Queens Chronicle South Edition 03-09-23

SOUTH QUEENS EDITION

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

KITTEN KILLER

REEFER MADNESS

More pot shops coming as illegal ones flourish PAGE 6

14 cats found dead in HB, more injured in Rich Hill PAGE 6

HOME & FINANCE Section

PAGES 20-23

BRANCHING OUT

New artists’ collective plants tree exhibit at yoga studio

SEE qboro, PAGE 25

PHOTO COURTESY MEAGAN LICARI

Last week, several cats were found severely injured in Richmond Hill and rescuers believe they were intentionally harmed. Then, over the weekend, 14 cats, including many kittens, were found dead behind a fence that borders the train tracks in Howard Beach, above. Police are investigating both incidents and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has stepped in to help in the Howard Beach case.

Stronger industrial sector will help city

Speaker Adams demands better for Big Apple in State of the City address

by Naeisha Rose

Associate Editor

Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (D-Jamaica) held her second State of the City address Wednesday in the Bronx at the Justice Sonia Sotomayor Houses and Community Center.

Jobs, equity and economic mobility were some of the main topics of Adams’ speech, which was held on International Women’s Day as she leads the first-ever majority female City Council.

Throughout her address she thanked city, frontline and health workers for keeping the city afloat during the pandemic.

“Workers run this city,” Adams said. “They put everything on the line for us.”

The speaker said it’s time to show gratitude to workers by making sure they have affordable housing, economic mobility and healthier and safer communities.

“The way we fulfill our obligations for essential workers is by enacting policies that ensure that New York City is a place for everyone,” she said.

Since she took office in a majority womenled Council, an abortion rights act was passed, which provides legal protection for patients, resources for expanded abortion access and $1 million for abortion care, according to Adams. In addition, maternal healthcare legislation

was passed to provide doula care and other medical needs.

“This is the difference between life and death,” the speaker said about providing adequate maternal healthcare. There are also more trauma recovery centers, spaces for survivors of violent crime. “We need to stop cycles of violence in this city.”

Civil service has weakened over the years because of understaffing, resulting in delays of agency services and it must be restored, said the Jamaica councilwoman.

“The time is now to fully fund and staff our city agencies,” said Adams, who wants to work with Mayor Adams — no relation — to create hiring events.

The speaker also wants to identify positions that don’t need a degree to be fulfilled and remove language in job requirements that ask for unnecessary qualifications.

“We must ensure civil service careers are open to New Yorkers whose life will change with these opportunities,” Adams said.

By providing more resources to libraries, expanding 3-K programs and creating civil service job pipelines, there will be more equity in terms of access to information, childcare and work for New Yorkers, the speaker added. These programs will be especially helpful to women, people of color and immigrants who come from over 150 countries.

“Diversity is our strength,” the councilwoman said.

To further help job growth the city must also focus on the industrial sector, which has midto-high paying jobs, sometimes requires no degrees and helps provide economic mobility that can strengthen families, including minority families, she said.

“There is far more the city can do to expand

access to good-paying jobs,” the speaker said. “Let’s double-down on connecting workforce development and apprenticeships.”

The city has land that can cultivate industrial economic growth, added Adams.

“As a first step, the Council will advance updates to the outdated 1961 manufacturing zoning and the citywide text amendment to help maximize the potential benefits of industrial businesses for our city,” she said. One site she hopes to see develop is the Elmhurst Dairy site, which is 15-acres and closed seven years ago in Jamaica. “Imagine, how would our pandemic response be if we had the capacity to manufacture essential goods right here in our own city.”

Her address also included updates on crime and initiatives for helping people access homeownership, supporting NYCHA entrepreneurs, connecting people in the shelter system to municipal jobs, banning noncompete agreements by the end of the year, establishing a social work fellowship, building community pools in districts that lack them and increasing investments into CUNY.

Adams would also like to expand the CUNY Reconnect program, which enables working New Yorkers to go back to school years afte r dropping out, allowing them to complete thei r degree. Her father was in a similar program at York College and completed his economics degree. Q

Council Speaker Adrienne Adams discussed jobs and economic mobiity in her second State of the City address. PHOTO COURTESY NYC COUNCIL

Educating our students to be independent thinkers and lifelong learners.

Citywide patterns seen in the 102nd

Smoke shop safety, enforcement and more during council meeting

by Deirdre Bardolf Editor

Cop of the Month is pretty regular business at precinct community council meetings but this month, a civilian was also honored at the 102nd Precinct event.

Felix Williams, a Metropolitan Transportation Authority employee from Richmond Hill, was recognized on Tuesday night for pushing to finally get the area under the decommissioned Babbage Street train tracks cleaned up.

“As an MTA employee, if I see something, I got to say something,” Williams told the Chronicle.

What he saw catching the Q10 on his daily commute was garbage piling up as well as the squatter that many say had a key to the fencedoff area under the tracks that had become a dumping ground, including for restaurants.

Then came the rats, which Williams said were running rampant, even terrorizing the nearby Classic Diner.

So he got in touch with Simcha Waisman, president of the community council, and they reached out to the Long Island Rail Road, which owns the land.

Then, as the Chronicle reported at the end of January, a daylong, multiagency operation tackled the spot, bringing in dump trucks that removed 12 loads of illegally dumped debris and securing the gate.

Since taking over as commanding officer of the 102 nine months ago, Capt. Jeremy Kivlin said he would “consistently” hear about the issues near the tracks, which are adjacent to the Richmond Hill Library.

“Obviously there are some challenges there but [Williams] did facilitate the cleanup of that area and since

this was such a big community complaint and the police were struggling with it and he was able to help us out with it and help the community, we decided to give him an award for this and we’ll be doing this going forward,” said Kivlin.

Kivlin reported a 7 percent decrease in crime compared to last year. There has been a slight increase in felony assaults, mostly for domestic violence. He said that the clearance rate for those crimes is over 90 percent.

“We are making the outreach,” he said. “We’re going out. We’re visiting the families that are experiencing this violence in hopes to rectify the situation, stop the violence, arrest the perpetrator. And we’re doing it at a 97 percent rate. So we do believe by continuing to do that, you will see the felony assaults go down.”

Also up slightly are car thefts, believed to be fueled by a social media challenge that shows how to hotwire Kias and Hyundais. The pattern has been seen across the country, according to reports, and the NYPD too saw a surge in thefts of the two makers.

“In the past two weeks, we’ve made two great grand larceny arrests, one being a Kia, which we believe is the TikTok challenge,” said Kivlin.

The car was found on Park Lane South, where Kivlin said the precinct is seeing a “cluster” of vehicle thefts, possibly because of the proximity to the Jackie Robinson Parkway.

“So if you park the car in that area, make sure you park it under a camera or somewhere well-lit, because that’s kind of where we’re seeing it,” he said.

Other cars are being stolen using

key fob signal-boosting techniques, which allow bandits to get push-tostart cars.

Kivlin addressed petit larceny in the area, too, echoing citywide stats that retail thefts are down. NYPD Chief Mike Lipetri said in a public safety briefing last week that there were 4,276 shoplifting complaints in February compared to 4,757 the year prior.

Kivlin also supported a push from the mayor and top NYPD brass for customers to remove face masks before entering stores to prevent theft. After a Flushing jewelry store was robbed of around $1.1 million in merchandise last week, NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said in a press conference, “The one thing that we’re seeing way too often is that people are going into the business with masks and it makes it very hard to identify them once something goes on.”

Maddrey continued, “It can be a condition of entry that a mask is removed and once the person is iden-

percent for this year.

tified, they can put their mask back on for safety.”

Kivlin said police have been saying that for months.

“At the end of last year, we were taking a lot of robberies at these smoke shops. And one of the things my crime prevention officer and I talk about, and we were communicating to the owners of these smoke shops, is if you’re going to let people in, make sure you have a door buzzer and have a camera at the door and if they’re coming in with masks, pull that mask down so everybody can see on camera who they are,” he said.

Kivlin said a smoke shop was robbed last weekend after the owner buzzed in the crooks.

“If he had kept the door closed and not buzzed them in, or made them pull their mask down, this probably wouldn’t have happened. We’ve been doing it for about six or seven months now. That’s something we’ve been talking with the local businesses who have this money on hand ... And I think that’s contributed to our decrease, to be honest with you.”

Kivlin said robberies are down 52

The Cops of the Month were Officer Christopher Harris, a 16-year veteran of the 102, and Officer Connor O’Keefe, a rookie, who were working together when a call came in for a robbery in progress. The officers found a minor who was in town visiting friends beaten and robbed near the London Planetree Playground. After giving him aid, Harris and O’Keefe canvassed the area and pursued three individuals who matched the descriptions. Kivlin said O’Keefe tackled two of them and Harris pursued the other, who entered a home. They were arrested and five knives were recovered.

A resident asked Kivlin how many shoplifters are really prosecuted and convicted. Kivlin said the District Attorney’s Office is charging them differently now, grouping several petit larceny offenses together to be charged as grand larceny.

“I can tell you that in many cases they’ve actually been able to keep some of these petit larceny recidivists in jail,” he said.

Sam Esposito, president of the Ozone Park Residents Block Association, asked if neighborhood coordination officer outreach similar to what was done at the Atlantic Avenue Stop & Shop could be replicated for the nearby CVS before another pharmacy is forced to close due to shoplifting.

“If you have a location that you don’t think we’re currently doing something like that at, then absolutely we’ll get somebody over there,” Kivlin told Esposito.

He also said another meeting could be set up with the 86th Street shelter in regard to Esposito’s concerns about the location.

Kivlin spoke of ongoing efforts to police the illegal marijuana dispensaries, including collaborations with the New York City Sheriff’s Office and the state Department of Taxation and Finance.

The precinct has also submitted nuisance abatements for four of the most problematic spots. Nuisance abatement is broken down by type of nuisance, such as violations of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law, drugs, gambling and unlicensed establishments, according to nyc.gov. It allows police to close businesses that are the site of repeat criminal activity.

State Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Woodhaven) and Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar (D-Woodhaven) spoke at the meeting. Addabbo lauded recent moves to lock school entrances, for which he has a bill in the Senate, and Rajkumar thanked Kivlin for meeting ahead of Ramadan to prioritize the Muslim community’s safety while they observe.

Kivlin announced that the precinct’s Youth Coordination Officer division has been expanded from two officers to six and YCO Justin Davis spoke of upcoming plans centered on youth.

The community council treasurer, Sandra Datnarain, said the group is in need of donations. It can have up to $50,000 in its reserves, according to the bylaws, she said, and recently had $10,000 but now ... “We’re not doing so well,” Datnarain said. Q

The 102nd Precinct and its Community Council honored resident Felix Williams, second from right, for his part in cleaning up the Babbage Street trestle area in Richmond Hill. He is congratulated above by council Treasurer Sandra Datnarain, left, 102nd Precinct Capt. Jeremy Kivlin and council President Simcha Waisman. PHOTOS BY DEIRDRE BARDOLF

Cops of the Month Connor O’Keefe, left, and Chris Harris with Capt. Kivlin.

Protecting smoke shops while also policing them is a priority in the 102nd Precinct.

Cat abuse found in two neighborhoods

Police are investigating Richmond Hill and Howard Beach incidents

by Deirdre Bardolf Editor

Two disturbing cases of apparent animal abuse have outraged many across Queens.

First, three stray cats were found severely injured in Richmond Hill, with what appeared to be chemical burns that ate away to the bone.

Then over the weekend, 14 cats were found dead behind a barbed wire fence bordering the train tracks on 102nd Street in Howard Beach. There is no known link between the incidents.

It appalled Meagan Licari, head of the Middle Village nonprofit Puppy Kitty NYC.

“I have not seen 14 dead cats together in the same area before,” Licari told the Chronicle. “Cats do get poisoned unfortunately and they’re treated like rats,” she added.

She was alerted by smaller rescues in the area because her organization could provide veterinary care, like for the Richmond Hill cats. Licari took the three cats in but one had to be humanely euthanized, she said.

When she heard about the Howard Beach scene, she went and even removed one kitten from the barbed wire, which indicated to her that they had been thrown over the fence.

“I don’t know how they died, but if they were poisoned, they probably were poisoned in another location because there’s no evidence of a feeder feeding cats,” Licari said. “I asked the neighbors if they see a lot of cats and they’re

like, ‘not really.’ For 14 cats to be dead, someone would have seen a cat or two.”

But nobody on the block had much surveillance footage, Licari said, and she hopes law enforcement can find more.

She contacted the law enforcement liaison for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

“The ASPCA is saddened to hear about a situation where 14 deceased cats were found on a non-residential property in Queens,” a spokesperson for the organization said in an email. “At the request of the New York City

Police Department, the ASPCA is supporting this ongoing investigation by conducting necropsies on the cats to assist in evidence collection and help determine causes of death.”

The group is not currently involved in the Richmond Hill case. The NYPD’s Animal Cruelty Investigation Squad is investigating both.

Stephanie Castro, founder of MeowSquad in Howard Beach, a nonprofit that helps strays, saw the cats and also believes it was poison due to the similar rates of decomposition. “It’s still a puzzle that I’m trying to put together and figure out ... what can be done and how to do it or

if there’s anything I can help with,” Castro said. “But it’s hard not knowing anything.”

The lack of protocol in these situations, she said, is a flaw in the system, and Licari is fearful investigations will lead to a “dead end.”

“Investigators don’t have an easy task on their hands. It’s going to be hard to get evidence,” she said. “I’m just trying to be realistic and not set myself up for disappointment.

“People need to know that animal abuse is not acceptable and it’s illegal and no animal deserves to die like that or go through that suffering and pain,” she added.

Former mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa discussed the Howard Beach killings with his wife, Nancy, an animal rescuer, on WABC on Wednesday.

“There’s still no information about this cat killer and although it’s received some attention, it just seems that a lot of people are of the opinion, ‘you know, animal abusers, that’s not really a priority, we have to go after the people abusers,’” Sliwa said, adding that members of his group, The Guardian Angels, which he says now has an animal welfare division, were on the scene.

His wife said that it should be the opposite because the sociopathic tendencies can eventually lead to harming people.

Animal abuse is a low-priority issue for police, she added. Q

want illegal spots addressed State set to double cannabis licenses

Queens to eventually get 32 but

by Deirdre Bardolf

Editor

The state will be doubling the number of marijuana dispensary licenses it is issuing to those affected by the prohibition of the substance, the Office of Cannabis Management announced last week.

For Queens, that means 32 of the Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary licenses will be allocated to the existing pool of qualifying business applicants.

After receiving about 900 applications and issuing 66 provisional licenses so far, the office will eventually grant 300 in total instead of the planned 150, the OCM announced in a press release.

To qualify, applicants must have a conviction for a marijuana-related offense prior to March 2021 or have a parent, guardian, child, spouse or dependent with one in New York.

Applicants must also have experience owning and operating a qualifying business that has been profitable for at least two years.

Licenses are also going to nonprofits like Housing Works and Jamaica-based LIFE Camp.

“With this expansion, more entrepreneurs will be able to participate in the first wave of this industry, allowing them to capitalize on the growing demand for cannabis products,” said Tremaine Wright, chair of the Cannabis Control Board, in a statement last Thursday.

“As more businesses enter this market, the innovation and competition will increase, leading to better-quality experiences for consumers,” Wright continued.

The Cannabis Control Board adopts regulations for packaging, labeling, laboratory testing, marketing and advertising and in the meeting last week also approved regulations for doing so. It voted last year to revise the proposed regulations and offered a comment period for the public to weigh in, which garnered over 400 responses.

As of November, the board had issued only four CAURD licenses for Queens and none have opened yet. There are only three licensed dispensaries open so far, all in Manhattan.

The OCM did respond to a request for an updated number on the licenses approved in Queens or their locations.

Some area lawmakers want to see the issue of illegal shops selling weed handled before more legal licenses are distributed.

Illegal stores have been allowed to open with little oversight and now have a solid hold on the revenue the state was expecting, said state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Woodhaven), and the NYPD and New York City Sheriff’s Office are forced to play catch-up.

“They can’t implement the current law and

now you want to increase dispensaries,” Addabbo said, adding that the rollout should be completed first before more licenses are added.

At the 102nd Precinct Community Council meeting on Tuesday, Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar (D-Woodhaven) brought up the issue as well.

“Marijuana was legalized. I voted against that legalization. And right now, what we are seeing is the regulatory framework of govern-

ment is not prepared to deal with this legalization,” Rajkumar said.

She was asked about kids getting laced gummies at bodegas near their schools.

“I come from a family of doctors,” she said. “My mom works in drug addiction. So all my life I’ve seen youth suffering, getting addicted to drugs. And this is exactly what I feared. I’ll do everything I can to increase the tools of enforcement and to set up a structure that makes sense.”

Next month, the OCM will make recommendations to the board on the majority of the remaining applications in the areas of the state not impacted by a courtordered injunction.

Through the CAURD program and the New York State Social Equity Cannabis Fund, licensees are provided “turn-key, renovated retail locations.” Last year, it was announced that licensees could pursue their own locations instead of going through the fund, which freed up resources to expand the number of licenses.

The move comes as communities continue fighting the increase in illegal pot shops popping up throughout the city, 225 of which are in Queens, the Chronicle has reported. A public safety briefing from city officials last month detailed efforts to crack down on shops. Q

Cats were found injured in Richmond Hill, left, and dead in Howard Beach in recent days. Police are investigating with help from the ASPCA and rescuers. PHOTOS COURTESY MEAGAN LICARI

many

Some illegal marijuana shops are not so subtle about their offerings, like one on Austin Street in Forest Hills, above.

PHOTO BY DEIRDRE BARDOLF

Transpo and more from CB 10

Carshare updates and arrests in reckless car theft

by Deirdre Bardolf Editor

After submitting recommendations to the Department of Transportation regarding the expansion of its carshare program, which will require claiming parking spots, Community Board 10 received notice of which in its area will be taken.

Chair Betty Braton said the board is still hearing “angst” about some of the locations.

The agency accommodated community preferences wherever possible but Braton said it was “in our opinion, kind of minimal.”

“The proposed site that they had originally given us on 79th Street and Pitkin Avenue has been relocated to 105-06 89 St. closer to Liberty Avenue,” she announced at last Thursday’s meeting.

The proposed site on 107th Street that the DOT was looking at was relocated to 107-36 104 St., closer to Rockaway Boulevard, against the board’s request to move farther away from Rockaway Boulevard because of traffic from John Adams High School teachers parking there.

Braton listed the four sites: at 125th Street between Sutter Avenue and Rockaway close to 125-01 Sutter Ave. on the east side of the street; on 104th Street between

Liberty and Rockaway Boulevard close to 107th Avenue on the west side of the block; on 89th Street between 107th and Liberty avenues close to 105-06 89 St. on the west side of the block; and 133rd Street between Linden Boulevard and 111th Avenue closest to 133-01 Linden Blvd. on the east side of the block.

“We will continue to monitor complaints about it and refer our information as we get it to DOT,” Braton said.

Other correspondence came from the DOT regarding upcoming abrasive blasting and protective-coating operations for various bridges around Queens, scheduled to begin on or about March 5. The work aims to remove paint that may contain lead by using compressed air. The area being cleaned will be entirely contained and the air will be monitored and tested. The blasting will stop “if there is any indication that the containment enclosure is not working as designed,” the notice read.

The work may occur 24 hours a day, seven days a week and generate noise, the notice also stated. The painting should be completed on or around June 2025.

The agency also notified of a change in the traffic pattern on the Exit 1W ramp southbound on the Van Wyck Expressway to westbound on the Belt Parkway and

North Conduit Avenue. The ramp will be only one lane, not two, through November 2023.

The board submitted its comments to the Office of Cannabis Management regarding regulations of licensed recreational dispensaries and also to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on the New York-New Jersey Harbor and Tributaries Study, which could bring flood gates to the Jamaica Bay area, in time for the March 7 deadline, but that ended up being extended.

The public comment period will now run until March 31.

Capt. Jerome Bacchi, commanding officer of the 106th Precinct, reported a 17 percent decrease in crime although domestic violence is still up. Bacchi called it a “disturbing trend” and said it includes domestic violence robberies.

Two 15-year-olds and a 17-year-old were arrested for stealing a car that was left running and unattended on Liberty Avenue at the end of February. The owner saw his car being stolen and jumped on top of it. Bacchi shared the dramatic video of the vehicle traveling at a high speed and flipping over, critically injuring the owner.

“Four lives that are ruined basically,” Bacchi said, urging people to turn off and lock their vehicles. Q

Essay contest to honor vets

An exploration of military duty could win students a lesson in civic duty.

Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park) is holding an essay contest for middle and high school students in District 32 on veteran or active-duty service member appreciation.

The 500-word essay should be about a service member who has made an important impact on the student’s life. Essays are due by May 15.

“It’s so important for our students to recognize the impact that members of our military have had in our lives,” Ariola said in a prepared statement.

“By writing these essays, our students are building a deeper connection to those men and women in their lives who were willing to sacrifice everything for the freedoms we enjoy today,” she said.

The winner of the contest will be a “Councilperson for a Day,” and will be invited to join Ariola for lunch and at her office to see the innerworkings of city politics, according to her office.

Essays can be submitted at rvann@ council.nyc.gov. Anyone with questions may call (718) 738-1083. Q

NEUROPATHY

If You Suffer From A Single One of These Torturous Symptoms – Numbness, Tingling, or Sharp Nerve Pain – Then MY LASER ENHANCED PROTOCOL for Neuropathy may be the most important treatment you ever have in your life.

Okay that might be a little much but… Neuropathy affects every part of your life – walking, sitting, and even sleeping.

Maybe you’ve had multiple tests, only to find out no one has any idea what you have. Maybe you’ve been put on drugs with heavy side effects.

My name is Dr. Robert Gucciardo, director at Gucciardo Specifi c and Natural Health Center. I’ve been helping people with neuropathy and nerve problems for more than 20 years.

More than 20 million Americans suffer from peripheral neuropathy, a problem caused by complications due to diabetes, cancer treatment and/or damage to the nerves that supply your arms, legs, and feet.

This painful condition interferes with your body’s ability to transmit messages to your muscles, skin, joints, or internal organs. If ignored or mistreated, neuropathy can lead to irreversible health conditions.

Why not get help by those trained to correct the major cause of peripheral neuropathy?

The Single Most Important Solution to your Neuropathy

By using a NEW cutting-edge PAINLESS treatment called Class IV LASER THERAPY and combining that with other therapies, My Neuropathy program is getting unsurpassed results.

With the combination of these new technologies it is possible to:

• Re-educate the nerve pathways to stop the shooting pain

• Re-polarize the nerve membranes that may have been disturbed by neurotoxins

• Improve synaptic conductivity and nerve impulse transmission

• Re-energize nerve cells

• Return normal feeling to feet/hands promoting better balance and dexterity

• Decrease painful symptoms to promote a full restful night sleep

• Bring an improved quality of life due to increased mobility and reductions in numbness and pain.

How to Find Out If This Will Work For You

It’s time for you to find out if this may be your NEUROPATHY SOLUTION.

Due to availability… For the FIRST 10 CALLERS

$37 will get you all the services I normally charge new patients $357 for!

You’ll get to see everything first hand and fi nd out if this amazing treatment will be your pain solution, like it has been for so many other patients. The appointment will not take long at all. And you won’t be sitting in a waiting room all day either.

Here’s What To Do Now

The offer is only good for the FIRST 10 Callers. Call today 718-845-2323 and we can get you scheduled for a consultation as soon as there’s an opening.

Our offi ce is called Gucciardo Specifi c Chiropractic and Natural Health Center and you can find us at 162-07 91st Street in Howard Beach, NY. When you call, tell the receptionist you’d like to come in for the Neuropathy Evaluation so she can get you on the schedule and make sure you receive proper credit for this special offer.

Sincerely,

Dr. Robert F. Gucciardo, D.C.

P.S. At our offi ce, we have specialized treatment programs for treating patients who suffer from neuropathy. Why suffer the misery?

That’s no way to live, not when there could be an easy solution to your problem.

Don’t live in pain when we may have the solution you’ve been looking for all along.

Don’t let neuropathy hold you back from enjoying life.

Do you have any of the following symptoms…

• Pins and needles feeling

• Numbness in the hands or feet

• Tingling or burning sensations

• Weakness in the arms or legs

• Sharp, shooting or burning pains

If so you may have a condition called peripheral neuropathy.

P

World’s oldest profession must remain an illegal one

The vice squad used to be something a police department would have — cops dedicated to going after things like gambling, drugs and prostitution. Today the vice squad is your state government — officials dedicated to legalizing things like gambling, drugs and prostitution.

Go to a corner store and you see the great job the state has done with what one calls “the numbers racket” when the mob does it but “the lottery” when the state does it. Inundated with ads touting “a dollar and a dream,” poor and workingclass saps dump dollar after dollar into scratchoffs and quick picks, flooding Albany with cash on top of the taxes we pay.

Now we’ve got the marijuana mess our wise leaders have sparked, legalizing it but insisting only licensed dealers can sell it (and to get a license you must have a criminal record or a close relative who does!) and rolling out the process too slowly. The free market wasn’t slow, with an estimated 1,400 illegal shops popping up across the city virtually overnight. The only people who couldn’t see that coming are the ones who “humbly seek your vote” every couple years.

And now some of those folks want to decriminalize prostitution — or sex work, as they’ve been calling it in an effort to legitimize it and prepare you for what’s coming. One

Queens lawmaker, Democratic Assemblywoman Jessica González-Rojas of Jackson Heights, is sponsoring the bill.

Wait, you might think, don’t we already have enough prostitution on Roosevelt Avenue, on Starr Street, in the hotels and massage parlors? Do we really need to encourage more by basically legalizing it? Do we really need to aid Asian organized crime and Mexican drug cartels by making it easier for them to sex traffick underage girls? Do we really need to say, “It’s legal, it’s none of my business,” and look away as guys hand out “chica chica” cards with pictures of girls and phone numbers on them to drum up business? Do we need to look the other way as troubled young women descend from stripping to Only Fans to turning tricks?

It’s amazing how glib the advocates are about prostitution, speaking as if it’s just another profession. Decriminalization “takes away all the criminalized aspects of sex workers just doing their job,” said an activist and former prostitute known as SX Noir, according to NY1. “And what this will do is allow sex workers to have better access to housing, to medical resources and ultimately just living their lives.”

But then NY1 quotes Alex Wilson, associate counsel for the New York State Sheriff’s Association, as saying that not

adding regulation, as in Nevada, but instead “creating essentially an open market, or a free market for the type of conduct described in the bill, could present problems.”

We’ve got the state pushing you to throw money away on lottery tickets — and now sports betting too, with $16 billion wagered in the first year. We’ve got the state legalizing pot and saying it wants to “lead the nation in advancing the science of cannabis and dismantling the stigma surrounding cannabis” while wreaking havoc by giving illegal dealers the impression they could set up shop in stores. And now the state might encourage and destigmatize prostitution.

Proponents say legalization is the best way to protect the mostly young women who engage in sex work from all the problems prostitutes have faced since the beginning of time: the beatings, the trafficking, the theft of money, the discarding as they age. Don’t buy it. As the group Demand Abolition says, on a web page linking to dozens of studies: “Countries that have legalized or decriminalized commercial sex often experience a surge in human trafficking, pimping, and other related crimes. Prostitution, regardless of whether it’s legal or not, involves so much harm and trauma it cannot be seen as a conventional business.” Keep it illegal.

LETTERSTO THE EDITOR

Stress-A-Ride

Deirdre Bardolf Editor

Naeisha Rose Associate Editor

Stela Barbu Office Manager

Jan Schulman Art Director

Moeen Din Associate Art Director

Gregg Cohen Editorial Production Manager

Joseph Berni Art Department Associate

Richard Weyhausen Proofreader

Senior Account Executives:

Jim Berkoff, Beverly Espinoza

Account Executives:

Ree Brinn, Patricia Gatt, Debrah Gordon

Contributors:

Lloyd Carroll, Mark Lord, Ronald Marzlock

Photographers:

Walter Karling, Michael Shain

Office: The Shops at Atlas Park 71-19 80th St., Suite 8-201

Glendale, NY 11385

Phone: (718) 205-8000

Fax: (718) 205-1957

E-mail: Mailbox@qchron.com

Website: www.qchron.com

Dear Editor:

Thank you for the excellent article on Access-A-Ride or more like Stress-A-Ride (“The paratransit woes of NYC’s disabled,” March 2, multiple editions). I’ve waited from two to five or six hours for them at times.

The problem I have now is from the time of the pandemic. I go to the Dollar Tree store every Sunday since then, but the problem is that when I call in the correct address — 250-80 Jericho Tpke. in Bellerose, Queens — AAR’s archaic GPS system says it doesn’t exist. But if I give them a “wrong” address — 250 Jericho Tpke. in Bellerose — where the store doesn’t exist, it shows the store is there, according to Google. In Suite 80! Try getting AAR to correct this — forget it!

The store is in the Queens County side, not the Nassau County side.

So I go to the “correct address,” with the cross street info and landmarks and there’s no problem. It’s when they have to pick me up that the trouble ensues. The drivers go to the wrong address and they don’t even call in to the dispatchers that there is no store at that address, only what used to be a Floral Park movie theater which is now a catering place!

Am I supposed to call Google myself and tell them the error of their ways? No, AAR should be doing that to correct its inept system, not me! That’s not my job! I waited two hours a few

weeks ago because of this. What’s the point of giving the dispatchers the cross streets and landmarks, if they don’t follow through at their end, in giving the drivers the info? I’ll just keep on trying for them to correct this.

Joan Silaco Queens Village

Bolder climate action now

Dear Editor:

The climate crisis has been endangering the well-being of BIPOC and working New Yorkers disproportionately. The CLCPA, the Climate Leadership Community Protection Act, was passed in 2019 to reach net zero emissions in New York State. However, it is not fully funded. In my neighborhood of Corona, the Con Edison plant offers jobs to residents but also increases people’s chances of acquiring respiratory issues and prevents us from breathing clean air. The

water we drink, the air we breathe and our vulnerability to climate catastrophes are a testament to how much urgency we should have to pass powerful environmental justice legislation. In order to achieve climate justice in New York State, we need to have renewable energy that is distributed equitably and make the biggest polluters and ultra-rich fund this transition. NY Renews’ Climate, Jobs, and Justice Package ensures this climate goal and allows people in my community to get an equitable transition to renewable energy and have access to good new green union jobs.

I want to see my community healthier and successful, but to do that, we have to call on our legislators to meet the ambitious mandate of New York’s landmark climate law.

Prisha Rao Corona

The writer is with the environmental organization Treeage, and a senior at Townsen d Harris High School.

LETTERSTO THE EDITOR

Assault by battery

Dear Editor:

Lithium-ion batteries, whether in e-bikes, scooters, recreational or commercial, are responsible for an epidemic of mayhem and murder. Leadership, new enforceable laws and education are urgently needed to turn the tide against these weapons of societal destruction.

Structures throughout Downtown Flushing — private and public — are packed with these devices. There must be a total and complete ban against their presence anywhere within a multiple-dwelling building.

Where is the local political will to lead on this crisis?

Mayor Adams, please appoint an e-bike czar to immediately call a summit with representatives of all the necessary stakeholders and carve out a sustainable and equitable balance between public safety and worker rights. In the interim, permit 311 to accept complaints re: lithium-ion batteries and associated devices where a threat level is apparent.

Time is of the extreme essence.

Eileen and Frances Scanlon Flushing

Bearly cute

Dear Editor:

The Australian marsupial that wandered into a convenience store could have wanted only one thing: a nice cold bottle of Coca Koala!!

Raymond Hackinson

Ozone Park

Editor’s note: A viral video of the koala’s visit to a gas station is widely posted online, including at yhoo.it/3F22gBf.

No need for a new HS

Dear Editor:

Re “Parent board hears about SCA projects,” by Deirdre Bardolf, March 2, multiple editions: Sometimes we have to face facts ... no matter how pleasant they may be.

The School Construction Authority’s Ben Goodman restated there is no shortage of high school seats in Queens. Taking the SCA’s projections and already approved HS annexes and buildings into account, the Queens HS seats surplus grows from 2022-23’s 5,996 seats to a projected surplus of 21,522 by decade’s end. These are the SCA’s and Department of Education’s own numbers!

The DOE’s failures to assign students evenly and make all schools attractive choices do not change the above facts, particularly as enrollment preferences are borough-based.

Those still harping for yet more HS seats in Queens are not motivated by concern about overcrowding. They want a large specialized high school here so their penchant for segregation can be made more convenient. Unpleasant but true.

The “academic refugee” myth about students being forced out of Queens to attend specialized high schools is just that — a myth. It is their parents’ choice to have them attend these schools fully aware of their location. Even if every Queens-residing student currently attending a specialized HS in the Bronx, Manhattan or Brooklyn decided to attend HS in Queens, there would still be a surplus — albeit smaller — in Queens HS, which would grow each year per the SCA’s statistics.

It is disappointing to see our Borough President’s Office support a “build no matter what the needs are” policy, one which only benefits the SCA’s contractors and future charter schools looking for underutilized spaces. The debt service is substantial and the impact on existing schools is material.

I would urge the BP’s Office to take a hard look at the numbers and refocus efforts toward improving the existing schools that need attention, along with bolstering the schools that neighbor the new construction already underway.

Michael Athy Jamaica

The writer is a retired Queens high school principal.

Obi-Don Kenobi

Dear Editor:

Maybe Donald Trump is not a liar, but truly believes he is a Jedi Master who can use his mind tricks to implant suggestions in gullible minds: “The 2020 presidential election was stolen from me. On Jan. 6, 2021, American patriots held a very peaceful demonstration at the Capitol building. Hundreds of classified documents were not found at Mar-a-Largo.”

And finally, his ultimate mind trick, “You will vote for me in 2024.”

Glenn Hayes Kew Gardens

Trashing prayers

Dear Editor:

When it comes to mass shootings, I agree with Lenny Rodin (“Prayers work,” Letters, March 2): Thoughts and prayers aren’t Garbage! After all, we’re not talking about separate thoughts and prayers. Not one group of people sending thoughts over here and another different group sending prayers over there.

We’re talking about thoughts and prayers being sent together. That’s why thoughts and prayers aren’t garbage. Garbage can be recycled and actually serve a purpose.

Unlike Republican politicians like state Sen. Danny Britt, who, just hours after three students were killed in a mass shooting in Michigan, sponsored a bill to loosen gun restrictions in North Carolina. If prayers did anything, people like him wouldn’t be in office.

Robert La Rosa Whitestone

Gov. proposes $455 million investment of year-round modern Belmont Park Hochul bets on horse racing in Elmont, LI

by Naeisha Rose Associate Editor

Last month, Gov. Hochul revealed that she wanted a $455 million overhaul of Belmont Park in Elmont, LI, and the transfer there of Aqueduct Race Track meets in her $227 billion budget proposal.

The purpose of the consolidation is to unify the horse racing facilities at Belmont to shore up business at the New York Racing Association, which owns both entities, create one world-class downstate entertainment venue for the sport and free up 45 acres of land at Aqueduct, in South Ozone Park, that could be used for mixed-used development like housing, according to a 2022 analysis of the economic and fiscal impact of the 30-year loan agreement.

The $455 million initiative would not only unlock space at Aqueduct, but also modernize Belmont Park as it implements year-round programming — it currently operates for one month during the spring — and leverage foot traffic at UBS Arena, the adjacent entertainment venue for hockey games, boxing, comedy and musical entertainment, according to findings from the analysis.

In addition, it would generate $1 billion in economic activity from construction, create 3,700 temporary jobs and $45 million in local and state tax revenues and advance workforce

development goals through Minority and Women-owned Business Enterprises and union labor, according to the findings. An estimated $155 million and 740 permanent jobs would be expected from spending and operations, respectively.

Based on an appraisal of Aqueduct, the state, which owns the property, could also sell the land at 110-10 Rockaway Blvd. in South Ozone Park for over $1 billion, according to the International Valuation & Advisory, LLC.

The End Horse Racing Subsidies Coalition, which comprises New Yorkers for Clean, Livable, and Safe Streets; People for Ethical Treatment of Animals; Alliance for Quality Education; and NY Communities for Change conducted its own analysis of the investment and believe it’s a waste of money for a dying industry.

John Scheib of Scheib Associates, who provided the financial and analytical research for the coalition, told the Chronicle it is unlikely that NYRA will be able to pay back the loan.

Looking at attendance data from 1978 to 2019 — prepandemic — foot traffic from Belmont and Aqueduct has dropped 88 percent and 94 percent, respectively, according to Scheib.

“The information comes New York State Gaming Commission reports,” Scheib said. “We are loaning NYRA nearly a half a billion dollars to build a new facility from two of the largest racing tracks in America, which are way too large for their current attendance. They are going to bulldoze those two tracks for a luxury track.”

Why redevelop space when there is record low attendance, asked Scheib.

“The Constitution of New York, Article I, Sec. 09, states that wagering on horses can be permitted by the Legislature if it makes reasonable revenue in support of the government,” he said. “In 1978, NYRA was making good money. They were making $32 million. Now they are making $8.5 million. It’s a gambling business paying almost no gambling taxes in New York State.”

On the other hand, the lottery, casinos and mobile sports betting enterprises are paying billions toward the state Treasury.

State Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Woodhaven), chairman of the Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering, disagrees with Scheib.

“After I weighed the pros and cons, the benefits outweigh the negatives,” Addabbo told the Chronicle. “The state would make over $80

million in profit. It gets Aqueduct land ... and we will make NYRA more efficient by the consolidation of the two racetracks and we protect and create more jobs. There will also be economic fiscal growth.”

Addabbo hates the idea of seeing Aqueduct go, but he knows it’s past its heyday.

“This will not happen overnight, it will take years before Belmont gets built,” Addabbo said.

In the 1990s, Addabbo said that he was always concerned about what would happen to the land at Aqueduct. However, now with Resorts World Casino, which he believes is on the cusp of getting a full gaming license and has been a good neighbor to residents for the past 11 years, he sees any expansion of the gaming facility as beneficial to the community.

“It would create thousands of jobs, additional retail and restaurants,” Addabbo said. “It’s a totally different scenario than what we envisioned in the ’90s.”

Addabbo said that he would evaluate and analyze the process along the way if it moves forward.

Assemblyman Clyde Vanel (D-Queens Village) and Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-Howard Beach), Queens members of the Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering, were not available for comment. Q

HB champs storm tournament

The St. Helen Hurricanes third-grade Catholic Youth Organization boys and girls basketball teams conquered the championships Sunday in Astoria. Both teams went undefeated at the tournament at the Immaculate Conception Catholic Academy.

Boys Coach Fabian Cortes, director of the kids’ basketball nonprofit New York Rim Rokaz, and his son, Assistant Coach Fabian Cortes Jr., saw their team finish with a 28-16 victory. The girls’ team, led by Coach Bryan Ortiz, his son Assistant Coach Isaac Ortiz and

Gina Panteleone, finished with a 6-4 win.

“Both teams played their hearts out and brought it home to Howard Beach,” said mom Melissa Orlando-Romero.

The boys’ team is made up of Jayden Romero, Salvatore Cirone, Antonio Butera, Christian Gazza, Jace Joseph, Antonio LoFaso, Salvatore D’Apice and Lucas Vasquez. The girls team is Mena Basile, Elle Panteleone, Kaitlyn Ortiz, Ava Sinacori, Allison Prosser, Bessiana Pace, Vienna Pavis, Valentina Coppola, Sienna Trocchia and Alex Carrion. — Deirdre Bardolf

“This will not happen overnight.”

— State Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr.

Do you feel sick when you see the price of prescription drugs? Americans pay more than three times what people in other countries pay for the same medicine. New Yorkers shouldn’t have to choose between buying groceries and buying the medicines we need. Patients shouldn’t have to ration their prescriptions or put retirement plans on hold. Unfair drug pricing is a life and death issue. It’s time for New York lawmakers to crack down on shady pay-for-delay deals that let drug companies price gouge consumers and to hold drug companies accountable for drug price hikes.

Tell your lawmakers to pass a state budget that includes Rx price reforms. Act now.

Social housing proponents don’t want 421a

Electeds support office-toapartment unit conversions

by Naeisha Rose Associate Editor

Elected officials have been scrambling to come up with solutions to provide affordable housing to renters while keeping them from being ousted from their homes throughout New York City since the end of the eviction moratorium last year.

As of late, there has been a proposal to renew 421a, a provision that will give developers a tax break if they include affordable units in mixed-use developments that are underway; hearings have commenced discussing converting old office buildings into apartments by changing zoning laws and providing tax incentives to builders; and rallies have been held to ensure that tenants don’t get evicted without good cause.

In 2022, more than 100,000 families received eviction notices, and 17,908 were from Queens, reported ABC7, using data from state court filings.

To alleviate the housing crisis Gov. Hochul proposed an extension on 421a from 2026 to 2030 for ongoing developments to encourage builders to create 100,000 inexpensive homes.

Hochul said that the New York dream should be attainable for all who call the state their home in a press conference last month.

“This year we have to work together to increase the housing supply,” Hochul said. “The whole objective is for families to stay in New York.”

Some Democratic lawmakers — not all — have stated they would not support 421a unless there was support for the Good Cause Eviction bill, legislation that was introduced to prevent landlords from evicting people without justification, according to multiple reports.

As reported earlier by the Chronicle, both state Sens. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Woodhaven) and Toby Ann Stavisky (D-Flushing) would like to support 421a without it being tied to the Good Cause Eviction bill. However, the latter also wants carve outs to accommodate people who have a co-op or condo and both are wary of developers possibly taking advantage of the tax break. Nearly $2 billion in tax revenue was lost via the abatement, according to the reports. In addition, Addabbo does not support the Good Cause Eviction bill.

Assemblymen Zohran Mamdani (D-Astoria) and Khaleel Anderson (D-South Ozone Park) are more

aligned in their opposition to 421a and support for the Good Cause Eviction bill.

“I do not support 421a,” Mamdani told the Chronicle. “It fails to build enough affordable housing and whatever it does create it does so at exorbitant cost to taxpayers.”

The average 421a unit costs $1.4 million to build and 75 percent of New Yorkers don’t make enough to get those apartments, Mamdani said, using figures from a 2022 city comptroller report.

“The problem with 421a is a problem that you can see within the governor’s entire housing plan,” Mamdani said. “It heavily depends on and leans on private developers. Private development without tenant protection does nothing to resolve the crisis of displacement that we see in my district and across New York City.”

To truly help New Yorkers, Mamdani believes there needs to be social housing.

“What I mean by that is housing that does not depend on the market, but is rather created, funded and

needs a mechanism like 421a to build affordable housing, but similar to Mamdani he thinks homes should be created through the state.

“The state is in this weird state where it feels like it needs private developers to build essentially public housing,” Anderson told the Chronicle. “It works when funded and tended to correctly.”

The abatement is a failure because it failed to produce the necessary housing to help people throughout the city, according to Anderson.

or human rights violation — but prove it — you cannot!”

Yorkers,” Meeks said in a statement.

controlled by the state — democratically done,” he said. “The reason for that is if you have a basic human right as housing regulated by the market you are allowing for the prospect of New Yorkers being priced out one of their bedrocks for their lives, a home.”

Mamdani said that he supports the Good Cause Eviction bill because it mitigates the impact of speculation.

“It ensures tenant protections for New Yorkers living in market-rate units,” he added. “Right now, no such thing exists.”

If corporate taxes in the Empire State were at parity with neighboring states with higher rates the revenue could be put toward social housing, he said.

“There is money on the table and it costs money to build and maintain housing that will not be dictated by the fluctuations of the market,” said the assemblyman.

“The big question is, do we want to do this? I think it is something we should be standing behind in Albany.”

Anderson said that he understands that the state believes it

“We need a program to build real and truly affordable housing,” Anderson said. “We had a program in the city of and the state of New York that allowed people to purchase shares in a cooperation, to purchase condos and to own something down here with 30 percent of their income even as a transit or civil service bluecollar worker.”

Anderson believes it is time to return to the Mitchell-Lama program but in a different form.

Enacted in 1955, Mitchell-Lama homes were city- and state-supervised developments for low-to-middle-income families, according to the city Housing & Preservation Development agency.

Anderson is an advocate for the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act, another form of Mitchell-Lama that would give low-income renters priority collective buying rights to an apartment complex if their landlord puts it up for sale.

“The tenants can purchase that building and rehabilitate it with some resources,” said Anderson, who supports the repeal of 421a. “A nonprofit can also purchase that building and rehabilitate it.”

The assemblyman is fully behind the Good Cause Eviction bill because he does not believe people should be displaced because of their race, or weight or if they file complaints if there is no hot water.

“Right now, the law says that you can,” Anderson explained. “What I described sounds like a civil rights

Another housing initiative that the South Ozone Park official is a proponent of is the 5 Borough Housing Movement, which would convert existing commercial buildings in Manhattan below 96th Street for residential use, it would provide tax incentives to developers to include permanently affordable apartments and lift the cap on how many units can be in an apartment complex. Local government would also determine where higher density could be.

“I support the concept of commercial property rentals,” Anderson said. “If the property is just sitting there, we’ve got to figure out what to do with it.”

Some critics of the movement have concerns about overcrowding in schools, stresses to transit and developers taking advantage of the tax break and zoning changes.

Anderson said that he intends to look into the minutiae of the proposal because he does not want another 421a tax revenue loss with little development to show for it.

“We need a mechanism where developers show us why they deserve a tax break in order to get it in real-time,” he added.

Similar to U.S. Rep. Greg Meeks (D-Jamaica), Anderson believes that the creation of new housing in Manhattan provides relief for the people of Queens.

“In the outer boroughs, we don’t have as many business corridors as Manhattan does to provide additional space for housing to exist,” the assemblyman added. “We should also look upstate because there are a lot of depopulated areas there.”

Meeks said that Manhattan must produce its fair share of housing.

Most of the affordable units built from 2017 to 2022 were located outside Manhattan, according to the city’s Independent Budget Office.

“We can’t afford to miss opportunities to address the housing supply crisis that so deeply impacts my Queens constituents and all New

The initiative is estimated to create housing for 40,000 families, according to Councilman Rafael Salamanca Jr. (D-Bronx), chairman of the Committee on Land Use.

“The state would have to create tax incentives,” Salamanca told the Chronicle. “On the city side, it is more complicated. There are building code regulations that need to be adhered to.”

There needs to be a certain amount of sunlight and windows, according to Salamanca. There would also have to be a new HVAC system and staircases of a certain size.

“There are a lot of small details for this to go forward,” Salamanca said. “The property owner would also need capital to convert the building.”

Developers would also have to apply to the Buildings Department for any exceptions to city code and they would have to be in compliance with the new ones.

“The department would have to tell us what needs to be changed and we would have to change the law,” he explained. “As for the cap, the governor is speaking to the state Senate and the Assembly to change that law.”

With any zoning change, an environmental impact study would have to be conducted to determine the needs of an area such as schools, food pantries and hospitals.

According to the councilman, to prevent developers from taking advantage of the zone changes, HPD and the Department of City Planning will have oversight. Q

Correction

The March 2 story “An existential threat from Albany” misidentified which community board the Rev. Carlene Thorbs chairs. It is CB 12. Due to an editing error, her first name also was misspelled. Also, a civic activist was misidentified in a photo caption. It was Henry Euler. We regret the errors. Q

Assemblymen Zohran Mamdani and Khaleel Anderson, left, are opposed to Gov. Hochul’s proposal to renew 421a, a tax break for developers who create affordable housing in developments they erect. However, the assemblymen do support social housing and an initiative to convert office buildings into apartment units, the latter of which is supported by U.S. Rep. Greg Meeks, center, and Councilman Rafael Salamanca Jr. FILE PHOTOS; PHOTO COURTESY RAFAEL SALAMANCA

“I do not support 421a.”

— Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani

AMAZING IS BEING THE ONLY 5-STAR HOSPITAL IN QUEENS.

When it comes to top-rated care in The World’s Borough, you can’t do better than NewYork-Presbyterian Queens. We’re the only hospital here with doctors from Weill Cornell Medicine, and the only one with a comprehensive heart program that includes minimally invasive procedures to open-heart surgery. It’s world-class care that’s designed with Queens in mind.

A WORLD OF AMAZING CARE

NYP.ORG/AMAZINGQUEENS

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Queens ER doctor says treating lithium-ion burn victims ‘more like industrial fires’ Battery fires create medical challenges

by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor

When the City Council last week passed his bill mandating that the FDNY make regular reports on the dangers associated with fires cause by lithiun-ion batteries, Councilman Bob Holden (D-Maspeth) said it was about getting information.

“With the growing use ... we must have a better understanding of the risks associated with these batteries,” Holden said.

In an exchange of emails this past weekend, Dr. Mannish Sharma, chief of emergency medicine at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, told the Chronicle that emergency medical personnel already have learned some hard lessons.

“Lithium-ion batteries store a significant amount of electricity/energy and the larger batteries used in electronic vehicles store even more,” he told the Chronicle via email in response to a series of questions submitted to the hospital.

The abruptness and speed with which the fires form and spread have been discussed at length by FDNY officials for tackling fires. Sharma said the consequences are at emergency room entrances in ambulances.

“The fires ignited by these batteries are abrupt and cause an explosive burst of energy that can cause large amounts of immediate damage and injury,” Sharma said.

“The increase in energy stored leads to a more significant explosion and sustained fire. That leads to more significant burns due to prolonged exposure to heat/energy/combustion,” he continued. “The immediate explosion frequently doesn’t allow people to escape the trauma, like with traditional fires.”

And treating burn victims, always difficult,

has gotten tougher with bike and scooter batteries — and the chemicals and materials used to build them — increasingly entered into the equation.

“The medical care we provide is focused on treating the burns and limiting ongoing burns by removing offending agents from the person’s clothing/skin,” Sharma said. “This is

more difficult with lithium batteries and requires prolonged treatment. In addition, lithium battery explosions generate numerous chemical emissions and as such, we treat these exposures more like industrial fires vs. home fires.”

And, echoing concerns that FDNY brass has voiced to all who will listen, the very facts that they are increasing in popularity and are regularly charged inside structures only increase the hazard.

Six people were killed in battery-related fires in New York City last year. The New York Post reported Sunday that there were 219 such fires in the city in 2022 that also injured 147.

Speaking at a public safety conference on Feb. 24, FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh said there had been 22 fires, 36 injuries and two deaths this year due to lithium-ion batteries. A blaze Sunday that destroyed a grocery store on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx added seven injured to that toll, including five FDNY personnel.

On Jan. 20, a battery fire killed an East Elmhurst man and injured 10 others, including four firefighters, the Chronicle reported at the time.

On Jan. 25, 18 children were hurt, including one seriously, in a fire at an unlicensed daycare center in Kew Gardens Hills. Q

Italian

Sunday, March 26, 2023 – 1:00 - 5:00pm

The dramatic story of how ordinary, courageous Italians established a secret network where they hid, protected and saved 80% of the Jews in Italy from captivity and certain death.

YAD VASHEM has honored these unsung heroes as RIGHTEOUS AMONG NATIONS. Join us to learn more about this signifi cant chapter in world history.

RSVP: Before March 22, 2023 - 718-805-1833 | email: jbgaglianol4@yahoo.com

ADMISSION: $55.00 PROGRAM and LUNCHEON

LOCATION: CHRIST THE KING HIGH SCHOOL CAMPUSCNL DOOR #10 - 1 st FLOOR 6802 METROPOLITAN AVE., MIDDLE VILLAGE, NY 11379 FREE PARKING – HANDICAP ACCESSIBLE

A charred e-scooter pulled from what until Sunday was a grocery store on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx. More than 200 firefighters were needed to extinguish the blaze. FDNY PHOTO / TWITTER

Arrest in fatal stabbing made

The 25-year-old man who succumbed to his injuries after being stabbed last week has been identified, and police announced that a suspect has been arrested.

Michael Izquierdo, 25, of Bushwick was found stabbed in his vehicle near Woodhaven Boulevard and Atlantic Avenue on the Woodhaven-Ozone Park border. He was taken to a hospital but died the next day.

Semair Taylor, 25, of South Richmond Hill, was arrested and charged with murder, third-degree robbery, third-degree assault and harrassment in the first degree, police announced on Monday.

Izquierdo is believed to have been dating Taylor’s ex-girlfriend, according to published reports.

As the Chronicle reported last week, police found Izquierdo inside an SUV with stab wounds to the torso but did not know where exactly the incident occurred because it appeared as though he was stabbed before reaching the intersection, according to the 102nd Precinct.

The investigation is ongoing, police said in response to a question for further details on the specifics of the incident. Q

— Deirdre Bardolf

Howard Beach Purim party

The Rockwood Park Jewish Center hosted its annual Gala Purim Party on Monday at the synagogue and Kiddish Room in Howard Beach.

It was a well-attended and joyous event with over 85 revelers, as well as many new faces from the community, according to the president, Harold Rosenbaum. The event highlighted wild costumes, which is customary to the holiday that commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire. There were contests, prizes and music. The 106th Precinct Community Affairs Unit provided security.

After Rabbi Shuie Samuels, center right with his family, read the Megillah, dinner was shared by all and included cold cuts, side dishes and the traditional holiday dessert hamantaschen, triangularshaped pastries containing honey, prunes or poppy seeds. The event was planned and put together by Samuels and his family along with Rosenbaum.

— Deirdre Bardolf

Push to bring iGaming to NY

State Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Woodhaven) is pushing to have online casino gambling legalized in New York.

Amid a push to have it added to this year’s budget or the one-house budget, Addabbo held a roundtable discussion on Tuesday with stakeholders including union reps, analysts and others.

Gov. Hochul is proposing to direct revenue to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority from casinos in and around the city, a move that Addabbo told the Chronicle he does not support. Instead, he would be open to negotiating revenue from the new gaming product, which would include slots, table games and live dealer games, to go to the MTA. The tax rate would be over 30 percent, according to reports.

Addabbo argues that it could help brick-and-mortar locations hurt during Covid and that it would not slow down the process of awarding downstate casino licenses.

Legislation would also allow problem gamblers to be monitored, and it would bring the money going to neighboring states here. Mobile sports betting was legalized here last year and drew record revenue. Q

— Deirdre Bardolf

Bees pollinate plants that make up 1/3 of our food supply—but are at risk of extinction. We’ve partnered with The Bee Conservancy to protect native bee populations and help preserve food equity in NYC.

conEd.com/Partnerships

PHOTOS COURTESY HAROLD ROSENBAUM

All colors of the rainbow, especially green

The St. Pat’s for All Parade lived up to its billing again Sunday, as crowds turned out for marchers and entertainers of all persuasions along Skillman Avenue in Sunnyside and then Woodside, ending up at Woodside Avenue and 58th Street. Community groups, elected officials, advocates, performers, residents — all turned out for the big event. To see more photos than we could fit here, visit qchron.com.

It was a great day for a bike ride, left, or to take a stand, above left, as with Cara O’Shea of Gays Against Guns. Above right, more Irish eyes smiling: those of Éire’s Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth Roderic O’Gorman and Irish Consul-General for New York City Helena Nolan.

Disability Pride NYC marched with a shamrock-festooned banner.

The Girl Scouts of Greater New York — who now have cookies available! — and York College Pride from the Jamaica CUNY school.

Bagpipes, vital to the parade as ever, played by Kevin Sears of County Cork Pipes & Drums, left, or a member of the FDNY Emerald Society Pipes & Drums.

A horse named King and parade Grand Marshals Cáit O’Riordan and Paul Muldoon.

PHOTOS BY WALTER KARLING

The parade going to the dogs, and Peter O’Connell and Joe Quinn paying tribute to monsters of Irish mythology, with a play on the Ancient Order of Hibernians, who sponsor Manhattan’s parade.

Park, environment groups, Asian leaders angry; Cohen rep: community input vital Casino opponents protest in Flushing

by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor

A coalition of environmental groups, park preservationists and leaders in Flushing’s Asian community gathered outside the Flushing Library last Friday morning to protest the casino New York Mets owner Steve Cohen wants to build in the Citi Field parking lot.

The rally came just over two weeks after Cohen, on Feb. 21, released the compiled results of six visioning sessions at which people commented on what they would like to see happen to the 50 acres that used to be covered in part by Shea Stadium.

While the protesters would like to see the land repurposed, as would 98 percent of the people who responded at Cohen’s sessions, none of them wants the casino that the Mets owner has been lobbying for.

Gov. Hochul and the state plan to award three full casino licenses in or near New York City.

John Choe, executive director of the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce, sported a “Mets Fans Against the Casino” poster before and during the rally. He was among a handful

of speakers from the Asian community who directly accused casino backers and supporters of targeting and stereotyping Asian residents as a demographic that enjoys gambling.

“Gov. Hochul wants to end the sale of menthol cigarettes because they target the AfricanAmerican and Latin communities,” Choe told the Chronicle just prior to the protest. “But when another predatory industry — gambling — targets our community in Flushing, no one raises an eyebrow.”

During the interview and later in his speech he called the promise of jobs and economic benefits from a casino “an illusion,” citing the crime and decay of Atlantic City, NJ, as an example.

Maggie Flanagan of Guardians of Flushing Bay was among many speakers who pointed out that the parking lot is on state parkland. Rebecca Pryor, the group’s executive director, pointed out that it sits in a wetland and flood plain area.

“If Steve Cohen doesn’t want it to be a parking lot, give it to the city and make it a real park,” she said before the rally. Flanagan said a casino would not likely help with measures that should be taken to address climate change and recent flooding problems that have struck the

area in recent years.

And she said there is a difference between building a casino and having 50 acres of what now is largely impermeable asphalt.

“In a park, you expect to have some parking space,” Flanagan said. “But you can build rain

gardens in a parking lot. You can plant trees and build bioswales. You can change to permeable pavement.”

During her talk, Flanagan said the site needs green infrastructure, “not the kind of green

continued on page 24

Jean Silva, left, president of the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Conservancy, was among the protesters on Friday morning who oppose construction of a casino on 50 acres of parking lot at Citi Field.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL GANNON

“[N]one of them put a cent back into the park.”

— Jean Silva on previous development plans around the Citi Field-Shea Stadium site

(Opposite

Options to finance home improvements

Renovating a home is a great way to impart personality indoors and out. Improvements can make spaces more livable and address safety issues. Home renovations often take residents’ lifestyles into account, and changes can be customized to accommodate a growing family or an empty nest.

No matter the job, home improvements tend to be costly. According to the financial resource SoFi, on average, the cost to renovate or remodel a whole house runs b etween $10 and $60 per square foot. Certain rooms demand a higher cost, with a kitchen or bathroom remodel costing around $100 to $250 per square foot due to electrical and plumbing needs. Figuring out how to pay for the improvement project is as essential to the planning process as picking out materials and contractors.

The following are some financial considerations and financing options for homeowners looking to renovate their properties.

• Consider if the investment is worth it. Remodeling magazine routinely assesses common improvements and how much homeowners can expect to recoup on the investment in its annual “Cost v. Value” report. In 2022, a homeowner spending $4,000 on a garage door replacement recouped 93.3 percent of the investment, whereas adding a midrange b athroom at $63,000 would only offer a 51.8 percent return. Homeowners must decide if they want to go forward with the project if they’re likely to get just a $33,000 return when they choose to sell the home later on.

• Refinance the home mortgage. Homeowners can use a cash-out mortgage refinance as a way to access thou-

sands of dollars for a remodel. This taps into a home’s equity. Keep in mind that the mortgage will then be a new mortgage at the current interest rate and an outstanding balance higher than what was the current one. Typically 20 percent equity in the home is needed to refinance.

• Take out a personal loan. For those who do not want to refinance, a personal loan or home improvement loan can be good for midsized projects, according to American Express. Personal loans for home renovations typically require no collateral and one’s credit score determines the interest rate.

• Utilize a home equity line of credit. A HELOC is a form of revolving credit, like a credit card. Homeowners borrow against the credit line granted with the home being the collateral. As a person pays down what is owed, he or she can borrow more. This is a good idea for recurring or longterm home improvements.

• Try a home equity loan. Home equity loans use the home as collateral like a HELOC. The home equity loan is an installment loan for a fixed amount on a fixed monthly schedule for a set term. These are sometimes called second mortgages.

• Use a no- or low-interest credit card. Smaller projects can be financed using credit cards. Many will offer introductory rates with no interest for a few months. This is generally only preferable if a person can pay off the balance before interest is charged.

These are the primary ways to finance home improvement projects when costs exceed available cash on hand. Q — Metro Creative Connection

Figuring out how to pay for the improvement project is as essential to the planning process as picking out materials and contractors.

Quick ways to give your kitchen a new look

The kitchens is often described as the b usiest room in the home. Kitchens are where meals are prepared and tend to be go-to gathering spots on holiday gettogethers and during other events when homeowners host family and friends.

With so much time spent in the kitchen, it’s easy to see how homeowners might grow a little bored by these rooms. The cost of a kitchen remodel won’t be cheap, as the home improvement resource Angi. com notes that the typical cost of such a project in the United States is between $13,000 and $38,000. Angi. com estimates even indicate that a high-end remodel could cost homeowners as much as $61,000. That’s beyond many homeowners’ budgets. But the good news is that there are many quick and easy, not to mention less expensive, ways to give a kitchen a new look.

• Repaint and restyle the cabinets. Cabinet space is an undeniably precious commodity in a kitchen, especially as more and more homeowners embrace their inner chef and cook more complicated meals at home. After all, the more expansive a home chef’s culinary repertoire, the more space that person needs to store all the tools of the cooking trade. A full cabinet replacement is unnecessary if the cabinets are still functional and not

overcrowded, so repainting them can be a great way to give the kitchen a new look while keeping costs reasonable. During the painting project, homeowners can install new cabinet knobs and/or drawer pulls to freshen up the style of the cabinets even further.

• Install under-cabinet lighting. Another inexpensive way to give a kitchen a new look is to install under-cabinet lighting. Undercabinet lighting serves both aesthetic and practical purposes. From a purely aesthetic standpoint, under-cabinet lighting can make a kitchen feel more warm and keep the kitchen illuminated when meals aren’t being prepared and homeowners don’t want to have their overhead lights on but still want to be able to navigate the kitchen safely. During meal prep, under-cabinet lighting can illuminate counters so it’s easier to chop, peel and perform other prep tasks.

• Replace existing backsplash. Replacing backsplash is another simple, inexpensive and effective way to give a kitchen a new feel. Homeowners can opt for something neutral that won’t upset their existing decor or go with a more bold backsplash that immediately draws the attention of anyone who enters the room. This simple job can be done by the average do-it-yourselfer and the cost of

new backsplash won’t break the bank.

• Replace existing seating. Whether you have an island countertop with bar stools or a breakfast nook with cushioned seats, replacing the seating is a budgetfriendly job that can create a new look when entering the room. Countertop bar stools come in many styles, so giving this area of the kitchen a new feel can be as simple as shifting from classic, high-back

stools to more modern swivel stools with a chrome base. For the breakfast nook, replacing a light-colored bench cushion with a bolder alternative can instantly transform the look of the space.

Kitchen remodels can break the bank. But there’s a host of budget-friendly ways for cost-conscious homeowners to revitalize these popular spaces in their homes. Q

— Metro Creative Connection

Installing uplighting beneath kitchen cabinets is an inexpensive and quick way to give a kitchen a new look.

Glendale man busted on ghost gun charges

DA: operable firearm, parts

by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor

A Glendale man was arraigned on a 131count complaint on March 4 after police allegedly recovered an operable ghost gun, components for 19 others and thousands of rounds of ammunition from his home and storage facility in connection with a ghost gun investigation.

A press release from the office of Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz on Saturday said Grzegorz Blachowicz, 36, of 64th Lane, was charged with first-degree attempted criminal possession of a weapon; three counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon; 26 counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon; 11 counts of third-degree attempted criminal possession of a weapon; two counts of criminal possession of a firearm; 18 counts of attempted criminal possession of a firearm; 65 counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon; criminal possession of a rapid-fire modification device; two counts of unlawful purchase of body armor; and two counts of unlawful possession of pistol ammunition.

He faces up to 15 years in prison and was scheduled to return to court on Monday, March 6.

According to the charges, members of the Queens District Attorney’s Office were conducting a long-term investigation into the pur-

for

19 seized with thousands of rounds of ammunition

chase of polymer-based, unserialized firearm components by Blachowicz.

The components are easily assembled into operable firearms without serial numbers — commonly referred to as “ghost guns” — that enable users to skirt background checks.

“Ghost gun trafficking is a developing cottage industry that threatens to make an already pervasive gun violence problem even worse,” Katz said in the statement.

“That is why this case is so important and why my office is a leader in the fight against ghost guns.”

On March 1, officers from the New York Police Department’s Emergency Services Unit and Major Case Field Intelligence Team and the Queens District Attorney’s Detective Bureau obtained and executed a court-authorized search warrant of Blachowicz’s residence and allegedly recovered:

• one fully assembled semiautomatic assault pistol ghost gun with the ability to accept a detachable magazine and a threaded barrel;

• one Glock model rapid fire modification device;

• one 1911 model full ghost gun build kit;

FMCP casino opponents rally

continued from page 19

built on losing our hard-earned dollars to casino profits.”

Jean Silva, president of the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Conservancy, said this is the fifth time in the last 20 years she has seen plans for development in the park.

“And none of them put a cent back into the park,” she said.

John Park, a member of Community Board 7, told the Chronicle on Friday that he supports developing the site. He is not pushing specifically for a casino. But he also is not opposed to one should Cohen secure a gaming license.

“I drive by every day for almost 40 years on the Grand Central Parkway or the subway or on Northern Boulevard,” Park said. He said a parking lot used primarily during home games for the Mets can generate jobs and city revenue if developed properly.

“You can’t stop development, but you need a balance,” he said.

Park also said gambling is not about ethnicity, but about gambling.

“We have the bus here that takes people to Atlantic City. Sometimes they go to Connecticut,” he said. “Friends go to Las Vegas every year. Gamblers are going to gamble.”

A spokesman for Cohen, in an email to the Chronicle on Friday, said community input is essential to the process.

“The community is our first and most important partner,” he said. “Over the past

six months, we’ve been listening to the community and they’ve made it very clear that they want more from the 50 acres of asphalt around Citi Field. We’re encouraged by what we have been hearing and will continue to host community workshops over the coming weeks to further inform our ultimate vision for the area.”

Among the ideas submitted by residents during the sessions held by Cohen include public green space; athletic fields; improved connections to the Flushing Bay waterfront; a hotel with the ability to host live music and conferences; and improved mass transit infrastructure.

Cohen said in September that any project would need to have dedicated open space for the public and that park space is essential to the community, even around Citi Field.

While opponents have pointed to the property’s designation as parkland — which led the state Court of Appeals to reject a plan for a shopping mall on the site in 2017 — Albany could agree to alienate the property. Pryor said if that happened there is no guarantee that the 50 acres would have to be replaced elsewhere.

But proponents of the plan argue that the area has been underused, serving mostly as a parking lot since the 1939-40 World’s Fair.

They also have pointed out that the state Legislature authorized development on the land in 1961 to facilitate the construction of Shea Stadium. Q

• two Baretta-model ghost gun build kits;

• one large-capacity ammunition feeding device capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition;

• 15 additional magazines;

• four blank model Mac-11 and Mac-10 ghost gun frames;

• two bullet-resistant vests;

• one taser; and

• ammunition of various calibers.

Manuals for various weapons and tools also were among the items seized.

Authorities later obtained an additional search warrant for a storage facility on 70th Street in Glendale which Katz’s office said was owned by Blachowicz, where law enforcement recovered items including:

• nine complete ghost gun assault weapon build kits, with the ability to accept a detachable magazine and a threaded barrel, for the assault rifle models AR-9, AR-10, AR-15, and AR-30;

• one complete ghost gun semiautomatic 9 mm assault pistol build kit, with the ability to accept a detachable magazine and a threaded barrel;

• one complete Sig Sauer 9 mm pistol build kit;

• five complete Polymer 80 semiautomatic

ghost gun pistol build kits, for the following models and calibers: .45-caliber, 9 mm Glock 17, 9 mm Glock-26, 9 mm Glock-43, and .22LR-caliber;

• two complete model AK-47 assault rifle ghost gun build kits;

• 25 “solvent traps” that can be made into firearm suppressors or silencers;

• 12 unfinished lower receivers;

• one model 1911 lower receiver;

• 24 assault rifle lower receivers;

• more than 207 large-capacity ammunition feeding devices capable of holding more than 10 rounds of ammunition; and

• one ghost gunner, which the press release said is a milling machine that gives the owner the ability to take unfinished lower receivers and convert them into components that can be further completed to build fully functioning firearms.

The DA’s Office said based on the items recovered, Blachowicz is alleged to have possessed one operable assault weapon, along with all of the components necessary to build up to an additional 19 completed ghost guns, including numerous assault-rifle-style weapons and semiautomatic pistols.

Authorities added that the items were all allegedly possessed along with foundational components necessary to build additional firearms, dozens of silencers, thousands of rounds of ammunition and large capacity magazines that can hold over ten rounds of ammunition. Q

Correction

The March 2 story “An existential threat from Albany” misidentified which community board the Rev. Carlene Thorbs chairs. It is CB 12. Due to an editing error, her first name also was misspelled. Also, a civic activist was misidentified in a photo caption. It was Henry Euler. We regret the errors. Q

NYBC calls blood emergency

The New York Blood Center has declared its first blood emergency of 2023, with school breaks, poor weather and cold and flu season leading to a 12 percent drop in donations from this time in 2022.

Information is available at nybc.org, and upcoming drives include:

• The Reform Temple of Forest Hills, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 12, at 71-11 112 St. in Forest Hills;

• NYC Department of Design and Construction, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 28, at 3030 Thomson Ave. in Long Island City;

• LaGuardia Community College, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 30, at 31-10 Thomson Ave. in Long Island City;

• Knights of Columbus #5103, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, April 7, at 84-05 78 Ave. in Ridgewood;

• The Shops at Atlas Park, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 8, and Saturday, April 29, at 8000 Cooper Avenue in Glendale; and

• Hemja Welfare Society, noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday, April 9, in the mobile collection site at 37th Road and 74th Street in Jackson Heights. Q

Authorities displayed some of the items allegedly seized after executing two search warrants in Glendale in connection with a ghost gun investigation.

NYPD PHOTO / TWITTER

ARTS, CULTURE & LIVING

by Deirdre Bardolf

If you’ve ever taken a yoga class, it is likely you did the tree pose, a balancing posture in which weight is shifted to one leg while the other knee bends and the foot is placed on the inner calf or thigh, improving posture and alignment.

So for Shelly Yang, the new addition of art focused on trees is perfect for her studio Form + Flow in Long Island City, where practitioners can stand tall and root into the ground and look to the works for inspiration.

The Tree of Life exhibition comes from Studio 41, the newly formed art collective right next door to the studio.

An opening for the new exhibit, free and open to the public, will be next Friday, March 17, from 7 to 9 p.m. at 27-05 41 Ave.

It is the second time Studio 41 and Form + Flow have partnered up to adorn the space. Yang, who opened her studio four years ago, has rotating exhibits on view.

She described the studio as “a community hub that blends yoga, art and wellness to inspire and nurture the soul.”

“It’s beautiful when people do yoga and they get to admire these pieces,” said Yang. “We get a lot of students in the studio every day versus a gallery that won’t get many people inside the space.”

And that’s what Studio 41 co-founders Dianne Martin and Nancy Gesimondo hope for as they work to draw visitors to their new co-creation space.

“We were really happy to have developed this relationship with Form + Flow,” said Martin. “Shelly stopped into our studio not long after we opened and saw what we were doing. A lot of the artists, including Nancy and myself, worked with nature-related themes so the relationship seemed pretty automatic,” she said.

The artists hope to “cross-pollinate” visitors who may be interested in both expressions.

The works on view at Form + Flow include Martin’s monotype prints, James Seffens’ enamel paintings on wood, Tina Glavan’s encaustic, or hot wax,

continued on page 27

New artists’ collective plants tree exhibit at yoga studio

King Crossword Puzzle

I HAVE OFTEN WALKED

Richmond Hill wasn’t enough for Dick Van Patten

by Ron Marzlock Chronicle Contributor

Richard Van Patten married Italian-born Josephine Acerno in June 1928. They set up home at 119-21 Metropolitan Ave., Apt. 1L, in Kew Gardens. A son, Richard Vincent Van Patten, was born Dec. 6, 1928. A daughter, Joyce, followed on March 9, 1934, to complete the family.

Needing more room they decided to move to Richard’s mother Florence’s 1,575-squarefoot house at 114-10 84 Ave., originally called Kew Gardens but later designated as Richmond Hill. Little Richard Jr. immediately started modeling and acted in a total of 27 Broadway plays.

He starred as Nels in the CBS TV show “Mama” from 1949 to 1957. He married professional Broadway dancer Patricia Pool in 1954 and they had three sons. He played many character roles in movies and television through the 1960s

and 1970s. His greatest fame came when as was cast as the family patriarch Tom Bradford in the hit TV show “Eight is Enough” from 1977 to 1981.

In later years he became an animal activist. He passed away at age 86 due to complications from diabetes on June 23, 2015. His childhood house still looks remarkably good with no changes. Q

The childhood home of actor Dick Van Patten at 114-10 84 Ave. in Richmond Hill, as it looked when he lived there in the 1940s. INSET VIA WIKIPEDIA / CBS TELEVISION

MoMI’s First Look films: ‘It’s about discovery’

by Michael Gannon senior news editor

For five days in March, the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria once again will introduce New Yorkers to new films, new directors and very often the future of cinema in its annual First Look Film Festival.

The more than two dozen features, shorts and documentaries have been created by directors from across the globe, and will run from March 15 to 19.

Discussing the festival last week, Edo Choi, associate curator of film at MoMI, quoted the museum’s curator of film, Eric Hynes.

“He likes to say the first rubric of choosing films for First Look is discovery,” Choi told the Chronicle. “First Look is about discovery. We’re looking ourselves to discover new work. But we are also hoping that the audience and our peers in the field will discover that work with us.”

And attendees at First Look Film Festivals past have seen films and directors who have gone on to great success.

One, Choi said, is Kleber Mendonça Filho, a Brazilian director best known for his 2019 film “Bacurau” in 2019, who presented a program of short films at MoMI during the 2013 festival.

“Kleber is now one of the leading figures

in international cinema. He’s a major filmmaker, and back then he was still an emerging figure,” he said.

Then there was “An Old New Play” by Chinese director Qui Jiongjiong, which had been at larger international festivals before making its New York debut in the festival last year.

“It has gone on to have successful runs in New York at the Anthology Film Archives,” Choi said. “We’ve been screening it over the last three or four weeks and it has been doing quite well.”

The festival will kick off at 2 p.m. on March 15 with the first of three “Working on It” workshops featuring filmmakers, critics and students.

The first movies begin that night at 7 p.m. with the short film “Away” from director Ruslan Fedetov of Belarus, followed by the U.S. feature “Fremont” by Londonbased Iranian director Babak Jalali. The closing film will be “Mami Wata” by Nigerian director CJ “Fiery” Obasi at 7:30 p.m.

Not having the ability to staff the festival full-time as Cannes, Sundance and other major international festivals do, MoMI does

not have a submission platform, as all staffers have regular duties not associated with First Look. But they do attend or at least monitor all the major festivals for new works that have not yet been shown in New York. Most are less than a year old, but Choi said some, such as an interesting work from the Sundance Film Festival, which takes place in Utah in January, can be only weeks into their release before debuting in Astoria.

While any year might have a large num-

ber of films from Eastern Europe, East Asia, sub-Saharan Africa or North America, there are no geographic limits.

“If we’re excited about a film ...” Choi said.

All Festival Passes, good for all screenings including Opening Night and Working on It sessions, are on sale for $120. A Weekend Pass is available for $60. Tickets for individual films are $15 for those 18 to 64; $11 for those 65 and over and students 18 and older; and $9 for ages 3 to 17.

And if you want to whet your appetite for new cinema with a classic, MoMI will host showings of the beloved 1952 musical “Singin’ in the Rain” on March 10 (3 p.m.), 11 (1 p.m.) and 12 (5:45 p.m.) as part of its Musical Matinees series.

On March 11, film critic and author Charles Bramesco will introduce the movie and sign copies of his new book, “Colors of Film: The Story of Cinema in 50 Palettes,” in the museum shop after the screening. More information and tickets to the festival, “Singin’ in the Rain” and other events are available online at movingimage.us. Q

Studios team up to blend art with movement

paintings on wood and Gesimondo’s mixedmedia assemblages.

Gesimondo’s three-dimensional “Tree of Life” series features tiers of glow-in-thedark tiles symbolizing the body’s chakras, energy centers prominent in Hinduism and Buddhism that yoga is said to revitalize.

Aside from yoga, the works were inspired by Swedish artist Hilma af Klint, says Gesimondo. They are made up of materials like

Crossword Answers

laser-cut steel from the nearby Edison Price Lighting factory and leather, wallpaper and mirrors that she would use as an interior designer by trade.

Once a hub for artists, the area of LIC just north of Queensborough Plaza has been transformed by development. But tucked away on 41st Avenue is Studio 41, open on Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. with art, jewelry and gifts for sale.

“Our goal is really to be a source for local artists and handmade artisan items in the neighborhood,” said Gesimondo.

Studio 41 offers pop-up shows and workshops like drawing and memory-box making.

“We’re trying to be a very dynamic spot,” said Gesimondo. “We’re really listening to what the community wants and saying ‘yes’ because we want people to come in and to know that we’re here,” she said. “For me, it’s a really important thing because I feel strongly that artists deserve to thrive, that artwork is in fact work and we ought to be paid for our work.”

Studio 41’s theme is “What’s on your walls?” explains Gesimondo.

“A lot of the new neighbors own these lovely brand-new apartments and, you

know, we imagine they need some art on their walls,” she said.

The brainchild of Martin, Studio 41 opened last Labor Day weekend.

On weekends, the artists, who also include Violet Baxter, Jason Cina, Casey Concelmo, Joachim Marx and Sheila Ross, take turns holding down the gallery fort.

Gesimondo can be found welcoming in people on the street while Martin operates her etching press with stencils of plants plucked from her own garden.

Martin and Gesimondo are part of the Long Island City Artists nonprofit, which promotes Queens artists. Studio 41 also joined the Long Island City Partnership, which advocates for all different sectors, including culture and tourism.

Julie Ledru and Antonia Buresi in the French drama “Rodeo,” playing at MoMI on March 16. PHOTO COURTESY MUSIC BOX FILMS

Gesimondo said she hopes Studio 41 can be another destination for visitors who can take in some local culture and perhaps leave with a token of New York. Q

Art from Dianne Martin, left, and Nancy Gesimondo is on view at Form + Flow yoga studio in Long Island City, owned by Shelly Yang, right. On the cover: The “Tree of Life” exhibition includes works from Martin, Gesimondo, James Seffens and Tina Glavan. PHOTO BY DEIRDRE BARDOLF; COURTESY IMAGES

Film fest to remember lockdown

Queens orgs. to share compilation of Covid-19 stories

by Sophie Krichevsky Associate Editor

When New York City officially shut down on March 16, 2020, the Queens World Film Festival was forced to cancel its live programming, which had been set for March 19. Instead of canceling, organizers opted to launch the event into a digital space, becoming the first film festival in the world to do so.

Three years later, Queens World is back in person, and, to mark that anniversary, will kick off its five-borough world premiere tour of “Together, Not Alone,” a compilation of Queens Covid stories, on March 19 at The Local NY Hostel and Bar, located at 13-02 44 Ave. in Long Island City, starting at 3:30 p.m.

The tour is the product of a collaboration between Queens World, the ZIP Code Project, the Queens Memory Project, the Asian American Documentary Network, Union Docs, the Five Boro Story Project, Stoop Stories and the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives at LaGuardia Community College/CUNY.

When the state ordered all nonessential workers to stay home, Queens World and its partners found themselves wondering:

Are we essential?

“We answered by leaping into action with virtual programming, live broadcasts, digital diaries, international Zoom collaborations and performances that spanned the globe,” the group wrote in a press release. “We never stopped finding ways to keep us all connected.”

The 19-minute short film, which was directed and produced by Gabriella Canal and Judith Helfand, aims to capture that time on screen. But it also commemorates the time when the city began to emerge from isolation, focusing on a small group of creators.

“Through art making, memory exchanging, movement and play, they move, map, remember and bear witness to each other’s struggles and imagine justice and repair,” the press release says.

The film grapples with the complicated emotions of that time.

“This is a cusp moment, when we are

between remembering and wanting to forget, that we need to ask ourselves: What did we learn? What did we do well? What can we take with us and do better?” the press release continues. “Do we mourn or move on, go forward, or recommit ourselves to not forget, and to remember that the public health crisis is not over, it is still very much here, without the disaster declaration.”

Even the refreshments were chosen to help commemorate the moment — those will be served by The Queensboro, a Jackson Heights restaurant that mobilized to feed first responders at NYC Health + Hospitals/ Elmhurst, which was the epicenter of the pandemic at its peak.

In addition to “Together, Not Alone,” the event will screen a selection of other short films. All of them will be preserved by the Queens Memory Project, in hopes of sharing that time with future generations. Q

Ellis Island Tea at Maple Grove

Author and photographer Ganesha Balakarishnan was 20 when he spent 10 months traveling from Singapore to Canada without getting on a plane.

The stories and photographs from his journey will be the topic when the Friends of Maple Grove Cemetery present “An Ellis Island Tea” lecture at 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 29, at the Center at Maple Grove.

Photos from his book, “The Long Direction” will be on display as part of a month-long exhibit at the center. Tickets are $30, or $25 for FMG members. Checks can be made payable to Friends of Maple Grove Cemetery, 127-15 Kew Gardens Road, Kew Gardens, NY 11415.

Seating is limited, and payment must be received by April 21.

Parking is free on-site, and those driving are asked to use the entrance gate at Kew Gardens Road and 129th Street.

The building is handicapped-accessible.

Additional information on “An Ellis Island Tea” and on future artistic and cultural offerings sponsored by the group can be found online at friendsofmaplegrove.org. Q

Meet the Fut u re

Three years after the Covid-19 lockdown began, the World’s Borough remembers the moment.

Security

Help preserve and protect parks!

Do you like working outdoors and helping people? We seek candidates, who are at least 18 years of age, for City Seasonal Aide positions to work in the field of security at beaches, pools, or regional parks to advise patrons of park rules and recreation. During your time with the Urban Park Service, you may have the opportunity to take the 8 - and 16-hour Security Certificate course. Approximate start date: April to June 1, 2023, for 4 to 8 months. To apply, review the City Seasonal Aide/Security Guard listing, Job ID# 570399, on our website: www.nyc.gov/parks go to Job Opportunities or go to nyc.gov/careers/search for Job ID# 570399.

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

Accounting: HR Management Group Inc is hiring a STAFF ACCOUNTANT

To work from our office at: 131-11 Fowler Avenue, Suite 1C-D, Flushing, NY 11355. Job descriptions: process invoice accounts, reconcile vendor feeds with purchasing records and issue payments to vendors; advise vendors and operations regarding past due invoices for service or equipment at the stores; develop system to account for financial transactions by establishing a chart of accounts; define booking policies and procedure; record daily transactions for several bank accounts; bank reconciliation; prepare all deposits for the banks; prepare journal entries for the general ledger and correct any discrepancies; daily and weekly payroll processing; record journal entries; and work with auditors on company financial reports. Authorization to work in the United States, MBA degree in accounting and at least 1 year’s experience as accountant is required. Annual salary is $66,310. Interested candidates may mail resume to HR Management Group Inc, 131-11 Fowler Avenue, Suite 1C-D, Flushing, NY 11355.

NOW HIRING:

Savvy intern who can make TikTok hits

TheNewYorkPressAssociationthetradeassociationfornewspaper

CPR/AED INSTRUCTORS WANTED

- Share lifesaving skills to employees in schools, businesses, and gov’t agencies

- Conduct classes in schools in Queens/Bkln/Nassau

- Background in EMS/FDNY or Education or Communications pref’d

- Ability to lift equipment up to 50 lbs

- Access to a car is helpful

- Flexible schedule

- Fingerprinting and Background Check required

- Must successfully complete instructor training

- Training provided at no charge to selected candidates Pay rate: $20-$23 per hour

Email resume and letter to: jobs@emergencyskills.com

Drive Out Breast Cancer: Donate a car today! The benefits of donating your car or boat: Fast Free Pickup-24hr Response Tax Deduction- Easy To Do! Call 24/7: 855-905-4755

LOOKING TO BUY Estates, gold, high-end & brand name jewelry— top price paid, costume jewelry, furn, records, silver, coins, art, stamps, comics, oriental items. Call George, 718-386-1104 or 917-775-3048

Miscellaneous

We are seeking a candidate who uses the app daily and understands

SCHOOL

Best Pay Package in the Industry! Start at $26.68* (Bus), $23.27* (Van) Equal Opportunity Employer

New York Press Association

Part-Time Support Person needed for small, busy tax office located in Laurelton, Queens. Duties include filing & answering phones. Must be organized with basic Microsoft skills. Call Tony: 718-413-6126 or email resume to: tony@tonytaxassociates.com

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

Services

Responsible, honest, reliable cleaning lady. I will clean your apt or house. I have exp. Call anytime, 718 460-6779

Home Services

Don’t Pay For Covered Home Repairs Again! American Residential Warranty covers ALL MAJOR SYSTEMS AND APPLIANCES. 30 DAY RISK FREE/ $100 OFF POPULAR PLANS. 833-398-0526

BATH & SHOWER UPDATES in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices- No payment for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 866-393-3636

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

Financial Services

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

Health Services

VIAGRA and CIALIS USERS! 50 Pills SPECIAL $99.00 FREE Shipping! 100% guaranteed. CALL NOW! 855-413-9574

Miscellaneous

DISH TV $64.99 For 190 Channels + $14.95 High Speed Internet. Free Installation, Smart HD DVR Included, Free Voice Remote. Some restrictions apply. Promo Expires 1/31/24. 1-866-595-6967

BEST SATELLITE TV with 2 Year Price Guarantee! $59.99/mo with 190 channels and 3 months free premium movie channels! Free next day installation! Call 888-508-5313 Get DIRECTV for $64.99/mo for 12 months with CHOICE Package. Save an additional $120. over 1st year. First 3 months of HBO Max, Cinemax, Showtime, Starz and Epix included! Directv is #1 in Customer Satisfaction (JD Power & Assoc.) Some restrictions apply. Call 1-888-534-6918

Autos Wanted

Wheels For Wishes benefitting Make-A-Wish Northeast New York. Your car Donations Matter NOW 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

Notice is hereby given that an OnPremises Restaurant Wine license, Serial #1359153 has been applied for by Han Dynasty Long Island City LLC d/b/a Han Dynasty LIC to sell beer, wine and cider at retail in a Restaurant. For on-premises consumption under the ABC Law at 23-20 Jackson Avenue, Ground Floor Long Island City NY 11101.

The New York Press Association, the trade association for newspapers in New York, is seeking a talented college creator to be our chief TikTok

Real Estate

Houses For Sale

Citation for Adoption File Number: X2023-2 Surrogate’s Court, County of Erie, State of New York HON, ACEA M. MOSEY, Surrogate. CITATION THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK By the Grace of God Free and Independent To: Hector Vidal Upon a petition and/ or affi davit having been fi led in the matter of the adoption of an infant whose name is Jordan. YOU ARE HEREBY CITED to show cause before the ERIE COUNTY SURROGATE’S COURT at Erie County Hall, 92 Franklin Street, 2nd Floor, Buffalo, New York on May 3, 2023 at 11:00

A.M., why a Decree should not be made approving the adoption. PLEASE TAKE FURTHER NOTICE that your failure to appear shall constitute a denial of your interest in the child which may result, without further notice to you, in the adoption or other disposition of the custody of the child. Dated, Attested and Sealed: February 28, 2023 (L.S.) HON. ACEA M.

MOSEY, Surrogate Judge LINDA

M. WIEDRICK Chief Clerk of Surrogate’s Court. Patrick M. Noe Jr. Attorney for Petitioner (716)362-9880. 1301 N. Forest Road, Suite 2, Williamsville, NY 14221. Attorney Email Address: patnoe@patricknoelaw.com

3037 BELLE PROPERTIES LLC. Arts. of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 02/13/23. Offi ce: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 286 Crabapple Road, Manhasset, NY 11030. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

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

Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

STATE OF

VERMONT SUPERIOR

COURT FRANKLIN UNIT FAMILY DIVISION DOCKET NO. 21-JV-

1405

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

Public Notice:

In accordance with our policy of Non-discrimination and applicable Federal and State Statutory provision, UNION PLAZA CARE CENTER, 33-23 Union Street, Flushing, NY 11354, declares that this institution operates without regard to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, sexual preference, sexual identity, handicap or source of payment.

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

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

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

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

BIGGIE’S JEWELRY LLC

Articles of Org. fi led NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 1/16/23. Offi ce 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.

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.

Daisuke Osanai Dental, PLLC, Arts of Org. fi led with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 2/15/2023. Cty: Queens. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to 4705 Center Blvd., apt. PH1, Long Island City, NY 11109. Purpose: Dentistry

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.

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

Gravesend, 2351 82nd St., #LL. 2 BR/1 bath apt. $2,200/mo. open kitchen, new stove, full bath. Heat & hot water inc. Avail NOW. Call Michael Bifalco, 917-704-5147.

Capri Jet Realty

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

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

Ridgewood, 1885 Greene ave, #2. 3 BR BOX apt. $2,800/mo. Avail NOW. Water incl, balcony, HWF, lg LR, closet space. Call Agata Landa, 914-255-7284. Capri Jet Realty

Open House

Howard Beach/Lindenwood/ Fairfield Arms, Sat 3/11, 2-4pm, 151-20 88 St. (High-Rise). Agent

Pam will be on the lobby. Unit 4CLg 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

Howard Beach/Lindenwood. Sat

3/11, 1-3pm, 151-14 80 St. Brick attached 2 fam, great investment property. Walk-in fin bsmnt w/door to yard. 1st fl has 2 BR, 1 bath apt w/terr. 2nd fl has 1 BR, 1 bath apt w/terr. A must see!

Reduced $998,000. Connexion Real Estate, 718-845-1136

Ozone Park, Cross Bay Blvd. Sat, 3/11, 12pm-1:30pm, 133-15

Cross Bay Blvd. Can be used for Commercial Use! Residential 1 fam, 2BRs, 2 baths, full finished bsmnt. Asking $625K. Connexion Real Estate, 718-845-1136

Howard Beach/ Rockwood Park

Over-sized corner property, 60x100 lot 3 BRs, 2 bathrooms, all new! Asking $1.325M Call Joseph 917-533-9609

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

Legal Notices

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 fi led 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 certifi ed bank check made payable to the referee. Autrey Glen Johnson, Esq., Referee 2296-002975

THE BROOKLYN UNION GAS COMPANY d/b/a NATIONAL GRID NY

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by The Brooklyn Union Gas Company d/b/a National Grid NY (“Company”) that it has fi led with the New York State Public Service Commission (“PSC”) tariff revisions to its Schedule for Gas Service, PSC No. 12 – GAS, to become effective, on a temporary basis, April 1, 2023.

S.C. No. 1A, 17-1A – Residential Non-Heating Service

S.C.

1AR, 17-1AR Residential Non-Heating Service

S.C. No. 1B, 17-1B – Residential Heating Service

S.C. No. 1BR, 17-1BR-Residential Heating Service

S.C. No. 1B-DG, 17-1B-DG – Distributed Generation

S.C. No. 2-1, 17-2-1 – Non-Residential Non-Heating Service

S.C. No. 2-2, 17-2-2 – Non-Residential Heating Service

S.C. No. 3, 17-3 – Multi-Family Service

S.C. 4A, 17-4A – High Load Factor

S.C. 4A-CNG, 17-4A-CNG – Compressed Natural Gas

S.C. 4B, 17-4B – Year Round Air Conditioning Service

These revisions have been filed in compliance with the Commission’s Order issued August 12, 2021 in Case 19-G-0309. The table below compares the Company’s current rates (prior to April 1, 2023) to rates effective April 1, 2023 by service classification. Effective April 1, 2023, $2.5 million has been removed from base delivery rates to be collected through the ‘Rate Adjustment Clause’. The Rate Adjustment Cla use is a separate surcharge that will be included in the Delivery Rate Adjustment line on customers’ bills. S.C.

7, 17-7 – Seasonal Off-Peak Service

S.C. 21, 17-21 – Rate 1 – Less than 1MW

S.C. 21, 17-21 – Rate 2 – Equal to or greater than 1 MW but less than 5 MW

Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/23 First 10 therms or less $333.14 $333.14

Over 10 therms, per therm (Apr – Oct) $0.1011 $0.1058

Over 10 therms, per therm (Nov – Mar) $0.1289 $0.1349

S.C. 21, 17-21 – Rate 3 – Equal to or greater than 5 MW but less than 50 MW

No change for the delivery rates for S.C. 22 & 18-22 – Non-Firm Demand Response Sales and Transportation Service.

These revisions have been fi led in compliance with the Commission’s Order issued August 12, 2021 in Case 19-G-0309. Copies of the proposed revisions are available for public inspection and can be obtained on the Company’s website at https://www.nationalgridus.com/NY-Home/Bills-Meters-and-Rates/ or the PSC’s website (dps.ny.gov).

KEYSPAN GAS EAST CORPORATION d/b/a NATIONAL GRID

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by KeySpan Gas East Corporation d/b/a National Grid (“Company”) that it has fi led with the New York State Public Service Commission (“Commission”) proposed tariff revisions to its Schedule for Gas Service, PSC No.1 – GAS, to become effective, on a temporary basis, April 1, 2023. These revisions have been fi led in compliance with the Commission’s Order issued August 12, 2021 in Case 19-G-0310. The table below compares the Company’s current rates (prior to April 1, 2023) to rates effective April 1, 2023 by service classification. Effective April 1, 2023, $2.5 million has been removed from base delivery rates to be collected through the ‘Rate Adjustment Clause’. The Rate Adjustment Clause is a separate surcharge that will be included in the Delivery Rate Adjustment line on customers’ bills.

S.C. No. 1A, 5-1A – Residential Non-Heating Service

S.C. No. 1AR, 5-1AR – Residential Non-Heating Service

Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/23

S.C No. 15, 5-15 – High Load Factor Service

Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/23 First 10 therms or less $153.35 $153.35

S.C. No. 16, 5-16 – Year-Round Space Conditioning Service

Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/23

S.C. No. 1B, 5-1B – Residential Heating Service

1BR, 5-1BR – Residential Heating Service

S.C. No. 2-A, 5-2A – Non-Residential Non-Heating Service

S.C. 17 – Baseload Distributed Generation – Rate 1 – Less than 1MW

Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/23

therm (Apr – Oct) $0.1506 $0.1517

Over 10 therms, per therm (Nov – Mar) $0.1934 $0.1949

S.C. 17 – Baseload Distributed Generation – Rate 2 – Equal to or greater than 1 MW but less than 5 MW

S.C. No. 2-B, 5-2B – Non-Residential Heating Service

Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/23

First 10 therms or less $328.22 $328.22

Over 10 therms, per therm (Apr – Oct) $0.1506 $0.1517

Over 10 therms, per therm (Nov – Mar) $0.1934 $0.1949

S.C. 17 – Baseload Distributed Generation – Rate 3 – Equal to or greater than 5 MW but less than 50 MW

3, 5-3 – Multi-Family Service

S.C. 9, 5-9 – Uncompressed Natural Gas Vehicle Service

Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/23

First 10 therms or less $949.35 $949.35

Over 10 therms, per therm (Apr – Oct) $0.0373 $0.0376

Over 10 therms, per therm (Nov – Mar) $0.0509 $0.0513

Demand charge per therm of MPDQ $6,252.00 $6,252.00

No change for the delivery rates for S.C. No. 1B-DG, 5-1B-DG – Distributed Genera on & S.C. 18 / 19 – Non-Firm Demand Response Sales and Transporta on Service.

These revisions have been fi led in compliance with the Commission’s Order issued August 12, 2021 in Case 19-G-0310. Copies of the proposed revisions are available for public inspection and can be obtained on the Company’s website at https://www.nationalgridus.com/Long-Island-NY-Home/Bills-Meters-and-Rates/ or the PSC’s website (dps.ny.gov).

Van Brunt

Red Hook Brick

Family w/ Backyard in Red Hook! $1,699,999

Rockaway Blvd., Ozone Park 2 Family + Office w/ Extra Lot & Development Opportunity! $1,969,000

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

Metropolitan Ave., Williamsburg

6 Family w/ Huge Upside in Prime Williamsburg! $1,849,000 68-07 60th Road, Maspeth Brick 1 Family w/ Backyard & Garage! $760,000

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

100 Jackson Street, Williamsburg X-LG Rent-Stabilized 6 Family w/Huge Upside! $1,599,000

534 Metropolitan Ave., Williamsburg Commercial store for rent in an excellent location! $12,000/month

506 Graham Ave., Greenpoint Semi-Detached 3 Family in Prime Greenpoint! Needs TLC! $1,800,000

181 Irving Ave., Bushwick Commercial Space Available For Rent in Prime Bushwick! $3,500/month

193 Wyckoff Ave., Bushwick Brick 6 Family in Prime Bushwick! $1,548,888

46 Sutton Street, Greenpoint Renovated Rent-Stabilized 6 Family in Prime Greenpoint! $2,550,000

B SPORTS

It’s soccer season

by Lloyd Carroll Chronicle Contributor

Between college basketball’s March Madness, the NBA and NHL heading into their respective home stretches of the regular season and spring training baseball, it is easy to overlook the fact Major League Soccer’s 2023 season is now underway. To help promote the arrival of the new season, Major League Soccer’s New York City Football Club invited members of the media to meet with its CEO, Brad Sims.

While the best athletes in the world come to the United States to play for most professional sports, that is not the case with soccer as the best players tend to play in European leagues. Big names such as David Beckham, David Villa and Andrea Pirlo played in the United States as a last hurrah before they called it a career.

Sims acknowledged that perception of MLS has been accurate, but said things are changing. He pointed to 20-year-old Brazilian star Talles Magno’s decision to play for NYCFC in 2023 as an indicator of MLS slowly closing the talent gap with European leagues. He hopes parity will arrive a decade from now. He also believes a new standalone soccer stadium will attract the best players in the world.

Mayor Adams and civic officials are backing NYCFC getting a new stadium across 126th Street from Citi Field. Sims is hopeful for a groundbreaking during the summer of 2024.

“We are working closely with Community Planning Board 7. We are excited not just about a new soccer arena but also the development of a new neighborhood which will include affordable housing and schools,” Sims said.

Sims and MLS Commissioner Don Garber, who grew up in Bayside, are determined not to make the same mistakes Amazon did when it selected Long Island City to be its second headquarters. Amazon officials acted imperiously, infuriating many local politicos, with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez being the most notable. Amazon eventually opted for northern Virginia.

Playing in “The World’s Borough” excites Sims. He is well aware of the soccer matches taking place in Flushing Meadows Corona Park every weekend. He anticipates new customers coming from Nassau and Suffolk. The parking lots at Citi Field, which they will have access to, are easier for motorists than the garages surrounding their current Yankee Stadium home.

I asked Sims if he was concerned Mets owner Steve Cohen, who has plans of his own for the parking lots, would try to thwart them. “He has been very supportive. We have had several matches at Citi Field, and we will have more again this year,” Sims said.

NYCFC will play Nashville SC and FC Dallas at Citi Field on April 15 and 22, respectively. Q See the extended version of Sports Beat every week at qchron.com

CENTURY 21 AMIABLE II

• Broad Channel • Beautiful open fl oor plan: living room, kit w/granite countertops, cherrywood cabinets & center island, 1/2 bath, larger master BR with 1/2 bath, sliding doors to balcony. 2 more BR, 1 with 1/2 bath & 1 w/large deck. Hardwood fl oors & tiled floors thru out. Upper & lower decks, pool, hot tub, new pavers, sunset awning, large basement w/play room, laundry room, split unit AC, & lots of closets. Flood insurance yearly premium