SOUTH QUEENS EDITION
Serving Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park, City Line and JFK Airport
YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
• Volunteering: where to pitch in across Queens • Kidney Month: doctor’s tips keep them healthy
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SUPPLEMENT INSIDE
PAGE 4
Man identified for threatening PS 207 letter
PAGE 6
SCHOOLS
Section
PAGES 33-35
Thalia stages
mother-daughter dramedy ‘Mom’s Playlist’
SEE qboro, PAGE 37
The panel appointed by Gov. Hochul to study 14 mass transit options to and from LaGuardia Airport is recommending massive upgrades to existing bus service to speed up travel between the airport and Midtown Manhattan.
The three-person panel set up by Gov. Hochul in November 2021 is recommending improved service on the Q70 bus line and establishment of a new shuttle bus service from the Astoria-Ditmars Boulevard terminus of the N/W subway line to the airport.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said in a press release on Monday that the panel sees such a plan as carrying “equivalent ridership” to the former Mets-Willets Point-to-LaGuardia AirTrain project proposed by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
The panel included Mike Brown, former commissioner of transport for London and former managing director of Heathrow Airport; Janette Sadik-Khan, former commissioner of the NYC Department of Transportation; and Phillip Washington, CEO of Denver International Airport and former CEO of Los Angeles Metro.
“New Yorkers deserve world-class transportation to world-class airports,” Hochul said in a press release from her office. “Shortly
after taking office, I asked the Port Authority to thoroughly examine mass transit solutions for LaGuardia Airport that would reduce car traffic and increase connectivity, while meeting the demand of our customers. I am grateful to the expert panel, the technical consultants, and the Port Authority for providing a
clear, cost-effective path forward with an emissions-free transit solution for customers.
“I accept the recommendations of this report, and I look forward to its immediate implementation by the Port Authority in close coordination with our partners at the MTA, in the City of New York and the feder-
al government.”
The panel rejected proposals for light rail and subway line extensions as problematic from cost or engineering perspectives, and sometimes both.
Borough President Donovan Richards praised the end of the AirTrain plan, but wants Hochul and the PA to remain open to multiple options.
“Governor Hochul and the Port Authority are correct in their move to scrap the LaGuardia AirTrain once and for all,” Richards said in a press release. “It has been clear that the proposed line was both fiscally dubious and insufficiently beneficial to the communities surrounding the airport, which are in serious need of more pressing infrastructure improvements. However, there are several other solutions in terms of connecting our city to its newly reimagined airport that are far more practical and worthy of being explored.”
Richards still wants planners to consider ferry service, the establishment of a Bus Rapid Transit system between the Jackson Heights transportation hub and the airport and the potential extension of the N/W subway line.
The group Sensible Ways to LGA, which includes the Ditmars Boulevard Block Association, Guardians of Flushing Bay, the
continued on page 34
A recently repaired e-bike battery exploded in the back of a Richmond Hill repair shop on Monday, starting a blaze that sent two firefighters to the hospital, according to the FDNY.
The fire started in the back of The Kings Electric Scooters store, which is located at 102-44 Jamaica Ave. and leads out onto 87th Avenue, around 2:30 p.m.
Bab Chung, who owns the adjacent building, was out cleaning up debris Tuesday morning as the snow was falling.
Employees were charging batteries and they exploded, Chung told the Chronicle.
The FDNY received the call for reports of a fire in the e-bike store, which is located in a two-story, mixed-occupancy building, and elevated it to a two-alarm fire about 20 minutes later. It was under control by 3:30 p.m., according to the department.
Twenty-five units responded, including
106 fire and EMS responders. Two firefighters sustained minor injuries and were transported to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.
On Tuesday, the FDNY announced on Twitter that fire marshals determined that the two-alarm fire was accidental and was caused by a repaired battery.
“The fire then extended to numerous other e-bikes and lithium-ion batteries in the store,” the agency wrote.
Numerous damaged bikes could be seen lined up outside of the shop’s back garage doors.
Hazardous materials specialists were on the scene to remove the e-bikes from the store and avoid further damage from them, the Citizen app reported.
Ahead of Holi, the Ozone Park community gathered at the Liberty Avenue plaza to enjoy traditional dishes and sweets from area restaurants. Last Tuesday’s event, hosted by the Cityline Ozone Park Civilian Patrol, also featured music and the colored-powder throwing.
Holi, also known as the Festival of Colors, marks the arrival of spring and the triumph of good over evil.
Support came from Krishna Bazaar, Bangladeshi American Community Development and Youth Services, Bhavaanee Maa
Mandir, Tridevi Sanatan Mandir, Satya Mandir, the Queens Community Lions Club, US Printing & Design, Hacks Halal, the Deshi Senior Center, An-Noor Pharmacy and Coba. The Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit’s South Asian liaison also joined.
The flames roared through the first floor of the building and destroyed at least one residence above it. Carmen Charles, who lives above the store, told ABC 7 that she has “nowhere to go” and that everything is gone.
The Red Cross was on the scene to provide aid.
A spokesperson for the organization said it helped one family of two, offering temporary lodging in the form of a hotel stay and financial assistance.
“Another day, another major fire caused by lithium-ion batteries,” Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park) wrote on Twitter.
“It is well past the time to enforce common sense legislation regulat[ing] the sale of these batteries,” said Ariola, who chairs the
council’s Committee on Committee on Fire and Emergency Management.
Last week, the City Council introduced a bill that would regulate the batteries and enforce the regulations, as well as educate the public.
Earlier this month, top public safety officials met for a briefing and FDNY Commissioner Laura Kavanagh addressed the ongoing dangers posed by the lithium-ion batteries that power e-bikes.
Officials reported then that there were more than 22 fires and 35 injuries so far this year resulting from lithium-ion batteries. Kavanagh advised people to not charge the batteries while sleeping, to not tamper with them and not leave them blocking hallways or exits.
On Jan. 20, a battery fire killed an East Elmhurst man and injured 10 others, including four firefighters, the Chronicle reported at the time. Q Michael Shain contributed to this story.
“We’re proud to have participated in this event to celebrate Holi,” said COPCP Executive Director Mohammad Khan in a statement. “COPCP is committed to promoting cultural exchange and strengthening community ties with events like this,” he added.
— Deirdre Bardolf“A nother day, another major fire caused by lithium-ion batteries.”
— Councilwoman Joann Ariola
Do you feel sick when you see the price of prescription drugs? Americans pay more than three times what people in other countries pay for the same medicine. New Yorkers shouldn’t have to choose between buying groceries and buying the medicines we need. Patients shouldn’t have to ration their prescriptions or put retirement plans on hold. Unfair drug pricing is a life and death issue. It’s time for New York lawmakers to crack down on shady pay-for-delay deals that let drug companies price gouge consumers and to hold drug companies accountable for drug price hikes.
Tell your lawmakers to pass a state budget that includes Rx price reforms. Act now.
While at the PS 207 playground with his daughter last Sunday, a father came across a threatening note on one of the doors of the school, which she attends.
It read, “I had a dream last night where I was strangling people. Wish I can do it in real life to those who’ve wronged me all my life.”
“My vengeful, sadistic self will finally get sweet revenge for everything that has occurred in my life,” it continued.
Dominick Friscia, who lives around the block from the park, noticed the yellow note stuck on a door that leads to the playground.
“I said, ‘What is this? This really doesn’t sound right,’” Friscia told the Chronicle.
So he called the 106th Precinct, which directed him to call 911, which he did, and then he reached out to PJ Marcel of the Howard Beach Dads Facebook group.
Friscia waited for police to arrive at the location. School safety arrived first, he said, followed by squad cars.
Police confirmed that officers responded to the call around 2 p.m. and vouchered the “suspicious” note, which did not contain a specific threat to the school or students.
Police and administrators reviewed surveillance tape and identified a man, 20 years old, who was brought in for questioning, said Phyllis
Inserillo, co-president of the Howard Beach Lindenwood Civic Association.
When Friscia arrived to the school to drop off his daughter Monday, there were no police present yet but they showed up shortly after, he said. It’s even more alarming, he said, that the suspect is not a student but older.
Police were present at dismissal on Monday and a letter from the administration said they would be present throughout the week.
“The safety and wellbeing of our students and schools is our absolute top priority,” said Department of Education spokesperson Jenna Lyle in an email. “Our diligent school staff immediately contacted NYPD, who responded over the weekend. We are supporting the NYPD in their investigation.”
A letter from the school administration sent Sunday outlined the issue and said that the school was in touch with the borough safety director from the DOE. A later correspondence explained the school’s efforts to stop the spread of misinformation and its legal privacy obligations.
The first notice stated, “All necessary precautions were taken to ensure that this is being handled and we were informed that there is no specific threat against the school.”
Some parents commenting on the post in the Facebook group about the incident said they would not send their kids to the school on Mon-
After a threatening note was found at PS 207 in Howard Beach over the weekend, police investigated and identified a 20-year-old man believed to have left it.
day but Friscia differed.
“My kid is not going to live in fear,” he said. “And, you know, the police are on it. And I have all my faith in the NYPD.”
He would like to see greater school safety presence, however. And the playground needs more patrol, especially after sundown, a sentiment that many commenting on the post shared.
“It’s lawless,” Friscia said. “They get the dirt
bikes. They get like, you know, 50 kids in there on Saturday and Sunday night. It’s insanity.”
Friscia and Marcel heard on Monday that the writer of the note had been found but officials did not immediately confirm that.
“It could be an older kid or a mentally disturbed person or it could be a joke,” Friscia speculated about the note, which was written neatly and, aside from some profanities, used relatively sophisticated language. “But you can’t take this lightly because you never know with the sick world we live in,” he said.
The incident comes amid a push for increased school safety measures, including a plan to lock the front entrances of all city public schools. The NYPD youth coordination division is also being ramped up, with precincts now assigning six officers to schools instead of two.
In a civic meeting last week, YCO Peter Paese of the 106th Precinct stated that the unit got the four new officers assigned to it, two of whom had previously been NCOs assigned to Resorts World Casino, Officer Kieran Casey and 35-year veteran Det. John Maderik.
The YCOs were mostly assisting with school dismissals, Paese said.
Additionally, every city public school has, at a minimum, access to a full-time social worker or a school-based mental health clinic, according to officials. Q
Editor
Community Board 9 will continue its efforts to address many of the same issues it has pursued in the past year, including around the Richmond Hill Library, ongoing nightclub concerns and the need for a new middle school, under largely the same leadership as last year.
Sherry Algredo was re-elected as chair at Tuesday night’s meeting with Sandra Datnarain as second vice chair and John Carter as the treasurer. Kenichi Wilson, who chaired the board before Algredo and was first vice chair under her, was replaced by Faiuze Ali, previously chair of the Transportation Committee.
Algredo dedicated her nomination to Jan Fenster, a former board member who passed away in February. A representative from the office of Councilmember Lynn Schulman (D-Forest Hills) said a street co-naming for Fenster would be proposed.
Algredo’s report to the board included an update on the Richmond Hill Library, for which renovations have been delayed since 2016. Last year, the board called for the city Comptroller’s Office to conduct an audit and investigation into the hold-up.
Algredo said a meeting was held Tuesday with the Queens Public Library and community boards and she was told the library project is on track. It is set to wrap up in 2027, the
Chronicle reported in November. In the meantime, Algredo is pushing for an alternative to temporary trailers or library vans while construction is underway, but budgeting issues stand in the way.
Later on, Seth Wellins, who co-chairs the Education and Youth Services Committee, called proposed city cuts to library funding “very disturbing.”
“I hope that we can craft some kind of a response to that. It’s just outrageous that we’re going to be cutting library funds ... spending a huge amount of money on a lot of nonsense and terrible things like jails, for example,” Wellins said, referring to the plans for community jails to replace Rikers Island. He added that the board is still waiting on a response from the comptroller on the library audit.
Algredo also provided an update on Blend Lounge, which residents have demanded the board address. In November, it voted to send a letter to the State Liquor Authority seeking to have Blend’s license revoked.
An email from the office of state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Woodhaven) also expressed constituent concerns and cited the 102nd Precinct’s reports. A hearing was initiated earlier this month in which the club’s owners allegedly requested to pay a fine and receive a conditional license. The hearing was postponed until later this month, Algredo said, and although
Blend requested the board speak to the senator’s office on its behalf, she said the decision stands and the board will not partake in any further conversations.
In other board news, Education Committee Co-chair Alexandria Sumpter-Delves said a letter of parent testimonials regarding the proposed elementary school for the former Rubie’s Costume Co. site on Jamaica Avenue and the desire for it instead to be a middle school is being drafted. Concerns will be brought to
Schulman, and advocates hope a middle school can be considered “before concrete is poured,” Sumpter-Delves said.
Nina Kilkarni spoke on behalf of her neighbors, one of whom is on crutches after being hit by a car at the intersection of Abingdon Road and Park Lane South in Kew Gardens.
“There’s been a number of people who have been hit or nearly hit at this particular intersection,” she said, adding that they would like to see speed cameras installed there. Q
The Bangladeshi community in Ozone Park celebrated the acknowledgement of its community with a street co-naming ceremony last Friday to dub the corner of Drew Street and 101st Avenue Little Bangladesh Way.
“For 70 years, the Bangladeshi community has been living in the Ozone Park City Line area without much recognition,” said Mohammad Khan, executive director of the Cityline Ozone Park Civilian Patrol. “We have hundreds of homes, businesses, employees and so many opportunities that the Bangladeshi community has been providing here in City Line, Ozone Park. And finally, I must say, we have our own identity with this street naming.”
Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park) introduced the legislation in the City Council for the street co-naming.
“There were many things that I wanted to accomplish in my first year as your city councilwoman and one of them was made on the day that we met, if you remember, when I came to each and every one of the mosques within the district, to make sure that the Bangladeshi community knew how much they were appreciated, how much they were valued and how much they meant to me as their representative and to my colleagues in government,” Ariola told the crowd gathered.
Advocacy for the street co-naming came from COPCP as well as Bangladeshi American Community Development and Youth Services and local mosques, Masjid Al-Aman, AlFurqan Jame Masjid and the Fultoli Jame Masjid and Islamic Institute of Ozone Park, Inc.
“I’m actually not seeing anything little about that sign,” said Dr. Mafuzur Rahman,
senior advisor for Al-Furqan Jame Masjid of the Little Bangladesh sign. “Because everything big begins with little steps. This is our first step for bigger futures.”
He thanked the elected officals present as well as Community Board 10 and Chair Betty Braton, who was present, for supporting efforts to expand the mosque.
Sharid Uddin of the Al-Aman mosque, one of the first in the area, spoke as well.
“We have about three or 4,000 congregants who come to the mosque,” Uddin said. “So every day when people pass by, they will see the sign and they will remember this day.”
Also present for the event were Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar (D-Woodhaven), Community Board 9 Chair Sherry Algredo and representatives from Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz’s Office and the Mayor’s Community Affairs Unit.
“Our diversity is certainly our strength,” said Richards. “And the Bangladeshi community plays a major role in that strength, whether it’s through our economy, through the sciences, through engineering. You’ve done so much to move our borough forward.”
Rajkumar stated, “As we stand here at Little Bangladesh Way, we honor the achievements of this great community. We are successful in all fields, as business owners, in medicine, in technology. The sky is the limit for us.”
Last year, a street co-naming for Little Bangladesh Avenue took place at Hillside Avenue and Homelawn Street. As many as 65 percent of the city’s Bangladeshi population reside in Queens, many in Jamaica, Councilman Jim Gennaro (D-Hillside), who sponsored the action, said at the time. Q
State Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr., third from left, celebrated Women’s History Month in Ozone Park on March 10, partnering with EMU Health of Glendale to honor five women for their work in their communities. Honorees or their representatives at the ceremony included Sherry Algredo, left, chair of Community Board 9; Janet Forte, vice president and secretary for the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association; Gloria
Mahbubani, special projects manager of the Make the Road New York advocacy group, accepting for Arlenis Morel, the organization’s co-executive director; EMU Health representative Giovanni Zammito, accepting for honoree Victoria Tuetonico, the director of revenue cycle management at EMU; and Sookranie Dhanpat, the South Asian community liaison for the Mayor’s Community Affairs Office.
After 20 years in Howard Beach, state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. has a new home base in Woodhaven following a redistricting year that drew the southern neighborhoods out.
Addabbo held a grand-opening ceremony last Saturday to celebrate the new location at 84-16 Jamaica Ave.
The office has been open since the legislative session began in January but the celebration was organized after the installa-
tion of the new front signage.
Addabbo, center, was joined by his staff, Carl Moore, left, constituent liaison; Anthony Giudice, press secretary and special events coordinator; Sean McCabe, deputy chief of staff; Raimondo Graziano, chief of staff; Sandee Doremus, constituent liaison; Kristi Porth, scheduler; John D’Angelo, Middle Village office manager; and Tommy Delano, treasurer. — Deirdre Bardolf
First, do no harm. It’s great advice for doctors and, it turns out, for expert panels charged with finding the best way to get more people to and from airports.
So the triumvirate of transportation experts charged by Gov. Hochul with finding the best improvement to mass transit that would ease traffic congestion around LaGuardia Airport did not pick former Gov. Cuomo’s destructive AirTrain idea. That’s the one that would have run along the Malcolm X. Promenade on Flushing Bay — ruining scenic vistas and a valuable border between the natural and manmade environment, all at the cost of at least $2.45 billion.
And it would have been a failure, because no matter what Cuomo thought, few people would have traveled east from Manhattan all the way to Citi Field in order to catch the AirTrain and double back west to LaGuardia. Look at a map.
The three-member panel, made up of Bloomberg-era city transportation chief Janette SadikKhan and former leaders of Denver’s airport
and Heathrow in London, and its expert consultants also put the kibosh on any fantasies about extending the subway from Astoria to the airport. That idea might seem the most appealing in a vacuum — resulting in the coveted “one seat” ride from Manhattan to LGA — but it’s an engineering nightmare. Surface or elevated tracks cannot be built due to rules that protect aircraft, and tunnels cannot be delved because of existing underground infrastructure.
So the answer is ... better buses. Great! The roads already exist. The panel recommends improving Q70 service and adding a shuttle from the subway to the airport. Sounds good. We can even live with losing one mile of shoulder on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway to create a short bus lane, as recommended.
Hochul wants the plan implemented ASAP. Though no magic bullet, it should serve Queens and all travelers well, as they go to and from an airport that itself has been exponentially improved — thanks, ironically, to Cuomo.
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None of New York State’s biggest cities elects its police commissioner or chief. Sen. Leroy Comrie of Jamaica thinks they should, but the idea is a mistake that would not help combat crime or do anything other than politicize law enforcement even more than it is now.
Comrie comes from a good place in writing a bill that would force New York and the state’s four other largest cities to elect their commissioners: He wants to give the people a voice. “The cure for the ills of democracy is more democracy,” he notes in the bill’s text. But he is mistaken in at least two ways: Our system is actually a republic, not a democracy; and having the mayor we elect get to choose a police commissioner is not an illness.
Comrie points to municipalities’ election of sheriffs, coroners, supervisors and tax receivers, for example, as reason we should vote for police commissioner. But on that list, only sheriffs are law enforcement officers, and their duties in any municipality of size are nothing like those of a police commissioner.
It’s true that we now have a commissioner who does not live in the city as she is required to and does not have the full powers she needs to effectively lead the department. The latter is because above her is a deputy mayor for public safety, who’s very close to the mayor, acting as a kind of supercommissioner. But these are temporary problems and not the main issue regarding policing.
The main issue is fighting crime. And turning our top cop into a gladhanding politician making fundraising calls on the job would not help.
Re Naeisha Rose’s March 9 report “Hochul bets on horse racing in Elmont, LI” (multiple editions):
Gov. Hochul funds commercial sports enterprises with taxpayers’ money. She gained the state Legislature’s vote last year to spend $850 million on a new stadium for the Buffalo Bills in her hometown. Now, she proposes a $455 million overhaul of Belmont Park to replace Aqueduct as a horse-racing venue.
That’s a bad bet for financial and humane reasons. Attendance at Aqueduct and Belmont dropped by over 85 percent from 1978 to the prepandemic year of 2019, notes a report issued by the End Horse Racing Subsidies Coalition.
Horse racing is not only a dying industry, but also a sport that kills horses. Sixty-four horses died from “catastrophic injuries” at tracks nationwide in 2022, and 12 of those fatalities occurred at Aqueduct, Belmont and Saratoga in New York, notes an animal cruelty watchdog website, horseracingwrongs.org. Why should taxpayers support this cruel sport?
The New York Racing Association, which has a tainted record, would be a major beneficiary of Hochul’s plan. Two top NYRA executives were fired in 2012 after a probe ordered by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo revealed that NYRA, “with knowledge of senior executives, improperly shortchanged bettors of millions of
dollars” (“Counsel for NYRA wants to release 2011 corruption report,” The New York Times, May 24, 2012). Our state legislators must stop Hochul’s perverted proposal from reaching the starting gate.
Richard Reif Kew Gardens Hills
Dear Editor:
Last week, thousands of NYC eighth-graders received their high school offers. It was an exciting day, but also a sad day for many. While we are grateful for the improvements made to the admissions policy by Chancellor Banks, there are still many flaws in the system — mainly the New York State test not being included as admissions criteria.
Last school year, the lottery pot that students
were chosen from was ginormous and simply ridiculous. How could you group together students with 85 and 99 averages? Thankfully, the pot was made about three times smaller, but it is still a lottery pot that is determined solely by grades.
Grades are not truly an objective way to determine the different levels of students. Grade inflation is rampant across the city, and it will only grow as more and more schools want their students to make it into the group one lottery — the highest priority group with the highest grades. Moreover, there are different difficulty levels among various schools and even within one school! On paper, a 95 is a 95, but it is much more difficult to be a top-scoring student in an honors class than in a general education class.
State test scores are the real equalizer, bypassing all the nuances of grade inflation and
class difficulty. The state test is the same for everyone, and it actually shows where each student stands. At the end of the day, the current system is a lottery, much of which depends on one lucky or unlucky lottery number. How can your high school admission and ultimately the direction of your life depend on this one number? Bringing back the state test scores is vital. They weren’t used during the pandemic, but there is no excuse now.
Kristina Raevsky Forest HillsThe writer is a seventh-grader at Stephen A. Halsey JHS 157 and the author of “A Sheep’s Tale: Young Patriot’s Guide to Saving America” and “Fly Me to the Moon and Other Stories.”
Dear Editor:
As a working mom, I’m watching closely to see if state lawmakers take action this session to address New York’s childcare crisis.
I’m a nursing student, a home health aide and a single mom of three, ages 4, 6 and 9. I’ve struggled enormously because I haven’t been able to access the childcare I need to work. So for a long time, we were unhoused. When I applied for childcare assistance three years ago, I didn’t hear back for months, and then they told me my documents were too old. By then, I’d left my job because I didn’t have adequate childcare. I was in a bind because I no longer had a work schedule to submit with my childcare application.
To get help with childcare, you need to be working. But to work, you need childcare. I was stuck. I’ve worked hard to become a nurse, but without childcare, that means taking my baby to class. After three hard years, my youngest finally got a spot in a program, and I have an afterschool care voucher. That’s made a huge difference. I can work and attend class without worrying about my kids.
It never should have been this hard. Quality childcare should be accessible and affordable for every family. To make that a reality, we need to invest in providers. It’s so hard to find programs with availability, especially in Queens. That was a huge barrier for me. We must ensure providers can pay living wages and hire enough qualified staff. This crisis has a domino effect: I was pushed out of the workforce, which contributed to the shortage of home health workers. I hope you’ll join me in calling on the state Legislature to make comprehensive investments in childcare.
Mansie Meikle RidgewoodDear Editor:
Let’s get loud! We are wonderful people, strong, talented and brave. Love is here, there, everywhere, and very real.
We can choose to be positive. In any moment, we can choose love. Let’s live a positive life and prosper! Love means luck and prosperity. Love yourself! Love one another. Be brave, talented and bold! I believe in you.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
Dear Editor:
Remember the goings-on at your bachelor or bachelorette party the night before your wedding? (“World’s oldest profession must remain an illegal one,” Editorial, March 9)
Prostitution came out of the closet long ago and is now part of mainstream America. Attempts at stopping it by both the police and moral majority social police have failed. There are hundreds of “message parlors” with locations in every neighborhood around the five boroughs.
What consenting adults consume, inhale, perform, read or view in the privacy of their home, another person’s home, hotel, private social club or massage parlor isn’t the concern of government. Individual economic and civil liberties prosper best when government stays out of both the bedroom and marketplace.
The free market always provides whatever products citizens desire regardless of government approval. Consumers have voted with their dollars making prostitution, as part of adult entertainment, a multibillion-dollar enterprise.
The world’s oldest profession delivers services on time and within budget. What you see is what you get. Contrast that with elected officials, who represent the second-oldest profession. They seldom keep their promises, can’t deliver within budget and are never on time with their services.
Take prostitution out of the shadows and into the light of day. Imagine the revenue created with a sales tax per transaction. Both the provider and customer could conduct consensual activities in a safer environment.
Law enforcement authorities should be free to pursue those who commit real crimes against citizens and property, and tax dollars would be better used if police and judges spent more time prosecuting them than going after those who engage in prostitution. Citizens have more to fear from murder, arson, muggings, robberies, car and identify theft or home break-ins, along with increasing levels of confiscatory taxation and debt by government.
Larry Penner Great Neck, LI
Dear Editor:
As people of faith, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mother Teresa would pray for divine assistance in helping them make the world better.
Last week, Robert LaRosa wrote that prayers are not garbage since “garbage can be recycled and actually serve a purpose” (“Trashing prayer,” Letters).
When it comes to the value of prayer I agree with Dr. King and Mother Teresa.
Eva Tortora Staten IslandNew regulations limiting when people can put trash to the curb are coming April 1, and the Department of Sanitation has been making the rounds to remind people that the rules — including escalating fines for violations — are no April Fool’s Day joke.
Some residents and members of the business community are uneasy about the new regulations, which are part of Mayor Adams’ agenda to combat rats.
Community Board 5 heard from DSNY Community Liaison Joseph Ottomanelli at its monthly meeting in Middle Village on March 8.
Regulations for both residences with fewer than nine units and businesses are the same: garbage in a sealed container may be placed at the curb no earlier than 6 p.m. the evening before. Refuse in bags can be put out no earlier than 8 p.m.
Fines for violations start at $50 and can escalate to $200 within a 12-month period. There will be no grace period, which was among the issues raised at Board 5.
Ted Renz, a member of CB 5 and executive director of the Myrtle Avenue Business Improvement District, said the rules will unduly burden small businesses.
“Most businesses on a typical commercial strip like Myrtle Avenue close at, say, 6 or 7 o’clock,” Renz said. “Some of the chain stores and some others are open until 8 p.m., so it won’t be an issue for them.”
Renz also said that similar city programs in the past always have had a grace period for people to adjust to the changes.
“That’s not the case here,” he said. “Come April 1, summonsing immediately.”
Renz also said that if businesses are required to buy covered bins or get them from their carting companies, there will be a supply issue at the beginning.
“And you’re going to start summonsing people right away for not having their garbage out in a container ... I understand why you’re doing it. But there needs to be a grace period.”
Ottomanelli said he would follow up to provide more clarity on the issue.
Board member Patrick Trinchese said he is concerned about homeowners getting fined for missing container lids that may get cast off or damaged by DSNY collection personnel.
“Is the DSNY going to insist on the returning of lids to the cans? Trinchese asked. “Because I’ve given up on replacing lids.”
Ottomanelli said the DSNY knows that is an issue and would try to “see if there’s anything we can do.”
Yvonne Reddick, district manager of Community Board 12 in Jamaica, told the Chronicle her group had a similar presentation in February.
“And, yes, those are some of the same concerns that our residents had — about the containers, about the covers on their containers, and about seniors going out at certain times,” Reddick said.
“In daylight saving time at 6 p.m. it’s still light out,” she continued. “At 6 p.m. in the winter months, it’s dark out. At 8 p.m. in daylight saving time, it’s still light. At 8 p.m. in the winter months it’s very dark out.”
Reddick believes elderly residents who don’t have someone to put their trash out for them may feel compelled to do so early if they do not want to head out in the dark to do it.
Reddick also is somewhat skeptical of the mayor’s rodent argument.
“Rats come out at all times, day or night,” she said. “There are homes that are in foreclosure or abandoned. You have rats where there’s dumping. You have rats where there’s construction.”
Betty Braton, chair of Community Board 10 in South Queens, chuckled during a phone conversation Tuesday when asked if she has heard any similar complaints from either residents or business owners.
“Not specifically,” Braton said. “But as we get closer to the deadline date, I’m sure I’ll hear it at the civic meetings in April.” Q
A service alert chart on the Long Island Rail Road’s website Tuesday morning had what appeared to be good news the day after more changes were introduced to the schedule.
Ten of the 11 branches, including the City Terminal Zone, were marked on or close to schedule. Only the Port Jefferson line was listed with “some delays.”
Janno Lieber, chairman and CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and Interim LIRR President Catherine Rinaldi last Friday announced a number of the new ones starting with Monday morning’s rush hour after changes to the schedules implemented on March 6 still left riders and the LIRR scrambling.
Speaking at a press conference last Friday morning, Lieber said the fixes set for March 13 included directing four trains that then served Grand Central Madison to Penn Staton instead. Four morning rush hour trains on the Ronkonkoma line were lengthened and now serve two additional stations.
Lieber said the changes were intended to enhance service and increase the frequency of trains. Previous changes made to accommodate Grand Central Madison, the result of the years-long East Side Access Project, have
caused chaos for commuters, especially at the vital Jamaica Station.
“We are pleased with the progress we’ve made this week and we are going to continue to make adjustments as we go,” he said in a press release from the agency.
“From day one, we knew that there was
going to be a learning curve,” he said. “We are especially focused on what we can do to give riders a better understanding of their options, both through the TrainTime app, and also via announcements and signage. We are moving to a place where the system is achieving its goals and is working much better.”
Monday’s changes are in addition to modifications made March 6 and 7, when rushhour service to Brooklyn was increased, reducing time between trains to between seven and eight minutes. Trains serving Penn Station were lengthened. Cars were added to all trains that had exceeded capacity the previous week.
“The Long Island Rail Road team is all over the rollout in terms of looking for trends, what ridership is looking like, what trains are popular and adjusting accordingly,” said Rinaldi. “This is a very dynamic process and we are going to be continuously making adjustments based upon ridership and loading data. We look at it every single day.”
As of Monday morning the 5:42 a.m. train from Ronkonkoma, LI, to Grand Central Madison shifted to operate to Penn Station, where it now is scheduled to arrive at 6:55 a.m.
The 7:54 a.m. train from Long Beach to Grand Central Madison now serves Penn Station, where it is scheduled to arrive at 8:44 a.m.
The 7:31 a.m. train from Grand Central Madison to Hempstead now originates at Penn Station at 7:30 a.m.
In the afternoon rush hour, the 5:27 p.m. train from Grand Central Madison to Babylon now departs from Penn Station at 5:28 p.m. Q
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Two out of three alleged perpetrators of a hate-driven assault against an Asian mother and son in Corona earlier this month have been arrested and arraigned, the authorities said last week.
Elijah Fernandez, 21, of Ozone Park, and Natalie Plaza, 18, of Richmond Hill are each charged with assault in the third degree as a hate crime and aggravated harassment in the second degree, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced last Wednesday.
Fernandez also was hit with five more counts: assault in the third degree as a hate crime, menacing in the second degree as a hate crime, assault in the third degree, aggravated harassment in the second degree and harassment in the second degree.
Despite the variation in their charges, both defendants face up to four years in prison if convicted, according to the DA’s Office. Since the charges all stem from a single incident, prosecutors would expect the court to set concurrent sentences, rather than consecutive ones, a spokesperson for the office explained.
The attack against the mother and son, as well as a Good Samaritan, took place at about 2:30 p.m. March 3 on Junction Boulevard near Roosevelt Avenue, when an SUV containing the defendants and one other person was pass-
ing alongside the victims, according to the DA’s Office. Plaza, who was in the front passenger seat, allegedly yelled out “Ugly Asian!” and threw water onto the woman, 44-year-old Cecille Martinez Lai, who is from the Philippines.
The victims had been in a car that stopped to let them out at the subway station, according to CBS News, which interviewed Lai. The driver of the SUV, a white Acura, honked at them to hurry up and the people in the vehicle started yelling anti-Asian slurs, she told the outlet.
Her son, Kyle, 24, gave them the middle finger, and that’s when three people got out of the vehicle, she said.
Plaza grabbed Lai, pulled her to the ground and punched and kicked her, according to the DA’s Office. A 44-year-old male bystander tried to pull Plaza off the victim and then was attacked by Fernandez and one other male, who has not yet been arrested, the office said — both punched the Good Samaritan in the face. When Lai’s son tried to help his mother, he too was punched, allegedly by Fernandez.
All three then got back into the SUV, with Fernandez driving. “Before leaving the scene, the SUV swerved and came within inches of the female victim,” the DA’s Office said.
The mother and son were taken to an unidentified area hospital for treatment of injuries to their head, police said.
Katz said there is no place for such a
A Richmond Hill woman who was assaulting police officers while shouting and shaking a tambourine in Washington, DC, during the Jan. 6, 2021 breach of the U.S. Capitol was found guilty on felony and misdemeanor charges last Thursday.
Sara Carpenter, 53, a former NYPD officer, was convicted of civil disorder and obstruction of an official proceeding, which are both felonies, after a trial in U.S. District Court, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in DC.
In addition, she was charged with five misdemeanors, which include entering and remaining in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building or grounds; disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; impeding passage through the grounds or building; and parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building, according to an indictment.
As the U.S. Congress held a joint ses-
sion to ascertain and count the 2020 electoral votes, which was disrupted by protesters who felt that former President Trump was robbed of the election, Carpenter was in the Capitol Rotunda captured on CCTV pushing up against and slapping officers multiple times for 34 minutes as they were guarding a hallway to the Senate chamber, according to DC prosecutors. She then started shaking her tambourine and shouting at them.
“I’m a f--cking animal,” screamed Carpenter, authorities said. Upon exiting, she said, “The breach was made. It needs to calm down now. Congress needs to come out. They need to certify Trump as president. This is our house.”
Carpenter was arrested on March 23, 2021 in Jamaica. A U.S. District Court judge scheduled her sentencing for July 14 back in Washington, DC.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said that Carpenter could face up to 25 years in prison — the statutory maximum for the felonies. Q
crime in Queens.
“In the most diverse county in the country, perhaps the most diverse place in the world, there is zero tolerance for hate,” she said in a prepared statement. “We will not allow our values to be threatened with violence.”
Fernandez and Plaza both were released on bail, according to city records.
Police did not immediately respond when asked if they know who the third person involved in the assault is.
Queens elected officials also decried the attack, and last Friday several of them joined community leaders and advocates at a Corona Plaza rally to show solidarity with the victims and stand up against hate. “Speakers and attendees expressed solidarity and commended the resilience of the Asian American community as they continue to live through the crisis of anti-Asian hate, which has persisted since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020,” a press release on the rally said.
“I don’t understand why we have hate for each other,” Lai said in a prepared statement in the release. “We have to do more to educate our communities, to teach them to respect different races, different genders, different colors — it’s all about educating people about these hate crimes and teaching
people to spread love instead of hate.”
“The horrific attack Cecille and her son Kyle experienced is a symptom of many failures in our society, which too often paints Asian Americans as outsiders in our own country,” said JoAnn Yoo, executive director of the Asian American Federation. “We are hurting. We need mental health care, resources, and community-based safety measures. Most of all, we need our neighbors from all backgrounds to join us in bringing an end to anti-Asian hate. The Asian American Federation stands with the Lai family, and we are here to offer all victims of anti-Asian hate support and resources.” Q
Police are continuing to investigate the one-car crash that killed a 28-year-old Virginia resident on the Jackie Robinson Parkway last Saturday.
According to the NYPD, Brandon Peterson of Richmond was driving westbound on the parkway near Exit 4 in Glendale when the crash took place at about 6:30 a.m. within the 104th Precinct.
Police officers responding to a 911 call found Peterson outside a black 2011 Mercedes-Benz E350. He was unconscious and unresponsive, suffering from severe trauma to his head and body.
He was pronounced dead at the scene by EMS personnel.
In an emailed press release, the city’s Department of Transportation said further investigation by the NYPD’s Highway District Collision Investigation Squad allegedly determined that Peterson was driving “at an apparent high rate of speed” when he lost control of the car.
Investigators said the vehicle crossed the grass median and the oncoming lanes before colliding with a road sign and then struck multiple trees.
Peterson was ejected from the wreck. Q
has been accused of allegedly sexually assaulting two women on the same night in 2015.
One of the victims, who requested anonymity, alleges that Ardila “got handsy” with her on the couch at a small party of Fordham University students and alumni in October 2015 while she was intoxicated. He then proceeded to lead her down a hallway, she said, at which point her friend intervened.
The same woman relayed to the Chronicle a message from a second woman detailing her alleged encounter with Ardila the same night; the account was written with the intention that it would be shared with a journalist. The second woman said Ardila pulled her into a bathroom and started kissing her. When she realized what was happening, she pulled away and saw Ardila had exposed himself and was touching himself. She immediately ran out of the room.
Only later did the two women find out what had happened to the other.
When first contacted about the allegations on Monday, Ardila said, “I don’t even know what this is.”
That evening, however, several hours after the Chronicle broke the story, Ardila’s chief of staff sent a formal statement to the paper.
“I apologize for my behavior,” the statement reads. “I have spent time reflecting and I hope to prove I have matured since college. I’m committed to learning from this and I am able to demonstrate my own personal growth.”
It was not until last week that the first victim learned Ardila had been elected to the state Assembly in November. Having just moved to Long Island City less than a month ago, the woman, who is not politically active herself, did
not know he is an elected official in a neighboring district.
She said she discovered an old, unopened Facebook message from Ardila, who was a year ahead of her at Fordham, last week.
“Hey what’s up? Had a good night the other night,” read his message, which was shared with the Chronicle last Friday. “Wanna meet up some time?”
The message was sent the day after the alleged incidents. Reading it prompted the woman to Google Ardila and see what had become of him.
The 29-year-old progressive lawmaker began his first term in Albany this January. After a failed bid for the City Council in 2021, he found himself at the top of a crowded Democratic race for Assembly District 37 last year as longtime Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan announced her retirement.
But the message the victim received the day after the alleged events was not the final one she got from Ardila. In January 2018, he sent her a direct message on Instagram. That one she read and responded to at the time.
“Hey ... I hope all is well,” he said, using her name, says a screenshot of the exchange, also shared with the Chronicle. “We met a while ago at a Fordham party.
Needless to say I was a jerk (to say the least) and I wanted to reach out and apologize for that night. Anyways I hope all is well and that you enjoyed the holidays. I wish you a very happy and healthy new year!”
“Thanks Juan,” she responded. “That means a lot. Happy New Year!”
“Of course and sorry for the randomness,” he replied.
“How’s everything going,” he said in a subsequent message.
“LMAO you should’ve just stopped with your ‘apology,’” she answered.
Asked about the message with his apology, Ardila said, “Definitely no comment.”
The second victim did not receive an apology from Ardila, though he sent her a friend request on Snapchat a few years ago.
The first woman sought out local media online after learning that Ardila holds public office.
“I think as women, we’ve all had experiences that we suppress — this certainly isn’t my only one,” she told the Chronicle. “But I was enraged that this person was in a position of power in my f--king community.”
At the time of the party, she was 21 and a senior at Fordham, while Ardila had graduated that spring (as the school’s alumni office confirmed) and had been working in the office of then-Councilman Brad Lander for less than two months, according to his LinkedIn page. There were about 15 to 20 people at the party. “We all managed to fit in a New York City apartment, so it couldn’t have been that many people,” the friend of the first victim
told the Chronicle.
Most people at the party were friends or acquaintances of one or both victims. Ardila fell into neither category.
“I’d never spoken to him — I think I might have had one class with him freshman year, but I had never ever even met him,” the first woman said. “I didn’t even think I had mutual friends with him.” She did not even realize Ardila was not in her graduating class until the Chronicle learned otherwise.
Like most at the party, the first victim had been drinking excessively that night, and described herself as having been inebriated to the point of borderline unconsciousness.
“About halfway through the night, I lost my memory,” she said. “But I do remember — this is where my memory pretty much cut out — we were on the couch in the living room, kind of away from everyone else, [and] he started becoming physical with me.” She added that he touched her extensively, and that they did not exchange words while that happened.
She said that soon after, her friend — who does not drink and was sober — caught Ardila dragging her “basically unconscious” friend to the bathroom and intervened before anything further could happen. When the friend recounted that portion of the evening the next day, the victim’s memory of what happened on the couch became more vivid.
The Chronicle also interviewed the friend, who recalled seeing Ardila and the victim on the couch, but said that she was not watching them “incredibly closely.”
“I would imagine that, yeah, they were touching to some degree, he was touching her, most likely,” she told the Chronicle. “Because I think that’s what compelled me to stop [him] — I knew what the intentions were, which is why I interceded.”
That part she remembers more clearly. “I saw him leading her towards, I assumed, the bathroom ... He was definitely taking her from the living room to somewhere else,” the friend said. “I grabbed her arm along the way, and I said something like, ‘No, she’s drunk.’”
The friend does not remember Ardila’s reply. “I remember feeling like, ‘I just don’t like this,’” she said. “I just had a bad feeling that something bad was going to happen.”
Whether Ardila was drinking is not clear. Though she said most at the party were drinking, the victim’s friend recalled having a short conversation with him in which he was “not noticeably intoxicated.” Referring to the encounter in the hallway, she said, “He was aware of where he was going, he was walking there — [my friend] was not.
“There was a very stark difference between how they were carrying themselves in that moment ... He was not stumbling. He was not out of his mind. He was very aware.”
The first victim emphasized that she was very intoxicated even before being on the couch
with Ardila. She does not recall how she got on the couch and it “didn’t make sense” to her that she was sitting on it with Ardila. “I have a vivid memory of right before that ... I do remember thinking in my brain, ‘I can’t communicate right now. Like, what is going on?’”
“It almost felt like a dream,” she added. When the Chronicle asked him about the alleged events of that night, Ardila said, “In 2015 I was in college.” He paused before adding, “Definitely not.”
The Chronicle called him again just before posting Monday’s story online to give him another chance to comment, but he did not respond. Hours later, his office sent its first written statement.
Neither woman reported anything to the police. The first was not sure what good it would do. “I have always been aware that this legal system was designed by men for men,” she said. Nor did they contact the appropriate offices at Fordham; the party had not been on campus.
The first victim was clear — in coming forward, she is aiming to protect other women. “I don’t believe in canceling people, I believe in people growing and changing,” she told the Chronicle. Later she added, “I just know people like that chase power, and then they ultimately unfortunately end up getting it, and they just use it to hurt more people.”
On Tuesday afternoon, the first victim formally called for Ardila to step down.
“I am calling for Juan Ardila to resign from his position as assemblymember,” she said in a statement to the Chronicle. “I would like to see the organizations and elected officials who have publicly supported Juan publicly retract their support.”
When Ardila released another longer statement that evening elaborating on the first, the first victim was not impressed. “I found it disappointing and the only acceptable response at this point is to resign,” she said.
More and more lawmakers have joined her in that call since the Chronicle broke the story Monday [see separate story]. Q
“I was enraged that this person was in a position of power in my f--king community.”
—One of Ardila’s
alleged victimsJuan Ardila was elected to the state Assembly in Novemeber. COURTESY PHOTO / FILE Juan Ardila sent a message apologizing to one of the women in 2018. COURTESY PHOTO
In the days since the Chronicle first shared the accounts of two women alleging that Assemblymember Juan Ardila (D-Maspeth) sexually assaulted them [see separate story] at a party in 2015, area elected officials and groups have called for the lawmaker to resign.
After initially telling the Chronicle “I don’t even know what this is” when asked about the allegations, Ardila’s office shared a written statement Monday night, in which the lawmaker said, “I have spent time reflecting and I hope to prove I have matured since college. I’m committing to learning from this and I am able to demonstrate my own personal growth.”
Still, calls for his resignation began trickling Tuesday before the floodgates opened Wednesday morning. Councilman Bob Holden (D-Maspeth) was the first to make one, and asked those who endorsed Ardila to rescind their support. One of the victims made that call herself later in the day. Holden would ask for a criminal investigation into the allegations Wednesday; the victims have not, at this point, called for that themselves. Holden emphasized to the Chronicle that the allegations, coupled with the New York Post’s 2021 report regarding past racist and homophobic comments Ardila made on Facebook, spoke to his character.
Borough President Donovan Richards called the allegations “deeply troubling” in a statement Tuesday. “If these disturbing accusations against him are found to be true, Assemblymember Ardila should resign,” he said.
A spokesperson for Rep. Alexandria OcasioCortez (D-Bronx, Queens) wrote the Chronicle Tuesday night, “The Congresswoman believes he should step down, and we will be withdrawing his Courage to Change PAC endorsement, which was issued for his 2022 campaign.”
The same night, Ardila posted a second statement on Twitter, elaborating on his first
one. “I fully take responsibility for my actions and I am committed to a process of accountability,” he said. “I believe in second chances and hope to earn one with our community.”
That did not seem to discourage lawmakers from denouncing him. Former Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan, Ardila’s predecessor, told the Chronicle Wednesday, “I think it would be for the best for the district if he was to step aside.”
The state Working Families Party called for Ardila to step down Wednesday after urging from the Queens WPF Steering Committee.
Soon after, state Sens. Mike Gianaris (D-Astoria), Kristen Gonzalez (D-Long Island City) and Julia Salazar (D-Brooklyn), along with Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani (D-Astoria), Councilmember Julie Won (D-Sunnyside) and AD 37 District Leaders Émilia Decaudin and Nicholas Berkowitz issued a joint statement, calling the victims’ accounts “harrowing” and asking for him to step down. “While we believe in restorative justice, this process cannot occur while holding a position of power,” it reads.
Councilmembers Tiffany Cabán (D-Astoria) and Jen Gutiérrez (D-Brooklyn, Queens) made a similar call saying, “It wasn’t until his “third statement that he began to take responsibility.”
City Comptroller Brad Lander also said Ardila, who had been working for him as a City Council staffer at the time of the alleged events, should resign Wednesday.
But Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) has not pushed Ardila to step down, telling reporters Wednesday that while the alleged behavior is “totally unacceptable,” “that’s a decision that Juan and his constituents have to think about themselves.” State Sen. Jessica Ramos (D-East Elmhurst) did not call for resignation either, though she said she was “extremely disappointed” in a statement. Assemblymembers Catalina Cruz (D-Corona) and Jessica Gonázlez-Rojas (D-East Elmhurst) did not respond to requests for comment. Q
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During a four-hour meeting Monday night, Community Board 7 voted to approve a proposal for a new, 696-seat elementary school in Flushing and plans to redo the seawall and rip-rap along the MacNeil Park waterfront. The panel also voted against a plan for a seven-story residential building in Flushing.
Before the board took up any of those agenda items, though, Borough President Donovan Richards made an appearance, and spoke at length about the state of the College Point sewer project, among other things. Noting that capital projects of the sort are “always painful,” Richards said he and Councilmember Vickie Paladino (R-Whitestone) have worked to improve the quality-of-life issues the work has caused.
But James Cervino, the board’s environmental chair, was not having it.
“We’ve been asking for the same questions to be answered every week, every taskforce meeting, and nothing gets done — other than the illegal dumping and the illegal transfer station that was operating on a private property,” he said. “Not to mention that if this were in any other neighborhood, Borough President, this would not happen ... “So yeah, we’re applauding that we’re final-
Councilman Bob Holden (D-Maspeth) will host meetings on public safety and the importance of preparing and securing important personal documents on March 23 and 24, respectively.
The town hall meeting on public safety and quality-of-life issues, held in coordination with the NYPD, is scheduled for 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, March 23, at Maspeth High School, located at 54-40 74 St. in Elmhurst.
On Friday, March 24, Holden will host “Planning for Your Future,” a presentation by attorney Peter Kempner, director of the senior law project with the group Volunteers of Legal Service.
Kempner will discuss how people can plan ahead with documents needed to prepare for life emergencies, such as wills, powers of attorney and healthcare proxies.
The talk will include why such documents are needed and how people can complete them.
It will take place at Holden’s district office at 58-38 69 St. in Maspeth.
Information on both meetings can be obtained by calling the district office at (718) 366-3900. Q
ly getting the proper stormwater drainage and the proper system put in, but at what cost to the community?”
The work proposed for MacNeil Park is a continuation of the seawall that was recently completed on the western end of the beach; the plan the board approved Monday night will allow for the eastern interior seawall to be built. Some of the stairs to the beach will
also be replaced, all while preserving the look and feel of the existing infrastructure. Though the plans included improvements to the kayak launch, Parks Committee Chair Matt Silverstein pointed out that the board does “not really have funding” for that. At the same time, given that more work will need to be done on the park’s sewer outfall soon, there was a concern that the improved
launch may be damaged. Members are still looking to find a temporary solution.
The board was less enthused by a proposal for a seven-story residential building at 141-10 and 141-12 32 Ave. in Flushing. Some were concerned that the building’s narrow entrance would make it inaccessible to the FDNY in case of an emergency. The applicant noted, however, that the FDNY had signed off on the plan.
Still, others had doubts about the traffic issues the building might pose. Board member John Park said he passes the site regularly. “Only for four or five cars [each traffic] signal,” he said. “If this building comes out, that’s big trouble.”
There were fewer objections, on the other hand, to a proposal for a new elementary school at 45th Avenue and Colden Street. The building would be four-stories tall. There were some concerns about traffic there, too, and some thought a recess for buses and cars on 45th Avenue would be appropriate. Much like in December, when the board discussed plans for a high school in College Point, members expressed concern about the way the School Construction Authority tends to operate. Members insisted that the agency keep them in the loop about this particular project, voting to approve it with overwhelming support. Q
The New York Blood Center has declared its first blood emergency of 2023, with school breaks, poor weather and cold and flu season leading to a 12 percent drop in donations from this time in 2022.
Information is available at nybc. org, and upcoming drives include:
• Queens Place mall, 1 to 7 p.m. on Friday, March 17, at 88-01 Queens Blvd. in the former Outback Steakhouse site in Elmhurst;
• NYC Department of Design and Construction, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 28, at 3030 Thomson Ave. in Long Island City;
The Ozone Park Howard Beach Woodhaven Lions Club has grown by over 100 new members, many of whom attended an induction ceremony last week at Villa Russo. The group is dedicated to senior, handicap and veteran community service.
The additions make the club the biggest in the district and the second biggest in the state, according to a press release.
The ceremony occurred during the
monthly meeting of the Ozone Park Residents Block Association, organized by Sam Esposito and the executive board. Cop of the Month awards were also given for the 102nd and 106th Precincts.
Elected officials in attendance included Assemblymembers Jenifer Rajkumar and Stacey Pheffer Amato, state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. and Councilwoman Joann Ariola.
— Deirdre Bardolf• LaGuardia Community College, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 30, at 31-10 Thomson Ave. in Long Island City;
• Knights of Columbus #5103, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Friday, April 7, at 84-05 78 Ave. in Ridgewood;
• The Shops at Atlas Park, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 29, at 8000 Cooper Avenue in Glendale; and
• Hemja Welfare Society, noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday, April 9, in the mobile collection site at 37th Road and 74th Street in Jackson Heights. Q
• VOLUNTEERING: WHERE TO PITCH IN ACROSS QUEENS
• KIDNEY MONTH: DOCTOR’S TIPS KEEP THEM HEALTHY
• REHAB CENTERS: HOW TO PICK ONE AFTER SURGERY
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Volunteering: where to pitch in across Queens
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Excelsior Roofi ng
Family Care Connections
Flushing House
Main Street Radiology
Margaret Tietz Nursing & Rehab
Parker Jewish Institute
Queens LI Renal Institute
Sapphire Center for Rehabilitation
Silvercrest Center
St. Michael’s Cemetery
Super Shine Cleaning NYC
Kidney Month: doctor’s tips keep them healthy
Rehab centers: how to pick one after surgery
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Volunteering is beneficial to any community, but for seniors the act of being of service comes with the added benefits of decreasing dementia risk, improving mental health and increasing longevity because it keeps one physically active and the mind sharp, according to the National Institute of Aging.
Queens has volunteer opportunities at nonprofits, women’s groups, art centers, parks, city agencies, civic groups, museums, hospitals and more.
The Hellenic American Neighborhood Action Committee, an Astoria nonprofit that provides social services throughout the city, is seeking volunteers, according to Enrique Jerves, HANAC’s legal victim assistance program director.
“People who are interested in volunteering can email a resume,” Jerves told the Chronicle. “They just have to answer questions on why they are interested in volunteering at a specific program.”
Jerves said he would need a copy of a photo ID and that people can volunteer at HANAC for one to three days.
“We are open Monday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., so we are available on weekends,” Jerves said. “We’ve worked with senior volunteers in the past and they are very good.”
HANAC has coordinated with retired lawyers who provided free services for its clients, said Jerves. It also seeks volunteers to provide friendly visits, clerical, technical and administrative support, arts and crafts, greeting, telephone reassurance, music, dance, exercise, computer instruction, event planning and lunch service, according to the group’s website.
To volunteer at HANAC email Jerves at ejerves@hanac.org or visit hanac.org/about-us/ volunteer/. People can also call (718) 396-5042 for more details. HANAC is located at 27-40 Hoyt Ave. South.
The South Queens Women’s March, a nonprofit group located at 130-01 Liberty Ave. in South Richmond Hill, is definitely looking for volunteers, according to SQWM Founder Aminta Kilawan-Narine.
“I am so proud to underscore that the South Queens Women’s March is as intersectional an
organization as they come,” Kilawan-Narine told the Queens Chronicle. “We have worked hard to cultivate spaces that feel inclusive across all different identities and across different generations too!”
Programming at SQWM spans culturally responsive mutual aid efforts to bridge systemic inequities, pop-up food pantries and distributions for essential items and civic mobilization efforts, which include voter engagement street outreach and community cleanups. In addition, SQWM also conducts art workshops on gender-based violence.
“Volunteers fuel our movement,” KilawanNarine said. “Without them, we could never accomplish as much as we do ... Age is not a barrier when it comes to volunteering with the South Queens Women’s March. When volunteers register for any volunteer opportunity we have, we always ask what roles they may be comfortable with to also account for any physical limitations.
“Different generations stand to benefit so much from dialogue with one another and I personally see that play out whenever we are together in community volunteering. Seniors and the knowledge they bring to the table are invaluable assets.”
To learn more about the SQWM call (929) 367-0010.
The Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, a multidisciplinary arts center located at 161-04 Jamaica Ave., does not have an official volunteer program, according to Tyrel Hunt, JCAL’s spokesman. However, JCAL is in the process of building one and is accepting inquiries. People who are interested can email Patrick Scorese at pscorese@jcal.org.
Throughout the years, JCAL has worked to inspire youths’ interest in the arts, showcased emerging artists and performers and has delivered multicultural programs.
To learn more, visit JCAL.org.
The Parks Department has a year-round NYC Parks Stewardship program that anyone who may be willing to get his or her hands dirty can join sending an email to stewardship@parks.nyc.gov or calling (718) 392-5232.
Visit nycgovparks.org/reg/stewardship to
register to help with forest and wetland restoration, planting and pruning street trees, harvesting and propagating native seeds and monitoring wildlife in the borough, by going to the Upcoming Stewardship Projects section of the webpage and clicking Queens.
Saturday, there is a Kissena Park forest restoration initiative from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the intersection of Fresh Meadow Lane and Kissena Boulevard near Booth Memorial Avenue. On March 24, people who are interested may provide tree care at Newton Road and 41st Street in Astoria from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
There are also volunteer opportunities at the city Civic Engagement Commission for anyone 18 and up.
The commission is seeking participatory budget outreach and language assistance program outreach volunteers, along with CEC volunteer leaders.
A participatory budget volunteer will participate in community need assessments via canvassing, phone-banking and digital outreach, which will form the basis of project proposals that New Yorkers will vote on.
For three hours a week, language assistance volunteers will phone bank, create digital flyers and support CEC text-info lines to bring awareness to language assistance services.
CEC leaders will train for eight hours a week on how to be an ambassador for the organization, train and coordinate other volunteers and convene meetings.
To learn more visit nyc.gov/site/civic engagement/get-involved/volunteeropportunities.page.
The Museum of the Moving Image has volunteer opportunities for film lovers of any age, according to Hayley Brinkman, a spokeswoman for the Astoria institution.
“We’ve recently restarted our volunteer program after Covid-19 and look forward to welcoming many new volunteers, including a few who are senior citizens, to help us with our annual First Look festival this week,” she said.
There are volunteer roles for hospitality and theater operations, and the festival runs until March 19. MoMI also lists a six-month volunteer program with various duties.
The hospitality role includes greeting and directing guests and filmmakers, providing
information about the festival, assisting at the filmmakers’ lounge and other duties as assigned.
The theater operations role entails managing lines, ticket and passes, ushering audiences and also providing information about the festival (this role will require volunteers to be on their feet for a significant period of time).
If interested go to movingimage.us/join-andsupport/volunteering/.
Seniors can also give back at the Department for the Aging.
“The volunteer opportunities at the Department for the Aging give New Yorkers, no matter their age, an opportunity to give back to their communities, while staying socially active and engaged,” said DFTA spokesman Greg Rose. “There are many activities NYC Aging volunteers can do, including packing food for home delivered meals, helping older adults care for their pets, or sign up for the right health coverage.” Rose said some of volunteers have been of service for decades and continue to give invaluable support to residents in every borough.
People can sign up at agingvolunteers.cityof newyork.us.
NewYork-Presbyterian Queens is just one hospital in need of volunteers for its programs, according to its spokeswoman Rachel Friedman Packer.
“We work closely with AmeriCorp RSVP (Retired Seniors Volunteer Program) that not only helps connect senior volunteers with NewYork-Presbyterian Queens, it also educates, provides help and assistance to these volunteers,” Friedman said via email.
To sign up go to nyp.org/queens/volunteer.
The Queens Interagency Council on Aging, which operates out of Borough Hall at 120-55 in Kew Gardens, provides food for those in need, and will restart those operations after late May since losing people to retirement or death due to the pandemic, according to QICA Executive Director Bruce Cunningham. QICA is in need of dependable people with past volunteer experience, one as a bookkeeper and others as food servers, as it feeds up to 150 people.
City Hall also has a volunteer calendar of events across the Big Apple at nycservice.org/ calendar. Q
Kidney disease can strike people young or old, and can do so without warning. But with March being National Kidney Month, Dr. Michael Goldman, a nephrologist with Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, said routine checkups and common-sense care can avoid problems, or at least catch them early enough to make an important difference.
“The job of a kidney is to filter blood,” Goldman said. “They’re vital organs. Most filtration and other things happen in the liver. But what the kidneys do is generally unique to the kidney, so you can’t live without them.
“There happen to be other functions. For example, they’re involved in the signaling for making blood, so ... when people get a kidney problem they can get anemic. They also have to do with the bones in terms of hormonal signaling.
“When things go wrong, there’s a little bit of a problem.”
And the elderly, Goldman said, are more prone to kidney disease.
“The elderly are more prone to everything,” he noted.
Goldman said hypertension, or high blood pressure, is well-known as “the silent killer.” But it is not the only condition that can be insidious. Hypertension and diabetes, he said, are major causes of kidney disease.
“When somebody has appendicitis, they know,” Goldman said. “Their belly hurts and it’s off to the hospital. With the kidneys, you don’t know.
“Most of the time, when people get chronic kidney disease or kidney problems, it’s asymptomatic, meaning they don’t feel it.”
Sometimes there are no symptoms at all.
“So when it happens they can go on not knowing about it,” Goldman said “Which is why it is so vitally important to go on getting regular checkups and, as determined by their doctor, when people need lab work. A lot of time, we find kidney problems and can do something about it; meaning before it’s become problematic. We find it in blood work. People don’t have symptoms.”
While blood can be visible in urine, trace amounts or excessive protein in the urine can be detected only through testing.
Goldman used the example of live kidney donors to show how a loss of function caused by illness can go unnoticed for some time. He said when the donor gives up one kidney, they in effect lose half their kidney function and can still not only survive but be healthy and well.
An asymptomatic kidney condition likewise in some cases can reduce a patient’s kidney function considerably before a problem manifests itself.
‘The person could lose half the function in their kidneys and we wouldn’t pick it up on a blood test,” Goldman said. “The difficulty is by the time we pick up something there’s a lot of damage.”
“That person can have plenty of kidney in reserve if we
can catch it early,” Goldman said. “But we have to slow down the process of what is bothering their kidneys. So it’s important for people — young and old — to get checked out.”
Along with regular checkups, Goldman said, healthy lifestyle habits are healthy kidney habits.
“In terms of diet and lifestyle, what you have to remember is that the kidneys have one million to two million filters,” he said. “Those filters are basically tiny blood vessels. The things I tell people to do or to avoid are because they’re heart-healthy. They’re going to be healthy for the kidneys.
continued on page 10
In October 2020 a new look-back period was passed forcing applicants to surrender two and one-half (2.5) years of financial statements. However, due to the pandemic Medicaid was unable to enforce this new regulation and kept extending the starting date.
The last extension was from October 1, 2022 to January 1, 2023; however, the earliest date that the state will seek implementation is March 31, 2024.
What does it mean to new applicants once the new regulation goes into effect? If there were
“Protect
any transfers during the two and one-half (2.5) years prior to fi lling, applicants will be disqualified for a period of time depending on the amount transferred. Disqualifi cations cannot be more than two and one-half years.
Presently, applicants can transfer any amount of money one month and become fi nancially eligible for Community Medicaid the following month. This window of opportunity is slowly closing in. Potential applicants should keep in mind that the only way to avoid this issue is to apply before the rule is enforced.
Having a loved one go to the hospital for surgery, or having to go yourself, can be a stressful time, especially as the patient gets older. Caregivers have an increased responsibility, as do care providers and the needs evolve with age. And what comes next, the transition of care postsurgery, is almost as important as the actual procedure itself.
Discharge planning is key and ensures that patient recovery continues and that they get the care needed to return to health. The transition of care can include going back to the home, where there is a myriad of ways to be nursed back to health, or being admitted to a residential nursing facility or an alternative: a short-term rehabilitation center, many of which are in Queens.
Hospitals in New York are actually legally obligated to give patients the opportunity to name a caregiver who is willing to be a part of planning for the time following discharge. In 2015, the New York State CARE Act, short for Caregiver Advise, Record, and Enable, was signed into law and requires hospitals to give patients the opportunity to name a family caregiver willing to be part of planning for discharge and providing care at home, according to the United Hospital Fund. New York joined over 30 other states that adoped similar legislation.
“That helps ensure good follow-up, adherence to the plan of care and help, and then we also help with figuring out what is the best place for the patient to go, either home or to a rehab facility,” said Dr. Isabella Park, associate medical director and direct of geriatrics and palliative care at Long Island Jewish Forest Hills. “And when we’re giving options for rehab, then giving choices about which rehab facility they would prefer,” she said.
There are several questions to consider when choosing
between home or a rehab center, she said: “What is home like? What are your needs? What is already in place?”
Older patients often do best at home, in familiar surroundings, she said, but that might not always be an option.
Home physical therapy can be useful if patients have trouble getting to a facility, said Dr. Emily Fatakhov, a doctor of rehabilitation and physical medicine and sports medicine at Mt. Sinai Queens, but it can limit treatment options. “Home care, while convenient, is definitely more limiting in terms of the modalities they can use. They don’t have any equipment. It’s a lot of whatever they can do in the confines of their own home,” she said. “So, it’s good on one level and not great, long-term, on another level.”
What is Medicaid medical assistance?
Medicaid is a joint federal and state funded program, run by the state and local counties, providing medical insurance, home-care services (assisting with all activities of daily living) and nursing home medical assistance to the poor, elderly or disabled.
However, individuals requiring home-care services or nursing home medical assistance, in addition to fi nancial requirements, also will need to have a medical need for these services.
Who can apply for Medicaid?
Medicaid is for anyone who meets the income and resources restrictions.
What services does Medicaid provide?
• Doctors • Hospitals • Prescriptions • Nursing Homes (room & board)
• Home-care Services, such as home attendants, home health aides and nurses
What is an MLTC?
MLTC stands for Managed Long-Term Care. One example: When an applicant has been approved for Medicaid home-care services, the applicant has to choose one MLTC from several approved Medicaid plans. Upon joining an MLTC a coordinator will be assigned and this coordinator will be the point person between the applicant/recipient and the MLTC.
Changes with Community Medicaid eligibility!
Due to Covid-19 once again the new rule regarding transfer of assets for Community Medicaid has been extended from October 1, 2022 to January 1, 2023; however, the earliest date that the state will seek implementation is March 31, 2024.
Once the new regulation is in place, applicants wishing to apply for community Medicaid and receive homecare services paid for by Medicaid will need to submit two and one-half years of bank statements. If there were any transfers during that period, other than spouse to spouse, the applicant will be disqualified for a period of time. Presently, applicants can transfer any amount of money one month and become financially eligible for Community Medicaid the following month. This window of opportunity is closing in fast. There is no time to procrastinate. The only way to avoid this issue is to apply before the new rule is enforced.
Elder Care Services, Inc., offers Free consultations.
Elder Care Services, Inc.
97-37 63rd Road, Suite 9H, Rego Park, NY 11374
For more information please contact Jack Lippmann at 718-575-5700
www.eldercareservicesny.com
As for rehab facilities, Park recommends reading the reviews online and contacting the centers for a tour.
A private geriatric care manager, who are typically paid by the hour, can also be used to help research and recommend facilities based on the patient’s specific needs, according to the Family Caregiver Alliance. A social worker can also give advice and support.
Every rehab center is different and caters to different needs, beyond just physical therapy. They can be specialized for a patient with complicated wounds, someone with a lung disease on a BiPap machine, or who needs dialysis.
“If they have any kind of skilled needs, meaning requiring nursing care like wound care, antibiotics, drainage care — after surgery sometimes they have drains put in by the surgical team that need to be monitored so they could heal appropriately — they may not need to be in a hospital anymore, like an acute care facility, but maybe a subacute facility,” said Park.
A subacute facility offers a short-term program of care, which can include one to three hours of rehabilitation per day, at least five days per week, depending on the condition, according to Columbis University.
So rehab facilities no longer just do physical rehab, said Park. “They do complex skilled nursing care ... now insurances are paying for this type of care in the rehab facility.”
That is especially the case as hospital systems have increasingly tigeth requirements to stay in the hospital, she added.
Insurance is a key consideration, then, too.
“What can Medicare provide? What can the managed Medicare provide? Because there are restrictions with managed Medicare. And if they’re eligible for Medicaid too, Medicaid
continued on page 10
On December 29, 2022, President Biden signed a law which makes major changes to IRAs, 401(a), 401(K), 403(b) and 457(b) retirement plans (hereinafter “retirement plans”) with the passage of the SECURE 2.0 ACT OF 2022 (“Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement 2.0”). Some changes are discussed below.
The age at which a person must take Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) from their retirement plan has increased from age 72 to 73 in 2023 and increases to 75 in 2033. This allows the retirement plan to grow tax-deferred before a person is required to take RMDs.
SECURE 2.0 reduces the penalty for failure to take RMDs from 50 to 25 percent. Furthermore, if the failure is corrected in a timely manner, as defi ned under the Act, the failure is further reduced to 10 percent beginning in 2022. However, it exempts the 10 percent penalty on the distribution of up to $2,500.00 per year
for the payment of premiums for certain specifi ed long-term care insurance contracts effective 2025.
Unfortunately, the provisions in the SECURE ACT of 2019 eliminated “Stretch IRAs.” Previously, the owner of an IRA or similar retirement plan could leave their retirement plan assets to benefi ciaries and the benefi ciaries would not have to take RMDs until they reached 70½. Under the 2019 law, the beneficiaries must begin to take RMDs immediately and withdraw the entire IRA within 10 years of the owner’s death and pay the required income taxes on withdrawals. This change does not apply to benefi ciaries who are surviving spouses, minor children, chronically ill, disabled, or no more than 10 years younger than the deceased IRA owner.
In light of these new laws, you may want to review your estate plan with your attorney and financial advisor.
continued from page 6
“A good diet and exercise, and specific to diet, a low-sodium diet. The kidney doesn’t like sodium. Smoking in the long term is not healthy for the kidneys. It can cause progressive damage. Exercise — there’s not a direct link between kidney health and exercise, but it’s part of a group of things that is heathy for all the blood vessels.”
Staying hydrated, Goldman said, also is good advice for anyone.
“I don’t recommend that people drink a certain amount, but they should stay hydrated,” he said. “The young, age 20 or 30 years old, they know ‘I’m thirsty, but I’m busy at work so I’m not going to get a drink.’ Your body has a very sensitive signal for that, which is what thirst is ... the elderly can lose sensitivity to that. Sometimes the elderly don’t drink enough because they don’t get the same signals from their body. Nothing works quite the same way.”
While Goldman does not subscribe to the strict “eight cups a day” regimen, he said the elderly or caretakers should make a conscious effort to get enough water.
Research, Goldman said, indicates that African-American and Hispanic-American patients are more predisposed to kidney disease.
Many men, starting at about 50, can begin experiencing prostate disorders, he
noted, which can have the effect of blocking or backing up urine, thus damaging the kidneys. And, he said, many prostate treatments are noninvasive.
“Those with family members with a history of kidney disease or dialysis are at greater risk,” he continued. “They should be aware of that and need to be extra careful. They need to make sure they go to their doctor.”
The elderly also suffer more from arthritis, adding a wrinkle depending on the kind of pain relievers the patient uses, including Motrin, ibuprofen, Aleve, Advil and naproxen, so-called nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs that can damage the kidneys, though not commonly.
“Even patients with kidney problems can take those two or three times a week,” Goldman said. He still is not a big fan, based on those he treats when they do have reactions.
“To be fair, from my lens — to a man with a hammer, every problem looks like a nail — I’m seeing the ones with problems.” He said balancing medication use is where listening to their regular doctors is vital.
Goldman also reiterated that along with regular medical checkups, early detection and generally healthy habits, there is a new generation of medications available for kidney patients, and another one showing promise that soon could be on the way. Q
continued from page 8
provides a lot of services, especially for long-term services,” said Park. “So it’s important for for us as well as the patients to work together to really know the ins and outs of what their insurance can provide.”
The CFW Group in Queens operates three specialized nursing facilities in Queens. The short-term rehabilitation and subacute care units are located at Cliffside and Woodcrest, both in Flushing, and Forest View in Forest Hills.
Monica Wiedeman is the regional director of marketing and business development for the centers. She detailed the different focuses of the three centers.
Forest View has short-term capabilities that specialize in physical rehab, following a fall, for example. Cliffside offers rehab for people who need dialysis as well as pulmonary rehab or ventilator services. Woodcrest focuses on bariatric care, for patients weighing between 300 and 500 pounds.
The ultimate goal, Wiedeman said, is for patients to get strong enough to go home. Each facility has different capabilities and in order to achieve the best results, patients should go to the one that is a good so they do not have to return to the hospital.
“We recently had a patient that came here and she was on a ventilator and we weaned her off and within three months or so, she was able to go home,” Wiedeman said. “And she said that she was given a second chance
at life.”
Those are the moments that staff are there for, she said.
There are other considerations following the surgery to consider, too.
Studies have found that improvements in hospital discharge planning can dramatically improve the outcome for patients as they move to the next level of care, according to the Family Caregiver Alliance, a nonprofit based out of California.
Although patients, family caregivers and healthcare providers all are involved in maintaining a patient’s health after discharge, there is a lack of consistency in the quality and process of planning across the health care system, the nonprofit states.
Park says the effort to close that gap is a priority in her departments, as is keeping caregivers engaged in the process.
Patients and caregivers should get a copy of their discharge paperwork to bring to their physician.
“When patients are admitted to the hospital, oftentimes it’s now the trend that their community docs don’t come to the hospital so they’re being taken care of by a different medical team that they have never seen before ... So it’s up to us to reach out to the community doctors to inform them and update them,” she added.
Having hospital staff connect with the patient’s community doctor ensures a smoother handoff, Park said. Q
“I am running against Vickie Paladino.”
That’s what former Councilman and state Sen. Tony Avella told the Chronicle in an extensive candidate interview when asked about the upcoming Democratic primary for City Council District 19.
Unlike Councilmember Vickie Paladino (R-Whitestone), Avella has competition in land use expert Paul Graziano and former Queens Assistant District Attorney Christopher Bae as he heads toward the June vote. Asked about his Democratic opponents specifically, Avella dug in his heels.
“I have a primary, but the person I’m running against is Vickie Paladino,” he said last Thursday. “I think most people will agree I have the best shot at beating her. And that is the focus — without question.”
Avella’s latest bid for the Council comes after he narrowly lost to Paladino in 2021. Citing concerns about the councilmember, he announced his 2023 bid last March, saying at the time, “It may be necessary to create an unofficial government in exile in order to show the rest of the City she does not properly represent Northeast Queens.”
Avella portrayed himself as the “moderate Democrat” in the race, saying the progressive wing of the party has gone “too far,” in his view.
“I think the Democratic Party needs to move more back to the center,” he said, adding, “I will never vote to defund the police.”
Relatedly, he said he has “long advocated” for a new NYPD precinct to be added within
the confines of the 109th. He also opposes the plan to close Rikers Island.
Avella spoke at length about transportation issues and traffic violence, advocating specifically for residents to be able to appeal signage and signal application decisions with the Department of Transportation.
Asked about a proposal to allow New York City to lower the minimum speed limit from 25 miles per hour to 20, he said, “I don’t have a problem with reducing the speed limit on narrow streets, especially with residential streets. But I think on the wider streets, which are a means of access from one major road to another, I might have an issue with [that].”
Avella emphasized that local communities know best when it comes to traffic and transportation decisions in their neighborhoods, pointing to bike lane installations as an example.
“I have no problem with bike lanes, as long as they’re done in consultation with the community board and the local community,” he said. “I think sometimes it’s, ‘oh, the bike lane is going here, whether you like it or not’ — I don’t believe in that philosophy from any city agency.”
He took a similar approach when it comes to housing and zoning laws, which have been controversial in the area as Gov. Hochul has proposed granting amnesty for accessory dwelling units and altering zoning without local consent, among other related measures. He recognized both those concerns and the city’s housing crisis.
“The NIMBY approach — I don’t believe in that if you ask people to do the right thing,”
Avella said, referring to the “Not in My Back Yard” school of thought. “Involve people in the solution, and you can get results.”
He added that he supports 421a, the tax break that, until recently, gave developers an incentive to build affordable housing.
Avella was adamant that the city do its part when it comes to lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Paladino’s bill that would delay the 2024 implementation of Local Law 97 — which will require certain nongovernment buildings to cut down on emissions through retrofitting — has sparked discussion in the district recently, as some residents, especially co-op and condo owners, have expressed con-
cern about the cost of those upgrades.
“We shouldn’t push back the deadline, but we should help those co-ops and condos financially, to get it done,” he said. “Climate change is here — there’s no more thinking about it, arguing about it.”
Specifically, he said that a bond act to help fund those upgrades ought to be created.
Because of the growing threat posed by climate change, the need to improve sewer infrastructure was vital to Avella.
“[The Department of Environmental Protection] built the storm sewer based upon the one-in-25-year storm,” he said. “Well, guess what? The one-in-25-year storm is now happening every other year. The one-in-100-year storm is now happening once in 10 years.
“So the whole system by which the city has been built is not capable of handling the storms because of climate change.”
Previously, Avella has said that parkland is “sacred.” So when it comes to the future of the “50 acres of asphalt” next to Citi Field, which Mets’ owner Steve Cohen hopes to transform, he has been skeptical, noting last week that he was the lead plantiff in the 2017 state Court of Appeals case that halted a shopping mall proposed for the site because it is parkland.
For any development there to occur, be it a casino or otherwise, he said, “You’d have to get past the parkland issue. There are ways but you’d have to do it.” One way would be for the state Legislature to alienate the site for a specific use and to approve of replacement parkland nearby, though Avella said it does not need to be contiguous.
Were that to happen, though, Avella said he would not be opposed to a casino, per se. “It’s a possibility,” he said. Q
by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor
A battle over the future of Austin Street appears to be in the offing in Forest Hills.
Speaking at the March 8 meeting of Community Board 6, Peter Beadle, co-chairman of the Transportation, Public Transit and Street Safety Committee, spoke of how two weeks earlier he had encouraged those who would like the city to study the “pedestrianization” of Austin Street to make their thoughts known at the CB 6 assembly.
Thirteen did last week, either in person in Forest Hills or virtually.
But the Forest Hills Chamber told the Chronicle in an email it also is rallying for support — to counter any such effort.
Beadle’s committee on Feb. 23 approved a resolution calling on the city’s Department of Transportation to study measures that would reduce automobile traffic along Austin Street and remove cars completely in at least some sections.
During his committee report on March 8, Beadle acknowledged that he had to cede leadership of the portion of the committee meeting dealing with the study as he has worked with a group that is advocating for it.
“I am emphasizing that we are simply calling for a study,” Beadle said at the March 8 meeting. “Some of the comments you heard tonight made it sound like we’re going to pedestrianize Austin Street, but that is not what is happening right now.”
Beadle stated that his committee in February received petitions with several hundred signatures from the organization Neighbors for a Safe Austin Street, which is acting to reduce traffic on Austin, citing accident statistics and personal anecdotes of traffic congestion, noise and near misses. The group said 10 businesses have signed on to support a study.
The group also wants to add widened sidewalks and turn some stretches into busways.
“Obviously there is a lot of support,” Beadle told CB 6 last week. “I don’t think any-
body can debate that there is a serious problem on Austin Street.”
Leslie Brown, president of the Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce does, for one.
The chamber is circulating a petition of its own, accusing those backing the DOT study of wanting to rid Austin Street of cars from Yellowstone Boulevard to Ascan Avenue.
“This seems to be the main agenda hidden among all the other talk and demands,” the chamber states on a copy of the petition emailed to the Chronicle. “Pedestrianizing means NO Cars. The businesses of Austin Street and the businesses on surrounding streets want, need, and cannot exist without parking. The patrons of Austin Street want, need and would in many cases not be able to come to the street if they could not park.”
The chamber is hosting what it called a “high-priority meeting” at 9 a.m. on March 29 at Bareburger, a restaurant at 71-49 Austin St., to update members on the DOT study petition. Q
Charter schools were hit on two fronts this month.
The United Federation of Teachers alleged that the city paid $200 million in charter rent to shady developers last week and earlier this month the Jamaica NAACP’s Education Committee announced a resolution in opposition to co-locations and lifting the cap.
Jamaica NAACP Education Chairman Ronald Britt said he is not anti-charter and is pro-parent choice — informed choice.
“We don’t want to siphon funds away from our district public schools to provide to charter schools that co-locate inside of our public schools,” Britt told the Chronicle. “New York City is treated special — we are carved out in the sense that other schools receive transition aid when charter schools open up in their district and New York City does not receive transition aid.”
A report from the Jamaica NAACP made up of stats from the city Department of Education states that $2.69 billion for fiscal year 2023 was diverted from DOE schools to charters. That number does not account for the space and services that co-located charter schools receive for free, according to the resolution.
Charter schools that are not co-located
received $166 million in subsidies from the DOE in 2023 to rent out private spaces; 60 percent of that is reimbursable by the state.
“That has an impact financially for public schools,” Britt said. “The state realized that, so they put in this thing called transitional aid that provides some funds whenever that happens to the district so that the schools have some support. New York City is the only district in the state that is excluded from that funding.”
New York City is also the only school district in the country that has to provide classroom space to charters, according to Britt.
“I believe New York City was targeted because it has the largest school network and the charter groups have a lot of lobbyists,” he added.
From 2021 to 2022, the city school system had more than 1 million students, which includes 139,752 in charters, according to the DOE.
When asked about charter schools having students with better scores on state exams and having waitlists for kids, Britt countered that charter schools focus on students in the general population, not children who are English Language Learners or who have physical or mental disabilities.
“That’s not like comparing apples to apples,” Britt said.
He also stated that there is no transparency on the number of kids on charter school waiting lists, and that there are zombie charters, schools that have had their charter license revoked, which is why he supports a moratorium on creating more charters for schools like KIPP, Uncommon and Success Academy.
Success Academy pointed to its success in School District 5 in Harlem, which has nearly 60 percent of students in charter schools and said those students are primarily minorities from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.
“With her proposal to expand charter schools in NYC, Governor Hochul is simply championing the rights of Black and Brown kids and families to access high quality schools,” a spokeswoman from Success Academy said via email.
The cost per student in charter schools is nearly half at $17,626 compared to $35,941 in regular city schools, according to the New York City Charter School Center.
But Britt also believes that city and state comptrollers should audit charter schools so that parents can get a better assessment on their effectiveness.
The UFT shares a similar sentiment with the Jamaica NAACP.
“The UFT supports legislation in Albany
to stop using public funds to pay New York City charter school rent in private space,” a UFT spokesperson told the Chronicle via email. “When the law first took effect in 2014 to 2015, the city had to set aside $10.2 million to help charters pay their rent. By fiscal 2022 to 2023, that cost was up to $200 million. That’s money that could have gone to traditional public schools that instead went to the private real estate industry.”
This resulted in developers taking advantage of the law and a boom in charter schools, according to a UFT spokesperson. Developers will build space out to deliberately market to charter schools to get a guaranteed rental payment. The city will always pay its rent. A space rented to a business might go belly up.
The DOE said that providing funds for charter school rent in private facilities “is a state law. We must comply with state laws.”
Success Academy said the best solution is to co-locate both district and charter schools.
“Two thirds of district schools are co-located — there’s no reason not to use the 171,000 empty seats in public school buildings,” added the Success Academy spokeswoman.
KIPP said that it does not have any schools in Queens and did not further comment on what the Jamaica NAACP or UFT alleged.
Uncommon Schools did not comment. Q
Astoria residents are resigned to losing the historic Astoria Park pool for the summer of 2023 as it undergoes a $19-million renovation project. Their hope now is to miss only one pool season.
Speaking at the March 8 meeting of the Old Astoria Neighborhood Association, representatives of the city Department of Parks and Recreation said work has been going on since the fall; and that the aim is to reopen for business in 2024.
Richard Khuzami, president of the organization, said the closure is “probably the most contentious issue right now.”
“It’s the largest pool in the city and has a long history going back to the Olympics,” he said at the virtual meeting. “It’s been a big part of my neighborhood. I live here right by the park.”
Khuzami also pointed out that the city has invested millions in other projects in the park in recent years. The pool complex, according to the Parks and Recreation website, opened on July 4, 1936 and hosted the swimming and diving trials for the U.S. Olympic teams in 1936 and 1964.
“As you know, the Astoria pool is an historic pool,” said Meira Berkower of Parks and Recreation. “The proposed repairs will
ensure that this 87-year-old icon will continue to serve future generations.”
Berkower said many of the pool’s systems have simply reached the end of their service life.
“Our goal is to have the pool open for summer 2024,” she said. “I want to emphasize that our goal is to have it closed for just one season. Just the upcoming 2023 season.”
Steven Moltz, the department’s deputy director of engineering, said the plan is not only to modernize the pool but also to bring it into compliance with modern health and safety codes. He used the existing and noncompliant gutter around the pool as an example.
“It does not remove enough material from the surface to keep the surface clean and free of particulates,” Moltz said. “I was out at the pool this week and the wall for the new gutter is already in place. They are pouring concrete this week thanks to unseasonably warm weather, so that work is underway.”
Berkower said the locker rooms are not part of the contract. She did say that the spray shower area adjacent to the pool will remain open, and that a list of public pools in the city is available online at on.nyc.gov/3LpwS3A.
Khuzami still had reservations, based on delays at other recent pool projects run by Parks and Rec, such as the one at the Flush-
Precinct hope that repairs to the Astoria Park pool don’t extend the shutdown into summer 2024.
ing Meadows Corona Park Aquatic Center.
“[The work] at Corona Park was extended many times,” he said. “It was closed for three seasons.”
Earlier in the meeting, Deputy Inspector Kenneth Gorman, commanding officer of the NYPD’s 114th Precinct, expressed similar concerns when he discussed a large number of youth initiatives that the precinct is prepar-
ing. He said the pool is a valuable resource for the younger members of the community.
“I’m very concerned about losing the pool for a year or possibly two years, two summers,” Gorman said.
He added that the precinct will be reaching out to schools and other places that might have space to host youth activities until the pool reopens. Q
Gov. Hochul’s proposal to lift the cap on New York City charter schools was omitted from both the Senate and Assembly one-house budgets, which were released this week, as some advocates continue pushing despite little support from lawmakers.
“We’re very disappointed that the state legislators are not really listening to parents, but instead are playing politics again,” said Yiatin Chu, president of the Asian Wave Alliance and co-president of PLACE NYC.
The governor’s preliminary budget has proposed eliminating the regional cap on the number of charter schools in the city and would allow licenses for closed-down “zombie charters” to be reissued, which could bring around 100 of the schools to New York City.
“They’re forcing kids that are in failing schools to not have more choice,” said Chu. “These are not affluent families ... the kids that would be zoned for a public school that’s not serving their needs are not from families that have private schools as an option or can move out of New York City,” she said.
She took up the cause because she is looking out for families, she said, and the Asian Wave Alliance got involved because it noticed increased interest and enrollment among Asian families in charter schools.
She chalks that up to a few reasons including a focus on high test scores, “traditional academics” and diverse afterschool options.
Last week, hundreds turned up for two different rallies, including one led by Chu, calling for the cap to be lifted.
State Sen. John Liu (D-Bayside), who has been a vocal opponent of lifting the charter cap, serves a district that includes some of the
top-performing school districts in the city, Districts 24 and 25, where there is less of a need for alternative options, said Chu.
“There’s a constant parroting of waitlists for charters,” Liu said. “There are waitlists for public schools as well.”
It was clear from the get-go, he said, that legislators were not on board with lifting the cap.
“Not only do you not raise a cap simply because it’s been reached, but now it’s actually a totally illogical time to lift any cap when enrollment is down significantly in both public schools as well as in charter schools,” he said.
Despite a growth in charters through the pandemic as district schools declined, enrollment is lagging in the larger charter networks as well.
Liu argues that funding charters takes resources away from traditional public schools. He denies the fact that charters even are public.
“They are private schools funded with public dollars,” said Liu. “That does not make it a public school.”
Chu says, “Giving families what they want is going to help families stay in the public school system and charter schools are public schools.”
She hopes to see some compromise as intense budget negotiations get underway ahead of the budget due date of April 1, including maybe reinstating just the zombie charters.
Liu said he does not see the charter cap being a topic of upcoming talks.
“For me, the biggest priority is higher education,” he said. “Now that we have at long last met our obligation for public schools implicitly through high school, we now have to recognize the fact that modern day education goes well beyond the 12th grade.” Q
Educating our students to be independent thinkers and lifelong learners.Advocates rallied outside of the city Department of Education headquarters last week in favor of lifting the regional cap for charter schools. PHOTO COURTESY YIATIN CHU
We are thrilled to announce the opening of Forte Preparatory High School, our brand-new high school in Queens, New York. Building on the success of our award-winning middle school (Forte Preparatory Academy in Elmhurst), Forte Prep will now provide an exceptional education to students in grades 5 through 12, starting with a brand-new ninth grade program in Glendale this fall!
Our middle school has been recognized as one of the best in the state, and we are committed to maintaining that same level of excellence at Forte Prep High. Our experienced faculty and staff will ensure that every student receives a challenging and engaging education that prepares them for success in college and beyond.
At Forte Prep, we believe that every student has the potential to achieve great things. That’s why we offer a rigorous curriculum that challenges students to think critically, communicate effectively and collaborate with others. Whether they are interested in STEM, the humanities or the arts, our students will have access to a wide range of courses and extracurricular activities that will help them explore their passions and develop their skills.
We are excited to open our doors to the community and welcome the next generation of leaders to Forte Preparatory Academy. We hope that you’ll join us starting in fi fth grade as we embark on a new era for education in Queens.
continued from page 2
Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce and others, had opposed the initial AirTrain proposal.
“We appreciate and support the Port Authority and its expert panel advancing airport transit improvements with a high ridership bang for the buck that will be quick to implement,” said the coalition in an email on Monday.
“Ridership on the Q70 bus route to the airport was growing rapidly prior to the onset of Covid,” the statement added. “Further improvements on that route, and the new Astoria airport bus line will provide real transit access improvements to travelers and the airport workforce without a lengthy or overly costly construction process.”
In its executive summary, the report goes into detail of what it called construcability challenges of approaching LaGuardia from the west or southwest by rail or any other so-called heavy infrastructure.
“First, FAA regulations prohibit any new permanent infrastructure at- or abovegrade that intersects with the flight path and safety areas of airport runways,” the report states. Any approach would abut or run through the zone at the southern end of Runway 4-22.
“Since this runway abuts Runway Drive and the Grand Central Parkway, any new at- or above-grade subway or other heavy
infrastructure through this corridor would be prohibited based on current FAA Airport Design Standards,” cording to page 5 of the summary.
“Second, any new tunneled option (for a subway or other heavy infrastructure option) would conflict with major, underground utilities owned by the NYC Department of Environmental Protection, including two combined sewer and stormwater structures that provide critical services to hundreds of thousands of Queens residents,” it continues.
“These structures are 9–15 ft in diameter and were built over 90 years ago on wooden support piles. As part of its preliminary engineering, the study team explored multiple approaches (e.g., going under or reconstructing the utilities); however, it was unable to identify a construction approach that it could conclude with confidence would practicably overcome these challenges.
The underground utilities also were cited in paragraphs dealing with elevated and underground construction of subway extensions along the Grand Central Parkway.
So were the cost and engineering challenges posed by the 90- to 100-foot high trestle for the Hellgate rail bridge that crosses the GCP.
The complete report, summary and supporting documents can be read or downloaded on the Port Authority’s website at bit.ly/3yFwGWb. Q
When we set out to found Valence in 2017, we met hundreds of families who were looking for a small, academically strong charter middle school in Queens and were commuting hours to fi nd one. In turn, we spent two years in study of over fi fty of the strongest charter schools in the country to design Valence for our Queens community.
We started this journey on September 5th, 2019 with 120 founding fi fth-graders because all scholars deserve a rigorous middle school education. We are a tuition free, public charter school serving grades 5-8 in Central Queens.
Valence College Prep equips all scholars with the academic skills, professional habits, and strength of character to graduate from college and lead lives of opportunity.
The Present
Did you know that only 23% of students graduate from high school college-ready in East Elmhurst and Corona? (Coalition for Educational Justice). That is why we promised our families: We will teach your child to be excellent readers and writers.
Valence scholars grew 70% more than their nationwide peers in reading and 85% more than their nationwide peers in math in the 2021 - 2022 school year!
Our scholars are challenged through enriching activities, such as STEM, Capoeira, and the arts! Small group instruction is provided to every student and support is provided for English language learners and scholars with IEPs.
The Future
In June, our founding class will go to high school, to college, and on to lead lives of opportunity. They will be equipped with the academic skills, professional habits, and strength of character to do so. This is why our work is important.
Our team will work with scholars on alumni relations and ensure the fulfi llment of our mission. Once a Valence scholar, always a Valence scholar.
To learn more about our school and the work we do, please visit www.valencecollegeprep.org, visit us on social media (@valencecollegeprep), or call us at 929-571-7115!
Valence College Prep equips all scholars with the academic skills, professional habits, and strength of character to graduate from college and lead lives of opportunity.
by Sophie Krichevsky
Associate Editor
The Colden Auditorium at the Kupferberg Center for the Arts was packed last Saturday night as Ira Glass, host of iconic radio show “This American Life,” took the stage as he presented “Seven Things I’ve Learned.” Even by the time the doors opened at 7:30 p.m., dozens had already lined up outside awaiting admittance to hear the man KCA Director Jon Yanofsky would later call “a true American institution.”
As the crowd waited for the show to begin, members of the audience sat in awe as they watched a short animation on the screen, all of which involved the number “7.” Whispers could be heard throughout the auditorium as showgoers debated what it could mean. (Glass later revealed it was a reference to the show’s title.)
Those in attendance were by no means limited to Queens — many came from Brooklyn, Manhattan and Long Island, as well — and included people of all ages.
Patty from Bellerose and Charlene from Far Rockaway said they attend events at the
KCA regularly, and did not want to miss Saturday’s show.
Michelle and Eddie from East Islip, LI, said they were “big fans” of “This American Life.”
Though the two were not sure what to expect, Michelle said, “We wanted to try something different.”
As the Chronicle reported in its preview of the event last month, Glass’ set included both advice for aspiring storytellers and stories he found “amusing.” He delivered on that Saturday night as he shared clips from early on in his career, poking fun at his own work and illustrating what he could have done differently.
Glass spoke specifically about his love of interviewing kids. That was infinitely clear as he shared numerous stories from over the years, some of which included film, but all of which left the crowd doubling over with laughter.
Glass’ voice is unmistakable. Listening to him speak at the microphone throughout the evening therefore had the effect of listening to him talk live on the radio (or hearing the
podcast through your headphones).
The fact that Glass mixed the room’s audio live from an iPad onstage, adding music for effect as he went, only added to that. When at times, he would play clips of prerecorded interviews, the audience almost forgot whether Glass’ responses were live or were recorded, as well.
At the end of the night, a handful of journalists and fans hung back to say hello to the star of the show. Among them was a librarian from Queens Public Library’s Jackson Heights branch — she had been interviewed in an episode of “This American Life” in 2018, entitled “The Room of Requirement,” which focused on the magic of libraries. Q
A pair of unions are each seeking 100 new apprentices in recruitments set to start in April, the state Labor Department announced last Friday. The jobs are not for those afraid of heights.
The Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee for Ironworkers, Local Union 40 and 361, will hold a recruitment from April 3 through June 9 for its apprentices.
Applications will be online. They must be obtained from and submitted to nycironworkers.org by the deadline.
The Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee for the High Rise Concrete
Carpenters of New York City are recruiting from April 12 through Nov. 8.
Applicants must attend an in-person information session at the New York City District Council of Carpenters Training Center in Manhattan. They then will be able to access an application online.
More details about the recruitments, including all qualifications, are online at dol.ny.gov/apprenticeship/overview. For any further questions, the ironworkers may be reached at (718) 433-4195 and the carpenters at (212) 727-2224, ext. 111. Q — Peter C. Mastrosimone
Jon Yanofsky, the KCA’s director, called Glass “a true American institution.”
A warmly lit apartment with tones of brown and red, sprinkled with vintage furniture, beautiful flowers and an old record player, is the set for the bilingual world premiere of “Mom’s Playlist”/“Las Canciones de Mamá,” the newest production at the Thalia Spanish Theatre in Sunnyside. As soon as guitarist and singer José María Guzmán enters the stage, the audience is in for a treat for the next hour and a half.
The show is described as an intimate but universal dramedy with music, starring Soledad López and Kathy Tejada, along with the musical stylings of Guzmán. López (who is also the managing director for the Thalia Spanish Theatre) and Tejada play a variety of roles throughout the show, but primarily appear as
Jessica and Alba, respectively. While Guzmán does not play a specific role, his presence is felt throughout the show as he sits onstage with his guitar, and he is often popping into scenes to banter with the characters.
Jessica, a woman who is in denial of aging and feels young at heart, is a housekeeper of nine years to Alba’s mother, who has been relocated to a nursing home. Alba, an exasperated indie music festival organizer, returns to her mother’s apartment to sell it. In the process, she is convinced by Jessica to create a playlist to bring to her music-loving mother and mend the broken bridges of the motherdaughter relationship Alba has struggled with
her whole life — specifically in the past 11 years, in which she has not been in contact with her mother.
“It’s the theater’s 246th production,” shared Angel Gil Orrios, Thalia’s executive director. He produced, designed and directed the show, which was written by Ana Graciani, a prestigious playwright from Spain.
“Mom’s Playlist” is a treat for music fans, featuring a variety of popular Spanish songs. While Guzmán plays plenty of songs live throughout the show, there are also snippets of the original track recordings that listeners of the genre will recognize, bringing a sense of nostalgia and familiarity.
continued on page 39
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK – COUNTY OF QUEENS INDEX # 701495/2022 FILED 1/19/2022 SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS Plaintiff designates Queens County as the place of trial based on the location of the mortgaged premises in this action. Plaintiff’s principal place of business is c/o Celink, 3900 Capital City Boulevard, Lansing, Michigan 48906. REVERSE MORTGAGE FUNDING LLC, Plaintiff, JOHN DOE AND JANE DOE 1 THROUGH 50, INTENDING TO BE THE UNKNOWN HEIRS, DISTRIBUTEES, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, TRUSTEES, LIENORS, CREDITORS, AND ASSIGNEES OF THE ESTATE OF JOHN PROPST A/K/A JOHN M. PROPST, WHO WAS BORN IN 1938 AND DIED ON APRIL 8, 2020, A RESIDENT OF QUEENS COUNTY, WHOSE LAST KNOWN ADDRESS WAS 10951 142ND STREET, JAMAICA, NEW YORK 11435, THEIR SUCCESSORS IN INTEREST IF ANY OF THE AFORESAID DEFENDANTS BE DECEASED, THEIR RESPECTIVE HEIRS AT LAW, NEXT OF KIN, AND SUCCESSORS IN INTEREST OF THE AFORESAID CLASSES OF PERSON, IF THEY OR ANY OF THEM BE DEAD, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE HUSBANDS, WIVES OR WIDOWS, IF ANY, ALL OF WHOM AND WHOSE NAMES AND PLACES, ARE UNKNOWN TO PLAINTIFF, RHONDA PROPST AS HEIR AT LAW AND NEXT OF KIN TO JOHN PROPST A/K/A JOHN M. PROPST, TONY PROPST, if living, and if dead, the respective heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, executors, administrators, trustees, devisees, legatees, assignors, lienors, creditors and successors in interest and generally all persons having or claiming under, by or through said defendant who may be deceased, by purchase, inheritance, lien or otherwise of any right, title or interest in and to the premises described in the complaint herein, and their respective husbands, wives or widow, if any, and each and every person not specifically named who may be entitled to or claim to have any right, title or interest in the property described in the verified complaint; all of whom and whose names and places of residence unknown, and cannot after diligent inquiry be ascertained by the Plaintiff, ANGELA PROPST A/K/A ANGELA HENDERSON, if living, and if dead, the respective heirs at law, next of kin, distributes, executors, administrators, trustees, devisees, legatees, assignors, lienors, creditors and successors in interest and generally all persons having or claiming under, by or through said defendant who may be deceased, by purchase, inheritance, lien or otherwise of any right, title or interest in and to the premises described in the complaint herein, and their respective husbands, wives or widow, if any, and each and every person not specifically named who may be entitled to or claim to have any right, title or interest in the property described in the verified complaint; all of whom and whose names and places of residence unknown, and cannot after diligent inquiry be ascertained by the Plaintiff, NEW YORK CITY PARKING VIOLATIONS BUREAU, NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
O/B/O INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, JOHN DOE (REFUSED NAME), JOHN DOE (REFUSED NAME), JOHN DOE (REFUSED NAME), JOHN DOE (REFUSED NAME), JOHN DOE (REFUSED NAME), JOHN DOE (REFUSED NAME), JOHN DOE (REFUSED NAME), JOHN DOE (REFUSED NAME), JOHN DOE (REFUSED NAME), NEW YORK CITY ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD, Defendants. To the above-named defendants: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the complaint is not served with this summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the plaintiff’s attorneys within twenty (20) days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within thirty (30) days after the service is complete if this summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York); and in case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint. NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. This action was commenced to foreclose a mortgage against real property located at 10951 142nd Street Jamaica, New York 11435. You are named as a party defendant herein because you may have an interest in this premises. McCabe, Weisberg & Conway, LLC, Attorneys for Plaintiff, 1 Huntington Quadrangle, Suite 4N25 Melville, NY 11747. 631-812-4084. 855-845-2584 facsimile HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS IN FORECLOSURE New York State requires that we send you this notice about the foreclosure process. Please read it carefully. SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT You are in danger of losing your home. If you fail to respond to the Summons and Complaint in this foreclosure action, you may lose your home. Please read the Summons and Complaint carefully. You should immediately contact an attorney or your local legal aid office to obtain advice on how to protect yourself. SOURCES OF INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE The State encourages you to become informed about your options in foreclosure. In addition to seeking assistance from an attorney or legal aid office, there are government agencies, and non-profit organizations that you may contact for information about possible options, including trying to work with your lender during this process. To locate an entity near you, you may call the toll-free helpline maintained by New York State Department of Financial Services’ at 1-877-BANK-NYS (1-877-226-5697) or visit the Department’s website at WWW.BANKING.STATE.NY.US. RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO LEAVE YOUR HOME AT THIS TIME. You have the right to stay in your home during the foreclosure process. You are not required to leave your home unless and until your property is sold at auction pursuant to a judgment of foreclosure and sale. Regardless of whether you choose to remain in your home, YOU ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR PROPERTY and pay your taxes in accordance with state and local law. FORECLOSURE RESCUE SCAMS Be careful of people who approach you with offers to “save” your home. There are individuals who watch for notices of foreclosure actions in order to unfairly profit from a homeowner’s distress. You should be extremely careful about any such promises and any suggestions that you pay them a fee or sign over your deed. State law requires anyone offering such services for profit to enter into a contract which fully describes the services they will perform and fees they will charge, and which prohibits them from taking any money from you until they have completed all such promised services. File# 21-300479
Gwendolyn Ifill was born in Jamaica, Queens, on Sept. 29, 1955, the fifth of six children born to Oliver and Eleanor Ifill. Her father, originally from Panama, proudly became an American citizen on Valentine’s Day 1957. He was a well-known and loved minister of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Queens. Her mother was from Barbados. The family lived at 172-02 Linden Blvd. in St. Albans.
In the 1960s her father’s ministry work required the family to move to Buffalo, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. She graduated with a BA from Simmons College, a women’s school in Boston. She wrote for The Washington Post and The New York Times, covering the White House from 1991 to 1994.
In 1999 she started hosting “Washington Week in Review” for PBS, becoming the first Black woman to host a national political show. She was the co-moderator of the 2016 Democratic primary debate between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders.
But that November she passed away of
breast cancer at age 61.
Ifill was honored in 2020 on a U.S. postage stamp. The ground floor of the site of her childhood home is now the popular Blue Dolphin Fish Market. Q
by Deirdre Bardolf editor
Every month is Women’s History Month at Q.E.D, the only independent, womanowned and operated venue for the arts in Astoria.
“This is the status quo, which is really great, especially in comedy, where women and LGBTQ are vastly underrepresented,” said owner Kambri Crews. “That has been changing over the last few years, which is great, but Q.E.D. has always been part of that movement ... and not even by design. I think it’s just the fact that I’m a woman means that I book more women.”
More than half the shows there are produced by women, Crews added, making it not just March that is dedicated to them.
And, as usual, the community space offers much more than just comedy. A packed schedule for the coming months includes movie screenings, lectures, workshops and meetups for board games, crafting and learning Spanish.
Every Friday and Saturday at 9:30 p.m. at Q.E.D. is the All Pro Comedy Showcase, an ongoing series of house-booked national headliners. Those tickets are $15 each.
After a rocky few pandemic-stricken years, those shows have been selling out once again. Crews’ busiest season is usually
winter, and this one didn’t disappoint.
“We were bumping, sold out every Friday, Saturday night and tons of private events. It felt as normal as it could, all things considered,” she said, adding that ticket sales are generally up for comedy.
Last weekend, Crews held her 23rd annual Oscar watch party. She has held the event across the city for years and then at Q.E.D. in its past nine years of existence.
The venue can also be rented out at an affordable rate for events, compared to other options.
Free open mics occur throughout the week. Events are often free with a one-item purchase. Q.E.D. serves beer, wine, coffee, tea, soda, snacks and hot pub food.
New to the schedule is the On the Rise showcase, featuring up-and-coming comedians. Tickets go for $10.
“They’re basically comedians that I haven’t had a chance to watch on the stage in front of a paid audience,” explained Crews. “I see them at open mics or I see them on an alt show, and I want to see them in front of a regular audience ... some of them are just comedians that I really like and I want to give them an opportunity to get on a house show.”
Jokes aside, Crews is excited for the return of slapstick film showings, but not
nearly as excited as the movie buffs the event draws. The next one, curated by Queens-based film historians Nelson Hughes and Tommy José Stathes, will pay tribute to Wanda Wiley, a slapstick star from the 1920s. Much of her work did not survive but rarities from the Library of Congress will be shown at Q.E.D. on Sunday, March 26.
A Mother’s Day lecture will highlight true stories of “magical mothers” who practice witchcraft and fortune telling.
Free-with-purchase events also include Shut Up & Write, Drink & Draw and Work-
n-Sip. Q.E.D. offers designated work areas, with electrical outlets and free Wi-Fi.
All the info on upcoming events can be found at qedastoria.com.
“For anybody who’s interested in producing an event or having a private party or teaching, all of the info is on our website,” said Crews.
“I pride myself in being very transparent and making sure that you don’t need to have some sort of secret handshake to take part at Q.E.D. ... Accessibility is very important to me and affordability is very important to me.” Q
“There are two different versions of the production that are alternated. One in English and one in Spanish,” Orrios explained. The same cast is used for both versions, which means the cast had to memorize two separate scripts — one in each language. “It feels like two separate plays sometimes. The English show and the Spanish show get laughs in different places — the jokes resonate differently.” While the script was origi-
nally written in Spanish, the English translation was done by Iride Lamartina-Lens.
“Mom’s Playlist” covers the different types of mother-daughter relationships — from the closest kind to the most complicated ones. While the main storyline is something truly unique and emotional, mothers and daughters are sure to find a version of themselves in the short mother-daughter skits between López and Tejada, which provide a hefty dose of comedic relief between the heavier moments. Seeing these genuine familial relationships reflected onstage makes a performance of this show an ideal mother-daughter date, especially for Women’s History Month.
Other highlights include the captivating musical stylings of Guzmán with beautiful vocals and guitar, the brilliant comedic timing of López and a scene-stealing emotional performance by Tejada, in which Alba reflects on her tumultuous upbringing. The show also includes a few audience sing-alongs to some familiar songs, and projections displayed around the stage during scenes that are sure to tug at your heartstrings.
“Mom’s Playlist”/“Las Canciones de Mamá” is running at Thalia Spanish Theatre
through March 26. English performances are scheduled for Fridays at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 3 p.m., while Spanish performances are scheduled for Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 4 p.m. For tickets and more information, visit thaliatheatre.org. Q
DESCRIPTION
Sapphire Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing of Central Queens
35-15 Parsons Blvd., Flushing, NY 11354
We Offer Competitive Salary, Full Benefits
Package, Paid time Off, Pension and Opportunities for Professional Growth
Sapphire Center for Rehab & Nursing, a 5 Star long term skilled nursing facility, has immediate openings for enthusiastic and energetic CNAs for all shifts. We are looking for individuals who desire a worthwhile career that has purpose and makes a meaningful difference in someone’s life. Under supervised professional and skilled guidance, our CNAs give direct nursing care to assigned residents and perform other services necessary for their personal and comfort needs. We look forward to meeting with you to discuss professional opportunities at our facility.
All new CNAs hired in the nursing department will get a sign-on bonus of $1,200.00 (paid after conclusion of 90 day probationary period).
Fax: 718-461-1784
Phone: 718-961-3500 X229
Email: mheon@sapphirerehab.com
Sapphire Center
For Rehabilitation & Nursing of Central Queens
DESCRIPTION
Sapphire Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing of Central Queens
35-15 Parsons Blvd., Flushing, NY 11354
We Offer Competitive Salary, Full Benefits Package, Paid time Off, Pension and Opportunities for Professional Growth
Sapphire Center for Rehabilitation, a 227 bed facility Skilled Nursing Facility in Queens, New York, is looking for clinically superb, dynamic RNs to join our growing team. We employ a supportive environment, staff-friendly strategies, and a team oriented approach to make sure our staff are well-trained, welllooked after, and superbly appreciated. We treat our staff with the respect they deserve, and our staff treat each other in the same fashion, fostering an atmosphere of unparalleled professional support and development.
NEW NURSES WELCOME TO APPLY!
$6,000.00 sign-on bonus for full-time RN after 3 months and an additional 4,000k after 1 year of full-time employment .
Tuition reimbursement for continuing education for RNTo complete BSN. Up to $10,000.00 upon completion of coursework after 2 years of full-time employment. 101K Participation.
Fax: 718-461-1784
Phone: 718-961-3500
Email: mheon@sapphirerehab.com
Parks
Are you looking for a job where you can attend exciting events, participate in thrilling outdoor adventures and engage in sports, fitness and fun-filled activities? Join NYC Parks and be a part of the festivities in Recreation Centers and the outdoors throughout the 5 boroughs of NYC! We have 100+ positions:
• Kids in Motion Playground Associates
• Summer Camp Counselors and Sports Experience Coaches
• Movie and Mobile Unit Recreation Specialists and Playground Associates
• Outdoor Ropes Course Facilitators
• Fitness Instructors
To review these seasonal listings and more, visit our website: www.nyc.gov/parks, go to Job Opportunities and apply!
The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual’s sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.
Part-Time Support Person needed for small, busy tax office located in Laurelton, Queens. Duties include filing & answering phones. Must be organized with basic Microsoft skills. Call Tony: 718-413-6126 or email resume to: tony@tonytaxassociates.com
Drive Out Breast Cancer: Donate a car today! The benefits of donating your car or boat: Fast Free Pickup-24hr Response Tax Deduction- Easy To Do! Call 24/7: 855-905-4755
LOOKING TO BUY Estates, gold, high-end & brand name jewelry— top price paid, costume jewelry, furn, records, silver, coins, art, stamps, comics, oriental items. Call George, 718-386-1104 or 917-775-3048
PLEASE CALL LORI, 1-929-361-0643 (Cell Phone). I PAY THE BEST, MOST HONEST PRICES FOR ESTATES, FURNITURE, CHANDELIERS, LAMPS, COSTUME JEWELRY, WATCHES (WORKING OR NOT WORKING), FURS, COINS, POCKETBOOKS, CHINA, VASES, GLASSWARE, STERLING SILVERWARE, FIGURINES, CANDLESTICKS, PAINTINGS, PRINTS, RUGS,
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF QUEENS DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY AS TRUSTEE FOR RESIDENTIAL ASSET SECURITIZATION TRUST SERIES
2006-A9CB MORTGAGE PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES
SERIES 2006-I, Plaintiff, Against CAROLYNN CITRIN, ET AL.
Responsible, honest, reliable cleaning lady. I will clean your apt or house. I have exp. Call anytime, 718 460-6779
BATH & SHOWER UPDATES in as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices- No payment for 18 months!
Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 866-393-3636
Don’t Pay For Covered Home Repairs Again! American Residential Warranty covers ALL MAJOR SYSTEMS AND APPLIANCES. 30 DAY RISK FREE/ $100 OFF POPULAR PLANS. 833-398-0526
COMPUTER & IT TRAINING PROGRAM! Train ONLINE to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk Professional now! Grants and Scholarships available for certain programs for qualified applicants. Call CTI for details! 844-947-0192 (M-F 8am-6pm ET). Computer with internet is required.
ARE YOU BEHIND $10K OR MORE ON YOUR TAXES? Stop wage & bank levies, liens & audits, unfiled tax returns, payroll issues, & resolve tax debt FAST. Call 888-869-5361
(Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-5pm PST)
VIAGRA and CIALIS USERS! 50 Pills SPECIAL $99.00 FREE Shipping! 100% guaranteed. CALL NOW! 855-413-9574
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Wheels For Wishes benefitting
Make-A-Wish Northeast New York. Your car Donations Matter NOW
More Than Ever! Free Vehicle Pick Up ANYWHERE. We accept Most Vehicles Running or Not. 100% Tax Deductible. Minimal to No Human Contact. Call: (877) 798-9474. Car Donation Foundation d/b/a/ Wheels For Wishes. www.wheelsforwishes.org
Notice is hereby given that ExteNet Systems, Inc. proposes to collocate an antenna and associated equipment on replacement light poles within the public ROW at the following two locations in New York (Queens), Queens County, NY: Northern Blvd/73rd St and Thomson Ave/30th St. Any interested party wishing to submit comments regarding the proposed facilities’ potential effects on any historic property may do so by sending comments to G2 Consulting Group, LLC, Attention: K. Bouchard, 1866 Woodslee Dr, Troy, MI 48083. This notice is a requirement of Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966.
Vidya & Keran Khedna Housing LLC, Arts of Org. fi led with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 2/13/2023. Cty: Queens. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to 109-20 117th St., South Ozone Park, NY 11420. General Purpose
Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale, duly entered 11/23/2022, I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction, on the Courthouse steps of the Queens Supreme Court located at 88-11 Sutphin Blvd., Jamaica, NY, on 4/14/2023 at 11:00AM, premises known as 77-13 Ditmars Blvd., Unit 1 a/k/a Unit A-1, East Elmhurst, New York 11370, And Described As Follows: ALL that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Unit Known As Apartment No. A-1 In The Building Known As And By The Street Number, 77-13 Ditmars Boulevard, Jackson Hts., In The Borough And County Of Queens, City And State Of New York. Together with an undivided .1384 percent interest appurtenant to the apartment unit in common elements of the property (herein after called the “common elements”). Block 973 Lot 1009 The approximate amount of the current Judgment lien is $471,240.48 plus interest and costs. The Premises will be sold subject to provisions of the aforesaid Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale; Index #710963/2015 Stephanie S. Goldstone, Esq., Referee. McCabe, Weisberg & Conway, LLC, 10 Midland Avenue, Suite 205, Port Chester, NY 10573 Dated: 12/5/2022 File Number: 14-308671 LD
Notice is hereby given that an OnPremises Restaurant Wine license, Serial #1359153 has been applied for by Han Dynasty Long Island City LLC d/b/a Han Dynasty LIC to sell beer, wine and cider at retail in a Restaurant. For on-premises consumption under the ABC Law at 23-20 Jackson Avenue, Ground Floor Long Island City NY 11101.
3037 BELLE PROPERTIES LLC. Arts. of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 02/13/23. Offi ce: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 286 Crabapple Road, Manhasset, NY 11030. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
46-04 VERNON BOULEVARD, LLC. Arts. of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 01/19/23. Offi ce: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 430 Maspeth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
6901 REGO LLC. Arts. of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 01/30/23. Offi ce: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 69-01 Woodhaven Boulevard, Rego Park, NY 11374. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Notice of Formation of ACTIVE LINK LLC
Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 01/31/2023. Offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: ACTIVE LINK LLC, 6933 69TH RD, MIDDLE VILLAGE, NY 11379. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.
Articles of Org. fi led NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 1/16/23. Offi ce in Queens Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to Alex Musheyev 26104B Langston Ave., Glen Oaks, NY 11004. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
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 212941-6101, or the New York City Commission of Human Rights Hotline at 718-722-3131.
The Queens Chronicle reserves the right to alter wording in ads to conform with Federal Fair Housing regulations.
Gravesend, 2351 82nd St., #LL. 2 BR/1 bath apt. $2,200/mo. open kitchen, new stove, full bath. Heat & hot water inc. Avail NOW. Call Michael Bifalco, 917-704-5147.
Capri Jet Realty
Ridgewood, 60-02 Catalpa Ave, #3F. 1 BR, 1 bath apt—$1,850/ mo. Beautiful 1 BR w/ full LR, EIK, HWF, windows in every room. Heat & hot wat incl. Avail April 1. Call Francesco Belviso, 718-570-4564, Capri Jet Realty
Williamsburg, 216 N 6th St, #3. 2 BR w/balcony. $5,600/mo. NO
FEE! Newly renov, new doors, W/D in unit, dishwasher, SS appli, Pets OK. Avail Now. Call Michael Bifalco, 917-704-5147, Capri Jet Realty
Rockwood Park, Sunny 1 BR, walk-in CAC, utils incl. No pets. $1,700/mo. Call 718-848-6431
Howard Beach/Lindenwood / Fairfield Arms, Sun 3/19, 12-2pm, 151-20 88 St. (High-Rise). Agent Pam will be on the lobby. Unit 4CLg 2 BR, 2 baths. Reduced $228K. Unit 2D, 3 BRs converted from 2 BRs, 2 full baths. Reduced $259K. Unit 5D, 2 BR, 2 baths, needs TLC, 5th fl. Reduced $225K. Connexion Real Estate, 718-845-1136
Howard Beach/Rockwood Park, Sat 3/18 & Sun 3/19, 1-3:00pm, 164-18 90 St. 40x100, Hi-Ranch, unique 5 BRs, 2 full baths, 3 BRs, 1 bath, top flr & 2 BRs on walk-in level, new kit, HW flrs & new baths. Cement & pavers front & back. Full 1 car gar, sep ent to walk-in. Reduced $965K. Connexion Real Estate, 718-845-1136
WCA TRADING LLC. Art. of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 02/21/2023. Offi ce: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of WCA TRADING LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to WCA TRADING LLC, 89-06 Springfi eld Blvd., Queens Village, NY 11427. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Supreme Court Of The State Of New York County Of Queens Index No.: 707048/2018 Date Filed: 05/07/2018 Summons Plaintiff designates Queens County as the place of trial venue is based upon county in which the premises are situated: 107-49 155th Street, Jamaica, NY 11433 a/k/a 10749 155th Street, Jamaica, NY 11433 HSBC Bank USA, National Association, As Trustee For Fremont Home Loan Trust 2006-B, Mortgage-Backed Certifi cates, Series 2006-B, Plaintiff(s), against Unknown heirs at law of Julia C. Taveras, and if they be dead, any and all persons unknown to plaintiff, claiming, or who may claim to have an interest in, or generally or specifi c lien upon the real property described in this action; such unknown persons being herein generally described and intended to be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors, and assignees of such deceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real property by, through or under them, or either of them, and their respective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors, and assigns, all of whom and whose names, except as stated, are unknown to plaintiff, Lisandra Taveras A/K/A Lisandra C. Lovelace A/K/A Lisandra C. Lovelage, Hilda Rodriguez, The Caledonian LLC, New York City Parking Violations Bureau, New York State Department Of Taxation And Finance, City Of New York Environmental Control Board, City Of New York Transit Adjudication Bureau, “John Doe #1” through “John Doe #12,” the last twelve names being fi ctitious and unknown to plaintiff, the persons or parties intended being the tenants, occupants, persons or corporations, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the premises described in the complaint, Defendant(s).
To The Above-Named Defendants: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the complaint is not served with this summons, to serve a notice of appearance on the plaintiff’s attorney within twenty (20) days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within thirty (30) days after the service is complete if this summons is not personally delivered to you within the state of New York) in the event the United States of America is made a party defendant, the time to answer for the said United States of America shall not expire until sixty (60) days after service of the summons; and in case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint. NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION
AND RELIEF SOUGHT THE OBJECT of the above captioned action is to foreclose a Mortgage to secure the sum of $395,250.00 and interest, recorded on October 5, 2005 at CRFN 2005000556035 at the Offi ce of the City Register covering premises known as 107-49 155th Street, Jamaica, NY 11433 a/k/a 10749 155th Street, Jamaica, NY 11433. The relief sought in this action is a fi nal judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above, and to reform the Mortgage to add Hilda Rodriguez as a mortgagor.
The New York City Department of Transportation will hold a public hearing, the hearing will be held remotely commencing on Tuesday March 28, 2023 at 2:00 P.M. via the WebEx platform, on the following petition for revocable consent, in the Borough of Queens.
Consolidated Edison of New York, Inc.– to continue to maintain & use antennas, equipment boxes, conduits & related appurtenances on the tops & sides of New York City Dept. of Transportation street light poles, in the five Boroughs of the City of New York, including data transfer remote operation & control in connection with Smart Grid or AMI.
Interested parties can obtain copies of proposed agreement or request sign-language interpreters (with at least seven days prior notice) at 55 Water Street, 9 Floor, New York, NY 10041, or by calling (212) 839-6550.
BULLY DRIVELINE PARTS LLC. Arts. of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 09/23/22. Offi ce: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, c/o Joseph, Terracciano & Lynam, LLP, 2 Roosevelt Avenue, Suite 200, Syosset, NY 11791. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
L42kathill LLC, Arts of Org. fi led with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 1/11/2023. Cty: Queens. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to 26 Bow St., Forest Hills, NY 11375. General Purpose
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT QUEENS COUNTY
NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME
If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who fi led this foreclosure proceeding against you and fi ling the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to the mortgage company will not stop the foreclosure action. You must respond by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the plaintiff (mortgage company) and fi ling the answer with the court. Dated: May 3, 2018 Armonk, New York LEOPOLD & ASSOCIATES, PLLC BY: Michael J. Kenney,
Esq.,
Attorneys for Plaintiff, 80 Business Park Drive, Suite 110, Armonk, NY 10504 914-219-5787
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT QUEENS COUNTY MOREQUITY, INC., Plaintiff against CENTENNIAL INSURANCE COMPANY, et al Defendant(s) Attorney for Plaintiff(s) Knuckles, Komosinski & Manfro, LLP, 565 Taxter Road, Suite 590, Elmsford, NY 10523. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered January 29, 2018, I will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at steps of Queens County Supreme Court, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11435 on March 31, 2023 at 12:45 PM. Premises known as 158-11 96th Street, Howard Beach, NY 11414. Block 14166 Lot 55. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough and County of Queens, City and State of New York. Approximate Amount of Judgment is $356,888.84 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of fi led Judgment Index No 705317/2021 f/k/a 12717/2009. Cash will not be accepted at the sale. The foreclosure sale will be conducted in accordance with 11th Judicial District’s Covid-19 Policies and foreclosure auction rules. The Referee shall enforce any rules in place regarding facial coverings and social distancing. Referee will only accept a certifi ed bank check made payable to the referee. Autrey Glen Johnson, Esq., Referee 2296-002975
MTGLQ INVESTORS, L.P., Plaintiff against MICHAEL WILLIAMS, et al Defendant(s) Attorney for Plaintiff(s) Knuckles, Komosinski & Manfro, LLP, 565 Taxter Road, Suite 590, Elmsford, NY 10523. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered June 6, 2022, I will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at steps of Queens County Supreme Court, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11435 on April 14, 2023 at 11:45 AM. Premises known as 133-14 146th Street, Jamaica, NY 11436. Block 12091 Lot 7. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Queens, County of Queens, City and State of New York. Approximate Amount of Judgment is $559,996.46 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No 706699/2021. Cash will not be accepted at the sale. The foreclosure sale will be conducted in accordance with 11th Judicial District’s Covid-19 Policies and foreclosure auction rules. The Referee shall enforce any rules in place regarding facial coverings and social distancing. Referee will only accept a certified bank check made payable to the referee.
Joseph Defelice, Esq., Referee
3000-000376
Daisuke Osanai Dental, PLLC, Arts of Org. fi led with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 2/15/2023. Cty: Queens. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to 4705 Center Blvd., apt. PH1, Long Island City, NY 11109. Purpose: Dentistry
Notice of Formation of EAT ME NYC JEWELRY LLC Arts. of Org. fi led with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/13/23. Offi ce location: Queens County. Princ. offi ce of LLC: 33-46 160th St., Flushing, NY 11358. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Sara Klimavicius, Attn: Sara Klimavicius at the princ. offi ce of the LLC. Purpose: Designing, carving, casting, manufacture, sale and distribution of jewelry.
Notice of Formation of GLOBALPRIMEENTERPRISESLLC
Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 01/19/2023. Offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: RAMON CANDO, 87-30 JUSTICE AVENUE, APT 6G, ELMHURST, NY 11373.
Purpose: For any lawful purpose.
Notice of Qualifi cation of Kasada, LLC. App. For Auth. fi led with Secy of State of NY (SSNY) on 1/20/23.
Offi ce location: Queens County. LLC formed in Louisiana (LA) on 10/10/16. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served.
SSNY shall mail process to: Capitol Services, Inc., 1218 Central Ave, Ste 100, Albany, NY 12205. LA address of LLC: 910 S. Acadian Thruway, Baton Rouge, LA 70806. Arts of Org fi led with LA Secy of State, 8585 Archives Ave, Baton Rouge, LA 70809.
Purpose: any lawful act or activity.
MPACIFIC 2435 LLC, Arts. of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 03/06/2023. Offi ce 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, 48-02 25th Avenue, Suite 400, Astoria, NY 11103. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.
QML Meters LLC, Arts of Org. fi led with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 1/24/2023. Cty: Queens. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to Queens Medallion Leasing, 21-03 44th Ave., Long Island City, NY 11101. General Purpose
Notice of Formation of RENTALS BY SANTOS LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 02/04/2023. Offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: MATTHEW SANTOS, 4337 216TH STREET, BAYSIDE, NY 11361. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.
Notice of Formation of Soho City LLC. Articles of Org. fi led with Sec’y of State of NY (SSNY) on 9/27/16. Offi ce location is Queens County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to 10712 90th St, Ozone Park NY 11417. Purpose: any lawful activity.
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by The Brooklyn Union Gas Company d/b/a National Grid NY (“Company”) that it has fi led with the New York State Public Service Commission (“PSC”) tariff revisions to its Schedule for Gas Service, PSC No. 12 – GAS, to become effective, on a temporary basis, April 1, 2023.
S.C. No. 1A, 17-1A – Residential Non-Heating Service
S.C.
1AR, 17-1AR Residential Non-Heating Service
S.C. No. 1B-DG, 17-1B-DG – Distributed Generation
S.C. No. 1B, 17-1B – Residential Heating Service
S.C. No. 1BR, 17-1BR-Residential Heating Service
S.C. No. 2-1, 17-2-1 – Non-Residential Non-Heating Service
S.C. No. 2-2, 17-2-2 – Non-Residential Heating Service
S.C. No. 3, 17-3 – Multi-Family Service
S.C. 4A, 17-4A – High Load Factor
S.C. 4A-CNG, 17-4A-CNG – Compressed Natural Gas
S.C. 4B, 17-4B – Year Round Air Conditioning Service
These revisions have been filed in compliance with the Commission’s Order issued August 12, 2021 in Case 19-G-0309. The table below compares the Company’s current rates (prior to April 1, 2023) to rates effective April 1, 2023 by service classification. Effective April 1, 2023, $2.5 million has been removed from base delivery rates to be collected through the ‘Rate Adjustment Clause’. The Rate Adjustment Cla use is a separate surcharge that will be included in the Delivery Rate Adjustment line on customers’ bills. S.C.
S.C. 21, 17-21 – Rate 1 – Less than 1MW
S.C. 21, 17-21 – Rate 2 – Equal to or greater than 1 MW but less than 5 MW
Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/23 First 10 therms or less $333.14 $333.14
Over 10 therms, per therm (Apr – Oct) $0.1011 $0.1058
Over 10 therms, per therm (Nov – Mar) $0.1289 $0.1349
S.C. 21, 17-21 – Rate 3 – Equal to or greater than 5 MW but less than 50 MW
No change for the delivery rates for S.C. 22 & 18-22 – Non-Firm Demand Response Sales and Transportation Service.
These revisions have been fi led in compliance with the Commission’s Order issued August 12, 2021 in Case 19-G-0309. Copies of the proposed revisions are available for public inspection and can be obtained on the Company’s website at https://www.nationalgridus.com/NY-Home/Bills-Meters-and-Rates/ or the PSC’s website (dps.ny.gov).
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by KeySpan Gas East Corporation d/b/a National Grid (“Company”) that it has fi led with the New York State Public Service Commission (“Commission”) proposed tariff revisions to its Schedule for Gas Service, PSC No.1 – GAS, to become effective, on a temporary basis, April 1, 2023. These revisions have been fi led in compliance with the Commission’s Order issued August 12, 2021 in Case 19-G-0310. The table below compares the Company’s current rates (prior to April 1, 2023) to rates effective April 1, 2023 by service classification. Effective April 1, 2023, $2.5 million has been removed from base delivery rates to be collected through the ‘Rate Adjustment Clause’. The Rate Adjustment Clause is a separate surcharge that will be included in the Delivery Rate Adjustment line on customers’ bills.
S.C. No. 1A, 5-1A – Residential Non-Heating Service
S.C. No. 1AR, 5-1AR – Residential Non-Heating Service
Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/23
S.C No. 15, 5-15 – High Load Factor Service
Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/23 First 10 therms or less $153.35 $153.35
S.C. No. 1B, 5-1B – Residential Heating Service
1BR, 5-1BR – Residential Heating Service
S.C. No. 2-A, 5-2A – Non-Residential Non-Heating Service
S.C. No. 16, 5-16 – Year-Round Space Conditioning Service
Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/23
S.C. No. 2-B, 5-2B – Non-Residential Heating Service
S.C. 17 – Baseload Distributed Generation – Rate 1 – Less than 1MW
Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/23
therm (Apr – Oct) $0.1506 $0.1517
Over 10 therms, per therm (Nov – Mar) $0.1934 $0.1949
S.C. 17 – Baseload Distributed Generation – Rate 2 – Equal to or greater than 1 MW but less than 5 MW
Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/23
First 10 therms or less $328.22 $328.22
Over 10 therms, per therm (Apr – Oct) $0.1506 $0.1517
Over 10 therms, per therm (Nov – Mar) $0.1934 $0.1949
S.C. 17 – Baseload Distributed Generation – Rate 3 – Equal to or greater than 5 MW but less than 50 MW
3, 5-3 – Multi-Family Service
S.C. 9, 5-9 – Uncompressed Natural Gas Vehicle Service
Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/23
First 10 therms or less $949.35 $949.35
Over 10 therms, per therm (Apr – Oct) $0.0373 $0.0376
Over 10 therms, per therm (Nov – Mar) $0.0509 $0.0513
Demand charge per therm of MPDQ $6,252.00 $6,252.00
No change for the delivery rates for S.C. No. 1B-DG, 5-1B-DG – Distributed Genera on & S.C. 18 / 19 – Non-Firm Demand Response Sales and Transporta on Service.
These revisions have been fi led in compliance with the Commission’s Order issued August 12, 2021 in Case 19-G-0310. Copies of the proposed revisions are available for public inspection and can be obtained on the Company’s website at https://www.nationalgridus.com/Long-Island-NY-Home/Bills-Meters-and-Rates/ or the PSC’s website (dps.ny.gov).
The start of the college basketball postseason was not kind to three well-known men’s hoops head coaches.
When St. John’s Red Storm guard Posh Alexander’s three-point shot at the buzzer hit the front rim, thwarting an upset of Marquette at the Big East Tournament on Thursday, you had the feeling it marked the end of the line for Head Coach Mike Anderson. The next day, St. John’s gave Anderson, who had four years and $10 million left on his contract, the boot. Clearly, the administration, like the fan base, was frustrated with the futility of not making it to the Friday of the Big East Tournament for 23 straight years.
The Red Storm’s best player, Joel Soriano, had threatened to transfer if Anderson was no longer the coach. My guess is Soriano will stay at Utopia Parkway and Union Turnpike if Rick Pitino or another big name is hired to replace Anderson.
It was ironic that Anderson watched the breaking news on television in Madison Square Garden that Syracuse Orangemen Head Coach Jim Boeheim was stepping down after 47 years.
The Syracuse administration must have informed Boeheim this would be his last season, barring a miraculous March Madness run. The school hoped he would take the diplomatic route of saying he was retiring. Boeheim, who is known for not mincing words, made it clear the
decision was not his. That was confirmed when Syracuse sent out a press release that same day announcing one of his assistant coaches, Adrian Autry, would be replacing him immediately.
The least surprising coaching news last week was Georgetown University’s decision to give the ax to the greatest player in its history, Patrick Ewing. For years, Ewing complained about being passed over for NBA head coaching positions. I thought it was because he was known for his surliness with the media. He was more approachable late in his playing career but seemed to be a classic case of an athlete learning to say hello when it was time to say goodbye. The Hoyas went 2-37 in the Big East in the last two seasons. NBA execs knew what they were doing.
My former Chronicle colleague and Re d Storm columnist David Russell pointed out how things came full circle for Ewing: “Villanova finished off his Georgetown playing career by beating them in the 1985 NCAA championship game. This year, Villanova finished off his Georgetown coaching career by trouncing them 80-48 in the first round of the Big East Tournament.”
Another irony for Ewing was that his ultimate coaching embarrassment took place at Madison Square Garden, the site of some of his greatest moments as both a college and an NBA star. Q
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Business for sale! Welcome to the heart of Astoria where Blue Lagoon Holistic weight loss Madspa has been established since 2018. All machines will be included and the owner is willing to allow whoever is interested to shadow for a couple of weeks to show how the business is run.
List Price: $300,000
Call Anthony Johnson Freeman 310-993-6787
FOREST HILLS
Lovely top fl oor rental in The Gardens of Forest Hills. CO-OP development. This unit features an updated kitchen, spacious living room, big bedroom and updated bath.
List Price: $2,000/Mo
Contact Aracelis Diaz 917-208-9176
with family & guests and a backyard to have your BBQ's on a nice day with your friends!
List Price: $399,000
Contact William Ostrow 516-225-7279
MERRICK
Imagine building long-lasting memories with your family and friends in this beautiful Splanch in the heart of South Merrick with 4 BRs and 2.5 baths with a dining room with ample space to have incredible tasty holiday meals with family and guests and a backyard to have your BBQ on a nice day with your friends!
List Price: $799,999
Contact Ariel C Rahmanov 18-848-4700
Lovely top fl oor 1 BR, 1 bath unit with terrace. This unit features dining room, kitchen, large living room, big bedroom, full bath, recessed lighting, & 4 nice sized closets
List Price: $229,888
Contact Carolyn A DeFalco 917-208-9176
OCEAN HILL
Beautiful 3 family home in the heart of Brooklyn.
Renovated near to transportation, shopping & schools. Short walk to Atlantic Ave. Easy tree-line street.
List Price: $939,888
Call Indira Persaud 917-509-2874
Welcome to this 5 BR, 4 bath home w/potential of a Mother Daughter w/appropriate permits. This property offers a fi n bsmnt, 2 primary BRs, offi ce space, powder rm & rear deck on a sprawling lot. Much to offer and too much to list. Schedule a showing now!
List Price: $359,999
Contact Chatter Singh 646-354-0799
FOREST HILLS
1 BR in Valeria Arms Development on Austin St. Includes hardwood fl oors, cedar closet, oversized galley kitchen with pantry, dishwasher and renovated bath.
List Price: $279,900
Contact John T Dibs 718-848-4700
BUSHWICK
Contact
WOODHAVEN
Huge Garage For Rent
Rental Price: $1,000/Mo
Kira Patton 586-382-2669
KEW GARDENS
Beautiful bright airy unit with high ceilings in pre-war building. Freshly painted.
Immaculate hardwood fl ooring throughout. Large living room, 2 large BRs, kitchen dining area, 2 full baths. Close to shopping, railroad, subway, buses & schools.
List Price: $469,000
Contact:
Carolyn A DeFalco 917-208-9176
HOWARD BEACH
Close to Bus, Close to Park, Close to Railroad, Close to School, Close to Shops
List Price: $310,000 Michael DeFalco 347-223-2442
BAYSIDE
SPACIOUS CORNER DUPLEX WITH ADORABLE PATIO IN BACK! Parking right near back entrance. Set in a quiet courtyard No sublet, 5% fl ip tax paid by seller, LOW maintenance includes all except electric! AWESOME school district #26 and location close to all, bus, highway, schools, parks, shops! Come see today!
Rental Price: $2,650/Mo
Contact: Kevin Paulk 347-915-4139
OZONE PARK
2 fl oors for rent, 2 Offi ce spaces available each for $1,100 or as a whole for $2,200. Credit & fi nancial requested by landlord for an application. 3 securities plus 1st months rent.
Rental Price: $2,200/MO
Contact Vaclav Antos 347-631-0403
HOWARD BEACH
Mint condition 3 BR 2 bath end unit. Brand new kitchen with quartz counters, S.S. appliances, crown molding, recessed lighting all newly fi nished hardwood fl ooring throughout. Close to shopping, parks, schools, houses of worship.
Buses to Queens Center Mall and Jamaica, close to Belt Pkwy, Kennedy Airport and the Q-14-15 to Manhattan.
List Price: $389,000
Contact Carolyn A DeFalco 718-848-4700
Close to Bus, Close to Park, Close to School, Close to Shops, Near Public Trans 6 family building (frame) close to all. 20 minutes to Manhattan.
List Price: $1,175,000
Contact: Teodoro B Navarrete 917-513-6621
view of the Bay. Access tothe water, water view park, near all necessities, commute to NYC, makes this a great opportunity to have the best of both worlds.
Price: $789,888
Contact Sher Singh 347-257-9475
OTEGO
4.97 acres of beautiful natural woodland with trees on the fi rst 4 acres approx. & a meadow in the last acre approx. Perfect for a primary home or a vacation home.
Close to tourist attraction Cooperstown.
List Price: $100,000
Contact Vanessa DeLise 347-263-7546