Queens Chronicle South Edition 05-16-24

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

Chancellor testifies before Congress PAGE 6 BENCH

A look at the Surrogate primary PAGE 14

Audience-involved ‘Third Law’ is unlike any show you’ve seen qboro PAGE 27

Community Board 9 on Tuesday expressed its disappointment that an allegedly illicit pot shop it voted against, Budega, in South Richmond Hill, received a license from the state Office of Cannabis Management. Deputy Inspector Jeremy Kivlin, the commanding officer of the NYPD 102nd Precinct, said the agency is making progress on closures for other illegal shops.

Improving Queens one proposal at a time

Stakeholders share their 50 ideas on how to enhance the

by Naeisha Rose Associate Editor

Queens may be a bustling middle-class mecca with a diverse array of industries and people from every corner of the globe, but leaders from the World’s Borough have shared 50 ideas on how to make it a stronger and more equitable haven for residents, workers and students while also appealing to those who seek it out as a tourist spot or for its nightlife.

The 50 proposals on how to improve the borough were released on Tuesday in a report by the Center for an Urban Future with a grant from The Thomas and Jeanne Elmezzi Private Foundation. They can be broken down into 10 categories: business, culture, health, housing, education, transportation, immigration, social services, infrastructure and the environment.

Below are just some of the ideas shared by stakeholders. To learn more, visit nycfuture.org/research/50-ideas-queens.

Yanki Tshering, founder and executive director of Accompany Capital, a Jackson Heights company that offers business loans to immigrant entrepreneurs, suggested that one way to draw visitors to the borough’s unique businesses and cultural venues would be a “Celebrate Queens” event.

If the borough were to highlight its diverse population, which is 47 percent foreign-born,

those from other parts of the city, state, and country and around the world may find interest in the culinary, cultural and shopping experiences Queens has to offer, she said.

“[S]urprisingly few New Yorkers from outside the borough regularly seek out Queens neighborhoods as destinations,” Tshering said in a statement. “This is a missed opportunity

borough

for the borough’s hard-working entrepreneurs, who — now, more than ever — could benefit from a burst of new customers.”

Address the mental-health crisis with community-based outpatient mental health clinics or risk the economic burden that suffering individuals would place on the borough if challenging circumstances exacerbate their illnesses, said Myoungmi Kim, president and CEO of Korean Community Services in Flushing.

Retain young people by creating housing by transportation centers and supporting nightlife and other amenities that would allow people to live, work and play in the area, proposed Melva Miller, former Queens deputy borough president.

Preparing Queens youth for green jobs as the city seeks to create new positions related to clean energy would help them fill mostly wellpaying jobs of the future, said Dennis Walcott, president and CEO of Queens Public Library.

Food pantries may be used as centers for learning English as a second language, basic technology and more to help immigrants become upwardly mobile and move out of poverty, said Pedro Rodriguez, executive director of La Jornada in Woodside.

Extending ferry service to Willets Point and LaGuardia Airport would draw more people to the anticipated soccer stadium, school and hotel

continued on page 22

Creating transit-oriented housing development, like this skyscraper in Jamaica, is one way stakeholders hope to retain young adults and draw people to the World’s Borough.

PHOTO BY NAEISHA ROSE

Allegedly illicit pot shop gets licensed

CB 9 expresses disappointment with state’s handling of weed legalization

by Kristen Guglielmo

Associate Editor

“We have something very troubling happening in our board,” said Community Board 9 Chair Sherry Algredo at Tuesday night’s meeting. “It’s called Budega.”

Budega, previously an allegedly illicit pot shop at 130-4 Atlantic Ave. in South Richmond Hill, “slipped through the cracks,” as Algredo put it.

The state Office of Cannabis Management previously said those who participated in illicit cannabis sales since the Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act passed in 2021 are not eligible for licenses.

“We found out through a call from The New York Times that they have received a license,” Algredo said.

Back in December 2023, the board voted against recommending a license for Budega. The group has since committed to not support legal cannabis dispensaries until the state takes care of the copious amount of illicit pot shops.

However, community boards can only give an opinion — OCM has the final decision.

through the cracks. We are asking you to rescind that license immediately,’” Algredo said. “And I want to know who’s with me on this.”

The board was in agreement with Algredo’s proposition.

“So we’re going to write a letter, because I think it matters that if you say something, you keep to it,” Algredo said. “And if OCM can’t get it right, and they’re going to be issuing licenses, imagine how much they’re going to get wrong.”

Budega’s owners could not be reached for comment.

Deputy Inspector Jeremy Kivlin, the commanding officer of the NYPD’s 102nd Precinct, gave the board an update on the agency’s pot shop operations.

“I think we’ve done a lot of good work at it,” Kivlin said. “Since June of last year, we’ve actually closed 10 smoke shops, and we have about 20 submitted for nuisance abatement.”

“We are asking [OCM] to rescind that license immediately.”

Algredo said that Budega’s application to OCM did not say “Budega” on it, but instead used initials, which the chair said was a loophole.

—

Sherry Algredo, Community Board 9 chairperson

“OCM confirmed that [Budega] was still getting a license despite our opposition letter,” James McClelland, the board’s district manager, said.

The New York Times reported that the application was received under the name “HVK Management LLC” and that the OCM was investigating whether Budega misled the agency to obtain a license.

“I recommend tonight that we send a letter to them, and we say, ‘You let this slip

He said that nuisance abatement can be a slow process, but the department is working on it as best it can.

“We have overall about 35 in the precinct,” Kivlin said, adding that about a third of those have been closed and that a lot of new shops are opening every day.

“The NYPD’s powers when it comes to smoke shops are a little less broad than the sheriffs’ — they deal with more civil enforcement,” he explained. “And when they go and inspect these smoke shops, they have the authority to go anywhere in that establishment.”

The NYPD, Kivlin said, is not permitted to go behind the counter at the stores. Officers can only inspect what is visible to them — the same area customers can access.

“So realistically, we don’t really get to explore the shop and find the violations that maybe the sheriffs do. However, because we’ve been working closely with the sheriffs, and because we’re going in under their authority, we have been able to increase the amount of smoke shops that we’ve closed.”

Kivlin said they recently closed down a smoke shop at 106th Street and Jamaica Avenue in Richmond Hill, and another called Lefferts Exotics, at 81-27 Lefferts Blvd. in Kew Gardens. The latter, before its closure, changed its name to Western Green, he said.

When board member Albert Gamarra asked Kivlin if the police have seen any counter strategies from the shops to avoid enforcement, Kivlin said they had.

Notably, many shops try to change their names, which the commanding officer said has not been successful.

“They’re not changing owners. They’re just changing the name, trying to make it look more like a deli as opposed to a smoke shop with the same product inside, the same illegal cannabis sale,” Kivlin said. He added

that he’s seen other methods, but did not want to disclose them.

“It’s a public forum, I don’t want to give our strategies away,” Kivlin said. “But that’s the most obvious one.”

He told the members he could talk to them more about the strategies in a private setting, away from the public forum. Q

HB Memorial Day parade on May 27

All are welcome to the annual Howard Beach Memorial Day Parade on May 27, organized by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2565.

After a 9:30 a.m. Mass at Our Lady of Grace Church, the parade will begin at 11 a.m. in Coleman Square, near the Howard Beach subway station.

Following the ceremony, there will be an after party at The Rail Bar & Grill, located at 2 Coleman Square. Q

by Kristen Guglielmo Associate Editor

A serial shoplifter has been charged with stealing $170,000 worth of jewelry, according to the Queens District Attorney’s Office.

Aaron Smalls, 39, of Staten Island was arraigned on May 9 on charges of grand larceny in the second and fourth degrees and four counts of grand larceny in the third degree, the DA’s Office said.

According to the charges, Smalls’ practice was to ask a jewelry store clerk to see an expensive piece held in a security case.

Immediately upon being handed the merchandise, he would run out of the store with the stolen property in hand.

The DA’s Office said Smalls allegedly used this tactic to steal:

• Two gold chains worth about $4,369 from HR Gold and Diamond Inc. on Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights on Dec. 14, 2023 at about 4 p.m.

• A gold chain with a large pendant bearing the image of Jesus worth approximately $20,000 from Gold Tower USA Inc. on Junction Boulevard in Corona on Dec. 28, 2023 at around 5 p.m.

• A gold chain and bracelet, together worth approximately $17,000 from Zales on Steinway Street in Astoria on Jan. 1, at approximately 3:30 pm.

• Two gold chains worth approximately $9,000 from Prime Jewelers on Jamaica Avenue in Woodhaven on Feb. 6 at around 1:30 p.m, and

• 25 gold chains worth approximately $120,000 from Simon and Son Jewelers on 63rd Drive in Rego Park on Sept. 26, 2021. Smalls was linked to the theft following DNA recovered from a sweat-stained hat he left behind, the DA said.

Smalls was apprehended on May 8 at the Woodside Motel on Queens Boulevard by members of the Queens Warrant Squad. He was also arraigned on a separate complaint charging him with robbery in the third degree, attempted assault in the second degree and two counts of grand larceny in the fourth degree for allegedly punching a man and stealing his bank card on Aug. 3, 2021 in Corona.

Smalls was remanded and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted. He was due to return to court May 13 and proceedings are ongoing. Q

As Community Board 9 navigates the rise of illicit pot shops in the area, Deputy Inspector Jeremy Kivlin, the commanding officer of the NYPD 102nd Precinct, gave an update on the department’s handling of the issue.

PHOTO BY KRISTEN GUGLIELMO

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Chancellor Banks fields questions at a fiery hearing on anti-Semitism Schools chief testifies before U.S. Congress

by Kristen Guglielmo Associate Editor

Schools Chancellor David Banks testified before the United States Congress last Wednesday regarding anti-Semitism in K-12 schools. During the tense hearing, Banks maintained that the Department of Education is sufficiently handling the matter.

Banks acknowledged that the Israel-Hamas war has affected schools.

“Our classrooms have not been insulated from the global stage,” he said, conceding that there have been “unacceptable incidents of antiSemitism” in NYC schools.

But he also defended the DOE’s response, which includes curricula on preventing hate crimes, and more about the history of Jewish people and the Holocaust.

“We cannot simply discipline our way out of this problem,” Banks said before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. “The true antidote to ignorance and bias is to teach.”

A focal point of the hearing was the raucous protest at Hillcrest High School, Banks’ alma mater, last November. Students stormed the hallways in response to a teacher posting a proIsrael photo on her Facebook page.

way that it works in our school system.”

At a press conference after November’s protest, Banks said it was the “height of irresponsibility” to call the students of Hillcrest radicalized or anti-Semitic. And when asked about the comment, he stood by his words, reiterating that the entire school was not radicalized.

“The kids who were responsible, who led that effort, engaged clearly in an act of antiSemitism, and I dealt with that,” he said.

Banks also revealed that 12 DOE staffers have been removed or disciplined in response to anti-Semitic incidents, and that around 30 students have been suspended for their roles in anti-Semitic incidents as well.

Asked whether the city could address antiSemitism while also confronting other biases, Banks responded, “Not only can we, but we must.”

Banks told Congress that out of the 281 incidents of religious bias in city schools since Oct. 7, when Hamas invaded Israel, 42 percent involved anti-Semitism — but 30 percent were directed against Muslim students.

“How can Jewish students go to school knowing that he is still on your payroll?” Williams asked.

When Rep. Brandon Williams (R-Syracuse, Utica) brought up the fact that the then-principal of Hillcrest, Scott Milczewski, had been reassigned to a job in the DOE bureaucracy instead of getting fired, and referred to the school as “Open Season on Jews High School,” it was clear Banks took offense.

“I know whose payroll it is, sir,” Banks retorted. “And it’s not ‘Open Season on Jews’ school. It’s called ‘Hillcrest High School.’”

The schools chief said, “Every employee who works in our schools has due process rights, sir. We do not have the authority to, just because I disagree, just terminate someone. That’s not the

Near the end of his testimony, Banks said the hearing was focused on producing “viral moments” rather than finding solutions to the issues at head.

“Ultimately, if we really care about solving anti-Semitism, it’s not about ‘gotcha moments.’ It’s about teaching,” he said. Q

Long Island Jewish Forest Hills trains the future of medicine in Queens Healthcare up close for city HS students

by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor

Romy Cayard-Belance, a respiratory therapist at Long Island Jewish Forest Hills hospital, had the undivided attention of more than two dozen people last Monday as she showed them how to stick a breathing tube into a patient at serious risk of heart failure.

Within seconds, the lungs of Francois, the name she gave the mannequin used for instruction, were inflating and deflating regularly.

Her audience was 25 New York City high school students, including several from the International High School for Health Sciences in Elmhurst. They are among students with internships sponsored by Northwell Health at LIJ Forest Hills and two of its affiliate Manhattan hospitals in partnership with the city’s Future Ready NYC program.

Brian Aquart, Northwell’s vice president of workforce and community education, said the program is for students in grades 9 to 12 and gradually introduces them to the various aspects and challenges of healthcare.

“In 12th grade, that’s when we have our immersive experience with an eight-week internship program at one of our three sites,” Aquart said.

One rotation is lab-based, while another is served with EMS. Monday’s group was in its

nursing rotation. Some of the students would walk medical halls and view patient treatment, while others would go to radiology, shadow equipment technicians or join in any number of other working parts of LIJ Forest Hills.

Just before they broke up into groups, Lorraine Chambers Lewis, executive director at LIJ Forest Hills and a physician’s assistant by training, gave them a welcome and pep talk.

“As a girl who grew up in Queens with an interest in healthcare, I wish I had an opportunity like this,” she said.

Angeles Perez of Glendale, who attends International, and Estefany Sanchez of Brooklyn, who goes to school in Manhattan, were assigned to shadow registered nurse Alice Batting in the Telemetry Unit, where cardiac patients are monitored.

Perez was a natural choice for the program.

“I want to be a transplant surgeon,” she said. She was ready to walk a medical hall and view patient care and interaction up close; but also looked forward to what she called “behind the scene” aspects of patient care.

Sanchez did not come in planning a career in medicine.

“I want to be a cosmetologist,” she said. “I just thought this sounded interesting.”

But she learned quickly that many skills not taught in medical college can be essential to anyone helping sick or recovering patients,

including trained beauty experts. Miriam Chapman, assistant director of nursing patient care services at the hospital, concurred.

“You could help a cancer patient who has undergone chemotherapy or radiation treatment,” Chapman told her.

Batting led her charges from the nurse’s station to the end of the hall as it approached time for patients to be evaluated for their medica-

tion. She checked the first patient’s monitor and introduced Perez and Sanchez to Lloyd Josephs, a Queens resident who agreed to the visit beforehand.

“I did it to help educate the children,” he told the Chronicle.

A few questions and answers and Batting brought the pair back down the hall to pick up a mild pain reliever for him before continuing their rounds. Q

Schools Chancellor David Banks at a congressional hearing last Wednesday answered questions on the city Department of Education’s response to anti-Semitism. SCREENSHOT / C-SPAN.ORG

Registered nurse Alice Batting gives students a tour of the nurse’s station, including the allimportant crash cart for patients whose conditions take a suddenturn. PHOTO BY MICHAEL GANNON

Coalition calls for Ramos’ backing, suggests casino is a means to an end Residents rally for Metropolitan Park

by Sophie Krichevsky Associate Editor

Some 30 area residents and community leaders gathered at Jackson Heights’ Diversity Plaza Monday as the Coalition for Queens Advancement called on state Sen. Jessica Ramos (D-Jackson Heights) to back Mets owner Steve Cohen’s Metropolitan Park proposal.

Coalition members — who represent organizations and institutions throughout Jackson Heights, East Elmhurst, Corona and beyond — and neighbors held signs with phrases like “Our community deserves nice things” and “We want jobs.”

Though organizers said the event was put together independent of Cohen’s team, some signage from Queens Future, one of the Cohenbacked entities affiliated with the plan, was featured prominently.

“I’ve seen and lived in this community for over 18-plus years, and Metropolitan Park has been a once in a lifetime opportunity that provides an opportunity for young men and young people to have an opportunity to generate generational wealth,” said Dwight Young, whose father is the

Rev. Patrick Young of the First Baptist Church of Corona.

The Metropolitan Park plan would include the casino, 25 acres of green space — five of which would be dedicated to athletic fields and all of which would be privately maintained and operated — a concert hall, a Queens food hall and a hotel. Cohen’s team has pledged over $1 billion in community benefits, a number that, in addition to the food hall and green space, includes improvements to the Mets-Willets Point No. 7 Train station and investments in area mental health and addiction infrastructure, among other things.

Project spokesperson Karl Rickett said in a statement Tuesday that the team “welcome[s] the support from Coalition for Queens Advancement and local community leaders,” and touted the 23,000 jobs the project would create. That’s more than 50 percent higher than the 15,000 jobs Michael Sullivan, Cohen’s chief of staff, estimated at a town hall in February. Asked about the shift, Rickett said the project’s developers “were able to do a deeper dive and analysis and provided an updated number.”

Ramos plays a crucial role in the project’s future, as Cohen needs one of three downstate casino licenses the state Gaming Commission will award in 2025 in order to go forward. Since the Citi Field parking lot, which the city leases to the Mets and will continue to do so for another 81 years, is legally parkland, the state Legislature would have to alienate

the site for a casino to be built there.

While Assemblyman Jeff Aubry (D-Corona) introduced that legislation in his chamber, Ramos has not, and has said she plans to decide whether she will before the legislative session concludes on June 6.

Rally attendees urged Ramos to do just that, touting the advantages of the project. “We’ve been talking for

months, for some of us over a year and a half, demanding that our voices be heard. Yet sometimes, for some reason, every time we say we want this, we’re told that there’s so many more voices than ours that say they don’t,” said Saeeda Dunston, CEO of Elmcor Youth and Adult Activities.

“We’re looking for racial justice and empowerment in our communities. And so we dare anyone to tell us that we’re not sure of what we want for ourselves. We are capable and able to tell someone when we want something. And we’ve been saying it over and over and over and over and over again: We want Metropolitan Park. We want this for the jobs for young people that are going to come up and talk. We want this for the green space. We want this because we deserve nice things.”

The casino itself was discussed fairly little; the word “casino” was not used until about 25 minutes into the event, even as Cohen and his team have said they cannot move ahead with the project without it. When a gaming facility was mentioned, it was not presented as a

continued on page 22

DOT planning 500 bike storage stations

Puts out call for secure facilities at transit hubs, street sites in 5 boros

by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor

The city has kicked off an effort aimed at placing 500 bicycle storage stations throughout the city, particularly near major transportation hubs, in the next five years.

City officials announced their plans on May 9. They were forecast last September in the release of the Department of Transportation’s Smart Curbs initiative.

“As more people ride bikes to get around, including heavier and pricier e-bikes, we must create infrastructure for safe, convenient storage, as one of the many highest and best uses for our roadways,” said Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Josh in a DOT press release. “New York must be built for people, at the density our growing city requires. These storage lockers will create many more spaces for New Yorkers’ commuting needs on our limited roadway.”

“With record bike ridership and an alltime high number of protected bike lanes, New York City is experiencing a booming cycling renaissance,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “This initiative will support continued growth in cycling by addressing a key barrier to bike ownership: the lack of access to secure bike storage.”

The city has issued a request for proposals to “furnish, install, maintain and oper-

A rendering shows an enclosed bicycle storage unit that could accommodate multiple bikes in a space that is used by one car. The city Department of Transportation wants to install 500 storage facilities of various sizes throughout the city in the next five years. IMAGE COURTESY NYC DOT

ate” the citywide system.

The DOT is seeking secure long- and short-term facilities. Enclosed lockers for 10 to 12 bikes would be on sidewalks and in streets by the curb. Larger facilities, some

resembling Citi Bike docks in one of the renderings from the DOT, would also be curbside in the street. Facilities are being sought to accommodate e-bikes and cargo bikes, and possibly charging station capabil-

ities for the battery-powered vehicles.

Any costs that would be charged to users will be worked out as part of the RFP process, according to an email from the DOT. The deadline for bids is 11 a.m. on June 18.

The DOT said the number of on street parking spaces at risk will be determined based on responses from the bidders.

But the agency also said that while fostering rapid parking turnover in street spaces is one way to improve curbside efficiency, replacing select parking spaces with bike storage units is another.

One of the smaller enclosed units could hold up to 10 to 12 bikes in a single parking space, depending on design, according to the DOT. The email said the structure would be more efficient, accommodating more trips than one operable parking space.

The DOT apparently already has considered the concerns that come with storing e-bikes, including the possibility with illegal secondhand or reconditioned batteries — a prudent approach in a city that saw 18 people killed and 150 injured in lithium-ion battery fires last year.

The DOT said in the event of a fire in one of the storage facilities, the users will be responsible for damage to their bicycles, and recommended having an appropriate insurance policy. Q

Members of the Coalition for Queens Advancement, including Elmcor Youth and Adult Activities CEO Saeeda Dunston, at mic, backed Steve Cohen’s Metropolitan Park proposal Monday. PHOTO BY SOPHIE KRICHEVSKY

Will lead to fewer choices in everyday food products, like cheese slices, by banning their packaging

Will make everyday items, including groceries, more expensive

Will hurt businesses that makeup the backbone of our communities

EDITORIAL AGEP

Next up: street bike garages

Citi Bike racks. Restaurant shacks. Spaces reserved for car-share vehicles. Areas striped off for safety reasons. Areas striped off for no apparent reason. One and all, they’re taking away our parking spaces.

And there’s more to come, a lot more. The city is beginning — in another borough, thank goodness — its program to put dumpsters in the street. It’s trendy in Europe, you see, and Mayor Adams believes it will help cut the rat population, as trash in bags becomes verboten. That may be so, but the cost will be anywhere from 22,000 to 34,000 street parking spaces. At least that’s the estimate now, the way the program is planned. Does anyone doubt it will expand over time? Of course it will.

And now we have a new plan added to the mix: storage sheds for bicycles. The city plans to install 500 of them over the next five years. Many will go right in the street. Granted, cars get parked in the street, but they’re not in garages. Why should bicycles get their own enclosed parking spots where cars go now? Drivers pay a slew of taxes, fees and tolls that cyclists never do, whether at the gas pump, Department of Motor Vehicles or Whitestone Bridge. Those charges are meant largely to

repair the wear and tear vehicles cause. That’s the deal.

Yet these curbside bike sheds will end up largely housing motorized vehicles of a kind anyway: e-bikes powered by lithium-ion batteries. Those are becoming more dominant by the day. But, even though many now reach just under 30 mph, and some look almost as much like an antique motorcycle as anything you’d call a bicycle, they’re still treated like their solely pedal-powered cousins. No registration, no insurance — yet they’re going to get garages? We hope none of them burst into flame and ruin a bunch of conventional bikes.

This is all part and parcel of re-envisioning what the city has taken to calling “the public realm.” And it’s one piece of the push to get as many people as possible out of their cars and onto bikes, by making driving harder.

Bike storage is fine at transit hubs and parks. If city officials feel compelled to spread it around, put it on sidewalks. Some people think drivers can be forced to sacrifice a little bit more, a little bit more, again and again, without harm to anyone, but it’s not true. Pedal power is nice but is only of limited utility in a modern, technologically advanced society. Don’t pretend it’s the answer.

Prosecute harder

There are many criminal defendants who deserve some sympathy and mercy from the court — people who made that proverbial one mistake or maybe acted out in a moment of fear and harmed someone in a way they are unlikely to repeat. That’s not the case when someone connives over a period of time to hurt someone, violently or not.

And that’s what we allegedly have in Lance White-Hunt of Brooklyn, who is facing an 18 counts charging him with stealing someone’s house. Stealing their house. This is one of those “squatter” cases you’ve been reading about. The house is a two-family in Jamaica, and prevented from moving in due to its alleged takeover were a single mother with a baby trying to get out of the shelter system and a postal worker with five kids, one with a disability.

According to the charges levied by the Queens district attorney, White-Hunt moved in, changed the locks, forged a lease, forged bills and then, in an act of chutzpah that cannot go unanswered, sued the real owners and their real estate broker when they tried to get him out. Now he’s the defendant, facing 15 years, and we hope his case is prosecuted in such a way that no one will ever pull such a stunt again here.

MARK WEIDLER

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Dear Editor:

LETTERSTO THE EDITOR

Stop the toll tax

Thank you so very much to the Queens Chronicle for its strong editorial advocacy against, and news coverage on, the regressive, inequitable, unfair and unsustainable congestion toll-tax scheme (“Fifth lawsuit filed vs. congestion pricing,” May 2, multiple editions and “MTA toll Mambo No. 5,” Editorial, May 2). I also appreciate the focus on the several lawsuits including The New Yorkers Against Congestion Pricing Tax class-action lawsuit that I am part of as a member of its Steering and Legal Committees.

It’s important to note and similarly thank the plaintiffs from Queens, including many current civic activists — Queens Civic Congress President Warren Schreiber, past QCC President Kevin Forrestal and Glen Oaks Village Co-op Board President Bob Friedrich and former Juniper Park Civic Association President and current City Council Common Sense Caucus Chair Bob Holden — and Bob’s City Council colleagues Joann Ariola and Vickie Paladino. (Indeed this class-action suit includes plaintiffs from all five boroughs and Long Island — the only one of the several suits that can boast that! — and bipartisan support from our politicians).

By the way, oral arguments at the Southern District New York court take place Friday, May 17.

Despite its name, “congestion pricing” achieves nothing of any consequence with relieving congestion. It even falls short of its claims concerning the environment; instead it negatively impacts public health. Moreover, its implementation will increase everyday costs of goods and services for small businesses and all New Yorkers, whether they take public transit, ride a bike, walk, rely on for-hire vehicles or drive a car. It remains the most inefficient and uncertain source of revenue.

The best path is canning this toll-tax scheme and identifying other resources not reliant on any net revenue scheme.

People seeking more information can check in at Keep NYC Congestion Tax Free (keepnycfree.com) or New Yorkers Against Congestion Pricing Tax (stopcongestionpricing.com), where you can find out how to support our lawsuit.

Thank you, Queens Chronicle, again.

Corey Bearak Glen Oaks

Pot shop raids begin

Dear Editor:

On Thursday evening, May 9, around 6 p.m., the police raided and closed Western Green on Lefferts Boulevard in Kew Gardens by the Long Island Rail Road station. There were at least a dozen responding officers. The notice of closure accused the business of selling marijuana products to minors and selling unregulated marijuana. So the mayor is keeping his word at the very least.

Scott Avidon Kew Gardens

Pipe down and study

Dear Editor:

Re Kristin Gugliemo’s May 9 story “Class of 2024 reacts to Columbia protests”:

As a 1962 Queens College graduate (BA, English), I reacted to this article with nostalgia

LETTERSTO THE EDITOR

and concern. I was part of what Time magazine called “the silent generation,” students who attended college in the mid-1950s and early 1960s. We screened out political noise and focused solely on our studies, hitting the books, not the barricades. Judging by the reluctance of some current QC students to comment on campus unrest, it looks like there is a new silent generation matriculating at my alma mater.

But that’s not true at many other colleges. Pro-Hamas demonstrators are cheerleaders for a terrorist organization that wants to kill all Jews. Shouting “From the river to the sea” is equivalent to yelling “Heil Hitler.”

Journalists compare anti-Israel protests to the anti-Vietnam war protests of 1968. But there’s a big difference. The Vietnam War directly threatened the lives of male students who were subject to the draft. Israel’s war against Hamas does not have a similar impact on today’s students. Their protests are empty virtue signaling by privileged brats squandering their parents’ money at elite schools that cost $90,000 a year to attend. I call them “the snowflake generation.”

It’s time for the sound of silence to be heard once again on college campuses. Silence brings sanity. Madness has matriculated far too long.

Richard Reif Kew Gardens Hills

Your service appreciated

Dear Editor:

Congratulations on winning 14 awards, four of them for first place at the New York Press Association Spring Conference this year (“Chronicle wins 14 journalism awards,” May 2). We are especially grateful that your newspaper affords us the opportunity to voice our opinion often, and those of other readers.

God bless you and thank you for all the good work you do for the community!

Thomas and Constance Dowd Oakland Gardens

Reverential thanks

Dear Editor:

Thanks for the article by Ariella Kissin on the street co-naming of a section of Linden Boulevard as Rev. Robert Ross Johnson Boulevard, in recognition of the founding pastor of St. Albans Congregational Church and the Robert Ross Johnson Family Life Center (“Beloved reverend’s legacy lives on in St. Albans,” May 2, multiple editions). The article captured the essence of the celebration and will enable Rev. Johnson’s powerful legacy to continue.

The Queens Chronicle’s 14 journalism awards speak highly of your continued commitment to the community. Congrats. Dorothy Gist Oakland Gardens

Stop the noise

Dear Editor:

I am writing after reading “Flushing Meadows Chaos Pk.,” Letters, May 9.

There is no exaggeration about the car speakers (and parties) blasting. We have had to endure the same in our neighborhood. Party halls opening up where offices used to be.

Blasting the music through open doors and backyards into the early morning hours. Groups gathered around cars blasting (not just loud, but blasting) their speakers at all hours of the day. It can be heard for blocks away.

We too wonder why the authorities have not been active. This should be stopped. The stress from the blasting music is more harmful than smoke. Just wanted to let Flushing know they are not alone. If enough speak up, maybe something can be done about it.

Dorian Del Valle Ozone Park

Trump not to blame

Dear Editor:

I was in total agreement with Andrea Harris of Bayside, in her letter regarding the danger we are in when Bernie Sanders doesn’t stand up for his fellow Jews (“Sanders endangers us all,” May 9) — at least, until I read her line about Trump. She states “... persons of East Asian appearance are physically attacked because the former president who lost called Covid the ‘Chinese flu.’”

I was incredulous at that comment. First of all, the naming of diseases by the point of origin is common; that’s how Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease (from Lyme, Conn.) got their names. But I also happen to know — because I constantly read newspapers and blogs from around the world — that for months before Covid arrived in the United States and closed everything down in February of 2020, I had been reading since late 2019 about what the Chinese people themselves called “the Wuhan plague” since the disease first appeared in a market near the lab where it was believed to have been created in Wuhan, China.

And since so many people in Italy, then the United States, also caught the sickness, it was easier for most of us to refer to the pandemic as the Chinese plague, because although such cities as Shanghai and Beijing were commonly known, most of us hadn’t heard of the city of Wuhan.

It’s time that people stopped blaming Trump for what he called Covid in the early days of the pandemic. The fact that even the Chinese called Covid “the Wuhan plague” shows that they also recognized its origins.

Lastly, persons of East Asian appearance had been attacked for decades in NYC — as have Jews, Blacks, and others who were victims of racial, religious or ethnic hatred. It’s preposterous to blame those attacks on any one person, since they’re part and parcel of the bias and hatred that has been ongoing for over a century among people of bad will — long before anyone today was alive.

Leigh Harrison Rego Park

Why do they steal away?

Dear Editor:

It is appalling to learn that an alleged serial shoplifter is charged with stealing $170,000 worth of jewelry (“DA: Serial jewelry thief apprehended, charged,” May 10, qchron.com). If guilty he must be put in prison, with no revolving door of justice.

Also it is awful that an uncle greedily takes continued on next page

Saint Rita is the Saint of the Impossible who was a Mother, Wife and Nun Feast Day May 22nd

Saturday, May 18th 9:00am - 5:00pm

If you are interested in being a vendor, please call the rectory 718-843-6218

$60.00 a table

GROCERY GIFT CARD BINGO

Friday, May 31st

Doors Open at 6:00pm

Game Starts 7:00pm

$25.00 per person

Price includes 1 Game Book additional cards can be purchased at the door. Prizes are $100 gift card each game and the Grand Prize is a $1,000 gift card

Please come to the rectory to purchase tickets. Tickets must be purchased by May 28th. No tickets will be sold at the door.

Concession Stand BYOB 50/50 Outside Food Welcomed

We will have 3-days of prayer to St. Rita starting Monday, May 20th to Wed., May 22nd On Wednesday, May 22nd after the 12:00pm Mass we will bless and distribute the roses of Saint Rita.

We will pray for your personal intentions over the 3-days of prayer. Please fi ll out the slip below and place in collection basket with your intention.

Intention:

DAILY MASSES

Monday-Saturday at 8:30 am Wednesday at 12:00 noon

Sunday Mass

Saturday Vigil Mass (Fulfi lls Sunday Obligation): 4:00 PM

Sundays: 8:30 am, 10:00 am & 12:00 noon Confessions at 3:00 PM

Adoration Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday from 9:00 AM - 12:00 Noon; Saturday from 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM

Church is open Monday through Saturday 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM

LETTERSTO THE EDITOR

continued from previous page

his niece’s property (“Uncle steals niece’s QV property share,” May 13, qchron.com). Family at times is not trustworthy at all.

Cynthia Groopman Little Neck

Migrants need safe shelter

Dear Editor:

Government officials in New York City attempted to roll back the “right to shelter” rule after an influx of adult migrants arrived earlier this year. The audit to the rule allows single adult migrants to be housed for only 30 days without an option to reapply, making it hard for them to access continuous healthcare and food, and fall through the system.

City-run shelters have been a safe haven for migrants who have lived through housing turmoil since arriving in the United States. Many become community hubs and the place where migrants connect to resources such as food and healthcare. The Adams administration has worked with the Legal Aid Society to come to an agreement that makes it harder to promote migrants’ right to safely move from shelter to housing in their host country.

Most migrants will not have an option to reapply for city-run shelters after 30 days, the only exceptions being migrants with chronic disabilities, or those dealing with

COMPREHENSIVE MEDICAL IMAGING

extenuating circumstances. The Adams administration received pushback after many were forced to leave shelters and take to the street. Putting their health and safety at risk.

The rule only applies to adult migrants, but activists question the intention behind it.

“Adams insists [the change in shelter rules] is for the safety of New Yorkers, but forcing people to leave safe shelters and move to the streets leaves them vulnerable and does not protect anyone in the community,” a volunteer at the Center for Wellbeing and Happiness told me. “We have a housing problem in this city, and rules like these only make it worse for people to access resources.”

Allowing migrants to have a safe space where they are able to connect and spend time together is necessary for these communities to continue growing.

Maria Fernanda Zaldivar Rabago Forest Hills

Edit your reality

Dear Editor:

Love your newspaper! Let’s rejoice in the positive and forget about the negativity. Life is meant to be fun and pleasant. Let’s edit our own reality and be the creators of our world. Just focus on what you want, not what you don’t want!

Eva

Tortora Atlantic City, NJ

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Bill strives to protect NY from cyberattacks

by Kristen Guglielmo Associate Editor

New legislation seeks to safeguard New York from cyberattacks and prevent sensitive information from falling into the wrong hands.

Authored by Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar (D-Woodhaven), A9312 proposes to prohibit the state and all municipalities from procuring technology from international companies whose products the federal government considers a security risk due to potential data transmission and cyberattacks.

Such products have potential to secretly transmit data to that country or act as a back door for it to launch a cyberattack, Rajkumar’s office said.

Despite federal restrictions, many municipalities in New York continue to procure technology from banned manufacturers, with contracts totaling millions of dollars, Rajkumar’s office said. That includes spending $28 million on technology that the Department of Defense banned from its own procurement, the DOD having determined that “adversaries could exploit known cybersecurity vulnerabilities that exist.”

A Rajkumar staffer later told the Chronicle that the city has a $143 million contract for the same technology.

The bill would align New York’s procurement practices with federal bans on technology deemed insecure to protect sensitive information and bolster cybersecurity in an era where the MTA, city schools and even the state Legislature have all been the victims of cyberattacks, her office said.

The bill also would support the state semiconductor industry, Rajkumar said, citing as an example a planned $100 billion Micron Technology semiconductor facility in Clay, NY.

“I am committed to keeping New Yorkers safe, and that includes cybersafety,” Rajkumar said in a statement. “When you decide to purchase tech, you might ask, ‘Does it work well? Is this a good price?’ Likely you do not ask, ‘Is this going to send my data to another country’s government?’ My bill will guarantee that every procurement officer in New York asks this crucial question.”

The bill is with the Assembly Governmental Operations Committee, and its Senate version is in the Procurement and Contracts Committee. Q

Queens’ hottest race you haven’t heard of

Two Democratic candidates will go head to head in Surrogate’s Court primary

by Kristen Guglielmo Associate Editor

Though there are many primary races heating up the World’s Borough this June, there’s one plenty of people likely don’t know much about: The Queens Surrogate’s Court race.

The Surrogate’s Court has jurisdiction over matters relating to the affairs of decedents, including the probate of wills and the administration of estates.

When someone dies, their will needs to be probated in Surrogate’s Court if the person owned property in the state, to ensure its validity and that assets are distributed according to the decedent’s wishes as outlined.

If the deceased had no will, the court oversees the administration of the estate according to New York’s laws, which can often be a lengthy process.

Surrogate’s Court also takes on the responsibility of appointing guardians for minors and individuals deemed legally incapacitated within the borough.

of a person who has died without having made a will. The attorneys are paid handsomely from fees garnered from cases.

Gerard Sweeney, a power broker who has served as a lawyer for the Queens Surrogate’s Court, has earned millions from processing those estates at the behest of Kelly, according to multiple media outlets. Sweeney is considered a heavyweight in the Democratic Party, maintaining close relationships with Queens Democratic leaders as he heads one of the most powerful law firms doing business in the borough.

Additionally, the court facilitates the process of adoption, working to ensure that adoptions adhere to legal protocols and safeguarding the rights and welfare of all parties involved, including birth parents, adoptive parents and the children.

At the helm of it all stands an elected surrogate judge, who is charged with the duty of interpreting and applying the law.

A surrogate judge serves a 14-year term and must retire at the age of 70.

The current surrogate is Judge Peter Kelly. Elected as a justice for the New York Supreme Court’s 11th Judicial District last November, he is serving as surrogate judge during the final year of his 14-year term.

The surrogate also decides which lawyers get to administer the estate

Two candidates are seeking to assume the surrogate position. New York City Civil Court Judge Wendy Li and New York Supreme Court 11th Judicial District Justice Cassandra Johnson will face off in June’s Democratic primary. There is no publicly announced Republican candidate or one listed on the state Board of Elections database.

According to data from the state Board of Elections, Li’s campaign has massively outraised Johnson’s, with strong support from the Asian American Pacific Islander community.

Johnson, on the other hand, is backed by the Democratic Organization of Queens, and is endorsed by the chair of the Queens Democratic Party, Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica), and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards.

Johnson, a Queens Village resident who grew up in the World’s Borough, boasts a lengthy resumé. She has served at a court attorney, referee and law clerk in Queens Supreme Court, and before that, worked alongside her mother, a successful attorney. She has experience working with trusts, estates, guardianship matters, adoptions, real estate and other civil litigation. She

also has experience in mediation and settling disputes, and has worked with multiple bar associations, such as the Queens County Women’s Bar Association and the Macon B. Allen Black Bar Association.

“I feel like it’s my responsibility to mentor young people to become attorneys, to seek professions in the courts, to become a judge if they want as well,” she said.

provide equal access to justice and dignity when people come to court,” Johnson told the Chronicle.

“Justice delayed is justice denied.”

— Judge Wendy Li

She said that she sees it as her responsibility, both in her current role and as a candidate for surrogate, to ensure that everyone who enters the courthouse is treated respectfully and fairly.

“I know this is a heavy responsibility that I don’t take lightly.”

Li, on the other hand, grew up in China and was a partner at an international law firm before taking her current position on the bench six years ago. She has experience handling civil matters including breach of contract, real estate, personal injuries, property damage and replevin — the return of wrongly seized property. She also served as the board director and secretary of the Asian American Judges Association of New York from 2020 to 2023.

— Justice Cassandra Johnson

“And that’s regardless of their gender, financial status, age, religion, physical or cognitive impairment, sexual orientation,” Johnson said, adding that the surrogate’s judge responsibilities include managing members of the courthouse and those in different departments.

She said she would ensure those parties uphold the same ideals.

public that they are the right fit versus their challenger. They noted that while working long days, their free time is spent meeting those around Queens.

In differentiating herself from her challenger, Li brought up the political “machine.”

“I think that people are in teams these days,” Li said. “I believe that our judiciary should be free from any political influence. ... I want to make sure that all the assignments of the administrators and lawyers will be based on their qualifications and not be based on the political connection.”

Asked what sets her apart from her competition, Johnson brought up her experience.

“AAPI judges represent less than 5 percent of the citizenry in the state of New York, while the AAPI community accounts for about 30 percent of the population in this entire state,” Li noted during an interview with the Chronicle.

Both women have platforms based on equity and fairness.

“When I became a judge and took an oath, it rested on the principles of equity and fairness, ensuring that I

Li offered similar sentiments on having no tolerance for discrimination. She said she would like to see more interpreters hired for the court — and the establishment of a night court. Mostly, she would like to see things expedited, as voters have complained to her about the court’s backlog.

“Justice delayed is justice denied,” Li said. “So we need to actually reform this structure. ... Sometimes [litigants] miss a court date because they’re afraid of losing a job.”

While the candidates have plenty of qualifications, they both have focused on outreach to boost their chances, trying to pitch to the general

“It’s not only important for the judge to be knowledgeable on the law, and constantly educating themselves on the changes in the law, but they have to be able to deal with people during a time when they’re grieving the loss of a loved one in a way that’s compassionate and fair, and ensures access to justice,” Johnson said. “I know this is a heavy responsibility that I don’t take lightly.”

She said she recognizes that her decisions impact not only those directly involved, but their loved ones as well, and that it’s important to be ethical and compassionate in an expeditious manner.

The primary election is on June 25. Early voting begins June 15. To find your poll site for either, visit findmypollsite.vote.ny.

More information on the Surrgoate’s Court judge candidates and their platforms can be found on their official websites, at cassandraforsurrogate.com and voteforwendyli.com. Q

Civil Court Judge Wendy Li, left, and state Supreme Court Justice Cassandra Johnson will be the two candidates on the ballot this June for the Queens Surrogate’s Court primary election. COURTESY PHOTOS

After 14 years, a new judge will assume position at the Queens Surrogate’s Court, located in the Queens Supreme Courthouse in Jamaica. FILE PHOTO

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Memorial at Bliss Plaza in Sunnyside Girl held in slaying of Sara Rivera, 17

by Peter C. Mastrosimone Editor-in-Chief

While a family and community continue to grieve, the 15-year-old girl who allegedly killed a schoolmate two years her senior last week is being held on charges of second-degree murder and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, according to the Queens District Attorney’s Office.

The unnamed girl allegedly killed Sara Rivera, 17, of East Elmhurst in a fit of rage the night of May 8 at Queens Boulevard and 46th Street in Sunnyside.

The site is the location of an elevated 7 train station and Bliss Plaza, where a memorial to Rivera has been filled with prayer candles, bouquets of flowers, photos and messages.

Police said they responded to a call and arrived at about 9:25 p.m. Emergency Medical Services took Rivera to Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, where she was pronounced dead.

beginning her life. All funds will go directly to the family to assist with any arrangements necessary as they work through this time to heal & manage the tragic loss of a loved one.”

It had raised more than $7,800 by late Wednesday afternoon.

Rivera attended Queens Technical High School in Long Island City. The school “is providing comprehensive supports to students and staff during this time of grieving,” a spokesman for the Department of Education said via email.

A GoFundMe page to aid the victim’s family has been established, titled “Support Sara’s Family in Their Grief.” The page uses Aulet as her last name.

“We want to give Sara Aulet the honor & memorial she rightfully deserves,” it says. “We are at a loss for words but [devastated] by the loss of such a young, beautiful girl who was just

Man wanted

Police are searching for this individual in connection with a homicide in South Ozone Park last month.

The victim, later identified as Temel Philips, 27, of Queens Village, was fatally shot multiple times on April 29 at 117th Street and Rockaway Boulevard. No arrests have been made and the investigation remains ongoing.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 577-TIPS (8477), or, for Spanish, 1 (888) 57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit tips by logging onto nypdcrimestoppers.com, or by texting 274637 (CRIMES) and then entering TIP577, or by going to @nypdtips on X. All tips are strictly confidential. Q

“These range from counseling services from a partner organization to grade-level meetings to meetings with parents.”

Rivera had a handful of photos and videos of herself posted on Instagram. Where many comments on them before last Wednesday had complimented her appearance, since then they mourn her demise.

“You didn’t deserve it, sending condolences for your family and friends, sweet angel,” said one message from a poster named jenniferr.c_ LLS.

The initials LLS, for Long Live Sara, appear both online and at the memorial site.

The sentiment was echoed by many.

“Rest in love,” said rfkgabriella. “May God give you wings that soar high.”

Both posts contained heart images, the last

one with praying hands also.

“God gained a spiritual angel,” milx.xo said in part.

A wake will be held at an area funeral home on Sunday, a source said, and interment will be out of state.

Rivera’s killing is the first homicide of the year in the 108th Precinct, according to NYPD Compstat figures. There were none in the command at all in 2023. Q

Two men wanted in 2023 murder

Authorities located one of the three suspects in Vermont

by Kristen Guglielmo

Associate Editor

Over a year after a 20-year-old man was killed in Richmond Hill, police are on the hunt for two additional suspects after one was tracked down in Vermont.

In March 2023, at 109-27 Jamaica Ave., formerly the Plug Smoke Shop, which has since closed, Daryus Clarke of Dillon Street in Jamaica was shot in the chest. He later was pronounced dead at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.

At the time, it was determined three unknown male individuals were involved and none were immediately apprehended, as they fled in a white Toyota 4-door sedan.

In August, 24-year-old Albert Edwards of the Bronx was apprehended and charged with murder, robbery and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the incident.

Last week, police announced that a 16-year-old male also had been arrested in connection with the March 18 murder. The NYPD did not identify the teen, who was charged with second-degree murder, robbery and criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree.

News publications identified the teen as 16-year-old as Christian Concepcion of the

Police are searching for 18-year-old Dekari Smith, left, in two images seen as provided, and 18-year-old Nestor Peters in connection with a homicide at a smoke shop last year.

Bronx, and said he was apprehended in the city of Enosburgh, Vt., in April. He was transferred back to New York on May 10, according to Vermont corrections data.

“Mr. Concepcion had an outstanding warrant for second-degree murder in New York and he was located in Enosburgh, Vermont,” Franklin County State’s Attorney Bram Kranichfeld told WCAX, a Vermont news station.

Concepcion is also a person of interest in two homicide-related investigations in Burlington last year, authorities told the

Vermont Daily Chronicle.

Pursuant to the ongoing investigation here in Queens, authorities identified Nestor Peters, 18, and Dekari Smith, 18, as individuals wanted for Clarke’s murder.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 577-TIPS (8477), or, for Spanish, 1 (888) 57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit tips by logging onto nypdcrimestoppers.com, or by texting 274637 (CRIMES) and then entering TIP577, or by going to @nypdtips on X. All tips are strictly confidential. Q

NYPD PHOTOS

The memorial to Sara Rivera, left, at Bliss Plaza. PHOTOS BY MICHAEL SHAIN AND, LEFT, VIA INSTAGRAM

Two ways ‘Sammy’s Law’ could change speed limits

State

measure taking effect in June will give city more power to regulate them

by Jose Martinez THE CITY

This article was originally published on May 9 5:15 p.m. EDT by THE CITY

When Albany lawmakers last month passed “Sammy’s Law” — allowing the city to lower the speed limit to 20 mph on some roads — safe-streets advocates celebrated a victory that was years in the making.

Named for 12-year-old Sammy Cohen Eckstein, who was fatally struck by a van in October 2012 while retrieving a ball in Brooklyn, the measure signed into law last Thursday by Gov. Hochul gives city officials the ability to reduce the speed limit after advocates pushed for years, to no avail, to have it passed.

“It’s been a trek,” Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan), who sponsored the bill, told THE CITY.

But with “Sammy’s Law” set to go into effect on June 19, the long campaign to lower the speed limit still faces some roadblocks, including exactly how it will be implemented and the roles to be played by the City Council, the Department of Transportation and local community boards.

Changes to the default citywide speed limit — which in 2014 was lowered from 30 mph to 25 — would have to be approved by the City

Council, but the DOT can also now set speed limits in limited areas, such as around schools, parks and senior centers.

“This will empower the City of New York to do what I think they should have had the power to do all along,” Hochul said at the bill signing at Sammy’s old school, Middle School 51 in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

“Sammy’s Law” has been touted as a boon for street safety, with advocates citing research that says lower speed limits give pedestrians struck by cars a better chance of survival — and motorists more time to react.

“It would help, it would do something,” said Juliane Williams, whose daughter, Doniqueca Cooke, was killed in June 2016 by a speeding driver in a Porsche while she was on a sidewalk in Queens. “Losing my daughter, oh no, that is a journey I want no one to be on.”

Mapping it out

Officials acknowledge that no action on changing the speed limit can be taken by the City Council until June 19, a full 60 days after Hochul signed off on a portion of the state budget that included the speed-limit legislation.

In order to reduce the speed limit citywide, the City Council has to vote on it — before a six-month period in which speeding drivers would receive warnings instead of tickets.

“As always, things can get complicated,” Thomas DeVito, national director for Families for Safe Streets, told THE CITY. “The devil is in the details.”

The city’s Department of Transportation can also lower speeds on some streets — without approval from the City Council — as long as the local community board is given a 60-day notice.

“As consistent with the changes to law in the state budget, DOT has the ability to implement speed limit

Pot shop crackdown begins

Armed with new authority just granted by the state, the city has shut down 75 illegal marijuana or smoke shops, issued 370 notices of violation containing 3,878 counts and totaling more than $5.6 million in penalties, the Mayor’s Office said Tuesday.

The totals marked the results of the first week of what Mayor Adams calls Operation Padlock to Protect. It targets the nearly 3,000 illegal pot shops believed to be open in the city.

changes on a street-by-street basis on its own once Sammy’s Law goes into effect,” a City Council spokesperson said in a statement to THE CITY. “The passage of city law is required for any citywide speed-limit reductions, and the Council would still rely on insights from the professional traffic experts at DOT to inform any such law.”

Vincent Barone, a Transportation Department spokesperson, said the city agency will set speed limits in a “thoughtful, targeted way” based on available data. Factors that could slow the implementation include recalibrating traffic signals, adjusting speed cameras, plus the manufacturing and posting of new speed-limit signs.

“We look forward to sharing plans as Sammy’s Law goes into effect on June 19th,” he said.

The mayor last Thursday indicated he was steering away from one-speed-fits-all changes.

“We’re going to become dogmatic about this issue because all streets are not the

same,” Mayor Adams said at the bill signing. “And we should not have speed limits within the entire city based on the makeup of one belief or one philosophy.”

The details have yet to fully come into focus but at least one type of road won’t be affected: roads outside of Manhattan with at least three lanes going in the same direction are exempt from the law.

“There are going to be some streets that DOT or the City Council can’t apply it to, because state law prohibits that,” said Rachael Fauss, policy director for Reinvent Albany, a watchdog group. “We think that’s unfortunate, but that’s the law we have now.”

Williams said the safe rollout of lower speed limits would be a tribute to her daughter, a 21-year-old York College student who was known as Niiqua.

“It’s a work I do in her memory,” she said. Q

“THE CITY (www.thecity.nyc) is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to hard-hitting reporting that serves the people of New York.”

Free mammograms on June 2

The state Health Department estimates that one in eight women will develop breast cancer. To screen for the disease, women over 40 should get mammograms annually.

Stores illegally selling marijuana sprang up across the city and state after Albany legalized the drug for recreational use. The opening of legal dispensaries has been too slow, many who back legalization say. Q

— Peter C. Mastrosimone

“Week one of ‘Operation Padlock to Protect,’ reaffirms what we’ve long said: With the backing of legal authority behind us, our administration will act swiftly to combat illegal cannabis and smoke shop operators,” Adams said in a prepared statement. “For too long, illegal operators have posed a threat to our children, our public safety, and our quality of life, and they have undermined those justice-involved, legal businesses that are trying to succeed.”

The American-Italian Cancer Foundation will be providing free mammogram screenings outside of the Woodhaven office of state Sen. Joe Addabbo (D-Woodhaven), at 84-10 Jamaica Ave. on June 2, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

In order to be eligible, one must be a woman aged 40 to 79 with health insurance, or 50 to 79 without health insurance, living in New York and have not received a mam-

mogram in the past 12 months. No co-pays are required, and deductibles will be waived. Those interested must make an appointment by calling (877) 628-9090. For more information, call Addabbo’s office at (718) 738-1111.

“As you get older, it becomes more and more important for women to get these tests and screenings in order to monitor for breast cancer and other ailments because early detection can be the difference between life and death,” Addabbo said, and thanked the AICF for providing the service. Q — Kristen Guglielmo

Mayor Adams and advocates stand by as Gov. Hochul signs the “Sammy’s Law” bill at MS 51 in Park Slope, May 9, 2024. PHOTOS BY BEN FRACTENBERG / THE CITY

Juliane Williams, whose daughter, Doniqueca Cooke, was fatally struck by a driver in Queens, attends the “Sammy’s Law” bill signing at MS 51 in Park Slope, May 9, 2024.

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Jamaica squatter charged, says DA

Brooklyn man hit with 18-count indictment, may face 15 years

by Naeisha Rose Associate Editor

A Brooklyn man was hit with an 18-count indictment Monday for allegedly squatting in a Jamaica home and related crimes that could land him 15 years in prison if convicted.

Lance White-Hunt, 24, was charged with burglary, criminal possession of a forged instrument, attempted grand larceny, attempted criminal possession of stolen property, offering a false instrument for filing, tampering with physical evidence, criminal mischief and petit larceny, according to the office of District Attorney Melinda Katz.

Prosecutors said the homeowner, Juliya Fulman, listed her multiunit Lakewood Avenue property, which she has owned since 2020 through an LLC, for rent on or around Feb. 23 through Top Nest Properties. Her broker, Ejona Bardhi, visited the location multiple times a week and observed that it was vacant, locked, undamaged and had a functioning key for two front doors.

During a visit to the property on March 1, Bardhi realized her key to the studio residence no longer worked and the lock was changed. Three days later she arrived and noticed the locks to the front door leading to the upstairs unit were changed, too, and observed White-Hunt in the house.

Top Nest for an illegal lockout. As part of the civil suit, White-Hunt also filed a residential lease, which was allegedly determined to have been forged and was different from what he had provided to officers 10 days earlier. The civil suit was discontinued with prejudice.

In April, Bardhi told the Chronicle that she had photos and timestamped videos that proved no one was living in the house until she found the squatters in March. She also had lease agreements for two other people, a single mother with a baby trying to leave the shelter system and a postal worker with five kids, one of whom has a disability.

The broker also said she did not feel the lawsuit being dropped was a victory because Lance-Hunt allegedly put her “client through a lot of trouble, expense and stress,” as he walked away without any fines for damage allegedly caused to the home.

Rizpah Morrow, the lawyer for Fulman, told the Chronicle that she felt the whole situation was “just a fraud.”

“You cannot claim rights to a home that you have entered illegally.”

— District Attorney Melinda Katz

Police were called on White-Hunt and he allegedly said he had been in the home since January and provided a lease that listed Bardhi and Top Nest Properties as landlords, the DA’s Office said.

Bardhi said she had never seen the document and her signature was forged. The owner of Top Nest corroborated her story.

On March 5, White-Hunt allegedly provided police bills from National Grid and AT&T as purported proof of residence, but both companies later confirmed that the account numbers provided did not exist in their official records, Katz’s office said.

On March 14, the defendant filed a lawsuit against the homeowner’s LLC, the broker and

Metro Park rally

continued from page 8

highlight of the project so much as a means to an end.

“The casinos are already approved, so that ship has sailed. We’re definitely going to get casinos in downstate New York. The question becomes: Which casino is the best deal for New Yorkers?” said Jim Burke of the 34th Avenue Open Streets Coalition. “From my standpoint here in Queens, we have a lot of infrastructure projects that we have had on our wish list for many, many years.” He pointed to the Mets-Willets Point subway station and the need for safe bike lanes along

Morrow said that her client’s real tenants eventually were allowed to move in after the ordeal.

Following an investigation into the matter by Sgt. Benjamin Aboagye of the 103rd Precinct, the DA’s Housing and Worker Protection Bureau and others, White-Hunt was arrested on May 13 at his residence at 18th Street in Brooklyn.

“You cannot claim rights to a home that you have entered illegally,” Katz said in a statement. “My office will not allow individuals to capitalize on the confusion surrounding squatters’ rights for their own personal gain. We will bring criminal charges and secure indictments not only for the unlawful occupancy, but also for any forged documents used in the commission of the crime. The law does not permit illegal residency and we will continue to prosecute such cases in Queens.”

To prevent homeowners from having to be dragged into court to begin with, state Sen. John Liu (D-Bayside) introduced bill S8996, which clarifies that squatters are not tenants

Roosevelt Avenue in particular.

Olga Reyes, one of the rally’s organizers, had similar thoughts. “Eight million dollars for private investments in Queens — who’s going to give us that money to be better? To have a better location for our children and our families? To have better jobs? Why is that something bad?” Reyes said. Questioning Ramos’ hesitation to back the plan, she continued, “Is it because of a casino? ... What’s wrong with a casino if this is what is going to build this project?”

Asked for comment on the rally, Ramos said in a statement to the Chronicle, “Steve Cohen is doing his job trying to win support for his casino bid, and I’m doing mine in Albany representing my constituents.” Q

A Brooklyn man was indicted for attempted grand larceny, among other related crimes, for allegedly squatting in a woman’s Jamaica rental home.

for the purpose of removal proceedings. Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-Flushing) carried the Assembly version of the bill,

A9772. Last month, the legislation became law by being included in the fiscal year 2025 state budget. Q

Enhancing the World’s Boro

continued from page 2

at the former and lessen the strain from visitors via the 7-train subway station, according to Tina Lee, co-chair of the Downtown Flushing Transit Hub Business Improvement District.

The Rockaways should have an aquatic center where youths and adults can learn to swim as it has an extensive waterfront, according to Ebony Beats, executive director of Ocean Bay Community Development Corp. in Far Rockaway.

Improving sewage infrastructure in Long Island City by assessing its projected needs with the help of the Department of Environmental Protection would help it continue to be the fastest-growing neighborhood in the city, said Laura Rothrock, president of the LIC Partnership.

Sally Tallant, president and executive director of the Queens Museum in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, proposed an arts and culture tax on new developments.

The borough is home to cultural centers from Queens Museum to Flushing Town Hall, the Jamaica Performing Arts Center and The Noguchi Museum, Tallant said, but many cultural organizations are struggling due to pandemic-induced declines in attendance. If art centers are invested in via taxes from development initiatives, art centers would be able to find solid ground and employ artists, musicians and other talent, who can draw people to the borough.

Generating revenue at Flushing Meadows Corona Park by initiating more community events such as tours of the World Fair Pavilion and making it easier for Queens-based corporations and affluent individuals to donate to the park with tax write-offs would help maintain the staff and quality of the park, according to Jean Silva, president of the FMCP Conservancy.

Kelsey Brow, executive director of King Manor Museum in Jamaica, said beautifying Jamaica Avenue with more trees would help draw people to the area’s more than 400 businesses.

Creating more cultural heritage district designations that highlight more than an arts scene would help with getting additional funding to smaller ethnic enclaves and make them visible as tourist destinations, said Xenia Diente and Jaclyn Reyes, co-founders of Little Manila Queens Bayanihan Arts in Woodside.

Triple the size of the team dedicated to restoring the wetlands, opined Terri Carta, executive director of Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy.

“Much of the borough’s coastline is made up of wetlands concentrated in Jamaica Bay,” Carta said. “These wetlands play a crucial role in safeguarding coastal communities from flooding, sequestering carbon, fostering diverse wildlife habitats, and offering recreational opportunities to residents across the city.” Q

PHOTO BY EJONA BARDHI

City of Yes a mess to CB 5 residents

Homeowners, electeds slam city’s ‘one-size-fits-all’ building proposals

by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor

The Adams administration’s City of Yes zoning change proposals to spur housing construction appeared to be about as popular as a parking ticket when presented to Community Board 5 on May 8.

Mayor Adams is proposing to loosen citywide zoning regulations to allow diverse housing construction in places where it is either difficult or not permitted under existing rules, particularly in low-rise neighborhoods like Maspeth, Glendale, Middle Village, Ridgewood and many in Eastern Queens.

Derek Jasmin of the Department of CIty Planning led the presentation at Christ the King High School.

“The citywide zoning text amendment will allow for equitable housing development,” Jasmin said. “The changes will allow a little more housing in every neighborhood by removing barriers to housing growth.”

Residents and civic and elected officials have said the plan as written would destroy suburban-style one- and two-family housing neighborhoods.

Jasmin said its aim is for incremental growth spread out over wide areas. He said the city’s take is that exclusionary zoning, beginning in 1961 and increasing over the 1990s and into the early 2000s, has caused a severe housing shortage.

“While housing construction has decreased, demand has increased,” Jasmin said. He said the city’s present apartment vacancy rate is 1.41 percent, the lowest since 1968. The rate for Queens was said to be 0.88 percent; with more than 50 percent of renters paying more than 30 percent of their income on housing.

Transit-oriented changes would allow buildings of three to five stories in one- and -two family neighborhoods if they are within half a mile of a subway or rail line and meet other conditions.

Homeowners in one- and two-family neighborhoods would be allowed to build accessory dwelling units, or ADUs, including some basement apartments, garage conversions and small cottage units in certain backyard sites.

And, possibly the most controversial aspect is a proposal to completely eliminate parking requirements for residential housing construction.

“Did everybody like the presentation which is a gift to developers?” asked Glendale resident Dawn Scala. “This has nothing to do with allowing us to live in a quiet, comfortable neighborhood. We chose these neighborhoods because they are one- and two-family and quiet. We did not choose to live in Manhattan. We did not choose to live in high-density Flushing. We did not choose to live off of Queens Boulevard with all big, tall buildings.”

Scala forecast that any time a house would come up for sale in many Queens neighborhoods, deep-pocketed developers would be ready to pounce, until stringing together enough parcels to allow construction of apartment buildings.

“This will effectively end one- and twofamily ownership in the city,” Scala said.

Board member Kathy Masi wondered why

Fresh Air Fund camps await

Registration is open for The Fresh Air Fund’s free summer sleepaway camps for city kids ages 8 to 15. Mostly located in Fishkill, NY, in Dutchess County, the Fresh Air Fund’s camps give youngsters “the opportunity to leave city life behind and explore over 2,000 acres with activities, crafts, swimming lessons and more,” as an announcement says. One camp is located in Harriman State Park, on the border of Rockland and Orange counties.

Information about applying and about the camps themselves is at freshair.org. No deadline is posted on the main page, but

help with applications is offered this month and next. In Queens, assistance is available on three Thursdays: today, May 16, and May 23 and 30 from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Forte Preparatory Academy. Appointments may be made by calling 1 (800) 367-0003.

The Fund, which has been giving city children a country experience since 1877, also is hiring camp staff, including counselors, program specialists, lifeguards, nurses and more. Positions are paid and include room and board. Applicants must be 18 or older. Q

— Peter C. Mastrosimone

the three patts of City of Yes, — the first two dealt with zoning changes for carbon reduction and economic development — are presented in reports of 800, 1,100 and now 1,300 pages.

“You’re now allowing developments without a parking mandate,” Masi said. “This is going to increase parking issues in high-density and lowdensity neighborhoods. And it is a clear giveaway to developers. Because it costs them $60,000 for each parking space, so all it does is give them a bigger profit.”

“You’re not going to have to worry about parking when they reduce the speed limit to 10 miles an hour,” remarked board Chairman Vincent Arcuri. The cars will all be sitting on the street by the curb.”

Board member Fred Hoefferle would later concur.

“I don’t know anywhere in the city that has excess parking,” he said.

Councilman Bob Holden (D-Maspeth) said there is a decided lack of city outreach compared to when Maspeth, Glendale and Middle Village were downzoned about two decades ago. He said basement apartments and loss of parking were just some of the things they had fought against then.

“We went door-to-door because City Planning said they didn’t have enough people to do the surveys,” Holden said. So we all did them. We did the job, and now they want to unravel that. It’s kind of hilarious, if it wasn’t so tragic. They’re trying to destroy our neighborhoods.”

The sentiment was cross-party.

“I call it the city of BS,” said Councilwoman Joan Ariola (R-Ozone Park).

And Ariola had some advice for community boards that attempt to mollify both sides among their district residents by splitting the difference and voting to approve City of Yes “with conditions.”

“If you vote yes with conditions and you

don’t get those conditions, you have still voted yes,” Ariola said. “Those conditions will not be met. This proposal is set the way they want it to go through.”

One 50-year resident of Maspeth also did not exactly accept promises that the changes would not adversely affect neighborhoods as coin of the realm.

“If you think this city can pull this off with no harm to us, think of the smooth rollout of the marijuana stores,” he said. “Think of bail reform. Think of how they ran OTB into the ground and killed the tracks.

“I refer to the words of President Ronald Reagan — the nine scariest words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.’”

Board member Charles Ober also took issue with the plan’s boast of adding affordable housing.

“Most of our people could not afford those new apartments,” Ober said. “Affordable housing is what we rent to our tenants. It won’t be for new tenants.”

As for residents, “They’re being told ‘Your neighborhood isn’t the way you should have wanted it to be when you moved there. We’re going to change it for you. And if you don’t want to stay in the city, you can move.’” Q

Woodhaven Yard Sale event returns in June

The Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association has announced its community favorite, the Great Woodhaven Yard Sale, is returning for two Saturdays, on June 1 and June 8, between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The event encourages residents to simultaneously hold yard sales to attract shoppers from Woodhaven and surrounding communities. Any household wishing to participate should contact the sponsors on Facebook at facebook.com/thegreatwoodhavenyardsale, email thegreatwoodhavenyardsale@gmail.com or call the WRBA office at (718) 296-3735.

Participation is free. Residents will have their addresses added to an online map, which is updated regularly on the event page. Q

NYBC calling all donors

The New York Blood Center is seeking donors of all blood types to help the sick, injured and needy in the community.

Each donor can help surgery and cancer patients, accident victims, new mothers and babies. Information is available at nybc.org.

Upcoming drives include:

• St. Sebastian Roman Catholic Church, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., on Sunday, May 19, at 39-60 57 St. in Woodside;

• Queens Place mall, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., on Saturday, May 25, in the former T-Mobile store at 88-01 Queens Blvd. in Elmhurst;

• NYPD Medical Division, 8 a.m. to 2

p.m., on Wednesday, May 29, at 59-17 Junction Blvd. in the 16th-floor auditorium in Corona;

• Enterprise Association of Steamfitters Local 638, 12:30 to 6:30 p.m., on Wednesday, May 29, at 32-32 48 Ave. in Long Island City;

• St. Margaret’s Parish, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, June 2, in the Parish Hall at 66-05 79 Place in Middle Village; and

• Long Island Jewish Forest Hills hospital, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., on Wednesday, June 5, in the Internal Medicine Conference Room at 102-01 66 Road in Forest Hills. Q

Councilwoman Joann Ariola decried the Adams administration’s City of Yes proposals at the May 8 meeting of Community Board 5. CB 5 SCREENSHOT / YOUTUBE

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Learn more about Black cowboys May 21

Indigenous and African culture also explored at Springfield

by Naeisha Rose Assoicate Editor

The Black Cowboy, Indigenous & African Cultural Center is opening up to the public with a tour during which it will showcase various artifacts on May 21 at 4:30 p.m.

“The founder of the museum wants to open it up to the community,” said Patricia Wooden, a member of the center. “He will tell stories of the past with those artifacts. It is really interesting and ... it shows how they lived in the past.”

Wooden said if there is a large interest by Southeast Queens folks in the museum, located at 152-50 Rockaway Blvd. in Springfield Gardens, the founder, R.W. “Curly” Hall, will schedule more. “We have different things that people never saw before,” she added.

The museum is accepting donations of $15. To learn more, visit CurlysCowboyCenter.com.

One of the people who helped to curate the museum is Anthony Jay Van Dunk, former chief of the Lenape nation, an indigenous tribe that originally inhabited Manhattan.

“The African collection is amazing,” Van Dunk told the Chronicle. “From the drums to the masks, it’s way up there with anybody’s collection, but you really have to come see it because it covers a lot of different parts of Africa.”

The collection also has shackles that were once used to imprison slaves.

The Black cowboy section illustrates the past of the group in the United States, while the Indigenous section highlights pivotal moments

in the Lenape, Dakota and other tribes’ history, said Van Dunk.

“Whether it was a world champion rodeo rider like Uncle Ben,” said Van Dunk or touching on “a ride across the country from Saskatchewan to New York by Dakota natives who were trying to tell their plight to the United Nations to different Lenape cultural stuff, you will see that.”

People will learn about cowboys like Bass Reeves, see a replica of a wigwam (a domed Native American home) and learn about the Two Row Wampum Treaty, an agreement between colonials and Indigenous people under which they intended to share land without the two cultures having to mix.

“That was the concept but that didn’t happen

Gardens museum

because of colonials,” Van Dunk said.

The former Lenape chief said he is happy about the three different cultures being celebrated at the museum.

“Since we are not isolated in life, why should we be isolated in a museum?” he said.

“The tour is really about understanding what the different cultures went through as opposed to a scholarly walk through a building,” said Van Dunk.

Guests will see the clothing and the saddles that the Black cowboys used, Hall said.

“People will see a teepee and see the cowboy sleeping quarters that they had back in historical days,” he added. “Come and experience some historical settings. We have a lot to say and to introduce to visitors about our past.” Q

QC play to highlight Freedom Summer

Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner are central roles in ‘The Invaders’

by Sophie Krichevsky

Associate Editor

Queens College will premiere on June 18 a staged reading of “The Invaders,” a play about the Freedom Summer Project of 1964.

Freedom Summer was a volunteer effort during the Civil Rights Movement led by the Coalition of Federated Organizations — which consisted of four key groups in the movement: the NAACP, the Student Nonviolence Coordinating Committee, the South-

ern Christian Leadership Conference and the Congress of Racial Equity. The goal that summer was to register Black voters across the South and educate people on civil rights more broadly.

Among its volunteers were James Chaney, then-Queens College student Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, who were missing for weeks until they were found to have been murdered by the Klu Klux Klan. Their deaths played a key role in

the shift of public opinion on the Civil Rights Movement.

The reading coincides with Freedom Summer’s 60th anniversary and will take place just days before the June 21 anniversary of Goodman, Schwerner and Chaney’s murders.

The three activists are at the center of the play — in fact, the play opens with Goodman’s volunteering to join the movement and head south. Throughout the play, the audience becomes familiar with some of the legendary leaders behind Freedom Summer, such as Bob Moses, Fannie Lou Hammer and Stokely Carmichael.

Directed by Reneé Flemings, the play itself is a Queens College-heavy production. In addition to being written by theater veteran Ralph Carhart, a senior Queens College laboratory technician and former lecturer at the school, eight of the play’s 16 cast members are Queens College graduates. That’s fitting — not only was Goodman a student at the school, but Schwerner’s brother, Stephen Schwerner, was working as a counsel-

or at the Flushing campus when his brother was killed. The play is being produced by the Andrew Goodman Foundation.

“As a member of the Queens College community, I was very inspired by Andy’s story and his role as one of our shining lights,” Carhart said in a press release for the play.

Following the reading on June 18, Carhart will play host in a talkback on the show with Stephen Schwerner, Andrew Goodman’s younger brother, David, and Julia Chaney-Moss, James Chaney’s younger sister.

The play will take place in the Goldstein Theatre starting at 7 p.m. Tickets are $45 and $20 for QC students, and can be purchased online at kupferbergcenter.org/event/ the-invaders.

The Black Cowboy, Indigenous & African Cultural Center in Springfield Gardens will have a tour featuring various artifacts from those cultures on May 21 at 4:30 p.m. PHOTOS

James Chaney, left, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner are at the heart of the new play, “The Invaders.”

What’s next?

by Kristen Guglielmo

“In the beginning, the Creator made heaven and the Creator made earth.”

Those are the opening lines of “Third Law,” a production by creative group What Will the Neighbors Say? at Culture Lab LIC.

Devised and directed by Coral Cohen, the production is described as an interactive theatrical game, working to maximize audience agency and bring viewers into the heart of art-making by using technology.

When I spoke with Cohen and two of the cast members and the team behind What Will the Neighbors Say?, Sam Hood Adrain and James Clements, they noted that the production is unique, dynamic and never the same twice.

Adrain said he hopes audiences leave thinking, “What did I just see? That’s unlike anything I ever experienced.”

For me, an avid-theatergoer, that was certainly true.

Around a dozen audience members, including myself, were ushered into a relatively small space last Saturday after leaving

Audience-involved ‘Third Law’ is unlike any show you’ve seen

our belongings and shoes with a staff member. Shoe covers are provided for those who forgo socks or simply want to leave their shoes on.

straight ahead. It’s quiet and dim.

In the room were six cast members, staring

A single circle was projected on the floor, and it took us a second to realize they were almost daring the bravest audience member to step inside.

Once someone does, the show begins.

The show centers around creationism, and Adam and Eve. Six cast members take turns portraying the biblical duo, and throughout the show, the audience is encouraged to select from choices that appear in light-projected circles on the floor.

There is not much context given as to what the choices mean, and it is up to you and your fellow audience members to make the decisions that dictate how everything transpires.

The audience stands throughout the show, and the actors utilize the entire space. At times, it felt like I was part of the scene — like a fly on the wall watching something I maybe shouldn’t be looking

continued on page 29

King Crossword Puzzle

I HAVE OFTEN WALKED

Restaurateur George Lum dined in Whitestone

by Ron Marzlock

Chronicle Contributor

George Git Lum was born in Canton, China, on Nov. 1, 1922. His middle name of “Git” means a foolish or worthless person and he rarely used it except for legal purposes. He came to America and on July 4, 1942 enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces. He did not fly but did repair work and other duties.

After the war Lum went into the food business, working at The Inwood Restaurant on Dyckman Street in upper Manhattan. On Aug. 14, 1949, his wife, Emelia, gave birth to a girl named Katherine. And 1953 was a busy year for the Lums. They bought a 1,971-square-foot home at 14-72 163 St. in Whitestone, and they opened up Lum’s Cantonese Chinese restaurant at 138-28 Northern Blvd. in Flushing.

There were relatively few Chinese restaurants at the time and many people traveled to Chinatown in NYC for one. Lum’s was popular and had a private room for parties, which gave memories to thousands of customers over the next four decades.

George Lum died on Nov. 16, 1997. The restaurant closed a short time later. Emelia

died in May 2009 and the house was sold in October 2010 for $765,000. Today it is valued at $1.25 million.

The actress, comedian and rapper Awkwafina, born Nora Lum, is the restaurateur’s great-granddaughter. Q

The home of Queens Chinese restaurant icon George Lum, as it looks today, at 14-72 163 St. in Whitestone. GOOGLE MAPS IMAGE

Not all were ‘Stayin’ Alive’ at teen playwrights’ disco

by Mark Lord qboro contributor

The latest attraction at The Secret Theatre in Woodside is a new musical whodunit set in a discotheque in 1974.

Surprisingly, the show’s creators are two young women who weren’t even born until some three decades later.

The show, “Death at the Disco,” is the brainchild of composer and lyricist Zoë Louise Nadal, 17, and Isabella Hill, 18, who wrote the book.

They’ve been friends since they met in seventh grade, and, according to Hill, an Astoria resident, “We always have had an interest in theater.” When their high school, The Baccalaureate School for Global Education in Astoria, required its students to perform community service, the pair decided to pool their talents to create a show.

Their first joint effort, “Geomyidae,” a musical comedy about a rodent who dreams of becoming a taxi driver, found its way to The Secret, where their most recent theatrical undertaking opens for a

four-performance run on May 17.

“My raison d’etre is to help young people in their careers,” said Richard Mazda, the theater’s artistic director. “I respond well to talent and people who are self-starters.” For this reason, he believes Nadal and Hill “deserve all the encouragement they can get.”

Mazda met Nadal, who resides in Elmhurst, several years ago when she became a student at the theater’s academy, performing in

several productions. She eventually joined the staff, teaching violin and other instruments, he said.

As “Disco” unfolds, a young woman drops dead on the dance floor of the hottest discotheque in Queens. A top detective endeavors to solve the mystery — or will audiences find the solution first?

Only time will tell as this familyfriendly show takes center stage.

“I’ve always loved theater and literature,” Hill said in a recent tele-

phone interview. “Writing the play was an extension of that.”

Both of Nadal’s parents are musicians, she said. “I grew up around music,” she added, and writing music has long been “a creative outlet” for her.

She and Hill began creating the new show last summer.

“I had a plan and a title,” Nadal said. The two held auditions in their school, where a cast of nine was selected.

In an interesting departure from tradition, the show was partially built around the cast.

“Once we had auditions, we had to tweak the script to personalize it for the cast,” Nadal said.

“We go in with an outline and some music and write around the cast,” Hill added.

All told, the writing took three months; rehearsals began in December, with Nadal and Hill serving as co-directors.

As with their first collaboration, “Disco” is very directly tied into the girls’ home borough.

“All our shows have a connection to Queens,” Hill said. “We’re hoping for a Queens audience.”

“We’re hoping for lots of different people,” Nadal added.

Looking toward the future, Nadal also hoped that “we never stop writing musicals together.”

Performances at The Secret Theatre (38-02 61 St., Woodside) will take place on May 17, 18 and 19 at 6 p.m. and May 18 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $15; $10 for children ages 3 to 17. For more information, visit secrettheatre.com. Q

Take matters into your own hands at ‘Third Law’

at, but couldn’t look away from.

Each actor has impeccable chemistry with the others during the show’s 45-minute duration. Only two of them act at a time, while the rest stand stoic against the wall, staring straight ahead.

It was fascinating to see groupthink play out in real time. While one person would step in a circle, if multiple people were needed, others would hesitate or perhaps

Crossword Answers

pick a different circle to stand in. The silent communication among audience members is impressive and often difficult.

I would not recommend the experience to anyone under the age of 18, or anyone who is uncomfortable being in close quarters with others — oftentimes, up to six people would have to stand inside one of the circle projections to make a decision.

There are multiple endings to this game. My group unfortunately lost — a “Game Over” projection appeared on the wall behind the actors after the final choice was made by our group.

One theatergoer asked a staff member if “that was supposed to happen” — meaning the “Game Over.”

She quipped, “You’ll have to come back and find out.”

Queens resident Casey G., who attended the show last Saturday, said she was left feeling confused at the ending.

“The choices were incredibly vague. ... I would have appreciated a Q&A afterward to gain some clarity,” she said.

If you’re looking for a unique theater experience that may leave you scratching your head, this is a show you can’t miss.

“Third Law,” at Culture Lab LIC, allows the audience to make choices that dictate how the show plays out, left, while multiple cast members, like Sam Hood

“Third Law” is running at Culture Lab LIC, at 5-25 46 Ave., through May 26, starring Adrain, Clements, Shani Matoaka Bekt, Megan Mariko Boggs, Pablo Calderón-Santiago and Melannie Vásquez Lara.

Tickets are available online and at the venue. Student, senior and Sunday pricing is available, and for those strapped for cash, Sundays are “pay what you can.” For more information, visit culturelablic.org. Q

Performing in “Death at the Disco” — this weekend only at The Secret Theatre — are Alexa Amaya, left, Priyanka Bhagavan, Stella Walsh, Franklin Stoler, Alyssa Eckhart, Hazel Murphy, Nailah Araf, Clara Burke and, not seen here, Chhaheda Khan. The show is by Zoë Nadal and Isabella Hill, right. COURTESY PHOTOS

Adrain and Melannie Vásquez Lara, take turns portraying Adam and Eve. On the cover: Pablo CalderónSantiago and Shani Matoaka Bekt share a moment in character. PHOTOS BY PARIS MARCEL

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Howard Beach, Sat 5/18 & Sun 5/19, 8am-1pm, 99-16 157 Ave. Something for everyone!

Howard Beach, Sat 5/18, 8am-3pm, 161-26 89 St. Watches, collectibles. Lots of stuff! Rain date Sun 5/19.

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Legal Notices

NOTICE

OF

SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF QUEENS, NYCTL 1998-2 TRUST AND THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON AS COLLATERAL

AGENT AND CUSTODIAN, Plaintiff, vs. ELDER AVE REALTY CORP., ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated March 11, 2024 and entered on March 12, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the outside steps of the Queens County Supreme Court, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY on May 31, 2024 at 10:00 a.m., 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, Block 5137 and Lot 1118. Said premises may also be known as 138-35 Elder Avenue, Parking Garage Unit No. 118, Queens, NY. Approximate amount of judgment is $145,528.74 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale.Index # 711824/2019. The Referee shall comply with the Eleventh Judicial District’s COVID-19 policies concerning public auctions of foreclosed properties. These policies, along with the Queens County Foreclosure Auction Rules, can be found on the Queens Supreme Court - Civil Term website. Gerald Chiariello II, Esq., Referee The Law Office of Thomas P. Malone, PLLC, 60 East 42nd Street, Suite 553, New York, New York 10165, Attorneys for Plaintif

NOTICE is hereby given that an Order entered by the Civil Court, Queens County on 12-05-2019, bearing Index Number NC-001151-19/QU, a copy of which may be examined at the Offi ce of the Clerk, located at 89-17 Sutphin Blvd., Jamaica, NY 11435, grants me (us) the right to:

Assume the name of (First) ANTONELLA (Last) LAZO ESCOBAR. My present name is (First) ANTONELLA (Last) GUAYLLASACA ESCOBAR (infant) The city and state of my present address are College Point, NY. My place of birth is QUEENS, NEW YORK. The month and year of my birth are October 2016.

C

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF QUEENS, NYCTL 1998-2 TRUST AND THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON AS COLLATERAL

AGENT AND CUSTODIAN, Plaintiff, vs. WOODNER GARAGE CORP., ET AL., Defendant(s).

Pursuant to an Order Confirming Referee Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated March 4, 2024 and duly entered on March 15, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the outside steps of the Queens County Supreme Court, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY on June 14, 2024 at 10:15 a.m., 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, Block 5137 and Lot 1195. Said premises may also be known as 138-35 Elder Avenue, Parking Garage Unit No. 195, Queens, NY. Approximate amount of judgment is $56,434.91 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index #711834/2019. The Referee shall comply with the Eleventh Judicial District’s COVID-19 policies concerning public auctions of foreclosed properties. These policies, along with the Queens County Foreclosure Auction Rules, can be found on the Queens Supreme Court - Civil Term website. Tanya HobsonWilliams, Esq., Referee The Law Office of Thomas P. Malone, PLLC, 60 East 42nd Street, Suite 553, New York, New York 10165, Attorneys for Plaintiff

Notice is hereby given that a Liquor License, Application ID No.: NA- 0340-23-1090-13, for beer, wine, and liquor has been applied for by the undersigned to permit the sale of beer, wine, and liquor at retail in a restaurant under the Alcoholic Beverages Control Law at Akasha Bar & Event Hall Inc., 116-11 Sutphin Blvd., Jamaica, NY 11434 on premise consumption. Akasha Bar & Event Hall Inc.

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF QUEENS U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS TRUSTEE FOR GREENPOINT MORTGAGE FUNDING TRUST MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES SERIES 2007AR3, -against- MOHANIE BISHU, ET AL. NOTICE OF SALE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Queens on January 17, 2019, wherein U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS TRUSTEE FOR GREENPOINT MORTGAGE FUNDING TRUST MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES SERIES 2007-AR3 is the Plaintiff and MOHANIE BISHU, ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction RAIN OR SHINE on the COURTHOUSE STEPS OF THE QUEENS COUNTY COURTHOUSE, 8811 SUTPHIN BLVD., JAMAICA, NY 11435, on June 14, 2024 at 12:15PM, premises known as 92-24 175TH STREET, JAMAICA, NY 11433; and the following tax map identification: 10214-17. ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, WITH THE BUILDINGS AND IMPROVEMENTS THEREON ERECTED, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN THE 4TH WARD, BOROUGH AND COUNTY OF QUEENS, CITY AND STATE OF NEW YORK Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No.: 705689/2016. David H. Sloan, Esq. - Referee. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/CLERK DIRECTIVES.

Notice is hereby given that a license, No. “Pending”, for beer and wine has been applied for by the undersigned to sell Beer, Wine and Cider at retail in a restaurant under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 883 CYPRESS AVE., RIDGEWOOD, NY 11385 for on premises consumption. XOXO KITCHEN & BAKERY INC

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF QUEENS, GITSIT SOLUTIONS, LLC, Plaintiff, vs. 815 BAY 25 CORP., ET AL., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on March 7, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the outside steps of the Queens County Supreme Court, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11435 on May 31, 2024 at 10:30 a.m., premises known as 8-15 Bay 25th Street, Far Rockaway, NY 11691. 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, Block 15733 and Lot 1. Approximate amount of judgment is $669,416.04 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #719169/2022. The Referee shall comply with the Eleventh Judicial District’s COVID-19 policies concerning public auctions of foreclosed properties. These policies, along with the Queens County Foreclosure’s Auction Rules, can be found on the Queens Supreme Court - Civil Term website. Arthur N. Terranova, Esq., Referee Polsinelli PC, Amy E. Hatch, Esq., 600 Third Avenue, 42nd Floor, New York, New York 10016, Attorneys for Plaintiff

NY GRACE COUNSELING LCSW, PLLC Articles of Org. fi led NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 3/6/24. Offi ce in Queens Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to The LLC 1280 Lexington Ave. Frnt 2 #1170 NY, NY 10028. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

233 Stockholm Realty, LLC, Arts of Org. fi led with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 4/11/2024. Cty: Queens. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to Joseph Mauceri, 85-16 67th Ave., Rego Park, NY 11374. General Purpose

Real Estate

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

Open House Co-ops For Sale

Ex

full

formal dining area, lg LR. Asking $225. Connexion Real Estate, 718-845-1136

Legal Notices

Notice of Formation of 528 Locust Street, LLC.Arts. of Org. fi led with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/22/24. Offi ce location: QueensCounty. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 5418 69th Lane, Maspeth, NY 11378. Purpose: any lawful activities.

83-30 264th Street LLC, Arts of Org. fi led with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 5/3/2024. Cty: Queens. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to 141 Crescent Dr, Albertson, NY 11507. General Purpose

ASF INTERNATIONAL LLC. Arts. of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 03/07/24. 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 Khandker Ahnaf Abrar, 169-24 Hillside Avenue, FL2 Suite 3, Jamaica, NY 11432. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Centreville/Ozone Park, Sat 5/18, 1:30-3pm, 96-30 149th Ave. Colonial Lovely 1 fam, 3 levels + basement. Laminate flrs, updated kit w/ Quartz counters, new appli. All new doors, new boiler, 3 BRs, 2 1/2 baths. 1 car gar, pvt dwvy. Reduced $779K. Connexion Real Estate 718-845-1136

Howard Beach/Rockwood Park, Sun 5/19, 1pm-3pm, 161-39 86 St. Lg Brookfield, Hi-Ranch, 4 BR, 3 full baths. All updated. Owned by architect. Asking $1,175,000. Connexion Real Estate, 718-845-1136

Howard Beach/Rockwood Park, Sat 5/18, 1pm-3pm, 160-32 80 St. Hi-Ranch Brookfield, 4 BR, 3 baths. 40x100 lot. Oversized family rm w/granite radiant heated flr. Wood FP, new kitchen, patio, security cameras, sprinkler system. Asking $1,199,000. Connexion Real Estate, 718-845-1136

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

Legal Notices

Notice of Formation of FIRST PRIORITY PARALEGAL & PUBLISHING LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 12/07/2023. Offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: THE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, 107-29 PINEGROVE STREET, JAMAICA, NY 11435. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of BKHOOPZ LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 04/15/2024. 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: PATRICK IANNOTTO, 6148 82 PLACE, MIDDLE VILLAGE, NY 11379. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

BRANNOCK DALL, LLC, Arts. of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 05/06/2024. 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: Ilya Kiriakis Dall, 148-18 3rd Avenue, Whitestone, NY 11357. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

Howard Beach/Lindenwood, Eastwood Bldg.

lg 1 BR,

bath,

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF QUEENS

HSBC BANK USA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR WELLS FARGO ASSET

SECURITIES CORPORATION

HOME EQUITY ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006-1, Plaintiff AGAINST CARLOS W. RODRIGUEZ, ANA MARY RODRIGUEZ, ET AL., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered January 29, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Courthouse steps of the Queens County Supreme Court, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, New York on June 7, 2024 at 10:30AM, premises known as 239-22 65th Avenue, Douglaston, NY 11362. All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Queens, City and State of New York, BLOCK: 8287 LOT: 16. Approximate amount of judgment $831,558.13 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #717123/2020. The aforementioned auction will be conducted in accordance with the QUEENS County COVID-19 mitigation protocols and as such all persons must comply with social distancing, wearing masks and screening practices in effect at the time of this foreclosure sale. Alen R. Beerman, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC, 1775 Wehrle Drive, Williamsville, NY 14221 00-123316 80130hh

ELLAWAY BLUES CONSULTING LLC Notice of Application for Authority of ELLAWAY BLUES CONSULTING LLC. a foreign limited liability company (LLC). Application for Authority filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 3/8/2024. LLC organized in FL 11/15/2023. NY office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The post office address to which the SSNY shall mail a copy of any process against the LLC served upon him/her is C/o Barakat + Bossa, PLLC 2701 Ponce De Leon Blvd, Suite 202 Miami, FL, 33134. Office address in jurisdiction of organization: 20 North Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32801 Copy of Articles of Organization on file with Secy. of State of FL, RA Gray Building, 500 South Bronough Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399. Purpose of LLC: Any Lawful Purpose.

Notice of Formation of 3K ANGELS LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 03/21/2024. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: EVA T. LACONSAY, 3203 58TH STREET, 2/F, WOODSIDE, NY 11377. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Notice of Qualification of Citrus Haven LLC. Authority filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/12/24. Office location: Queens County. LLC formed in Florida (FL)on 02/15/24. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 31 Monterey Street, Apt. A, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082, also the address required to be maintained in FL. Arts of Org. filed with the FL Secy. Of State, R.A. Gray Building, 500 S Bronough St., Tallahassee, FL 32399. Purpose: any lawful activities.

Notice of Formation of Dee Custom Hair LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State (SSNY) on 4/5/24. Office location: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 104-14 110th St, Richmond Hill, NY 11419. Purpose: any lawful activity.

EKG 7806 LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 4/8/24. Office in Queens Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to The LLC 15253 10th Ave., Ste 211 Whitestone, NY 11357. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Lefferts 59 LLC, Arts of Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 3/19/2024. Cty: Queens. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to Gameel Saeidi, 80-59 Lefferts Blvd., Kew Gardens, NY 11415. General Purpose

Notice of Formation of MYRNA L. ARCHER & ASSOCIATES, LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 03/15/2024. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: MYRNA L. ARCHER, P.O. BOX 220025, ROSEDALE, NY 11422. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Prince35 Holdings LLC, Arts of Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 4/5/2024. Cty: Queens. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to 136-33 37th Ave, 7th Fl, Flushing, NY 11354. General Purpose.

RENARI AM LLC, Art. Of Org. filed with SSNY 12/26/2017. Office Location: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent for process. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process to: c/o Robinson Brog Leinwand Greene Genovese & Gluck, P.C., Attn: Charles McKeen, Esq., 875 3rd Ave., 9th Fl., NY, NY 10022. Purpose: Any lawful act or activity.

Notice of Formation of RESOLVE PRODUCTIONS LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 05/07/2024. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: CRAIG MACARTHUR DOLEZEL, 3168 CRESCENT STREET, ASTORIA, NY 11106. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

NOTICE OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE STATE OF NEW YORK SUPREME COURT: COUNTY OF QUEENS HSBC BANK USA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS TRUSTEE FOR NOMURA HOME EQUITY LOAN, INC., ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006HE1, Plaintiff, v. CHRISTOPHER DUNN A/K/A CHRISTOPHER R. DUNN, ET AL, Defendants. PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT In pursuance of a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered in the Office of the County Clerk of Queens County on March 10, 2023, I, Jeffrey Kim, Esq. the Referee named in said Judgment, will sell in one parcel at public auction on May 31, 2024 at the Courthouse Steps of the Queens County Supreme Court, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11435, at 12:15 PM the premises described as follows: 134-57 232nd Street Laurelton, NY 11413 Block 13160 Lot 6 ALL THAT TRACT OR PARCEL OF LAND situate in the Borough and County of Queens, City and State of New York. The premises are sold subject to the provisions of the filed judgment, Index No. 712819/2018 in the amount of $603,538.04 plus interest and costs. The aforementioned auction will be conducted in accordance with the Court System’s COVID-19 mitigation protocols and as such all persons must comply with social distancing, wearing masks and screening practices in effect at the time of this foreclosure sale. Woods Oviatt Gilman LLP Attorneys for Plaintiff 500 Bausch & Lomb Place Rochester, NY 14604 Tel.: 855-227-5072 80394

SUMMONS Supreme Court of New York, Queens County. NEWREZ LLC D/B/A AS SHELLPOINT MORTGAGE SERVICING, Plaintiff, -against- OSCARA. PRIETO, AS ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ESTATE OF MAUREEN MULLANEY; STUART GLUICK, HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF MAUREEN MULLANEY AND HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF JAMES MULLANEY; HEIRS AND DISTRIBUTEES OF THE ESTATE OF MAUREEN MULLANEY; UNIFUND CCR LLC; NEW YORK CITY PARKING VIOLATIONS BUREAU; NEW YORK CITY ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD; NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT ADJUDICATION BUREAU; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE ; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, “JOHN DOE #1” through “JOHN DOE #12,” the last twelve names being fictitious and unknown to plaintiff, the persons or parties intended being the tenants, occupants, persons or corporations, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the premises, described in the complaint, Defendants Index No. 711178/2023. Plaintiff designates Queens County as the place of trial situs of the real property. Mortgaged Premises: 57-44 57th Drive Maspeth, NY 11378 TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in the above captioned action and to serve a copy of your Answer 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 completion of service where service is made in any other manner than by personal delivery within the State. The United States of America, if designated as a Defendant in this action, may answer or appear within sixty (60) days of service hereof. 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. Please take further notice that any right you may have pursuant to the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to dispute the validity or amount of the debt does not change the time within which you must answer this summons and complaint. You must follow the instructions contained in the summons even if you dispute the validity or amount of the debt. FRIEDMAN VARTOLO, LLP 1325 Franklin Avenue, Suite 160 Garden City, NY 11530, Attorneys for Plaintiff.

B SPORTS EAT

JD makes No. 1 count

by Lloyd Carroll Chronicle Contributor

Normally, a player hitting a solo home run with two out in the ninth inning with his team losing by a score of 4-0 would be considered the antithesis of the word “clutch.” On Saturday, JD Martinez did just that, and you can make an argument it was the biggest home run hit under pressure this season for the Mets.

The Mets had been no-hit that afternoon for seven innings by Atlanta Braves ace Max Fried, and then by reliever Joe Jimenez in the eighth. Braves closer Rafael Iglesias got the first two hitters out in the ninth inning before Martinez blasted his first home run as a Met over the right field fence to break up the no-hitter. There was some justice delivered by the baseball gods because JD had been robbed of a double in the seventh inning by Braves’ Gold Glove centerfielder Michael Harris II, who made a spectacular catch of his hard-hit drive.

The Mets’ SNY play-by-play voice, Flushing native Gary Cohen, pointed out in the eighth inning the Braves had beaten the Mets in 18 of their last 24 matchups, which would soon become 19 of 25.

The Braves have been kicking dirt in the Mets’ faces, like the bully in those old Charles Atlas cartoon ads, for most of the past thirty years. Getting no-hit by them at Citi Field is the kind of humiliation that could have prematurely

derailed the season just as getting swept by the lowly Tigers in Detroit did a year ago.

It is early, but it appears highly touted Mets pitching prospect Christian Scott will live up to billing. He looked impressive in his first two starts against formidable opponents, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Braves. Scott may be wondering if he inherited the Jacob deGrom curse, as the Mets offense has not generated any run support for him.

I spoke with Scott the day before his start against the Braves. I asked him if he had any butterflies in his stomach before his Queens debut. “No, I trust my stuff, and I know I have the world’s greatest defenders behind me,” he said confidently.

Scott told me he is from Coconut Creek, Fla., a place many New Yorkers are familiar with because it is in the heart of Broward County. I told him many of his teammates will ask him real estate questions because Florida does not have a state income tax. “We do get to keep more of what we earn there,” he said matter-offactly. He laughed when I told him he should find a good CPA. “I wish someone had told me that when I got to the big leagues!” said former Met Rajai Davis, overhearing our conversation. Rajai is currently an executive with Major League Baseball. Q

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