Queens Chronicle South Edition 12-27-12 by Queens Chronicle

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

YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER VOL. XXXV NO. 52

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2012

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School bus strike could leave kids with no ride Union threatens walkout over Mayor Bloomberg’s plan to bid routes by Domenick Rafter Associate Editor

ew York City schoolchildren may need a ride to school in January. The union representing the city’s school bus drivers is threatening a strike after the holidays. “That would make it a lot harder for many students to get to school — and in a year when our students have already missed a week or more of school because of Hurricane Sandy — striking against our schoolchildren, we think, would be totally irresponsible,” Mayor Bloomberg said Friday, announcing the possibility of a strike. The union, Local 1181 of the Amalgamated Transit Union, based in Ozone Park, threatened to strike last November when the city sought bids for some routes, but in the end did not. The strike is being threatened because the city is bidding out the routes of 22,500 students between kindergarten and 12th grade with special needs. Drivers want assurances from the city on job protection based on seniority in the new bids, but the city has not agreed to that, stating that a Court of Appeals ruling last year makes it illegal to provide those assurances in bid requests. But Local 1181 said in a statement that Bloomberg’s move would violate the city’s contracts with the unions, which include a

School bus drivers are threatening a strike in January over Mayor Bloomberg’s plan to bid some bus FILE PHOTO routes for the first time in 30 years and not guarantee jobs to already existing employees. measure called the Employee Protection Provision, which the union says is meant to keep “the most qualified, experienced and skilled school bus staff ” on the job in the event of new operator bids.

“Mayor Bloomberg’s cavalier attitude is unacceptable, and we cannot stand by while City officials cut costs at the expense of our children,” the statement said. “We are weighing all of our options, and are prepared to take

any action necessary to protect the safety and security of New York City school children.” Bloomberg said that the new bid requests would be the first in more than three decades and are being issued because of exploding costs. “DOE has not bid out most of its bus contracts since 1979 — 33 years ago. Since then, the Department of Education’s cost for busing has escalated from $71 million in 1979 to $1.1 billion a year today — an increase of something like about 1,550 percent,” Bloomberg explained. Though the bids only affect routes for the 22,500 special needs students, a strike could affect 150,000 kids who use the yellow buses to get to and from schools. Bloomberg said in the event of a strike, students would receive temporary, free student MetroCards that would be valid for the length of the action, and the MTA would have to accommodate the additional riders. Parents with students in grade 2 and below could request an additional MetroCard for a parent to escort their child to school. Also, parents of students grade 6 and younger who live in areas where public transportation is not an option to get to school could get reimbursed for transportation costs. The MetroCards and reimbursements would only be valid for children whose yelQ low buses are canceled due to a strike.

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This past Sunday, Dec. 23rd, Santa Claus himself accompanied by Mrs. Claus came by Tuscany Deli to distribute presents to families and children who were affected by Hurricane Sandy. This would not have been possible without the generosity of the following people and businesses: 1) Mitchell Lebron & Family 2) Ariola Realty 3) Phyllis Silvestri 4) London International Awards 5) Bernadette Russo-Genzone 6) Adam Caiazzo 7) Kathy Antz Roan Duffy 8) Barbara Ambroselli 9) Jennifer Mendez Gerard 10) Biscotti Family

11) Yours Truly (Tuscany Deli) 12) Annmarie & Anthony Cornetta 13) Antoinette & Salvatore Tufano 14) Dawn Fusco 15) Anthony Fusco 16) Nicole DiGiacomo 17) By: Nino 18) The Marino Family 19) Dawn Rogers Weir 20) TONAR Construction

21) Maddy DiMatteo 22) Araneo Tax Financial 23) Maria DSimone 24) Mary Anzalone 25) Lindenwood Alliance 26) Michele Floria Lee 27) Bill Ferino 28) Michelle Leone 29) Jacqueline Careccia and Cadette troop 4993 (Girl’s Scouts)

Page 3 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27, 2012

A special note straight from the desk of the Tuscany Deli Family:

(this list is in order of date the contribution was received)

We would also like to give a VERY SPECIAL THANKS TO: The O’Dea Family for accepting our invitation to join us as Santa & Mrs. Claus and put smiles on the faces of the children in our community, Nick Beneduce, a loyal friend of ours, for taking beautiful pictures of our children and their families with Santa, Nick the Balloonatic for amazing our children with his one-of-a-kind balloon talent, Michael Grillo for providing us with a cotton candy machine, the Armetta sisters for helping me wrap every single present & last, but certainly not least, our friends Mark & Nicole Papadimitriou for their constant support since the moment this idea of doing something special for the community “just popped” in my head and also for loaning us that amazing choo choo train we used to hold Santa’s presents for everyone. The last couple of months we were able to be a voice for many, but without the support of our family, friends & neighbors we wouldn’t have been able to do any of it. We all are living proof that united not only are we stronger but we are also able to accomplish many wonderful things.

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts and wish you all a Healthy & Prosperous 2013! Your friends,

John & Marly Gurino

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Thanks to the above-mentioned people/businesses and to the help of other very generous neighbors and friends, we were able to raise a total of $5,696.00. We also received donations of toys by: Mayor Bloomberg (through St. Helen’s Church), Michele Alloca & Kelly Sinisgalli. Thanks to these contributions we were able to distribute a total of 50 $100.00 gift cards to Target, Waldbaum’s or Toys R Us, 20 $25.00 gift cards to Target, Waldbaum’s or Toys R Us and 1 $50.00 Amex gift card. We were able to help approximately 80 families from Howard Beach, Hamilton Beach, Broad Channel, Breezy Point & Long Island PLUS we wrapped and gave away over 150 toys to children in our community.

QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27 , 2012 Page 4

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Politics, education and an epic storm Campaigns, schools, development topped this year’s news — until Sandy by Domenick Rafter Associate Editor

Politics dominated much of the news in South Queens in 2012. With local and national elections looming, the communities were the epicenter of a hard-fought state legislative race with statewide implications. But much like T.S. Eliot’s explanation of the apocalypse in “The Hollow Men,” the campaign ended not with a bang, but with a whimper, shoved from the top of people’s minds by the most devastating natural disaster to strike South Queens in a lifetime. Hurricane Sandy roared ashore on Oct. 29 and for the rest of year, the Rockaways, Broad Channel and Howard Beach struggled to regain a sense of normalcy after the hurricane’s storm surge flooded nearly every home in the area, causing millions of dollars in damage.

Page 5 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27, 2012

2012: SOUTH QUEENS

JANUARY The year opened with news that Gov. Cuomo was eyeing Aqueduct Racetrack, home of the brand new Resorts World Casino New York City, as the site for the nation’s largest convention center. The news was met with a wide range of reactions from outrage to trepidation, especially from members of Community Board 10, who had just breathed a sigh of relief with the opening of the long-awaited casino. The Aqueduct convention center was one of two planned for Queens, with another eyed for Willets Point. Meanwhile, the financially struggling Howard Beach Senior Center decided to seek some private funding to keep itself off the endangered list every year when the city’s budget is debated. The Parks Department sought new bids to run the shuttered Forest Park Carousel after failing to find a bidder in previous attempts. Residents of Ozone Park and South Ozone Park pleaded with the city to send more manpower to the 106th Precinct after a jump in robberies and concerns related to the opening of Resorts World.

FEBRUARY

district and sliced South Queens into three other districts, two of which were based in Brooklyn. Upon losing his district, Turner decided to make a run for the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate against incumbent Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand. District 27’s Community Education Council unanimously opposed a plan by the DOE to allow students to attend any middle school in the district rather than the one they are zoned for. Parents and administrators were concerned that the plan would not make sense for the district — the largest in the city — because students would have to travel long distances to get to school. Parents were also concerned students from other parts of the district would deny zoned children seats in specific middle schools. Rockaway’s Peninsula Hospital was shut down for good by the state after problems arose in its clinical lab. Peninsula became the fourth borough hospital to close in the last four years. Woodhaven residents successfully fought off a plan to change two streets from two-ways into one-ways, which they argued would cause traffic issues on other area roads. Residents of Howard Beach voiced concern about safety because they say drug users were leaving dirty needles and other garbage in the parking lot of Waldbaum’s on Cross Bay Boulevard. Zena Basin of Howard Beach mourned her only son, Joshua, after he was pushed in front of an L train in Brooklyn by a homeless man and killed on March 23.

APRIL After Cuomo signed new legislative lines into law, Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) surprised many by announcing he would run against Democratic Senate incumbent Addabbo, in a new district that stretches from Breezy Point to Kew Gardens Hills. Teachers, staff, parents and students fought the DOE’s plan to close seven borough high schools including John Adams and Richmond Hill as the Panel for Educational Policy vote on the closures approached. Francis LaCorte was convicted of the 2009 murder of Jerry Antoniello, son of former Romeo’s Pizzeria owner Bartolomeo Antoniello, during a botched robbery attempt at the family’s home on North Conduit Avenue in Ozone Park. Residents in South Queens worried new Congressional maps that placed the communities of Howard Beach, Ozone Park and Woodhaven in districts based in Brooklyn would lead to them losing clout in federal representation.

MAY The PEP voted to close John Adams and Richmond Hill high schools and reopen them under new names and with most of its staff replaced in September. The United Federation of Teachers immediately sued the city, calling the move a breach of contract. Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Far Rockaway) proposed restarting the old Rockaway Beach rail line which has been abandoned between Rego Park and Ozone Park since 1962. Goldfeder said a new line would provide quicker service from South Queens and the Rockaways to Midtown Manhattan and help serve Resorts World Casino and the proposed convention center. After a bird strike on a Delta jet at JFK Airport one month before, Sen. Gillibrand sought to remove much of the Canada geese. After four years, the Parks Department announced it had found a vendor for the Forest Park Carousel, and the 109year-old attraction reopened to the public on Memorial Day weekend.

JUNE MARCH After state legislators were unable to agree on a map for new state Congressional districts, a federal judge released her own, which eliminated Rep. Bob Turner’s (R-Middle Village)

In South Queens’ top political race of the year, Republican Councilman Eric Ulrich, left, faced off against incumbent Democratic FILE PHOTOS state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr.

Five months after its announcement, Gov. Cuomo said the proposed convention center project at Aqueduct Racetrack was dead. continued on page 12

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The state Legislature redrew its district lines, punting on plans for independent redistricting, and the new lines left many incensed, dividing nearly every neighborhood in South Queens. The 15th Senate District, represented by Joe Addabbo. Jr. (D-Howard Beach), was redrawn to include the Rockaways and GOP-leaning neighborhoods like Kew Gardens Hills, while the 12th District, represented by Mike Gianaris (D-Astoria), was redrawn to include sections of South Queens along the Brooklyn border. Further, state Sen. Shirley Huntley’s (D-Jamaica) district was expanded to include most of Richmond Hill and parts of Ozone Park and Woodhaven. State Assembly lines were also redrawn, but most borders stayed the same, except in Richmond Hill, which was cut up into a number of districts, including one that stretches to Bellerose. The city Department of Education moved forward with its plan to replace half the staff at John Adams and Richmond Hill high schools, and five others in the borough, close and reopen them under new names in September. Meanwhile city budget negotiations moved forward as Mayor Bloomberg released his suggested spending cuts, including closing 20 fire companies in the city. The West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire Department celebrated 84 years in service. Heavenly Florist in Ozone Park asked police to crack down on illegal flower vendors in the community because the scofflaws were taking away business.

In January, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced plans to build the nation’s largest convention center at Aqueduct Racetrack next to the Resorts World Casino New York City. The plan was controversial, garnered mixed reviews and died in June after an agreement on RENDERING COURTESY GENTING financing could not be reached between Cuomo and Resorts World’s parent company, Genting.

QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27, 2012 Page 6

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‘Queensway’ park plan gets a boost Green group receives state money to explore Queens high line by Domenick Rafter Associate Editor

The idea to build a Queens version of Manhattan’s High Line Park got a push forward this week, thanks to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s administration. The Trust for Public Land received $167,000 in Environmental Protection Fund municipal grants from the New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to further explore the viability of turning the abandoned rail line, which runs from Rego Park to Ozone Park, into parkland. The tracks, which were abandoned in 1962, have been the subject of dueling efforts for reopening as a rail line or a park. Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Far Rockaway) and Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven) led the effort to run trains along the line once again. They say the line would provide quicker service from South Queens and the Rockaways to Midtown Manhattan as it would connect to the Long Island Rail Road’s main line at Rego Park. The effort to turn the 3.5-mile-long rightof-way into a park similar to the High Line on the West Side has been spearheaded by a number of parks advocates’ groups and Community Board 9 chairwoman Andrea Crawford. In that concept, people would be able to walk

Gov. Cuomo’s administration provided $167,000 in municipal grants to The Trust for Public Land to explore the feasibility of an elevated park running along the old Rockaway Beach LIRR line, PHOTO BY DOMENICK RAFTER above, which runs from Rego Park to Ozone Park. along the line, which would connect neighborhoods like Ozone Park and Forest Hills with Forest Park to paths near Jamaica Bay. “The location creates the potential for the Queensway to link to the existing Jamaica Bay Greenway,” The Trust for Public Land said on its website. Marc Matsil, New York State director for

The Trust for Public Land, said the group expects to sign the contract with the state to receive the $167,000 in mid-January and after that move forward with the first stage. “We hope to do a request for proposals for the feasibility study and get underway with the study piece and then start the planning for the community outreach,” he said.

The feasibility study, which Matsil said would take about a year, will look at the groundwater and soil situation along the line as well as the condition of the infrastructure, especially along the section south of Forest Park. The line runs along an embankment north of Forest Park, along the surface in the park and along an elevated concrete structure through most of the right-of-way in Woodhaven and Ozone Park, and the cost to make it safe for pedestrians will be calculated during the study period. Multiple sources have suggested that supporters of the Queensway may try to lure Major League Soccer into the project, perhaps using the Queensway as mitigated parkland to replace that lost in Flushing Meadows Corona Park if a soccer stadium is built there as proposed. Supporters of bringing transit back to the rail line, such as Goldfeder, have said that they would not oppose a Queensway project providing transit is also explored along with parkland. The line south of Forest Park is wide — four tracks once ran along it — and could possibly fit both pedestrian paths and train tracks. A project that includes both would not be unprecedented. A pedestrian and bike path is being proposed along a rail line currently under construction between Los Angeles and Santa Monica, Calif. continued on page 34

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EDITORIAL

PAGE

2012 in Queens: bad weather and then some he good news is the world didn’t end last week, as some of the more gullible among us thought it might. The bad news is that 2012 was not exactly a banner year for Queens, at least collectively speaking, in areas ranging from the economy to crime, from politics to the weather. The weather. Never before in living memory have the words cast such a dark cloud over the minds of New Yorkers. You might have thought last year’s tornado and Hurricane Irene hard to top, but then came this year’s Hurricane Sandy and Nor’easter Athena. For many, they were far worse. We were lucky to have the police and sanitation departments making the streets as safe and clean as possible afterward, and many residents of South Queens told us both performed admirably — but just as many were disappointed with entities ranging from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the city’s Rapid Repairs Program to the Red Cross. And the storm left many unresolved questions. Should we rebuild exactly like before? Should taxpayers continue to insure those who live in places that often flood? Would it be worth the investment to install some kind of watertight barrier to keep floodwaters out of the city’s subway and vehicular tunnels? Should we put more power lines

underground, put more circuitry on our buildings’ upper floors, or do both? Should gas stations be required to have generators, and if so, should the public help pay for them? We hope these questions will be resolved before the next damaging storm hits. But even as this was being written, the city was seeing the start of another winter wallop, a messy rain-sleet-snow mix, with more snow possible this weekend. The weather and its aftermath have dominated the local news for two months now, but they’re hardly the only areas in which Queens again struggled this year. The political scene hasn’t been pretty. Just as one ex-state official from the borough, Alan Hevesi of Forest Hills, was getting out of prison for corruption, another one, Hiram Monserrate of Jackson Heights, was going in. Our dominant political party, the Democrats, was poised to win control of the state Senate, but a splinter group broke ranks, keeping power largely in Republican hands. We lost a congressional seat due to redistricting, and one result is that many Queens residents will now be represented in the House by an official who, whatever his many good points, is from Suffolk County. City Hall cooked up yet another plan to erode our crown jewel park, Flushing Meadows, by giving much of it to pri-

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NRA is crazy I Dear Editor: The NRA really shot itself in the foot last Friday. CEO Wayne LaPierre’s proposal to turn our schools into free-fire zones qualifies him as certif iably insane. If he wants a national database for the mentally ill, his name should be the first one in it. NRA stands for either Not Really Awake or Not Reality-Anchored. The Second Amendment is not a suicide pact. It was written when the only gun was a single-shot musket that had to be reloaded each time it was fired. Gun violence kills 34 people every day. The NRA makes Hitler look like an underachiever and is more dangerous than Al Qaeda. NRA RIP ASAP. Richard Reif Flushing

NRA is crazy II Dear Editor: I could not believe that NRA spokesman and Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre is calling for armed guards in every school after what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School. In my opinion, we don't need more people carrying guns but fewer guns. The NRA ought to be working with Congress to pass legislation to control guns and eliminate assault rifles. © Copyright 2012 by MARK I PUBLICATIONS, INC. All rights reserved. Neither this newspaper nor any part thereof may be reproduced, copied, or transmitted in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, microfilming, recording or by any information retrieval system without the express written permission of the publishers. This copyright is extended to the design and text created for advertisements. Reproduction of said advertisement or any part thereof without the express written permission of MARK I PUBLICATIONS, INC. is strictly prohibited. This publication will not be responsible for errors in advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Bylined articles represent the sole opinion of the writer and are not necessarily in accordance with the views of the QUEENS CHRONICLE. This Publication reserves the right to limit or refuse advertising it deems objectionable. The Queens Chronicle is published weekly by Mark I Publications, Inc. at a subscription rate of $19 per year and out of state, $25 per year. Periodicals Postage Paid (USPS0013-572) at Flushing, N.Y. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Mark I Publications, Inc., 62-33 Woodhaven Boulevard, Rego Park, N.Y. 11374-7769.

vate interests to build a soccer stadium of dubious worth. And our elected leaders again let us down by letting the city take away another Queens asset, the “Triumph of Civic Virtue” statue outside Borough Hall — with some sitting on the sidelines until it was too late and others helping ensure that it would be given to a private cemetery in Brooklyn. This year also saw much of the usual nonsense we’ve gotten used to: a fight over school closures that scared people and cost taxpayer money but resulted in the status quo; other battles over budget cuts that vexed residents and fed political cynicism while again keeping the status quo; and elections in which turnout was again dismal, just like the performance of the Board of Elections. Who can blame people for staying home when their voices so often seem to mean nothing? Meanwhile unemployment was virtually unchanged from a year ago and the crime rate rose in some areas. As in any year, however, life went on. People in Queens married, had children, conducted business, earned degrees, read great books, saw great movies and so on. Even as an entity that focuses on the public sphere by definition, and saw plenty of bad things there, we know that despite it all, you can still have just what we wish you: a Happy New Year!

EDITOR

They should not be blaming f ilms and games alone for school shootings. I think the NRA is not only brain-dead but also out to lunch and 8 cents short of a dime. Frederick R. Bedell Jr. Glen Oaks

Amend that amendment Dear Editor: (An open letter to our congressional delegation) The good citizens of America are crying out, “Enough is enough!” Your profile in courage could help end gun violence. In memory of our 26 fallen angels, I would urge you to introduce a constitutional amendment to address this crisis. The Second Amendment in the Bill of Rights states, “A well-regulated Militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”

This 18th-century concept is obsolete. Today America has a well-established militia called the Pentagon. The “right of the people to keep and bear arms” must be secured. However, the clause “shall not be infringed” should be changed to “Congress shall have the power to regulate citizens’ use of firearms.” This amendment should help our government protect generations of Americans from a pattern of abuse, violence and tragedy. Our goal should be to help America become a better place to raise a family. Anthony G. Pilla Forest Hills

For the military only Dear Editor: Gov. Cuomo and other people in Albany are putting together the toughest gun laws in the nation. As reported in the papers, one of their suggestions is to limit the number of

SQ page 9

Other killers

First Sandy, then the city Dear Editor: All I have to say is we live in a sad, sad city. While people are trying to recover from Superstorm Sandy, we now have city inspectors giving out violations to the people trying to rebuild. My daughter lives in Howard Beach and was one of the thousands flooded out. She got a violation for a car in her backyard, another one for replacing her washer and

Seniors and meters Dear Editor: Muni-Meters are acceptable for the young, but a hindrance for seniors. They are often situated in locations that require the legs of youth. There now have been many occasions when younger folks have helped a senior by walking a block or two in order to retrieve the dashboard receipt. Some situations may even require first aid for the elderly, because the hills in Queens can be somewhat challenging, and if taken on unprepared can bring costly consequences. That problem would be somewhat relieved by installing more Muni-Meters. The other costly consequence is folks of age being ticketed when the Muni-Meter is two blocks away and the walk is long and tiring. I’m 73; I know. Well, what’s this little notice under my wiper? A parking ticket! Thomas Melville Fresh Meadows The writer recently received a ticket he says was issued while he was retrieving his Muni-Meter receipt.

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Thank you Dear Editor: Good afternoon. We live at the Metro shelter and on Christmas Eve we received splendid gifts. All the families are so grateful, you can’t even imagine. Thank you for your generosity and this miracle giving joy to our angels. I could honestly say Santa came to the Metro shelter. God bless you all, and once again thank you, Secret Santa. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to Queens Chronicle news. The Valenzuela family Elmhurst Editor’s note: See our final story on the 18th Annual Queens Chronicle Toy Drive elsewhere in this edition.

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MTA unfair to Queens Dear Editor: As you might be aware, I have been fighting to get Downtown Manhattan service on the QM20 Express Bus, and I am angry at the fact that the MTA Bus Company wastes our (Northeast Queens residents’) taxpayer money. The MTA wastes our money by providing express bus service to and from Manhattan for residents in Westchester County on its BxM3 bus route. The City of New York subsidizes the MTA Bus Company, not Westchester County or the City of Yonkers, where the BxM3 operates. It is unfair that New York City and Northeast Queens residents are held responsible for the shortcomings of Westchester County continued on page 10

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Dear Editor: I was very touched by Shoeb Abulkalam’s Dec. 20 letter in response to the tragedy in Connecticut, “Unite in peace.” Racked with grief, Americans were once again reminded that Islam teaches that all life is sacred and to take innocent life is to kill mankind. As an American, a non-Muslim and a non-gun owning human being, I’d like to remind readers that Major Nidal Hasan was a staunch Muslim, who, while shouting “Allah akbar,” raised his gun and blew away 13 innocent, unarmed people at Fort Hood in Texas. He was unfamiliar, it seems, with the teachings of Islam. He has yet to be tried for his crime. Attorney General Eric Holder, on investigating, determined that Hasan’s act was not one of terrorism but of workplace violence. The 13 murdered in Fort Hood were also somebody’s children. Nor has anyone been held responsible for the traff icking of guns including assault weapons by the Justice Department to drug cartel leaders in Mexico, which killed an American border guard — another mother’s child. Mass hysteria never solved anything. Before depriving American citizens of their constitutional right to bear arms, let’s give the laws already on the books, which aren’t being obeyed now, more serious consideration. Let Holder investigate the Newtown killings. The boy Lanza was also a victim. Holder may find that Lanza suffered from sex deprivation, and a simple amendment to Obamacare that would provide all he needed would prevent such calamities in the future. Janice Wijnen Rego Park

dryer and another one for changing her boiler from oil to gas. She never had oil heat and she did not change the boiler, so I do not know where they get their information from. Is this the way Bloomberg helps our citizens? This is very, very sad. Bill Folz Sr. Ozone Park

BRADY & MARSHAK, LLP

bullets in a clip for an automatic rifle to seven, down from 10. If you do the math, the killer in Connecticut, using the new clip, would have murdered 18 people, down from 26. What is needed is to put assault rifles and their magazines, empty or not, in the same category as hand grenades, antitank guns, surface-to-air missiles, bazookas and the like. Also, after the words for the new gun law are laid out, call in top computer programmers to look for any loopholes — they’re experts on that — on what defines an assault rifle and so forth. Frank Blainey Bayside Editor’s note: School shooter Adam Lanza reportedly carried multiple 30-round clips during the massacre in Connecticut.

EDITOR

Page 9 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27 , 2012

LETTERS TO THE

QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27, 2012 Page 10

SQ page 10

Letters

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continued from page 9 and subsidize the rides of its residents. Meanwhile, our residents are being denied improvements such as a downtown service on the QM20 — which the MTA admits is a great idea with wide community support — and have to suffer by either making multiple transfers or driving to Fresh Meadows for direct downtown service, though observations indicate that ridership is growing on the Northeast Queens express buses. The resources that MTA Bus uses to provide direct express bus service for Westchester residents could be used to make service improvements for New York City residents, namely and very importantly in Northeast Queens. Ali Fadil Whitestone

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Dear Editor: That ol’ “Fiscal Cliff ” is progressively looming ... or rather dooming. Both sides are increasingly anxious and the closer we get to the edge, the greater is the anxiety. It’s like a bladder condition: the closer one gets to the source of resolution, the less likely it seems that it will be reached in time. I believe it will not be; that is, if our clueless Republican freshmen installed into the House of Representatives after the 2010 election disaster have their way and force us over. The last time they managed to lower our credit rating. Perhaps this time they will manage to more completely destroy our country’s credibility ... of course, not coincidentally, during the presidency of Barack Hussein Obama. And it may very well work. Initially it will be obvious that the fault was that of our horse-blindered right-wing Congress, but history books will have it occurring during our president’s tenure, and after all is said and done, that is the goal. And that’s from those “values” exclaimers. One would think that first and foremost, America’s standing in the world would be of the greatest importance to any patriotic citizen, but clear thinking has not been on the front burner of that group. Nor has it been on the frontal lobe on the “things to do” brain of our Congress. That gray matter seems to have been replaced with Earl Grey, the “Tea,” that is. Nicholas Zizelis Bayside

Life here in ‘1984’ Dear Editor: Many of us grew up accepting the premise that the actions and pronouncements of the government were truthful, legitimate and in our best interests. Unconstitutional limitations of our rights and regulation of our lives have been unquestioningly acquiesced to only as a result of deception and the appearance of legitimacy. The deception is so pervasive and subtle that we have come to accept it as the natural order of things. We are oblivious to the inherent corruption and immorality of government coercion, control and micromanagement of our lives. Among the many deceptions is the characterization of tax cuts as government

expenditures. A tax cut is the act of government allowing citizens to keep more of the money they have earned. Calling it an expenditure implies that all wealth belongs to the government to dispose of as it wishes. Whose money is it, anyway? Social Security and Medicare are now referred to as “entitlements,” even though recipients, along with their employers, have contributed to the funds their entire working lives. If someone dies before becoming eligible to collect, do you ever wonder what happens to all that money? An example of government doublespeak is the term “fair share.” It is an inconvenient truth that the top 10 percent of earners pay 70 percent of federal income taxes. Almost 50 percent of Americans pay no income taxes at all, and 25 percent of those receive welfare in the form of the earned income tax credit. What amount of taxation would accommodate the new paradigm of “fairness”? Evidently, the answer is: as much as the government wants. Ed Konecnik Flushing

Obamacare is no answer Dear Editor: In the Dec 20 issue, Joe Brooks wrote that the United States should have a “one-payer or other universal system” (“For universal care,” Letters). He cites statistics that other countries spend less on healthcare as a percentage of GDP with equivalent results than in the United States. I would like to ask Mr. Brooks some basic economic questions. First, any business our government is involved with loses money. The Postal Service, Amtrak, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are all money losers. Congressional Budget Office projections of the first 10 years’ costs of Obamacare have doubled within two years. No one has any real idea of what things will cost. Where does the money to pay for a universal system come from? Mr. Brooks stated that a universal system would cover tens of millions of uninsured people. Since the number of doctors will stay roughly the same, who will see all these patients? How long will those of us who already have insurance have to wait to see a doctor if they have all these added patients? My sister and her family live in Italy, where there is universal coverage. The public health system there is not as good as in the United States, so people of means pay privately to get better medical care. In Canada, the rich go to the United States so they do not have to wait months to get an operation. Universal coverage is not all that proponents make it out to be. Most people in the U.S. are happy with their health insurance. Why would we want to make major changes and risk having an inferior system? Mr. Brooks is correct in stating that our current system is broke. Obamacare was passed by people in Congress who had no idea what was in the bill (as admitted by Nancy Pelosi). What is needed is a special bipartisan committee to propose recommendations that are best for this country. An open discussion of all our options with all the related pros and cons is the way to go. That is what a true democracy is all about. Lenny Rodin Forest Hills

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2012: SOUTH QUEENS

Politics, education and an epic storm continued from page 5 Patrick Scannell, the principal at St. Mary Gate of Heaven School, retired after more than 25 years at the helm of the Ozone Park institution. John Adams and Richmond Hill high schools celebrated what they believed were to be their final graduations on June 26, while the UFT and the DOE fought over the procedure to close and reorganize the schools. The case went from a judge to an arbitrator, who ruled in the city’s favor at the end of the month, forcing the issue back into the courts. Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries (D-Brooklyn) defeated Councilman Charles Barron (D-Brooklyn) in the Democratic primary to represent the newly redrawn 8th Congressional District, which, though based in Brooklyn, includes Howard Beach and Ozone Park. In the new 7th Congressional District, which includes Woodhaven, 20-year incumbent Nydia Velazquez defeated three other challengers in the Democratic primary to hold her seat, while Rep. Greg Meeks (DJamaica) also fended off a primary challenge in the 5th Congressional District, which was redrawn to include the Rockaways.

JULY A federal judge ruled for the teachers union in the suit against the DOE’s turnaround program that would have closed John Adams and Richmond Hill high schools and fired much of the staff, leaving the schools in a state of limbo through most of the summer. Residents in South Ozone Park were outraged when the MTA moved the Q41 bus from 111th Avenue to 109th Avenue, taking more than half the parking spots on one

block away for new bus stops. The U.S. Department of Agriculture removed more than half of the Canada geese population in and around Jamaica Bay after concerns over bird strikes at JFK Airport. The City Council gave its final approval to a massive rezoning of Woodhaven, Ozone Park and Richmond Hill after nearly half a decade in the works. Sixteen people were injured when a fire swept through a row of houses on 115th Street in South Richmond Hill on one of the hottest days of the year. Parents at a South Ozone Park school expressed concern and outrage when it was discovered that over two dozen registered sex offenders were or had been living in the Skyway men’s homeless shelter on South Conduit Avenue, which had changed from a family shelter to a men’s shelter 16 months earlier.

AUGUST Richmond Hill’s Sikh-American community called for calm after a man gunned down several people at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin. Mayor Bloomberg condemned the attack and continued his call for more gun control during a visit to the Sikh Cultural Center on 118th Street. Graffiti vandals struck work vans along Sutter Avenue in Ozone Park and one business captured the entire crime on its security cameras. Police warned of a string of burglaries aimed at the homes of Hindus in Ozone Park and Richmond Hill, allegedly targeted because of gold religious material inside the houses. Locked in a tight race with Councilman James Sanders (D-Laurelton), state Sen. Shirley Huntley (D-Jamaica) was arrested on charges that she funneled taxpayer money to a fraudulent nonprof it called the Parent Workshop.

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SEPTEMBER

Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder speaking at John Adams HS’s graduation on June 26. The school was due to be closed after, but a arbitrator ruled against the city just days later, keeping it and seven other Queens high schools open. PHOTO BY DOMENICK RAFTER

Negative mailings dominated the Republican primary for state Senate between Councilman Eric Ulrich and Queens GOP-backed attorney Juan Reyes. The race got exceptionally nasty when the Reyes campaign sent out mailers accusing Ulrich of flipping on support of LGBT rights and hiring a gay staffer. The race ended in a decisive Ulrich victory on Sept. 13. After being indicted on corruption charges, Huntley lost her race against Sanders by a wide margin, becoming the only state legislator in Queens to be defeated in 2012. Residents of 84th Avenue in Richmond Hill fought a proposal by the Department of Transportation to change the

99th Street in Old Howard Beach lies in ruins just north of Charles Park the day after Hurricane FILE PHOTO Sandy sent a storm surge of over 6 feet rushing into the neighborhood. street into a one-way. Community Board 9 later rejected the plan. A lighting f ixture leaking PCBs in a Long Island City school shined a light on the city’s plan to remove the chemical from public schools by 2021, leading to calls for that timeline to be expedited.

OCTOBER Cuomo announced the reorganization of the New York Racing Association’s horse safety and health procedure after a string of horse deaths at Aqueduct Racetrack and other racing venues in the state. Four graduates of Richmond Hill high school were killed in a car accident Columbus Day weekend on the Southern State Parkway in Nassau County. The driver of the vehicle, who survived, was unlicensed and later arrested for allegedly driving while under the influence of marijuana. The race between Ulrich and Addabbo for state Senate culminated in a debate cohosted by the Queens Chronicle on Oct. 25 at Ave Maria Catholic Academy in Howard Beach. But the campaign fell off the front pages the next week when on Oct. 29, Hurricane Sandy struck New York. A storm surge as high as 10 feet flooded the Rockaways, Broad Channel and Howard Beach, drowning basements and some first floors. Power was knocked out to more than 100,000 people in Queens, and everyone in Howard Beach. Twelve people died in Queens as a result of the storm, including one eldery woman who drowned in her Howard Beach home. The storm also toppled more than 7,000 trees in the borough, among them, the 100-foot evergreen on Forest Parkway in Woodhaven used for the neighborhood’s Christmas celebrations.

NOVEMBER Though the race was muted by the ongoing recovery from Hurricane Sandy, Addabbo

won re-election, defeating Ulrich 57 percent to 43 percent. With power out in many parts of the district and many residents in the Rockaways and Howard Beach displaced, voting was complicated as some cast ballots away from their homes. Turnout was relatively low. Power remained out in Howard Beach for up to two weeks and even longer in the Rockaways. Frustration and confusion with utility companies, insurance agencies and FEMA led to angry, despondent residents lashing out at local officials at a town hall meeting at PS 146 on Nov. 20. Meanwhile, the NYC Districting Commission released would-be final lines for new City Council districts, which angered a number of civic leaders, especially in Woodhaven, where the border between two districts sliced the neighborhood in half.

DECEMBER The power was back on in most of the Sandy-affected zone by early December, but the aftereffects remained, with many houses still cleaning out and businesses along Cross Bay Boulevard still struggling to get back on their feet. The devastated West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire Department, which lost all its vehicles in Hurricane Sandy, received donated firetrucks from Mississippi and Pennsylvania, and Duane Reade donated $25,000 to the organization. Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (DMiddle Village) announced she would be supporting the proposed landmarking of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Woodhaven, which closed its doors in May 2011. Ed Wendell, president of the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association and the Woodhaven Historical and Cultural Society, threw his support behind the idea and the landmarking of the adjacent Wyckoff-Snediker Cemetery, Q which dates back to the 18th century.

C M SQ page 13 Y K Page 13 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27, 2012

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Police catch 2005 hit-and-run suspect by Domenick Rafter Associate Editor

After a seven-year search, police have caught the suspect wanted in a 2005 hitand-run fatality in Ozone Park, thousands of miles away from where the incident happened. Paula Bartolo, 56, was arrested by authorities in Spain and was extradited to New York on Dec. 21 to face first-degree manslaughter charges in the incident, which left a developmentally disabled teenager dead. Police say Bartolo, a man, hit the boy on purpose. There were a number of witnesses to the incident.

Paula Bartolo was arrested in Spain On Oct. 26, 2005 at 8:30 a.m., Jeffrey Javier, 15, was hit by a gray Chevy Corsica, allegedly being driven by Bartolo, at the intersection of 101st Street and Rockaway Boulevard in Ozone Park, adjacent to John Adams High School and a block and a half from the 106th Precinct. According to police, Bartolo allegedly ran over Javier intentionally after becoming angry at how slowly he was walking across the street. Bartolo allegedly was tr ying to make a right tur n onto

Rockaway Boulevard from 101st Street. The teenager, who was a special needs student, was on his way to school when he was hit. His mother had just dropped him off. Witnesses said Bartolo yelled at the teenager, then slammed his foot on the gas and hit him in the intersection. Witnesses say further that Bartolo then put the car in reverse and ran over him again. He then fled, leaving Javier in the street. The teenager died a few days later at

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Jamaica Hospital Medical Center when his parents decided to take him off life support after he was declared brain dead. Police were able to trace the car to Bartolo’s daughter and had identified him as a “person of interest” on Oct. 31, 2005, but they say he had already left the country by then. According to published reports, Bartolo may have fled to an unspecified Latin American country immediately after the crime, but police were unable to find him there. He was found in Spain after police Q uncovered a travel itinerary.

Casino ends year in black

VILR-059928

QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27, 2012 Page 14

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Resorts World Casino New York City ended its first full year in business well in the black. The casino at Aqueduct Racetrack became the single largest slot revenue gaming property in the United States in 2012 and paid more to the state in taxes than casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, in Atlantic City and Connecticut. In 2012, Resorts World Casino’s gross gaming revenues exceeded $638 million, including $435 million sent to the state, of which $280 million went directly to the state’s education fund. “While we never doubted this would be a successful venture, we have far exceeded any and all expectations we had for 2012 and can’t wait to begin an even better 2013,” said Michael Speller, president of Resorts World Casino New York City. The casino, which opened in late 2011 and has around 5,000 video lottery terminals on site, saw more than 10 million visitors in the past 12 months. In October, Resorts World announced it had donated one percent of its annual profits to dozens of local community organizations in Queens and around New Q York City.

Correction Call For Reserva tions

Drivers wishing to exit the northbound Cross Island Parkway before the Whitestone Bridge toll plaza when the 3rd Avenue exit closes for construction in January must take the Utopia Parkway exit. The exit was misidentified in the Dec. 20 article “MTA, Drivers prep for W’stone ramp closure.” We Q regret the error.

GOT SEND VALET PARKING

NEWS?

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EMAIL EDITOR

DOMENICK RAFTER

DOMENICKR@QCHRON.COM

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Political junkies got their fill in ’12 Addabbo-Ulrich gets national play; Sandy spares much of inland boro by Michael Gannon Editor

Politics in middle and southwestern Queens was the favorite sport outside of Citi Field in 2012, and the worst storm to hit the region in 74 years devastated some while causing others just a few flickers of their lights. JANUARY As the year began, the city filed an appeal of a ruling by federal Judge Nicholas Garaufus that found discrimination on the part of the FDNY against African-American firefighters in the testing and hiring process. Work began Jan. 25 on the $7.5 million project to rehabilitate the walls of the Cooper Avenue underpass in Glendale. The project represented the first major work done at the site since it was constructed in 1935. FEBRUARY Assemblymen Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven) and Phil Goldfeder (D-Rockaway) pushed to reinstate rail service along the old Rockaway Beach Branch of the Long Island Rail Road between Ozone Park and Rego Park. Both said it would offer badly needed rail service to their districts. The tracks were abandoned by the LIRR in 1962. Other proposals include converting the line into an elevated High Line-style park. Feb. 4 saw students at Grover Cleveland High School in Ridgewood medal in four categories at the annual Regional Science Olympiad, competing against schools such as Stuyvesant, Brooklyn Tech, Archbishop Malloy, St. Francis Prep and Bronx Science.

APRIL City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) announced his intention to challenge state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach) in the 15th Senate District. The late Gordon Bennett, a leader of Boy Scout Troop 106 in Middle Village for 35 years, was honored by more than 200 people in a ceremony held on April 18, just weeks after his death. On April 19, Jeff Gottlieb, 70, a longtime functionary in the Queens Democratic Party, withdrew his candidacy in the primary for the 6th Congressional District after revelations that he set fire to his apartment while working as a teacher in 1971. The driver who killed 37-year-old Maspeth tavern owner George Gibbons pleaded guilty on April 20 to leaving the scene of a fatal accident. Peter Rodriguez, 37, was speeding and driving the wrong way on the service road to the Long Island Expressway on Oct. 11, 2011 when he hit the livery car in which Gibbons was riding head-on. The driver of the cab and Rodriguez’s passenger were hurt. Rodriguez went on the run and was arrested one month later in Connecticut. He would be sentenced to 3.5 to 7years in prison in May. On April 26, Grover Cleveland High School in Ridgewood was removed from a list of more than two dozen high schools slated to be shut down and reorganized with a new name and new staff. The school, which opened in 1931, has 2,400 students. All the schools eventually were spared closure. That same day, Meng acknowledged that she was aware of business and management ties between Multi-Media, which was hired to do her campaign’s printing, and the Queens Tribune, which runs advertisements that have been criticized by women’s organizations, politicians and law enforcement as promoting prostitution. Meng subsequently introduced legislation in the Assembly that would require legitimate massage businesses to run their state license numbers in

advertisements. Critics, including women’s advocates, called the measure insufficient. CURES, or Civics United for Railroad Environmental Solutions, and Jamaica Bay Ecowatchers were honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for their work with the environment. CURES was cited largely for its work to control noise and air pollution in and around the Fresh Pond rail yards, which have been a source of protest from Maspeth, Glendale and Middle Village. On April 24, Community Education Council 24 approved plans to establish the Middle Village Preparatory School for grades 6 through 8 on the campus of Christ the King Regional High School in Middle Village in 2013. The school will accommodate 360 children in the most overcrowded school district in New York City. That same night the CEC endorsed the city’s plan to buy and renovate the old St. Aloysius School on Seneca Avenue in Ridgewood. The intersection of 59th Road and 60th Street in Maspeth was renamed on April 29 in memory of NYPD Officer Kevin Czartoryski, who died from lung disease in December 2011. Czartoryski, 46, was a first responder to the World Trade Center attacks. MAY All but one member of the Queens delegation to Congress supported a failed bill amendment that could have stripped millions of dollars from the NYPD over the department’s stop-and-frisk policy. Turner was the lone no vote from Queens. Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-Queens) was not present for the vote, but said he would have supported the bill. Democratic Congressional candidate Meng said she would have voted to support the bill. The Queens Republican Party endorsed Forest Hills attorney Juan Reyes to run against Addabbo in the 15th SD. The endorsement was seen as the result of an ongoing rift between Ulrich, who had announced in April, and Republican Party leadership.

JULY Residents and politicians were out in force outside the Review Avenue facilities of Waste Management on July 2 to protest a state ruling that allows the company to expand its operations on the site. Residents believe it will increase the amount of trash that is shipped by rail through the Fresh Pond rail yards, which has been a source of noise and odors in Glendale and Middle Village. The company said it will eliminate more than 300 truck trips per week on Queens roads leading to and from the facility. Crowley took a $286,000 cut in discretionary funding to her district from the City Council coffers. The cut is believed in some political circles to be payback for forcing a Democratic primary with party-endorsed Meng for the Democratic nomination in the 6th Congressional District. AUGUST CB 5 Chairman Vincent Arcuri said it would be difficult for the city or developers to act on the rumored interest in building a multi-dwelling homeless facility on the site of an old factory at 76-18 Cooper Ave. in Glendale. Arcuri said the factory, which has been vacant for about two decades, would require extensive — and expensive — remediation for lead paint, asbestos and PCBs to meet code standards, and also is located adjacent to a federally recognized brownfield. The owner of the site, Wilner Realty Management of Jericho, LI, had held discussions with a possible developer earlier in the year. WNBA stars and former Christ the King High School standouts Tina Charles and Sue Bird won gold medals with the U.S. women’s basketball team at the London Olympic Games. continued on page 18

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MARCH FedEx Ground announced that it was planning to leave its Maspeth distribution center at Grand Avenue and 47th Street in 2013 for a new site to be built in Long Island City. The center employs 125 workers. Assemblywoman Grace Meng (D-Flushing) announced her campaign for Congress to fill the seat left open by the retirement of Congressman Gary Ackerman (D-Queens). Borough Hall was the target of conservationists after 10 blooming cherry trees — some more than 40 years old — were cut down behind the building near where construction had begun on a $14 million atrium. City off icials f irst said the trees were removed to accommodate construction equipment. Following a publicity campaign by NYC Park Advocates and press reports, they claimed the trees were diseased or could not be transplanted so late in the growing season. Two dozen more trees were removed in the coming weeks. Congressman Bob Turner (R-Queens and Brooklyn) announced his intention to run in the Republican primary for the United States Senate. Turner’s House district would be eliminated when the lines were redrawn to reflect the results of the 2010 U.S. Census.

Republican Councilman Eric Ulrich, left, and Democratic state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. squared off in November in one of the most eagerly anticipated statehouse races in the country — that for FILE PHOTO Addabbo’s seat in the 15th Senate District. The senator won by 14 points.

JUNE New York Mets ace Johan Santana threw the first no-hitter in the team’s 50-year history on June 1, blanking the defending champion the St. Louis Cardinals, 8-0. Meng scored 51 percent of the vote in the Democratic Primary for the 6th Congressional District on June 26. Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) got 28 percent, Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) 16 percent and Dr. Robert Mittman of Flushing 5 percent. The Moving Wall, a traveling scale replica of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, DC, was open to the public around the clock in Juniper Valley Park from June 29 to July 2. The monument bears the names of 512 sons of Queens. Community Board 5 and the city’s Department of Transportation cleared the final hurdles to creating a pair of pedestrian plazas in the area — one in Glendale at the convergence of Myrtle and Cooper avenues and 70th Street, and a temporary one in Ridgewood at 71st Avenue, Steven Street and Myrtle. Officials hope the latter will be approved for permanent status.

Page 17 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27, 2012

2012: MID QUEENS

QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27, 2012 Page 18

SQ page 18

2012: MID QUEENS

Politics, Sandy loom large continued from page 17

On Aug. 10, Howard Beach resident Daniel Casillo, 31, was arrested for criminal trespass at John F. Kennedy International Airport after his personal watercraft broke down on Jamaica Bay. Casillo swam to the nearest landmass, the airport, and scaled an 8-foot fence before walking up to two miles to a secure area seeking help. The incident caused criticism and an internal review of JFK’s $100 million- plus perimeter security system, which failed to detect Casillo before he flagged down airport personnel to ask for help. FDNY EMTs Jimmy Guailacela and Marilyn Arroyo rescued three senior citizens who became trapped in their car on Aug. 15 when heavy rains cause a flash flood at the Cooper Avenue Underpass. Sister Claudia Bradshaw of St. Margaret’s parish in Middle Village was rescued along with her friends, Mary and Joseph Laurence. SEPTEMBER Incumbents carried the day in primaries for state offices on Sept. 13. Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven) defeated challenger Etienne David Adorno by a 71-29 margin. Ulrich defeated Reyes, 70-30, for the right to take on Addabbo on November.

OCTOBER Hurricane Sandy, the superstorm that laid waste to large sections of the Rockaways, southern Queens and Staten Island, largely spared Middle Village, Maspeth, Glendale and Ridgewood when it made landfall on Oct. 29. Downed trees caused power outages in some areas, and minor flooding hit some homeowners and businesses. Residents in the area played a large part in the ongoing relief effort for those in the stricken areas. NYPD off icer Gilbert Valle, 26, was arrested on charges connected to an alleged online conspiracy to kidnap, kill and eat women with whom he was acquainted. Valle is accused of illegally accessing national computer records to gather information on potential victims, and in one instance is suspected of conspiring to kidnap a woman and deliver her to a third party for money. Ridgewood resident Orlando Orea, 32, became an international fugitive, fleeing to Mexico after learning police were looking for him in connection with the Oct. 7 murder of 25-year-old soccer coach Michael Jones in Manhattan. Maspeth businessman Peter Keane and his employee Marc Eberle held a memorial ceremony at their auto body shop on Oct. 26 on the 50th anniversary of six FDNY

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firefighters dying in a fire at the site in 1962. Capt. William Russell and firefighters James Marino, Richard Andrews, Richard Gifford, George Zahn and Francis Egan were killed when a wall collapsed on them in what was then a soap factory. NOVEMBER Democrats retained their supremacy in Queens on Election Day. In the most closely monitored race, Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) defeated Ulrich by a margin of 57 to 43 percent in the 15th SD. Congressman Joe Crowley (D-Queens and Bronx) thrashed Republican challenger William Gibbons, 83-15. Next door in the 6th District, Democrat Meng, with 68 percent of the vote, topped Councilman Dan Halloran (R-Whitestone). And Assemblywoman Margaret Markey (D-Maspeth) defeated Republican Tony Nunziato, 68-32 in the 30th AD. Three men convicted in the 1988 murder of NYPD Officer Edward Byrne were denied parole in November. Scott Cobb, David McClary and Todd Scott all were up for parole for the f irst time. A fourth man, Philip Copeland, was denied parole on Dec. 20. Byrne was murdered on orders from drug kingpin “Pappy” Mason as the 22-year-old rookie guarded the home of a witness in a narcotics case. Mason is serving life in federal prison. DECEMBER Ki Suk Han, 58, of Elmhurst was killed on Dec. 2 when he was shoved in front of an incoming train at a Manhattan subway stop.

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QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27, 2012 Page 20

SQ page 20

Seminar helps Sandy victims with finances Questions about FEMA, insurance, budgeting fielded from residents by Stephen Geffon Chronicle Contributor

Barbara and David Galler of Howard Beach had 3 feet of water in the basement of their 91st Street home after Hurricane Sandy, with damage to their furnace, hot water heater, air conditioners and washer and dryer. They also lost their two cars to the storm. “I was sitting by my living room window watching the water come down the block,” Barbara Galler told Financial Planning Association staffer Mark Sallinger at the company’s free seminar at St. Helen’s Father Dooley Hall in Howard Beach on Dec. 15. “The water just came into the house and started coming up the steps: scary, very scary.” Sallinger told the Gallers to document their losses to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and their insurance company. “Itemize as best you can everything you had and then contact FEMA,” he instructed them. The Gallers were two of the more than 50 residents who attended the free financial planning seminar sponsored by state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach) and the New York Chapter of the Financial Planning Association, aimed at helping victims of Hur ricane Sandy who have taken a financial hit with planning their personal finances. The FPA staff was on hand to help the seminar’s attendees with one-on-one advice

FPA staffer Mark Sallinger gives advice to Barbara and David Galler of Howard Beach at a seminar PHOTO BY STEPHEN GEFFON in St. Helen’s Father Dooley Hall on Dec. 15. regarding FEMA, insurance companies, budgeting and other financial issues. Addabbo said the goal of the one-on-one approach was to help residents affected by the storm who have financial questions or concerns. “Everybody has sustained an individual or unique issue with FEMA or their insurance company, their job or any other financial impact,” he said. “What we’re doing here at this stage is another step at trying to get people back on their feet.”

Certified financial planner Michael Terry said he was happy with the number of residents who attended the seminar. He said a majority of people he and his staff spoke with had questions about claiming casualty losses from the storm on their income tax returns and dealing with their insurance companies. Terry added that many residents who had flood insurance were disappointed with the amount they received for their losses. He

said he also discussed home equity versus other types of loans to rebuild. When one resident told him she had some cash value in her insurance policy, he suggested that as a good place to borrow money from. “With cash value insurance you don’t necessarily have to pay it back,” said Terry. Many residents were looking to understand better why their insurance companies were not paying as much as they thought they should and asked what they could do to contest that. The attendees were also looking to understand the difference between the FEMA cap, which is $31,000, and the FEMA grant, which is an additional $10,000. Terry said that a resident can only get the grant if he reaches the cap. While most people said they were happy with what they received from FEMA, they wished they could have gotten more, he added, and many attendees did not understand why one homeowner got the full FEMA amount and the next-door neighbor with the same damage got a lesser amount. “That was kind of mind-boggling,” Terry said. He advised people to appeal FEMA’s decision if they believed they qualified for more money for their damaged homes and contents. He noted that some people he spoke with who appealed were successful and Q received more money from FEMA.

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SQ page 22

2012: EAST AND SOUTHEAST QUEENS

Violence and politics dominated SE Queens in ’12 Year was filled with plenty of ups and downs, tragedies and triumphs by AnnMarie Costella Assistant Editor

This year in Southeast Queens, there were plenty of highs and lows, accomplishments and disappointments, most involving crime and politics. In an effort to curb violence, two gun buybacks were held, resulting in 564 weapons being taken off the street. But there were still several shootings, including a triple homicide involving an AK-47 and another in which a Nassau County cop was killed. In political news, City Councilman James Sanders Jr. (D-Laurelton) unseated state Sen. Shirley Huntley for the 10th Senatorial District. State Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Hollis) confounded Queens Democrats by defecting to the Independent Democratic Caucus. On the community level, Adrienne Adams defeated Jacqueline Boyce to become the chairwoman of Community Board 12, following a highly contentious race.

A gun buyback program in August in Jamaica resulted in a huge haul of weapons.

JANUARY The New Year started on a violent note with a series of firebombings — four in Queens and one in Elmont, LI. The NYPD arrested Ray Lazier Lengend, 40, of Queens Village in connection with the crimes. Police say that Lengend’s motive was purely revenge. He allegedly targeted a bodega owner who had caught him shoplifting, a mosque that refused to let him use the bathroom, and others whom he had beefs with. Another disagreement that occurred that month was between the Department of Education and parents and pupils who were furious over the agency’s proposal to move Cambria Heights Academy from its location in a former Catholic school, where thousands had been spent on technology upgrades, to the already overcrowded JHS 72 in Rochdale Village.

Jamaica native Tina Charles won an Olympic gold medal in August. At Community Board 13, members concerned about area bodegas possibly selling synthetic marijuana learned about the dangers of the drug from addiction specialist Herman Lozada. Synthetic cannabinoids can lead to attempted suicides, anxiety and panic attacks, heart palpitations, racing heartbeat, respiratory complications, aggression, mood swings, altered perception and paranoia. On a happier note the First Presbyterian Church of Jamaica on 164th Street celebrated its 350th anniversary with a special service for its congregation. It’s the oldest continuously serving church of its kind in the country.

For the latest news visit qchron.com

FEBRUARY

City Councilman James Sanders Jr., right, and his chief of staff, Donovan Richards, raise their arms in triumph, after Sanders wins his bid for state Senate.

Irate parents rallied outside PS 118 in St. Albans calling for the ouster of principal Cynthia Ofori-Feaster, citing numerous problems they said she caused — everything from creating a hostile environment and dwindling academic performance to limited supervision on the playground and not letting students use the bathroom. Jury selection was set to begin in the case of Karen Bentley of Rosedale vs. the Scripto lighter company. Her 5-year-old son was badly burned in 2005 after he set himself ablaze while playing with an Aim ’n Flame lighter, which Bentley claimed was not properly child-proofed. In education-related news, the Rev. Floyd Flake announced that the Allen Christian School was closing after 30 years because of financial problems. It was replaced by the Eagle Academy for Young Men later this year. Postal customers were able to breathe a sigh of relief after all the stations slated for closure due to financial constraints were

spared by the United States Postal Service — Astoria, Arverne, Holliswood, Rosedale and Rockaway Beach. But the fate of the Whitestone processing facility, which was being considered for consolidation or closure, remained undecided. On the land use front, the Port Authority gave the Greater Jamaica Development Corp. an ultimatum — make good on a land deal or the property will be seized.The GJDC, a nonprofit, publicly funded organization, owed the PA $2.7 million over its failed plan to create a new business center called the JFK Corporate Square project.

MARCH At least two men accused of wrongdoing got their comeuppance. Alleged fire bomber Lengend was indicted on state and federal charges, while Gescard Isnora, one of the officers involved in the shooting that killed Sean Bell in 2006, was fired from the NYPD. In other crime-related news, Brett Picou, 30, of Far Rockaway, a teacher’s aide at PS 52 in Jamaica, was charged with allegedly sexually abusing six female students. On a more solemn note, Moira Ann Smith, a brave police officer from Queens Village who died on 9/11, had the Madison Square

FILE PHOTOS

Park playground in Manhattan renamed in her honor. She is credited with saving many lives on that tragic day, and her heroism serves as an inspiration to others.

APRIL A settlement for an undisclosed amount was reached in the lawsuit involving Daniel Slowly, a Rosedale toddler who accidentally set himself on fire using a lighter, while at the home of his babysitter in 2005. After much protest by parents and students, the DOE scrapped its plan to move Cambria Heights Academy into IS 59 in Springfield Gardens. Community Board 12 had a chaotic meeting with Boyce, its then-chairwoman, trying unsuccessfully to keep things under control. Problems arose after Boyce formed a bylaws committee without giving all board members an opportunity to join and then proposed changes to the bylaws at the April 18 meeting, causing a fury of yelling and bickering. Boyce was later summoned to Borough Hall to discuss what happened. The city Department of Environmental Protection gave a tour of Station 24, an old Jamaica Water Supply well it planned to continued on page 24

James Smith, left, widower of Police Officer Moira Smith, right, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and Patricia Smith, daughter of James and Moira, unveil the sign renaming the Madison Square Park playground in Manhattan in her honor.

SQ page 23

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Page 23 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27, 2012

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SQ page 24

2012: EAST AND SE QUEENS continued from page 22

reactivate the following month, to civic leaders and elected officials. Once up and running the well would pump about 1,500 gallons of water per minute, and offer flood relief to Southeast Queens. But it was shortlived and pumping was suspended in December.

MAY The Cambria Heights community began bracing itself for the arrival of the some 20,000 Lubavitch pilgrims who were to visit the grave of the sect’s beloved leader, the Rebbe Menachem Schneerson, on June 23. He is buried at Montefiore Cemetery. The leaders of Congregation Ohel Chabad Lubavitch, the synagogue that abuts the cemetery, planned to used nearby Delphin H. Greene Playground as a feeding area, while the NYPD planned to provide round-theclock coverage, including traffic control. The Department of Sanitation agreed to put out more trash baskets and the Department of Transportation was to put up signs reminding people of the prohibition against engine idling. Sanders announced plans to challenge Huntley for the 10th District seat. Sanders, who will be term-limited out in 2013, was eyeing the spot because the district now includes some of his home turf in the Rockaways, an area the district picked up thanks to redistricting.

For the latest news visit qchron.com

JUNE Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica) easily claimed victory in the Democratic primary Tuesday for the 5th Congressional District seat, racking up more than 67 percent of the vote. Fifty-five guns were turned in at a Southeast Queens gun buyback event at St. Benedict the Moor Church in Jamaica including a loaded Colt .45 semiautomatic. After decades of complaints about bird waste, the MTA put up a pigeon net at an LIRR station where Hollis meets Queens Village. The Lubavitch pilgrimage was held and was much more orderly than in previous years, according to civic leaders and law enforcement officers at the scene. There were none of the usual complaints about blocked driveways, traffic jams, excessive trash and people urinating in the streets. The controversial use of stop and frisk as a law enforcement tool which had sparked a statewide debate, especially in minority communities, was discussed at a town hall meeting in St. Albans, where residents were torn between whether the practice amounts to unfair racial profiling and needs to be eliminated, or is an effective tool only in need of reform.

JULY Three men were murdered in Springfield Gardens in a drive-by shooting with an AK47 assault rifle. Dozens of the 63 shots were fired from the submachine gun, which was developed in Russia to be used as a military weapon. The 11-pound weapon can fire 600 rounds per minute, or 10 rounds per second. Southeast Queens mourned the passing of the Rev. John Boyd, pastor of New Greater

Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott, foreground, and Eagle Academy Principal Kenyatte Reid FILE PHOTO address the media. Bethel Ministries, which he founded in 1972. He died of natural causes at the age of 85 and left behind a legacy of religious dedication, community service and a thriving church. Laurelton residents expressed concern over an increase in airport noise, with Dwight Johnson, president of the Federated Blocks of Laurelton civic group, stating he has seen “double or triple” the amount of planes in recent years. He pointed the finger at construction at JFK for the airport rerouting planes over Southeast Queens instead of using the north/south runways more frequently, as it had in the past.

AUGUST Even though August is the time when police precincts host their National Night Out Against Crime events, a chance for the community to get together and learn about crime prevention, violence still occurred — and this month it targeted a police officer. John Thomas, 24, allegedly shot and wounded Sgt. Craig Bier on Aug. 8 in Jamaica. Bier, 44, a member of the Queens gang unit, was hit after he and his partner, Det. Nick Romano, tried to stop Thomas, who was riding a bicycle and “acting suspicious.” On a positive note, New Jerusalem Baptist Church received 509 weapons at a gun buyback including an AK-47, TEC-9, and Calico 9mm with a 50-round magazine. Also that month, Smith said he would be introducing what he called the “toughest” gun legislation in the country. It would significantly increase the penalty for illegal possession of a weapon, taking it from a Class A misdemeanor carrying a one-year prison sentence to a Class B violent felony with a five-toeight-year term. The late City Councilman Tom White Jr. was honored with a street renaming in Jamaica. The corner of 116th Avenue and Sutphin Boulevard is now also known as Thomas White Jr. Boulevard. Milton Bassin, the longtime York College president credited with building the school from the ground up and saving it from closure during the fiscal crisis of the 1970s, died on Aug. 13. He was 88. Community Board 13 blasted a plan by

Congregation Ohel Chabad Lubavitch to place a charter bus stop near the Montefiore Cemetery to more easily accommodate its pilgrims and prevent engine idling, which residents had consistently complained is a problem, claiming bus drivers wouldn’t follow the rules and it would make things worse. They voted down the plan at the following month’s meeting. Jamaica native and WNBA star Tina Charles won a gold medal with the United States women’s basketball team at the London Olympic Games.

SEPTEMBER Sanders declared victory in the race for the state’s 10th Senatorial District seat, triumphing over Huntley, fresh off a state indictment on corruption, and activist Gian Jones of Rockaway. Eagle Academy, a single-sex school designed to put minority boys on the right path, which had previously been located inside IS 59, got its own building in St. Albans, replacing the former Allen AME Christian School, which closed earlier this year. This month marked the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln on Sept. 22, 1862, which took effect the following Jan. 1, known to millions as the day that freed the slaves of the South. The city Economic Development Corp. announced that it would be beginning the fourth and final phase of a $70 million project, started in 2004, which would include the dredging of Springfield Lake, the addition of more than 89,000 new plantings, as well as new sidewalks and bike paths and an extension of Springfield Boulevard to provide more direct access to Springfield Gardens Park.

OCTOBER Edul Ahmad, a real estate broker with ties to Meeks, pleaded guilty to mortgage fraud in Brooklyn Federal Court on Oct. 10. Ahmad was charged with using straw buyers to defraud banks out of millions. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, the top count on a 10-count indictment. Police Officer Arthur Lopez, 29, a member

of the Nassau County Emergency Service Unit, was gunned down near the Cross Island Parkway after pulling over a man involved in a hit-and-run accident. The alleged shooter, Darrell Fuller of Jamaica, was accused of then carjacking and killing an innocent motorist, Raymond Facey, before leading the police on a door-to-door manhunt. The FBI arrested Quazi Naf is, 21, of Jamaica, on Oct. 17 for allegedly plotting to blow up the New York Federal Reserve Bank in downtown Manhattan. He was charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to provide material support to Al-Qaeda. David Hartshorn, 54, once named “Rochdale Village Little League Coach of the Year,” was sentenced to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty in August to charges of molesting boys at his residence between July 2009 and August 2010 and filming two additional teenage boys engaging in sexual acts with one another.

NOVEMBER November was all about Sandy. The superstorm had torn through the state and region, leaving a path of destruction and Southeast Queens was no exception. There were downed trees and power lines everywhere. Many residents were left without electricity for days. The lack of power and halt in deliveries prompted a gas crisis, because stations couldn’t get or pump fuel. The federal government one day gave out rations of gas for free at the Jamaica Armory and lines were long. Refugees were housed at York College and other evacuation centers. City Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans), who will be term-limited out next year, announced that he would be running for borough president. In other political news, Meeks and Assemblywoman Barbara Clark (D-Queens Village) retained their respective seats after the Nov. 6 general election. Without a challenger, Sanders secured his presumptive win of the 10th Senate District seat. Several members of the Stop Mass Incarceration Network, a civil rights advocacy group, were found guilty of disorderly conduct following a three-week trial in Queens Criminal Court. The charges stemmed from a stop-and-frisk protest they held the prior November, during which members marched through downtown Jamaica and outside the 103rd Precinct.

DECEMBER Smith stunned Southeast Queens Democrats and incurred the wrath of Jamaica pastor and activist the Rev. Charles Norris, following his decision this month to join the Independent Democratic Caucus, which planned to form a coalition with Republicans. Charles Kidd, an environmental health expert who headed York College in Jamaica from 1996 to 2002, died at the age of 76. He was the college’s fourth president and returned to York as a professor during the 2010-11 academic year in the Department of Earth and Physical Sciences. There he brought his considerable scholarship in environmental health to bear. In a heated election, Adams secured a comfortable victory over Boyce to become the new chairwoman of Community Board 12 by Q a vote of 23-15.

C M SQ page 25 Y K Page 25 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27, 2012

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C M SQ page 26rev Y K

Duane Reade gives $25K to vollies Devastated fire department will put money toward new ambulance by Domenick Rafter Associate Editor

The lights are back on in the West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire Department’s house on Davenport Court, as is the heat, and the garage again houses two large fire trucks. But things are not back to normal at the department, which was devastated by the storm surge from Hurricane Sandy on Oct. 29. Half a million dollars in equipment was destroyed, as were all of its vehicles, and many of the vehicles of its volunteers. But the Hamilton Beach vollies have gotten help from friends near and far. The department received donated trucks from volunteer fire departments from as far away as Mississippi and Pennsylvania. Now, Duane Reade has announced it will donate $25,000 to the department. Duane Reade management, including Greg Calvano, director of store operations for the pharmacy chain, handed the check to the volunteer fire department’s captain, Jonah Cohen, at a press conference in Hamilton Beach last Thursday. Cohen confirmed the money will be used to purchase a new ambulance for the department, after its previous ambulance was damaged in Hurricane Sandy’s floodwaters. The West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire Department never shut down during or after the storm. Even while 5 to 6 feet of water flooded

Captain Jonah Cohen of the West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire Department, center, speaks at a press conference with Borough President Helen Marshall, left, WHBVFD former Captain Mitch Udowitch, state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr., Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder, Greg Calvano, director of store PHOTO BY DOMENICK RAFTER operations for Duane Reade and other Duane Reade managers. the firehouse the night of the hurricane, those on duty still went out into the waters and rescued residents trapped in their homes, many by boat at the height of the storm.

“This f ire depar tment saved lives that night,” state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach) said at the check presentation.

Even after the stor m, the f irehouse became a “town square” of sorts for residents who spent weeks without power and heat. Hot meals and donated supplies were distributed there and a number of people from around the borough and elsewhere came to help. Storm or no storm, the fire department is key to the community and the surrounding areas. Hamilton Beach is close to the Belt Parkway and the A train subway, and steps from JFK Airport — a fact reaffirmed when Thursday’s press conference was disrupted by a landing Emirates Airlines Airbus A380 which passed about 100 feet over the neighborhood. The department stands ready to respond to vehicular, transit and aviation accidents if needed. “It doesn’t take a storm to realize the importance of the West Hamilton Beach Volunteer Fire Department,” Addabbo said, noting that during the hur ricane, the department provided the only emergency crews who were able to respond in Hamilton Beach. NYPD and FDNY could not travel south of 156th Avenue b e c a u s e o f t h e s t o r m s u rg e u n t i l t h e waters receded enough for them to travel the streets with the National Guard. “This community is not safe without this fire department,” Marshall added. Q

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C M SQ page 28 Y K

East River Ferry here to stay Three year ridership projections exceeded in one by Josey Bartlett Editor

The East River Ferry, which stops in Long Island City, is slated to become a permanent transFILE PHOTO portation option.

Politicians announced on Friday that they are looking to make the successful East River Ferry a permanent transportation option. The city is asking companies to submit proposals on how they would maintain and run the ferry, which stops once in the borough in Long Island City at 54-00 Second St. The new operator would run the system for at least five years starting in June 2014. An operator who can run the service

without the need for public subsidies will rise to the top of the applicant pile. Additionally, applicants can propose expanded service such as increased hours and new locations. “Ferry service along the East River continues to be incredibly popular, both for commuters and weekend travelers,” Mayor Bloomberg said. “We now have the opportunity to build upon this success and sustain this essential part of our transportation vision well into the future.”

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The city launched a three-year pilot program in June 2011, with BillyBey Ferry Company contracted through June 2014 as the operator. Since then more than 1.6 million passengers have used the service, surpassing the initial projection of 1.3 million riders for the entire three-year test period, Bloomberg said. That breaks down to about 90,000 people a month. Post Hurricane Sandy temporary ferry service was established to reconnect the Rockaways and the South Shore of Staten Island to the city’s transportation network. The East River Ferry started those operations two days after the hurricane, providing relief to areas in Brooklyn and Queens without subway service. The event has officials looking to ferries as potentially effective options during crises. “After Hurricane Sandy hit New York City, the East River Ferry was one of the first forms of mass transportation back up and running,” Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan) said. The East River Ferry boats were upgraded last summer from a 149-passenger capacity to 399 to relieve for overcrowding, Bloomberg said. Riders whom the Queens Chronicle interviewed in May in LIC said they never saw a busy boat, but could imagine more tourists riding in the summer. To obtain a copy of the city’s request for proposal visit: nycedc.com/rfp. Responses are due March 1. Fares for passengers are $4 for a one-way ticket, $12 for an unlimited all-day pass, and $140 for an unlimited monthly pass. Ferries accommodate bikes on board for an additional dollar. Tickets can be purchased at machines, on board, from staffed ticket agents at certain Q landings or via a free mobile device app.

Morning bus runs on the Q53 route between Rockaway Park and Woodside is starting 30 minutes earlier on weekdays due to overcrowded conditions caused by the long-term loss of the A train’s Rockaway line from Hurricane Sandy. The first Q53 trip now begins at 4:30 a.m. rather than 5 a.m., a change designed to incrementally enhance Q53 service throughout the morning rush hour. The MTA will continue to monitor mass transit to and from the Rockaways as it works to replace the rail bridge across Jamaica Bay. Q

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SQ page 29

USUAL

Gianaris gets leadership post with Senate Dems

This holiday season should provide a bright light in all of the darkness and give us the hope that we will get through this together.

by Peter C. Mastrosimone Editor-in-Chief

Phil Goldfeder Member of Assembly

State Sen. Mike Gianaris is now high in the FILE PHOTO party’s leadership. is much work to be done to advance the progressive goals the people of our state demand. I am excited to be a part of Sen. Stewart-Cousins’s team and look forward to working in partnership with Gov. Cuomo to achieve these goals.” The two said that the Democratic Party will continue to “advance progressive issues,” such as enacting further gun restrictions and raising the minimum wage. Whether that advancement will mean actual legislation that gets signed into law is a big question with Skelos, the right-leaning, largely suburban GOP and the renegade Democrats deciding what will and will not come to the Senate floor. The day after his leadership position was announced, Gianaris joined in a press conference with other electeds to call for limiting citizens to buying just one firearm per month and imposing a 10-day waiting Q period, among other measures.

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State Sen. Mike Gianaris (D-Astoria) is now No. 2 in the upper chamber’s Democratic leadership, having led his party to what should have been a political victory in November. “Should have been” because a group of rogue Democrats, including Sen. Malcolm Smith of Jamaica, formed their own caucus after the vote and aligned themselves with the Republicans, essentially keeping the GOP in power. Republican Leader Dean Skelos (R-LI) and Independent Democratic Caucus leader Jeff Klein (DBrooklyn) say the two groups will share power, but the GOP vastly outnumbers the IDC and has held the Senate majority for decades, other than a one-term stint when the Democrats had it, in 2009-2010. Gianaris chairs the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee. As the DSCC chairman, he led the party to what looked like a 32-31 majority in the now-63 member body. Normally that would mean he’d be No. 2 in the entire Senate. But the GOP-IDC alignment is not normal, so he’s just No. 2 in the party. The Democratic leader is Sen. Andrea Stewart-Cousins (D-Yonkers). “Sen. Michael Gianaris is an incredible public servant, and I am pleased that he will serve as the deputy conference leader for the Senate Democrats,” StewartCousins said in a statement announcing his new position. “During the past election, Senator Gianaris led our conference to victories throughout New York State and helped ensure that Democratic senators were elected despite daunting odds. I look forward to having Sen. Gianaris as part of my leadership team.” “I am honored to be chosen by Democratic Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins to serve as her deputy,” Gianaris said. “There

Page 29 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27, 2012

POLITICS AS

SQ page 30 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27, 2012 Page 30

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Wow! The Queens Chronicle’s 18th Annual Holiday Toy Drive sure was a success. Literally hundreds of children — infants, teenagers and everyone in between — got toys, clothes and other gifts for Christmas, thanks to our readers. Our reception area became an obstacle course as the donations piled up. The conference room looked like a miniature Toys “R” Us warehouse. Santa’s little helpers at the front desk — office manager Lisa LiCausi, our main toy drive coordinator, administrator Stela Barbu and new accounting staffer Giselle Faura — were kept more than busy receiving contributions, packing them up and ensuring they would go to the right recipients. Of course Publisher Mark Weidler got involved directly, as always, loading the gifts into his SUV and, with LiCausi, personally delivering them to many of the recipients. We had thought donations might fall off a little this year, thanks to Hurricane Sandy and the still-weak economy, but the truth was just the opposite. We were blown away by the number of gifts we received from our readers — so many that we spread your largesse to even more youngsters than initially planned. “With many of our readers severely impacted by Superstorm Sandy, I expected donations to our toy drive to be lower this year — but once again, I am overwhelmed by the response,” Weidler said. “We received more donations this year than in any past year. Thank you to everyone who contributed, and I hope you all know you made a difference in a child’s life this holiday season.” Gifts went directly to homeless children at the Metro Family Residence in Elmhurst, the Kings Inn in East Elmhurst and two locations of Dove House, a shelter for battered women and their children. The rest were given to the Glendale-Maspeth United Methodist Church, Glendale Volunteer Ambulance Corps and United Methodist Church of Richmond Hill for distribution to other needy families, especially those battered by Hurricane Sandy in South Queens and Rockaway. Some donors also brought in nonperishable food items, perhaps still thinking of the Hurricane Sandy relief drive we started two days after the storm. No problem — those all went to the food pantry at Glendale-Maspeth United Methodist under the guidance of Marcie Galatioto, a member of the church’s Missions Committee and retiree from the City Department of Homeless Services, who’s been a key player in our toy drives practically since the beginning. Each week we’ve been thanking our most recent donors in these pages, except for last week, when we made our final pitch for contributions and had two nice photos to run with it. So the following are all the people who gave between deadline for the Dec. 13 Queens Chronicle and the night of Dec. 20, when we finished taking in gifts so there would be time to get them to the children by Christmas.

Hundreds of children got gifts through our 18th Annual Holiday Toy Drive, the biggest one yet. Some donors chose to remain anonymous, not all of the others left their full names and locations and some of the writing got a little messy, but here are the names we know: Judy Fell of Rego Park, Valia Martinez of Rego Park, Robert Schwartz, the DiCristo family, the Puzino family of Rego Park, Judy Barkoski of Howard Beach, Ina Brennan of Astoria, Carmella Cerar of Howard Beach, Brian Cullen of Maspeth, Susan Mrsich of Richmond Hill, Nora Tencza of Richmond Hill, Kathy Scardapane of Forest Hills, Jull Shust of Maspeth, Virginia Wisman of Woodhaven, Joanne Steward of Woodhaven, Joseph and Patricia Paton (née Lehmann) of Holbrook, LI (formerly of Ridgewood and Floral Park, respectively), Sheldon Luberiff of Oakland Gardens, Judy Rudnick of Howard Beach, Donna Bernsen of Maspeth, Mike Singh of South Ozone Park, Robert and Caryn Perlman of Forest Hills, Helen Chin of Elmhurst, Betty Hary Metaxa of Woodhaven, Madeline Del Guidice of Middle Village, Margaret Justynowicz of Middle Village, Fernando Sandoval of Flushing, Nancy of Rego Park, Dolores Damna of Elmhurst, Dorothy Walter, Irene Cooke, Victor Sawchuk, the Angelo Gracie Republican Club of Ozone Park, the Bonelli family of Glendale, the Garcia, Murillo, Revelo, Rodriguez, Moralez and Marulanda families of Rego Park, and the management of 60 Sutton Place South in Manhattan. And of course we must thank our fine next-door neighbors at Barosa restaurant, who accepted gifts after business hours for us. Wow. This was one special holiday season at the Chronicle. On behalf of all the children whose Christmas dreams came true, we thank you, our readers, for going far above and beyond the call of duty. Have yourselves a very Q Happy New Year — you earned it!

SQ page 31

figures vague in the city by Peter C. Mastrosimone Editor-in-Chief

The state Department of Labor released another mixed report on jobs on Dec. 20, showing that unemployment in the city was slightly better than it was a year ago, while it was slightly worse for the state as a whole and notably better nationwide. Because of Christmas, however, the report lacked the most recent data for Queens. That’s because each month the state releases two sets of information, the first of which includes citywide data, and the second of which includes numbers for each county, including the five boroughs. The second set would have been released on Dec. 25 and now is set to go out today, Dec. 27, after the Queens Chronicle was printed. The data will be made available at labor.ny.gov today, Labor Department officials said. For the city as a whole, unemployment in November, the latest timeframe for which figures are available, was 8.8 percent, slightly better than the 9.1 percent of November 2011. Across the state,

the f igure was 8.3 percent, marginally worse than a year ago, when it was 8.2 percent. Only nationally was there a solid yearto-year improvement, with the jobless rate at 7.7 percent, a full percentage point lower than the 8.7 percent of November 2011. But the Labor Department said the full impact of Hurricane Sandy may not be accurately reflected in the citywide numbers, because those figures are based in part on phone surveys that were conducted within a week of the storm, when many were still without service — making the recorded Q improvement less reliable.

Unemployment rates Location

Queens NYC NYS U.S.

Nov. 2011

Oct. 2012

Nov. 2012

8.1% 9.1% 8.2% 8.7%

8.2% 9.2% 8.7% 7.9%

TBA 8.8% 8.3% 7.7%

Source: NYS Department of Labor

Lawmaker faces no penalties by AnnMarie Costella Assistant Editor

The House Ethics Committee concluded its investigation into Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica) last Thursday for failure to disclose a loan on his f inancial disclosure reports. The panel found no evidence that the cash constituted an impermissible gift and it will impose no penalties or sanctions on the lawmaker. Meeks received the $40,000 loan in 2007 from real estate broker Edul Ahmad, who recently pleaded guilty to mortgage fraud. Meeks had stated that not declaring the loan was an oversight and that he repaid the money and reported it on an amended form. In its report, the Ethics Committee stated that “inadvertent errors on financial disclosure statements are not uncommon.” It also concluded that “there is no evidence that Representative Meeks’ failure to disclose the Ahmad loan as a liability on his financial disclosure statements was in bad faith or was knowing or willful.” “I am pleased with the Ethics Committee’s decision, and I am glad that this matter is now closed,” Meeks said in a prepared statement.

Page 31 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27, 2012

Meeks cleared in Storm, holiday leave jobs ethics loan probe UNEMPLOYMENT WATCH

The House Ethics Committee, last week, cleared Rep. Gregory Meeks of any wrongdoing regarding a loan he received from indicted real estate FILE PHOTO broker, Edul Ahmad. “With this matter behind me, and much work yet to be done, I am looking forward to serving my constituents with continued commitment and vigor on the many critical issues that Q face our district and our nation.”

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SQ page 32

2012: CENTRAL QUEENS

Politics, weather shake up Queens Hurricane Sandy brings out the best, politics some of the worst by Michael Gannon

AUGUST

Editor

Forest Hills resident Melinda Katz, 46, a former assemblywoman and city councilwoman, announced her intention to run for Queens borough president in 2013. On Aug. 10, Howard Beach resident Daniel Casillo, 31, was arrested for criminal trespass at John F. Kennedy International Airport after his personal watercraft broke down on Jamaica Bay. Casillo swam to the nearest landmass, the airport, and scaled an 8-foot fence before walking up to two miles to a secure area seeking assistance. The incident caused criticism and an internal review of JFK’s $100-million-plus perimeter security system, which failed to detect Casillo before he flagged down airport personnel to ask for help. NYPD Capt. Thomas Conforti assumed command of the 112th Precinct. Federal authorities were thought to be investigating a Rego Park firm that allegedly advertised clothing and other items made from dog fur in Russian-language publications following a complaint from the Humane Society of the United States. The Briarwood Task Force held a rally on Aug. 25 to protest conditions created by a multi-year state Department of Transportation construction project to upgrade the Kew Gardens Interchange, specifically how work on the Van Wyck Expressway is affecting the Queens Boulevard corridor. In September, however, representatives of the Briarwood Community Association said the state has been very accommodating in making changes at their request.

Queens politics in 2012 brought new districts, a historic election in the 6th Congressional District and enough cloak-and-dagger intrigue to fill a Robert Ludlum novel. But when Hurricane Sandy struck in October, killing 12 people in Queens and more than 40 in the city, devastating the Rockaways, Howard Beach, lower Manhattan and Staten Island, the people of central Queens, who were largely spared the storm’s wrath, rallied to the cause of those worst hit.

JANUARY When the year began, a long-running investigation into political corruption and Queens hospitals continued to wind down as Dr. Robert Aquino pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of attempting to bribe a state senator. Aquino, the former head of Parkway Hospital in Forest Hills, was originally charged with bribing state Sen. Carl Kruger (DBrooklyn) in return for Kruger’s influence in Albany. The hospital closed in 2008. Aquino would be sentenced to four months in prison in April. Kruger had pleaded guilty in December 2011. The scandal also ensnared former Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio (D-Richmond Hill), who died while serving a federal prison term. A local boy made really good when Forest Hills native Jack Lew was named chief of staff to President Obama. Lew, 57, is a 1972 graduate of Forest Hills High School. He had been serving as director of the federal Office of Management and Budget. Lew had held the same post under President Clinton, and had been deputy secretary of state under Secretary Hillary Clinton. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority began construction of an elevator at the 71stContinental Avenue subway station off Queens Boulevard. The station serves the E, M, F and R lines. The elevator is scheduled to be in service by October 2013.

For the latest news visit qchron.com

FEBRUARY Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven), joined by colleague Phil Goldfeder (D-Rockaway), proposed reinstating rail service along the old Rockaway Beach Branch of the Long Island Rail Road between Ozone Park and Rego Park. The tracks were abandoned by the LIRR in 1962. Another proposal would convert the line into an elevated High-Line style park. Wilbert Cortez, a teacher at PS 174 in Rego Park, was charged with inappropriately touching male students at the school.

MARCH Assemblywoman Grace Meng (D-Flushing) announced her campaign for Congress to fill the seat left open by the retirement of Congressman Gary Ackerman (D-Queens). Borough Hall ignited a firestorm of controversy when 10 blooming cherry trees —

Hurricane Sandy’s wake left numerous downed trees in Central Queens, like this one on Alderton Street in Rego Park. But aside for some power outages and minor flooding, the storm largely FILE PHOTO spared Rego Park and Forest Hills. some more than 40 years old — were cut down behind the building near where construction had begun on a $14 million atrium. City off icials f irst said the trees were removed to accommodate construction equipment. Following a publicity campaign by NYC Park Advocates and press reports, they claimed the trees were diseased. Two dozen more trees were removed in the coming weeks. Congressman Bob Turner (R-Queens and Brooklyn) announced his intention to enter the Republican primary for the U.S. Senate race against incumbent Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York).

APRIL City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) announced his intention to challenge state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach) in the 15th Senate District. On April 19, Jeff Gottlieb, 70, a longtime presence in the Queens Democratic Party, withdrew his candidacy in the primary for the 6th Congressional District after revelations that he set fire to his apartment while working as a teacher in 1971. Gottlieb was seen by many as a stalking horse candidate intended to siphon white and Jewish primary votes from Assemblyman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows), who along with Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village) and Dr. Robert Mittman, was challenging Meng, the Democratic party designee. On April 26, Meng acknowledged that she was aware of business and management ties between Multi-Media, which was hired to do her campaign’s printing, and The Queens Tribune, which runs advertisements that have been criticized by women’s organizations, politicians and law enforcement as promoting prostitution. Meng introduced a bill in Albany that would require legitimate massage providers to list their license numbers in advertisements. Queens women’s advocate Ann Jawin, founder of the Center for Women of New York, has called the measure inadequate.

MAY On May 7, David Rosen, former CEO of the MediSys Health Network, was sentenced to three years in prison for bribery in connection with the scandal that ensnared Sen. Carl Kruger and Seminerio. The firehouse of Engine Company 305 and Ladder Company 151 at 71st Street in Forest Hills was officially considered for landmark status by the city. The 1924 building would be approved on June 12. The Queens Republican Party, in what many saw as a slap at Ulrich, endorsed Forest Hills attorney Juan Reyes to run against Addabbo for the 15th Senate District. The endorsement was seen as the result of an ongoing rift between Ulrich and the party leadership. On May 21, four students at PS 175 in Rego Park — Lucien Mount, 10, and Alejandro Astudillo, 10, of Forest Hills, and Charles Cheng, 11, and Nataniel Natanov, 11, of Rego Park — won $5,000 for their first-place finish in the Secret Millionaires Grow Your Own Business Challenge, sponsored by BerkshireHathaway mogul Warren Buffet.

JUNE New York Mets ace Johan Santana threw the first no-hitter in the team’s 50-year history on June 1, blanking the St. Louis Cardinals, 80. Meng scored 51 percent of the vote in the Democratic Primary for the 6th Congressional District on June 26. Lancman got 28 percent, Crowley 16 percent and Mittman 5 percent.

SEPTEMBER Incumbents carried the day in primaries for state offices on Sept. 13. Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven) defeated challenger Etienne David Adorno by a 71-29 margin. Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky (D-Whitestone) defeated John Messer, 58-42. And Ulrich Reyes, 70-30, in the race to face Addabbo. More than 200 people turned out at the Jewish Center of Forest Hills for a forum hosted by Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills) to discuss chronic flooding problems with city officials. They were told that there are no plans to upg rade or increase the capacity of storm sewers that were installed more than 60 years ago.

OCTOBER JULY Construction worker Frank Avino, 63, of Long Island, was killed while working on the Grand Central Parkway on July 9 when he was hit by an alleged drunk driver. Munshi Abdullah, 26, of Jamaica was charged. Manhattan resident Gene Singer donated Torah breastplates he made to replace religious artifacts stolen in a burglary at the Congregation Ahavath Shalom Synagogue in Forest Hills.

Hurricane Sandy hit on the evening of Oct. 29, killing more than 40 people in New York City and reducing sections of the Rockaway Peninsula to devastated wastelands. Floods and fires destroyed hundreds of homes and caused billions in damages. The rest of Queens — from first responders volunteering their time to school children collecting money, blankets, toiletries and continued on next page

SQ page 33

2012: CENTRAL QUEENS

Politics, hurricane the talk of Queens in 2012 continued from previous page Christmas toys — began a massive and ongoing relief effort. On Oct. 24, NYPD officer and Forest Hills resident Gilberto Valle was arrested on charges connected to alleged online plots to kidnap, kill and eat unidentified women. The “Cannibal Cop” also is alleged to have offered to kidnap a woman for another individual for money. Geraldine Ferraro, the late congresswoman and, in 1984, the f irst woman named as a vice presidential candidate on a major national political ticket, had a street corner named in her honor on Oct. 28 at the intersection of Ascan Avenue and Austin Street in her former Forest Hills neighborhood.

NOVEMBER Democrats rolled to victory at all levels on Election Day, led by Meng, who handily defeated Republican Councilman Dan Halloran in the 6th Congressional District with 68 percent of the vote. In one of the most closely watched races in the country, Addabbo got 57 percent of the vote in his 15th SD race against Ulrich. More than 200 people, including most elected off icials, attended a pro-Israel rally on the steps of Borough Hall to

protest a series of rocket attacks from Palestinian positions in the Middle East.

DECEMBER Ki Suk Han, 58, of Elmhurst was killed on Dec. 2 when he was shoved in front of an incoming train at a Manhattan subway stop. Naeem Davis, 30, was indicted by a grand jury and will be formally charged on Jan. 15. “The Triumph of Civic Virtue,” a controversial statue that has been standing outside Queens Borough Hall since 1941, was removed to Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn on Dec. 15 despite last-minute efforts to keep it in place. The MTA approved fare hikes that include an increase in the basic cost of a subway or bus ride from $2.25 to $2.50. The increases will take place in March 2013. Community opposition appeared to be growing against construction of a Major League Soccer stadium in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. One hurdle is the requirement that MLS offsets every square inch of parkland that it uses to build the stadium. Land along the old Rockaway branch of the Long Island Railroad in Rego Park has been rumored to be under consideration for that purpose.

Congresswoman-elect Grace Meng. FILE HOTO

And in the NYPD’s 112th Precinct, major crimes for the year were down in all categories through Dec. 16 with the exception of felony assault, or assault with a weapon. Overall major crimes were down from 881 in 2011 to 848, or a Q 3.75 percent decrease.

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ers recently analyzed data of 17 trials involving over 2,000 individuals. They found that those taking zinc were able to reduce the duration of their colds by about a day and a half (compared with those taking placebos). Moreover, larger doses of zinc were found to work even better, especially among adults (compared with children).

In studies with positive results, zinc seemed most effective taken within 24 hours of the onset of cold symptoms. Taking zinc with food may reduce any side effects, including nausea. At WOODHAVEN PHARMACY, our vision is to be your most trusted source of pharmaceutical and home healthcare products and services. Please visit us at 86-22 Jamaica Ave. or call 718-846-7777. We are open weekdays 9 to 8; Saturdays 9 to 6 and Sundays 9 to 2. We accept most major insurance HINT: As far as side effects are concerned, many people who take zinc lozenges to treat head colds fi nd them to be distasteful and even nausea-inducing.

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Life on Jamaica Bay will never be the same after Hurricane Sandy, according to Queens environmental activist Dan Hendrick — and neither will the film he is producing, “Jamaica Bay Lives!” Hendrick, a former Queens Chronicle editor-in-chief, last week put out a call for the last $933 he needs this year to make the movie, saying that what had been an important regional story has become much more. “Hurricane Sandy is a wake-up call for our nation about the importance of preparing for a changing climate,” he said. “Many people are now homeless or struggling to find ways to pay for repairs. The Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge has been permanently altered. The subway line that connects Jamaica Bay to the rest of New York City was seriously damaged and won’t open for months. The very future of the bay and those who call it home is a giant question mark. “Please help us document these pivotal moments and draw attention to the importance of saving Jamaica Bay.” Contributions may be made online at ioby.org/project/jamaica-bay-lives. For more information, send an email to Hendrick at jamaicabaylives@gmail.com Q

Page 33 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27, 2012

Jamaica Bay film $ sought

QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27, 2012 Page 34

SQ page 34

Reward offered for info in deli killing

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NYPD offers $12K for tips leading to arrest, conviction in Ridgewood death

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purposes of the Lifeline program, as any individual or group of individuals living at the same address that share income and expenses. T-Mobile offers Lifeline service only in areas where the company

other wireless services available from T-Mobile USA, Inc. at www.T-Mobile.com. Limited time offer; subject to change. Taxes and fees additional; other fees may apply. Domestic only. Coverage: Coverage not available everywhere. Nights and Weekends: Weekends are midnight Friday to midnight Sunday, and nights are 9:00 p.m. to 6:59 a.m. Mondayâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Friday, based upon start time of call. Time of call usually based on location of equipment transmitting call; if location is not available, time of call based on time zone associated with your phone number. Network Management: Data trafďŹ c of Premium and Ultra plans will be prioritized over other currently offered plans during periods of congestion. Service may be slowed, suspended, terminated or restricted for misuse, abnormal use, interference with our network or ability to provide quality service to other users, or signiďŹ cant roaming. See brochures and Terms and Conditions (including arbitration provision) at www.T-Mobile.com for additional information regarding T-Mobile service and products, including important limitations on availability and reliability of 9-1-1 emergency service when using Wi-Fi Calling. ÂŠ 2012 T-Mobile USA, Inc. VALC-060085

Authorities are seeking the publicâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assistance in their ongoing investigation into the Dec. 20 murder of a 26-year-old deli manager who was shot and killed in his Onderdonk Avenue business in Ridgewood. The NYPD is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever killed Ishak Ghali, who was shot inside the All Friends Grocery and Deli just after 6 p.m. The departmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Crime Stoppers Bureau is offering an additional reward of $2,000. Police officers responding to a 911 call arrived at the store, located at 675 Onderdonk Ave. at the intersection with Gates Ave., at 6:04 p.m. Upon entering they found Ghali had been shot in the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene by city EMS personnel. Police are believed to be investigating robbery among the possible motives, and published reports said they are examining security camera footage from nearby businesses in an effort to identify someone. Ghaliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Facebook page says the native of Egypt was a Ridgewood resident. His cousin, Agype Messi, commenting on his own Facebook page, mourned Ghali. â&#x20AC;&#x153;RIP Best cousin ever ... will never forget u ...â&#x20AC;? he wrote in a posting last week on the social media site. By Wednesday morning Messi had redone his page as a tribute to his cousin, complete with photographs of Ghali at typical New York City places such as the Empire State Building, Kennedy Airport and a shopping mall. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t take it that I wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t see u again,â&#x20AC;? Messi wrote. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Miss U.â&#x20AC;? Several people, leaving messages in Messiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and Ghaliâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pages, asked Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s blessing on Ghali and blessings for his mother.

Queensway continued from page 6 Matsil said the community input process will be â&#x20AC;&#x153;most vital,â&#x20AC;? and the group will solicit suggestions from residents as to where entrances and exits to the park would be built and where restaurants and shops would be located. He said the organization would also talk to the arts community about design and works of art to be displayed along the viaduct. But the group may meet a tougher crowd than it expects when it meets the public. Both the railroad and the park have been

The NYPD is continuing to investigate the Dec. 20 killing of storekeeper Ishak Ghali, who was found shot to death in his Ridgewood store on FACEBOOK PHOTO Onderdonk Avenue. One woman left a graphic based on the classic yellow smiley face, only with a tear coming down from one eye. Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 577-TIPS (8477). The public also can submit tips by logging onto nypdcrimestoppers.com by texting 274637 (CRIMES), then entering TIP577. All tips are strictly Q confidential. opposed by a number of residents and communities along the line, especially in Forest Hills, Rego Park and Woodhaven. In October, the Woodhaven Residentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Block Association came out against both plans after a meeting on Sept. 29, in which a number of residents who live on 96th Street, whose backyards face the abandoned line, expressed their opposition, with some even threatening to move. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We cannot endorse a plan that would impose such high costs on so many of our fellow Woodhaven residents, and which has engendered so much opposition from our community,â&#x20AC;? the WRBA said in a statement after the meeting. Q

December 27, 2012

ARTS, CULTURE & LIVING

RASH

Page 35 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27, 2012

PHOTO BY NATHANIEL SHELNESS

SQ page 35

REASURE

Beth Garrett’s plastic bag sculptures play with repurposing and educators. Education Director Nat Shelness said the available items are nontraditional in the art world, so they try to fill their warehouse and gallery with examples of what can be created with the supplies. In the warehouse someone has put together a display of little animals made of coffee sleeves, and in the gallery Garrett, who lives with her husband and three daughters in Long Island City, displayed two years of sculptures made out of plastic bags. “It’s one of our most effective shows, because everyone has a relationship to the material,” Shelness said of the exhibition, “Carried Away.” He added that many of the school groups come in carrying their lunches in plastic bags and immediately have a connection to the display. Continuedonon page continued page 38

“Multi Colored Head 2,” left, and “William” are two works sculpted out of plastic bags by Beth Garrett, center, on display at Materials for the Arts in Long Island City.

For the latest news visit qchron.com

When the large elevator doors slide open students, teachers and artists are launched into the L-shaped gallery space at Materials for the Arts. The showroom acts as inspiration for these individuals on their way to their free shopping spree. “Wow,” could be heard echoing through the hall last Friday morning as students from the Bronx pointed up at Beth Garrett’s sculptures. “My daughter is artistic, but I’m not really. I want to come back here with her as motivation,” a teacher with the class said as she pointed to Garrett’s sculptures, all made of plastic bags. “I’m amazed.” Materials for the Arts is a nonprofit that accepts goods such as spools of yarn, wine corks and crayons, which may have otherwise made their way to the landfill, but instead are available for free to artists who are connected to a nonprofit,

PHOTO BY JOSEY BARTLETT

by Josey Bartlett

QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27, 2012 Page 36

SQ page 36

qb boro EXHIBIT

Torah portion. There is no charge and all are welcome. Call (718) 459-1000 for more information.

Queens Historical Society presents “Permanent Residence: Uncovering the Cemeteries of Queens” through April at the Kingsland Homestead, 143-35 37 Ave. in Flushing. Call (718) 939-0647, ext. 17 or email info@queenshistoricalsociety.org

The YWCA of Queens, 42-07 Parsons Blvd., Flushing, has expanded its GED preparation program to include free adult classes. Tracks vary in length from 10 to 20 weeks depending upon entrance test results. Contact the YW and sign up for the next placement examination. Call Stacy McKelvey at (718) 353-4553 for more information or to reserve your placement exam seat.

Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35 Ave., Astoria, will host a two-weekend showcase of 26 films and shorts from Jan. 4-13. Film screenings are Friday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays, and as scheduled. Unless otherwise noted, screenings are included with museum admission. Admission is $12 for adults (18+); $9 for senior citizens and students (13+ with ID); $6 for children ages 3-12; children under 3 and museum members are admitted free. Call (718) 777-6888 or visit movingimage.us “Three Generations” features the works of three generations of the Aguilera family — artists Raphael, Florencio and Chencho. Their paintings and drawings capture the history of Ayamonte, Spain from 1903 to the present day. The exhibit is on display at the Queensborough Community College Art Gallery, 225-05 56 Ave. in Bayside and will continue through Jan. 5. For more information visit the website at QCCArtGallery@qcc.cuny.edu or call (718) 631-6396. The New York Hall of Science, 47-01 111 St., Flushing Meadows/Corona, presents ReGeneration now through Jan 13. Ten artists will present their interpretations of cultural sustainability. For over 450 exhibits as well as featured events and programs, visit nysci.org/visit

AUDITIONS Socrates Sculpture Park at 32-01 Vernon Blvd., Long Island City, is looking for artists and architects with a deadline of Jan. 7. Visit socratessculpturepark.org, click on the exhibition tab and search for artist opportunities for more information and to print out an application. Slow Pitch Softball of Queens is now enrolling for the 2013 summer season. Visit spsofqueens.com or email spsofqueens@gmail.com for more information. Limited space is available.

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W H AT ’ S H A P P E N I N G

HOLIDAY Music for the Christmas season will be performed on Sunday, Jan. 6 at 1 p.m. at St. Josaphat’s Church, 210 Street and 35 Avenue, Bayside. The event is free. For information visit stjosaphatbayside.org or call (718) 229-1663. Families with the Latin American Cultural Center of Queens will perform the “Three Kings,” a reenactment of the biblical story where three kings follow the North Star to Bethlehem, on Saturday, Jan. 5 at 2 p.m. at ARROW Community Center, 3530 35th St., in Astoria. The event is free. Call (718) 261-7664 for more information. The Center for Culture the Afrikan Poetry Theatre in Conjunction with National Council of Negro

The Jackson Heights Art Club offers art classes in all mediums, adults, children, days, evenings. Classes are held at St. Mark’s Church, 82nd Street and 34th Avenue. Costs are: adults, $100 for four sessions, nonmembers, $75 for members; children seven years and up, $75 for eight sessions. Membership available. For information, call Geraldine at (718) 446-4709.

St. Josaphat’s Church, in Bayside, will hold a free musical event for the Christmas season on Sunday, Jan. 6 at 1 p.m. PHOTO COURTESY ST. JOSAPHAT’S CHURCH

Women Queens County Section presents its annual gala Kwanzaa celebration Ujamaa on Saturday, Dec. 29 at 1 to 8 p.m. at Springfield Gardens High School, 143-10 Springfield Blvd. Free admission. For more information call (718) 523-3312.

THEATRE Emmy-nominated actor Rob Schneider brings his zany comedy to the Queensborough Performing Arts Center, 222-05 56 Ave., Bayside, on Sunday, Jan. 27 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $40 for all seats. You must be 21 or older to attend.

MUSIC St. George’s Church, 14-20 27 Ave., Astoria, presents a piano, organ and carillon concert by Maxim Anikushin on Sunday, Dec. 30 at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students. Proceeds will benefit the church’s building fund. Visit historic-stgeorge-astoria.org. Members of the Con Brio Ensemble will be performing works by Brahms, Poulenc, Ravel and others on Sunday, Jan. 13 at 4:30 p.m. at the Church in the Gardens, 50 Ascan Ave., Forest Hills. Admission will be $12 and $10 for students and senior citizens. TDF vouchers are accepted. Come see sizzling carnival samba from Rio de Janeiro complete with glittery costumes and fancy footwork at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 6 at the Central Library, 89-11 Merrick Blvd.

LECTURES Come to “Work! How to Present Work Samples for Grants and Funders” with New York Foundation on the Arts, a lecture given on Wednesdays, Jan. 9 and 23 from 6-8 p.m. at the Greater Astoria Historical Society, 35-20 Broadway, 4th floor. Admission is $10. Registration is required. Call (718) 278-0700.

FLEA MARKETS Italian Charities of America, 83-20 Queens Blvd., Elmhurst, hosts a flea market on Saturday, Jan. 19 from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Call (718) 478-3100 for more information.

MEETINGS A schizophrenics anonymous self-help support group will be held on Sundays from 10 to 11 a.m. at L.I. Consultation Center, 97-29 64 Rd., Rego Park. Call (718) 896-3400 for more information. The group is free. Free public speaking/effective communication meetings are held on the first, third and fourth Saturdays of the month at 10 a.m. Learn to be comfortable speaking before an audience. Meetings are held at the Elmhurst Hospital Center, Conference room A-1-15, 79-01 Broadway. Contact club vice president membership at (646) 748-8290. A leisure group meets every Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the Hillcrest Jewish Center, Prince Room, 18302 Union Turnpike, Flushing. Cost is $6 for lunch. The program includes yoga instruction, discussion groups, card games, bingo, birthday celebrations, guest speakers and holiday celebrations. For info., call Dr. Roz Gold at (718) 229-7511.

CLASSES

Italian Charities of America, 83-20 Queens Blvd., Elmhurst, teaches ballroom dancing every Monday and Friday night form 7:15 to 8 p.m. followed by a social dance. Cost is $10. A one-hour auto clinic for women is held the third Saturday of every month at 3:30 p.m. at Great Bear Auto Repair Shop, 164-16 Sanford Ave., Flushing. The class is free. Call to reserve at (718) 762-6212. A Scrabble club will be held at the East Flushing Library, 196-36 Northern Blvd. on Tuesdays at 3:30 p.m. Seating is limited; first come, first served. Ongoing drawing class every Wednesday 1-4 p.m. at the National Art League, 44-21 Douglaston Pkwy, Douglaston. Instructor, Marc Jasloff. Call (516) 2237659. Fee: $25 per class. Mindfulness Meditation one-hour class with Rabbi Michael Weisser at Free Synagogue of Flushing, 4160 Kissena Blvd., on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. Free. For more information, call (718) 961-0030 or email info@freesynagogue.org. Adult education classes will be held at the Rego Park Jewish Center, 97-30 Queens Blvd., Rego Park. Rabbi Waidenbaum will be teaching several adult education classes. No charge. Call for more information, (718) 459-1000. Italian Charities of America, 83-20 Queens Blvd., Elmhurst, will host a dance with instructions every Monday and Friday from 7:15-8 p.m. From 8-11 p.m. there will be a social dance. Call (718) 478-3100 for more information. Cost is $10 per person or you can buy a series card.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Learn about a Victorian craft tradition and create your own keepsake box at the Voelker Orth Museum, 149-19 38 Ave., Flushing, on Friday, Dec. 28 at 2 p.m. All materials included in the registration fee of $4 and $3 for members. Call (718) 359-6227 to reserve a place.

“Shave the ‘Stache” fundraiser for autism will be held on Friday, Dec. 28 starting at 7 p.m. at Redken Saloon Salon, 36-17 30 Ave., Astoria. For more information, or to make a donation, visit qsac.com/shave or contact (718) 7- AUTISM ext. 2035.

Every Wednesday from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. join Rabbi Waidenbaum at the Rego Park Jewish Center, 97-30 Queens Blvd., to learn and discuss the weekly

Italian Charities of America, 83-20 Queens Blvd., Elmhurst, hosts a dance on Saturday nights from Jan. 12 to 26 at 8 p.m. Call (718) 478-3100 for information.

To submit a theater, music, art or entertainment item to What’s Happening, email artslistingqchron@gmail.com

C M SQ page 37 Y K

Enter our Fifth Annual Holiday Photo Contest! by Peter C. Mastrosimone Editor-in-Chief

The Queens Chronicle’s fifth annual Holiday Photo Contest is in full swing! We’ve gotten plenty of entries so far, but we’re still wondering one thing: Where’s yours? Send us your best snaps of families celebrating, snowy landscapes, children sledding — we just may get some of the white stuff this week — New Year’s revelers, Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa decorations ... there’s no limit to the possibilities. Our main requirement is that the photos be taken in Queens. We also ask that you give us all the details you can about your submission, especially the location as exact as you can make it, the names of any people in the photo and when the Two past winners: Veder Velarde of Bayside got a fine shot of the snows that marked the end of 2010 in Queens, while Charlene Stubbs shot was taken. Some entrants give us a of Maspeth won us over last year by placing her daughter, Carly Stubbs-Delgado, amongst a neighbor’s cheery decorations. FILE PHOTOS whole backstory, and that’s always welcome. And please tell us whether you’re an amateur or pro- spring. And of course the winner and any number of run- family members to see a show, whether it was the circus, ners-up will see their photos published in the Chronicle — “Disney on Ice,” a Mets game, an off-Broadway play or any fessional photographer. You may send in as many photos as you’d like. The more with our 400,000 readers each week — and posted at our of the other events winners have attended. So send your high-resolution digital photos to they say “Queens,” the better — and the more likely you’ll award-winning website, qchron.com. We run two photo contests a year, one at holiday time peterm@qchron.com, or snail-mail prints to Queens Chronicle be a winner. This year we’ll be giving away passes to either Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus or some other and one in the summer, and the winners are always thrilled Photo Contest, 62-33 Woodhaven Blvd., Rego Park, NY Q family-friendly event to be held in or around the city next with their prizes. Many have been able to take a number of 11374. The deadline is Monday, Jan. 7. Good luck!

y p p a H ear Y w e N

Page 37 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27, 2012

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Bring your worst for these horrible movies green-faced humans wearing tubed-helmets — which were someone’s best effort at Martians — kidnap St. Nick to bring holiday Did the “Jaws” sequels fill you with the urge to spew angry sar- cheer to their bored kids. casm as the animatronic sharks began resembling steak knives? Did Carey started the show by welcoming the audience to the final you want to shout barbs at John Travolta’s stupid face while watch- Devil Science Theater show (it was the night before the Mayan ing “Battlefield Earth?” Or did Joel Schumacher’s disgraceful “Bat- apocalypse). He then listed the rules of the night’s drinking game: man and Robin” leave you asking “Why why why would you put drink if everyone laughs for more than five seconds; take a swig if nipples on the Batman suit?” the word “Martian” is said like a racial slur, etc. You wanted to scream, but good manners The whole evening doubles as a comedic dictated you suffer in silence. exercise for Carey, who uses the night to Well, Long Island City’s Laughing Devil work his ad-libbing chops. He makes sure not When: Every Thursday Comedy Club offers a weekly dose of bad to watch the movies ahead of time. 10:30 p.m. movie levity, inviting guests to sit back and “It’s improved my ability to think off the Where: 47-38 Vernon Blvd. berate the garbage-posing-as-cinema it top of my head,” he said, adding the hardest Long Island City, NY 11101 screens. laughs come from acknowledging each film’s The club opens its cozy space for “Devil own stupidity. “I’ll comment on my own Tickets: $5 at the door Science Theater 3K” every Thursday to anyinternal monologue. That works.” laughingdevil.com one itching to yell obscenities and sarcasm at He was joined by young comic Pat Riley, terrible movies. Here, dear contrarian and who had no gripes with infusing a bad movie harsh critic, you are welcome — no, encouraged — to be as big a with his humor. loudmouth as possible. “I grew up Puerto Rican in Buschwick; this is normal to me,” he Will Carey and Daniel Reynolds coproduce the event. They also said. work double-duty, bringing in laughs via observations and cutting What ensued was a roller coaster of forehead-slappingly bad cinremarks during the movie, encouraging the audience by setting an ema mixed with interjections like “Santa is so glad the Martians example. The result? An atmosphere that says “Bad manners are finally got Mrs. Claus to shut up.” good etiquette. Talk away.” Another sequence showed a series of rockets being fired, Comedian Will Carey warms up the crowd “Devil Science Theater 3K” featured “Santa Claus Conquers the which led one audience member to shout “We’re going to before kicking back for a terrible movie. Martians” last Thursday, a 1964 sci-fi holiday film in which PHOTO BY JOSEPH OROVIC continuedon onpage page00 41 continued

by Joseph Orovic

Assistant Managing Editor

‘Devil Science Theater 3K’

Artistic inspiration from everyday materials continued from page 35

Museum, which specializes in Himalayan Garrett studied painting at Rhode art, said the pieces are iconographically Island School of Design and went on to correct, Shelness said. paint as well as design shoes for about Garrett then moved on to create head15 years, but she always wanted to dab- less bodies — nude except for a skirt. The ble in the world of sculpture. white skirts have been meticulously hot“I don’t know how to weld and it’s glued together and trimmed with a pair difficult to get large tree trunks in New of scissors to flow and ripple. (For MFTA York City,” Garrett said. “I felt limited.” she created bras, capes and shirts to cover Then one night up for modesty.) she was inspired One of the figby a show at ures sports the the Chocolate yellow “Have a Factory in LIC Nice Day” smiWhen: Open to the public on weekdays where musicians ley face seen on from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. were performmany takeout Where: Materials for the Arts ing using cans, bags on its bicep 33-00 Northern Blvd., third floor, LIC bottles and like a tattoo. Tickets: Free, mfta.org, (718) 729-3001 other found Her next objects. phase of plastic Her imagination sculpting came was piqued. when she took up temporary residency She started with Buddha heads — at MFTA. The warehouse welcomes a female Buddha heads. Instead of study- couple of artists a year into its space to ing pictures of the enlightened figure she create works using their ample supplies. went off what she remembers — curly Not needing to transport the works after hair, buns and long earlobes, which she completion pushed Garrett to experiinterpreted as earrings. Her ladies are ment with large sculptures. She created a giant pregnant green definitely dressed to impress with big, cherry-red lips, yellow bows and bright figure with a yellow bikini — for modblue hoop earrings. However, even with esty. The headless lady reaches an all the bling, a visitor from the Rubin impressive height of about 9 feet. Garrett

‘Carried Away’

Artist Beth Garrett looks on as a group of students from the Bronx checks out her PHOTO BY JOSEY BARTLETT exhibit. also revisited her fascination with Buddhas, but instead of 2-foot tall sculptures, the new head she created is skinny and about 5 feet tall. In the future Garrett plans to make

her pieces a little looser. The bags in these sculptures are carefully placed and smoothed, but in the works to come she hopes to scrunch a bag and let it lie — Q “be a little less fussy,” she said.

C M SQ page 39 Y K

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C M SQ page 40 Y K

Ice Jewelry: where the owners can relate to their clients

The Samuel Field Y has two weekday programs for preschool children ages 3-5 with developmental disabilities and their families. On Mondays from 3 to 4:30 p.m. there is Monday Magic: Learn and Play at the Bay Terrace Center: 212-00 23 Ave., Bayside. On Wednesdays from 3-4:30 there is Gym and Creative Exploration at the Little Neck Site, 58-20 Little Neck Pkwy. Contact Amanda at (718) 225-6750 ext. 262 or email asmith@sfy.org for more information.

PHOTO BY DENIS DECK

like it’s a one-shot deal and we don’t do that,” Elias said. In addition to buying gold, silver, diamonds, Recently, a woman and her boyfriend went watches and coins, Ice Jewelry Buying also into an unassuming gold buying and cash loan offers instant cash loans for jewelry and eBay shop on Queens Boulevard. She had a $35 selling services. offer on her ring from another area shop, but Their cash loans program is straightforward and was looking to get a better deal. In what may simple. “It’s a perfect solution for someone who be viewed as poor business acumen, she told has a bill due and a check on the way,” Goldberg her new prospective buyer what her previous said. “But we make sure they have a game plan to offer was. Still, after examining her piece, he buy their jewelry back before the end of the term. offered her $1,600. He did so, as he says, Sometimes these are people’s heirlooms we’re “...because that’s what it was worth.” talking about and we respect that.” The plight of the worker who’s hard-up for For those who are less Internet-savvy or cash in today’s economy is something that just don’t have the time, Ice Jewelry Buying Arthur Elias and Edward Goldberg can relate to offers a convenient eBay sales service. If what first-hand, having been laid off from their jobs a customer has isn’t an item that Ice Jewelry in jewelry manufacturing. They understand Buying would purchase, like a handbag or that people get into situations where they just antique furniture, they can help find a buyer need a little cash fast to make the bills and Ice on their eBay store. Elias consults with the Jewelry Buying Service hopes to help out in customer to find a target the most honest way they can. price and let the internet STORE HOURS “For this, I like to think we’re auctioneers handle the rest. doing the community a service,” MON.-FRI. 11am - 7pm For anyone who has Elias said. “We’re in the business SAT. 10am - 5pm ever dealt with the hassle of helping people who are in a SUN. by Appointment of selling and shipping tough spot. They can come to an item on eBay — all the our store and know that we can forms involved in setting up a user and paypal educate them on what they have and we’ll give account, the 10-15 percent fee that Ice them what their items are worth. When that Jewelry Buying charges to do all the work is woman told me her previous offer, it made me really a bargain deal. wonder how many times this happens — how “At the end of the day, I just want people many people who really need that money get to feel comfortable doing business with us. taken advantage of?” People have this conception of gold buying Elias opened his Rego Park shop with stores as these slimy places with slimy Goldberg less than a year ago, and already people, and they’re typically right. But we they’re seeing a lot of repeat customers and want to be different. I don’t think it’s cool to referrals. This is a sign to them that they’re see someone buy a ring for $200 and put it in doing something right — the pawn business their counter for $800. We don’t do that.” typically deals in one-time transactions but Ice Jewelry Buying Services is located at Elias is determined to break that mold, 98-30 Queens Blvd. in Rego Park. Hours of building a reputation on trust. operation are Monday-Friday from 11am to “Everyone around here is buying gold these 7:00pm and Saturday 10am to 5pm; Sunday days; you can go into the barber shop down private appoinments are available. Call for the road and sell your jewelry. The problem Q more information (718) 830-0030. with all these places is they treat everything

by Denis Deck

Chronicle Contributor

For the latest news visit qchron.com

Join open mic night with Performance Poets Association on Thursday, Jan. 10 at 6:30 p.m. at Queens Library at Flushing, 41-17 Main St. There will be a special guest, Smooth, a masterful poet who writes about the soul of contemporary society. Call (718) 661-1200 for more information.

St. Josaphat’s RC Church of Bayside will hold a St. Nicholas Day dinner dance on Sunday, Jan. 13 from 2-6 p.m. at the Parish Hall, 35th Avenue and 210 Street. Donation is $35. Plenty of free parking. Call Helen at (718) 746-5138 for information.

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SENIOR ACTIVITIES The Ridgewood Older Adult Center, 59-14 70 Ave., Ridgewood, welcomes seniors age 60 and older. The center is open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. A food pantry is available Tuesdays-Thursdays from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Other activities include daily hot lunch, mini-trips, monthly birthday parties, theme parties and daily exercise. Movies are held every Tuesday at 1:15 p.m. Call Karen at (718) 4562000 for more information. The Selfhelp Clearview Senior Center, 208-11 26 Ave., Bayside, hosts “In the News,” Mondays at 10 a.m.; Music with Dee, Mondays at 1 p.m.; dance aerobics, Tuesdays at 9 a.m.; ballroom dancing, Tuesdays at 12:45 p.m.; aerobics, 11 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays; yoga, Wednesdays at 9 a.m.; bingo, Wednesdays at 12:45, tai chi, Wednesdays at 2 p.m.; stay well exercise, Thursdays at 9:30 a.m.; dance fitness, Fridays at 10:45 a.m.; and a show: “Change Up” at 1 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 28. Call (718) 2247888 for further information. A leisure group meets every Wednesday at 11 a.m. at the Hillcrest Jewish Center, 183-02 Union Turnpike, Flushing, for area seniors. The Pomonok Senior Center, 67-09 Kissena Blvd., is offering free Chinese language classes every Thursday at 1 p.m.; its very first Dear Abby Group every Thursday at 11 a.m.; free ESL classes for Chinese speakers, every Tuesday and Thursday from 9-10:30 a.m.; and the Knitting and Crochet club every Thursday at 1 p.m. for beginners and experts. For more information, please contact the Pomonok Senior Center at (718) 591-3377, Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The CCNS Bayside Senior Center, 221-15 Horace Harding Expy., hosts free programs Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.: Mondays at 12:30 p.m., first-run movie; Mondays and Thursdays at 1 p.m., Ping Pong; Mondays at 9:15 a.m., Wednesdays and Fridays at 10:15 a.m., Exercise class; Mondays, Wednesdays

and Thursdays, bingo; Tuesdays at 9 a.m. and 10:15 a.m. and Fridays at 9 a.m., chair yoga; Wednesdays at 9:15 a.m., Wii bowling; Tuesdays at 9:15 a.m., Big Apple Strollers; Tuesdays at 9:30 a.m. and Thursdays at 10 a.m., line dancing; Tuesdays at 12:30 p.m., duplicate bridge; Tuesdays at 1 p.m., chorus; Mondays and Wednesdays, bridge instruction; Tuesdays at 1 p.m., ESL for Chinese speakers; Thursdays at 10:45 p.m., tai chi; Wednesdays and Thursdays from 1-2 p.m. and 2-3 p.m,. basic computer classes; Fridays from 1-2 p.m., advanced computer class; Fridays from 1 to 3 p.m., social dancing with DJ. Kosher and nonkosher lunch available at 11:30 a.m. with a $2 contribution. Membership is free. Call (718) 225-1144. The Rockaway Boulevard Senior Center, 123-10 143 St., South Ozone Park, offers service programs Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Lunch is at noon with a suggested donation of $1.50. Exercise programs include: tai chi stretch, dance groups, choral group, ceramic, camera class, computer classes, trips, birthday parties and more. For more information, call (718) 657-6752. Activities at the Clearview Senior Center, 208-11 26th Ave., Bayside, are held Monday-Friday. For more information, call (718) 224-7888. The Howard Beach Senior Center invites seniors aged 60 and older to become members. The center offers exercise, yoga and tai chi classes, crafts, weekly dances with a DJ, painting and sketching classes, bingo, ballroom and line dancing, Wii bowling and computer classes. It is located at 156-45 84th St., use the 85th St. entrance, open from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Lunch is served at noon. For more information, call (718) 738-8100, or visit their new website at howardbeachseniorcenter.org. An exercise class for seniors. meets Saturdays at 9 a.m. at the SNAP of Eastern Queens Senior Center, 80-45 Winchester Blvd., Bldg. 4 on the Creedmoor Community Campus, Queens Village. For more information call Kathleen at (718) 454-2100.

SUPPORT GROUPS Al-anon meets every Sunday at noon at Resurrection Ascension Pastoral Center basement, 85-18 61 Rd., Rego Park. Drug problem? Call Narcotics Anonymous Helpline at (718) 962-6244 or visit westernqueensna.com. Meetings are held seven days a week. Problem with cocaine or other mind-altering substances? For local Cocaine Anonymous meetings call: 1-(212) COCAINE. Co-Dependents Anonymous (women only) meetings are held every Friday from 10 to 11:45 a.m. at Resurrection Ascension Pastoral Center, Fr. Freely Hall, 85-18 61 Rd., Rego Park.

LISTING INFORMATION Items for the Community Calendar must be sent two weeks before the date of the event. Listings should be typed, from a nonprofit organization, either free or moderately priced, and be open to the public. Keep the information to one paragraph. Because of the large number of requests for the free calendar listings, we cannot include every event submitted. Send to: Queens Chronicle, Community Calendar, P.O. Box 74-7769, Rego Park, NY 11374, fax to (718) 205-0150.

C M SQ page 41 Y K

King Crossword Puzzle ACROSS

1 First name of 7-Down 4 Baseball stats 8 Crock-Pot contents 12 Unclose, poetically 13 Not procrastinating 14 “National Treasure” star 15 A-ha’s megahit 17 Desire 18 “2001: A Space Odyssey” author 19 Symbol of intrigue 21 Corn spike 22 Online gamer’s icon 26 Gee follower 29 Underwear with underwire 30 Inseparable 31 Castle protection 32 Decay 33 Snips 34 Hooter 35 Fellow 36 Insertion mark 37 Holy 39 Actor McBride 40 Comic Philips 41 Molest 45 Donkey’s pin-on? 48 1989 Morgan Freeman movie 50 “- Karenina” 51 Obnoxiously proper sort 52 “Monkey suit” 53 Hoodoo 54 Tortoise’s rival 55 Pigs’ digs

DOWN

1 Mil. training grp. 2 October birthstone 3 Prefix meaning “10” 4 Water pipe 5 Central 6 Curry or Conway 7 “Maggie May” singer 8 Diving gear 9 Pitch 10 Early bird?

11 Tiny 16 Upright 20 Actress Longoria 23 Go sightseeing 24 Initial stake 25 Whatever’s left over 26 Andy’s pal 27 “The Music Man” setting 28 Body powder 29 Tarzan’s son 32 Santa’s guide

33 Egypt’s capital 35 Jewel 36 Alter 38 Take it easy 39 Lead the meeting 42 Picnic invaders 43 Filth 44 Alluring 45 - Mahal 46 Singer DiFranco 47 Hostel 49 Historic time

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For the latest news visit qchron.com

[fornicate with] the moon!” Big laughs. Another scene featured a godawful man in a costurme, apparently a polar bear, swiping away at kids hiding in a cave. “He just wants a Coke,” Carey said dryly. The weekly event is a takeoff of the cult classic show “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” in which a man and two robots stranded aboard a space station are forced to watch bad movies by an evil scientist. The freedom to laugh at, and poke fun of, the criminally bad movies offers an antidote from insanity. The same applies at Devil Science Theater. The show has been going on since the spring, and has drawn a cult following of about 15 to 20 regulars, Carey said. He keeps an ear open for audience members who draw the biggest or most laughs, and gives each a Laughing Devil T-shirt at the end of the night. If they’re good enough, they can join him on the microphone next time. The other part of Carey’s job? Picking the movies. The roster of past flicks includes B-movie gold such as monster movie disaster “King Kong vs. Godzilla” and epically bad horror pictures like “The Driller Killer.” The inexcusably awful “A Boy and His Dog” and “The Black Six” will be screened today, Dec. 27, and next Thursday, respectively.

Legal hurdles determine what Carey can show any given night, so the odds of catching the recent “Star Wars” prequels are slim. Big missed opportunity. But you may be pleasantly surprised by what he can find. “We’re limited to the absolute worst of the public domain,” Carey said, grinning. “The one main through-line with all of these movies is bad writing and low production quality.” The overall result is a soothing sort of catharsis, and perhaps a release valve that eases your inner mean spirit. When else, in this world of “teamwork” and “everyone is special and can contribute,” are you encourQ age to honestly tell something it sucks?

QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27, 2012 Page 42

C M SQ page 42 Y K

I HAVE OFTEN WALKED

SPORTS

A Pyrrhic victory for FH civics?

BEAT

Knicks are NY’s best by Lloyd Carroll Chronicle Contributor

It’s a bleak sports landscape in the Big Apple as we close out 2012. The Jets are mercifully finishing their disastrous 2012 campaign in Buffalo while the Giants’ playoff hopes are on life support as they play the Philadelphia Eagles at MetLife Stadium and have to pray that other NFL game outcomes work in their favor this Sunday. Hockey fans have had to endure the dreary lockout that the National Hockey League team owners have imposed on their players. The Brooklyn Nets, despite an improved roster and quick start, have struggled mightily this month and are starting to remind us of those putrid New Jersey Nets teams of the last five years. The Knicks, though, have been a team that has surpassed expectations. While they were certainly considered to be a playoff-caliber team before the start of the season eight weeks ago, few thought that they would be battling LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and the rest of the Miami Heat for the top spot in the National Basketball Association’s Eastern Conference. Their success is even more amazing when you consider that they have not had the services this season of two key players, guard Iman Shumpert and perennial all-star forward Amar’e Stoudemire, both of whom have been battling an array of injuries. Carmelo Anthony, whose acquisition in February 2011 was hotly debated by fans and the

by Ron Marzlock Chronicle Contributor

The Yellowstone Oval provided great memories for kids in the late 1940s and early ’50s, as they could The view to the northeast from Yellowstone Bouleromp over 11 acres of open fields and vard, about 1,000 feet off Queens Boulevard, on March 8, 1949, before Parker Towers and JHS 190. play baseball or football until nightfall. In February 1949, area civic groups mounted a campaign to defeat the construc- athletic field. In 1954 the school went up but tion of Bulova Watch Co. headquarters on the park and playgrounds never happened. In 1952, Robert Moses got Bulova a varithe site, where light manufacturing would take place. Arde Bulova (1889-1958) sought ance to erect his building, which resembled a zoning variance to build a beautifully land- the Federal Reserve Bank, at 25th Avenue scaped building designed by Aymar Embury and 77th Street in East Elmhurst, then II, the same man who gave us the stunning referred to as part of Jackson Heights. The 1939 World’s Fair New York City Building, art deco masterpiece, now housing many now the Queens Museum of Art. Bulova also entities, can be admired from the Grand would sell 150,000 square feet to the city, at Central Parkway near Astoria Boulevard. Bulova itself moved to Woodside and was cost, to build a junior high school, JHS 190. Bulova claimed his building would be a bought by Citizen for $250 million in 2008. In the end the residents of Forest Hills lovely addition to Forest Hills. Civic groups claimed there would be too many trucks and lost. Developer Jack Parker announced he had bought the land and would build three of possibly too much noise coming from it. On Sept. 7, 1949, Mayor William O’D- the tallest apartment houses in Queens. Parkwyer blocked any zoning change. He agreed er Towers brought in more noise, pollution to buy two acres for a junior high school and and vehicles than Bulova’s proposed buildQ two acres for a park with playgrounds and ing ever would have.

Happy New Year from

media, has deserved the “MVP!” chants that he has gotten from the Garden faithful. Anthony’s old Denver Nuggets teammate and now fellow member of the Knicks, JR Smith, has been a scoring machine off the bench, particularly when a three-point shot is needed. Few had heard of Carmelo’s understudy, Chris Copeland, when the season began, because he had played the first seven years of his pro career in Europe. Chris has shown that while he may technically be a rookie by NBA standards, he plays the game with the skills of a savvy league veteran judging by his ability to crash the boards for rebounds and score from both inside the paint and outside of the threepoint arc. He is also one of the most accessible players you’ll find, as he enjoys chatting with fans and talking to the media. One hopes that won’t change as he accrues more NBA time. Kudos as well to ageless point guard Jason Kidd, who, as per custom, finds the open man on the floor. He has also been a surprisingly potent outside shooter so far this season. The Knicks have always been terrific in the area of community service. They proved it again last month as team staff joined Stoudemire, Ronnie Brewer and Rasheed Wallace to visit the Edgemere Housing Projects in Far Rockaway to distribute much needed supplies and food to residents in the wake of HurQ ricane Sandy.

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Commercial & Residential

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• • • •

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SQ page 45

CLEANOUT

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Page 45 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27, 2012

ICP Construction

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Expires 01/31/13.

Please enter my subscription for 52 issues of the Queens Chronicle to be mailed over the next year. Enclosed is $19.00* to cover the subscription cost.

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QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27, 2012 Page 46

SQ page 46

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718-843-0628 NEED HOLIDAY CASH?? Buying ALL Gold & Silver COINS for CASH!!. Also Stamps, Paper Money, Entire Collections. Travel to your home. Call Marc 1-800959-3419 PLEASE CALL LORI, 718-3244330. I PAY THE BEST, MOST HONEST PRICES FOR ESTATES, FURNITURE, CHANDELIERS, LAMPS, COSTUME JEWELRY, WATCHES (WORKING OR NOT WORKING), FURS, COINS, POCKETBOOKS, CHINA, VASES, GLASSWARE, STERLING SILVERWARE, FIGURINES, CANDLESTICKS, PAINTINGS, PRINTS, RUGS, PIANOS, GUITARS, VIOLINS, FLUTES, TAG SALES, CLEAN OUTS, CARS Wanted: Will Pay up to $15.00 for High School Yearbooks 19002012. Any School/Any State. www.yearbookusa.com or 214514-1040

Ph.D. provides Outstanding Tutoring in Math, English, Special Exams. All levels. Study skills Classified Ad Deadline is 12 Noon Subscriptions are only $19 for a taught. 718-767-0233 on Tuesday for Thursday’s paper. full year!!! Call 718-205-8000

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Adoption ADOPT: 3+1=Happiness. Looking to adopt another little miracle and make our little Lucy a big sister. Contact Robin & Neil @ 866-3030668, http://www.rnladopt.info/. ADOPT:† Kindergarten teacher longs to give your precious baby endless love, secure home, large extended family, bright future.† Expenses paid,† private, legal.† Jenny 1-866-751-3377

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Legal Notices NOTICE OF ACTION BEFORE THE BOARD OF MASSAGE THERAPY IN RE: The license to practice massage therapy of Lei Guan, L.M.T 13545 Roosevelt Avenue, Apt. 10-I, Flushing, NY 11355 CASE NO.: 2012-11899 LICENSE NO.: MA 64044 The Department of Health has filed an Administrative Complaint against you, a copy of which may be obtained by contacting Candace A. Rochester, Assistant General Counsel, Prosecution Services Unit, 4052, Bald Cypress Way, Bin #C65, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3265, (850) 245-4640. If no contact has been made by you concerning the above by January 17, 2013, the matter of the Administrative Complaint will be presented at an ensuing meeting of the Board of Massage Therapy in an informal proceeding. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, persons needing a special accommodation to participate in this proceeding should contact the individual or agency sending this notice not later than seven days prior to the proceeding at the address given on the notice. Telephone: (850) 245-4640, 1-800-955877(TDD) or 1-800-955-8770 (V), via Florida Relay Service.

Legal Notice Supreme Court, County of Queens; Matter of Mary Louise Seiler, an Alleged Incapacitated Person; Index #24443/2012; Pursuant to an Order of this Court, dated December 11, 2012, by the Hon. Lee A. Mayersohn, an application to sell premises known as 19610 91st Avenue, Hollis, NY 11423, will be made on the 23rd day of January, 2013, at 9:30 a.m., at an IAS Part 22G, at the Supreme Court, Queens County, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11435. Best offer over $210,000.00, all cash. Contact: Jami Amarasinghe Smith, Esq. (631) 289-2670. Our Classifieds Reach Over 400,000 Readers. Call 718-2058000 to advertise.

NOTICE OF ACTION BEFORE THE BOARD OF MASSAGE THERAPY IN RE: The license to practice massage therapy of Furong Li, L.M.T., 14212 41st Avenue, Apt. L-1, Flushing, NY 11355 & 13443 Maple Avenue, FL 2, Flushing, NY 11355 CASE NO.: 2012-12545 LICENSE NO.: MA 63348 The Department of Health has filed an Administrative Complaint against you, a copy of which may be obtained by contacting Thomas J. Morton, Assistant General Counsel, Prosecution Services Unit, 4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin #C65, Tallahassee, Florida 323993265, (850) 245-4640 If no contact has been made by you concerning the above by January 24, 2013, the matter of the Administrative Complaint will be presented at an ensuing meeting of the Board of Massage Therapy in an informal proceeding. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, persons needing a special accommodation to participate in this proceeding should contact the individual or agency sending this notice not later than seven days prior to the proceeding at the address given on the notice. Telephone: (850) 245-4640, 1-800-955-877 (TDD) or 1-800-955-8770 (V), via Florida Relay Service. NOTICE OF ACTION BEFORE THE BOARD OF MASSAGE THERAPY IN RE: The license to practice massage therapy of Yanping Zheng, L.M.T., 36-09 Main Street, 10-A, Flushing, NY 11354 & 3857 Sunset Cove Drive, Port Orange, FL 32129 CASE NO.: 2012-14141 LICENSE NO.: MA 64609 The Department of Health has filed an Administrative Complaint against you, a copy of which may be obtained by contacting, Alicia E. Adams, Assistant General Counsel, Prosecution Services Unit, 4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin #C65, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3265, (850) 245-4640 If no contact has been made by you concerning the above by January 24, 2013, the matter of the Administrative Complaint will be presented at an ensuing meeting of the Board of Massage Therapy in an informal proceeding. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, persons needing a special accommodation to participate in this proceeding should contact the individual or agency sending this notice not later than seven days prior to the proceeding at the address given on the notice. Telephone: (850) 245-4640, 1-800-955-877 (TDD) or 1-800-955-8770 (V), via Florida Relay Service.

SQ page 47

OR ADVERTISE YOUR GARAGE SALE

WITH A CLASSIFIED AD IN THE

718-205-8000

FOR RATES AND INFORMATION

To Advertise Call 718-205-8000 Notice of Formation of CROSSROADS DEVELOPER MANAGING MEMBER LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 03/21/12. Office location: Queens County. Princ. office of LLC: 42-09 235th St., 2nd Fl., Douglaston, NY 11363. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of SJJKEV, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/15/12. Office location: Queens County. Princ. office of LLC: 33-14 145 Place, Flushing, NY 11354. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Cohen & Coleman, LLP, 767 Third Ave., 31st Fl., NY, NY 10017. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

SUNSHINE HVAC LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 11/19/2012. Office in Queens Co. SSNY desig. agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to 89-40 198 St., Hollis, NY 11423, which is also the principal business location. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. NAME: 501 LEONARD STREET, LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 10/16/12. Office location Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of the process to the LLC, 29-10 120th Street, Flushing, New York 11354. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

FRACTURED PIXELS LLC, a domestic LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 8/1/12. Office location: Queens County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 28-04 33rd Ave., Apt. 2E, Astoria, NY 11106. General Purposes.

Notice of Formation of limited liability company. Name: NEAT AND CLEAN IS WHAT WE MEAN, LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 11/26/2012. Office location is Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 1560 150th St., Whitestone, NY 11357. The general purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of limited liability company. Name: ANDINA MULTISERVICES LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 08/23/2012. Office location is Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 84-02 Roosevelt Ave., Suite 37, Jackson Heights, NY 11372. The general purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Legal Notice Go Fresh Produce LLC filed Articles of Organization to be an LLC on September 25, 2012. The Secretary of State is designated as agent upon whom process may be served. The address of the LLC is 162-08 91st Street, Howard Beach, NY 11414 in Queens County. The purpose of the LLC is wholesale produce.

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. NAME: TRIPLE L HOLDING LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 10/03/12. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to the LLC, 69-11 197th Street, Fresh Meadows, New York 11365. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of Willoughby Staffing LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with NY Dept. of State on 11/6/12. Office location: Queens County. Sec. of State designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served and shall mail process to: 221-10 Jamaica Ave., 3rd Fl., Queens Village, NY 11428, principal business address. Purpose: all lawful purposes.

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY. NAME: GLENDALE HOLDING LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 08/31/12. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to the LLC, 65-17 68th Avenue, Glendale, New York 11385. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of limited liability company. Name: G&T TRANSPORT NYC LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 9/7/2012. Office location is Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to Gregory Conway, 120-10 Merrill Street, Jamaica, NY 11434. The general purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of limited liability company. Name: 71STTECH, LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 04/23/2012. Office location is Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to C/O United States Corporation Agents, Inc., 7014 13th Avenue, Suite 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228. The general purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Cradel Import & Export LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 8/16/12. Office in Queens County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Carlos M. Serrano, 79-17 Hollis Hills Terr., Oakland Gardens, NY 11364. Purpose: General.

Notice of formation of QPN 10 LLC Arts. of Org. filed with the Sect’y of State of NY (SSNY) on 5/29/2012. Office location, County of Queens. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Storage Deluxe, 26 West 17th St., Ste 801, NY, NY 10011. Purpose: any lawful act

U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, Plaintiff, -against- PHYLLIS BAKER, if living, or if either or all be dead, their wives, husbands, heirs-at-law, next of kin, distributees, executors, administrators, assignees, lienors and generally all persons having or claiming under, by or through said PHYLLIS BAKER, by purchase, inheritance, lien or otherwise, of any right, title or interest in and to the premises described in the complaint herein, and the respective husbands, wives, widow or widowers of them, if any, all of whose names are unknown to plaintiff; JEAN SANON; NEW YORK CITY ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD; NEW YORK CITY PARKING VIOLATIONS BUREAU; NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT ADJUDICATION BUREAU; STATE OF NEW YORK; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; “JOHN DOES” and “JANE DOES”, said names being fictitious, parties intended being possible tenants or occupants of premises, and corporations, other entities or persons who claim, or may claim, a lien against the premises, Defendant(s). TO THE ABOVE-NAMED DEFENDANTS: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the complaint is not served with this summons, to serve a notice of appearance on the plaintiff’s attorney within twenty (20) days after service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service, where service of this summons is made by delivery upon you personally within this state, or within thirty (30) days after completion of service where service is made in any other manner, and in case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint. NOTICE: YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. YOU ARE HEREBY PUT ON NOTICE THAT WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO COLLECT A DEBT, AND ANY INFORMATION OBTAINED WILL BE USED FOR THAT PURPOSE. TO THE ABOVE-NAMED DEFENDANTS: The foregoing summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an Order of the Honorable Diccia T. Pineda-Kirwan of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, signed on October 31, 2012 and filed with supporting papers in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Queens, State of New York. The object of this action is to foreclose a mortgage upon the premises described below, executed by PHYLLIS BAKER and JEAN SANON to MORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGISTRATION SYSTEMS, INC. AS NOMINEE FOR MORTGAGE SOURCE LLC in the principal amount of $402,573.00, which mortgage was recorded in Queens County, State of New York, on February 17, 2010, in CRFN. 2010000054165. Thereafter said mortgage was assigned to U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION by assignment of mortgage dated November 18, 2011 and recorded on December 7, 2011 in CRFN. 2011000426697. Said premises being known as and by 130-16 124TH STREET, SOUTH OZONE PARK, NY 11420. Dated: August 20, 2012, Batavia, New York. Virginia C. Grapensteter, Esq., ROSICKI, ROSICKI & ASSOCIATES, P.C., Attorneys for Plaintiff. Batavia Office 26 Harvester Avenue, Batavia, NY 14020, 585.815.0288. Help For Homeowners In Foreclosure. New York State Law requires that we send you this notice about the foreclosure process. Please read it carefully. Mortgage foreclosure is a complex process. Some people may approach you about “saving” your home. You should be extremely careful about any such promises. The State encourages you to become informed about your options in foreclosure. There are government agencies, legal aid entities and other non-profit organizations that you may contact for information about foreclosure while you are working with your lender during this process. To locate an entity near you, you may call the toll-free helpline maintained by the New York State Banking Department at 1-877-BANKNYS (1-877226-5697) or visit the Department’s website at www.banking.state. ny.us. The State does not guarantee the advice of these agencies.

For the latest news visit qchron.com

CALL

LEGAL NOTICES

Page 47 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27, 2012

FIND A LOCAL JOB, SELL YOUR CAR OR MERCH.

SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS Index No.: 27973/2011 Date of Filing: November 23, 2012 SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF QUEENS

QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27, 2012 Page 48

SQ page 48

LEGAL NOTICES To Advertise Call 718-205-8000 Notice of Formation of limited liability company. Name: NOT JUST ANOTHER FUNNY FACE, LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 11/14/2012. Office location is Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 175-20 Wexford Terrace, Apt. 3P, Jamaica, NY 11432. The general purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Red Menace Game Studios LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/27/12. Office in Queens County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to 42 19 Saull St., Flushing, NY 11355. Purpose: General.

Notice of Formation of Bldg Myrtle LLC. Arts. of Org. filed Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 4/17/03. Off. loc.: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Lawrence P. Wolf, Esq., 6 Hemlock Hills, Chappaqua, NY 10514. Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of 9618 QUEENS BOULEVARD, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/03/12. Office location: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 570 Sierra Vista Ave., San Marino, CA 91108. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

AAGJ2 REALTY, LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 02/13/2012. Office loc: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 421 Willis Avenue, Williston Park, NY 11596. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose. Latest date upon which LLC is to dissolve: 12-31-2062.

Notice of Formation of limited liability company. Name: GAIL SCHECHTER, NUTRITION & FOOD CONSULTING, LLP. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 11/01/2012. Office location is Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLP upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to THE PARTNERSHIP, ATTN: GAIL SCHECHTER, 6 Burns Street, Apt. 310, Forest Hills, NY 11375. The general purpose: For any lawful purpose.

20-56 49th Street LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/2/12. Office in Queens County. SSNY designated agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to 147-32 28th Ave., Flushing, NY 11354. Purpose: General.

Notice is hereby given that a license, number 1267405, for restaurant wine has been applied for by the Shin Jung Restaurant Inc. to sell wine & beer at retail in a restaurant under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 160 13 Northern Blvd., Flushing, NY 11358 for on-premises consumption.

Notice of Formation of limited liability company. Name: Y & Y DENTAL RESEARCH GROUP, LLC. Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 10/04/2012. Office location is Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the Yu Han Young, 133-36 41 Rd., #1G, Flushing, NY 11355. The general purpose: For any lawful purpose.

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NOTICE OF PROPOSED BANK MERGER Notice is hereby given that Amerasia Bank, Flushing, New York has made application to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, for its written consent to merge with Great Eastern Bank of Florida, Miami, Florida. It is contemplated that Amerasia Bank will be the surviving charter from the merger. It is further contemplated that all of the offices of the above-named institutions will continue to be operated by the surviving bank after the merger. This notice is published pursuant to Section 18(c) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act. Any person wishing to comment on this application may file his or her comments in writing with the regional director of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation at its regional office, 350 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 101180110, not later than January 5, 2013. The non-confidential portions of the application are on file in the regional office and are available for inspection during regular business hours. Photocopies of the non-confidential portions of the application file will be made available upon request. PUBLICATION DATES:

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Page 49 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27, 2012

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QPTV-060111

C M SQ page 49 Y K

Muni-Meters replace coin-operated ones Queens residents weigh in on the advantages of the old and new by David Messiha Chronicle Contributor

A recent surge of Muni-Meters is targeting different parts of the borough and specifically major boulevards and avenues. The newly installed meters received different reviews from a variety of people in the borough. Some were excited about them, while others were willing to go with whatever option the Department of Transportation makes available. The Muni-Meters are evenly spaced out in regular intervals along designated streets, replacing the old single-spaced meters that have been used by the city for decades. A few residents commented on the new meters. Maria, who refused to give her last name and was just about to park her vehicle on Woodhaven Boulevard last week, said there is one positive thing she likes about the Muni-Meters. “At least they show you the time before you park,” she said. The DOT has done more installations in areas including St Albans, Rosedale, Hollis, Auburndale and Sunnyside. One group with some concerns about the change is the borough’s senior population. Thomas Melville of Fresh Meadows says they are feasible only for the young. “They are often situated in locations that require legs of youth,” Melville said in a letter to the Queens Chronicle. A new Muni-Meter grace period established in September allows parking agents to invalidate tickets on the spot if the driver can

PHOTO COURTESY NYPD

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QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27, 2012 Page 50

C M SQ page 50rev Y K

Missing The NYPD is asking for the public’s assistance in locating Marisha Cheong, 24, of 145th Street in Jamaica, who went missing on Dec. 19. She was last seen at her residence at around 10:30 a.m. She is described as 5 feet, 3 inches tall and weighing 135 pounds. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit tips by logging onto nypdcrimestoppers.com, or by texting 274637 (CRIMES), then entering TIP577. All tips are strictly confidential.

Queens residents are already making use of the newly installed Muni-Meters that are spreading in different parts of the borough. On the left, JefferPHOTO BY DAVID MESSIHA son Gomez pays using a credit card. On the right, an old meter sits beside its replacement. produce a receipt purchased within five minutes of when the ticket was issued. Nevertheless, many seniors like Melville are still concerned about being ticketed while leaving their vehicles to purchase a ticket. “Folks of age are being ticketed when the Muni-Meter is two blocks away and the walk is long and tiring,” he said. Meanwhile, Jefferson Gomez of Astoria said that he favors them because they provide an easier option to purchase tickets without the need for change. “They are helpful, it’s advanced with the cards. You can buy a twenty dollar card and get it to work, you don’t need change,” Gomez said. Gomez sees a downside too. “It has its negativity,” he said. “It can be a long walk. The next meter could be a block away at times. With the old meters there’s not much to walk.” The new meters accept quarters, dollar coins, credit cards and debit cards allowing

drivers to buy units of time in 15-minute increments and take the tickets with them to their dashboards. According to the DOT, Muni-Meters have many advantages, which include eliminating unnecessary sidewalk encumbrances and additional capacity for parking cars in the same curb space. Ayman Alim, who owns a deli on Woodhaven Boulevard, says his experience with the old meters wasn’t necessarily positive. “They were giving me a hard time, customers were always asking me for quarters,” Alim said. Alim believes that Muni-Meters are worthwhile because of their features. “They are good because they accept credit and debit cards so people don’t have to hassle with quarters,” he said. “They have to have three units in a block though,” he added. There are two on the block where he works. Another concer n for some is how

motorcycle enthusiasts can park their vehicles. It could become a challenge for them to display their tickets because they could easily be stolen or blown away. Councilman Peter Vallone Jr.(D-Astoria) and Assemblyman Michael Den Dekker (DJackson Heights) are concerned this might lead to unfair parking tickets. Vallone and DenDekker have both introduced legislation that would allow bikes to park free at Muni-Meters though they will still have to pay at conventional meters. Neither bill has been approved; nevertheless the two politicians are promoting their plan across all five boroughs. Installation of more meters is set for January 2013 in more communities in the borough, which include Ozone Park, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Jamaica, Woodside and Corona. The DOT believes that the process of replacing all the remaining parking meters Q will be completed by January 2013.

Alleged fake butt doc led to bottom problem A Flushing woman was caught allegedly performing an unlicensed and dangerous cosmetic procedure after a “buttocks enhancement” sent her victim to the hospital three times. “The defendant allegedly exploited the vanity of her customer by pretending to be qualified to perform a procedure that in fact may only legally be performed in New York State by a licensed medical professional,” said District Attorney Richard Brown. “This is a serious crime that could have had fatal consequences for the victim had she not sought legitimate medical assistance. Even doing so, she remains in a potentially life-

threatening condition.” Authorities charged Liliana Coello, 39, of 42-29 157 St., with first-degree assault, reckless endangerment, unauthorized practice of a profession and criminal possession of a weapon last Thursday, Dec. 20. She was held on $75,000 bail and ordered back to court on Jan. 2, 2013. Coello allegedly offered an unnamed 40-year-old woman a buttocks enhancement procedure for $2,500. The defendant claimed she had performed the procedure many times before. The procedure allegedly involved an injection, with a large needle, of what Coello

called “expandable cells.” It was administered on Nov. 3. The victim was instructed to knead her buttocks to distribute the substance. She was given a girdle and told the pain would subside in a few days. The victim allegedly returned four days later, complaining of persistent pain and leakage. Coello allegedly injected her with penicillin, then tried to stop the leaking areas with Krazy Glue two days later. The victim, unhealed and facing worsening problems, was admitted to New York Presbyterian Hospital with an infection of her posterior. She was treated, released and

readmitted twice again for chronic issues that were not going away. The doctors allegedly found the victim’s whole body was having a negative reaction to the injected substance, which was spreading from within, causing constant pain. The victim’s doctors allege she could face immediate and long-term health issues as a result, including gang rene, diminished blood flow to the legs, and infections that could require life-long treatment. Coello could face up to seven years in prison if found Q guilty. — Joseph Orovic

C M SQ page 51 Y K Page 51 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, December 27, 2012

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