the size and scope of the NYPD by declaring their districts will be “cop-free.”

When the cop-free “autonomous zone” was set up in Seattle crime rose significantly and a resident of the area said, “Every criminal in the city knows they can come into this area and they can do anything they want as long as it isn’t life-threatening, and the police won’t come in to do anything about it.”

In November, after seeing the outcomes of these zones in New York City, the voters in the districts can cause their Council members to involuntarily leave the caucus by electing their replacements. That is, if the district citizens are

not afraid to leave their homes to vote because criminals have overtaken their districts.

The citation of crime increasing significantly is at bit.ly/41BjajK and the quote is footnote No. 143 at bit.ly/3SFzuMk.

David Soukup Sunnyside

Station desolation

Dear Editor:

Something is missing from the Long Island Rail Road East Side Access to Grand Central Madison. There is only one waiting room, which only has 29 seats, plus seven stools for Wi-Fi connections. There are no benches on platforms, the mezzanine or the Madison concourse to sit on while waiting for your train.

When it comes to disposal of newspapers, beverage containers, garbage or other waste, there do not appear to be any options for recycling. Are riders supposed to carry all of this to street level before being able to throw it out? Many enjoy visiting a newsstand to purchase a paper or periodical. I didn’t see any potential newsstands or newspaper vending machines.

No retail space has opened to date. How much lost revenue will be incurred until all retail space is occupied? Ten years after the original planned completion date of 2013, as promised in the 2006 Federal Transit Administration $6.3 billion Capital Investment Grant Full Funding Grant Agreement (which capped the federal share at $2.6 billion), and $5 billion over budget, not including $1 billion more for the cost of financing for a total of $12.6 billion, LIRR commuters deserve better.

Larry Penner Great Neck, LI

The writer is a transportation historian, advocate and writer who served for 31 years in the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration Region 2 New York Office, working on grant funding for more than 30 agencies.

GOP lies much more

Dear Editor:

Edward Riecks’ Feb. 9 letter “Democrats lie, too” claimed that Democrats don’t say anything when a member of their party lies. Maybe it’s because Democrats tell few lies when compared to Republicans. Mr. Riecks cited only 5 isolated examples of Democratic lies. There is no comparison to the lies told by my Congressman George Santos, who lied about every aspect of his life to get elected. Now no one believes a single word Santos says and Mitt Romney, a Republican, told him he doesn’t belong in Congress.

One person Mr. Riecks neglected to mention, however, is Donald Trump, the biggest liar of them all. According to the Washington Post Fact Checking Team, Trump told 30,573 documented lies during his presidency. This doesn’t include the lies told before he was elected and those told since he failed to be re-elected.

In addition, a large number of Republican politicians are election deniers who claim Joe Biden lost. Mr. Riecks says politicians must be held to a high standard and the number of lies doesn’t matter. It most certainly does matter, Mr. Riecks. It most certainly does.

Linda Imhauser

Suspect sought in shooting at hotspot

by Deirdre Bardolf Editor

Police are seeking the public’s help identifying a man they say is connected to a homicide last year outside of Blend Lounge in South Richmond Hill.

The NYPD on Monday released video, which can be seen at qchron.com, of the suspect, who allegedly shot and killed a 23-year-old man and injured a 27-year-old man in the early hours of Monday, Oct. 17, following a dispute inside the club. Nicholas Mahabir of St. Albans was later identified as the deceased.

The suspect was described as having a light-to-medium complexion, at approximately 5 feet, 9 inches tall and weighing 170 pounds. He was last seen in a yellow T-shirt, jeans and sneakers.

Forest Hills dog owner charged with cruelty

send a letter to the State Liquor Authority to have the spot’s liquor license revoked.

At last month’s meeting, resident Juliet Ganpat requested a “complete investigation” into a past incident in which she says the board recommended in favor of the spot’s license despite ongoing issues but did not include the move on the monthly agenda. Chair Sherry Algredo and Public Safety Committee Co-chair Maharani Singh promised that would be addressed.

Police are seeking this man for a shooting last year.

The notorious club has been the focus of continuous community opposition.

A month after the shooting, residents attended the Community Board 9 meeting to voice their concerns. The board voted to

Job searches don’t have to be

The Queens Borough President’s Office said last week that it is aware of the complaint. Board member Latchman Budhai owns the building that Blend is in, according to records.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 577-TIPS (8477), or, for Spanish, 1 (888) 57-PISTA (74782).

Tips can also be submitted at nypdcrimestoppers.com, or by texting 274637 (CRIMES) and then entering TIP577, or by going to @nypdtips on Twitter. All tips are strictly confidential. Q

by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor

A Forest Hills man was charged with aggravated cruelty to animals for allegedly inflicting repeated serious injuries on a 10-week-old Boston terrier puppy.

A press release from the office of Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said Paul Verite’s puppy, named Espy, could no longer walk or stand at the point she was euthanized.

“To see a trusting, defenseless creature brutalized the way this puppy was over the course of her short, tortured life makes you heartsick,” Katz said in a press release on Monday. “The defendant will be held to account for the violence he is alleged to have inflicted upon this poor animal.”

Verite could face up to two years in prison.

According to the charges, on multiple occasions in September, October and November, Verite took Espy to Austin Veterinary Care and Blue Pearl Animal Hospital. Each time, she required treatment for a variety of unexplained and suspicious injuries, which included sus-

Public safety

continued from page 2

hand with them.”

An educational approach is taken, he said, to connect shops with the Office of Cannabis Management, illegal products are seized and corrective actions are taken. There are only three shops licensed to legally sell marijuana so far in the city but every day more illicit spots pop up, Miranda noted, encouraging the public to keep reporting them. Many market to kids with knockoffs of the brand names youngsters might typically buy.

The Chronicle reported in mid-February that, according to a law enforcement source, there are 225 illegal shops now in Queens.

“The calls are coming into the office — and it’s the hottest topic,” Community Board 6 District Manager Frank Gulluscio later said at the board’s monthly meeting.

Miranda said the task force is focusing on locations where there have been reports of children overdosing or people getting sick from the products as well as those near schools and houses of worship, then taking into account community complaints.

The first question from the public was about NYPD plans for school safety, which Sewell addressed. The department is in regular communication with the city Department of Education, Schools Chancellor David Banks and the 4,000 school safety agents in the city, she said.

Part of what Sewell described as a “wrap-

pected traumatic brain injury, head contusion and bruising suspected to be from blunt force trauma.

During Espy’s final medical visit, a veterinarian at Austin Veterinary Care began treating the dog for a potential seizure but observed that she was failing to respond to treatment. Suspecting the pup was suffering from a traumatic head injury, the veterinarian referred Verite to Blue Pearl Animal Hospital for emergency care.

Espy allegedly arrived at there in critical condition and was determined to be unable to stand or walk. Further examination revealed that Espy was suffering from multiple broken ribs — some in more than one place — swelling and bruising on her abdomen and scleral hemorrhaging on both eyes, She was in critical condition.

Verite opted to euthanize Espy. A necropsy was conducted by a forensic veterinarian who also reviewed prior medical records relating to the injuries the puppy had sustained during her short life. It allegedly determined the Espy suffered multiple painful injuries. Q

around blanket of safety” is the safe corridor program for those traveling to and from school including by subway, and borough and precinct commanders now meeting with superintendents and principals.

Answering a question from the press regarding the closure of Rikers Island and the transition to borough-based jails, one of which would be in Kew Gardens, Banks said, “The mayor has a concern that it’s not realistic and we’re looking into it, right. But I think that the City Council passed a law stating that we have to go to borough-based jails, right, so as [the] administration, we are looking to follow the law but we’re also looking to see ... how do we follow that law expeditiously and practical[ly] as possible?”

City Department of Correction Commissioner Louis Molina stated that the inmate population has not decreased as the prior mayoral administration anticipated.

The department has a responsibility, he said, to make sure it can hold individuals the courts determine should be in custody.

When pressed by another reporter on why Banks would be leading the public safety briefings, and how his role is different from Sewell’s, Banks, who is also the brother of the DOE chancellor, refused to answer.

Since his controversial appointment, he has not appeared much publicly.

“I’m in this role because the person who was elected mayor has the authority to appoint a deputy mayor of public safety and he believed that I should be the person in this particular role and that’s why I’m in that role,” he said. “End of story. Bottom line.” Q

PHOTO COURTESY NYPD

Mayor highlights River Fund

The River Fund in Richmond Hill, which serves up to 4,000 families per week, was paid a special visit Saturday by the mayor.

“It’s a little chilly out here but you know you got a warm heart,” Adams, at top handing out cooking oil, told River Fund Founder and CEO Swami Durga Das in a video on the mayor’s Twitter account. They are seen above right with Community Board 9 Chair Sherry Algredo.

For 30 years, the group has run poverty frontline centers and food programs that cater to seniors and people with disabilities. It start-

ed a program to provide other groups with groceries to distribute, too, said Durga Das.

“This pandemic has shed a new light on food insecurity and also the heroes that exist. One of them is the River Fund,” Algredo told the Chronicle. “Seeing the mayor coming out to show his support for River Fund was a good thing,” she added.

At bottom left, 102nd Precinct Youth Coordination Officer Justin Davis, left, and members of the NYPD Explorers program pose with Adams. — Deirdre Bardolf

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL APPLETON / MAYOR’S OFFICE, TOP, AND COURTESY SHERRY ALGREDO

An ‘existential threat’ from Albany

Many resist guv’s housing plan

by Michael Shain Chronicle Contributor

A pitched battle against Gov. Hochul’s sweeping new housing plan for New York is starting to pick up momentum in Eastern Queens.

More than 150 homeowners from widely disparate neighborhoods packed a meeting room in Douglaston last Friday for a forum that featured civic leaders vowing to stop her controversial proposal for building 800,000 new units in the state to fix the region’s chronic housing shortage.

Civic leaders from Cambria Heights, South Jamaica and Addisleigh Park spoke alongside community activists from Whitestone, Bayside and Broadway-Flushing against the plan that would allow Albany to upscale local zoning laws without local consent.

The meeting was an unusual display of unity between racially different neighborhoods in Northeast and Southeast Queens — and a warning to the governor that single-family homeowners in the city were ready to join forces with communities on Long Island and Westchester to oppose the sweeping plan.

“We moved to our communities because we wanted a certain quality of life for our families,” Bill Perkins of the Rosedale Civic Association told the forum.

“It’s not a race thing,” he said. “It’s not a where-you-live thing.”

Under the new proposal introduced last month in Albany, the state would, among other things, require every town and county in the state to build 3 percent more housing stock every three years or face fines and to rezone a half-mile radius around every MTA train and subway station in the region for greater density.

Those mandates would also include legalizing basement apartments and small, backyard houses (called accessory dwelling units or ADUs) where they are currently prohibited.

The goal of the plan is to create more affordable housing by requiring areas traditionally reserved for lowdensity, one-family homes to drop longtime restrictions against the construction of apartment houses and other multifamily dwellings.

“When I drive around Jamaica and think about it, I wonder, where are these apartment buildings going to go?” said the Rev. Charlene Thorbs, chair of Community Board 13 (who emphasized she was speaking on her own behalf and not for the board).

“We have a front yard, we have a backyard, we have a driveway,” she said.

“This is how we want our communities to stay.”

The governor’s Housing Compact has been met with hostility from the nearby suburbs of New York City, as well. Civic leaders from Nassau and Yonkers attended the event to pick up support for resisting the plan one called “worse than what you think.”

“The conversation we always hear is that ... ‘Oh, it’s affordable housing,” said Thorbs. “No, it is not,” she said. “Not when a studio is $1,700.”

In her plan released last Jan.7, Hochul said the state needs to add 800,000 new housing units over the next decade.

The proposed upscale in zoning laws would change neighborhoods overnight, according to the forum’s organizer, Paul Graziano, founder of Save 1-Family New York and a City Council candidate.

“In St. Albans, there are currently a little under 4,000 units,” in the halfmile transit station zone, he told the

forum. The proposed zoning plan would permit “close to 20,000 units” to be built, he said. “That’s similar for Rosedale and Laurelton too.”

Douglaston’s transit zone could increase from 3,000 units in the area around the station now to “a minimum of 18,000 units,” Graziano said.

“To me, this is an existential threat to our communities,” he said. “We must stop this and stop it permanently.”

“This is no longer a time to be ‘Oh, it’s those people,’” said Thorbs. “This is now the time we fight together, we move together.”

In his campaign literature, Gra-

ziano suggests the plan is the most far-reaching shift since Robert Moses, the late state-agency chief who reshaped neighborhoods in the 1950s by pushing through highways and public projects without regard for local government. One after another, speakers — including Warren Schreiber of the Queens Civic Congress, the umbrella organization of civic groups; Lynn Nacinovitch of the Broadway-Flushing Homeowners Association; Paul DiBenedetto of the Bayside Historical Society; Sean Walsh of the Douglaston Civic Association and a dozen more — complained that their mem-

ber had heard little or nothing about the plan.

“A lot of my neighbors do not know this is going on,” said Perkins. The oversubscribed meeting — some 60 people were turned away at the door for lack of space, organizers said — represented some of the first grassroots opposition to the sweeping plan that much of the city’s most influential media have already endorsed.

“Mayors and county executives in Westchester and on Long Island, where the state has poured billions of dollars into regional transit systems in recent years, have had the audacity to respond to these long overdue proposals by blustering about the importance of local control,” read an OpEd column in The New York Times last week.

Crain’s New York Business this week wrote: “Like Lyndon Johnson in the 1960s, who decided he would break Jim Crow with far-reaching civil rights legislation that his predecessors abandoned, Hochul will soon have to decide if she’s ready for the pitched battle that will put her on the right side of history.”

“Kathy Hochul Just Picked the Toughest Fight in Politics” was the headline last month on its article about the plan.

Elected officials have, in recent weeks, begun to line up against the proposal.

“There is no doubt that New York State is in need of more affordable housing,” Assemblyman Ed Braunstein (D-Bayside) said in a prepared statement issued last week.

“However, we should not be threatening localities with mandates. Instead, the state should be offering local governments incentives.”

‘These are nuanced and complicated issues that have been and should continue to be handled at the local level, with community input,” said a statement from state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Flushing). “These are not matters to be painted with a broad brush.

“Local zoning, land use and other related matters are issues for the City Council and the Mayor’s office, not the state.”

Pointedly, participants in last Friday’s forum were recruited from volunteer groups. Local officeholders were not invited to speak, Graziano said, to establish and maintain the nonpartisanship of the event.

Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman (D-Springfield Gardens) lingered briefly on the sidelines of the meeting before learning she would not be allowed to speak.

As she began to leave,

Q

she recognized a familiar constituent. “I’m opposed,” she said, before heading out.

A racially and geographically diverse forum has quality of life in common.

Longtime civic activist Warren Schreiber lists elements of Gov. Hochul’s housing proposal that he and many others object to. Behind him is Paul Graziano, the fellow activist, and City Council hopeful, who organized last Friday’s forum on the plan.

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL SHAIN

Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman, left, was not able to address the gathering, which barred speeches from elected officials, but told one attendee she opposes the governor’s plan. At center, the Rev. Charlene Thorbs confers with Graziano. At right, Douglas Manor is one area that could change if zoning laws were redone.

Public comment for flood gate plan ending

by Deirdre Bardolf Editor

The public comment period for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ tentatively selected plan that would bring storm surge gates and coastal barriers to the waters around New York and New Jersey ends on March 7 and one area flooding advocate is busy gathering letters of support.

Since the plan was released in September, Roger Gendron, president of the New Hamilton Beach Civic Association, has hand-delivered about 3,000 of his “Protect Our Community 11414 Letter[s] of Support.”

The letter states that tidal flooding, which historically occurred once or twice a year, now happens sometimes three or more times each month. It urged the USACE to keep in place, and include in any plan that moves forward, the Old Howard Beach East storm surge barriers, which would affect his community the most.

So far, he has collected over 800 letters and plans to scan and send them to the USACE by next week.

Last month, he got the agency to present on its plan at the Be FloodSmart event he

Councilman seeks concrete evidence

organized.

But he may be up against a lot.

Last week, 10 environmental groups released a joint letter opposing the plan, Alternative 3B.

“Unfortunately, this $52 billion plan will mitigate only part of our coastal storm surge risk and fails to address other serious aspects of intensified storms and sea level rise,” it read. “For these reasons we oppose the TSP as proposed, and strongly support a USACE alternative that considers local needs, more broad-range approaches to both sea level rise and storm surge occurrences as we move quickly towards continued coastal disruptions and destruction.”

Gendron said that he is preparing to counter the opposition.

“I appreciate the environment and we need to have a healthy Jamaica Bay but I also look at it a little more realistically ... you need to protect the people who live in and around Jamaica Bay,” he said.

Gendron’s letter can be found on the Protect Our Community - 11414 Facebook page.

More information on the USACE’s tentative plan and how to submit public comment can be found at bit.ly/3Ze8aXR. Q

Just about every driver, cyclist or jogger knows the feeling — caught unaware by a rough, jarring shock in the roadway that can turn an ankle, throw a bike rider, shred a car tire and dent a rim or just make them grateful than none of the aforementioned happened.

Councilman Bob Holden (D-Maspeth) has, and based on a suggestion from a constituent, got a bill passed in 2020 that required companies to place an inexpensive fitting on chutes of concrete trucks.

“It was the only bill where I never had any opposition,” he said. “Everyone loved it.”

Holden said the formations can be as small as lumps or like large, rough sheets.

“I always noticed it, and I was always asking myself, ‘What is this lump of concrete doing here?’ And it’s mostly on hills or at corners.”

A large sheet presently sits on Eliot Avenue in Maspeth in his district. He sent a letter dated Feb. 23 to city Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez asking for data on enforcement to avoid the dangerous deposits in roadways, enforcement enabled by Holden’s 2020 law.

“As you are aware, concrete mounds on city streets pose a significant danger to pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists, and chute closure devices can help prevent spillage and make our city safer for everyone,” he wrote to the commissioner

The Department of Transportation enforces the law at job sites, while the NYPD has the responsibility on streets. Q

— Michael Gannon

Councilman Bob Holden by a solid sheet of concrete in Maspeth. NYC COUNCIL PHOTO

The paratransit woes of NYC’s disabled

CM Lee says 23rd District calls MTA service ‘Stress-A-Ride’

by Naeisha Rose Associate Editor

A rally was held at the steps of City Hall last week ahead of a joint City Council hearing in response to the MTA’s delay in making paratransit improvements to Access-ARide for more than four years.

In 2018, the transit agency awarded a software company nearly $50 million to enhance its scheduling and dispatch times, but as of this year, nearly a third of the funds were allegedly spent with nothing to show for it, according to multiple reports, disability activists and lawmakers.

Earlier this year, a local law sponsored by Councilwoman Linda Lee (D-Oakland Gardens) was enacted to address the issue and requires the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities to invite the MTA, and other agencies, to develop and implement a five-year accessibility plan, to post interim progress reports on their website for circulation of public comment until March 15, 2024 and to share best practices regarding accessibility.

Lee, chairwoman of the Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities, and Addiction, told the Queens Chronicle via email that she has seen firsthand as a former social worker how unreliable paratransit is for communities in her district, which includes all of or part of Bayside Hills, Bellerose, Douglaston, Floral Park, Fresh Meadows, Glen Oaks, Hollis, Hollis Hills, Holliswood, Little Neck, New Hyde Park, Oakland Gardens and Queens Village.

“Reliable paratransit service is not just about honoring New York City’s promise of equal access for all. It’s common sense,” Lee said. “Our City is home to approximately one million people with disabilities and is also home to more older adults than public school students.”

Lee said complaints from residents about AAR have been so numerous, people have nicknamed it “Stress-A-Ride” because of its unreliability and untimely pickups and drop-offs.

“My district in Eastern Queens is also a transit desert with no rail access, forcing residents to be subjected to subpar paratransit service,” she said. “There must be better communication and oversight between the MTA and its contractors to ensure the highest quality performance ... it is my hope that we can work in conjunction with the administration, partners at the

state level and our private-sector contractors to improve the efficiency across paratransit.”

Some of the neighborhoods in her district have Long Island Rail Road service, but none have subway stations.

Chris Pangilinan, MTA vice president of paratransit, acknowledged at the joint oversight hearing for the committees on Transportation & Infrastructure and Mental Health, Disabilities, and Addiction, that there are longstanding issues with the service but said the agency is working on several initiatives to tackle the many challenges regarding AAR.

“Two weeks ago, we announced an exciting ... update[s] to the MYmta app and MY AAR website,” Pangilinan said on Feb. 24.

Revised transit applications — now accessible to all 170,000 AAR customers — provides a more userfriendly experience and intuitive experience by making it easier to find paratransit information and

president said.

“Technology and transportation capacity will be the cornerstones of making this vision a reality,” he concluded.

Jean Ryan, president of Disabled in Action of Metropolitan NY, a civil rights nonprofit committed to ending discrimination against people with disabilities, said there is nothing on-time about AAR. Instead of picking up users at the time they select or within the 30-minute grace period, drivers can take up to an hour to arrive, if they ever arrive at all.

“When you request a trip they are not allowed to deny you one,” Ryan told the Queens Chronicle. “They assign us a trip, but they don’t give us a trip or they don’t give one in a timely manner.”

The MTA boasted that it makes nearly 30,000 daily trips, but 140,000 people who are eligible to use the AAR system choose not to because it is inconsistent, according to Ryan.

begrudge anyone work, but practically speaking, if someone is asking the driver to drop them off at the curb or near an intersection or as close as possible to a building and they don’t understand you, they will leave you wherever they choose to drop you off.”

Those instances are not only frustrating for those with mobility issues but also dire for people who are blind or have low vision, the DIA president emphasized.

People who have visual disabilities are also left at the sidewalk with no assistance toward the entrance of an address because of the language barrier, according to Ryan. There have also been instances when drivers were across the street from the pickup spot and asked customers via phone to meet them.

“They don’t know where they are,” she said.

ting surgery for, I have epilepsy and I have a mental disability,” Kelly told the Chronicle. “I’ve had instances where Access-A-Ride came an hour late, or sometimes didn’t show at all, but said that I was a no-show while my niece is standing outside waiting with me.”

Kelly, who has trouble seeing anything far away, said drivers are inconsistent in helping her get to the entrance of a building.

“Sometimes they are helpful, and sometimes they just leave you sitting in the car,” Kelly said.

Other times she arrived late to different locations because the drivers used the longest possible route, sometimes taking three hours to get somewhere that should take less than an hour.

track trips. In addition, the apps include banner alerts and notifications about canceled trips and are now more screen-reader friendly, which increases usability for customers who are blind or have low vision, Pangilinan specified.

“These enhancements respond specifically to feedback from customers using the app and are designed to allow the MTA to greatly scale up usage across the AAR customer base,” Pangilinan added. “What was even more exciting is that we were able to do this using in-house MTA IT resources.”

By September, the agency intends to tighten its on-time performance window from 30 minutes to a more customer-friendly 20 minutes to reflect the needs of our most active riders, the paratransit vice

A friend of Ryan’s who requested four trips within the past two weeks from the system was not picked up three separate times and was dropped off at the wrong address on the last trip.

“They have the address written down,” Ryan said. “She had to send them a receipt to get reimbursed after the fact.”

Along with utilizing drivers who use the blue-and-white AAR vans, which come with wheelchair accessibility, cars and taxis to pick up users, the MTA also uses for-hire vehicles to help the disabled get to their destinations, Ryan added.

“Some of the third-party brokers, or rideshare drivers, do not have the strongest command of English,” said Ryan, who struggles walking and has to use a wheelchair. “I don’t

Ryan says she is wary of the MTA. She was on a committee that asked the agency about the progress of its new $50 million paratransit system, but all of her inquiries were dismissed.

“Every time we asked a question they said, ‘Things are going to be better in the future,’” said the wheelchair user. “How many times can you say that and still have credibility?”

There have been too many failures for Ryan to count.

“What they are lacking is being nimble and solving problems as they come up,” she added. “I know more people who use Access-ARide than the average person, and when almost all the users are having problems, then something is really wrong.”

Iris Kelly, a Brooklynite who works in Jamaica as a clerk, shares Ryan’s sentiments.

“I’m legally blind, which I’m get-

Her biggest problem is the new app from the MTA, which has caps on how many rides people can get daily, and the inaccurate times as to when drivers will arrive. She said she misses the original app, which existed before the pandemic.

“This new one is a horror,” Kelly added. “The old one gave you more information and you could see on the map where they were.”

Kelly hopes that there will be adequate on-demand service and more drivers.

Currently, she subscribes to get picked up from her home at 6:30 a.m. every weekday, but sometimes she is allowed to leave work early.

Unfortunately, with the current system under which you have to request service 24 to 48 hours in advance, she can’t make adjustments for when she needs to be picked up at different times.

“People need to be able to pick and choose when they are ready to go and they need more drivers, what they have is not enough,” the AAR user said. Q

Elected officials and disabled transit activists want better Access-A-Ride service. For years people have had issues with late pickups, excessively long routes and a lack of assistance for the blind. FILE PHOTO

Iris Kelly is legally blind and says that she needs consistent AAR service to travel to Jamaica for work.

COURTESY PHOTO

Money management tips for retirees

What constitutes a perfect retirement is different for everyone. Some people may imagine spending their golden years fishing their days away, while others may aspire to finally embrace their inner globe-trotter. Though individuals’ retirement dreams differ, every retiree will need money, which only underscores the importance of a wise and disciplined approach to money management.

Average life expectancies have risen considerably over the last several decades. According to estimates from the United Nations Population Division, the average life expectancy in Canada for both sexes is just under 83 years, while it’s slightly more than 79 in the United States. Those figures are a welcome sign, but they may inspire a little fear among seniors who are concerned that they might outlive their money. No one knows how long they will live, but everyone can embrace a handful of money management strategies to increase the chances that they won’t feel a financial pinch in retirement.

• Find out the tax implications retirement accounts withdrawals. Every retirement investment vehicle, whether it’s an IRA or a 401(k), has tax implications. Money withdrawn too early may incur tax penalties, and even money withdrawn long past retirement age could elevate retirees into a new tax bracket that could prove costly. A financial advisor can help retirees determine the tax implications of withdrawing money from their retirement accounts and may even develop a detailed guideline of when withdrawals should be made and how much should be withdrawn in a given year in order to minimize tax liabilities.

• Prioritize your own needs. Though retirees, particularly those with children and grandchildren, may feel an obligation to help their families in difficult financial times, generosity can be very costly for adults who have stopped working. Retirees may or may not have opportunities to generate new income, and even those who do likely won’t make enough to

meet their daily financial needs. Given that reality, retirees must prioritize their own financial needs, including their immediate needs and those they will have for the rest of their lives. Though it might be difficult to turn down loved ones’ requests for financial help, retirees must make sure they can pay their bills and maintain a quality of life that won’t jeopardize their long-term health.

• Examine your housing situation. Equity in a home is a feather in the cap of many retirees. Retirees who own their homes and live in locations with high property taxes might be able to cash in on their equity by selling their homes and downsizing to a smaller home with lower property taxes. If moving is not a consideration, discuss a reverse mortgage with a financial advisor. A trusted financial advisor can highlight the advantages and disadvantages of reverse mortgages, which are a great option for some people to improve their financial well-being in retirement.

• Stick to a budget during retirement. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that roughly 70 percent of individuals who turn 65 will need long-term care in their lifetimes. That’s just one expense retirees must budget for, and it’s more sizable than some people may recognize. In fact, the Fidelity Retiree Health Care Cost Estimate found that the average retired couple age 65 in 2022 will need roughly $315,000 to cover healthcare expenses in retirement. And healthcare costs are just one of many expenses retirees can expect to have. Budgeting and avoiding overspending can ensure retirees have the money they need when they need it.

No one wants to outlive their money in retirement. Various strategies can help retirees effectively manage their money so they can enjoy their golden years without having to worry about their finances. P

— Metro Creative Connection

Everyone can embrace help with money management strategies to increase the chances tha t they won’t feel a financial pinch in retirement.

Social Security celebrates Women’s History Month

by Nilsa Henriquez

March is Women’s History

Month. It is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the achievements of women. Social Security provides vital benefits and financial protection for women.

Nearly 55 percent of the people receiving Social Security benefits are women. Today, more women work, pay Social Security taxes, and earn credit toward monthly retirement income than at any other time in our nation’s history.

Women also have longer average life expectancies than men and tend to live more years in

retirement. This means women have a greater chance of exhausting other sources of income. It’s important for women to plan early and wisely for retirement.

Our online booklet, “Social Security: What Every Woman Should Know” found at ssa.gov/pubs/ EN-05-10127.pdf, provides detailed information about how life events can affect a woman’s Social Security retirement benefits. These events may include marriage, death of a spouse, divorce, self-employment and other life or career changes.

Your earnings history will determine future benefits, so we encourage you to verify that the information in your record is correct. You can create a personal “my Social Security” account at ssa.gov/myaccount to review your

Stay healthy and independent in a local senior nutrition program

full earnings history. You can also view your Social Security Statement using your personal “my Social Security” account, to get estimates of future benefits and other important planning information. If you find an error in your earnings record, it is important to get it corrected so you receive the benefits you earned when you retire. Our publication, How to Correct Your Social Security Earnings Record at ssa.gov/ pubs/EN-05-10081.pdf, provides you with details on how to make a correction.

Learn about how Social Security benefits women at ssa.gov/people/ women. Please share this information with your loved ones. P

Nilsa Henriquez is a Social Security Public Affairs Specialist located in Queens.

Are you eligible for Social Security retirement benefits or already receiving them? Did you know that you can also receive healthy meals and other nutrition services through the National Senior Nutrition Program? Local meal programs in communities across the country are waiting to serve you.

As we age, we have different needs, different ways we take care of our health, and different nutrients we need to get from our food. But we don’t always have enough healthy food or the desire to prepare or eat a meal. Whether you need more food, healthier food, someone to share a meal with, or just want to learn about good eating habits, a meal program can help.

Every day, local senior nutrition programs serve almost one million meals to people age 60 and older. With home-delivered and group meal options, you can get the food you need in a way that works best for you. It can help you avoid missed meals – and save you time and money with less shopping and cooking.

Local programs serve up more than food — they offer opportunities to connect and socialize. We know this improves

both your mental and physical health. The programs can also teach you how to create a healthy eating plan. You can learn about healthy food recommendations based on your age, unique needs and preferences.

A senior nutrition program can also connect you with other resources like transportation or homemaker services. This helps you stay connected and engaged in your community.

It’s no surprise that 9 out of 10 participants say they would recommend a senior nutrition program to a friend. We know these services help create healthy, strong communities where everyone can thrive at any age.

Find a senior nutrition program in your area and help us spread the word about this program by sharing it with your loved ones, neighbors and community. Visit eldercare.acl.gov/Public/Index.aspx for more information.

The National Senior Nutrition Program is administered by the Administration for Community Living, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

— Nilsa Henriquez

Nilsa Henriquez

Hip-hop will continue to grow: Chuck D

by Naeisha Rose Associate Editor

In recognition of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary, the Central Library in Jamaica held a discussion on Monday on the musical genre featuring Carlton Douglas “Chuck D” Ridenhour, the front man of the rap group Public Enemy, and hosted by Ralph “Uncle Ralph” McDaniels, the Queens Public Library’s hip-hop coordinator.

Throughout the forum, Chuck D conversed about how hip-hop, a genre many in mainstream media didn’t think would last long, is now an international sensation.

“There are 54 African countries and Africa is a gigantic continent,” Chuck D said during the discussion. “People there speak seven, eight different languages and [hip-hop] has been there for like over 25 years.”

Not only has hip-hop made its mark across the world, but it has also birthed new genres like Afrobeats, which includes a fusion of it as well as dancehall music, soca, Afroswing and a combination of other Nigerian and Ghanaian musical styles.

Chuck D told the Chronicle that hip-hop turning 50 meant a lot to him.

“I followed it right throughout all my life and Queens was a very key point,” he said. “It is where we got our records and were we got our style — Jamaica Avenue.”

The rap star said Jamaica, Queens, was the hotspot for a lot of early hip-hop parties that he attended and where he learned about Hollis’ very own Run-DMC’s first record.

“The Encore used to be over there,” he added, pointing to the library’s child center.

The Encore club, formerly located

at 89-25 Merrick Blvd., was the place to be for not only hip-hop acts like Run-DMC, Roxanne Shanté and 50 Cent, but also where legendary artists like Grand Master Flash & The Furious Five performed, according to Rockthebells.com, a hip-hop outlet founded by LL Cool J.

During the forum, Chuck D also discussed his PBS docuseries, “Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World.”

The series touches on hip-hop’s political influence over the last 50 years and all four episodes are available at pbs.org.

Dressed to impress with gold door-knocker earrings and a matching chain-link necklace — hip-hop fashion staples of the 80s and 90s — St. Albans resident Susan Van Brackle was proud to celebrate the golden milestone of the genre and to show off her Chuck D-signed copy of the “Smithsonian Anthology of Hip Hop and Rap,” a multimedia collection that chronicles the rise of the musical style.

“I’m here for Chuck D and Uncle Ralph,” Van Brackle told the Chronicle. “I’ve been a fan of hip-hop since they have been in hip-hop.”

Her favorite Public Enemy song is “Don’t Believe the Hype.”

“It was a song of the moment and captured a sense of the people at that time,” Van Brackle said. “It’s timeless.”

Van Brackle said hip-hop is not a fluke.

“It is in fashion, beauty, music — everything,” she added. “It’s just here.”

Luis Monge, 21, a Woodside journalism major, came to the event for a school assignment and was

excited to cover it.

Monge wasn’t familiar with Public Enemy, but said he immersed himself in the discussion and is planning on listening to their music.

“I liked his message on spreading love and not hate,” Monge said.

Hip-hop is such a young genre but will go on for many generations, Monge added.

“I see it going to more places around the world,” he said.

Deb James, 68, a St. Albans resident who came to the event with her friend Pamela Lewis, said the beats and the lyrics of the genre were what grabbed her when she was younger.

“I lived it,” James told the Chronicle. “I didn’t think it would last this long — 50. That is almost as old as me!”

James was excited to hear Chuck D’s story because she believes that he helped to make the music mainstream.

“I love his vibe and energy,” added the budding writer and retired DOE teacher.

Lewis, a St. Albans resident who didn’t initially like hip-hop when it came out, has since grown to love the genre and is a fan of Public Enemy’s hit song “Fight the Power.”

“It’s a powerful medium and it is evolving,” said Lewis, who grew up on more soul music.

McDaniels, co-creator of “Video Music Box,” a hip-hop music video program, said the genre is still young — like him.

“Hip-hop keeps us young,” McDaniels told the Chronicle. “It gives us the opportunity to teach young people and to build and have

conversations like this with the community.”

The music is just one part of hiphop culture, McDaniels added.

“There are the b-boys, the b-girls, the graffiti artists, the writers and the emcees,” he said. “It’s swag. It’s culture.”

Ralph “King Uprock” Casanova, 60, a lifelong break boy, agreed.

“I helped to bring break dancing back in New York City in the late 1990s, early 2000s before it became big again,” Casanova told the Chronicle. Now he gives back to the community by teaching breaking to kids for free.

He also teaches youths worldwide about breaking, bringing it to South America, Australia, Asia and Europe.

“I’ve been to Russia and China; they don’t have Social Security there, people work until they die,” said Casanova, who wants to create a break dancing Olympics competition. “If breaking can help them represent their country, maybe they can use it as a way for their country to take care of them.”

While rappers and deejays get the attention now, most people were hooked by the culture via the graffiti artwork and break dances, he added.

“If it wasn’t for the graffiti artists and the b-boy, hip-hop would never have been picked up,” he said.

To learn more about break dancing from Casanova, people can reach him at kinguprock@yahoo.com.

Bernard “DJ Casino” Fields was happy to see hip-hop celebrated and to support Chuck D.

“I’ve known him since the ’70s,”

Fields said to the Chronicle. “It’s a great thing to see hip-hop be in its 50th year ... We’ve watched it from the ground up.”

Fields sees artificial intelligence taking over the genre and making beats, but believes artists will still be there with the lyrics.

“There is going to be more electronics used in the genre,” he said. “Before, you had to carry record players, but now you have the technology that can do everything.”

As for new artists, he follows Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion.

“They are doing their own thing in their own way,” he added. “I believe if you are pleasing across the world with the music, it’s the same thing as when we were pleasing people while we were performing in the park back in the day.”

Keith “Wizard K-Jee” Shocklee, reminisced about Chuck D putting his hands on his records, making him mad.

“He was my first real emcee,” Shocklee said to the Chronicle. “Before Eddie Murphy and ‘Party All the Time.’ We all grew up together.”

Shocklee was childhood friends with Murphy, Chuck D and William Jonathan “Flavor Flav” Drayton Jr., Public Enemy’s hype man.

“We knew each other through the Roosevelt Youth Center,” Shocklee said about growing up in the ’70s. “We were doing this for fun in the streets and then it just turned into making records. It’s a great thing. It wasn’t supposed to be here this long ... now it’s in college courses. It’s international.” Q

The culture is international, say genre’s pioneers in Jamaica

Carlton Douglas “Chuck D” Ridenhour, left, discussed hip-hop’s worldwide appeal during a forum on the genre’s 50th anniversary in Jamaica with the Queens Public Library’s hip-hop coordinator, Ralph McDaniels.

PHOTOS BY NAEISHA ROSE

Susan Van Brackle of St. Albans wore gold door-knocker earrings and a gold chain-link necklace, fashion staples of hip-hop in the 1980s and 1990s.

ARTS, CULTURE & LIVING

Secret Theatre’s short play contest wants your vote

Speed rating

by Micichahael el Gan a noon

Even after he successfully brought The Secret Theatre back from pandemic-caused near-extinction, founder Richard Mazda knew that the independent theater community and general public in Queens were crying out for each other’s support.

He believes the theater company has found what both are looking for in the ongoing Queens Short Play Festival, a competition involving 150 plays that takes place through March 25.

About 150 one-act productions have been grouped into heats of seven or eight. At each performance since opening on Feb. 21, the audience members see all the plays in one group and vote on their favorites.

Eight points for the best, down to one or two for the least. The top two in each group after four performances advance to the next round and then the next — until the best play, director and actors are recognized at the grand finale on March 25.

With his theater now located in Woodside, Mazda said one-act play festivals go back to the group’s Long Island City days before he had to shut down in 2020.

“The reason we do one-act festivals is this — you will get to see in one of our festivals about 50 plays or more from many, many directors and actors,” Mazda said. “I would not be capable of seeing them all work outside of this format ...

“Directors get an opportunity to work on a small piece, maybe prove themselves. Somebody else, maybe they’re just getting started.”

As for actors, Mazda said one-act festivals can give opportunity and exposure to performers who traditionally might not get leading roles.

“Actors who haven’t been given a chance, who may have been in a play and had only 10 lines or 15 lines all of a sudden can be a lead actor in a play,” he explained. “The format means I can see the work of what, 150 actors or more?”

Mazda has worked with many actors and directors he first met through festivals.

continued on page 23

King Crossword Puzzle

I HAVE OFTEN WALKED

No lie: George Santos lived in Sunnyside as a child

by Ron Marzlock Chronicle Contributor

George Anthony Devolder Santos was born on June 22, 1988. His mother, Fatima Devolder, who was born in Brazil, immigrated to Florida as a migrant worker in 1985 to pick beans. She then moved north to New York City to work as a cook, housekeeper and nanny. She met Gercino Antonio dos Santos Jr., known by all as “Junior,” who worked as a house painter. After the birth of their son a daughter followed, named Tiffany Lee Santos.

According to ancestry.com they made their home in the beautiful Phipps Garden Apartments, a 472-unit, six-story building at 51-01 39 Ave. in Sunnyside.

George went to PS 122 in Astoria and later IS 125 in Woodside, where he endured bullying. He never graduated any high school but later was awarded a GED, an equivalency diploma.

He moved to Brazil with his mother in 2008 and competed in Brazilian drag queen pageants under the name Kitara Ravache. He returned to New York in 2011 and got a job as a customer service representative for Dish

Network TV in College Point .

In August 2012 he married Uadla Santos Vieira. He bounced around until 2018 when he was getting serious about running for political office. Friends today claim it was his passion to be a U.S. congressman. He ran in 2020 and was defeated and ran again 2022 and was successful. It was only after he won that it was revealed his credentials and background were all lies. When this all eventually comes to a head, get ready for a TV movie on his life. Q

The childhood home of Congressman George Santos at 51-01 39 Ave. in Sunnyside, as it looks today. GOOGLE MAPS IMAGE; INSET COURTESY U.S. HOUSE

Book spotlights famous folks who hail from here

by Deirdre Bardolf editor

Queens has been home to many notable figures over the centuries, from music greats like Louis Armstrong, Cyndi Lauper and Simon and Garfunkel to media moguls like Al Roker and Gwen Ifill to political powerhouses like Nancy Reagan, Justice Antonin Scalia and Founding Father Rufus King. Streets and buildings honor many of the greats but there are countless hidden figures who made history after coming from every corner of the World’s Borough.

In the new book “Famous People of Queens,” borough aficionado Rob MacKay compiles hundreds of Queens overachievers from the worlds of acting, business, music, politics, science, sports and religion. A special chapter is dedicated to fallen war heroes and social justice activists.

MacKay said he’s always the person to point out if it’s a Queens native in a movie or playing in a basketball game.

“I’ve always just been really proud of Queens,” said Mackay, who lives in Sunnyside and runs public relations, marketing and tourism for the Queens Economic Development Corp.

“I just love the fact that people that make it famous or that do well come from Queens,” he told the Chronicle. “They

make me proud, too.”

Therefore, he says, he was always “destined” to write this book, which was printed on Feb. 6 by Arcadia Publishing.

The book, which took him countless weekends of research, features over 200 images accompanied by informative captions. Many of the shots are gems, from archives like the Library of Congress, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and even the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library.

What do biochemist Marie Daly, left, “The Simpsons” voice actor Hank Azaria, actress Bernadette Peters and designer Donna Karan have in common? They all grew up here and are featured in the new book “Famous People of Queens” by Rob MacKay.

PHOTOS COURTESY

The book isn’t just Queens history but U.S. history as well. MacKay sought to include human-interest stories throughout.

Among those included is biochemist Marie Daly, the first African American to receive a doctorate from Columbia University and the first African-American woman in the United States to earn one in chemistry, which she did in 1947.

Daly was born in Corona, and before Columbia received her bachelor’s degree from Queens College. Her life’s work included research on digestion, cholesterol, protein synthesis and smoking.

About the same time, Jonas Salk was studying polio, for which he later developed the first successful vaccine.

Salk’s family lived for a time in Arverne, and he attended Townsend Harris High School and became a doctor by 25.

Aside from musicians, athletes, TV stars and business people, a chapter is dedicated to local heroes including childhood friends Thomas Noonan of Sunnyside and Robert O’Malley of Woodside.

Noonan enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve and was killed dragging wounded soldiers to safety during the Vietnam War.

O’Malley was a U.S. Marine Corps sergeant in Vietnam. In a dramatic wartime action, he jumped into a trench, attacked the Viet Cong with a rifle and grenades, and killed eight of them. Despite being wounded, he led his squad to help another unit suffering many casualties.

Both men received Congressional Medals of Honor and Purple Hearts.

MacKay marveled at how two men from the same ZIP code were awarded Congressional Medals of Honor.

Queens has among the greatest number of veterans in New York, and Woodside is said to have had the most casualties during Vietnam of any place in the country.

“I got emotional,” said MacKay. “I teared up writing about some of these people’s lives.”

He will be presenting the book on March 3 with the Richmond Hill Historical Society and on March 14 at Astoria Bookshop.

“Famous People of Queens” is available at arcadiapublishing.com for $23.99. Q

Short plays long on entertainment at Secret Theatre

continued from page 21

Brian Leahy Doyle, the curator of the festival, spent nearly six weeks reading more than 170 scripts. He found a treasure trove of comedy, drama and nontraditional works.

“I was looking for plays that interested me,” Doyle said. “Plays that were not run of the mill, but also speak to the human experience. Something that was really interesting or different. Something that was funny or touching or entertaining.

Crossword Answers

“If I found myself laughing out loud while I was reading I said, ‘OK, let’s go with this one.’”

“We just have some totally talented writers, directors and actors,” he said.

Tickets are on sale for $23 online ($15 for kids) at secrettheatre.com (click on “Shows”) or $25 at the box office.

Mazda said he hopes this can be a boost to an arts community that remains devastated by the effects of the pandemic.

After shutting down his Long Island City theater in 2020, Mazda knew he wanted to bring it back. He succeeded, setting up in a new building at 38-02 61 St., a stone’s throw from the mass transit complex topped by the Long Island Rail Road’s Woodside station.

The group was back in business by September 2021, hosting a production of “Into the Woods.” And he said other theater companies were not as fortunate.

“I think we’re fighting to get back to prepandemic levels,” Mazda said. “And not just in terms of audience. There’s a lack of theater companies. There’s a lack of productions.” He said many talented backstage craftsmen and technicians have even moved

out of the area to pursue their careers.

Mazda said the eight-play format and the voting system are audience-friendly.

“If I come to see your play and I’m your friend, I’m going to give you an eight,” Mazda said. “But then I still have seven points to award. Then six, then five. Over

the course of several shows that levels the playing field ... And let’s say you come to see my production of The Scottish Play, you might say ‘It’s all right.’ But with eight plays, even if you don’t like one or two of them, you’re more than likely to see something you enjoy.” Q

ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY ARCHIVE CENTER, LEFT; ALAMY; AND, INSET, ARCADIA PUBLISHING

“Best Medium,” above, is one of about 150

one-act

plays in The Secret Theatre’s ongoing Queens Short Play Festival. On the cover: A scene from Queens playwright Megan Meehan’s “Star and Guardian.”

PHOTOS COURTESY SECRET THEATRE

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More Than Ever! Free Vehicle Pick Up ANYWHERE. We accept Most Vehicles Running or Not. 100% Tax Deductible. Minimal to No Human Contact. Call: (877) 798-9474. Car Donation Foundation d/b/a/ Wheels For Wishes. www.wheelsforwishes.org

Legal Notices

4 SOUTH RESTORATION LLC.

Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 01/26/23. Office: 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.

Notice of Formation of 42-06 FLUSHING LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 10/06/2022. Office 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.

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 Office 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 filed 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 is hereby given that an on-premises license, #1346815 has been applied for by V Show Inc d/b/a V Show to sell beer, wine, cider and liquor at retail in a Night Club. For on-premises consumption under the ABC Law at 31-01 aka 31-25 Downing Street, 2nd Floor Flushing, NY 11354.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT QUEENS COUNTY MOREQUITY, INC., Plaintiff against CENTENNIAL INSURANCE COMPANY, et al Defendant(s) Attorney for Plaintiff(s) Knuckles, Komosinski & Manfro, LLP, 565 Taxter Road, Suite 590, Elmsford, NY 10523. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered January 29, 2018, I will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at steps of Queens County Supreme Court, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11435 on March 31, 2023 at 12:45 PM. Premises known as 158-11 96th Street, Howard Beach, NY 11414. Block 14166 Lot 55. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough and County of Queens, City and State of New York. Approximate Amount of Judgment is $356,888.84 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No 705317/2021 f/k/a 12717/2009. Cash will not be accepted at the sale. The foreclosure sale will be conducted in accordance with 11th Judicial District’s Covid-19 Policies and foreclosure auction rules. The Referee shall enforce any rules in place regarding facial coverings and social distancing. Referee will only accept a certified bank check made payable to the referee. Autrey Glen Johnson, Esq., Referee 2296-002975

46-04 VERNON BOULEVARD, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 01/19/23. Office: 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. filed with the SSNY on 01/30/23. Office: 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.

STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT FRANKLIN UNIT FAMILY DIVISION DOCKET NO. 21-JV1405

In re: N.S. NOTICE OF HEARING TO: Danielle Sprano Raghoonanan, mother of N.S. (dob 01/18/2008), you are hereby notified that a hearing to consider the establishment of a permanent guardianship for your child, N.S., will be held on March 29, 2023 at 10:30 a.m. at the Vermont Franklin Superior Court, 36 Lake Street, St. Albans, Vermont. You are notified to appear at this hearing. Your failure to appear and defend will result in a judgment being entered against you and the permanent guardianship established. Other parties to this case are the child N.S., her guardian ad litem, N.S.’s father and the Vermont Department for Children and Families. DCF is represented by the Attorney General’s Office, 280 State Drive-HC2N, Waterbury, Vermont 056712080. Martin Maley, Franklin Superior Court Judge

Notice of Formation of ACTIVE LINK LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 01/31/2023. Office 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 filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 01/21/2023.

Office 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.

BIGGIE’S JEWELRY LLC

Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 1/16/23. Office in Queens Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to Alex Musheyev 26104B Langston Ave., Glen Oaks, NY 11004.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

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, $2,150/mo. Eat-in kit, tile fls. Tenant pays heat, gas & electric. Avail NOW. Call Stellina Napolitano 646-372-7145. 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

Ridgewood, 1824 Summerfield St, #2. 2 BR/1 bath, $2,775/mo. HWF, windows in every room, lg BRs, EIK, closet space. Heat & hot water inc. Pets OK. Avail Now. Call Michael Bifalco, 917-704-5147. Capri Jet Realty

Houses For Sale

Ozone Park, Cross Bay Blvd. Can be used for Commercial Use! Residential 1 fam, 2BRs, 2 baths, full finished bsmnt. Asking $650K. Connexion Real Estate, 718-845-1136

Open House

Howard Beach/Lindenwood / Fairfield Arms, Sat 3/4 & Sun 3/5, 2-4pm, 151-20 88 St. (High-Rise) Unit 4C. Agent Pam will be on the lobby. Lg 2 BR, 2 baths. 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

Store For Rent

Howard Beach/Cross Bay Blvd. 1,200 sq ft, $5,000/mo, property taxes incl. Connexion Real Estate, 718-845-1136

Office For Rent

Howard Beach/Rockwood Park, off Cross Bay Blvd. 6 exam rms, pvt waiting rm & pvt bathroom. 1,350 sq ft. $5,500/mo incls current taxes. Connexion Real Estate, 718-845-1136

Legal Notices Legal Notices

Seeking information about the SCHARFF & CRICHTON families

Seeking family information regarding the ancestry of the late William “Billy” Scharff who died in 2019. His grandparents were William Scharff & Frieda Scharff nee Bellmund and Robert Crichton & Elizabeth Crichton nee Dunn. If you have any information about the following relatives kindly contact me;

William K. Scharff was born in Germany in 1886 and Frieda Bellmund was born in Germany in 1889. They married in NYC in 1910 and had 10 (Scharff) children: Otto (1911-1914), William (1915-1990) married Christina Crichton and they had one son William “Billy” Scharff, Charles (1916-1938), Henry (1919-1977), Catherine (1921-2011) married Aldo Rostan and had 2 children, Alice married Ernest Faber (1922-2011) and had one son, Louise (1924-1924), Gertrude (1925-2009) married John McGuire and they had one daughter, Arthur (1927-1993) and Marion (1928-1967) married Anthony Santucci and had 4 children.

Robert Crichton married Elizabeth Dunn in Dundee Scotland in 1905. They had three (Crichton) children: Florence Sharkey (1905-2006) married James Sharkey, Charles V. Crichton (1907-1957) married Margaret Bracken and they had 4 children: Joan Archer, Arlene Kopor, Patricia Consandine and Maureen Ruczay and, Christina Scharff (1919-1991) who married William Scharff and had one son William “Billy” Scharff.

Any information about these Scharff and Crichton ancestors and/ or their issue would be appreciated as this is regarding a kinship matter. Kindly contact me at:

Johan Boakes (941) 203-6200 jboakes@globalshareholders.com

To Advertise Call 718-205-8000

Legal Notices Legal Notices Legal Notices

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.

BULLY DRIVELINE PARTS LLC.

Arts. of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 09/23/22. 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, c/o Joseph, Terracciano & Lynam, LLP, 2 Roosevelt Avenue, Suite 200, Syosset, NY 11791. Purpose: 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 EAT ME NYC JEWELRY LLC Arts. of Org. fi led with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/13/23. Offi ce location: Queens County. Princ. offi ce of LLC: 33-46 160th St., Flushing, NY 11358. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Sara Klimavicius, Attn: Sara Klimavicius at the princ. offi ce of the LLC. Purpose: Designing, carving, casting, manufacture, sale and distribution of jewelry.

Notice of Formation of GLOBALPRIMEENTERPRISESLLC

Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 01/19/2023. 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: RAMON CANDO, 87-30 JUSTICE AVENUE, APT 6G, ELMHURST, NY 11373.

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 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.

QML Meters LLC, Arts of Org. fi led with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 1/24/2023. Cty: Queens. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to Queens Medallion Leasing, 21-03 44th Ave., Long Island City, NY 11101. General Purpose

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.

Vidya & Keran Khedna Housing LLC, Arts of Org. fi led with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 2/13/2023. Cty: Queens. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to 109-20 117th St., South Ozone Park, NY 11420. General Purpose

WCA TRADING LLC. Art. of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 02/21/2023. Offi ce: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of WCA TRADING LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to WCA TRADING LLC, 89-06 Springfi eld Blvd., Queens Village, NY 11427. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

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.

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK – COUNTY OF QUEENS INDEX # 701495/2022 FILED 1/19/2022 SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS Plaintiff designates Queens County as the place of trial based on the location of the mortgaged premises in this action. Plaintiff’s principal place of business is c/o Celink, 3900 Capital City Boulevard, Lansing, Michigan 48906. REVERSE MORTGAGE FUNDING LLC, Plaintiff, JOHN DOE AND JANE DOE 1 THROUGH 50, INTENDING TO BE THE UNKNOWN HEIRS, DISTRIBUTEES, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, TRUSTEES, LIENORS, CREDITORS, AND ASSIGNEES OF THE ESTATE OF JOHN PROPST A/K/A JOHN M. PROPST, WHO WAS BORN IN 1938 AND DIED ON APRIL 8, 2020, A RESIDENT OF QUEENS COUNTY, WHOSE LAST KNOWN ADDRESS WAS 10951 142ND STREET, JAMAICA, NEW YORK 11435, THEIR SUCCESSORS IN INTEREST IF ANY OF THE AFORESAID DEFENDANTS BE DECEASED, THEIR RESPECTIVE HEIRS AT LAW, NEXT OF KIN, AND SUCCESSORS IN INTEREST OF THE AFORESAID CLASSES OF PERSON, IF THEY OR ANY OF THEM BE DEAD, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE HUSBANDS, WIVES OR WIDOWS, IF ANY, ALL OF WHOM AND WHOSE NAMES AND PLACES, ARE UNKNOWN TO PLAINTIFF, RHONDA PROPST AS HEIR AT LAW AND NEXT OF KIN TO JOHN PROPST A/K/A JOHN M. PROPST, TONY PROPST, if living, and if dead, the respective heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, executors, administrators, trustees, devisees, legatees, assignors, lienors, creditors and successors in interest and generally all persons having or claiming under, by or through said defendant who may be deceased, by purchase, inheritance, lien or otherwise of any right, title or interest in and to the premises described in the complaint herein, and their respective husbands, wives or widow, if any, and each and every person not specifically named who may be entitled to or claim to have any right, title or interest in the property described in the verified complaint; all of whom and whose names and places of residence unknown, and cannot after diligent inquiry be ascertained by the Plaintiff, ANGELA PROPST A/K/A ANGELA HENDERSON, if living, and if dead, the respective heirs at law, next of kin, distributes, executors, administrators, trustees, devisees, legatees, assignors, lienors, creditors and successors in interest and generally all persons having or claiming under, by or through said defendant who may be deceased, by purchase, inheritance, lien or otherwise of any right, title or interest in and to the premises described in the complaint herein, and their respective husbands, wives or widow, if any, and each and every person not specifically named who may be entitled to or claim to have any right, title or interest in the property described in the verified complaint; all of whom and whose names and places of residence unknown, and cannot after diligent inquiry be ascertained by the Plaintiff, NEW YORK CITY PARKING VIOLATIONS BUREAU, NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

O/B/O INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, JOHN DOE (REFUSED NAME), JOHN DOE (REFUSED NAME), JOHN DOE (REFUSED NAME), JOHN DOE (REFUSED NAME), JOHN DOE (REFUSED NAME), JOHN DOE (REFUSED NAME), JOHN DOE (REFUSED NAME), JOHN DOE (REFUSED NAME), JOHN DOE (REFUSED NAME), NEW YORK CITY ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD, Defendants. 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 attorneys within twenty (20) days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within thirty (30) days after the 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. This action was commenced to foreclose a mortgage against real property located at 10951 142nd Street Jamaica, New York 11435. You are named as a party defendant herein because you may have an interest in this premises. McCabe, Weisberg & Conway, LLC, Attorneys for Plaintiff, 1 Huntington Quadrangle, Suite 4N25 Melville, NY 11747. 631-812-4084. 855-845-2584 facsimile HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS IN FORECLOSURE New York State requires that we send you this notice about the foreclosure process. Please read it carefully. SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT You are in danger of losing your home. If you fail to respond to the Summons and Complaint in this foreclosure action, you may lose your home. Please read the Summons and Complaint carefully. You should immediately contact an attorney or your local legal aid office to obtain advice on how to protect yourself. SOURCES OF INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE The State encourages you to become informed about your options in foreclosure. In addition to seeking assistance from an attorney or legal aid office, there are government agencies, and non-profit organizations that you may contact for information about possible options, including trying to work with your lender during this process. To locate an entity near you, you may call the toll-free helpline maintained by New York State Department of Financial Services’ at 1-877-BANK-NYS (1-877-226-5697) or visit the Department’s website at WWW.BANKING.STATE.NY.US. RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO LEAVE YOUR HOME AT THIS TIME. You have the right to stay in your home during the foreclosure process. You are not required to leave your home unless and until your property is sold at auction pursuant to a judgment of foreclosure and sale. Regardless of whether you choose to remain in your home, YOU ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR PROPERTY and pay your taxes in accordance with state and local law. FORECLOSURE RESCUE SCAMS Be careful of people who approach you with offers to “save” your home. There are individuals who watch for notices of foreclosure actions in order to unfairly profit from a homeowner’s distress. You should be extremely careful about any such promises and any suggestions that you pay them a fee or sign over your deed. State law requires anyone offering such services for profit to enter into a contract which fully describes the services they will perform and fees they will charge, and which prohibits them from taking any money from you until they have completed all such promised services. File# 21-300479

SECOND SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS AND NOTICE Supreme Court of New York, Queens County. U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE OF THE CHALET SERIES IV TRUST, Plaintiff, -against- WILLIAM C. WATTS, JR. INDIVIDUALLY AND AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF MARY LEADER A/K/A MARY WATTS; NOELYN LEADER, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF GERALDINE LEADER; KAREN LEADER, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF GERALDINE LEADER; CHERYL LEADER, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF GERALDINE LEADER; NOEL LEADER, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF GERALDINE LEADER; TYRONE LEADER, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF GERALDINE LEADER; ANTHONY LEADER, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF GERALDINE LEADER; NOELETTE LEADER HUTTON, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF GERALDINE LEADER; MICHELLE ROBERTSON, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF GERALDINE LEADER; TINA MONROE, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF GERALDINE LEADER; ELLIOT ROSEBOROUGH, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF GERALDINE LEADER; CRIMINAL COURT OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK; ERIN CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LLC; NEW YORK CITY ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD; NEW YORK CITY PARKING VIOLATIONS BUREAU; NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT ADJUDICATION BUREAU; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; ANY UNKNOWN HEIRS, DEVISEES, DISTRIBUTEES OR SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST OF THE LATE MARY LEADER A/K/A MARY W. LEADER A/K/A MARY WATTS, IF LIVING, AND IF ANY BE DEAD, ANY AND ALL PERSONS WHO ARE SPOUSES, WIDOWS, GRANTEES, MORTGAGEES, LIENORS, HEIRS, DEVISEES, DISTRIBUTEES, EXECUTORS, ADMINISTRATORS OR SUCCESSOR IN INTEREST OF SUCH OF THEM AS MAY BE DEAD, AND THEIR SPOUSES, HEIRS, DEVISEES, DISTRIBUTEES AND SUCCESSORS IN INTEREST, ALL OF WHOM AND WHOSE NAMES AND PLACES OF RESIDENCE ARE UNKNOWN TO PLAINTIFF; ALTHEA N. WATTS, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF MARY LEADER A/K/A MARY WATTS; UNKNOWN HEIRS-AT-LAW OF THE ESTATE OF GERALDINE LEADER, DECEASED, NEXT-OFKIN, 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 WHO IS DECEASED, BY PURCHASE, INHERITANCE, LIEN OR OTHERWISE, ANY RIGHT, TITLE, AND INTEREST IN AND TO THE REAL PROPERTY DESCRIBED IN THE COMPLAINT; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BY THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE; AND JOHN DOE, Defendants Index No. 11766/2011 [NYSCEF 701498/2021]. Mortgaged Premises: 9525 102nd Street Richmond Hill, New York 11413 Block: 9382 Lot: 37.

To The Above Named Defendant(s): YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in the above entitled action and to serve a copy of your Answer on the Plaintiff’s attorney within twenty (20) days of the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service, or within thirty (30) days after service of the same is complete where service is made in any manner other than by personal delivery within the State. The United States of America, if designated as a Defendant in this action, may answer or appear within sixty (60) days of service. If you fail to appear or to answer within the aforementioned time frame, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT. THE OBJECTIVE of the above captioned action is to foreclose on a Mortgage to secure $230,000.00 and interest, recorded in the Queens County Clerk’s Office on November 13, 2006 in CRFN: 2006000628796, covering the premises known as 95-25 102nd Street, Richmond Hill, New York 11413. The relief sought herein is a final judgment directing sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the mortgage described above. Plaintiff designates Queens County as the place of trial. Venue is based upon the County in which the mortgaged premises is located. 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. FRIEDMAN VARTOLO, LLP 85 Broad Street, Suite 501, New York, New York 10004, Attorneys for Plaintiff.

To Advertise Call 718-205-8000

SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS–SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, COUNTY OF QUEENS– BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A. AS TRUSTEE FOR MORTGAGE ASSETS MANAGEMENT SERIES I TRUST, Plaintiff, -against- ANY AND ALL KNOWN OR UNKNOWN HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, ASSIGNEES, LIENORS, CREDITORS, TRUSTEES AND ALL OTHER PARTIES CLAIMING AN INTEREST BY, THROUGH, UNDER OR AGAINST THE ESTATE OF EMILY HICKS AKA EMILY MOORE HICKS, DECEASED; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ACTING ON BEHALF OF THE SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT; NEW YORK CITY ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD; NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION; PAULETTA SUAREZ AS HEIR, DEVISEE, DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF EMILY HICKS AKA EMILY MOORE HICKS, DECEASED, ZUR (SURNAME UNKNOWN) AS HEIR, DEVISEE, DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF EMILY HICKS AKA EMILY MOORE HICKS, DECEASED, and DOBBY VINCENT HICKS AS HEIR, DEVISEE, DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF EMILY HICKS AKA EMILY MOORE HICKS, DECEASED;“JOHN DOE #1” through “JOHN DOE #10,” said names being fictitious and unknown to plaintiff, intended to be possible tenants or occupants of the premises, or corporations, persons, or other entities having or claiming a lien upon the mortgaged premises,; Defendants - Index No. 702248/2022 Plaintiff Designates Queens County as the Place of Trial. The Basis of Venue is that the subject action is situated in Queens County. 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 the 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. That this Supplemental Summons is being filed pursuant to an order of the court dated January 5, 2023. 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 the mortgage company will not stop the foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A. AS TRUSTEE FOR MORTGAGE ASSETS MANAGEMENT SERIES I TRUST) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. The foregoing summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an order of the Honorable Robert J. McDonald, J.S.C. Dated: January 5, 2023 Filed: January 9, 2023. The object of this action is to foreclose a mortgage and covering the premises known as 174-10 125th Avenue, Jamaica, NY 11434. Dated: January 27, 2023 Filed: January 31, 2023. Greenspoon Marder LLP., Attorney for Plaintiff, By: Meir Weiss, Esq., 590 Madison Avenue, Suite 1800, New York, NY 10022 P: (212) 524-5000 F: (212) 524-5050 (No Service by fax) Please respond to Cypress Creek Office: Trade Centre South, 100 W. Cypress Creek Road, Suite 700, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309 P: (888) 491-1120 F: (954) 343-6982

Supreme Court Of The State Of New York County Of Queens Index No.: 707048/2018 Date Filed: 05/07/2018 Summons Plaintiff designates Queens County as the place of trial venue is based upon county in which the premises are situated: 107-49 155th Street, Jamaica, NY 11433 a/k/a 10749 155th Street, Jamaica, NY 11433 HSBC Bank USA, National Association, As Trustee For Fremont Home Loan Trust 2006-B, Mortgage-Backed Certifi cates, Series 2006-B, Plaintiff(s), against Unknown heirs at law of Julia C. Taveras, and if they be dead, any and all persons unknown to plaintiff, claiming, or who may claim to have an interest in, or generally or specific lien upon the real property described in this action; such unknown persons being herein generally described and intended to be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors, and assignees of such deceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real property by, through or under them, or either of them, and their respective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors, and assigns, all of whom and whose names, except as stated, are unknown to plaintiff, Lisandra Taveras A/K/A Lisandra C. Lovelace A/K/A Lisandra C. Lovelage, Hilda Rodriguez, The Caledonian LLC, New York City Parking Violations Bureau, New York State Department Of Taxation And Finance, City Of New York Environmental Control Board, City Of New York Transit Adjudication Bureau, “John Doe #1” through “John Doe #12,” the last twelve names being fictitious and unknown to plaintiff, the persons or parties intended being the tenants, occupants, persons or corporations, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the premises described in the complaint, 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 within twenty (20) days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within thirty (30) days after the service is complete if this summons is not personally delivered to you within the state of New York) in the event the United States of America is made a party defendant, the time to answer for the said United States of America shall not expire until sixty (60) days after service of the summons; 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 OF NATURE OF ACTION

AND RELIEF SOUGHT THE OBJECT of the above captioned action is to foreclose a Mortgage to secure the sum of $395,250.00 and interest, recorded on October 5, 2005 at CRFN 2005000556035 at the Office of the City Register covering premises known as 107-49 155th Street, Jamaica, NY 11433 a/k/a 10749 155th Street, Jamaica, NY 11433. The relief sought in this action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above, and to reform the Mortgage to add Hilda Rodriguez as a mortgagor.

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 the mortgage company will not stop the 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. Dated: May 3, 2018 Armonk, New York LEOPOLD & ASSOCIATES, PLLC BY: Michael J. Kenney, Esq., Attorneys for Plaintiff, 80 Business Park Drive, Suite 110, Armonk, NY 10504 914-219-5787

Donate $25 to help food insecure and get discount pass for dining Queens Restaurant Month is in March

by Naeisha Rose Associate Editor

More than a dozen eateries in Southeast Queens are among the over 165 that are participating in the first Eats in Queens Restaurant Month throughout March.

From Cambria Heights to Jamaica to Laurelton to Richmond Hill and St. Albans, restaurants are giving people discounts from 10 to 25 percent, according to Queens Together, a nonprofit that connects restaurants and food businesses with resources, promotion and a community of fellow entrepreneurs.

The purpose of the event is not only to help businesses, but to also tackle food insecurity, Queens Together added. People who are interested in trying everything from Mexican to vegan to Caribbean to Indian and Italian food can donate $25 or more to the organization and get an unlimited discount pass through March 31 via queenstogether.org/donate.

We can all do good, eat good and feel good during this month, according to Jonathan Forgash, executive director of Queens Together.

“We saw an opportunity to promote the vibrant Queens culinary scene, raise funds for vital food relief and reward donors,” Forgash said in a statement.

One of the participating businesses is Tropical Isle Roti Shop and Bakery in Rich-

mond Hill, located at 118-19 Liberty Ave.

Danny Persaud, the owner of Tropical Isle, said he is happy to participate in the program to promote his business.

“We serve a lot of Indo-Caribbean, Guyanese and Caribbean food,” Persaud told

use a lot of curry and make fried rice and we are venturing into other things.”

Tropical Isle makes lobster tail with curry, and uses curry on its duck, lamb and goat meals. The restaurant also makes pep-

per shrimp, which is cooked with garlic, bell peppers, Scotch bonnet pepper, scallions and vinegar.

“It’s nice that someone is working to help people venture out to restaurants in Queens,” Persaud added. “Hopefully, I can get more exposure and business from this opportunity.”

Bella Lulu’s, an Italian-American restaurant located within Jamaica Market at 90-40 160 St. is another participant.

The family-owned business is an expansion of Trattoria Lucia at 247-63 Jericho Tpke. in Bellerose, according to owner Karen Calle, who runs the restaurant with her husband, mother and siblings.

“We are up here in Jamaica trying to make it work and get exposure,” Calle told the Chronicle. “We wanted to bring delicious and clean food to Jamaica.”

Some of the offerings at Bella’s include fioretti pasta, organic salads, homemade desserts and pesto pasta, which is a favorite in Jamaica, Calle said.

“I’m really excited about this program and I want people to know we are here,” she added. “Catering is also our specialty. We do deliveries, we have the food and we also do lunch specials in-house.”

To learn more about all participating restaurants in the borough visit restaurantmonth-2023.queenstogether.org. Q

Homemade dessert from Bella Lulu’s in Jamaica. PHOTO COURTESY BELLA LULU’S

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B SPORTS

NY March madness

by Lloyd Carroll Chronicle Contributor

New York City may be many things, but it is not a great college sports town. This month will be different as men’s college basketball will be front and center. The NCAA Men’s Basketball East Regional will take place in three weeks at Madison Square Garden. The college that emerges victorious will be one of the participants in the Final Four in Houston the following week.

Before that, however, our city will host two tournaments that determine which colleges get to participate in the NCAA Tournament, which is better known by all as “March Madness.” The Big East Tournament returns to the only home it has ever known, Madison Square Garden, while the Atlantic-10 will once again hold its tournament at Barclays Center.

St. John’s Red Storm Head Coach Mike Anderson may be shown the door if his team does not have a deep run next week. A lot was expected from the team this season, especially after the Red Storm dominated opponents outside the Big East in the fall. Unfortunately, they will finish with a losing record against Big East teams yet again.

The Big East Tournament will likely be the final hurrah for Patrick Ewing as the head coach of his alma mater, Georgetown University, which has been the doormat of the Big East the last two seasons. This is a big comedown for the Hoyas,

who for years were the class of the Big East. Fans in the nation’s capital are joking the Hoyas resemble another hoops team associated with their city, the Washington Generals, the longtime hapless foils for the Harlem Globetrotters.

The Atlantic-10, better known the A-10, has long been overshadowed by the Big East Tournament, as its schools are not as prominent in the world of college athletics. This year may be different as the Fordham Rams, long also-rans, are having their best season since 1971 when Digger Phelps was the head coach and Charlie Yelverton was the star player. Fordham has a real shot at winning the A-10 Tournament and receiving an automatic bid for the NCAA Tournament.

The Ivy League Men’s Basketball Tournament takes place next weekend at Princeton University’s Jadwin Gymnasium. Once again, the Columbia Lions will not be taking part as they are finishing up another season in the Ivy League cellar. That has been the story under Jim Engles since he became the Lions head coach in 2016. The Columbia football team, which was a national joke for years, has become respectable under Head Coach Al Bagnoli. There is no reason why their men’s basketball team should stink. It’s time Columbia gave Engles a pink slip. Perhaps Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is still interested in coaching Columbia. Q

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

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