Queens Chronicle South Edition 03-10-22 by Queens Chronicle

C M SQ page 1 Y K SOUTH QUEENS EDITION Serving Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park, City Line and JFK Airport

YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER VOL. XLV

NO. 10

THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 2022

QCHRON.COM

TRANSFER OF POWER PAGE 4

PHOTO BY DEIRDRE BARDOLF

CB 9 chair and first vice chair swap positions

Community Board 9 elected a new chairperson on Tuesday night in its first in-person meeting since the pandemic started. Sherry Algredo, formerly first vice chairperson, will be the new chair starting next month. Kenny Wilson, current chair, was voted in to take her place as first vice chair.

FOUR MORE YEARS

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Push for mayoral control continues

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Adams, Banks call for four more years Mayoral control debate continues, HS admissions first issue tackled by Deirdre Bardolf

Associate Editor

ayor Adams is pushing to maintain control of the New York City public school system, following a public hearing with state legislators last Friday and a press conference Tuesday at Bayside High School, his alma mater. “I know firsthand the power of a public school education, and I know also the difference of mayoral accountability and why it’s important for us to fight on behalf of students in our school system,” Adams said. In January, Gov. Hochul proposed the renewal of mayoral control or accountability for four years in her executive budget plan. Mayoral accountability will expire on June 30 and the state Senate and Assembly must renew, amend or disapprove it by the state budget deadline on April 1, or via legislation before the June 30 expiration. State Sen. John Liu (D-Bayside), chair of the Senate Committee on Education, told the Chronicle that legislators may decide that the issue does not belong in the budget because there are no fiscal implications. “We have lots to deal with the budget,” he said. “This issue may take more time.” Vijay Ramjattan, president of Community Education District 28, attended Tuesday’s press conference and expressed his pride in choosing

Chancellor David Banks, left, and Mayor Adams gathered on Tuesday at Bayside High School to SCREENSHOTS VIA YOUTUBE push for the four-year extension of mayoral control of public schools. the public school system. “As a parent, it is important for me and my children to see our leaders fighting for them and I am proud to know that we have leaders like Mayor Eric Adams in office, a product of the New York City public schools,” he said. “Chancellor [David] Banks is a devoted educator ... and has demonstrated his commitment to us,” he added. Ramjattan shared that Banks invited CEC members to his office for a one-on-one with him to air concerns. “That’s the kind of accountability we have in our city,” he said.

If mayoral control were to expire, city schools would revert to the old Board of Education system. Last Friday, an all-day public hearing addressed the issue of mayoral control. Mayor Adams joined briefly but left to give an announcement on masking in schools. “I guess I’m a little bit appreciative that the mayor showed up for a few minutes at the beginning of our hearing — disappointed that he’s not here to answer questions from our fellow legislators,” said Liu. “For the last 20 years, stakeholders have bemoaned previous administrations’ lack of checks and balances and engagement on criti-

cal issues,” Liu said after the hearing. “There remain legitimate questions about whether or not the current system of mayoral accountability that has been so widely criticized should be continued, changed, or abandoned,” he said. Liu told the Chronicle that it “probably does not make sense to have a four-year extension,” which makes the run for a second term the only mechanism to end it. The first test for mayoral control unde r Adams came with the recent debate ove r changes to the high school admissions process, left over from the de Blasio administration, which critics said make the system merely a lottery and not merit-based. Banks on Wednesday told NY1 that there will be no last-minute changes before Friday’s application deadline, after weeks of saying a final announcement would come. He said the current criteria would remain but that he is “not committed to keeping that as the standard going forward.” “These changes were made without any input from parents, and I am deeply disappointed to learn today that the Department of Education has ignored the concerns of stakeholders an d will go forward with this ill-conceived plan,” said Councilwoman Sandra Ung (D-Flushing). In a statement, Liu said Banks “took the Q easy way out.”

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New leadership for Community Board 9 Sherry Algredo celebrated Int’l Women’s Day with victorious vote by Deirdre Bardolf Associate Editor

Being voted in as the new chairperson to Community Board 9 on International Women’s Day was not lost on Sherry Algredo. “This week, I’m celebrating the impossible,” Algredo told the Chronicle. She went to the first in-person meeting since the pandemic last night at Queens Borough Hall thinking that Kenichi Wilson, whom she will succeed, was ineligible for re-election because he had served his three terms already. In New York City, community board chairs may serve up to four consecutive two-year terms but individual boards can enact bylaws to lessen their tenure. Algredo was under the impression that CB 9 restricted chairs to three consecutive years but last night it was announced that, due to an oversight, such a bylaw was never permanently enacted years ago as many thought, explained CB 9 Treasurer John Carter. “I could have asked for the election not to happen,” said Algredo. “I could have asked to enforce the term limits, I could have asked for it to be tabled and made a big argument against it because I didn’t stand a chance against this powerful chair,” she said. But instead, she stayed quiet and ended up winning with a 19-16 vote. Wilson will remain on the board; he was elected first vice chairperson. Algredo moved to Richmond Hill from Trinidad almost 28 years ago and believes

Sherry Algredo, right, gives a victory speech after being elected chairperson by Community Board 9, above. PHOTOS BY DEIRDRE BARDOLF

she is the first Trinidadian woman to hold a community board chair position in the city. Assembly woman Jen ifer Rajk u mar (D-Woodhaven) called in to congratulate Algredo from Albany, also noting the significance of an Indo-Caribbean woman taking on the role. Algredo said her 18-year-old autistic son is her “inspiration,” and her daughter, who is 14, is interested in politics. “I want to show her that, as a woman of a different ethnicity, win or lose, we can stand

up against the odds and do anything,” she said. Algredo said she wants to continue the work of the “faithful board members who have been fighting for quality of life for the community.” Promoting small businesses, addressing t r a f f ic is s u e s , c ont i nu i ng a dvo c a cy against the community jail slated to come to Kew Gardens and pushing for renovations at the Richmond Hill Library are priorities for her. Algredo joined the board four years ago,

was education chair and then first vice chair. “Now, I’m going into my fifth year with the sky, all the way to the top,” she said. “I want to thank everyone for the three years I have been chair,” Wilson told the group gathered. “It has been an interesting run,” he added, recalling when he joined the board in 2013 and led the Transportation Committee. “I appreciate the opportunity, I loved it Q and I’m not going anywhere,” he said.

Crime in the 106th Pct. up 75 percent Capt. covers grand larceny, assault, fraud and more in CB 10 meeting by Deirdre Bardolf For the latest news visit qchron.com

Associate Editor

Crime is up “signif icantly,” Captain Jerome Bacchi of the 106th Precinct stated in the Community Board 10 meeting last Thursday, noting especially the uptick in grand larceny, car theft, fraud and assault. “Some of the stuff that we’re up in has been driving crime for the last ... six months and that has to do with grand larcenies,” he said. As of March 6, total crime for the year-todate compared to last year was up 75 percent. For the month, it is up almost 89 percent compared to last February. There were 63 car thefts so far this year compared to 26 last year and 145 cases of grand larceny compared to 73 last year. All other crimes were up, too, except for murder, according to NYPD data. There were none, compared to one last year. Bacchi stated that over 30 percent of the crime in the precinct was fraud, including

charged with at least six compromised bank accounts counts. and credit cards, stolen or The crimes have decreased reproduced checks and skimsince that arrest, he said. ming devices on ATMs. Three ar rests were also “Vehicle thefts have not just made for “handle surfing” in been plaguing us but the entire February, when people try car city,” he said, noting that the do or h a nd le s t o f i nd a n majority of those stolen were unlocked vehicle to rummage left running and unattended. through and steal items from. He said the most problemTwo commercial burglaries atic area for vehicle thefts are took place at the end of Februcommercial corridors, espeary, as well, in which a crew cially Rockaway Boulevard Capt. Jerome Bacchi between 114th Street and the FILE PHOTO of thieves tried to lift ATMs from stores. Van Wyck Espressway, where Catalytic converter thefts are still up 13 vehicles were stolen. Another nine vehicles were stolen just off across the city, too. Felony assaults were up slightly, 45 so far the side streets south of Rockaway, Bacchi for the year compared to 38 last year, but 57 added. The police are aware of many of the percent of those were domestic violence “players,” said the captain, including in a incidents, said Bacchi. A nyone exper iencing or wit nessing recent arrest in which the individual was

domestic violence should call the precinct’s domestic violence unit at (718) 845-2227. Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park) spoke during the meeting and added that she met with Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Philip Banks III and presented to him a crime report from CB 10 Chair Betty Braton. Ariola said Banks applauded the report as being one of the most comprehensive he had seen. Ariola said he would “take it apart piece by piece to really try and bring what we need to bring public safety back to where it should be within the communities throughout the district.” Ariola continued, “It was refreshing to know that somebody from the Mayor’s Office was interested and was going to bring back the information we gave him so that our precincts can receive the resources and Q the staffing that they need.”

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Pushback over new mask requirements Most pandemic restrictions lifted but remain for youngest New Yorkers by Deirdre Bardolf

“We want to see when they’re feeling sad so we can be there to comfort them,” Adams Monday marked the suspension of pan- said of the older students. “Masks prevented demic restrictions in venues, where proof of us from doing so for almost two years.” When questioned Monday on NY1 about vaccination is no longer required, and public schools, where masks for K-12 are now the pushback from parents, Adams said, “I need them to trust me. optional. “I am not going to allow those babies to Masks will continue to be required for children under 5 years old, a population that keep a mask on throughout the time they are in school,” he said. “We’re going to get there remains ineligible for vaccination. In a Times Square press conference on ... If you do it all at once, you’re being reckFriday, Mayor Adams stated that the choice less,” he added. A protest last Wednesday organized by was made because children under 5 are the group Parents for Responsive and Equi“more likely to be hospitalized.” Reactions to the new policy have been table Safe Schools called on the mayor to maintain mask requirements, and the group varied but passionate. “This should have been a joyous day and has been pushing a #MaskingForAFriend instead, I’m infuriated and frustrated and campaign. Jampel, who has a 4-year-old who is still completely disheartened at how our youngest children continue to be treated in this city,” subject to the mandate, helped organize a rally on Monday outsaid Daniela Jampel, a side of City Hall which Queens mom of three. demanded the mayor She disagrees with “unmask toddlers.” She how the data is being e’re not going to estimated that at least interpreted by the city, bully students.” 150 people attended. noting that it lumps “I’m done,” she said. 1-year-olds with 2- and — Mayor Adams “If the city wants to 4-year-olds. enforce an anti-child, According to cit y data, kids up to age 4 had the lowest number anti-science policy, they can pay for it out of of cases but were more likely to be hospital- their own pocket. I’m no longer washing a ized out of each age group under 17. That mask. I’m no longer buying disposable range accounted for over 15,000 Covid cases masks. This is absurd, and I honestly cannot per 100,000 people and 426 hospitalizations believe I live in a society where children aged 2 to 4, the children in daycare, pre-K and citywide since the start of the pandemic. Kids ages 5 to 12 experienced 24,600 3-K, are the only people in the entire city cases and 172 hospitalizations; those 13 to who have to wear a mask.” Melissa Savarese has children who are 5 17 had just under 27,000 cases and 277 and 7 years old. “How do I explain to my hospitalizations. “Two to 4 [years old] is at basically zero 5-year-old, ‘you have to wear one, but your risk, and it is absurd and unconscionable that sister doesn’t?’” The 5-year-old attends a pre-K where the children who are at the least risk have to masks will be required. bear the heaviest burden,” Jampel said. Per the new guidelines, masks are still As of Monday, only four kids ages 1 to 4 were hospitalized in Queens, according to required for settings with children under 5 years old. state data. Seven were hospitalized citywide. “I think it’s honestly just a ploy for them “People wanted to say, ‘Let’s lift this across the board.’ That’s not what the sci- to say, ‘Well, if we push the vaccines again, ence shows us,” Adams said at last week’s then maybe they’ll do it so that the kids press conference. “I’d rather people com- won’t have to wear masks,’” Savarese said. Adriana Aviles of Douglaston, an advoplain against me than lose our babies.” Associate Editor

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“W

Signs from a protest outside City Hall against requiring masks for kids under 5. PHOTO BY MARGARET NICHOLS / TWITTER

cate in District 26, has middle schoolers who can go without the mask next week. “I’m elated,” she said, but simply lifting the mandate will not be the end of it. When a teacher asked her middle school son’s class who would go without the mask this week, only he and two other students raised their hands. “He doesn’t want to be the only one and he wants to make his friends feel comfortable, too. He’s kind of stuck,” Aviles explained. “I feel bad for my son.” She said she is glad she does not have kids under 5 now. Schools will continue strict Covid protocols, including increased ventilation, daily screeners and test kit distribution, according to the Mayor’s Office. “Making masks optional gives families and educators a choice, while remaining vigilant through high levels of testing and following the advice of our public health experts and the CDC,” said Schools Chancellor David Banks in a press release. PS 280 in Corona held an assembly on Monday celebrating the choice to mask. In a press conference on Tuesday regarding mayoral control of schools outside of Bayside High School, Adams was asked

about a school in Manhattan where teachers were still asking students to mask up. “We’re going to unmask that,” Adams said to some laughs from the crowd. “We’re not going to bully students.” He continued, “The message came from the mayor and the chancellor that children don’t have to wear masks in schools. If children want to wear masks in schools, they can do so, but we’re not going to have teachers within one school system telling students they have to put on a mask. That is not going to happen.” “That teacher is going to be reinstructed; that is not acceptable,” Adams added. Businesses can require masks and vaccination if they choose and employees previously mandated to be inoculated will still be so. “New Yorkers should be getting out and enjoying our amazing city,” Adams said on Friday. “The fight may not be over, but we’re clearly winning the war.” Andrew Rigie, executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, expressed optimism over the announcement. “New York City’s restaurant and nightlife industry has been devastated by Covid-19, and over the past two years these small businesses have endured ever-changing pandemic mandates that have posed significant challenges to their operations, yet they’ve fought hard to persevere and to feed and serve our city during this time of crisis,” he said in a press release. “Now, with our city achieving a high vaccination rate, a low infection rate, and as we enter the next stage of our city’s recovery, we must continue to be safe and smart, and modify mandates as the situation evolves.” The city also rolled out a new color-coded system that tracks Covid risk throughout the five boroughs. It consists of four alert levels that outline precautions and recommended actions based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Community Burden Indicator. New York City is currently in the low, green alert level, indicating low community spread; regular safety precautions are Q advised.

Recognition for women leaders of World’s Boro by Naeisha Rose Associate Editor

Borough President Donovan Richards will host a Virtual Women’s “HerStory” Month Celebration on March 16 from 6 to 8 p.m. The event will include a conversation with Queens women leaders from across a spectrum of industries as they discuss topics such as business, civic life, art and health and wellness, to name a few, according to Richards’ spokesman, Chris Barca. The participants on the panel have not been finalized. The event will honor the progress women

Virtual HerStory Month event March 16

have made toward equality and deliberate on intersectional ways, thus including women of all backgrounds, to fight for it moving forward. There will also be talks on how to support local women artists, entrepreneurs, authors and more. Guests can RSVP to the Zoom event at queensbp.org/rsvp. “This Women’s History Month, we’re thrilled to celebrate the many trailblazers who

call or have called Queens home,” Richards said via email to the Queens Chronicle. “This is also a time to honor the ordinary women in our lives who do extraordinary things for our families and our communities every single day. We’re thrilled to honor these heroes at our Women’s Herstory Month celebration ... We hope you’ll join us as we recognize and empower women across the spectrum in The Q World’s Borough and beyond.”

Borough President Donovan Richards will host a virtual Women’s History Month event IMAGE COURTESY QUEENS BP on March 16.

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Bureaucracy and opportunity in DOE

Banks discusses vision for the city school system and issues within it by Deirdre Bardolf Associate Editor

City Schools Chancellor David Banks shared his vision for the public school system last Wednesday within the halls of the old Tweed Courthouse, now home to the Department of Education but still holding its old name. He noted that many members of the press and elected officials had never even been inside it before. “Tweed has almost been this place where you dare not step foot,” Banks said in the press conference, adding that the message was, “‘You’re not welcome here.’ It symbolizes the dysfunction of what we’ve been talking about.” And dysfunction within the DOE is what Banks centered much of his speech on, announcing that he was axing the role of the executive superintendents because they did not deliver the level of value needed to justify keeping them. “We spend $38 billion every single year to get the outcomes that we get, where 65 percent of Black and brown children never achieve proficiency,” he said. “We’re going to streamline what I consider some level of waste within this department,” said Banks. Mayor Adams foreshadowed the cut while

introducing Banks: “If you’re not part of this team and committed to finally turning around this bureaucracy that has professionalized failing children, failing teachers, failing principals, failing school crossing guards, failing those security agents,” he said, “failing, failing, failing.” “If you’re not part of this team, then this is not the moment to be in this administration. We’re committed, dedicated to turning this school system around. If we get it right here, it will cascade through this entire country.” “We spend over 30 billion ... and fail our children every year,” Adams added. Banks discussed the drop in enrollment, stating that in the past five years, more than 120,000 families have left the school system, which had been serving about 1.1 million students. “That’s an indictment of the work that we have done,” said Banks. He called the school system dysfunctional and noted that the most brilliant and innovative principals whom he has met with are those who learned how to navigate the bureaucracy. “They get this work done, not because of the DOE, in spite of the DOE,” said Banks. When he took the job as chancellor, he said, people warned him, including Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation

of Teachers union, who was present at the press conference, that he would have his work cut out for him in terms of special education, early childhood education and enrollment. Banks outlined the four pillars of success that he has discussed in meetings throughout the city since taking his position. DOE employees are to reimagine the school experience, “scale, sustain and restore what works,” prioritize wellness and create a true partnership with parents. The teleprompter cut out during Banks’ speech but following his improvised version, the DOE published his vision online, as well. One of the plans he detailed is to create an Advisory Council on Literacy, which will help all students become capable readers. Banks also stated that a “North Star” in the DOE’s work will be creating career pathways that ensure students have the skills to go to college, get good jobs that put them on a path to “economic prosperity” and “take their place in American society.” He introduced new leadership at Tweed including Jade Grieve, chief of student pathways, and brought up the Career and Technical Education program at Thomas Edison High School in Jamaica. “The level at which they are engaging their kids is absolutely incredible,” he said. Banks spoke of a mysterious man named

Chancellor David Banks

SCREENSHOT VIA YOUTUBE

Bill who some in the education system know to stand outside of Tweed with a sign that says, “Teach the children how to read.” Banks said he spoke with Bill, who said that simply teaching kids how to read will help with a host of issues including crime. “We have an economy, we have businesses that have been built on the dysfunction of Q Tweed,” Banks said.

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Page 9 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 10, 2022

NEUROPATHY

QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 10, 2022 Page 10

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P Gennaro on target on crime

EDITORIAL

AGE

ity Councilman Jim Gennaro is furious. Two weeks ago he stood among a proud crowd of Asian immigrants to honorarily rename a street corner in his east-central Queens district “Little Bangladesh Ave.” in recognition of their growing community. Last week, privately, he stood beside a Bangladeshi man in his district who had just been released from the hospital, after being beaten so severely on a Brooklyn subway platform that his eyes were swollen shut. Gennaro is no doubt furious at the suspect, a 30-yearold man named Alexander Santiago whom transit police picked up after the attack. But he’s also had it with members of his own Democratic Party who he believes are endangering everyone’s lives and safety with their softon-crime policies, such as those that tie judges’ hands so they can’t keep dangerous people behind bars. He’s right. “The blood of countless innocent victims is on the Governor’s and the Legislature’s hands, which they well know, but votes from the criminal-coddling progressive voting bloc are more important to the Governor and most State Legislators than keeping New Yorkers safe,” he thundered in a statement emailed to the media. “They are

literally buying votes with the blood of innocent New Yorkers. That is a crime. Shame on them.” This page opposed the state’s insane bail “reform” law of 2019 before it was passed and afterward, repeating many times that it needs to be repealed. Not only that, but new law giving judges more leeway to hold suspects must be enacted. Every other state in the union allows judges to consider how dangerous a suspect is when deciding whether to release him or her. As Gennaro said, Albany “stands alone in its so-called progressive and ‘woke’ policy not to remand defendants who present a clear and present danger to law-abiding New Yorkers.” Santiago, who was finally held after the attack on the Queens man and ordered to undergo a psych exam, is a frequent flier with the NYPD. He’s got cases pending in Brooklyn for allegedly hitting people on May 18, 2021 and Jan. 19, 2022. He has other arrests in Manhattan. Crime is on the rise. Mayor Adams wants our laws fixed. Jim Gennaro wants our laws fixed. So do other Democrats, as well as all Republicans. The fools in our state Capitol who are resisting them do indeed have blood on their hands, and a growing political revolt, too.

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Deceptive cartoon Dear Editor: The political cartoon in the March 3 issue is quite disingenuous and misleading. Nowhere in this country, nowhere, does any Republican policy on voting require as stringent documentation as depicted. I recently heard a radio commercial regarding Covid vaccination requirements, and all that was needed was photo ID. That’s all that should be required for voting. Just prove you are who you say you are. If it’s good enough for Covid vaccinations it should be good enough for voting. Of course, I doubt very much that this letter will be published. Nevertheless I felt I should make my feelings known. Al Funke Woodhaven

ID should be needed Dear Editor: I was more than disappointed by the cartoon in the editorial section of the March 3 issue depicting the Republicans as harsh and strict, requiring identification to vote. This is particularly so since I have generally considered the Queens Chronicle far more objective and less leftist than other local and citywide publications. There is nothing discriminatory nor unusual about requiring ID to vote. Many nations demand it. According to the National Confer© Copyright 2022 by MARK I PUBLICATIONS, INC. All rights reserved. Neither this newspaper nor any part thereof may be reproduced, copied, or transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, microfilming, recording or by any information retrieval system without the express written permission of the publishers. This copyright is extended to the design and text created for advertisements. Reproduction of said advertisement or any part thereof without the express written permission of MARK I PUBLICATIONS, INC. is strictly prohibited. This publication will not be responsiblefor errors in advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Bylined articles represent the sole opinion of the writer and are not necessarily in accordance with the views of the QUEENS CHRONICLE. This Publication reserves the right to limit or refuse advertising it deems objectionable. The Queens Chronicle is published weekly by Mark I Publications, Inc.at a subscription rate of $19 per year and out of state, $25 per year. Periodicals Postage Paid (USPS0013-572) at Flushing, N.Y. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mark I Publications, Inc., 71-19 80th St., Suite 8-201, Glendale, NY 11385.

Cuomo, pack it in

f former Gov. Andrew Cuomo harbors any delusions about mounting a political comeback, he should forget them and get to finding a new line of work and returning his $16 million war chest. He could even be a political consultant — he’d be a great one — but never again a candidate. Cuomo thinks that because he wasn’t criminally charged with any of the various allegations of sexual assault and harassment made against him, he’s been vindicated. No, that’s not how it works. Even though Cuomo will not be criminally charged (he is being sued by one accuser in civil court), he’s guilty in the minds of a majority of the public. Eleven accusers? Come on. They’re not all making it up. And in politics, it’s the court of public opinion that counts. There’s also the matter of Cuomo driving up Covid deaths early in the crisis by directing nursing homes to accept people ill with the disease. And the corruption surrounding his economic development projects. And the corruption of his having aides work on his book on the taxpayers’ dime. Perhaps Cuomo’s “I was wronged” speech on Sunday marks some early stage of the grieving process for him. If so, we can’t wait until he gets to acceptance. It’s over, sir.

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ence of State Legislatures, 36 states require some form of ID to vote. Fourteen and the District of Columbia do not. To combat fraud, ID is required to open a bank account, enroll in college, apply for a mortgage, get married, board a plane, obtain medical care, join the library, buy a gun, get a job and so on. So why not to vote? As a poll worker, I have seen rampant fraud that can only be resolved with full ID. Illegal aliens have attempted to vote, as well as people impersonating the deceased, relatives or those who have moved. In one case a woman from out of state requested to vote. She felt that since she was here, maybe she could vote. ID proved she lived out of state. Without it, she had the right to get an affidavit ballot. May I add that she claimed to be a Democrat? ID protects the integrity of the right to vote. Democrats oppose it because they have been losing many elections and voters are deserting their party. Thus they are allowing noncitizens to vote, in violation of the Consti-

tution. They can’t win by the rules, so the rules must be changed. Twelve of the fourteen states that do not require ID have also gerrymandered district lines, making it very difficult for Republicans to win. Again, change the rules. This coming from a Democratic Party that pontificates that elections must be free and all votes counted. William Aiello Howard Beach

No seniors driving trucks Dear Editor: Re Sophie Krichevsky’s March 3 report “FedEx truck kills senior in Fresh Meadows”: As an 82-year-old man, I was upset about the death of an 83-year-old woman struck by a FedEx truck while crossing a street in Fresh Meadows. But I was shocked to learn the driver’s age: 72. Why is someone that age allowed to drive a truck? It’s a stressful job requiring fast reflexes and coordination, good vision,

C M SQ page 11 Y K

Felder and our task today

Dear Editor: In the past, Asian Americans for Equality has fought for community involvement in neighborhood decisions because it understands that community feedback is vital and the key to making Flushing the best version of itself. Including and prioritizing community feedback and transparency in its projects and requesting that elected leaders do the same was common practice. In 2011 when the Flushing waterfront development was announced, AAFE voiced its frustrations over the development getting built without ample discussion from the community. AAFE, rightly so, felt that city leaders had quickly and discreetly approved of plans for the waterfront development without transparency or including the community in the process. AAFE asked the waterfront developers for more community input during this process because it believed that Flushing needed more affordable housing prioritized. The city did not give AAFE or other Flushing residents the proper opportunity to voice their opinions on the waterfront development. Input and transparency from the community would have made the waterfront development stronger. Now, a decade later, AAFE can provide the transparency and community feedback that was denied during the development of the waterfront. Last year AAFE announced that it was going to build a new transitional housing shelter in the Flushing neighborhood. The project was announced in a rush without any input from the community. AAFE has not granted the community the transparency that it asked for with the building of the original waterfront development. When the Flushing waterfront development was proposed, AAFE was concerned about the high price of living and density in Flushing. Ten years later, this is still a major issue in our community. We need to make sure residents of Flushing have affordable housing before we can start to develop additional housing projects. AAFE needs to slow down and make sure it is getting the feedback from the Flushing community every step of the way. Peter Tu President, Flushing Chinese Business Association Dian Yu Executive Director, Flushing Business Improvement District Flushing

Waiting for my apology Dear Editor: Robert LaRosa is like Donald Trump in that they both have trouble with the truth. In the March 3 issue Mr. LaRosa wrote, “Mr. Rodin must be very proud to support Trump, a criminal.” I have never supported Trump. I voted for myself in 2016 and 2020 given the lousy choices I faced. In the Oct. 20, 2016 issue I wrote that Trump was not morally qualified to be president. In the March 8, 2018 issue I wrote against Trump’s trade wars and on April 19, 2018 I wrote against Trump increasing the deficit. On Aug. 19, 2019 I listed all the Democrats who left office under a cloud of scandal includcontinued on next page

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Dear Editor: Sometimes something happens and sometimes someone says something. Even though the Sunday, March 6, weather provided some bursts of raindrops instead of promised balmy temperatures, about 50 people assembled at MacDonald Park in Forest Hills for Ethan Felder’s inaugural petitioning event, including students doing community service. They were experiencing one piece of the democratic process. Ethan Felder is running to serve as the District 28 Forest Hills representative in the state Assembly. The crowd heard from Monica Cruz, a 32BJ spokesperson, Sylvia M. Martin, a LeFrak City tenant, and Fahad Solaiman from the Jackson Heights Bangladeshi Business Association, who all thanked the labor lawyer for his past work. Martin described the pro bono work that Felder had done for the LeFrak City Tenants Association in 2017 when the Board of Elections “relocated all five election districts from the Corona complex’s Continental Room to area schools more than a half-mile away” (Queens Chronicle, June 14, 2018). The LeFrak City Tenants Association won in court and some polling sites were reinstated on LeFrak City’s side of the Long Island Expressway. It still matters very much to that community. Ethan Felder talked about the challenges of this moment but asserted that “we can have public safety and stand for dignity ... It’s a moment when true solidarity must be twinned with sensibility, not ideological dogma ... We can respect police and insist no one fear the police.” As our next campaign season begins, we all need to be vigilant about bureaucratic changes that undermine the democratic process. We can demand policies and programs that solve our public safety, housing and economic problems. Yes, it all, the good and the bad, can happen here. Get ready to choose. Sign a petition. Resolve to vote in the primaries and the November elections. We can make something good happen. Debra Michlewitz Bayside

Answer Flushing’s concerns

endurance and strong motor skills, all of which decline sharply as people age. The mandatory retirement age for U.S. airline pilots (another tough transportation job) is 65, under FAA rules. Truck drivers should face the same upper age limit, because they also place people at risk. Truck drivers in New York State must get a commercial driver’s license from the Department of Motor Vehicles. They first need to have a regular driver’s license, then pass a written exam and a road skills test and pay $55 in fees. Eighteen is the minimum age limit for a CDL. There is no maximum age limit, but one should be set at 65, the normal retirement age for most U.S. workers. Seniors have a right to make a living, but not to endanger people’s lives. A commercial driver’s license must not become a license to kill. Richard Reif Kew Gardens Hills

E DITOR

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LETTERS TO THE

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 10, 2022 Page 12

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Ghost guns seized in four residences

Katz, NYPD say untraceable firearms are turning up with greater frequency by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor

District Attorney Melinda Katz has long been warning the public about so-called ghost guns, largely plastic weapons that can be ordered in parts and assembled with instructions available on the internet. Because they have no serial numbers, they can be untraceable to a manufacturer or buyer. Twenty-seven of them, seized March 1 in a series of four raids of residences in Flushing and Bayside, were on display last Thursday at a joint press conference with Katz and numerous law enforcement agencies. “Previously, we have noted that ghost guns have become an emerging threat to our efforts to keep the streets safe,” Katz said in her office at the Queens Criminal Courthouse in Kew Gardens. “As you can see from this seizure, this threat is no longer emerging,” Katz said, joined by members of her staff, the NYPD, New York State Police and federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “It is here and is present in our neighborhoods today. The individuals who are building, trafficking and using these self-made firearms no longer need to travel the ‘iron pipeline’ from other states to acquire firearms and distribute them in our community.

of unfinished frames or receivers. Seongwoo Chung, 35, of Crocheron Avenue in Flushing, was charged with secondand third-degree criminal possession of a weapon; third-degree criminal sale of a firearm; criminal possession of a firearm; and prohibition of frames or receivers. Katz said Chang and Chung face up to 15 years in prison. Frankenfeld and Zhao face up to 25 years. Attorney Oliver Storch, who represents Zhao, said his client is an American citizen who has led a law-abiding life. The Chronicle did not hear back from attorneys for the other three defendants. “He was obviously very shocked and saddened by the arrest,” Storch said. “There is no allegation of any weapons being sold or in any way or shape distributed, and he intends to address these charges in the appropriate forum.” Bail for all four was set at $250,000 bond Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz, at podium, discusses the city’s strategy for combating or $150,000 cash. Information on their custody status was not available from the DepartPHOTO BY MICHAEL GANNON ghost guns that can be purchased in parts and assembled. ment of Correction prior to deadline. Katz said this is the sixth major operation Now, at the stroke of a keyboard, the ‘poly- ment building. mer pipeline’ continues to allow gun traffickKatz said the sweep resulted in four in Queens targeting ghost guns since last ers to build weapons from the comfort of arrests. Investigators allegedly seized 33 fire- August. Inspector Courtney Nilan of the NYPD their own homes.” arms; approximately 10,000 rounds of Three search warrants were executed at ammunition; 78 high-capacity magazines Major Case Field Intelligence Unit said the private houses and a fourth at an apart- capable of carrying between 10 and 30 number of ghost gun recoveries has gone in a rounds; 16 polymer-based lower receiver disturbing direction since the last part of frames for guns; accessories including 2021. “So far this year the NYPD as a whole has silencers, holographic sights, bullet-proof vests and a nighttime laser targeting system; seen a 325 percent increase in ghost guns other parts for manufacturing ghost guns; recovered in the City of New York — 85 ghost guns vs. about and more than 20 this time last $50,000 in cash. De Blasio’s successes year.” Ghost g u n Katz said none of Dear Editor: arrests, Nilan said, the four arrested are e’re seeing them come up Reader Lenny Rodin, in his letter of Dec. are up 98 percent, licensed to own or 2, 2021, “Any de Blasio fans?,” challenges on a daily basis ...” with 89 vs. 45 last possess guns in the Chronicle readers to write in and list any year. state. — NYPD Inspector Courtney Nilan positives of the de Blasio administration. What Nilan said Andrew Chang, on ghost guns Well, Lenny, here are several: also is alarming is 34, of 215th Place in 1. Universal, free pre-K program for all that cops are comBayside, was 4-year-olds. Wildly popular. charged with second- and third-degree crimi- ing across more and more ghost guns that 2. Neighborhood policing. nal possession of a weapon; third-degree have made it to the streets, not just in 3. Paid sick leave. criminal sale of a firearm; criminal posses- actions like the sweep last week. 4. Programs such as “IDNYC” to vastly “We’re seeing them come up on a daily sion of a firearm; unlawful possession of pisimprove the possibility of affordable houstol or revolver ammunition; and prohibition basis by patrol cops recovering them during ing. 911 jobs, during robberies that involve a fireof unfinished frames or receivers. 5. Prior to the pandemic turmoil, crime Kai Zhao, 45, of 167th Street in Flushing, arm, during domestic violence situations and was significantly down in most categories. was charged with first-, second- and third- during car stops where firearms are recov6. In education, test scores up, graduation degree criminal possession of a weapon; ered,” Nilan said. “So we’re seeing them in a rates up. third-degree criminal sale of a firearm; lot of different genres within policing that we 7. Promoted rent moratorium during panunlawful making/transporting/disposing/ hadn’t really seen prior to last year.” demic. During the press conference’s questiondefacing weapons and dangerous instru8. Fostered programs to cut greenhouse ments, firearms; criminal possession of a and-answer session, Katz said the state Legemissions. firearm; unlawful possession of pistol or islature has not overlooked possible loopholes 9. Record job creation. revolver ammunition; and prohibition of in existing firearms laws under which some 10. Presided over the recent resurgence of might seek to exploit differences between unfinished frames or receivers. the Broadway theater and overall tourism in Michael Frankenfeld, 55, of 167th Street in plastic and metal; as well as homemade vs. NYC. Flushing, was charged with first-, second- mass-manufactured. One example, she said, And de Blasio’s most praiseworthy and third-degree criminal possession of a is the crackdown on incomplete frames and accomplish ment of all: He canceled weapon; third-degree criminal sale of a fire- lower receivers that could be turned into all NYC contracts with the Trump Orgaarm; criminal possession of a firearm; lethal firearms. nization. “It has made a big difference,” she said. unlawful making/transporting/disposing/ Robert Vogel defacing weapons and dangerous instru- “We do hope clearly that the federal governBayside ments, firearms; unlawful possession of pis- ment will see fit to putting serial numbers on Q tol or revolver ammunition; and prohibition all the parts of ghost guns.”

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LETTERS TO THE continued from previous page ing Alan Hevesi, Eliot Spitzer, David Paterson, Eric Schneiderman and Andrew Cuomo. I guess Mr. LaRosa had no problems voting for them. In the Feb 24 issue I wrote that Democrats ignore gerrymandering when their own party does it. Mr. LaRosa wrote that he “was truly amazed at the nerve Lenny Rodin showed pertaining to gerrymandering.” When I compared Senate Democrats changing the rules to confirm lower court judges to the Republicans changing the rules for the Supreme Court, Mr. LaRosa called it “laughable and truly sad.” It seems that when I pointed out Democratic hypocrisy Mr. LaRosa can’t give a real response other than to talk about his personal feelings to my positions. Finally, Mr. LaRosa wrote that “Republicans have now simply moved on to blatant voter suppression.” That is a fake issue. In November, New Yorkers voted against loosening voter registration rules. I didn’t see any voices wanting a boycott of New York for supporting voter suppression. I am thankful to Mr. LaRosa for once again pointing out Democrats’ selective outrage concerning certain issues. I welcome an apology from him for misrepresenting my political affiliation. Lenny Rodin Forest Hills

E DITOR

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Page 13 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 10, 2022

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Borough Board draws up budget requests Roadwork, flood control and more cops on community boards’ lists by Max Parrott

barrier that the Army Corps of Engineers is in the process of evaluating. CB 2 District Manager Debra Markell The Queens Community Board made recommendations Tuesday morning on how the Kleinert requested repairs for the deterioratborough president and city agencies should ing sewer infrastructure across Long Island spend the money allocated in the mayor’s City and Woodside, referencing a water main break that happened recently on Vernon Bou$98.5 billion preliminary budget. Infrastructure projects, particularly those levard and damaged dozens of cars. Markell Kleinert also wants to create a aimed at increasing drainage and sewer runpedestrian greenway with park benches along off to account for the storm severity that the the avenue between Laurel Hill Boulevard borough experienced during Hurricane Ida, were the most common requesst among and Greenpoint Avenue on the Queens side of the Kosciuszko Bridge. The road would be Queens’ community boards. Other persistent requests included more suitable for a protected lane and could be a great way to enhance the greenway for all funding to combat perpetual issues of illegal pedestrians as well, she said. dumping and illegal commercial truck parkCB 3 District Manager Giovanna Reid ing and capital requests like bike and pedesrequested increased funding for senior protrian greenways and street improvements. grams and youth employment. She also Community Board 1 District Manager underscored the need to upgrade the sewer Florence Koulouris, the first official to speak, requested additional lighting for the systems in the district, which spans Jackson Heights, Northern Corona and East Elmhurst. area surrounding the newly activated Hallets CB 4 District Manager Christian Casagnol Point ferry terminal in Astoria, which has sought more discretionary funding for the seen an influx of pedestrian traffic at night. Koulouris also asked for improvements on board to promote service community with more public events, street fairs and giveaways a section of 32nd Street, off Ditmars Boulevard, where major sewer line issues force res- as pandemic restrictions loosen. He asked for additional money for the Sparrow’s Nest idents to drudge through excessive rainwater Community Garden in Corona to build flood flooding their homes on a regular basis. In mitigation infrastructure in the form of solar addition, she asked for funding to repair the panels, water pumps and other upgrades. seawall surrounding the Astoria Houses — a Chronicle Contributor

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CB 5 District Manager Gary Giordano requested 20 new officers in the 104th Precinct and the reconstruction of Mafera Park on the Ridgewood-Glendale border. CB 6 District Manager Frank Gulluscio looked to upgrade all sewers and improve drainage in the board’s area, which covers Forest Hills and Rego Park. CB 7 District Manager Marilyn McAndrews said her board’s top capital request is the reconstruction of 20th Avenue from the Whitestone Expressway service road to College Point Boulevard, and 127th Street from 14th to 23rd avenues. She said extensive flooding makes sewer work necessary. CB 8 District Manager Marie AdamOvide said her board’s number one priority was to upgrade electrical wiring at the Briarwood Family Shelter in order to allow airconditioning window units in the facility, which presently has no air conditioning in the summer. CB 9 District Manager James McClelland asked the city to reappraise the cost of the Queens facility in the city’s borough-based jail program, which will be located in Kew Gardens. McClelland also called on the city to move forward with the long-delayed Richmond Hill Library. CB 10 District Manager Karyn Peterson called for the construction of new schools in

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the South Queens district. Peterson requested additional personnel at the 106th Precinct. CB 11 District Manager Joseph Marziliano called traffic safety the board’s first and foremost concern, citing the need for new traffic signals, speed bumps and traffic studies in the board’s northern Queens area. He also asked for a capital project to widen the greenway on Northern Boulevard between 223rd Street and the Douglaston Parkway. CB 12 District Manager Yvonne Reddick asked for funding to install cameras across the district to fight illegal dumping. Reddick called on the city to provide resources to build a hospital in the Jamaica-based district. CB 13 District Manager Mark McMillan called for resources to fight illegal truck parking in the Eastern Queens area. He also asked for the DOT to secure funding to expand the exit on southbound Cross Island Parkway at Hillside Avenue. CB 14 District Manager Jonathan Gaska called for widening Rockaway Beach Boulevard from Beach 32nd Street to Beach 62nd Street. The project was one of the board’s conditions for approving Arverne By the Sea and the Arverne East developments. He also called on the city to finish a sewer main project in the Jamaica Bay-facing stretch of the Arverne, Somerville area, which suffers Q severe flooding on a regular basis.

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QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 10, 2022 Page 14

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Coverage regardless of immigration status; hope is to get it in budget by Peter C. Mastrosimone Editor-in-Chief

Activists and some lawmakers pressed their case last week for state health insurance coverage for unauthorized immigrants living in New York, hoping to get the measure included in the next budget plan, due April 1. The coverage option would be available to those making up to 200 percent of poverty-line income as measured by the federal government. “This bill will provide adult immigrants with access to health insurance coverage that is equivalent to the coverage offered to their citizen or lawfully present counterparts who are eligible for the Essential Plan,” the text reads. “The program builds upon New York’s success covering children (including immigrant children) through the Child Health Plus program. It extends coverage to eligible adult immigrants ensuring that all New Yorkers have access to affordable health coverage, averting the health insurance cliff many young immigrants now face when they turn 19 after years of state investment in their health.” The bill is expected to cost taxpayers $345 million its first year, once savings in emergency Medicaid spending are factored in. It would benefit an estimated 46,000 undocumented residents, according to a spokesman for Assemblywoman Jessica González-Rojas (D-East Elmhurst), one of the sponsors.

A version of the bill proposed two years ago projected a cost of $532 million. The spokesman, Brian Romero, said the reduction was due to fewer people now being expected to take advantage of the plan. The earlier version also said more than 400,000 unauthorized immigrants could benefit from the bill. When the Chronicle noted that the numbers differ by a factor of 10 and asked if the first figure actually could have contained an extra, unintended zero, Romero said that was correct. González-Rojas touted her support for the bill, called Coverage for All, last Wednesday and pressed for it to be included in the state budget, joining fellow supporters rallying for its passage at the state Capitol. The activists held a press conference, marched through the building and held a die-in and outdoor vigil to mourn immigrant deaths from Covid-19 and the community’s lack of healthcare access. The Campaign for NY Health, which is lobbying for universal, single-payer healthcare in the state, posted video of the rally on Twitter. Immigrant New Yorkers have died of Covid at twice the rate of white people in the state, according to González-Rojas. “The action that advocates and all of us are engaging in today is not hyperbolic,” she said, according to an email from her office. “Undocumented New Yorkers are dying all over this state because they are the most vulnerable

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Protesters call for healthcare coverage for all immigrants, regardless of legal status, at the state Capitol. The sign says in Spanish, “The people united will never be defeated,” a phrase long used by SCREENSHOT VIA CAMPAIGN FOR NY HEALTH VIDEO / TWITTER activists in Latin America. among us to suffer from healthcare disparities. And yet these are the same New Yorkers, our neighbors, that rose every day to help our state manage the coronavirus pandemic and continue to help us as we recover. “They don’t need clapping. They need healthcare. So I call on our state legislature,

leadership, and Governor to include coverage for all in our Assembly one-house and enacted budget. It is sound economic and healthcare policy and, put simply, it is the right thing to do.” Aside from González-Rojas, Queens sponcontinued on page 33

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Page 15 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 10, 2022

Advocates press for migrant healthcare

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Retirees save $200 a month in court case

Medicare Advantage at issue by Naeisha Rose Associate Editor

Justice Lyle Fran k of state Supreme Court in Manhattan ruled last week that the city could not charge retired city workers who don’t want the new Medicare Advantage Plan $191 a month for opting to keep their current Medicare plans. Based on the court’s reading of city Administrative Code section 12-126, “so long as the respondent is giving retirees the option of staying in their current program, they may not do so by charging them the $191,” said Frank. “The city will pay the entire cost of health insurance coverage for city employees, city retirees and their dependents, not to exceed one hundred percent of the full cost of HIP-HMO.” City Corporation Counsel Sylvia O. Hinds-Radix said the city filed a notice of appeal on March 4. “The city ... is seeking a stay at the court’s decision while that appeal is considered,” Hinds-Radix said via email. “As the city considers its options, the Medicare Advantage Plus Plan will not be implemented on April 1.” The plan, which was negotiated by former Mayor Bill de Blasio and representatives of the city’s unions, was initially set to take effect in January but was stalled until April 1, due to legal action. Approximately 250,000 city retirees will be impacted and a group of them — the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees — sued to block the change, which would see private companies contract with the federal government to offer the Medicare Advantage benefits that some say could increase their out-of-pocket costs because it would not cover supplemental insurance use. “The city has been paying for those health insurance plans, but they were going to stop as of April 1, but the court held that you cannot discontinue paying for them,” said Jacob Gardener, the attorney representing the retirees. “Anyone who opted out of the plan was going to have to pay a $191 a month premium and no longer has to.” The plan had a limited provider network and a prior authorization requirement, said the attorney. “In order for them to get certain services that they need the insurance company has to approve it,” said Gardener. “It creates procedural hoops that could be denied and prior authorization has been associated with all sorts of health risks. The insurance company gets to decide whether the patient gets the services that the doctor orders.” A retired 30-year veteran teacher of the city Department of Education

who lives in Forest Hills, who wishes to remain anonymous, says that he read about at least one retiree dying while waiting for a test to be approved. “He was waiting for a test and it took so long that he died before the approval came through,” said the sou rce. “T hat was absolutely horrendous.” Approximately 50,000 retirees opted out of the plan before the ruling, he said: “Ninety-nine percent of the remaining 200,000 are probably going to opt out. I am delighted by the judge’s ruling. While it was ongoing, I was in a constant state of anxiety.” Many retirees did not know about the switch to the plan, according to the anonymous source. To save taxpayers $500 million, de Blasio started the process of transferring city retirees and their dependents to the Medicare Advantage plan, but they were sent incorrect enrollment information, which was another reason for the lawsuit and an injunction from the judge last year. “The implementation of the plan was irrational,” said Frank. However, since the city’s Office of Labor Relations has worked on fixing that error the judge also ruled that the “preliminary injunction is now vacated, and the underlying petition is ripe for resolution.” The source only learned about the change to the plan because a friend asked if the teacher was a part of the retiree organization and if he had been following the conversations online about the switch. “This is among teachers, the Fire Department — all New York City retirees — many of whom are now in their 80s and 90s and don’t go online,” the teacher said. “We would have been put into this new plan automatically,” said the source. “This was inexcusable.” Marianne Pizzitola, president of the NYC Organization of Public Service Retirees, agrees. “Traditional Medicare is run by the federal government,” said Pizzitola. “You pay into it your whole life and when you are either disabled or 65, that insurance is there and it covers the first 80 to 85 percent of your medical bills. The last 20 percent of your bill is usually paid by the Medigap plan. That pays that last gap of coverage ... that plan is from our employer.” The Administrative Code also says that as long as the cost of insurance sits under the HIP-HMO cap, which currently is $776 a month per person, the city will pay for one’s health insurance, said Pizzitola. “If it was over that you would end up picking up the difference,” she added. “The city decided it was going

Anthem, which is the company managing New York’s Medicare Advantage Plan, is being sued by the U.S. Department of Justice. Retirees believe that is anothPHOTO BY NAEISHA ROSE er reason they should stay with their current plan. to save money and they decided to do that by implementing this Medicare Advantage program. This Medicare Advantage program goes to a forprofit company.” The government is paying a private insurance company a subsidy to run that plan, said Pizzitola. “They actually pay more to the private company than they do themselves to run the same thing,” said Pizzitola. “The city in its infinite wisdom realized ... we are paying for all these city retirees. The only way to save money is to put all these into this Medicare Advantage plan ... the federal government will pick up the tab for any Medicare Advantage plan.” Over the course of 11 years, it will cost $34 billion to run the supplemental program, according to the Public Service Retirees group. If the city saves money on the premiums, it will give that money as savings to the unions, according to the retiree president. “By opting out ... you were going to pay a penalty premium of almost $200 a month per person,” said Pizzitola, a retired FDNY emergency medical technician. “We are retired and are on a fixed income. Some of us have been on our current insurance program for 40 to 50 years.” Unions decided to impose co-pays to cut more expenses out of their pocket, according to Pizzitola. “We would also be paying $15 a visit to a doctor for the most vulnerable population who sees the doctors the most,” she said. “My union no longer represents me because I am retired ... I don’t have wages, hours or work conditions.” The judge didn’t touch the argument about the co-pays, according to Pizzitola. Frank ruled that the Office of Labor Relations “was well within its rights to work with the Municipal

Labor Council to change how retirees get their health insurance.” The MLC, which is made up of 300 unions and represents 1.3 million people in the five boroughs, has the right to enter into the agreement with the city under collective bargaining agreements and may also amend those agreements. Dan Murray, of Floral Park, is a retired anti-crime unit NYPD officer. He retired in 1983 after suffering an injury on the job that resulted in him getting a plate in his neck. “The head of the [United Federation of Teachers] was very strong on taking this advantage plan,” said Murray on March 3. “Today he changed his mind. He was pushing this thing and now he is withdrawing his support ... People coming into the advantage plan should push it back and take a second look at what is going on. The parent company is under investigation by the Justice Department.” UFT President Michael Mulgrew initially supported the program because retirees would keep their own doctors; it had premium-free coverage; there would be a cap on catastrophic costs; they would be covered outside the United States; there would be an expansion on free services such as the Silver Sneakers program; and it would have allowed the city to tap into federal subsidies for Medicare, according to his spokeswoman Alison Gender. After the ruling, the UFT has changed its tune and withdrawn its support from the plan. It now urges the MLC to suspend efforts to implement the plan until all legal issues are resolved. “We believe in the NYC Medicare Advantage Plus plan and the excellent range of benefits it would have provided our retirees,” said Mulgrew. “However, the judge’s recent decision

will effectively eliminate the savings the plan would have produced and that would have been re-invested in health benefits for our members. While the NYC Medicare Advantage Plus plan is sound, the program has suffered from serious implementation problems and poor legal arguments, particularly on the part of the city.” Anthem, which was selected to run the Medicare Advantage Plan in New York, is under investigation by the Department of Justice for fraud and there is an ongoing investigation into the retirement health plans, according to Fierce Healthcare, a health business online magazine. Approximately $215 million brought in from the Medicare Advantage plans are under review. The health insurer argued that the DOJ’s probe is outside its scope and its questions are violating attorney-client privilege. The case, in which the health insurer is being sued for overcharging Medicare for millions, is still pending, according to a Feb. 13 article by the New York Post. “They haven’t gone to trial yet,” said Murray. “They made fraudulent claims, they are aware of that and they are supposed to pay back Medicare.” The retired officer was baffled by the city’s choice in health insurers. The rival insurer, Aetna, claimed that the bid was fixed in favor of Alliance, the parent company of Anthem/ Blue Cross Blue Shield and Emblem Health, because of its strong ties to union leaders, according to the Post. Mike Stein, who was raised in Jackson Heights and worked as a paramedic for NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst would have to pay nearly $5,000 annually for both him and his wife. “We are both Medicare age,” said Stein, whose wife needs k nee replacement surgery. “It just seems like a really unnecessary middle man in between ourselves and our health insurance coverage.” Before, the Steins, both 71, were able to go to a doctor, get a recommended test, have it approved and go forward with getting the examinations or procedures they needed to maintain their health and well-being. “With this plan ... there is somewhere in the neighborhood of 87 tests that if the doctor ordered it, it would not go forward until you contact the Medicare Advantage plan and their people reviewed it to approve it.” The other issue is that doctors do not want to deal with the bureaucracy and get paid less once a procedure does get approved, according to Stein. “I have a friend that is a podiatrist,” he said. “He never dealt with the Medicare Advantage Plans for these reasons.” It’s important to teach people about this, said Pizzitola. “History Q repeats itself.”

C M SQ page 17 Y K Page 17 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 10, 2022

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Push for charters continues in Queens

As the demand for the schools increases, their needs do, too by Deirdre Bardolf Associate Editor

When Yiatin Chu first became active in education advocacy, the issue of charter schools was still new to her. “I was kind of surprised that there was so much animus on CEC 1,” she said of the Community Education Council she was previously a part of. Chu went on to co-found the group PLACE NYC, Parent Leaders for Accelerated Curriculum and Education in NYC. “I’m a standardized test believer, I believe in objective measures,” she said. So, before she understood the politics of the issue, she said, she would suggest to other education advocates and elected officials that the specialized high school parents should build a “bigger tent” with charter school parents because she saw them as agreeing on the same issues. Chu, who grew up in Whitestone, sent her kids to public

schools. One of her daughters has graduated and the other attends a dual-language program in Manhattan. Chu still owns a home in Whitestone. “We were told, ‘No, you don’t want to do that. Keep yourself separate from the charters,’”Chu recalled. Now, she said, parents are fed up with Department of Education policies, especially within the Asian community. “We’re so tired of the DOE policies and going private is not an option for most families that are in public schools. Wouldn’t it be great if we can just have a charter school and basically have our own policies for what curriculum we want to teach and how long our school day is and all the things that charters are afforded,” she said. “Asian families would like that option,” she added. Chu has even looked into the process for opening a charter school and spoken with charter application consultants but in terms of making

Educating our students to be independent thinkers and lifelong learners.

Our World Neighborhood Charter School runs three privately owned locations in Queens and, although enrollment is strong, the network still feels the strain from the pandemic and drops in enrollment. PHOTO COURTESY OWN it a reality, she said, it is tough. Queens currently has 26 charter schools, according to the New York Charter School Center, and some of those were founded by parents similar to how Chu described doing.

Our World Neighborhood Charter School operates an elementary and middle school in Astoria, an elementary school in Howard Beach and an elementary school in Corona. “Our World Neighborhood

Charter School was founded by parents and has always been parent-driven,” said Mark Crusante, director of external relations. “We’ve always been this inclusive continuedon onpage page20 1 continued

Our World Neighborhood Charter Schools Free Public Charter School in SD 27, SD 30, SD 24 • Rigorous academic curriculum • Spanish beginning in Kindergarten • Study of world cultures • Pillars of a Positive Community • Arts & Music integrated into curriculum

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347-390-3290 or 646-415-2775or Email admissions@owncs.org To learn more about our great schools please visit: www.owncs.org OWN 1 Astoria - K-8th Grade - 36-12 35th Avenue, Astoria, NY 11106 Elementary School: March 22, 2022 1:00 PM Middle School: March 22, 2022 9:00 AM

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C M SQ page 19 Y K Page 19 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 10, 2022

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QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 10, 2022 Page 20

C M SQ page 20 Y K

Need for charter schools in Queens just keeps increasing continued from page 118 community where we want to get people involved,” he said. “Our mission is to educate our students to be independent thinkers and lifelong learners,” he explained. Students have the opportunity to take Spanish as early as kindergarten and are offered film, media and art classes, as well. Each school day is 10 to 15 minutes longer and the school year is about 10 days longer than the traditional school year, as well. “I don’t understand the whole ‘us versus them’ mentality that a lot of people have,” said Crusante. “I think if you look at charters as a whole, they’re public schools as well. And all we want to do is educate kids and do what’s right and help them grow and we want them to succeed,” he said. Although demand has increased for charter schools in New York City, Crusante said it has not been so easy for every school. He hopes the charter cap is lifted and that OWN receives rental assistance for existing charter schools. New charter schools receive rental assistance, so OWN 2 does but OWN 1 does not.

Central Queens Academy is a public charter school which opened in 2012 to serve District 24. The network’s newest location in Elmhurst, above, will PHOTO COURTESY CQA bring its whole school community under one roof. “We’re seeing what the traditional school districts are also seeing,” said Crusante. “We’re seeing a lot of families move or relocate themselves and it’s hard. Covid really took a punch to not only traditional public

schools but to charters, too,” he said, adding that there is strong enrollment and a waitlist but they still lose students at the same time. As with OW N, the Central Queens Academy Charter School also does not co-locate in DOE

Elm Community Charter School Apply Now! Serving Kindergarten - 5th Grade

buildings and instead leases three privately owned facilities. Its new building, which had a soft opening in January, houses kindergarten and first-grade students. It will be their permanent home starting in August for the 2022-23 school year for all of its scholars. “This building, and the unification of our school community under one single roof, is long awaited and years in the making,” explained Melissa Kinsella, director of advancement at CQA. Part of why the school administrators chose private facilities was to be part of the solution to the overcrowding problem in Queens, said Director of Schools Ashish Kapadia. “We also wanted to provide high-quality teaching and learning to first- and second-generation immigrants, as well as local families within the Elmhurst, Corona and Woodside neighborhoods,” he said. “We’ve also devoted a lot of our resources to social and emotional support and academic intervention and remediation because a large number of our students come to us in fifth grade, far below grade level in math and English.

“But it’s our job to make sure that they are truly ready for high school by the time they leave us,” said Kapadia. At CQA, students also have a longer school day as well as a double period of English and longer science, math and social studies periods. Aside from the cap being lifted, Kinsella and Kapadia would like to see unused charters be issued to schools that are looking to expand. “Queens is underrepresented in the charter area,” said Kinsella. “Proportionally, we have lower numbers of charters than in any other borough based on the population, and Queens is the fastestgrowing borough right now and it’s the fastest-growing in education and school-age children as well,” she added. Kapadia said all charter schools are different and that they are not all part of a huge network. “We’re not some large behemoth that’s trying to generate a lot of competition for the New York City Department of Education,” he said. “We are simply trying to do right by the local Elmhurst, Corona Q and Woodside communities.”

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PHOTOS BY DEIRDRE BARDOLF

Civics for All Week kicked off at Grover Cleveland High School on Monday with a celebration that included a voter registration drive, top center, and student civic showcases. Students highlighted projects and causes they are working on with Hire Cause, Key Club, Civics for All, My Brother’s Keeper and My Sister’s Keeper and Project Soapbox. Okikioluwa Fagbamigbe, right, participated in Project Soapbox in January and gave a speech on recidivism among women of color. “It’s really allowed me to be a more informed and involved citizen in my community,” she said.

Okikioluwa, who wants to become a lawyer, added, “We can uplift each other and really bring awareness to issues that we’re passionate about, things that we want to see change, things we want to be involved in,” she said. She said she feels that, with youth getting involved, they can bring issues to their local elected officials. Twenty-two students at the school have already received the New York State Seal of Civic Readiness, said Principal Marc Pascente. “It’s about student agency, it’s about students being able

Page 21 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 10, 2022

Civics Week kicks off

to craft and create opportunities for learning, for genuine learning, for genuine discourse,” he said. “You have to have structures in the school that allow students to discover their voice,” added Pescante. Guests included Deputy Chancellor of Teaching and Learning Carolyne Quintana, speaking at left, Adrienne Lever of the Mayor’s Public Engagement Unit, Laura Wood of DemocracyNYC and Timothy Chubinidze from the Queens Borough President’s Office, who all spoke on civic engagement. — Deirdre Bardolf

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QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 10, 2022 Page 22

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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, 2022. These revisions have been fi led 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, 2022) to rates effective April 1, 2022 by service classification. Effective April 1, 2022, $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. 1B, 17-1B – Residential Heating Service S.C. No. 1BR, 17-1BR-Residential Heating Service Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 3 therms or less $21.55 $21.55 Next 47 therms, per therm $1.1710 Over 50 therms, per therm $0.4372

$1.2092 $0.4515

S.C. No. 2-2, 17-2-2 – Non-Residential Heating Service Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 3 therms or less $37.55 $37.55 Next 87 therms, per therm $0.6848 Next 2,910 therms, per therm $0.6105 Over 3,000 therms, per therm $0.4250

$0.7025 $0.6263 $0.4361

S.C. No. 3, 17-3 – Multi-Family Service Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 3 therms or less $39.51 $39.51 Next 997 therms, per therm $0.4548 $0.4628 Over 1,000 therms, per therm $0.3558 $0.3621

S.C. 4A, 17-4A – High Load Factor Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 10 therms or less $250.00 $250.00 Next 990 therms, per therm $0.2718 Over 1,000 therms, per therm $0.2718

$0.2696 $0.2696

S.C. 4A-CNG, 17-4A-CNG – Compressed Natural Gas Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 10 therms or less $250.00 $250.00 Next 990 therms, per therm $0.2632 Over 1,000 therms, per therm $0.2632

$0.2643 $0.2643

S.C. 4B, 17-4B – Year Round Air Conditioning Service Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 1 therms or less $130.00 Next 199 therms, per therm $0.8587 $0.8797 Over 200 therms, per therm $0.4294

S.C. 7, 17-7 – Seasonal Off-Peak Service Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 3 therms or less $39.51 $39.51 Over 3 therms, per therm $0.2163

$0.2074

S.C. No. 1A, 17-1A – Residential Non-Heating Service S.C. No. 1AR, 17-1AR Residential Non-Heating Service Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 3 therms or less $16.25 Next 47 therms, per therm $1.9845 Over 50 therms, per therm $0.8835 $0.9523 S.C. No. 1B-DG, 17-1B-DG – Distributed Generation Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 3 therms or less $32.93 $32.93 Over 3 therms, per therm $0.1885 S.C. No. 2-1, 17-2-1 – Non-Residential Non-Heating Service Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 3 therms or less $37.55 $37.55 Next 87 therms, per therm $0.6259 Next 2,910 therms, per therm $0.4359 Over 3,000 therms, per therm $0.2986 $0.3037

$0.1913

$0.6369 $0.4435

$0.1011

$130.00 $0.4400

S.C. 21, 17-21 – Rate 2 – Equal to or greater than 1 MW but less than 5 MW Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 10 therms or less $333.14 $333.14 Over 10 therms, per therm (Apr – Oct) $0.0991 $0.1011 Over 10 therms, per therm (Nov – Mar) $0.1264 $0.1289

S.C. 21, 17-21 – Rate 3 – Equal to or greater than 5 MW but less than 50 MW Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 10 therms or less $771.69 $771.69 Over 10 therms, per therm (Apr – Oct) $0.0230 $0.0229 Over 10 therms, per therm (Nov – Mar) $0.0319 $0.0319 Demand charge per therm of MPDQ $4,821.52 $4,927.82 S.C. 22 – Non-Firm Demand Response Sales Service – Tier 1 (Commercial & Governmental / Multifamily) Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 10 therms or less $375.00 $375.00 Over 10 therms, per therm $0.1613/0.1346 $0.2325/0.1933

S.C. 22 – Non-Firm Demand Response Sales Service – Tier 2 (Commercial & Governmental / Multifamily) Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 10 therms or less $375.00 $375.00 Over 10 therms, per therm $0.1290/0.1076 $0.1860/0.1547

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://ww tionalgridus.com/NY-Home/Bills-Meters-and-Rates/ or the PSC’s website (dps.ny.gov).

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

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NAGR-080286

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S.C. 21, 17-21 – Rate 1 – Less than 1MW Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 10 therms or less $235.61 $235.61 Over 10 therms, per therm (Apr – Oct) $0.0991 Over 10 therms, per therm (Nov – Mar) $0.1264 $0.1289

$16.25 $2.0347

C M SQ page 23 Y K 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 revision s to its Schedule for Gas Service, PSC No.1 – GAS, to become effective, on a temporary basis, April 1, 2022. 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, 2022) to rates effective April 1, 2022 by service classification. Effective April 1, 2022, $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 04/01/22 First 3 therms or less $19.75 Next 47 therms, per therm $1.5459 Over 50 therms, per therm $0.3670 $0.3926 S.C. No. 1B, 5-1B – Residential Heating Service S.C. No. 1BR, 5-1BR – Residential Heating Service Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 3 therms or less $21.66 $21.66 Next 47 therms, per therm $1.2939 Over 50 therms, per therm $0.3046 $0.3163 S.C. No. 1B-DG, 5-1B-DG – Distributed Generation Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 3 therms or less $33.04 Over 3 therms, per therm $0.1772 S.C. No. 2-A, 5-2A – Non-Residential Non-Heating Service Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 3 therms or less $37.66 $37.66 Next 87 therms, per therm $1.8007 Next 2,910 therms, per therm $0.3651 $0.3717 Over 3,000 therms, per therm $0.2346 S.C. No. 2-B, 5-2B – Non-Residential Heating Service Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 3 therms or less $37.66 $37.66 Next 87 therms, per therm $1.7779 Next 2,910 therms, per therm $0.4464 $0.4600 Over 3,000 therms, per therm $0.3082 $0.3175

S.C. 9, 5-9 – Uncompressed Natural Gas Vehicle Service Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 3 therms or less $38.00 $38.00 Over 3 therms, per therm $0.5645 $0.6133

$0.2231

S.C. No. 16, 5-16 – Year-Round Space Conditioning Service Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 3 therms or less $230.43 $230.43 Next 497 therms, per therm $1.6932 $1.7227 Over 500 therms, per therm $0.2903 $0.2953 $1.3435

$33.04 $0.1786

$1.8332

S.C. 17 – Baseload Distributed Generation – Rate 1 – Less than 1MW Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 10 therms or less $180.61 $180.61 Over 10 therms, per therm (Apr – Oct) $0.1506 $0.1506 Over 10 therms, per therm (Nov – Mar) $0.1935 $0.1934 S.C. 17 – Baseload Distributed Generation – Rate 2 – Equal to or greater than 1 MW but less than 5 MW Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 10 therms or less $328.22 $328.22 Over 10 therms, per therm (Apr – Oct) $0.1506 $0.1506 Over 10 therms, per therm (Nov – Mar) $0.1935 $0.1934

$0.2390

$1.8319

$74.66 $0.2968

S.C. 17 – Baseload Distributed Generation – Rate 3 – Equal to or greater than 5 MW but less than 50 MW Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 10 therms or less $949.35 $949.35 Over 10 therms, per therm (Apr – Oct) $0.0373 $0.0373 Over 10 therms, per therm (Nov – Mar) $0.0509 $0.0509 Demand charge per therm of MPDQ $6,252.00 $6,252.00 S.C. 18 / 19 – Non-Firm Demand Response Sales Service – Tier 1 Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 10 therms or less $375.00 $375.00 Over 10 therms, per therm $0.0749 $0.1608 S.C. 18 / 19 – Non-Firm Demand Response Sales Service – Tier 2 Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 10 therms or less $375.00 $375.00 Over 10 therms, per therm $0.0600 $0.1285

KEYSPAN GAS EAST CORPORATION d/b/a NATIONAL GRID

NAGR-080287

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).

For the latest news visit qchron.com

S.C. No. 3, 5-3 – Multi-Family Service Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 3 therms or less $74.66 Next 997 therms, per therm $0.4921 $0.5025 Over 1,000 therms, per therm $0.2906

$19.75 $1.6089

S.C No. 15, 5-15 – High Load Factor Service Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/22 First 10 therms or less $153.35 $153.35 Over 10 therms, per therm $0.2247

Page 23 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 10, 2022

KEYSPAN GAS EAST CORPORATION d/b/a NATIONAL GRID

QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 10, 2022 Page 24

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MLB lockout hurts Citi Field workers As negotiations continue, stadium employees’ hours hang in balance by Sophie Krichevsky Associate Editor

Negotiations between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players’ Association have dragged on for months. When the union’s contract expired Dec. 2 without a new one in place, MLB began its lockout, which continues. The gravity of the situation took hold nationally Feb. 28 when, still without a new contract, MLB began canceling regular-season games. Previously, MLB said that the first two series of the season would not be made up. However, after vowing to cancel more games if an agreement was not reached by Tuesday, the parties continued talks Wednesday without losing additional games. MLB has also said that, should an agreement be reached Wednesday, those first two series — which, for the Mets, makes five games, but for others, could be six or seven — will be made up. A deal had not been reached by press time Wednesday evening. But as fights over playoff structure, the international draft, the threshold of the luxury tax, pre-arbitration periods, higher paychecks and more continue, it seems that fans are not the only ones who will miss out. Citi Field employees will lose opportunities to make money as the Mets’ first five games — all home games — have been struck from the sea-

son schedule. If that schedule holds, opening day at Citi Field wouldn’t be until April 15, as the Mets are on the road before that. Numerous unions represent employees at Citi Field, divided mainly by the positions held. The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 30, for instance, is composed of maintenance workers. Other unions who have contracts with the Queens Ballpark Co. — the Mets’ corporate name — include the Union of Needletrades, Textiles and Industrial Employees and the Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Union Local 100 (UNITE HERE! for short), Special Officers & Guards Union Local 177, SEIU Local 32BJ, Licensed Ushers and Ticket Takers Local Union No. 176 and Local Union 1 of the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry of the United States and Canada. The lockout has put unions in a difficult spot: While on one hand, unions across the country have stood in solidarity with the MLBPA, on the other, members who work at Citi Field — and the league’s 29 other stadiums — are losing hours as a result of the negotiations. Several of the unions that represent Citi Field employees declined to comment on the matter or did not respond to the Chronicle’s numerous inquiries. While declining further

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More games are in jeopardy of cancellation as negotiations continue. PHOTO BY SOPHIE KRICHEVSKY comment, one representative from Local 177 said, “We just hope it all works out.” Aramark, the contractor that employs many of the stadium’s concession workers, also did not respond to requests for comment. Though Local 176 was among those that did not respond to the Chronicle, union leadership addresses the issue in a post on its website, dated March 4. “Should our schedule change further as a

result of this disappointing situation, we will reach out to you again as soon as possible,” the post says, addressing employees. It adds, “We cannot operate this ballpark without you.” Bob Wilson, a business representative for Local 30, said that members of his union employed at Citi Field work there year-round. They could still feel the effects, though. “During the baseball season, when the players are there, or when there are games, they bring in additional help — not more people, but some people work overtime shifts — to make sure everything’s covered,” he explained. “So absent a baseball season, it will certainly negatively affect some of our members’ ability to earn more than just straight time.” Wilson emphasized that his union “has no position” on the negotiations. Personally, however, he has plenty of feelings on the matter: “When billionaires are arguing with millionaires, I really don’t have much patience.” Wilson was clear, though, that Local 30 members will not suffer to the same extent as some other workers. “Our union, they’re skilled workers, they make a fair wage,” he said. “Some of these other workers make much less, so it’s affecting them probably a lot more.” Queens Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tom Grech noted that businesses continued on page 25

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continued from page 24 near the field would suffer, too. “The impact is going to be great, between parking lot revenue, between local restaurants and bars around Citi Field,” he said. “Everybody was looking forward to the baseball season starting.” The Players’ Association is not oblivious to any of this; on March 4, it announced that it would launch a $1 million fund to support the people who run the league’s stadiums during the lockout. “We’re working with UNITE HERE and the AFL-CIO to make sure that these folks are taken care of,” MLBPA spokesperson Chris Dahl told the Chronicle earlier this week. He also noted that the $1 million was only a start. The details of who can donate, how to donate and how those funds are going to be distributed are also up in the air at this point. When the Chronicle asked Harold Kaufman, the Mets’ vice president of communication, about the impact on stad iu m employees, he decli ned to comment. Tuesday afternoon, MLB said it would start a similar $1 million fund — but for those employees affected by the cancellation of spring training games, not regular season ones. The league noted, however, that it would announce an additional fund for staff at regular season stadiums at a Q future date.

Council aids Ukrainian refugees Collection sites to set up throughout Queens From the City Council to the NYPD, the World’s Borough is rallying to the assistance of Ukrainian refugees who have fled to Poland. Councilmen Jim Gennaro (D-Hillcrest) and Bob Holden (D-Middle Village) are working with the Associazione Culturale Italiana Di New York, their fellow councilmembers and numerous organizations to collect canned food, clothing, children’s toys, pet food and toiletries. Also needed are footwear, thermal underwear, hygiene products, blankets, bedding, disposable tableware, first aid kits, tents, mattresses sleeping bags, standalone lamps and candles. The Polish Consulate and President of Rzeszow, Konrad Fijołek, are helping to coordinate the final drop-off in Poland, ensuring donations will go directly to Ukrainian refugees. “I was deeply moved when I saw the atrocities taking place in Ukraine, and was compelled to help. It is an honor and a privilege to help organize this drive, which I hope will yield many useful donations for the people who have been displaced by this needless bloodshed,” Gennaro said in a statement from his office. “As the invasion of Ukraine touches the world, I’m proud that my fellow New York-

City Hall was lit in the colors of the Ukrainian flag last week. This week councilmembers are heading up relief collections for refugees who NYC PHOTO / TWITTER / FILE have fled to Poland. ers of many diverse cultures in Queens are once again eager to help,” Holden said. He thanked Comm. Tony Di Piazza, Comm. Joseph Ficalora of the Federazione Italo-Americana Di Brooklyn and Queens,

the Associazione Cuturale Italiana Di New York; his fellow councilmembers; and all the people and organizations who have rallied to support Ukrainian refugees. Donations can be made at the office of Councilman Francisco Moya (D-Corona) at 106-01 Corona Ave. on Thursday, March 10, Through Friday, March 11 donations can be made during business hours at the offices of Cou ncil members Vick ie Palad i no (D-Whitestone) at 20-15 Francis Lewis Blvd.; Selvena Brooks-Powers (D-Jamaica) at 1931 Mott Ave., Suite 410 in Far Rockaway; Linda Lee (D-Oakland Gardens) at 73- 03 Bell Blvd.; Nantasha Williams (D-Jamaica) at 122-05 Smith St.; and Sandra Ung (Flushing) at 135-27 38 Ave. Donations can be made to the CHAZAQ Organization and Gennaro from 4 to 7 p.m. on March 10 at 141-47 72 Ave. in Kew Gardens Hills. Donations to the Associazione Culturale Italiana Di New York can be made at 66-31 Fresh Pond Drive from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. om March 12 and 13. The NYPD’s Russian American Officers Association is asking people to donate new packaged first aid kits and supplies; pain relievers such as aspirin, acetaminophen, and ibuprofen; bandages, gauze and tourniquets. The supplies can be left at any NYPD Q precinct.

Page 25 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 10, 2022

Citi Field

You may be eligible for COVID-19 Treatment People who have tested positive for COVID-19 may be able to receive outpatient treatment to help symptoms and avoid hospitalization. Treatment works best if you begin it soon after you start feeling symptoms, so get tested right away. Monoclonal antibody treatment is a one-time IV or injection to help ﬁght COVID-19 while your immune system produces its own antibodies.

Both monoclonal antibody and oral antiviral treatments can reduce your risk of becoming sick from COVID-19 and avoid hospitalization. COVID-19 treatments are not a substitute for vaccination. COVID-19 vaccination and booster shots remain the best protection against getting severely sick due to COVID-19. If you have COVID-19 symptoms, or if you have tested positive, talk to your doctor, or call 212-COVID19 (212-268-4319).

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Oral antiviral pills are taken for ﬁve days and helps stop the virus and keeps it from replicating, which reduces the amount of virus in your body. There are currently two authorized pills - paxlovid and molunpiravir.

QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 10, 2022 Page 26

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PA to show showcase AirTrain alternatives

14 rail, bus and water routes to and from airport shown March 16 and 24 by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor

And then there were 14. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey will examine proposals to serve LaGuardia Airport with dedicated mass transit at in-person public workshops March 16 and 24. Back in October, Gov. Hochul ordered the PA to review ideas other than her predecessor’s planned $2 billion elevated rail loop between the airport and a station that was to have been built adjacent to the Mets-Willets Point subway stop on the No. 7 line. The new proposals include a pair of subway line extensions; five possible routes for light rail atop fixed g uideways; f ive potential bus routes; and ferry service. The PA also left open a wild card to consider “emerging technologies.” Rail routes passing the airport to the south on the Grand Central Parkway all call for below-grade construction as they cross under the flight path of runway 4-22. The March 16 workshop will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the New York LaGuardia Airport Marriott Hotel at 102-05 Ditmars Blvd. in East Elmhurst. The March 24 meeting will be from 6 to 8 p.m. at Astoria World Manor at 25-22 Astoria Blvd. The Willets Point plan was criticized by nearby residents and environ mentalists for its potential

impact on the neighborhood and the Malcolm X Promenade, a linear park along the coast of Flushing Bay. Several critics questioned the wisdom of taking people from Manhattan to a point south-southeast of the airport and then having to bring them back to LaGuardia. Several critics also accused Cuomo of having had his thumb on the scale dur ing the selection process. In an email to the Chronicle, Hochul press secret ar y Hazel Crampton-Hays said the governor is playing no favorites at this point. “Governor Hochul directed the Port Authority to thoroughly examine alternative mass transit solutions to increase connectivity to LaGuardia Airport, and we look forward to reviewing input on these options to help ensure world-class transportation to our airport,” she wrote. The routes and transportation modes for all 14 proposals have been superimposed on aerial maps that can be viewed online at panynj.gov. They are, in the order on the website: • Transit improvements including a possible bus lane from the proposed Roosevelt Avenue station on the proposed Interborough Express rail line; • Improvements to the existing M60 bus route that runs from the west side of Manhattan to LaGuardia through the Bronx and Astoria; • Dedicated bus rapid transit

routes along the GCP r unning between LaGuardia and the Astoria Boulevard station on the N-W elevated subway line; • Shuttle bus service along 31st Street and 19th Avenue in Astoria between the airport and the present terminus of the N/W line at AstoriaDitmars boulevard; • Bus lanes running on Northern Boulevard and 94th Street between LaGuardia and the Northern Boulevard station on the M/R subway line; • Elevated light rail service running along the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway and the GCP between LaGuardia and the 61st Street-Woodside subway-Long Island Rail Road hub; • The original Cuomo-backed Mets-Willets Point AirTrain route, which already has cleared federal environmental studies; • Elevated light rail service between the Long Island Rail Road’s Jamaica Station — which already has an elevated rail link with John F. Kennedy International Airport — and LaGuardia; • Elevated light rail along the GCP between LaGuardia and the Astoria Boulevard N/W subway station; • An elevated light rail line between LaGuardia and the proposed Roosevelt Avenue station on the proposed Interborough Express rail line; • Extending the N/W elevated subway line with an eastern branch that runs to the airport along the

Could the success of the Jamaica-JFK AirTrain be duplicated between Jamaica and LaGuardia Airport? That is one of 14 proposals being studied by the IMAGE COURTESY PANYNJ Port Authority. GCP from 30th Avenue; • Extending the N/W line north along 31st Street from Ditmars Boulevard then turning along 19th Avenue before continuing east along the GCP to LaGuardia; • Ferry service to and from Bowery Bay and Flushing Bay at opposite ends of LaGuardia; the Manhat-

tan stops would be at Pier 11, East 34th and East 90th streets; and • Possible future technology including narrow tunnels with electric vehicles, autonomous shuttles or buses or other modes. LaGuardia itself is undergoing a multiyear $8 billion tarmac-to-tower Q rebuilding program.

Food agencies still need public’s help by Michael Gannon

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Senior News Editor

Rachel Sherrow, associate executive director and chief program officer of Citymeals on Wheels, told the Chronicle in February that the organization recently marked 40 years of delivering food to needy or homebound senior citizens. “In that time we’ve served 65 million meals,” Sherrow said. “Five million of those have been since the start of the pandemic.” And the agencies in Queens that have redoubled their efforts to help people obtain food still need help themselves in terms of volunteers and especially financial donors. “Since the start of the pandemic — I think we’re still in it, though we can see the light at the end of the tunnel — we’ve had a 10 percent increase in just our homebound recipients who are getting meals every day,” Sherrow said. Queens still is being hit as hard as anywhere else in the five boroughs, according to a spokesperson for the Food Bank For New York City, which provides food for more than 1,000

Volunteers, donations still sought charities, pantries, food banks and soup kitchens. “The Food Bank For New York City provides nearly 34.6 million free meals per year to member organizations and schools in Queens,” the spokesperson said in an email. “This is 29 percent of Food Bank’s citywide total distribution ... Since last summer, demand in Queens has nearly doubled.” Sherrow said Citymeals has about 5,100 regular clients in Queens. “In the last fiscal year alone, we have delivered 600,000 meals,” she said. They also have a supplemental fresh produce program, funded by Councilman Francisco Moya (D-Corona) that benefits seniors living in the councilman’s 21st Council District. “That has been wonderful for those who just have not been able to access fresh produce,” she said. Sherrow said while senior centers in the city

have reopened, there still is a catch for those who before the pandemic counted on the centers for a fresh meal as well as socialization. She said many are operating at reduced capacity, sometimes 25 to 50 percent, depending on regulations from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as those from the city’s Department for the Aging. “Because of masks, social distancing, and there is still some fear out there, there are fewer people going in,” Sherrow said. “We understand the importance of this population staying connected and active.” Along those lines, Sherrow said, Citymeals was able to accommodate a celebration of Lunar New Year for a large Korean organization in Flushing in February. “We provided the meals for that,” she said. “So we were actually able to help people get together for the first time in a couple of years

to honor their own traditions.” But the people who always have been there to help still need help themselves. The Food Bank spokesperson said they have been the beneficiary of dozens of corporate volunteer efforts. That also has extended to their programs offering things like assistance with tax preparation and social ambassador programs to connect with families and individuals who need help. “Our greatest need is for donations to support our work year-round,” the spokesperson stated. “This includes donating as an individual or through employers, starting fundraisers and food drives and donating food directly.” Sherrow said Citymeals, like all food security agencies, always can use financial support. “Some groups are running on fumes at this point,” she said. Citymeals on Wheels also is looking for volunteers in the Corona area with cars who can help with deliveries. Information on volunteering for or donating to the organizations can be found online at Q citymeals.org or foodbanknyc.org.

C M SQ page 27 Y K

March arch 10, 2022 202

ARTS, C ARTS CULTURE ULTUR & LIVING

First it was the Queens County St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Rockaway Beach on March 5; a day later the St. Pat’s for All Parade, held virtually last year, returned to the streets of Sunnyside and Woodside. And with St. Patrick’s Day soon to be upon Queens on March 17, there still is plenty of time for all in the World’s Borough to don their best green finery and participate in the culture and merriment after two years away. The Bayside St. Patrick’s Day Parade returns at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 26 after a two-year hiatus. Marchers will head down Bell Boulevard from 35th to 42nd avenues with the traditional bands, groups, floats and banners expected. Anyone interested in participating or joining as a sponsor is asked to contact parade organizers by

Page 27 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 10, 2022

by Michael Gannon

email at baysideirish@aol.com. The application deadline is March 15. Then, of course, there is the New York Irish Center in Long Island City. The center will host its annual 40 Shades of Green celebration, an all-day concert from 3 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, March 17. The day will feature music and dancing, including live performances from more than two dozen acts from around the New York City region. Scheduled performers, with performances ranging from jazz and pop to country and western, include Eoin

Celebrating

St. Patrick’s Day in person again

continued on page 29

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Cannon, Mary Deady, Connor Delves, Brendan Fogarty, Greg Harrington, Tara O’Grady & Justin Poindexter, Ciara Duff, Ailish Long, Cathy Maguire, Perter Maguire, Niall Mulligan, the Josh Marcum Trio, Kiernan McCarthy, M onseur a nd B enedet to, David O’Leary, Sean O’Neill, Colm Reilly, Karl Scully, Grace Tallon and Rachel Tucker. Emcees will include Amy Brett, Fiona Walsh and George C. Heslin. Also featured will be Darrah Carr Dance company of Manhattan, and McManus Irish Dance, which offers instruction in locations in LIC, Sunnyside and Woodside as well as Manhattan.

QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 10, 2022 Page 28

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boro

I HAVE OFTEN WALKED

King Crossword Puzzle Gia Scala: Whitestone star burned out far too soon

ACROSS

1 Taj Mahal city 5 Chatter 8 Pugilist’s weapon 12 Regrets 13 Half of bi14 Bygone Peruvian 15 Diamond parts 17 Miles away 18 Thai or Korean 19 Oscar contenders 21 Leaves 24 Medit. nation 25 Buckeye State 28 Take five 30 Yoga pad 33 Mafia boss 34 Emulate Lincoln 35 Bedazzle 36 Dict. info 37 Nick and Nora’s pet 38 Arm bone 39 Fireplace residue 41 Luminary 43 Charlton Heston film 46 Seraglio 50 Aware of 51 Endless time or space 54 Burning heap 55 Automobile 56 Sci-fi fleet 57 Declares 58 Lock opener 59 Faxed

DOWN

1 Met solo 2 Weaponry

by Ron Marzlock Chronicle Contributor

3 Mortgage again (short) 4 Italian cheese 5 Actor Brynner 6 Moreover 7 Galileo’s birthplace 8 Decrees 9 Casual 10 Cicatrix 11 Old salts 16 Rock’s Brian 20 Refer to

22 Messes up 23 Plane assignments 25 Peculiar 26 Garden tool 27 Foot soldiers 29 Sports figure? 31 Bristle 32 Chai, e.g. 34 Diamond Head locale 38 Seventh planet 40 Loafers, e.g.

42 Sashimi fish 43 Conks on the head 44 “May It Be” singer 45 “Casablanca” cafe owner 47 Teeming 48 Harrow rival 49 Island in a computer game 52 Scot’s refusal 53 Saute

Giovanna Scoglio was born on March 3, 1934 in Liverpool, Merseyside, England to Pietro Scoglio from aristocracy in Messina, Sicily, and Eileen O’Sullivan, a 17-year-old Irish beauty. They lived in Sicily and soon recognized their daughter’s beauty and potential as an actress. They decided to move to New York. Giovanna arrived on the ship Vulcania to her new home at 15-07 Parsons Blvd. in Whitestone. She attended and graduated from Bayside High School in the class of 1952. She studied at the Stella Adler acting studio in Manhattan. In 1954 Universal Studios recognized her potential and signed her to a contract. They changed her name to Gia Scala. She was paired with the top male leading men of the 1950s. She is best remembered for the epic film “The Guns of Navarone.” Her life started to go into a tailspin when her mother, to whom she was extremely close, passed away in October 1957. Her depression was treated with alcohol and pills, which made things only worse. She

The childhood home of actress Gia Scala at 15-07 Parsons Blvd. in Whitestone, as it looks today. GOOGLE MAPS IMAGE; INSET VIA WIKIPEDIA / EBAY

was fired from the studio. She stayed close to her younger sister but on April 30, 1972, she passed away at age 38 in her Hollywood Hills home of a pill overdose — another sad Tinseltown statistic. Her Whitestone home hasn’t changed much over the years and looks to be in its Q original condition.

Answers on next page

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nyc.gov/dot

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by Sophie Krichevsky associate editor

In line with the zeitgeist, Astoria’s Museum of the Moving Image uses its latest exhibit, “Deepfake: Unstable Evidence on Screen,” to examine media manipulation in the era of fake news and beyond. Though deepfakes — videos that intentially distort or fabricate events, as MoMI describes them — are typically thought to be specific to the 21st century and the technology created during it, the exhibit posits that the deception associated with deepfakes predates the frauds themselves. Perhaps the most well-known example of this phenomenon is “The War of the Worlds,” an 1898 H.G. Wells novel that documents a Martian invasion. When the science-fiction book was read on an episode of the radio series “The Mercury Theatre on Air” in 1938, many listeners did not know it was fictitious, sparking panic among the public. MoMI includes a recording of the episode in the exhibit’s historical section. As museum goers move closer to the contemporary, the show uses examples like the LAPD’s presentation of footage of Rodney King’s beating and conspiracies surrounding the Zapruder film of President John Kennedy’s assassination to show how media is manipulated by the context it is

placed in. “Manipulation can come by way of the context, by way of how a particular video, a particular piece of nonfiction footage is recontextualized — miscontextualized — by way of human intervention, and people presenting it in a particular context, voiceover commentary, playing it fast playing it slow pausing it, leading the audience perhaps towards a particular interpretation,” said cocurator Joshua Glick, who is also an assistant professor of English, Film and Media Studies at Hendrix College and a fellow at MIT. The crowning jewel of the exhibition is “In Event of Moon Disaster,” which viewers are invited to watch on a period-appropriate television set in a late 1960s-era mock living room. An Emmy Award-winning project, the film uses a real but unused speech written for President Richard Nixon to fabricate an alternate history in which the moon landing failed. An accompanying film goes on to show how that deepfake was created. “It’s a kind of warning of what is possible,” Glick said of the installation. “It’s an attempt to reveal what is a kind of opaque, or mysterious, or magical kind of process of deep-fakery.” Another section of the exhibit, which Glick calls “the Hall of Mirrors,” opens into a narrow hallway with mirrored walls. On

The “In Event of Moon Disaster” installation. those walls are several smaller screens, each with different moving images. In that leg of the show, viewers are asked to consider whether each film is real or fake. While watching the clips, the audience hears sound bites throughout the room, and is unable to distinguish which is from which video. Coupled with the mirrors behind the screens, viewers are reminded not only of how difficult identifying deepfakes can be, but of the public’s own role in their dissemi-

Page 29 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 10, 2022

MoMI’s ‘Deepfake’ exhibit is all too real

PHOTO BY THANASSI KARAGEORGIOU / MOMI

nation. “I would not say that just the release of this technology is responsible for its use,” Glick said. “But we have to acknowledge that yes, there are all kinds of bad actors or people that mean harm or ill will with this technology.” The exhibit will run through May 15. Tickets are $15 for adults, $11 for seniors and students and $9 for youth ages 3 to 17; they can be purchased and more informaQ tion had at movingimage.us.

When all the World’s Borough is Irish again

Crossword Answers

tours with Ernest Shackleton. He also was on the ill-fated expedition of Robert Falcon Scott from 1910 the 1913. Tickets are $25. The New York Irish Center is located at 10-40 Jackson Ave. On the business front, the Queens Chamber of Commerce will host its annual St. Patrick’s Day luncheon on Wednesday, March 16, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Terrace on the Park at 52-11 111 St. in Flushing. Special guests will include new NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell, who was appointed to the post by Mayor Adams following a career in the Nassau County Police Department; and James Whelan, president of the Real Estate Board of New York, a professional services and advocacy group for the city’s real estate industry. Information on the luncheon and purchasing tickets can be found on the chamber’s website at queenschamber.org. The Queens Public Library will host a virtual educational activity in its “Virtual Saturday Science Lab: Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day” from 11 to 11:30 a.m. on March 19. The library’s Discovery Team will take a

Cathy Maguire is among the acts scheduled to perform on St. Patrick’s Day at the New York Irish center in Long Island City. On the cover: Scenes from the last Bayside parade PHOTO COURTESY NEW YORK IRISH CENTER; COVER PHOTOS BY RICK MAIMAN / FILE in 2019. STEM approach as it heads to the Emerald Isle to investigate the origins and customs of St. Patrick’s Day. The presentation is geared toward ele-

mentary school children and their families. No registration is required. Further i n f o r m at i o n i s ava i l a b l e o n l i n e at Q queenslibrary.org.

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continued from page 27 Day passes are $20 for adults, which are good for all activities and can be purchased online at newyorkirishcenter.org. Children will be admitted free, and children’s activities will be available. On March 14, Aiden Dooley will perform in his one-man show “Tom Crean: Arctic Explorer” at 7 p.m. Crean participated in three expeditions to he South Pole between 1901 and 1916, serving two

QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 10, 2022 Page 30

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Legal Notices

Section 106 Public Notice Crown Castle is proposing to add 6 antennas and replace 3 existing antennas on an existing rooftop telecommunications installation at the following site: 32-55 81st Street, Flushing, Queens, NY 11370 and coordinates N40° 45’ 21.36”/ W73° 53’ 10.57”. Crown Castle invites comments from any interested party on the impact of the proposed action on any districts, sites, buildings, structures or objects significant in American history, archaeology, engineering or culture that are listed or determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and/or specific reason the proposed action may have a significant impact on the quality of the human environment. Specific information regarding the project is available by calling Monica Gambino, Crown Castle, at 724-416-2516 during normal business hours. Comments must be received at 2000 Corporate Drive, Canonsburg, PA 15317 by April 9th, 2022. Re: 22203004.

5304 103 STREET, LLC, Arts.

Notice of Nondiscriminatory Policy As To Students

Notice of Formation of AE & FM GROUP LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 01/11/2022. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: AE & FM GROUP LLC, 166-38 88TH AVE, APT 2R, JAMAICA, NY 11432. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

177-08 Sayres LLC, Arts of

11434. General Purpose

Notice of Formation of AGTUMN CONSTRUCTION LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 12/11/2021. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: OLIVIA NELSON, 18223 140TH AVENUE, SPRINGFIELD GARDENS, NY 11413. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

E Williamsburg, 16 Seigel Court, #1. 3 BR/2.5 bath Duplex, $5,500/ of Formation of mo. Avail NOW. Ex-lg apt, W/D, CH Forever LLC, Arts of Org. Notice DARK HEALING LLC Articles backyard, 2 parking spaces fi led with Sec. of State of of Organization were fi led with the included. Call Stellina Napolitano, Secretary of State of New York 646-372-7145, Capri Jet Realty NY (SSNY) 1/18/2022. Cty: (SSNY) on 11/02/2021. Offi ce Ridgewood, 1816 Dekalb Ave, 1L. Queens. SSNY desig. as location: Queens County. SSNY has 2 BR/1 bath. Railroad apt. $2,000/ Avail NOW. Renovated apt, agent upon whom process been designated as agent of the mo. HW fls, SS appli. Can be rented LLC upon whom process against furnished. Call Amberly Parnell, against may be served & it may be served. SSNY shall mail 607-239-0432. Capri Jet Realty shall mail process to 10-11 a copy of process to: CAROLYN South Ozone Park, 3 BR, 1 bath in MARIN, 11847 RIVERTON STREET, 49th Ave., Long Island City, SAINT ALBANS, NY 11412. 2 family house. Convenient transportation. 15 mins to E,F trains & Purpose: For any lawful purpose. NY 11101. General Purpose LIRR. 20 mins to JFK. Call Mr. Singleton, 718-781-5162 CHOU HU ESTATES LLC Notice of Formation of Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. FOREVER 88 PROPERTY LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the of State (SSNY) 10/22/2020. Secretary of State of New York Howard Beach, Hi-Rise Co-Op. Lg Office in Queens Co. SSNY (SSNY) on 02/11/2022. Office 1 BR w/window in kit. Mint condition. $199K Connexion Real design. Agent of LLC upon location: Queens County. SSNY has Estate, 718-845-1136 whom process may be been designated as agent of the Howard Beach/Lindenwood. served. SSNY shall mail LLC upon whom process against Move-in cond. 1 BR Co-op, 4th fl. copy of process to Jonathan it may be served. SSNY shall mail 20% down payment req! $169K. a copy of process to: FOREVER Connexion Real Estate, Chou, 47-01 217th St 88 PROERTY LLC, 43-18 215TH 718-845-1136 Bayside, NY 11361. Purpose: STREET, BAYSIDE, NY 11361. Purpose: For any lawful purpose. Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of 252 7TH AVENUE 11S LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 01/31/22. Office location: Queens County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 10/04/21. Princ. office of LLC: c/o Zara Realty, 16607 Hillside Ave., Jamaica, NY 11432-4250. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. DE addr. of LLC: 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with DE Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St. - Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity

BLU WAVE LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 02/17/2022. Office loc: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Carissa Stein, 50-43 229th Street, Bayside, NY 11364. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

Notice of Formation of CITYPHARMA HOLDINGS LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 01/13/2022. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: MEDRITE PHARMACY, 73-16 ROOSEVELT AVE, JACKSON HEIGHTS, NY 11372. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Al-Iman School admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.

Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 1/19/2022. Cty: Queens. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & For the latest news visit qchron.com

LEGAL NOTICE SUPREME COURT– QUEENS COUNTY In the Matter of the Application of MELISSA MARCELLE, Guardian of the Personal Needs and Property Management for MILDRED MARCELLE, An Incapacitated Person. PURSUANT TO AN ORDER OF THIS COURT DATED February 8, 2022, BY HON. WYATT N. GIBBONS, A JUSTICE OF THIS COURT, AN APPLICATION TO SELL THE PREMISES, LOCATED AT 115-11 126th Street, Ozone Park, New York 11420, being described as follows: ALL that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings or improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the borough and county of Queens, City and State of New York, bound and described as follows: BEGINNING at a point on the easterly side of 126th St. (formerly Shoshone Street) distant 100 feet southerly from the corner formed by the intersection of the southerly side of 115th Ave. (formerly Vistola Ave.) and the easterly side of 126th Street; thence easterly and parallel with 115th Avenue 100 feet; thence southerly and parallel with 126th St., 25.50 feet; thence westerly and part of the distance through a party wall and a garage party wall 100 feet to the easterly side of 126th Street; thence northerly along the easterly side of 126th Street, 25.50 feet to the point or place of BEGINNING. SUBJECT to the Declaration of right of way effecting said premises made and dated 1/6/28. WILL BE MADE ON THE 5th DAY OF APRIL, 2022 AT 3:30 PM AT I.A. Part 25G, OF THE SUPREME COURT, via Microsoft Teams remote conference, accessible at www.tinyurl.com/QSCPart25Motions, No in-person appearance permitted; virtual appearance only. If you are unable to appear virtually contact the Court at (718) 298-1548 or QSCPART25@ NYCOURTS.GOV. SAID PROPERTY IS PRESENTLY UNDER CONTRACT, SUJBECT TO THE APPROVAL OF THE COURT, FOR THE PRICE OF $450,000.00 PLUS. CONTACT Kerry O’Shaughnessy Montaigne, Esq. ATTORNEY FOR THE GUARDIAN at 62-57 Woodhaven Boulevard, Rego Park, New York 11374, (718) 424-1233.

shall mail process to 132-05 Merrick Blvd., Jamaica, NY

of Org. filed with the SSNY on 01/27/2022. Office loc: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 5304 103rd Street, Corona, NY 11368. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose. 57-52 AMBROSINO, LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 01/26/2022. Office loc: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 5752 49th Place, Maspeth, NY 11378. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

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

Apts.For Rent

Howard Beach/Rockwood Park. Sun 3/13, 12pm-2pm, 160-32 92 St. MINT AAA 5 BR, 3 bath EMPIRE Hi-Ranch—ALL NEW granite kit, SS appli, sunk-in LR, full master bath, vaulted ceilings, walk-in 1 BR apt w/sep ent, trex deck, pavers, totally mint. $1.2M, Connexion Real Estate 718-845-1136

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Legal Notices NOURISHED ROOTS NUTRITION LLC. Filed with SSNY on 02/03/22. County.

Ofﬁ SSNY

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Queens

designated

Bushwick, 377 Himrod St, #3, 3 as agent for process & shall BR/1 bath. $2,700/mo. NO FEE. Avail NOW. Renovated, SS appli, mail copy to: 2919 21st Ave. HW fls. Cat OK. Heat & hot water incl. Call Stellina Napolitano, A11, Queens, NY 11105. 646-372-7145. Capri Jet Realty.

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Notice of Formation of ITEMS FROM SHARON LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 11/22/2021. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: SHARON CLEVELAND, 116-39 192ND STREET, 1LL, ST. ALBANS, NY 11412. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

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Howard Beach, Mint AAA Cape. Recently re-done. Featuring radiant heated fls. Open flr plan, kit w/granite countertops & SS appli, renov bathrooms w/whirlpool tub, washer/dryer on 1st fl, new plumbing & electric, new pavers & concrete, new roof & gutters, 3 zone heating, 1 car gar, solar panels. $880K, Connexion Real Estate, 718-845-1136

Purpose: any lawful.

Notice of Formation of SHOPNO I, LLC Arts. of Org. fi led with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/05/18. Offi ce location: Queens County. Princ. offi ce of LLC: 10638 75th St., Ozone Park, NY 11417. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. offi ce. Purpose: Any lawful activity. Notice of Formation of YAU.GURU CONSULTING LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 02/07/2022. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: STEPHEN HANMER DELIA, 37-32 80 ST, APT 51, JACKSON HEIGHTS, NY 11372. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

ZIPI 57 LLC Articles of Org. ﬁ led NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 2/23/22. Ofﬁ ce in Queens Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the Having a garage sale? Let every- LLC, 240-19 Jamaica Ave one know about it by advertising 2nd FL Bellerose, NY 11426. in the Queens Classifieds. Call Purpose: Any lawful activity. 718-205-8000 and place the ad!

C M SQ page 33 Y K

continued from page 15 sors of the Assembly bill, A880, are Assembly members David Wepr i n (D-Fresh Meadows), Andrew Hevesi (D-Forest Hills), Catalina Cruz (D-Corona), Zohran Mamdani (D-Astoria), Ron Kim (D-Flushing) and Khaleel Anderson (D-South Ozone Park). In the Senate, where the bill is S1572, the Queens sponsors are Sens. Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans), Mike Gianaris (D-Astoria), John Liu (D-Bayside), Jessica Ramos (D-East Elmhurst) and Toby Ann Stavisky (D-Flushing). The fiscal year 2023 budget must be finalized by the governor, state Senate and Assembly by April 1 under state law. Albany lawmakers often seek to pass legislation on important subjects by getting it included in the budget rather than voting on separate bills. Recent examples include reducing judges’ ability to impose bail on criminal defendants, legalizing e-bikes and scooters and providing political candidates with taxpayer dollars for their campaigns, a measure that will take effect after this year’s elections. For the next fiscal year, in addition to the healthcare bill for all immigrants, lawmakers including González-Rojas are seeking to get a measure into the budget that would provide free, nutritious school breakfast and lunch for all students Q regardless of household income.

Business school to open at QC

Program a crucial piece of college’s strategic plan by Sophie Krichevsky Associate Editor

Queens College President Frank Wu announced March 3 that the institution will open a School of Business. Though at this point no precise opening date has been put forth, the proposal is an integral part of the college’s 2021-26 Strategic Plan. Pitched as a response “to projected workforce demand for business professionals in New York City,” the School of Business will expand upon the college’s existing business-related areas of study, including accounting, economics, finance, actuarial studies, international business and risk management. The new school is expected to add a “fintech,” or financial technology, concentration and feature state-of-the-art quantitative and econometric technology. “Interdisciplinary programs like these are to be expected in a business school with an integrated liberal arts curriculum,” Wu said in a prepared statement. “The Queens College Business School

Queens College President Frank Wu announced plans to open a school PHOTO BY ANDY POON / QUEENS COLLEGE of business March 3. isn’t just for business, accounting, and economics majors; we expect it to attract students interested in a wide range of subjects, such as political science, social justice, ethics, and cultural differences in the universe of business.” Specifically, the college’s press release notes, the school’s curriculum will focus on both the technical and theoretical aspects of com-

merce necessary to be competitive in the business world. “Students will also be encouraged to seek a deep and broad familiarity with different cultures in preparation for roles as leaders in a global society,” the press release adds. Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-Flushing) attended a reception held last week for the

announcement. “It was an honor to be at Queens College for the launching of its new School of Business,” Meng said in a statement to the Chronicle. “It was such a momentous occasion for the future of our borough and city. The School of Business will offer students outstanding opportunities and help position them to become the business leaders of tomorrow.” Equally optimistic about the program was Queens Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tom Grech, who spoke at the event. “I was proud and honored to be i nv it ed to spea k at t he announcement of the Queens College Busi ness School. I believe this to be a seminal event in Queens County as we pull ourselves out of this terrible pandemic and educate our young people here in Queens,” Grech said in a statement. “Under the leadership of Queens College President Frank Wu, we are off to a fantastic start, and I’m pleased to be his partner in all things business.” Q

Page 33 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 10, 2022

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QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 10, 2022 Page 34

C M SQ page 34 Y K Brooklyn & Queens Real Estat e Experts!

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for arbitration. This process results in higher pay for those who don’t meet eligibility requirements Baseball fans were understandably disgusted for free agency. The union wants players with two at the breakdown of talks between club owners years of MLB service to be arbitration eligible. and the Major League Baseball Players Associa- They also want a mechanism to prevent teams tion last Tuesday, particularly after things had from manipulating service time by keeping playlooked promising the day before. The refrain ers in the minors, so they remain just a tad below heard on sports talk radio was “It’s billionaires being able to have more financial leverage. The biggest stumbling block in the talks vs. millionaires!” That is progress in public relations for the union. In the past, fans would blame appears to be the threshold for when the luxury “those greedy players,” and by their silence, treat tax begins, i.e., the maximum payroll a team can have. Teams going over that amount pay addiowners as if they were the salt of the earth. The “billionaires-millionaires” line makes for tional funds to MLB, which disseminates them to a fun sound bite, but it is overly simplistic. Yes, smaller-market teams and uses them to finance major leaguers are well-paid, but they have faced pension obligations. The luxury tax pits owners vs. owners. Those incredible odds to achieve that compensation. There are fewer than 800 jobs at any time for who want to spend big bucks, such as the Mets’ players in the majors. Most had to endure years Steve Cohen, don’t want their billionaire brethren of substandard wages playing in the minors to be to practice corporate socialism at their expense. able to get to the majors. There is no guarantee Even small-market owners are billionaires. To quote the famous line from “The Godfather Part they are going to stay once they arrive. MLB players must stay with a team for six II,” this is the business they have chosen. This accounts for why Derek Jeter stepped years before they can enjoy what workers in every other field can enjoy — namely, the right down as the CEO of the Miami Marlins. Jeter to negotiate with another employer. Surprisingly, wanted majority owner Bruce Sherman to union leadership did not push the issue of lower- increase the Marlins’ payroll. Sherman, content ing the major league service time to a fewer num- to take in his pro rata share of MLB television, ber of years before free agency would be granted. licensing and merchandising revenue, refused. Jeter helped his old teammate, Tony Clark. Q MLBPA Chief Executive Tony Clark, the forSee the extended version of Sports Beat mer Mets and Yankees first baseman, seemed more interested in getting more players eligible every week at qchron.com.

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QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, March 10, 2022 Page 36

C M SQ page 36 Y K

We reserve the right to limit quantities to one can or package on sale items. Items offered for sale are not available in case lots. Alcoholic beverages may not be available in all locations. We are not responsible for typographical errors. Some Items Not Available in all Locations.