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NYPD, DA confiscate illegal mopeds PAGE 4
With a rise in anti-Semitism, the state eyes a mask ban. Is it warranted?by Kristen Guglielmo Associate Editor
Since the violent Oct. 7 attack on Israel by terrorist group Hamas, anti-Semitism has been on the rise. According to data from the NYPD, in the first quarter of 2024, there were 138 instances of hate crimes or incidents — and 81 of those were aimed at Jewish people. In comparison, the first quarter of 2023 saw 60 hate incidents targeting Jewish people.
Last week, according to multiple reports, vandals smeared red paint across the apartment of Anne Pasternak, the director of the Brooklyn Museum and other Jewish board members. Pasternak’s apartment was adorned with a banner reading “white-supremacist Zionist.”
And last Monday, demonstrators lit flares outside of the Nova Music Festival Exhibition in Manhattan, which pays tribute to the victims of the Oct. 7 attack. That same day, a crowd asked others on a packed subway car in Manhattan to “raise your hand if you’re a Zionist,” and added, “This is your chance to get out.” Video of the incident was widely circulated on social media.
Palestinian protesters opt to wear one. Because of the rise in anti-Semitic incidents, Jewish leaders have called on Gov. Hochul for a mask ban — and it seems she’s considering it.
During a CNN interview last Wednesday, Hochul said, “There was a ban on masks before the pandemic [where] you couldn’t have face coverings that didn’t serve a purpose. ... It was repealed at the time, but I absolutely will go back and take a look at this and see whether it can be restored because it is frightening to people.”
“I think evil has no place in this world.”
— Rabbi Jonathan Pearl
She continued, “You’re sitting on a subway train and someone puts on a mask like this and comes in — you don’t know if they’re going to be committing a crime, they’re going to have a gun or whether they’re just going to be threatening or intimidating you because you are Jewish, which is exactly what happened the other day.”
Mayor Adams said he supports the idea.
“Covering your face while you do terrible things is not new,” he said Monday during a press conference. “There were these guys that used to ride around with hoods in the deep South. Cowards cover their faces.”
After a rise in anti-Semitic incidents, including one on a train in Manhattan last Monday where pro-Palestinian protesters said, “Raise your hand if you’re a Zionist. ... This is your chance to get out,” Gov. Hochul said she would consider a mask ban on subways. YOUTUBE
acts of hate, taking to social media to write,
Though the man leading the chant was unmasked, many others there and many pro-
Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-Howard Beach) also spoke out against the
“We have recently seen the Jewish community attacked at the Nova Exhibit, in the subway, and at the homes of Jewish board members from the Brooklyn Museum. This isn’t protesting - this is hate and a blatant display of Antisemitism! Those involved must be held responsible!”
Rabbi Jonathan Pearl of Ashreynu, a Jew-
ish congregation in Astoria, said he’s heard concerns from residents about anti-Semitism, and that he is worried as well.
“I think it’s very troubling that there’s so much going on now in terms of a not-understanding of the situation or an obfuscation of the situation or an outright misrepresentation of the situation with Israel,” he told the Chron-
continued on page 8
CYNTHIA J. CONZA, ESQ.
Georgetown University, B.A.
EDWARD R. MCNAMARA, ESQ.
Harvard University, A.B.
St. John’s University School of Law, J.D.
It’s
vs.
at the mic over congestion fee nix and what’s nextby Stephanie G. Meditz Chronicle Contributor
Amid chants of “Safer streets, cleaner air, Kathy Hochul doesn’t care,” Assemblymember David Weprin (D-Fresh Meadows) hosted a press conference in opposition to congestion pricing on the corner of Queens Plaza North and Crescent Street in Long Island City last Friday.
The conference was held in support of the governor’s indefinite pause on the rollout of congestion pricing, which was slated to begin on June 30. Its goals were to raise $1 billion per year for the MTA’s capital program, to be leveraged into billions more in loans, and reduce traffic and pollution in Manhattan’s Central Business District.
Weprin held the event just a few feet away from the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, which connects Queens to Midtown Manhattan, the thick of the would-be Congestion Relief Zone. Asked about it, he said the bridge provides a free transportation option into Manhattan that congestion pricing would eliminate.
He applauded the halt of the toll plan as a “pragmatic response” to its opponents’ concerns, citing his opposition to former Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal for it in 2007.
“This tax was never about congestion, it’s always been about revenue,” Weprin said. “Once again, the MTA is in crisis, and once again, they’re asking everyday New Yorkers to foot the bill.”
A wave of protesters had something to say about that, as they shouted over his and other speakers’ statements, “Save congestion pric-
ing” signs in tow.
“Obviously, you don’t believe in free speech or you wouldn’t be trying to interrupt this press conference,” Weprin said, later saying the protesters are “not civil people.”
Asked by the Chronicle what he would say to those disappointed that the pause on congestion pricing will also halt capital improvements such as elevators in train stations, Weprin said he would like to see such upgrades once an alternative source of funding is solidified. “That would be part of the capital plan once we find that revenue stream, which I’m optimistic we’ll find sometime this year or early next year,” he said.
Later asked about that alternative revenue stream, he said there are “a lot of potential” options, such as the governor’s proposed slight increase in the Payroll Mobility Tax.
In response to a question of whether the city should prioritize cars or public transit, the lawmaker said, “They can prioritize both.”
Councilmember Julie Won (D-Sunnyside) was in attendance — Weprin initially encouraged her to speak on the microphone, but promptly retracted his offer upon realizing she supports the tolls.
“We deserve to have a say in how our taxpayer dollars are collected and spent and it is continued on page 26
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz on June 13 announced the seizure of 99 scooters parked illegally on streets and sidewalks during a four-day operation in South Jamaica, South Ozone Park, South Richmond Hill, Corona, Elmhurst and Jackson Heights.
Detectives from the DA’s Office, working with officers from the NYPD’s 106th, 110th, 113th and 115th Precincts, searched multiple locations overnight on June 4, 5, 6 and 11, the DA’s Office said. The vast majority of the parked scooters, or mopeds, that were removed were unregistered and uninsured.
An additional five scooters were seized after their operators were stopped while driving, including one rider at the intersection of 135th Avenue and 140th Street in South Ozone Park, according to the DA’s Office. The scooter was determined to have been reported stolen and
the operator was apprehended at the scene.
Of the 104 scooters confiscated, 99 were unregistered and uninsured. Two scooters had an expired New York license plate and two were parked illegally with a valid New York license plate. The fifth scooter was reported stolen and its operator arrested.
One unregistered motorcycle and one unregistered dirt bike parked on a sidewalk were also confiscated.
The operation brings the total number of scooters apprehended since February to 515, according to the DA’s Office, along with two motorcycles and one dirt bike.
The crackdown is part of an ongoing joint operation involving the District Attorney’s Detective Bureau and area police precincts to address the persistent and increased use of scooters and mopeds in crimes such as driveby shootings and robberies.
“Illegal scooters have become a significant
concern in our city, as we see them increasingly being used while carrying out violent crimes,” said DA Katz in a statement. “They are also an affront to law-abiding New Yorkers who take the time to register, insure and main-
tain their vehicles on our roadways. In partnership with the NYPD, we have successfully removed more than 500 of these illegal vehicles from our streets, enhancing community safety. Our enforcement actions will continue.” Q
Tom Grech, CEO and president of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, recently launched the Queens Innovation Foundation at Citi Field. The purpose of the nonprofit is to help the World’s Borough become an AI tech hub so people in Queens are at the forefront of the new technology’s advancement. PHOTO COURTESY QCC
by Naeisha Rose Associate EditorThe Queens Chamber of Commerce recently launched the Queens Innovation Foundation, a nonprofit meant to accelerate the growth of the tech sector in Queens and establish it as the epicenter of AI-fueled startups.
The foundation builds on the work of the Queens Tech Council and Queens Tech Incubator program, according to the QCC. QTI operates five locations called accelerators across the borough housing 15 businesses, 70 percent of which are minority- and women-owned business enterprises. QTC focuses on building an economy that embraces innovation and promotes tech adoption.
The foundation aims to raise $40 million to introduce the World Innovation Center, which will expand the incubator platform, offer capital and provide programmatic support. In addition, there are plans to incentivize international and domestic companies to relocate to the borough. There will also be events for tech innovators to gather, network and upskill Queens residents for jobs in the sector.
The June 4 event, included an expo that featured several business leaders with firms that use artificial intelligence, including Verizon, who shared their advice to entrepreneurs about how to use the tool.
QCC President and CEO Tom Grech told
the Chronicle that AI software has been used behind the scene for years, but the New York Metropolitan area is catching up on using it at a local level.
“At a basic level, it is going to threaten some jobs, but that is true of all technology that comes along the way since the horse-andbuggy days and automobiles coming on the scene,” Grech said. “I don’t think it is anything to be feared for small businesses and large businesses. It is something to be embraced and to be in front of the curve ... Folks in Queens can be knowledgeable about the power of AI in general.”
Electricians and technicians won’t be threatened by the technology, but those who work in industries that involve repetitive tasks are more likely to be threatened by it.
“It’s more like people who work on an internet platform” whose jobs can be at risk, Grech said. “At the end of the day, we have not heard, nor do we expect, a lot of our local businesses to be fearful or threatened by this new advancement in technology.”
The QCC president said that Queens College has more graduates in computer science majors than any other college in the Big Apple, which will help in making the borough an AI tech hub.
“We want to make sure those kids learn, grow, stay and work in Queens,” Grech said.
“They will have no reason to go anywhere else as we build up and fund startups here.”
He also said that unlike coding, anyone can use AI because it doesn’t require years of study to learn.
“People with relatively low skills can learn how to do basic programming with ChatGPT,” Grech said. “They can build websites, they can build functionality on websites, and to me it is a blessing for anyone who doesn’t have the time or the funding to do a full fouryear program.”
Grech said entrepreneurs will benefit from AI tech because startups often struggle with access to capital to cover expenses. AI does not require a lot of funding to use and the software will help to reduce costs as one grows his or her business.
“You never want to grow so fast that you outrun or outlive your funding,” he said.
Arvind Rajagopalan, the associate vice president of data engineering, architecture & products for Verizon, said AI can be used by various industries. The communications company utilizes the technology to improve the customer service experience, he said.
“Restaurants can utilize it to automate some of the customer service calls,” Rajagopalan told the Chronicle. “From a healthcare perspective ... you can develop new drugs and treatments. AI can be used in a lot of different ways.” Q
This article was originally published on June 17 at 9:28 p.m. EDT by THE CITY
In a vote affecting the roughly million New York households in rent-stabilized apartments, the New York City Rent Guidelines Board voted Monday night to allow rent increases of 2.75 percent for one-year leases and 5.25 percent for two-year leases beginning Oct. 1.
The 5-4 vote capped a contentious voting session, part of an annual process in which the city board weighs landlord and tenant economics in setting permitted rent hikes.
A crowded tenant group on the Park Avenue sidewalk outside Hunter College calling for a rent freeze preceded the vote inside. Eleven demonstrators were arrested after police ordered them to step away from the entrance.
The final decision comes after a volatile few months of meetings, including a preliminary vote April 30 during which two tenant members of the board walked out in protest. In that earlier meeting, the board decided on a potential range of rent adjustments of between 2 and 4.5 percent for a one-year lease and 4 to 6.5 percent for two-year leases.
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, a former tenant organizer, spoke at the protest, calling on the board to decide on the “lowest rent increase humanly possible.”
“Raising rents on tenants does not help landlords that are suffering,” Williams said to the crowd. “You can’t raise rent on people that do not have it.”
Landlords and their representatives assert larger increases are necessary to help them maintain buildings and afford taxes.
“Rent is income that buildings need to meet escalating costs, and we are hoping for an upward adjustment that recognizes the need to maintain buildings that are at and approaching 100 years old,” Michael Tobman of the Rent Stabilization Association told THE CITY.
According to an annual report the Rent Guidelines Board produces on building operat-
ing costs, buildings that contain rent stabilized apartments had expenses projected to increase 3.9 percent this year. Meanwhile, tenant advocates generally argue that raising rent to make up for operating expenses will only result in more evictions and homelessness.
“There are small landlords that are dealing with issues and need assistance,” Williams told THE CITY. “But we need the landlords to get help from the state and the city, and not from tenants who can’t afford it.”
Many of the protesters called for Mayor Adams to step in and help facilitate a rent freeze — an action that former Mayor Bill de Blasio directed the board to take twice.
“So many people will have to choose between food and rent or a doctor and rent because of Eric Adams, ” said Ana Maria Archila of the Working Families Party to the crowd. “There’s one person in the city that can choose to freeze the rent — Eric Adams — but today he chooses real estate instead of real people.”
The meeting itself was contentious, with tenant advocates yelling loudly at the board as it voted on adjustment ranges.
Adán Soltren, a lawyer appointed to the board as one of its two members representing tenants, both of whom walked out of the meeting in May, called for more public hearings in future years before the adjustment range has been decided, and having more board members represent the public.
Currently, two members of the board represent tenants, two represent landlords and the other five, including the chair, represent the general public. All nine members are appointed by the mayor.
“If we keep approaching the problem the same way,” Soltren said, “rent-stabilized tenants, the majority of which are Black and brown low-income, working-class folks, will not be able to stay in their homes.” Q
THE CITY (www.thecity.nyc) is an independent, nonprofit news organization dedicated to hard-hitting reporting that serves the people of New York.
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While some enjoy taking trips to botanical gardens to see beautiful florals and have a sense of serenity, Maria Sanchez, a Howard Beach resident since 2000, has managed to capture that essence in what she dubs her own “hidden secret garden.”
continued from page 2
icle. “The fact that there are so many people who are expressing violent hatred, and actual, not pseudo but actual, genocidal wishes against the Jewish people is not only frightening, it’s very disheartening. It goes contrary to what our country here in America stands for.”
Asked what he thought about a proposed mask ban, Pearl said, “I don’t know the legal implications of any of that. I know that these people are cowards. ... Anyone who can support, justify, excuse or explain the horrific, barbaric massacre on October 7 is evil. And I think evil has no place in a world of goodness. Evil and good can’t coexist. It has to be one or the other. I vote for good. They vote for evil.”
Forest Hills labor attorney Ethan Felder said, “Anti-Semitism is concretely antithetical to American ideals, and something that everyone, whether they’re Jewish or not, should care deeply about in terms of understanding it and combating it.”
something that is vile. It’s a complete dehumanization of the Jewish people who were murdered in cold blood.”
“I’m frustrated,” Sarah Kaplan, a job recruiter from Kew Gardens, told the Chronicle. “I can understand protesting against those who want to see innocents suffer. But I don’t think most Jews want to see Palestinians die, and I don’t think most pro-Palestinians want to see Jews dead, either. Some can’t grasp that.”
She added, “I consider myself pro-Israel, but I also support a ceasefire. People see that I’m a Jew and think I’m pro-genocide. People I thought were my friends don’t talk to me anymore for posting that on Facebook: ‘I can support Israel without supporting the death of innocent Palestinians.’ Meanwhile, relatives have called me a ‘self-hating Jew’ for that. There’s no winning.”
Asked about the proposed mask ban, Kaplan said, “It’s ridiculous. How will that be enforced for people wearing masks for health? It doesn’t make sense.”
“I started loving my garden more when the pandemic started,” Sanchez told the Chronicle via email. “I started little by little, and it became my sanctuary.”
— Kristen GuglielmoHer backyard dreamscape has an aboveground pool, diverse blooms in shades of yellow, blue, pink and red and a grassy landscape complemented by rustic paving. Her fence is adorned with butterfly art pieces and hanging lights that are sure to provide a great ambiance as the sun sets.
He added, “From what I see, the perniciousness of it is really terrible, but also the tolerance for it by people of good will is, I think, the most concerning aspect of what’s been going on, and what a lot of Jews in Queens are feeling and seeing.”
Felder said he had not looked into a proposed mask ban. “But I think there has to be like a recognition that protesting a memorial to the victims of October 7, is
Mayim Russell, an Auburndale parent, said she would support a mask ban, as she’s fearful commuting to work.
“Anti-Semitism is everywhere,” she told the Chronicle via text message. “I worry for the safety of my kids on the school bus too. It’s New York, so you have to be conscious of your surroundings, but more now. ... I don’t see an end in sight.” Q
Technology is moving so quickly today that at Kennedy Airport, those managing the New Terminal One project hold off on placing major orders until the last minute to ensure they get the most up-to-date products. They want to be certain that upon opening in 2026, they’ll be giving both customers and their airline partners “the absolute latest capability,” according to NTO CEO Jennifer Aument.
In the state Legislature, Assemblyman Clyde Vanel of Eastern Queens has 11 bills on the table dealing with artificial intelligence. Knowledgeable in both science and the science fiction that has sometimes predicted it, Vanel is happy to talk Isaac Asimov when he’s not flying his own plane or trying to create guardrails around the rush to the future.
Rapidly modernizing airports and the wonders and worries surrounding AI are just two topics the Chronicle delves into this week in our 27th Annual Celebration of Queens: On the Cutting Edge special edition. We’re serving up 14 pieces — in print or digital, of course — on everything from power generation to live performance enhancements.
First is the look at AI, through Vanel’s and others’ eyes. It’s worth a peek if only to check out the haunting image his office produced using artificial intelligence — but you bet
it’s worth a close read, too. AI is going to change everything.
Next up are the airports, where the focus is largely on improving the customer experience. Like biometric scans? We bet you do if they move the line at security along. And yes, autonomous vehicles will be moving you along soon, too.
Next we go into power generation, as the drive to get away from fossil fuels accelerates. Hydropower may be old, but the Champlain Hudson Express lines that’ll be bringing the juice from Canada to Astoria, and the station that’ll accept it, will be brand-new. So too will be the power generators destined, over time, to replace the fossil-fuel plants there. Today’s operators are working to clear the air, literally.
Next we take a nostalgic turn, in a graphical piece comparing select tech of 1994 to today. Things are generally easier now — remember those old manual credit card machines?
Healthcare is vital and is not neglected. We speak with doctors and officials from a number of hospital networks about the latest treatments in psychiatry, oncology and more. Another article discusses the benefits of medical devices the patient keeps with him or herself, such as hearing aids that link to smartphones and CPAP machines that come with an app that gives data on sleep apnea and breathing.
We also touch on some of the latest in schools, whether it’s remote learning — here to stay, they say — or robotics and hydroponics. Yes, kids are either building machines to do specific tasks or growing plants with no soil, or both.
Technology is also bringing change to one of the oldest institutions around: theater. Learn how it’s improving both audio and visual experiences, as well as language access.
Back on the street, you’re seeing more and more electric vehicles, even if the market has had some hiccups, and now you’re seeing more places to charge them in Queens. A key part of our piece: More of those places charge them fast, too.
Another story examines tech’s impact on a handful of unrelated sectors (to the degree anything is unrelated today). Art, including that by students, physical therapy, Con Edison and an IT firm — they may be different, but technology is changing them all, and those involved will tell you how.
The head of the Queens Chamber of Commerce gives his take on tech, and then we wrap up with a look at the stunning variety of data the city makes available to everyone online.
Tech may move too fast to really keep up, but “On the Cutting Edge” gives you the latest in Queens right now. Don’t be so two thousand and late. Keep up with the Chronicle.
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Dear Editor:
Re “Bye, bye, congestion pricing,” Editorial, June 13:
“Thirteen dollars and 88 cents a car round trip? Who are you kidding?” asked no Queens newspaper ever with respect to the RFK, Whitestone or Throgs Neck bridge toll.
Admittedly that’s $1.12 less (with E-ZPass) than that “sky-high” congestion pricing $15 many were rending their garments over, but still odd how those cops and teachers and firefighters (oh, my); people with medical appointments; seafood restaurants in City Island, etc., are less of an apocalyptic issue when it comes to paying for getting in and out of Queens. But that $15 to Midtown Manhattan? That, shriek our politicians and media, would end Chinatown and finally drive the working-class poor and first responders to ruin, among other calamities. (While they steadfastly maintain their usual radio silence on unfair Queens property taxes, naturally.)
Once again, pretty much the same “number of influential Queens leaders from state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Woodhaven) to Assemblyman Clyde Vanel (D-Queens Village)” (“Congestion pricing: All politics is Hochul,” June 13) duly serve the interests mostly of Brownstone Brooklyn elites residing near and accustomed to enjoying the forever free Brooklyn
and Manhattan East River bridges. Even with all that property tax discount money one does not impose on the personal funds of ruling elites. Not even $15.
Edwin Eppich GlendaleDear Editor:
We, all 51 members of the City Council, urge you to renew funding for the Affordable Connectivity Program. ACP provides essential financial assistance for high-speed internet access, and is crucial to closing the digital divide. High-speed internet connectivity affords people expanded options for an education, to participate in the workforce, to access vital services like health care, and to connect with family and friends around the world.
When the program started, about a quarter of
New York City households lacked a broadband subscription. Black, Latino, low-income, and senior households are even less likely to have access to high speed internet. The ACP, started in 2021, has been crucial to addressing this digital gap, helping households access the internet and internet-capable devices regardless o f where they live or their economic status.
The Center for an Urban Future estimates nearly 1 million households in New York City participate in ACP, making the city’s five boroughs home to more than 4 percent of all ACPparticipating households. Additionally, under ACP, all New York City Public Schools families became eligible for subsidies for monthly highspeed broadband access, helping improve connectivity for the reportedly nearly thirteen percent of students who lacked access to adequate internet at home.
The ACP has become a lifeline for New Yorkers as a pathway to education, healthcare,
social services, and as a way to connect and communicate with loved ones around the world. We strongly urge you to prioritize the extension of renewing full funding for the ACP to ensure all Americans have access to low cost, high speed internet.
Julie Won
NYC Councilmember for the 26th District Chair of the Committee on Contracts Long Island City Adrienne Adams
NYC Councilmember for the 28th District Council Speaker Jamaica
The letter was signed by all members of the City Council, starting with Julie Won and Adrienne Adams.
Dear Editor:
Last month, the U.S. House Agriculture Committee advanced a version of the Farm Bill that hurts animals, undermines state sovereignty, and ignores the will of the electorate. The Committee-approved bill contains a slew of problematic language, including an extremely harmful provision that would preempt critical state laws like California’s Proposition 12 — a ballot measure approved by voters in 2018 to outlaw the sale of certain products from animals raised in the cruelest forms of confinement. But this is not the only way the House’s Farm Bill fails animals. It also weakens protections for dogs in puppy mills and other animals in federally licensed facilities by diluting enforcement measures under the Animal Welfare Act, and it passes up a valuable opportunity to incorporate the Save America’s Forgotten Equines bill, the SAFE Act, which would prevent the inherently inhumane slaughter and export of tens of thousands of American horses for meat.
I appeal to Rep. Grace Meng, my representative, to oppose any iteration of the Farm Bill that restricts states and citizens from passing laws reflecting their values. This bill should uphold state protections for farm animals and encourage strong enforcement measures against animal cruelty by including both Goldie’s Act and the SAFE Act to ensure the welfare of dogs, horses, and other animals.
Kathleen Fischer Forest HillsDear Editor:
Big Apple traffic congestion is a citywide issue that has grown, impacting local, limitedstop, select and express bus service operations. Consider the connection between the reduction in traffic speed and its relationship to the corresponding loss in street capacity. Over the past 22 years, under Mayors Michael Bloomberg, Bill de Blasio and Eric Adams, over 1,400 miles of traffic lanes have been eliminated. This was due to the dramatic increase in the introduction of bike lanes, street-calming projects, pedestrian plazas and outdoor restaurant sheds. Forcing buses to share less street space with cars, taxis, Uber, Lyft, UPS, FedEx and other delivery and commercial operations, along with city agency vehicles, has contributed to a decline in traffic speed for everyone in all five boroughs. It has also resulted in increased con-
flicts with pedestrians.
This is like cholesterol buildup resulting in hardening of the arteries. All of it contributes to increased gridlock, pollution and adverse impacts on bus service. Trying to travel around town by bus continues to take longer. In Manhattan, you can often walk faster! The new state law allowing city officials to reduce speed limits from 25 to 20 miles per hour on many streets will only make things even worse.
Larry Penner Great Neck, LI
Dear Editor:
As reported, violent or potentially violent protesters target Jews while being masked, like recently on a subway car. There was a law preventing being masked at protests, and it needs to be brought back.
Added to that, attacking with red paint homes owned by Jewish people, as reported in the papers and on TV, is just so sad. This is not a protest in my book but just pure vandalism. My question is, were not such acts committed in Nazi Germany and by the KKK in our own country? All those who engage in this hate and anti-Semitism must be arrested and made to pay the price for these evil acts against our fellow human beings.
You see, we are all brothers and sisters created by God to love and respect one another. I’m a Catholic and am appalled and troubled with all this anti-Semitism.
Frederick R. Bedell Jr. Bellerose
Dear Editor:
In the June 13 issue of the Queens Chronicle were three letters from readers that in some way condemned Donald Trump or the Republican Party. But it was the letter from writer Glenn Hayes that really caught my eye (“Don’t vote Republican”).
Miss a letter or an article cited by a writer? Want breaking news from all over Queens?
Find the latest news, past reports from all over the borough and more at qchron.com.
Mr. Hayes wrote, “The Republicans are the only party to propose cutting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, along with other social benefits for those in need.” And so I ask, Mr. Hayes, have you heard any Democrats propose cuts to social and economic benefits to migrants and illegal aliens?
Considering the number that have crossed the border illegally since the day Joe Biden took office, the amount taxpayers have shelled out, including you, has probably reached billions. There are reports of veterans services and library funds being cut, with few if any Democrats decrying that. Democrats seem to have no worries issuing migrants clothing allowances, generous credit cards, luxury housing and cell phones.
Of course, there is a logical reason for it. Word of the generous social benefits reaches continued on next page
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home, so relatives and friends come to take advantage of the generosity. The Democrats also see the migrants and their offspring as future voters for their party. Therefore, native Americans, veterans and taxpayers be damned.
One need not have a degree in political science to see who and what the Democrats are really concerned about. It’s whom they can lure with freebies and staying in power.
Edward Riecks
Howard Beach
Dear Editor:
So just to be clear, Republicans go out of their way to convict Hunter Biden on some ridiculous weapons charge. A charge for which he will not be pardoned by his father, President Joe Biden. The man the GOP says has weaponized the Justice Department.
Meanwhile, the GOP-controlled Supreme Court OKs the use of bump stocks, basically restoring the ability of anyone to turn a rifle into a rapid-fire machine gun. So, according to the GOP, one person (Hunter Biden) buying a gun while possibly under the influence of drugs is a travesty. But the GOP-controlled Supreme Court allowing anyone to have access to what is basically a weapon that will fire hundreds of bullets per minute,
without a background check, is OK.
Why? Because the NRA is a major contributor to all Republicans. And we all know their motto: “Profits over people.”
But what else is to be expected from a party that supported Darren Bailey as the GOP nominee for governor of Illinois in 2022? A man who after the Highland Park shooting on July 4, in which seven people were murdered said, “Let’s pray for justice to prevail, and then let’s move on and let’s celebrate the independence of this nation.” What about 2-year-old Aidan McCarthy? He will have to celebrate without his parents Kevin and Irena, who were shot down in the massacre. Let’s all follow Bailey’s lead. Let’s just drag the dead bodies away and hose down the blood on the sidewalk so we can toss confetti and celebrate the Second Amendment.
Robert LaRosa Sr. WhitestoneWe want to hear from new voices! Letters should be no longer than 300 words and may be edited for length, clarity and other reasons. They may be emailed to letters@qchron.com. Please include your phone number, which will not be published. Those received anonymously are discarded.
The scent of fried dough coated in sugar wafted in the air last week at the annual feast hosted by Our Lady of Grace Church in Howard Beach, at 100-05 159 Ave. Residents of all ages turned out en masse to the multi-day event, spanning June 12 through 16, in the church parking lot for standard fair fare and other options such as pizza, gelato, empanadas and crepes. Entertainment included live music, games and raffles. Some even anted up for a game of Texas Hold ’Em. Proceeds from the event went to Our Lady of Grace, which is gearing up to celebrate its 100th year with a block party on July 20 in its parking lot.
— Kristen Guglielmo
Before justice, street justice.
The man accused of raping a 13-year-old girl in Kissena Corridor Park while she was tied with a shoelace to a boy the same age was nabbed Monday not by cops, but by civilians. A group of people spotted him, held him and got physical with him when he tried to escape, police and media outlets report.
Leading the charge was Angela Sauretti, 23, who had seen a photo of the wanted man on social media and spotted him outside the 108th Grocery in Corona, according to the Daily Beast.
She checked with a friend who agreed he was the guy and then sprang into action.
“He tried to run so I put him in a headlock,” Sauretti told the outlet. As he struggled, she let him feel it. “He got something that his mother should have done to him. I’ll put it that way.”
Other people joined in the citizen arrest and, near the grocery store on 108th Street across from Westside Avenue — where a sign above the door reads “Corona’s Finest” — they held him for New York’s Finest.
“He began to fight back as the community was trying to restrain him,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny said in a press conference held after his arrest. “He suffered some minor injuries while the community was holding him.”
He received treatment at an area hospital.
Police Commissioner Edward Caban thanked not just his investigators but city residents for nabbing the suspect at the briefing.
“There is no greater force multiplier than the eyes and ears of the engaged, fully involved public,” Caban said. “This is exactly what we mean when we talk about public safety as a shared responsibility.”
The man reportedly told one of his captors he planned to fly back to Ecuador — he’s an Ecuadorean national who crossed into the United States illegally in 2021, according to the police — but he won’t be boarding a flight. Instead he’s being held without bail and faces a slew of charges.
Indentified by police and the District
man they say committed the crime. The suspect is Christian Inga. IMAGES COURTESY NYPD
Attorney’s Office as Christian Inga, 25, the man was arraigned Wednesday and charged with:
• rape in the first degree;
• rape in the second degree;
• predatory sexual assault;
• sexual abuse in the first degree;
• two counts of kidnapping in the second degree;
• two counts of robbery in the first degree;
• two counts of endangering the welfare of a child; and
• obstructing governmental administration.
NYPD for its quick action in apprehending the defendant who will now face justice in our courts.”
“He suffered some minor injuries ...”
Before his arraignment, police had said Inga faced a slightly different list of charges, including menacing, unlawful imprisonment and criminal possession of a weapon. His arrest comes after a manhunt of several days, with police first releasing a sketch of the rapist and then a short video and two still images of him riding a bicycle.
— NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny
“This attack on two children in broad daylight in a city park strikes the very core of our society,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement announcing the charges.
“According to the complaint, this defendant confronted the boy and girl, tied the children to one another, gagged them and then raped the girl before fleeing the park. Thank you to the brave victims for coming forward and the
The crime occurred about 3:30 p.m. June 13 near an area that is labeled as part of the Kissena Corridor Park Trail, just off Colden Street near Kalmia Avenue.
The man approached the two 13-year-olds and told them to come with him, according to police. When they refused, he brandished a long knife or machete and forced them into a wooded area. There he tied their wrists together and sexually assaulted the girl. He
also stole both their cellphones.
After he left, the children ran to a nearby school, where someone called 911, according to media reports.
The defendant’s full name, as reported by some press outlets, is Christian Geovanni Inga-Landi. The address police provided for him is just steps from the deli where he was caught.
Police say Inga crossed into the United States at Eagle Pass, Texas, without authorization in 2021. He reportedly was arrested once in Texas, but never in New York before the rape. He did have several interactions with police here that were below the level of a crime, however. He received summonses for alleged fare-beating, trespassing and possessing an open container of alcohol. There was also a report of domestic violence but it did not lead to an arrest.
City Councilwoman Sandra Ung (D-Flushing), who represents the area where the rape occurred, issued a statement following Inga’s arrest.
“I want to thank the NYPD and all of the investigators who devoted themselves to solving this tragic and terrifying case from the moment it was reported. I hope this arrest will bring some peace of mind to our community, who continue to share in the grief with the victims, their families and their school.
“I also want to commend the brave victims, who under unbelievably traumatic circumstances were able to provide police with a detailed description of their attacker that ultimately helped identify this suspect.”
She continued by saying that Flushing residents have known “for far too long” that the section of Kissena Corridor Park where the rape occurred can be unsafe.
“I am committed to working with the Mayor, the NYPD, the Parks Department, and other community stakeholders to improve public safety and take the necessary steps to ensure that our park becomes a safe space for all members of our community.”
Soon after the crime occurred, Ung met with the commander of the 109th Precinct and discussed having more police patrols and better lighting in the park. Q
Four people have been charged for the attacks that injured two police officers outside a hotel-turned-shelter in Long Island City early Monday morning.
The Office of Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said the attack took place outside 38-70 12 St. A check by the Chronicle determined the address to be the site of the Wingate Wyndham Hotel.
The officers at the time of the alleged attack, 4:20 a.m., were checking on the welfare of three young children they saw riding
bicycles on a sidewalk untended.
The DA’s Office said Juan Munoz, 25, Alejandro Munoz, 42, and Karina NavarroChavez, 42, all of Long Island City, and Miguel Chiluisa, 23, of Corona, each were charged with four counts of second-degree assault; two counts of third-degree assault; first-degree attempted gang assault; two counts of first-degree attempted assault; second-degree obstruction of government administration; resisting arrest; and two counts of fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
Juan Munoz, Alejandro Munoz and
Navarro-Chavez were also charged with endangering the welfare of a child, while Chiluisa was charged with both second- and third-degree escape.
“In an effort to check on the children’s safety, they approached a nearby group of adults to make sure that the children were being supervised,” Katz said. “At that point, a group of approximately five adults began punching, kicking, and shoving the officers — with two assailants throwing bikes and striking the cops.”
If convicted of the top count, the defendants face up to 15 years in prison. The
defendants are due back in court on June 21.
According to the charges, the officers approached all four defendants and a fifth person, a woman who has not yet been apprehended, when the woman allegedly began yelling a before pushing and striking one cop while others surrounded him.
Chiluisa allegedly picked up and threw one of the bicycles, striking an officer while Navarro-Chavez allegedly struck the cop in the head with an unknown object.
The cops were taken to NewYork Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center in Manhattan for treatment of their injuries. Q
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Ka-Chow! Children and families on June 8 made nearly 100 box cars at a free movie night at the PS/MS 207 school yard in Howard Beach. The event was hosted by Councilwoman Joann Ariola in conjunction with the city Parks Department, the Howard Beach Lindenwood Civic and Brina Ciaramella with Sovereign Realty of New York. Of course, the showing for the evening was Disney’s “Cars.”
Sovereign Realty supplied children with everything needed to build and decorate a box car that rivaled the likes of Lightning McQueen. The kids decorated their new
rides and enjoyed the opportunity to build their own “Cars”-themed snack box to enjoy during the film, at top.
Ariola and Ciaramella, above right, even made box cars of their very own. Ciaramella said the event was a success, and lauded the organizational help from the Sovereignettes: Ashlee Horning, above left, Jade Larrea, AnnaMaria Iannone and Victoria Gambino.
“They’re hardworking school kids that love to work community events,” she said.
— Kristen Guglielmo
Calling all animal lovers! The office of Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park) is collecting pet supplies to donate to neighborhood rescues.
Her office is accepting wet and dry cat food, training pads, cat litter, pet carriers, dog and cat treats and dish soap. Donations must be unopened.
Ariola’s office is located at 93-06 101 Ave. and is open Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Recent recipients of pet supply donations from the councilwoman include Zion’s Mission Animal Rescue, based in
Broad Channel, and MeowSquad NYC. In a Facebook post last week, Ariola said she stopped at MeowSquad headquarters and dropped off plenty of food, treats, litter, pet carriers and other necessary supplies.
She wrote, “Thank you so much to all who have donated. And we are also still very much accepting food and supplies for other shelters in our area as well. ... Any little bit helps!”
Those with questions can contact Ariola’s office at (718) 738-1083. Q — Kristen Guglielmo
The city Department of Transportation and MTA discussed a proposal for bus lanes on Hillside Avenue and gave residents an update on the 165th St. Bus Terminal’s temporary relocation in Jamaica during a Community Board 12 transit meeting June 11.
During the Zoom meeting, agency representatives shared renderings of the proposed bus lanes along Hillside Avenue. The dedicated transit corridors would run from Springfield to Queens boulevards.
Throughout the meeting, examples of a cross section lane with a sidewalk, 8-foot wide parking lane, 11-foot-wide travel lane, 10-foot wide concrete bus boarding island and 11-foot wide bus lane were shown. An existing travel lane each way would be eliminated.
The bus lanes would run 4.2 miles, according to the MTA. The purpose of the proposal is to improve bus service in an area that has 194,000 daily passengers on 17 MTA routes and 21,000 straphangers on five Nassau InterCounty Express routes with connections to the E, F, J and Z subway and the Hollis and Jamaica Long Island Rail Road stops.
The agency also said bus speeds are as low as 4 miles per hour and 60 people have been killed or seriously injured on Hillside Avenue from 2018 to 2022.
“Hillside Avenue is home to some of our most popular routes,” said Jon Feldman of NICE. “The N6 is our most popular route and carries about 10, 100 folks a day.”
According to demographic data, 73,000 people live within a few blocks of Hillside Avenue, 60 percent of workers commute via transit, walking or other non-driving means. About 40 percent of households do not have access to a vehicle and the average commute time is 46 minutes, which is above the city average, said Project Manager Faith Chojar of DOT’s Transit Development Unit.
“Hillside Avenue is in the top 10 percent of highest crashes in Queens,” Chojar continued.
“It has been identified as a Vision Zero corridor and had two Vision Zero intersections on Springfield Boulevard and 197th Street.”
Previous community feedback the DOT received was regarding the late bus times and long periods between bus service throughout the week, but especially on weekends, according to Chojar. She said the agencies hope to finalize a proposal this summer and share a revised plan by fall.
Vanessa Sparks, a CB 12 member, said she knows that the agencies spoke to people, but similar to Downtown Jamaica, most of them are not residents of the area.
“It is very transient,” Sparks said. “Meaning, many of the people that utilize the area around
the bus stops — I’m not saying most, or definitely not all — are people that are passing through. That whole strip of Hillside Avenue is mostly businesses.”
Sparks also said while bus lanes are not necessarily a bad idea, there needs to be conversations with the business owners first.
“We have not yet spoken to business owners, but we absolutely plan to,” said Chojar, who asked for suggestions if there are any that stood out in the residents’ minds.
CB 12 Chairwoman Carlene Thorbs said that Chojar and the other transit representatives need to speak to all of the business owners.
“There are a lot of businesses that require daily deliveries,” said Sparks. “There are a lot of restaurants, grocery stores and bodegas. I can’t see how this is taking place there without speaking to those business owners first.”
Munsun Park of the MTA said that her colleagues have worked out a lease for the new 168th St. Bus Terminal with Greater Jamaica Development Corp. GJDC is the owner of the parking lot, located at 90-091 168 St., which is being transformed into a temporary home for the 165th Bus Terminal, located at 89th Avenue and Merrick Boulevard, as the transit hub is expected to get redeveloped for an electric bus fleet and a mixed-use building complex.
The MTA awaits approval for the lease by the state Comptroller’s Office. Afterwards, the agency can turn the parking lot into a temporary terminal. The lease of the 165 Bus Terminal expires December 2024, at which point the city, MTA and NICE buses must vacate the premises. The temporary terminal is expected to have a five-year lease with an option for 10 one-year renewals, according to the MTA. Q
The man who allegedly had a cache of weapons in his car when he was pulled over near LaGuardia Airport on June 12 was held without bail last Thursday at his arraignment in Queens Criminal Court.
In a statement from her office on June 13, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said Judd Sanson of Hollis was arraigned on charges of criminal possession of a weapon and other crimes after he was stopped by police in East Elmhurst for having a covering over his license plate.
Officers from the 110th Precinct patrolling in East Elmhurst pulled Sanson over for a traffic stop at about 1:30 a.m. Officers allegedly noticed a number of weapons in plain sight in the vehicle, including a knife in a holster strapped to Sanson’s right leg.
They also allegedly recovered a loaded Glock 9 mm handgun, body armor, an NYPD uniform patch and an orange Metropolitan Transportation Authority work vest, among other items.
“When a person is pulled over and possesses a loaded semi-automatic gun, more than 170 total rounds of ammunition, multiple weapons, body armor, an NYPD patch and an MTA vest, just a few blocks from the airport, we are very concerned,” Katz said. “This investigation is
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ongoing and I thank the NYPD for apprehending the defendant on a routine traffic stop before anything else happened.”
Sanson, 27, of Hollis, was arraigned on a criminal complaint charging him with two counts of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon; four counts of third-degree criminal possession of a weapon; 10 counts of fourthdegree criminal possession of a weapon; unlawful possession of pistol or revolver ammunition; unlawful use of police uniform or emblem; and issuance, number, location and condition of vehicle plates.
He faces up to 15 years in prison if convict-
ed. Criminal Court Judge Julieta Lozano ordered him to return to court June 17.
At a press conference on June 12, NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said the Detective Bureau and Intelligence Unit are investigating the case.
Maddrey said the location, just across the Grand Central Parkway from LaGuardia, near 86th Street and Ditmars Boulevard, was a block from where two cops from the 115th Precinct were shot on June 3. A 19-year-old resident of an immigrant shelter has been charged in that shooting.
“Members of the 110th Precinct’s Public
Safety team, consisting of one sergeant and three officers in uniform in an unmarked car, were patrolling in the area,” Maddrey said. “They were out late at night addressing robbery conditions, addressing patterns involving mopeds and vehicles, the same as their brothers in the 115th Precinct were doing on June 3.” He said they noticed a black Ford Explorer with blacked-out plates.
“You couldn’t even see the license plate, the cover was so dark,” he said. “Our officers stopped the vehicle on the basis of that.”
Katz’s office said other items recovered included nine loaded magazines and 127 rounds of 9 mm ammunition from inside a bag on the rear passenger seat. Of the nine magazines, four were described as large capacity feeding devices. Police also allegedly found:
• 40 loose 9 mm rounds of ammunition;
• a black baton with a silver-colored blade taped to the end;
• a black whip;
• silver-colored handcuffs;
• an expandable baton with the words “Left Me No Choice,” “You Gon Learn Today” and an Arabic expression that means, “Ask In God For Forgiveness;”
• a stun gun;
• a machete;
• two switchblade knives and a black colored
continued on page 26
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Man allegedly sold cannabis-infused candy, and ‘flower,’ on Queens
This bus is busted.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced on Friday that a man selling marijiuana and cannabis-infused candy out of a converted school bus in Sunnyside has been arrested and his vehicle seized.
Called “The Green Empress,” the bus was operating as an illegal pot shop at the corner of Queens Boulevard and 43rd Avenue. Undercover detectives from the DA’s Office bought the drug there several times, Katz’s office said.
The DA’s detectives, along with NYPD officers, recovered a number of illegal items from the vehicle June 12, according to the office: one cannabis chocolate bar; six disposable concen-
trated cannabis straws; several cannabis products packaged with candy names like “Skittles,” “Warhead Sour Medicated Chewy Cubes,” “Stoney Patch Kids,” “Gummy Sharks,” “Jolly Ranchers” and “Strawberry Puffs”; and several Ziplock bags containing a quantity of cannabis.
The candy products were in bags that look much like the regular versions on store shelves. Altogether, the seized products are estimated to total more than two pounds of marijuana.
“Cannabis” has become the preferred term among government officials for the drug long known as marijuana, pot, weed and a slew of other names. It is the plant’s scientific name.
The bus’ alleged owner, Anthony Stevens, 62, of Brooklyn, was charged with unlawful sale of cannabis, unlawful possession of cannabis and criminal possession of cannabis in the third degree. Stevens received a desk appearance ticket and was ordered to return to court on July 2.
“You cannot operate a cannabis dispensary that is unregulated and marketed toward our children,” Katz said in a prepared statement. “Unlicensed marijuana sellers have become the subject of numerous community complaints because the unregulated product is often targeted to young people and has actually sickened customers. Such dispensaries also evade tax revenue for public services and undercut legal vendors who prioritize safety and compliance.
My office will continue to crack down on illegal dispensaries that pose a serious threat to public health.”
Mars, the company that makes Skittles and many other popular candies, did not respond to messages seeking information and comment about the Green Empress products sold in packages that look just like the confectionary corporation’s.
Illegal pot shops have sprung up across the city and state since Albany legalized recreational pot smoking. According to Katz, there are 133 licensed adult recreational-use cannabis dispensaries open in New York State, including 14 in Queens. There are 42 state-authorized medical marijuana dispensaries, including three in the borough.
continued
The Department of City Planning provided residents an online refresher course about zoning ahead of a Zoom town hall about proposed reforms of Downtown Jamaica and parts of Hollis, last Thursday.
During the Jamaica Neighborhood Plan Town Hall, people had questions about what will be developed in the area and if its needs will be met with the plan.
DCP agency reps said they hope to get more feedback from community members regarding the rezoning. The initiative would transform Jamaica Center, the downtown area where straphangers catch the E, J and Z trains, along with nearby regions stretching to the Jamaica and Hollis Long Island Rail Road stops to Hillside Avenue in the north and the Van Wyck Expressway to the west. Last Thursday’s event was designed to lay the groundwork for an environmental review of the plan. The proposal also calls for rezoning sections of Dunkirk and 160th streets and Merrick, Sutphin and Guy R. Brewer boulevards, according to DCP. There will be no zoning changes to single- or two-family areas, said Shavvone Jackson, a DCP representative.
More than 200,000 people who live, work or go to school in and around Downtown
An image of a low-density commercial building on Merrick Boulevard, left, beside one of what the site would look like under the Jamaica Neighborhood Plan rezoning initiative. IMAGES COURTESY DCP
Jamaica would be impacted by the rezoning of the area, said DCP Borough Planner Alisa Nurmansyah, using data from the 2020 Census.
“Zoning is a set of rules that control how land in a community can be used,” said Jasmin Tepale, the senior program manager at DCP, who is overseeing the Jamaica rezoning plan. “It tells us what you can build and where you can build it ... this includes the type of uses you see in a neighborhood like residential or commercial zoning ... and what a building looks like and how tall it can be.”
The three main types of zoning districts
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include residential, commercial and manufacturing, or R, C and M zoning districts. R1 is a low-density residential district, while R10 is a high-density district.
The purpose of the rezoning plan is to build up Downtown Jamaica, which consists of mostly two- to six-story homes and residential, commercial and manufacturing buildings to create eight- to 16-story buildings to address the growing population and low housing production in the area, according to the DCP presentation.
Data from the American Community Survey, released in 2022, said that from 2010 to
2020, Jamaica’s population increased by 13.4 percent, higher than the rest of the city, which grew by 7.7 percent. Housing production in the area increased by 10.1 percent while housing production in the city grew by 7.3 percent, which is closer to the citywide population increase, according to DCP.
Profiles of Queens Community District 12 (Jamaica, Hollis and St. Albans) said the population was approximately 225,900 in 2010 and 248,158 in 2022.
U.S. Census data said that the city’s population was 8,804,190 on April 1, 2020. A World Population Review census said the city’s population decreased to 7,931,147, but is expected to be around 9 million by 2040, according to a Fox News report on March 28.
Blossom Ferguson, one resident who was on the Zoom call, asked if any of the housing will be available to people with low incomes.
A city Housing Preservation & Development spokeswoman said that if an area is mapped for mandatory inclusionary housing, its required that a share of new housing will be permanently affordable. If a developer comes in to erect a building with more than 10 units, a percentage of them must be permanently affordable.
“Do you plan on having condos or coops?” Ferguson asked. “Is that already estab-
continued on page 26
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Saturday, June 15, marked the 120th anniversary of the General Slocum disaster, when more than 1,000 people, mostly German immigrants from Manhattan’s Lower East Side on a church outing, perished when the overcrowded wooden paddle-wheeled steamship caught fire in the middle of the East River. Many were women and children.
It would be the largest single-day loss of life in New York City history until the World Trade Center attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Area residents and dignitaries, top right, took part in services Saturday at the monument in All Faiths Cemetery in Ridgewood, where 61 of those who were never identified are buried.
At top left, a simple carving depicts the plight of passengers who were forced to take
their chances in the river as the flames raged out of control. In the second row left, Darren Jurgens, one of the organizers of the ceremony, greeted those in attendance.
Next to him, Melissa Alke-Sparnroft, covice chair of the German-American Steuben Parade, told the story of the German immigrants who perished that day. To her right, attendees were joined the NYPD honor guard at the memorial.
At right, Anthony Pisciotta, another of the co-organizers, greeted the attendees after flowers were placed at the memorial.
At far right, not even the ravages of time and the elements keep the figures atop the monument from standing their eternal vigil over those placed under their protection.
— Walter Karling and Michael Gannon
Say Hey Kid, 93, was among the greatestby Michael Gannon Senior News Editor
Ask baseball fans to name the greatest ballplayer of all time. If the answer is not Babe Ruth, it almost certainly will be Willie Mays.
The Say Hey Kid, who ended his legendary career as a member of the 1973 “Ya Gotta Believe” Mets died Tuesday at age 93.
Though he played only 135 games and hit 14 home runs for the Mets after they acquired him at age 41, the team retired his number 24 in 2022.
Club owner Steve Cohen and his wife, Alex, joined the baseball world — and the country — in mourning him on the team’s X feed on Tuesday.
“Willie Mays was one of the greatest to ever play the game,” Cohen said. “Willie ended his Hall of Fame career in Queens and was a key piece to the 1973 NL championship team. Mays played with a style and grace like no one else. Alex and I were thrilled to honor a previous promise from Joan Payson to retire his iconic #24 as a member of the Mets in 2022. On behalf of our entire organization, we send our thoughts and prayers to Willie’s family and friends.”
After starting in the Negro Leagues at age 17, the 20-year-old Alabama native debuted with the New York Giants in 1951 and won Rookie of the Year. He was on deck when
Bobby Thompson hit “The Shot Heard ‘Round the World” in an epic playoff game against the Brooklyn Dodgers before missing two years in the U.S. Army.
Upon returning he had a career that earned him a place on baseball’s Mount Olympus. His 660 home runs were third all time when he retired after the 1973 World Series. He had two Most Valuable Player awards, 24 All-Star game selections and was a member of the 3,000-hit club. The storied slugger hit more than 50 home runs in a season twice, and even led the National League in stolen bases four years in a row in the decade before Maury Wills reintroduced the stolen base as an offensive weapon.
Mays won 12 Gold Gloves, and was the best centerfielder in New York City at a time when fellow future Hall-of Famers Mickey Mantle and Duke Snider patrolled that beat for the Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers, respectively.
Then there was The Catch, Mays’ sprinting, back-to-the batter, over-the-shoulder catch in the deepest part of dead center field in the cavernous Polo Grounds, saving two runs in the 1954 World Series against the Cleveland Indians, which always plays first in any highlight reel of his career.
Payson, the Mets’ first owner, had been a minority owner of the New York Giants,
and had opposed their move to San Francisco in 1958.
Always a huge Mays fan, she tried repeatedly to bring him back to the Big Apple after bringing National League baseball back to New York City in 1962. She routinely offered
the Giants considerable sums of cash, a number of quality players or both, only to be rebuffed.
It was in May 1972, when the Giants were looking to offload their aging, injured slugger and his six-figure salary that the team accepted Payson’s offer of Flushing-born relief pitcher Charlie Williams and $50,000 to bring Mays home.
She talked him out of retiring by promising, among other things, to retire No. 24.
While Father Time and Mays’ body already had betrayed him, greatness always found ways to show itself.
In his first game with the Mets, his solo home run proved to be decisive in a 5-4 win over the Giants at Shea Stadium.
He would be a clubhouse leader in 1973 when the team, in last place in mid-summer, battled back to win the National League East with 82 wins before stunning the Cincinnati Reds in the playoffs.
While the Mets would lose the 1973 World Series in seven games to the eventual threepeat Oakland Athletics dynasty, the Say Hey Kid would do it one more time before hanging his spikes up for good.
While he had some missteps in the field in Game 2, his 12th-inning RBI single against future Hall-of-Famer Rollie Fingers gave the Mets a lead they would not relinquish in a 10-7 win. Q
Summer’s here, and that means the Queens Chronicle’s 16th annual Summer in the Borough Photo Contest is now underway.
Be like Mike! Mike McGevna, that is, who won our 2022 summer competition with the stunning photo of a Jamaica Bay fisherman at sunset you see at the top right of the page in his hand. Here he is picking up his prize — a $50 gift card to anywhere.
Go out and take your best shots of children playing, workers working, lovely landscapes, birds on the bay — whatever you think best says “summertime in Queens.”
If you’d like some extra inspiration, you can check out many of last year’s great entries at tinyurl.com/e2arphbd.
As to the rules, our main requirement is that the photos be taken in this borough
this summer. We ask that you give us all the details you can, especially the location, the names of any people in a photo, when possible, and when it was taken (but don’t use time stamps!). Some entrants give us a whole backstory, and that’s great — we try to post it in full online at least.
Please tell us where in Queens you live and whether you’re an amateur or professional photographer. Include a phone number, which will not be published, as questions may arise. And limit your entries to five.
Send your high-resolution digital photos to peterm@qchron.com, or mail prints to Queens Chronicle Photo Contest, 71-19 80 St., suite 8-201, Glendale, NY 11385. The deadline is Monday, Sept. 23, the day after summer ends. Good luck!
— Peter C. Mastrosimone
continued from page 4
not OK for one person to [singlehandedly] work to undo everybody’s work,” Won told the crowd after the press event. “We deserve to make sure that congestion pricing is re-enacted. We cannot let congestion pricing be a bargaining chip for politics.”
“Congestion pricing is a super passionate topic for me,” said Alex Wong, who has attended several rallies in support of the plan. “It will support all of the biking and walking and running infrastructure across the whole city by reducing the amount of cars and allowing us to give
continued from page 18
knife; and
• a silver-colored hatchet.
“Members of this department make arrests for weapons, arrests for knives every day,” Maddrey said. “But arrests of this magnitude, the amount of ammunition, NYPD paraphernalia in the car, was significant.
Kaz Daughtry, deputy commissioner for of Operations, said police still were looking for a motive.
“An obstructed license plate — a ghost car. You have to ask yourself, ‘What was his intent before he got inside of his vehicle?’”
continued from page 20
The authorities estimate there are thousands of illegal pot shops in the city alone.
Katz’s office said in a press release that the bus bust is part of her ongoing efforts to rid Queens of illegal cannabis dispensaries. According to the office:
Since November 2022, enforcement operations have resulted in the prosecution of 286 individuals for felony-related charges related to the sale and/or possession of cannabis or controlled substances in Queens.
To date, the following items, with an estimated combined value of more than $7 mil-
Daughtry said. “When you cover your license plate, you’re driving around, what is your intent? To avoid a fare? Sometimes it is.”
He said such vehicles, often stolen, have been increasingly used in crimes.
CNN quoted police sources as saying the NYPD’s Joint Terrorism Task Force has been brought into the case. Multiple published and broadcast outlets reported that law enforcement intends to examine Sanson’s history online.
“We are asking for social media,” Katz said according to Fox News. “We’re going to look at what he said on social media. We’re going to look at the computers. We’re going to actually find out what his intent is.” Q
lion, have been seized from more than 317 suspected illegal cannabis dispensaries:
• more than 1,800 pounds of cannabis edibles, including gummies and candy bars;
• more than 2,500 pounds of cannabis “flower” (what was formerly just called “marijuana”);
• hundreds of packages of edible psylocibin, aka “magic mushrooms”; and
• over 10,000 cannabis vape “pens.”
The items together have have an estimated value of over $7.5 million.
Katz has also initiated eviction proceedings against 31 illegal smoke shops. A total of 79 shops in Queens had been padlocked as of May 2024 through the assistance of the Sheriff’s Office and the NYPD. Q
continued from page 22
lished or still in the works?”
Tepale said that based on previous feedback, many seniors who would like to leave their single-family home have expressed interest in still owning property, and condos and co-ops are something that can be created in residential zones, along with other housing types.
Lisa Edwards, another resident, said that she believes the whole rezoning plan is simply gentrification and that the whole process for the initiative is undemocratic.
“This has not been properly publicized,” Edwards said. “It does not allow for community members to hear each other’s voices and discuss.”
A scoping meeting is expected on Thursday, July 11, at 2 p.m. Use this link to learn more: shorturl.at/ahHRa. People can also visit JamaicaPlan.nyc to see an interactive map of where the rezoning would take place, learn more about the project timeline or share his or her opinion on the plan.
“We hear that infrastructure, including the sewage system, might not even be adequate for this plan,” Edwards said. “[Councilwoman Nantasha] Williams has not shared with the community what the plan is in regards to the infrastructure cost. We demand a real town hall that allows for the community discussion.”
more space to people ... in a city that’s not built for cars, really.”
Also in attendance was Assembly District 37 Democratic primary candidate Johanna Carmona.
“It just comes as a shock to so many that [congestion pricing] was pulled [at] the last minute, especially when so much money was invested in the infrastructure,” Carmona told the Chronicle. “We have to see what happens in the next couple of weeks, if there are any compromises, any moving forward to be supportive and push for congestion pricing.” Q
Jackson, who spoke during the zoning refresher, said there are 38 people on the steering committee, 26 meetings were held and that DCP has reached out to more than 2,000 people since May 2023.
“We are going to continue to create opportunities for people to engage in this process,” Jackson said.
There will be Zoom meetings going further into the plans on housing (June 20: shorturl.at/XnRao); industrial areas (June 25: shorturl.at/ATNjv); and major corridors (June 27: shorturl.at/SYQlN), which people can register for at the above links. The meetings start at 7:30 p.m.
Tepale said forums about the rezoning plan will go into next year.
Edwards said she wants protections for low-income residents, homeowners facing foreclosure and entrepreneurs whose rents are rising. She also wants the city to address the needs of the area like better roads, schools, services, green spaces and more parking.
“If DCP and Williams won’t protect Jamaica residents, we will,” Edwards said.
Tepale thanked Edwards for being civically engaged and agreed there needs to be better ways to make sure information about the rezoning plan is disseminated.
Williams did not address the criticism, but said the environmental review, beginning next month, is a six to eight-month study that will conclude with an environmental impact statement that will address the community’s needs. Q
byMichaelGannon
From the time he first discovered Shakespeare at Archbishop Molloy High School, Queens Village actor Jim Haines developed and cultivated an interest in the play “Hamlet,” the title character and the actors who portrayed him both well and not so well.
He has forged that into “The Crackpot Shakespeare Theories Volume 1,” a one-man show playing June 28, 29 and 30 at the Stone Circle Theatre in Ridgewood.
In a recent one-on-one interview, Haines told
the Queens Chronicle humor is the engine that drives the roughly 75-minute show that he wrote and performs.
“Over the years, I’ve gotten more and more interested in Shakespeare,” Haines said. “I’ve kind of become a Shakes-nerd. I haven’t read everything he has written, so I have no opinion about “Troilus and Cressida,” but I’d like to. And as my wife and friends can attest, I can have very strong opinions about how things should be done right, whether it’s film, a cartoon or acting.”
Haines said he would see a number of productions of “Hamlet” and dissect them on the way home.
“Good ways and bad, what worked and what did not,” he said. Then, right before the pandemic, he had become dissatisfied with the produc-
tions and roles that were available in plays in and around Queens.
“None that really suited my style,” Haines said. “They didn’t play to my strengths. I don’t want to play Daddy Warbucks and nobody wants to see me play Daddy Warbucks in a production of ‘Annie.’ And, in reality, it’s getting older too. I’m looking at 60 years old. And part of that realization is I could never play Hamlet. I’ve aged out of it. But I still have strong opinions about how Hamlet should be played.”
The creative seed for “The Crackpot Theories” was planted when he saw Sir Ian McKellen and Al Pacino express their love of Shakespeare in productions that were part performance, part very personal.
“You don’t think of Pacino as a classical actor, but he pulled it off very well. It was the inspiration. People talking about what
Veronica Kern was born in Queens on July 12, 1923, the second child of four of John and Mary (née O’Connor) Kern. She enlisted in the Women’s Army Corps on May 5 1944. She met Arthur Lueken at the Flushing Meadow Park ice skating rink and married him a few months later, on Nov. 4 1945.
Veronica Lueken had a regular, quiet life with five children until 1968 when St. Therese, the Little Flower, supposedly contacted her. Starting in June 1970, approximately 290 messages were sent to her at St. Robert Bellamine Church on 58th Avenue in Bayside.
The home of Veronica “The Seer of Bayside” Lueken at 53-23 193 St. in Fresh Meadows, as it looked when she lived there in the early 1980s. INSET
An apocalyptic cult was created in Bayside and got worldwide attention. Lueken was considered a “victim soul,” suffering in reparation for the sins of the world. She was hospitalized about 50 times since her mission began. On Nov. 4, 1986, Bishop Francis
Mugavero of the Diocese of Brooklyn declared her visions inauthentic. Lueken died at age 72 on Aug. 3, 1995. The site findagrave.com notes that she is buried in Mount St. Mary Cemetery in Flushing, Division 16, Row O, Grave 77. The cult split into factions. Vigils are still held at the site of the former Vatican Pavilion from the World’s Fair Q
Like Cinderella, the Queens Jazz Orchestra comes out to party just one night a year.
While the name has the ring of solid permanency, the orchestra is in fact a confection — a concert of top-rank jazz whipped up by Flushing Town Hall each year nearly from scratch.
The personnel of the 17-piece band changes from year to year, depending more or less on who on a long list of jazz journeymen is free that night.
The members of the band include recording-session musicians, players between gigs, longtime jazz masters turned music professors — and a few accomplished students.
The Grammy-nominated sax player Antonio Hart is conducting the QJO at Flushing Town Hall for the third year since the passing of the man who founded the orchestra, Jimmy Heath, in 2020.
The musicians take a serious salary haircut for this night out of respect for the leader they call “Master Heath.”
“When Master Heath called,” Hart told the Queens Chronicle a few years back, “you came.”
Hart has inherited not only Heath’s baton but the stewardship of Queens College’s
Aaron Copland School of Music jazz studies division, a program Heath began in the mid-1980s.
It is an elaborate legacy, said Hart, one that will be celebrated at this year’s concert, set for June 28. TIckets and further information are at flushingtownhall.org.
Jimmy Heath — who was born in Philadelphia but lived and raised a family in the Dorie Miller Co-ops on Northern Boulevard in Corona — was the middle child in one of jazz’s most prominent families, the Heath Brothers.
Bassist Percy Heath was a founding member of the Modern Jazz Quartet. Jimmy, a saxophonist, was a hit composer, arranger and bandleader. And Tootie, the youngest brother, was a star drummer who
backed Herbie Hancock, Sonny Rollins and Nina Simone, among others.
The Heath Brothers, starting in the mid-
1970s, recorded half a dozen highly successful jazz albums.
This year’s QJO show is being dedicated to Tootie, who died in April at the age of 88.
Because he was close to Jimmy, Hart explained, he spent a lot of time with Tootie, as well. (Percy Heath died in 2005.)
“Tootie was very, very funny,” said Hart . “Basically, he did not have a filter.”
Hart, a native of Baltimore who rarely raises his voice above a conversational volume and is unnervingly humble, paused. “I always admired his freedom,” he added.
Hart, 55, swears he picked up the duties of leading the QJO every year to keep alive the spirit of Jimmy Heath.
“But it’s also a chance for me to write for a big band,” he said.
A month before the show, when Hart spoke to the Chronicle, he had yet to decide on the musical rundown for “A Concert for Tootie Heath,”
Tootie was not a composer like his brother, “but we will find something to highlight him as a drummer,” said Hart.
The program, as it has in the past few years, will be a mix of Jimmy Heath compositions and arrangements along with some of Hart’s.
It is the beginning of Hart making the Queens Jazz Orchestra his own. Some day. Q
continued from page 27
they loved about [Shakespeare] and why they loved it and why you should think about it.” Bouncing ideas off of friends — and getting the enthusiastic support of City Gate Productions — the seed took root.
“Well, I put my money where my mouth is,” Haines said. “I can talk about Shakespeare and find there is a touchstone in my life where Shakespeare kind of worked for me. The moments where he made me
smarter or better or got me through a hard thing. He’s sort of a weird spiritual guide in that way.
“And my ideas aren’t particularly profound; it’s not ‘my way or the highway.’
That’s why I call it ‘The Crackpot Shakespeare Theories,’ because I’m the crackpot and I’m telling you what I think.”
Haines compares Shakespeare to opera in many ways.
“People think ‘That’s for intellectuals. And it’s really not. There’s a lot going on there, and he didn’t write anything short. But it still speaks to people today, tomorrow and forever. One of the things I do bring out in the show is it addresses our everyday beauty, our everyday ugly and our everyday dumb in a very profound way.”
The play is directed by Erin Layton and was developed by Julie Kline.
The Stone Circle Theatre is at the Ridgewood Presbyterian Church, at 59-14 70 Ave. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online at citygateproductions.org.
Haines hopes the audience will share some laughs as well as his love and enjoyment of the Bard.
“I believe something Sidney Poitier said
Director Erin Layton and writer-actor Jim Haines work on “The Crackpot Shakespeare Theories Volume 1.” Inset, Haines’ artwork on a talk with the master. On the cover: Haines, alas, shoots the breeze with Hamlet’s pal, Yorick.
which struck me when he said, ‘There are people you can watch and you can appreciate the technical skill they bring to the role. And there are people who bother to
put their soul into it. And those are the people who take you away.’ I want to be one of those people who take you away,” Haines said. Q
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Notice of Formation of 1721 Greene Avenue, LLC. Arts. of Org. fi led with Secy. of State (SSNY) on 5/17/24. Offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o The LLC, 1721 Greene Ave, Ridgewood, NY 11385. Purpose: any lawful activity.
Notice of Formation of 1925 CORNELIA STREET LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 06/13/2024. 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: NORTHWEST REGISTERED AGENT LLC, 418 BROADWAY, STE N, ALBANY, NY 12207. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.
Notice of Formation of 217-17 102ND AVE LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 04/04/2024. 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: NIURKA SANCHEZ TORRES, 217-17 102ND AVENUE, QUEENS VILLAGE, NY 11429. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.
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
Notice of Formation of AQA CREATIONS LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 05/22/2024. 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: AQA CREATIONS LLC, 160-08 111TH AVE., JAMAICA, NY 11433. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.
AVALANCHE BUILDER LLC fi led
Arts. of Org. with the Sect’y of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/6/2020. Offi ce: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: c/o The LLC, 37-10 11th St, Long Island City, NY 11101. Purpose: any lawful act.
BERGWELL LLC. Arts. of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 05/29/24. 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, 68-43 Ingram Street, Forest Hills, NY 11375. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Notice of Formation of DEPARTMENT PROJECTS LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 05/06/2024. 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: THE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, 6061 68TH RD # 3, RIDGEWOOD, NY 11385. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.
DEVAN MEDTECH SOLUTIONS LLC Articles of Org. fi led NY Sec. of State (SSNY)6/3/24. Offi ce in Queens Co. SSNY desig. agent of LLC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to 83-11 Langdale St., New Hyde Park, NY 11040, which is also the principal business location. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Notice of Formation of Eight Pillar Candles LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 09/13/2022. Offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: Eight Pillar Candles LLC, 211-14 23RD AVENUE, BAYSIDE, NY 11360, Purpose: For any lawful purpose.
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF QUEENS Index No.704875/2024 Date Summons Filed:3/5/2024 MICHAEL JOSEPH MORRISSEY, Plaintiff, -against- MARTHA ISABEL ELIZALDE MORRISSEY, SUMMONS Plaintiff designates Queens County as the place of trial. The basis of venue is Plaintiff’s residence. Plaintiff resides at: 25-98 36th Street, Apartment 6J, Astoria, New York 11103. Defendant.
ACTION FOR DIVORCE To the above-named Defendant: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer on Plaintiff’s Attorneys within twenty (20) days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service, where service is made by delivery upon you personally within the State of New York, or within thirty (30) days after completion of service where service is made in any other manner. In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint.
Dated: February 4, 2024 ZIMMET LAW GROUP P.C. By: Richard A. Schioppo, Esq. Attorneys for Plaintiff 477 Madison Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, New York 10022, (212) 922-1330 rschioppo@ zimmetlaw.com
ELLAWAY BLUES CONSULTING LLC Notice of Application for Authority of ELLAWAY BLUES CONSULTING LLC. a foreign limited liability company (LLC). Application for Authority fi led with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 3/8/2024. LLC organized in FL 11/15/2023. NY offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. The post offi ce 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. Offi ce address in jurisdiction of organization: 20 North Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32801 Copy of Articles of Organization on fi le with Secy. of State of FL, RA Gray Building, 500 South Bronough Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399. Purpose of LLC: Any Lawful Purpose.
NOTICE OF LEGAL POSTPONEMENT OF SALE
SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF QUEENS, NYCTL 19982 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 June 28, 2024 at 12:30 p.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. The original sale was scheduled for May 31, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. at the same location. 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 Plaintiff
REFEREE’S NOTICE OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF QUEENS DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE FOR INDYMAC INDA MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST 2007-AR9, MORTGAGE PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-AR9, Plaintiff - against - MOHIBUL ISLAM, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered on November 23, 2022. I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the Courthouse steps of the Queens Supreme Court, located at 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, New York on the 28th day of June, 2024 at 11:30 AM. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough of Queens, City and State of New York. Premises known as 8709 150th Street, Jamaica, (City of New York) NY 11432. (BL#: 9707-90) Approximate amount of lien $886,832.90 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed judgment and terms of sale. Index No. 716393/2021 FKA 29577/2009. Helen Eichler, Esq., Referee. Davidson Fink LLP Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 400 Meridian Centre Blvd, Ste 200 Rochester, NY 14618 Tel. 585/760-8218 For sale information, please visit Auction.com at www.Auction. com or call (800) 280-2832 Dated: May 6, 2024 During the COVID-19 health emergency, bidders are required to comply with all governmental health requirements in effect at the time of sale including but not limited to, wearing face coverings and maintaining social distancing (at least 6-feet apart) during the auction, while tendering deposit and at any subsequent closing. Bidders are also required to comply with the Foreclosure Auction Rules and COVID-19 Health Emergency Rules issued by the Supreme Court of this County in addition to the conditions set forth in the Terms of Sale.
Notice is hereby given that a license, number 1308035, for wine, and/ or beer/cider, has been applied for by Cabana Breeze, Inc., d/b/a
Cabana Breeze Grill & Beer Garden, to sell wine, and/or beer/cider at retail in a tavern under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 135-01 Lefferts Boulevard, South Ozone Park, NY 11420, Queens County, for on-premises consumption. Cabana Breeze, Inc., d/b/a Cabana Breeze Grill & Beer Garden
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF QUEENS THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON FKA THE BANK OF NEW YORK AS TRUSTEE FOR THE STRUCTURED ASSET MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS II TRUST, MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006-AR8, -against- JOSE TAVAREZ, 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 March 10, 2023, wherein THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON FKA THE BANK OF NEW YORK AS TRUSTEE FOR THE STRUCTURED ASSET MORTGAGE INVESTMENTS II TRUST, MORTGAGE PASSTHROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006-AR8 is the Plaintiff and JOSE TAVAREZ, ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction RAIN OR SHINE on the COURTHOUSE STEPS OF THE QUEENS COUNTY COURTHOUSE, 88-11 SUTPHIN BLVD., JAMAICA, NY 11435, on June 28, 2024 at 10:30AM, premises known as 62-22 BURCHELL ROAD, ARVERNE, NY 11692; and the following tax map identification: 160079. ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN THE BOROUGH AND COUNTY OF QUEENS, CITY AND STATE OF NEW YORK Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No.: 706209/2014. Steven P. Goldenberg, 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 of Non-Discriminatory Policy – This is to advise the community that Chapin Home for the Aging, located in Jamaica, NY admits and treats all patients regardless of age, sex, creed, color, national origin, sexual preference or source of income.
EQUAL HOUSING. Federal, New York State and local laws prohibit discrimination because of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, marital status, familial status or disability in connection with the sale or rental of residential real estate. Queens Chronicle does not knowingly accept advertising in violation of these laws. When you suspect housing discrimination call the Open Housing Center (the Fair Housing Agency for the five boroughs of New York) at 212-941-6101, or the New York City Commission of Human Rights Hotline at 718722-3131.
The Queens Chronicle reserves the right to alter wording in ads to conform with Federal Fair Housing regulations.
Howard Beach/Lindenwood, 1 BR, 1 bath, duplex. Call owner for details. Avail 7/1. 718-521-6013, leave a message. Centreville/Ozone Park, Sat 6/22, 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 $775K. Connexion Real Estate 718-845-1136
Having a garage sale? Let everyone know about it by advertising in the Queens Classifieds Call 718-205-8000 and place the ad!
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.
FriendshipGap, LLC, Arts. of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 05/21/2024. 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: The LLC, 117-11 Long Street, Jamaica, NY 11424. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.
Notice of Formation of INTEGRATED CARE L.C.S.W., PLLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 05/13/2024. 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: THE PLLC, 80-19 233 STREET, QUEENS VILLAGE, NY 11428. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.
JTR Sheet Metal, LLC, Arts of Org. fi led with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 2/6/2024. Cty: Queens. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to 25-54 47th St, Astoria, NY 11103. General Purpose
Notice of Formation of LUNA PARKING LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 05/17/2024. 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: HARRY JIMENEZ, 6914 171 STREET, FRESH MEADOWS, NY 11365. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.
MOHA KALI TEMPLE LLC. Arts. of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 05/30/24. 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, 112-44 209th Street, Queens Village, NY 11429. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Notice of Formation of NEXDOOR ENTERPRISES LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 04/10/2024. 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: NEXDOOR, 175-61 HILLSIDE AVENUE, SUITE #202, JAMAICA, NY 11432. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.
NOELLE ZINN CERTIFIED REGISTERED NURSE ANESTHETIST PLLC, a Prof. LLC. Arts. of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 06/03/2024. Offi ce loc: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The PLLC, 1732 Hancock St., Apt 2, Ridgewood, NY 11385. Purpose: To Practice The Profession Of Registered Professional Nurse.
Notice of Formation of NOW THAT’S DOUGH LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 03/01/2024. 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: SUGANDHA SINGH, 11572 LEFFERTS BLVD., SOUTH OZONE PARK, NY 11420. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.
SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS IN TAX LIEN FORECLOSURE–SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, COUNTY OF QUEENS – NYCTL 1998-2 TRUST, and THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON as Collateral Agent and Custodian for the NYCTL 1998-2 Trust, Plaintiffs, ZENON GALCYZNSKI AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF RASMA GALCYZNSKI A/K/A ROSE GALCZYNSKI A/K/A ROSE GALCZYNSKA A/K/A ROSE VIRSIS, et. al., Defendants. Index No. 711482/19. To the above named Defendants –YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action within twenty days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service or within thirty days after service is completed if the summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York. In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint. Plaintiffs designate Queens County as the place of trial. Venue is based upon the county in which the property a lien upon which is being foreclosed is situated. The foregoing summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to the Order of the Hon. Claudia Lanzetta, A.J.S.C., entered on May 21, 2024. The object of this action is to foreclose a tax lien covering the premises located at Block 2399 Lot 26 on the Tax Map of Queens County and is also known as 68-29 Jay Avenue, Flushing, New York. Dated: June 4, 2024. BRONSTER, LLP, Attorney for Plaintiffs NYCTL 1998-2 TRUST, and THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON as Collateral Agent and Custodian for the NYCTL 19982 Trust. By: Leonid Krechmer, Esq. 156 West 56th Street, Suite 703, New York, NY 10019 (212) 558-9300
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT QUEENS COUNTY WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, DOING BUSINESS AS CHRISTIANA TRUST, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE FOR BCAT 2015-13BTT, Plaintiff against RASEL PETTER, et al Defendant(s) Attorney for Plaintiff(s) Knuckles & Manfro, LLP 120 White Plains Road, Suite 215, Tarrytown, NY 10591. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered October 31, 2019, I will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at steps of Queens County Supreme Court, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11435 on July 12, 2024 at 11:30 AM. Premises known as 99-23 215th Street, Queens Village, NY 11429. Block 11089 Lot 7. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, situate, lying and being in the Fourth Ward of the Borough and County of Queens, City and State of New York. Approximate Amount of Judgment is $512,495.47 plus interest, fees, and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No 710013/2018. Cash will not be accepted at the sale. The foreclosure sale will be conducted in accordance with 11th Judicial District’s Covid-19 Policies and foreclosure auction rules. The Referee shall enforce any rules in place regarding facial coverings and social distancing. Referee will only accept a certified bank check made payable to the referee. Janet L. Brown, Esq., Referee File # 2296-001049
Notice of formation of PRDGMS, LLC. Articles of Organization fi led with the Secretary of State of New York SSNY on 01/31/2024. Offi ce located in Queens. SSNY has been designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process served against the LLC 2106 Rene CT Ridgewood, NY 11385. Purpose: any lawful purpose.
Notice of Formation of PURE-ONE LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 05/20/2024. 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: PURE-ONE LLC, 13656 39TH AVE, SUITE 307, FLUSHING, NY 11354. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF QUEENS DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE FOR HARBORVIEW MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST, MORTGAGE LOAN PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-5, -against- STACIE C. GRANT A/K/A STACIE N. C. GRANT, ET AL. NOTICE OF SALE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure and entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Queens on May 2, 2024, wherein DEUTSCHE BANK NATIONAL TRUST COMPANY, AS TRUSTEE FOR HARBORVIEW MORTGAGE LOAN TRUST, MORTGAGE LOAN PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-5 is the Plaintiff and STACIE C. GRANT A/K/A STACIE N. C. GRANT, ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction RAIN OR SHINE on the COURTHOUSE STEPS OF THE QUEENS COUNTY COURTHOUSE, 88-11 SUTPHIN BLVD., JAMAICA, NY 11435, on July 5, 2024 at 10:15AM, premises known as 115-112 225TH STREET, CAMBRIA HEIGHTS, NY 11411; and the following tax map identification: 11306-57. ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, WITH THE BUILDINGS AND IMPROVEMENTS THEREON ERECTED, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN THE FOURTH WARD OF THE BOROUGH AND COUNTY OF QUEENS, CITY AND STATE OF NEW YORK Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No.: 722456/2022. Scott H. Siller, 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 of Formation of RESOLVE PRODUCTIONS LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 05/07/2024. 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: CRAIG MACARTHUR DOLEZEL, 3168 CRESCENT STREET, ASTORIA, NY 11106. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF QUEENS MORTGAGE ASSETS MANAGEMENT, LLC, Plaintiff, -against- ALONZO R. LEE AKA ALONZO LEE, III AS HEIR TO THE ESTATE OF LYDIA ROSALYN LEE A/K/A LYDIA COLEMAN A/K/A LYDIA LEE; DOREEN LEE AS HEIR TO THE ESTATE OF LYDIA ROSALYN LEE A/K/A LYDIA COLEMAN A/K/A LYDIA LEE; BRUCE LEE AS HEIR TO THE ESTATE OF LYDIA ROSALYN LEE A/K/A LYDIA COLEMAN A/K/A LYDIA LEE; LINDA LEE AS HEIR TO THE ESTATE OF LYDIA ROSALYN LEE A/K/A LYDIA COLEMAN A/K/A LYDIA LEE; CAVALRY SPV I, LLC; UNKNOWN HEIRS TO THE ESTATE OF LYDIA ROSALYN LEE A/K/A LYDIA COLEMAN A/K/A LYDIA LEE, any and all persons unknown to plaintiff, claiming, or who may claim to have an interest in, or general or specific lien upon the real property described in this action; such unknown persons being herein generally described and intended to be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors, and assignees of such deceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real property by, through or under them, or either of them, and their respective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assigns, all of whom and whose names, except as stated, are unknown to plaintiff; SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; NEW YORK CITY CRIMINAL COURT; NEW YORK CITY ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD; NEW YORK CITY PARKING VIOLATIONS BUREAU; NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT ADJUDICATION BUREAU, Defendants. Index No.: 709587/2022 F/K/A 23348/2013 FILED: 12/27/13 Plaintiff designates Queens County as the place of trial. Venue is based upon the County in which the mortgaged premises is situated. YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your Answer or, if the Complaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a Notice of Appearance on the attorneys for the plaintiff within twenty (20) days after service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service; or within thirty (30) days after service is complete if this Summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York; or within sixty (60) days if it is the United States of America. 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 ASSETS MANAGEMENT, LIC AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. Dated: Uniondale, New York, June 12, 2024 Pincus Law Group, PLLC, George J. Weissinger, Esq., 425 RXR Plaza Uniondale, New York 11556, (516) 699-8902
Notice of Formation of SYSTEM-ADDICT LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 05/08/2024. 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: RUBIN YAGUDAYEV, 180-02 UNION TPKE, FRESH MEADOWS, NY 11366. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.
W & A Craft Kitchen LLC fi led 5/14/24. Cty: Queens. SSNY desig. for process & shall mail to: 2320 123rd St., Flushing, NY 11356. Purp: any lawful.
For the
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF QUEENS INDEX NO. 724409/2022 SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS Plaintiff designates QUEENS as the place of trial situs of the real property Mortgaged Premises: 22-28 98TH STREET, EAST ELMHURST, NY 11369 Block: 1074, Lot: 19 MORTGAGE ASSETS MANAGEMENT, LLC Plaintiff, vs. MARY LOU DEAN, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF ELIZABETH DEAN; JIMMY DEAN AKA JIMMIE JORDAN AKA JAMIE JORDAN, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF ELIZABETH DEAN; UNKNOWN HEIRS AND DISTRIBUTEES OF THE ESTATE OF ELIZABETH DEAN, any and all persons unknown to plaintiff, claiming, or who may claim to have an interest in, or general or specific lien upon the real property described in this action; such unknown persons being herein generally described and intended to be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors, and assignees of such deceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real property by, through or under them, or either of them, and their respective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assigns, all of whom and whose names, except as stated, are unknown to plaintiff; SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT; 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. To the above named Defendants YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in the above entitled action and to serve a copy of your Answer on the plaintiff’s attorney within twenty (20) days of the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service, or within thirty (30) days after service of the same is complete where service is made in any manner other than by personal delivery within the State. The United States of America, if designated as a defendant in this action, may answer or appear within sixty (60) days of service. Your failure to appear or to answer will result in a judgment against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. In the event that a deficiency balance remains from the sale proceeds, a judgment may be entered against you. NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT THE OBJECT of the above caption action is to foreclose a Mortgage to secure the sum of $660,000.00 and interest, recorded on September 03, 2009, in CRFN 2009000285039, of the Public Records of QUEENS County, New York., covering premises known as 22-28 98TH STREET, EAST ELMHURST, NY 11369. The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above. QUEENS County is designated as the place of trial because the real property affected by this action is located in said county. NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to the mortgage company will not stop the foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. Dated: May 23rd, 2024 ROBERTSON, ANSCHUTZ, SCHNEID, CRANE & PARTNERS, PLLC Attorney for Plaintiff, Matthew Rothstein, Esq. 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, NY 11590, 516-280-7675
SUMMONS Supreme Court of New York, Queens County. U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE OF THE LB-IGLOO SERIES IV TRUST, Plaintiff, -against- JAMEL
ANTHONY FREEMAN, PURPORTED ADMINISTRATOR AND HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF MICHELLE R. FREEMAN
A/K/A MICHELLE RENEE FREEMAN; LISA FREEMAN CHANEY, HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF MICHELLE R. FREEMAN
A/K/A MICHELLE RENEE FREEMAN; KEVIN FREEMAN, HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF MICHELLE R. FREEMAN
A/K/A MICHELLE RENEE FREEMAN; MARK FREEMAN, HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF MICHELLE R. FREEMAN A/K/A MICHELLE RENEE FREEMAN; ANDREW W. HOWARD, HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF MICHELLE R. FREEMAN A/K/A MICHELLE RENEE FREEMAN; BARBARA DARLENE HOWARD, HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF MICHELLE R. FREEMAN
A/K/A MICHELLE RENEE FREEMAN; DENISE LOWRANCE, HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF MICHELLE R. FREEMAN
A/K/A MICHELLE RENEE FREEMAN; UNKNOWN HEIRS OF THE ESTATE OF MICHELLE R. FREEMAN A/K/A MICHELLE RENEE FREEMAN; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (SOUTHERN DISTRICT); THE BOARD OF MANAGERS OF PARK TERRACE CONDOMINIUM A/K/A PARK TERRACE CONDOMINIUM ASSOCIATION; NEW YORK CITY PARKING VIOLATIONS BUREAU; NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT ADJUDICATION BUREAU; CRIMINAL COURT OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK (QUEENS); PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK; QUEENS COUNTY CLERK; “JOHN DOE” AND “JANE DOE” said names being fictitious, it being the intention of Plaintiff to designate any and all occupants of premises being foreclosed herein, Defendants Index No. 700796/2023. Mortgaged Premises: 97-48 91st Street, Unit 1D Ozone Park, NY 11416 Block: 9064 Lot: 1004. 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 OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT THE OBJECTIVE of the above captioned action is to foreclose on a Mortgage to secure $209,152.75 and interest, recorded in the Queens County Clerk’s Office on June 17, 2008 in CRFN 2008000241277, covering the premises known as 97-48 91st Street, Unit 1D, Ozone Park, NY 11416. The relief sought herein is a final judgment directing sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the mortgage described above. Plaintiff designates Queens County as the place of trial. Venue is based upon the County in which the mortgaged premises is located. NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. FRIEDMAN VARTOLO, LLP 1325 Franklin Avenue, Suite 160 Garden City, NY 11530, Attorneys for Plaintiff.
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF QUEENS INDEX NO. 703722/2023 SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS
Plaintiff designates QUEENS as the place of trial situs of the real property Mortgaged Premises: 102-55 JAMAICA AVENUE, RICHMOND HILL, NY 11418 Block: 9187, Lot: 33 TOWD POINT MORTGAGE TRUST 2017-6, U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS INDENTURE TRUSTEE Plaintiff, vs. NORMA SOOKO, if living, and if she/he be dead, any and all persons unknown to plaintiff, claiming, or who may claim to have an interest in, or general or specific lien upon the real property described in this action; such unknown persons being herein generally described and intended to be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors, and assignees of such deceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real property by, through or under them, or either of them, and their respective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assigns, all of whom and whose names, except as stated, are unknown to plaintiff; SALLY SOOKO; THE BANK OF NEW YORK, A NEW YORK STATE BANKING CORPORATION; NEW YORK CITY PARKING VIOLATIONS BUREAU; NEW YORK CITY ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD; NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT ADJUDICATION BUREAU; PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK; 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. To the above named Defendants YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in the above entitled action and to serve a copy of your Answer on the plaintiff’s attorney within twenty (20) days of the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service, or within thirty (30) days after service of the same is complete where service is made in any manner other than by personal delivery within the State. The United States of America, if designated as a defendant in this action, may answer or appear within sixty (60) days of service. Your failure to appear or to answer will result in a judgment against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. In the event that a deficiency balance remains from the sale proceeds, a judgment may be entered against you. NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT THE OBJECT of the above caption action is to foreclose a Mortgage to secure the sum of $201,650.00 and interest, recorded on November 11, 2000, in Liber 5473 at Page 0415, of the Public Records of QUEENS County, New York., covering premises known as 102-55 JAMAICA AVENUE, RICHMOND HILL, NY 11418. The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above. QUEENS County is designated as the place of trial because the real property affected by this action is located in said county. NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to the mortgage company will not stop the foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. Dated: May 24th, 2024 ROBERTSON, ANSCHUTZ, SCHNEID, CRANE & PARTNERS, PLLC, Attorney for Plaintiff Matthew Rothstein, Esq. 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, NY 11590, 516-280-7675
The Mets returned to Citi Field from London last week after splitting a pair of weekend games with the Philadelphia Phillies. I spoke with some of the players to get their recollections of their time across the pond.
Jet lag was, not surprisingly, the biggest complaint from players. Jose Quintana, who started the Sunday game, said it took three days for his body to get used to Greenwich Mean Time.
Considering neither Quintana nor Sean Manaea, who started Saturday, were able to make it past the fourth inning, the Mets should have flown both pitchers out days earlier instead of taking them on the team charter from Washington, DC. To make matters worse, they landed in London hours late due to a rain delay in their getaway game with the Nationals.
Outfielder Tyrone Taylor told me he was wary to cross streets because the British drive “on the wrong side of the road.” Even though there are signs at every corner reminding pedestrians to look right, it is not easy to break a lifetime of looking the other way for oncoming traffic. Taylor was also happy to return home for better cuisine. “The restaurants in Astoria are vastly superior to what I experienced in London,” he said with a smile.
In fairness to the UK hospitality industry, Mets radio voice Pat McCarthy liked the Brit-
ish pubs he frequented. The fish and chips lived up to billing and the prices were reasonable. The prices and quality of the McDonald’s he tried were comparable to those stateside. He also enjoyed riding the London Underground to explore the various parts of the city.
Second baseman Jeff McNeil was fascinated to watch cricket on TV. “I still don’t understand all the rules, but I was starting to get the hang of it,” he laughed. He wished he could have seen the recent Cricket World Cup at Eisenhower Park in Westbury, LI. McNeil is a scratch golfer who aspires to play on the senior tour one day. It is not surprising he would be drawn to the British stick-and-ball sport.
First baseman Pete Alonso told me there were as many British spectators as there were Mets and Phillies fans who traversed the Atlantic. Shifting gears, I asked him about Yankees star Aaron Judge getting his own cologne line from Polo Ralph Lauren. “Mr. Lauren is a diehard Yankees fan,” he dryly replied.
The Mets flew home from London’s third airport, Stansted, used by discount carriers such as Ryanair. They went from the team bus straight onto their charter flight, and did not get to visit the duty-free shop. Some were miffed they could not buy discounted Johnnie Walker Blue Label as many American tourists do. Q
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