Press epaper 062714

Volume 15 Issue No. 26 June 27 - July 3, 2014

PRESS Photo by Walter Karling

JAMAICA WANTS YOU City and Borough officials gathered at York College this week to discuss creating a better future for the area.

By Jordan Gibbons ‌ Page 8.

ONLINE AT WWW.QUEENSPRESS.COM

Page 2 PRESS of Southeast Queens June 27 - July 3, 2014

News Briefs Homeowners Still Struggling With Mortgages

A report released this week found that thousands of Black and Latino homeowners in the City are still at risk of foreclosure because their mortgages are underwater and the banks are not providing any relief.

The report, Thousands of Homeowners Still Drowning in Underwater Mortgages: How Toxic Loans Keep Fueling Foreclosures and the Need for Eminent Domain, revealed that over 24,000 of the underwater mortgages in the City are toxic private-label securitized mortgages concentrated disproportionately in lower and moderate income Black and Latino neighborhoods.

An underwater mortgage is a home purchase loan with a higher balance than the free-market value of the home. This prevents the homeowner from selling the home unless they have the cash to pay the loss out of pocket and also prevents them from refinancing in most cases. Private-label securitized mortgages do not have the backing of the government so they carry a greater risk.

The report was released at City Hall on Wednesday by New York Communities for Change, Mutual Housing Association of New York and City Councilmembers. It calls for City government to step in and use eminent domain to seize the toxic mortgages to reduce the principal that is owed, protect homeowners and strengthen communities.

“The utilization of eminent domain to resuscitate properties burdened by underwater mortgages will have a positive impact on communities devastated by the foreclosure crisis — including my own in Southeast Queens,” Councilman I. Daneek Miller (D-St. Albans) said.

Eminent domain has become a powerful tool for fighting the foreclosure crisis nationally in recent years and the City would be the latest in a growing number of cities to pursue this path.

“Many New Yorkers are still hurting from the housing crash,” Councilman Donovan Richards (D-Laurelton) said. “Those who have not yet lost their home are on the brink of losing it in the near future. If we as a city, can assist homeowners in anyway then we are obligated to do so.”

Gregory Meeks Wins Primary Election

In Tuesday’s primary election for the Democratic candidate of District 5’s seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks

(D-Jamaica) defeated Joseph Marthone by a significant margin of 81.5 percent to 18.5 percent.

With just under 9,000 voters, Meeks received 7,163 votes to Marthone’s 1,621 votes.

“I want to thank the people of the 5th Congressional District for continuing to have the faith in my leadership,” Meeks said. “It is rewarding to know the community you represent respects you and has your back. I look forward to continuing to work on their behalf.”

Blood Drive Gives Away Mets Tickets

York College is hosting a blood drive on Wednesday, July 2 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. All donors will receive two tickets in the mail to a Mets Game.

New York Blood Center needs help over the July 4 holiday and throughout the hot summer weather to maintain an adequate supply of all blood types, especially O-negative.

Hundreds of additional blood drives need to be scheduled to meet projected hospital demand.

Each and every day, there are patients who depend on the transfusion of red blood cells, platelets and plasma to stay alive. But blood and blood products cannot be manufactured.

They can only come from volunteer blood donors who take an hour to attend a blood drive or visit a donor center.

People with O-negative blood are known as universal donors because their blood can be transfused to anyone. Only six percent of the population has this blood type and it is often transfused to patients with other blood types in emergency rooms and trauma situations.

The months of July and August present challenges as schools and colleges close for the summer and employees leave for summer vacations.

More than 25 percent of blood donations collected each year come from high school and college blood drives.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, trauma accounts for 37 million emergency department visits and 2.6 million hospital admissions each year, nationwide. Every two seconds, someone needs blood. Car accident and trauma victims may need 50 or more blood transfusions.

People can donate one pint of whole blood every 56 days and platelets every three days.

The blood drive will be at 94-20 Guy Brewer Blvd., Jamaica. For more information, contact Dianne Robinson with the New York Blood Center at (516) 478-5066 or drobinson@nybloodcenter.org.

June 27 - July 3, 2014 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 3

Presstime

BY JORDAN GIBBONS Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña attended a Community District Education Council 29 town hall meeting at PS 15 in Springfield Gardens on June 19 to respond to any questions or concerns residents had before the end of the school year.

The Chancellor was repeatedly asked about co-locations in the Southeast Queens area, specifically IS 59, which along with PS 176 will coexist with the new Success Academy Charter School for kindergarteners and first-graders in September.

“This is an issue for this district and several others in our community where in the past, we have quite frankly felt the contempt of the DOE on numerous occasions,” Adrienne Adams, chairperson of Community Board 12, said. “I’d like to know the stance of the administration on the issue of co-locations.”

The Chancellor said the administration will be rethinking what has been done in the past in terms of space allocation and all the buildings will be walked through. But the State has made its decisions and some of it

is out of the City’s hands.

“Our message very clearly, is that wherever there’s a co-location, we will be actively involved,” Fariña said. “Who gets what space and where the space goes, it will not be decided by the people coming into the building.”

She said they will be using a campus squad, who will sit down with the people who will be co-locating to find the needs for the schools and that will not be decided by one principal versus another.

“It’s going to be done by us, in consultation with the other people in the building,” she said. “There’s our plan going forward.”

Adams also asked if the community will be heard under the Chancellor’s leadership.

“Absolutely, but again, a lot of those decisions are by State law, not

by City decision,” Fariña said.

Council President Alicia Hyndman clarified the Chancellor’s statement.

“If you remember when Governor Cuomo passed the budget, it changed,” she said. “He made it into law where charter schools will be

Photo by Jordan Gibbons

Chancellor Vows To Be ‘Actively Involved’ In Co-locations

School Chancellor Carmen Fariña (left) and Council President Alicia Hyndman spoke to residents at PS 15 in Springfield Gardens last week. mandated to be co-located.”

After several residents mentioned concerns about IS 59, the Chancellor said she will be sending someone to visit the building to look at the space and what the actual possibilities are before school closes.

“Until I know that, I can’t be very specific with an answer but I will get back to you,” Fariña said. “We just have to make it work and make it better.”

Reach Reporter Jordan Gibbons at (718)357-7400 Ext. 123, jgibbons@ queenspress.com or @jgibbons2.

Library Board To Vote On Galante After Reform Bill Passes

BY JOE MARVILLI The Queens Library Board of Trustees was set to vote on whether to renegotiate CEO Thomas Galante’s contract, a week after a library reform bill passed in the State Senate.

About a week after the State Legislature’s session ended, the Board of Trustees called for a special meeting to vote on a resolution on Galante’s contract. While the vote would remove him as director, it would come with a severance agreement. The amendment would give him nearly $800,000 to remain at the Library as a consultant for the next 18 months.

The vote was set to take place on Thursday night.

The meeting prompted Public Advocate Letitia James to reach out to State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, so the two of them could seek a court order to block the vote.

Borough President Melinda Katz also slammed the move as an attempt to push through decisions before Gov. Andrew Cuomo signs the reform into law. The Governor signed the bill on Thursday afternoon. She threatened to remove trustees who voted for the measure.

“The short notice and speed of the

meeting is purposeful. Two pieces of legislation making the success of this proposal more difficult will become law in the next few weeks and it is the Board’s intent to beat the clock,” she said. “This is another painful example of how several of the Trustees of this Board have consistently blocked any sort of good governance or increased oversight reforms. I asked for an adjournment of tonight’s meeting immediately upon receiving notice.

New York City taxpayers deserve better than this. I will have to remove trustees who are not fulfilling their fiduciary responsibilities.”

Library officials shot back at reports of the meeting in a statement sent out Thursday afternoon, slamming what they called inaccurate published reports, while chastising board members who may have leaked a confidential draft of a proposed agreement.

“It is disturbing that there appears to be members of the board who believe that it is acceptable for them to attempt to achieve their goals by disclosing information they know to be confidential and thus breaching one of their fundamental fiduciary responsibilities as Trustees,” Board of Trustees chair Gabriel Taussig wrote.

Katz would have an easier time

removing Queens Library trustees thanks to the legislation sponsored

by State Sen. Michael Gianaris (DAstoria) and Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry (D-Corona), which passed by a vote of 59 to 1 in the State Senate last week.

The bill will change the appointment and removal process of the Board of Trustees, so a trustee can be removed by the official who appointed him or her. A trustee’s term length would be reduced from five years to three years and would require that a trustee either lives in or owns a business in Queens.

Additionally, an independent labor committee and audit committee would be formed to oversee the Library’s accounting, financial reporting and contracting process. There would also be limits on outside employment. The library would have to hold annual budget hearings and maintain a 30-day public comment period before it can adopt its annual budget as well.

The legislation was created in response to the recent controversies that have affected the Queens Library. Galante has come under fire for his excessive salary, second job and use of library funding to build his office a private smoking deck. While

the Board of Trustees removed Galante’s $2 million severance package, they voted against suspending him or agreeing with the audit by Comptroller Scott Stringer.

“Once enacted, my bill will rein in the excesses revealed in recent reports and provide a long-term blueprint for an efficient, transparent and accountable library system of which every Queens resident can be proud,” Gianaris said.

Taussig said the legislation would harm the library’s ability to operate successfully.

“The American Library Association wrote that it would ‘threaten the ability for Queens Library to operate free of political influence and will serve as a dangerous precedent for libraries and library boards around the nation,’” he said. “The New York Council of Nonprofits wrote ‘The reduction of trustee terms from five years to three does a disservice to the community in that it does not allot the proper amount of time and experience needed for the library board to engage in effective governance, budget analysis and long-range planning.’ I share those concerns.”

Reach Reporter Joe Marvilli at (718) 357-7400, Ext. 125, jmarvilli@queenstribune.com, or @JoeMarvilli.

Page 4 PRESS of Southeast Queens June 27 - July 3, 2014

EDC Rep: ‘We’re Focused On Jamaica’ The Jamaica Center Business Improvement District had its annual meeting at the Jamaica Performing Arts Center on Monday, where Kyle Kimball, president of the City Economic Development Corporation, spoke about building up Jamaica while still keeping it affordable.

Kimball said he chose to stay on as president when Mayor Bill de Blasio took over because he believes in his agenda and he wants to use less of a top-down approach with economic developments all over the City.

“There is a tremendous amount of economic development that has yet to be practiced in Downtown Jamaica,” Kimball said, he added that the de Blasio administration is “making sure the economy we’re trying to create is accessible.”

Kimball said that New Yorkers are struggling to gain a foothold, but if the City focuses on maintaining affordable living conditions, it will be in a better position to meet the needs of the growing population.

He also said one main focus should be on having an intentional economic strategy while understanding the assets in the City and around each individual project.

Kimball addressed a ques“Not only do we want to be a tion from one of the members global center of commerce, we asking about the City’s neglect also want to be a global center of Queens throughout the of culture,” Kimball said.

Bloomberg administration.

Felicia Tunnah, executive “Generally, city planning is director of the Jamaica Center taking a look at all areas of the BID, also honored Dalila Hall, City,” he said. “This adminisBorough Commissioner of the tration will be more focused on Dept. of Transportation, with the outer boroughs, Queens ina public service award during cluded. We’re very focused on the meeting for leadership and Jamaica in particular.” vision.

Kimball referred to a number “Every neighborhood gets of projects already in the works its fair share and fair shake, but in Jamaica, such as the Atlantic we can’t always say yes.” Hall Avenue Extension, the Sutphin said after accepting the award.

Underpass and Norman Tow“Community Board 12 is coners. stantly speaking to my staff.”

The Atlantic Avenue ExtenThe Jamaica Center BID sion will extend Atlantic to also released their 2015 budget. meet 95th Avenue, creating They added two new contracted one-way streets on both 94th seasonal employees for garbage and 95th Avenues to ease traf- Kyle Kimball, president of the City Economic De- cleanup. They will work eight fic into and out of the Station velopment Corporation, shared his vision for the hours a day, five days a week area. The project will also create future of Jamaica at the Jamaica Center BID an- for 31 weeks. There will also Gateway Park, a new neighbor- nual meeting. be new Victor Stanley garbage hood open space. The Sutphin cans added to the neighborUnderpass project created a more mixed-use apartments this summer. hood as part of their district beautifiKimball also said that even though cation budget. attractive street-level pedestrian experience across the street from the his department is not in charge of Editor’s Note: For more on the City’s Air Train Terminal and added 5,500 arts in the schools and cultural hubs plan for Jamiaca, see page 8. square feet of new retail space. The throughout the City, the development Reach Reporter Jordan Gibbons at Norman Towers project is completed of culture is an essential element to (718)357-7400 Ext. 123, jgibbons@ and will be moving residents into its growth and development. queenspress.com or @jgibbons2 Photo by Jordan Gibbons

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June 27 - July 3, 2014 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 5

Helping Young Women Off The Streets And Into The Office

BY JORDAN GIBBONS Since 2012, Kevin Livingston has been helping young men in Southeast Queens get off the streets and into the business world. Now, he is shifting that focus towards women in the community with his new initiative, 100 Suits for 100 Women.

Livingston founded 100 Suits for 100 Men in January 2012 and since then, he has provided 4,000 young men with suits throughout Jamaica, Brooklyn and the Bronx. The organization also helped them write resumes, prepare for interviews and convert their talents on the street into talents in the office.

Next week, Livingston will shift the focus towards women in New York City Housing Authority homes.

The first NYCHA house they will be visiting is in South Jamaica.

“We hit the ground running,” Livingston said. “I will be there in the building with my staff talking with the young women.”

Beyond handing out business attire, there will be monthly events at the JITA Community Outreach center to teach entrepreneurial skills, help women cope with mental health and assist in day care certification.

“I make it fun,” he said. “They

Kevin Livingston announced his new initiative, 100 Suits for 100 Women, this week to help young women get more jobs.

have street skills and I transform those skills into how to become effective interviewees, including freestyle rapping.”

Livingston said the majority of his staff was formerly incarcerated or are residents who were on the ropes.

Joanna Bonilla, 19, has been working with 100 Suits for a year and appreciates the ability to help all types of people.

“We’re starting to help women who have been through domestic vio-

lence,” Bonilla said. “If he sees the person needs more than just the suit, Kevin will do everything he can.”

Livingston recently helped Tevon Rice earn his Regents diploma.

Rice said he has learned about life, business and helping others since he started to work with 100 Suits in November.

“People telling me I can’t do it was a good motivator,” Rice said. “Kevin would tell me every day to study.”

Now Rice has applied to several

colleges where he is planning on studying to become either a paramedic or electrical technician.

Natasha Christopher found Livingston’s organization through its Facebook page after a mutual friend told her about it a year ago.

She was inspired to join the new initiative because she lost her 14-yearold son, Akeao, to gun violence in July 2012. Livingston called her to get her involved and now she is the vice president of 100 Suits for 100 Women.

“My plan is to help these women get the proper attire to get into the workfield,” Christopher said. “They can’t get into the real world with jeans and sneakers. No one will take them seriously.”

After losing her son, Christopher saw the opportunity as a great way to give back to the community.

“I want to make this a success and it will be a success,” she said. “Too many of them are lost out here.”

Livingston can be contacted at 100Suits on Facebook or you can call (347) 472-2519. JITA Community Outreach is located at 40-46 Queens Blvd.

Reach Reporter Jordan Gibbons at (718)357-7400 Ext. 123, jgibbons@ queenspress.com or @jgibbons2

Page 6 PRESS of Southeast Queens June 27 - July 3, 2014

Editorial OF SOUTHEAST QUEENS 150-50 14th Road Whitestone, NY 11357 (voice) (718) 357-7400 fax (718) 357-9417 email news@queenspress.com The PRESS of Southeast Queens

Editor-in-Chief:

Steven J. Ferrari Contributing Editor:

Marcia Moxam Comrie Production Manager:

Shiek Mohamed Queens Today Editor

Regina Vogel Reporters: Jordan Gibbons Joe Marvilli Luis Gronda Jackie Strawbridge Art Dept:

Rhonda Leefoon Lianne Procanyn Barbara Townsend Maureen Coppola Advertising Director Howard Swengler Major Accounts Manager Shanie Persaud Director Corporate Accounts/Events Advertising Executives Shari Strongin

A Queens Tribune Publication © Copyright 2014 Tribco, LLC

Michael Nussbaum Publisher Ria McPherson Comptroller

Simplify Primary Schedules On Election Day 2014, set for Nov. 4, voters will go to the polls to vote for representatives in Congress and the State Senate and Assembly. For some, it will be the third time this year that they are asked to choose a representative.

This past Tuesday, some districts went to the polls for the Congressional primary. On Sept. 9, the State will hold a second primary for Senate and Assembly candidates who face a challenge. That’s three separate election days over the course of less than five months.

As voter turnout continues to decline, we may want to consider the sharp loss of voters as election fatigue. For those who pay attention, the election cycle seems never-ending. Take the last two years: from Presidential election to Mayoral and City-wide elections to, now, State-wide and Congressional seats. Once these mid-term elections are over, focus will no doubt shift back to the 2016 Presidential race and who will be in line to succeed President Barack Obama.

The constant election cycle is too much, and not only does it burn out those who pay attention to such things, it also costs the City and State more money than if they chose to only hold one primary day per cycle. A third election date costs millions of dollars – election day workers, poll monitors, vote counters and others need to be paid, after all.

New York State has been slow to change in a number of areas pertaining to elections – just look how long it took to implement new mandated voting machines. But in a time when saving municipal funds is a paramount concern, why do we accept the wasteful spending that occurs over the course of two primary elections and one general election?

A streamlined election schedule throughout New York State would have the benefit of not only of saving municipal funds, but to also wear down the potential for this perceived election fatigue.

The time for the State Board of Elections to make changes to the system has come. Waiting too long could be costly.

Letters Different Side Of Gun Stats

To The Editor: I f s o m e t h i n g a f fe c t s 0.0000017 percent of the population, is it worth making laws that will seriously affect the remainder of that population?

There are 300,000.000,000 guns in the United States.

About 50 or 0.000001 percent of our guns were used to create massive crimes in the last five years.

I f s o m e t h i n g a f fe c t s 0.000001 percent of the population, is it worth making laws that will seriously affect the remainder of the population.

Should you create laws that encumber 299,999,950 people, and laws that will only have a slim chance of preventing the 0.0000017 percent from doing these crimes?

This does not compute.

You cannot make laws based on the lowest common denominator and enjoy a free country. Time spent on an issue with this small a percentage is time wasted.

Yes, the killing of people and children in particular is horrible, and I understand the trauma as I have gone

through that trauma myself, but the country as a whole is what is important. Every year, thousands of people die or are mutilated by accidents other than by guns, so why is the focus only on guns?

As per gunowners.org, one and a half million times a year, honest citizens who had a gun, have prevented a crime or a loss of life. That number grossly offsets the number of those good individuals that died from the misuse of guns and these statistics justifies and illustrates the value of the Second Amendment of the Constitution.

These figures never reach the newspapers, as “good” is not news.

John Procida, Flushing

WRITE ON: The PRESS of Southeast Queens, 150-50 14th Rd. Whitestone, NY 11357 email news@queenspress.com fax: (718) 357-9417

One Primary Ought To Suffice For New York A Personal Perspective

BY MARCIA MOXAM COMRIE Is it just me or does it seem like a tremendous waste of money to have two primary elections in the same year?

Two years ago, we had a Congressional June primary for the first time in many years, moving it from September. It seemed to have worked so we’ve had it again in June this year. But here’s the rub: we turn around and have a State primary less than three months later in September.

It seems like an unnecessary waste of public resources to have two separate primaries in the same year, plus the General Election.

It seems odd that we are doing this when the same primary ought to suffice for both City and State elections in the same year. Do we really have it like that or are we just

being wasteful in a time when we can least afford it?

Now that the Congressional primaries are over, we must now turn our attention to the September primary for State candidate nominations, which includes governor, state senators and assembly members.

It is this redundancy that has provided Harlem State Sen. Adriano Espaillat with the opportunity to challenge Charles Rangel for the 13th Congressional District while keeping his Senate options open. Since he has now lost the Congressional race for a second time, he will once again run to recapture the seat he wanted to leave for Congress.

It seems like “double dipping,” but he is able to do it with impunity. At the very least, it seems disingenuous.

This is larger than Espaillat, though. The Board of Elections across the State needs to make a decision about one pri-

mary for both City and State nominations and stick with it.

If someone wants to run for Congress, they should be bold enough to do so without the safety net of follow-up primary for their existing seat.

Meanwhile, in our area, U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks has handily won reelection against a challenger with no money and no organizational backing. Joseph Marthone just seems to enjoy challenging Meeks for the heck of it. Even with new district lines moving into Long Island, Meeks still won by a landslide against the ubiquitous challenger.

But back to Rangel; whether he means it or not, this will be his absolutely last hurrah. The district has changed from predominantly African-American to predominantly Latino and a good number of white residents. Sometimes you just have to say, “when.”

The face of all New York

is changing though. Even in Southeast Queens, it seems most of the homes on the market these days are being snapped up by buyers of Southeast Asians and Hispanics. Neighborhoods go through transitions. Our area used to be predominantly white for decades, then it became primarily AfricanAmerican for decades; and now we are starting to see more diversity.

In about 10 years, Latino and Asian residents will start running for office on this side of town too. This is New York, we have to accept these changes and wish each new group well. We should all work together to make for better communities for all of us. We seem to be taking turns moving from the margins to the mainstream on many levels.

Meanwhile, one primary per year, please – we are wasting money on two.

June 27 - July 3, 2014 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 7

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Page 8 PRESS of Southeast Queens June 27 - July 3, 2014

Coordinating The Future Of Jamaica Borough President Melinda Katz’s office organized a meeting of community leaders, city planners and developers at York College on Tuesday to discuss important issues to consider during the beginning stages of planning Jamaica’s future.

The goal for the day was to begin the conversation to figure out the topics that matter most by gathering different, diverse opinions on how to grow. Katz said her plan in the future is to actually act and not just talk.

She also noted how Queens has had a stronger rate of job growth than the rest of the City.

“We’re looking towards realizing the plan that needs to happen in Queens,” she said. “We want to identify realistic short term and long term attainable goals.”

Representatives from all facets of the City were in attendance, such as the Dept. of Transportation, the City Planning Commision, the Economic Development Corporation and Greater Jamaica Development Corporation.

Elliot Sander, chair of the Regional Plan Association, spoke about how important the planning is for him since his family has strong roots in the Borough.

“This is not just an organizational commitment, but it’s a very strong personal commitment,” Sander said.

Deputy Mayor for Housing and Economic Development, Alicia Glen, spoke about advancing all

Youth, Community and Education

the issues and opportunities that Jamaica is facing. She also noted the work of current projects such as the Bluestone project with the Norman Towers mixed-use housing, the Blumenfeld Development Group project on 168th Street and the Able Management Group.

“When you think about the combination of public sector and private sector investment that’s happening here, the energy is really palpable,” Glen said.

“Our challenge is now to work with you to take it to the next level… to really enhance the strengths of Jamaica.”

Community leaders broke into smaller groups to network the ideas and concerns of the community on a variety of issues, including housing, youth, community and education, small business and workforce development, higher education and hospitals, transportation and infrastructure and commercial development.

The youth, community and education group said there needs to be a reinvestment in the community with grassroots initiatives focused on youth programs and resources for the different pathways to college.

They also said that programs should address formerly incarcerated young adults and high school dropouts, as well as teaching foreign languages at a younger age. They said there is a need for more capital investments and better funding and incentives for partnerships in the community.

BP Melinda Katz

Small Business and Workforce Development

The small business and workforce development group spoke about having more access to capital, fixing buildings that are outdated and in bad shape and ways to collaborate with colleges. There were also problems with regulations and laws. Some are not enforced, while others are enforced too much such as illegal parking, dumping and vending. The group said that there needs to be more adequate workforce training along with marketing talent in the community. They suggested that vacant spaces should be repurposed to attract local businesses. One other point was improving internship opportunities to connect with local businesses.

Housing

The housing section focused mostly on making housing affordable for those who care most about Southeast Queens, not just Downtown Jamaica.

They also felt that housing projects should focus on a range of incomes and consider seniors as well. They said that two-family houses should be an option as opposed to just one-family homes. One other important note made by the Rev. Patrick O’Connor from the First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica was that until the foreclosure crisis is addressed, they cannot move forward.

Higher Education and Hospital

york College President Marcia Keizs

Photos by Jordan Gibbons

By JOrdan GiBBOns

The higher education and hospital group requested a study to find out why Jamaica residents seek help at hospitals outside of the community. They also said that schools should share facilities and that foreign language should be taught in kindergarten.

Public Space, Transportation and Infrastructure

Image from NYCEDC MGIS

The study area that the City, planners and developers are looking at to build up Jamaica.

The transportation and infrastructure group wanted to improve connections between the Long Island Rail Road, subways and buses along with an expansion of the Select Bus Service in Queens. They suggested a regional MetroCard for the LIRR, buses and subways. They also said there should be more traffic calming with slow zones and speed bumps.

adam spence senior VP Empire state development

Commercial Development

The commercial development group suggested multiple groups collaborating on similar projects, developers embracing uniqueness and ways to highlight cultural events to attract and bring people into the area, especially after 5 p.m.

“We’re going to use that information with additional information to come up with some realistic and attainable goals that we can achieve through this process,” Melva Miller, director of economic development at the Borough President’s office, said.

Reach Reporter Jordan Gibbons at (718)357-7400 Ext. 123, jgibbons@ queenspress.com or @jgibbons2

June 27 - July 3, 2014 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 9

Middle Schools get Universal Free Lunches

By Jackie StrawBridge Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito announced last Thursday that funding for free lunch at all public middle schools in the City will be included in the Fiscal Year 2015 budget.

The City allocated $6.25 million to fund the lunch program, which will feed about 170,000 children, according to a City Council statement released last week. The lunch program will begin this fall.

Until this point, the City provided free and reduced-price lunches only

to qualifying low-income students.

According to Community Food Advocates, DOE data indicates that on average one third of eligible students opt out of free and reduced-price meal programs.

Community Food Advocates is a nonprofit that spearheaded a “Lunch 4 Learning” campaign for universal free school lunches.

“This is an incredibly transformative moment for middle school students who will grow up with a school lunch program where everyone eats on equal terms – the poverty stigma attached to school lunch will be erased,”

said Liz Accles, executive director of Community Food Advocates, in a statement released last week.

“This major shift lays the groundwork for universal free school lunch for all New York City students,” Accles added.

Leslie Costa, public school parent and PTA co-president at PS/IS 78, said she has some reservations about the funding.

“I do believe children who need a free lunch deserve to have a healthy meal, but don’t think money should be wasted on those who don’t, or don’t feel like making a lunch,” Costa

said. “That money could be better spent on enrichment programs, which most everyone I know feels is incredibly important.”

The $75 billion budget also includes $17 million to keep 57 public housing community and senior centers open, $11.1 million for CUNY merit based scholarships and $6.2 million to hire police administrative aids, allowing more police officers to be deployed to the streets.

Reach Reporter Jackie Strawbridge at (718) 357-7400, Ext. 128, jstrawbridge@queenstribune.com or @JNStrawbridge.

Pa Holds Second Noise roundtable

By Jackie StrawBridge The Port Authority’s airplane noise studies have hit the runway.

Last year, Gov. Andrew Cuomo directed the Port Authority to conduct noise studies and establish a community roundtable to address airplane noise over residential neighborhoods.

The Port Authority held its second roundtable last Wednesday alongside the Federal Aviation Administration.

The bulk of the meeting featured

presentations on the logistics of the noise study, as well as an FAA announcement on airspace redesign and the construction of a new air traffic facility.

The priorities of the airspace redesign and new facility construction are efficiency and safety, not noise reduction, but FAA director of airspace service Dennis Roberts did speak to collaboration with anti-noise groups.

“They can present to us as a group with issues that are important to

them. And how we handle all that, if I don’t have the feedback, I don’t really know. I commit to you that… we are committed to working with the community,” he said.

The group also discussed the structure of future roundtables, which will offer accountability to residents and allow for community input in the process. Queens Quiet Skies members argued for a single roundtable representing JFK, LGA and Newark simultaneously.

The Eastern Queens Alliance (EQA), in contrast, wants different roundtables representing each airport, with a separate coordinating committee.

The Port Authority will hold its first aviation noise roundtable for Newark Liberty airport on Monday evening.

Reach Reporter Jackie Strawbridge at (718) 357-7400, Ext. 128, jstrawbridge@queenstribune.com or @JNStrawbridge.

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Page 10 PRESS of Southeast Queens June 27 - July 3, 2014

Photo by Bruce Adler

pix

Wounded Warriors Meet The Mets

Veterans Appreciation

Citi Field was the site for the third annual Fisher House Benefit Softball Game. Mets legends Doc Gooden and John Franco, as well as heroic military veterans from the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team, took part in the event.

Public Service Award Photo by Jordan Gibbons

Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 5298 held a Veterans Appreciation Day to honor and recognize three veterans who served in different wars. The VFW is located on Springfield Blvd. in Springfield Gardens.

Assemblyman William Scarborough presented citations to former Staff Sergeant Robert Dowling, Sergeant Lakia Echols and Corporal Leroy Barnes for their brave military service for this country.

Street Co-Naming

Felicia Tunnah, executive director of the Jamaica Business Improvement District, awarded Dalila Hall, Borough Dept. of Transportation Commissioner, with the BID’s Public Service Award during the group’s annual meeting on Monday.

BID Meeting Photo by Walter Karling

197th Street at the corner of Linden Blvd. has been renamed Dora H. Young Way in honor and remembrance of the dynamic 29th Assembly District Leader and Executive Co-Leader of the Guy R. Brewer Democratic Club, as well as the City Clerk who married over 300,000 couples in Queens at Borough Hall in civil ceremonies. Co-Leader Archie Spigner, State Sen. Malcolm Smith, Assemblymembers Vivian Cook and William Scarborough and Councilman I. Daneek Miller joined Dora Young’s family.

The Sutphin Boulevard Business Improvement District held its annual meeting at CityRib. Pictured are Interim BID chair Joy Tomchin, honorees Elizabeth and Juan Pilarte of Party Moments and Simone Price, BID executive director.

June 27 - July 3, 2014 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 11

Police Blotter 103rd Precinct

responsive while lying on the ground with severe body trauma. EMS responded to the scene and pronounced the victim dead.

A further investigation revealed that the victim, Steven Frosh, 43, of Garden City South, an on-duty NYC Dept. of Sanitation worker, was performing maintenance work on a street sweeper when another street sweeper, operated by a 33-year-old on-duty DOS worker, was driving forward and struck the victim, pinning him in between the two vehicles. The investigation is ongoing.

There are no arrests at this time.

Murder

At 11:45 p.m. on June 18, inside 177-38 106th St., police responded to a call of a shot female.

Upon arrival, police observed the victim, Alexis Anderson, 15, of Brooklyn, unconscious and unresponsive with a gunshot wound to the head. EMS responded and pronounced the victim dead. The medical examiner has deemed this incident a homicide. Officers have arrested Abdullah Amin, 20, and charged him with Second-Degree Murder and Criminal Possession of a Weapon.

108th Precinct

assault

106th Precinct

The NYPD is asking for the public’s assistance in ascertaining the whereabouts of an individual wanted for questioning in connection to an assault.

At 12:10 a.m. on June 21, the victim, a 56-year-old male, was punched in the face by an unknown person in front of 69-04 Roosevelt Ave. The

collision investigation

At approximately 1 p.m. on June 21, officers responded to a report of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle of a sanitation depot, located at 58-02 48th St. Upon arrival, officers discovered the victim, 43, unconscious and un-

victim was taken to Elmhurst General Hospital in critical condition.

The suspect is described as a Hispanic male, early to mid-twenties, with facial hair. He was last seen wearing a white T-shirt, blue jeans and dark colored baseball cap.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-tips, visit www. nypdcrimestoppers.com or text tips to 274637(CRIMES), then enter TIP577. All calls are confidential.

110th Precinct

attempted Murder Of a Police Officer

The NYPD is seeking the public’s assistance in locating a suspect wanted in connection in the attempted murder of a police officer.

At 1:27 a.m. on Saturday, June 21, a uniformed Sergeant and police officer assigned to the 110th Precinct responded to a report of a group of males trespassing in the rear of 93-35 Lamont Ave. As the Sergeant and police officer were traveling in

their marked police vehicle, they observed the male suspect with a firearm, chasing another male and firing at him in the vicinity of Lamont Avenue and Forley Street.

The Sergeant and police officer immediately exited their vehicle and ordered the suspect to drop the firearm. The suspect then turned towards them, raised his firearm and fired at the Sergeant and police officer. The Sergeant and police officer returned fire but did not strike the suspect before he fled. The suspect’s firearm, a loaded .22 caliber handgun, was recovered at the scene.

The suspect is described as a 20to 25-year-old Hispanic male, 5-foot6 with a medium build. There is a $12,000 combined reward leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-tips, visit www. nypdcrimestoppers.com or text tips to 274637(CRIMES), then enter TIP577. All calls are confidential.

Borough Beat

Port authority tests responses at airport

By Jackie StrawBridge

Photos by Jackie Strawbridge

Choreographed chaos broke out at LaGuardia Airport Saturday morning, for a yearly emergency response drill conducted by the Port Authority.

Close to 150 volunteers, splattered with red paint, dirt and fake guts, acted as victims in an imagined Boeing 737 crash. Many were sprinkled across the pavement, some pretending to be unconscious, some stifling laughter or chatting – others Volunteers played plane crash victims at a Lga emergency drill on Saturday, orchestrated by the Port were led slowly out of the authority. plane, coughing theatrically.

Meanwhile, NYPD, “Doing this drill mented immigrants being deported – Police Explorers Command.

PAPD and FDNY personDelossantos, who played a crash furthers the goals of who escaped during the scenario. nel whirred around the Volunteer Ed Moran found out victim who was unable to walk, said communication, copremises, attending to vicordination, first re- about the event through the Nassau he was especially impressed by “how tims and a simulated fire, sponse and making County junior firefighters organiza- fast they came and just took me to while a group of evaluators sure that every step is tion. For him, the drill was a learning bring me over here.” assessed their progress.

“They know what they’re doing,” taken and every sec- experience.

“The point of these drills, “[I enjoyed] seeing how everything Delossantos added. ond is saved,” Foye which we do at all of our faHe said he hopes to participate in is run more on the EMS side, and how cilities, all of our airports es- More than 20 agencies added. pecially, is to make sure that participated in the emer- In designing the they actually triage everybody and future emergency drill events.

The full exercise took approxidrill, Port Author- make the determinations on how peoin the event of an actual cri- gency drill. mately two hours, followed by sevity Emergency Opera- ple are going to be treated,” he said. sis that we are as prepared as “I thought it was very well conduct- eral hours of investigation and evalupossible,” said Patrick Foye, executive tions consolidated a number of emeration. gencies to give all agencies a workout. ed, very well run,” Moran added. director of the Port Authority.

Reach Reporter Jackie Strawbridge at Laure Delossantos, 16, was a first About 750 people were involved The script included not only plane in the drill, from more than 20 fed- engine failure, but also detained pas- time volunteer at the drill. He joined (718) 357-7400, Ext. 128, jstrawbridge@ sengers – a convict as well as undocu- the event through the New York City queenstribune.com or @JNStrawbridge. eral, state and local agencies.

Page 12 PRESS of Southeast Queens June 27 - July 3, 2014

A&E

kupferberg Brings Satchmo Back to Queens

By Jackie StrawBridge Satchmo’s home borough is continuing his legacy.

The Louis Armstrong International Music Festival, presented by the Kupferberg Center for the Performing Arts and the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Armstrong’s 1964 World’s Fair performance. Two years in the making, this festival unites Latin, jazz, rock and Sufi musicians with roots in every part of the globe.

“The idea was to really make it accessible, affordable and to really showcase what we mean when we say ‘all kinds of music’ – and that quote comes from Louis Armstrong,” said Jeffrey Rosenstock, assistant vice principal of exter-

nal and government relations at Queens College, who spearheaded this festival.

Armstrong – or “Ambassador Satch” – was dedicated to the idea of collecting and embracing music from around the world, according to Rosenstock.

“Louis Armstrong was an ambassador for the U.S. during his day… and we see Queens as the ambassador today,” he said, due to the diversity of art and culture coming from the Borough.

“What I love about Queens is the diversity of it – it’s like a mini planet Earth,” echoed Salman Ahmad, a Pakistani rocker and humanitarian who will be performing at the festival with his band, Junoon.

“What’s wonderful about Satchmo is not only that he was a phenomenal

Restaurant Review

a Perfect Patio and Fantastic Food Vivaldi ristorante & Ballroom 201-10 cross island Pkwy., Bayside (718) 352-2300 www.vivaldiny.com Hours: tues.-thurs. 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (lunch), 5-10 p.m. (dinner); Fri.-Sat. 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (lunch), 5-11 p.m. (dinner); Sun. 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. (brunch), 4-9 p.m. (dinner). reservations: yes delivery/takeout: No credit cards: yes, all major Parking: Private lot alcohol: Full bar I recently returned to Vivaldi, located in Bayside, after having reviewed the restaurant one year ago.

Immediately after walking in, it was clear that business has been good to them. With private parties throughout the establishment and boisterous crowds enjoying every bite of their food, it’s easy to see how successful Vivaldi has become.

Our host, Hoboken’s own Billy Pappas, greets his guests with a smile right away. For this particular review, I was to observe the patio, curious to see what the venue has to offer for the summer.

With a full-service bar, ample tables and chairs, beautiful greenery and a gazebo to top off the surroundings, the patio is intimate and private while still very open. You may never want to leave.

After my guest and I sat down

at an outdoor table equipped with menus, Billy let us know he would send out the chef’s picks.

We began with the signature appetizer: charred octopus over a yogurt chickpea salad. This dish is a must-have. The challenge – my guest – no fan of octopus, was completely turned off by the thought of eating the charred tentacles, but the satisfactory look on my face encouraged her to try it. I soon realized that I had lost the dish, because it was eaten by my companion.

While I watched her thoroughly devour the octopus, I found myself devouring Vivaldi’s baked clams. I unknowingly finished all the clams and the bread on the table, soaking up any leftover sauce on my plate.

I was highly anticipating the lamb chops Billy spoke of. But first, he brought out an entrée order of seared scallops over a perfect pea puree with baby carrots. Finally, out came the lamb, cooked at a perfect medium rare. Let me tell you, I have never seen lamb delivered with such high quality – double thick, perfectly lollipopped, juicy and exceptionally seasoned. The lamb was definitely the highlight of the meal.

It won’t be long before I make my way back to Vivaldi, as the restaurant is Grade A in every aspect. The hardest question you’ll have to answer all night is “Inside or Patio?” From there, it will be a night to remember.

-eric Jordan

virtuoso, musician, singer, but he also had this love for humanity, and he wanted to connect through his music across cultures,” Ahmad said. “The Louis Armstrong music festival is a perfect platform to bring a message of unity, wellness, harmony and joy.”

Rosenstock sees Sunday’s event as a launching pad for a larger festival.

Ultimately, he said, “we’re envisioning a two day festival during the afternoon, with multiple stages.”

Most importantly, he said he hopes that through Sunday’s event and future festivals, “we never forget who Louis Armstrong was, and what he stood for, and that we celebrate truly how unique our Borough is in terms of diversity.”

The festival will run from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m., rain or shine, at the Unisphere at Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

Louis armstrong, also known as “ambassador Satch.”

Food trucks offering a diverse menu, from Asian to Latino to American cuisines, will be open throughout the festival as well.

Reach Reporter Jackie Strawbridge at (718) 357-7400, Ext. 128, jstrawbridge@ queenstribune.com or @JNStrawbridge.

author tells Story of Living in a tough Neighborhood

By LuiS groNda

Although he was not an official member of the gang, he hung out around A Forest Hills-based author tells his them enough to know what they were story about what it was like growing up like and their daily activities.

Trigoboff said these gangsters were in a neighborhood run by mobsters.

Joseph Trigoboff’s “Rumble in not the ones you rooted for like in Brooklyn” gives readers a peak into your typical mobster movies. Instead, the tough neighborhood of the East he said the more time he spent with New York section in Brooklyn and them, the more contempt he developed for the gang. how it shaped his life.

“They were evil people,” Trigoboff The book focuses on him and his six friends who lived on the same said.

They would describe themselves block, Sheppard Avenue, and his reas “bigoted” and would lationship with his father, perform hits, or killing Leo Trigoboff. people, in broad daylight He said that he felt beand at night because the wildered to be growing up gang thought they could get in one of the most violent away with almost anything, slums in the country at the Trigoboff said. time.

Any inkling he had to “It’s really a book about participate in anything like survival, how smart you Joseph trigoboff that quickly dissipated when have to be on the street and he saw how evil these men how different reality is from the movies that were made about the were, the author said. Trigoboff singled guys I knew and grew up with,” he out one member, Tommy DiSimone, describing him as “pure animal.” said.

Discussing the close group of Some of the members of the gang featured in the book, the New Lots friends, he said they were the most Boys, were featured in the Martin important people in his life other Scorsese classic “Goodfellas.” A store- than his father. Trigoboff said the front, that is now a beauty salon, in group, led by Ira Fleck, stuck together East New York was also used in the through the tribulations of growing up movie as a cab stand for the mobsters. in East New York.

“We fought together, we robbed The group of seven were Jewish boys living in a neighborhood where together, we rumbled with other guys gangs practically ran the neighbor- together,” he said.

The book is available as a print-onhood, Trigoboff said.

Trigoboff was friendly with one demand or an e-book on Amazon or of the most well-known gangs in that Barnes & Noble.

Reach Reporter Luis Gronda at (718) area during that time, the New Lots Boys, named after the East New York 357-7400, Ext. 127, lgronda@queenstribune.com, or @luisgronda. street, New Lots Avenue.

June 27 - July 3, 2014 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 13

Queens today

FRIDay 6/27

SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEK sUNDay 6/29

LoUIs ARMstRonG MUsIC FEstIvAL Haitian folklore, poetry and live music. The event will run from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Flushing Library is located at 41-17 Main St.

sUMMER WARM UP At MoMA Ps1

“PEtULIA”

The Poppenhusen Library will hold a screening of 1968’s “Petulia,” starting at 4 p.m. Directed

by Richard Lester, the film stars Julie Christie and George Scott. It is about a young San Francisco socialite married to an abusive man.

She meets a physician who is going through a divorce and starts a quirky relationship with him. Poppenhusen Library is located at 121-23 14 Ave., College Point.

saTURDay 6/28

BUG DAy

Celebrate bugs at the New York Hall of Science with entomologists and beekeepers at this one-day event. Activities include bug eating, hissing cockroaches from NYSCI and the New York City Entomological Society, a local beekeeper with honey, a ladybug release, carnivorous plant workshops, the BioBus and much more. The event is free with NYSCI admission and runs from noon to 4 p.m. To learn more, call (718) 699-0005.

EPIsoDEs oF HAItI

KaNu Dance Theater presents a three-section, full-length production at the Flushing Library about Haiti’s culture, history and current situation through exciting collaborations of modern dance, traditional

Weekly Saturday performances of experimental music, sound and DJs begin this weekend at MoMA PS1. Warm Up 2014 continues the tradition of introducing audiences to local and international music across a range of genres.

Running until Sept. 6, the festival is held in the PS1 courtyard, where food and drinks will be available as well. Tickets are $18 in advance, $20 day-of. For more information and a full list of performances, visit www. momaps1.org/warmup.

RICHMonD HILL WALk

The Greater Astoria Historical Society will host an exploration of Richmond Hill at noon, to see some of the Borough’s richest collections of Victorian Homes, along with other architectural highlights, including the Triangle Hotel and a pipe factory that became luxury housing. The walk will last three hours and start at Jamaica Avenue and Lefferts Boulevard. Cost is $20, or $15 for members.

For information, visit www. astorialic.org.

EvEnInG oF FILM

American Jewish World Service and the Reform Temple of Forest Hills will present an evening of film and human rights activism, 7 p.m. at the Temple, 71-11 112th St., Forest Hills.

The evening will include a screening of the film “Call Me Kuchu,” about the efforts of Ugandan LGBT activists to stop the passage of an anti-homosexuality bill. For information or to make a reservation, email mrosenberg@ajws.org.

sUNDay 6/29 JAzz soIRéE

The Louis Armstrong House Museum and Queens Mu-

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Louis Armstrong’s performance at the 1964 World’s Fair with this free, day-long concert at Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The Louis Armstrong International Music Festival features live music, dancing and a food truck rally just south of the Unisphere, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Cuban-American singer Albita, the Jon Faddis Quartet, Junoon with Salman Ahmad and David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band will perform during the event.

Rangers. The free tour starts at 1 p.m. at the Fort Totten Visitors Center. Call (718) 352-1769 for information.

yoGA In tHE GARDEn seum are co-presenting the exhibit “Ambassador Satchmo at the World’s Fair – Celebrating 50 Years.” A Jazz Soirée from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the museum will kick off the exhibit, with performances by Catherine Russell, accompanied by Matt Munisteri, Mark Shane and Tal Ronen.

For more information, call (718) 592-9700.

From 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., this yoga workshop starts off with gentle stretches and builds to a steady flow of vinyasa yoga, in the calming setting of Smiling Hogshead Ranch. Open to all levels, this donation-based outdoor yoga class will connect us to nature and community.

Participants should bring their own yoga mats and water. For more information, visit www.smiling-hogsheadranch.tumblr.com.

moNDay 6/30

InDEPEnDEnCE CELEBRAtIon

oPEnInG RECEPtIon

From 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., the Queens Museum will hold the opening reception for “Shades of Time: An Exhibition from the Archive of Korean American Artists, Part Two, 1989-2001.” The exhibit, curated by Heesung Cho and Kyunghee Pyun, presents a group of younger Korean American artists who started a professional career in the late 1980s and the 1990s and include a wide range of media such as video, mixed media, computer-graphics and installations. Call (718) 592-9700 for more information.

FoRt tottEn tUnnEL toUR

Learn the stories of Fort Totten and its role in defending New York City with this historic walking tour by the Urban Park

Start your July 4th celebrations early this Monday on the Astoria Park lawn.

The Queens Symphony Orchestra will play at 7:30 p.m., followed by fireworks over the water.

For more information, call (718) 728-7820.

LEARn MoDERn DAnCE

Every Monday from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Green Space in Long Island City, Valerie Green teaches the basics of modern dance technique with a special emphasis on fitness. The class starts with wakening floor exercises and culminates in rhythmical, full-body turns, jumps and diverse dynamics. $15 per class. For more information, call (718) 956-3037.

TUEsDay 7/1

Book sIGnInG

Hollis native and rap star Ja Rule will sign his

new memoir, “Unruly: The Highs and Lows of Becoming A Man,” at Barnes and Noble, 176-60 Union Tpke., Fresh Meadows, at 7 p.m. Wristband distribution begins at 9 a.m.

WEDNEsDay 7/2

LIttLE RED RIDInG HooD Northeast Queens Parks will present a puppet play of “Little Red Riding Hood” at Crocheron Park. Taking place from 10:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., this free performance will take place in Buz O’Rourke Playground.

onGoInG

FEstIvAL In AstoRIA PARk

Thursday through Sunday, Astoria Park opens up for a free carnival-style festival, sponsored by Central Astoria Local Development Coalition.

Each afternoon, enjoy rides, games, food and entertainment in the park’s parking lot. For more information, call (718) 728-7820.

Got EvEnts?

send all information to editor@queenstribune.com or mail to: 150-50 14th Rd., Whitestone, Ny 11357

Page 14 PRESS of Southeast Queens June 27 - July 3, 2014

Queens today Section Editor: REGINA VOGEL Send announcements for your club or organization’s events at least TWO weeks in advance to “Queens Today” Editor, Queens Tribune, 150-50 14 Road, Whitestone NY 11357. Send faxes to 3579417, c/o Regina or email to queenstoday@ queenstribune.com Yearly schedules and advanced notices welcome!

SENIORS....................

DEFENSIVE DRIVING Monday, June 30 Queens Village library. Register.

SENIOR FLICKS Tuesday, July 1 “The Help.” Tuesday, July 8 “Shaft.”

Tuesday, July 15 “Driving Miss Daisy.”

Tuesday, July 22 “Ocean’s Eleven.” Tuesday, July 29 “Chicago.” Rochdale Village library at 2.

cOmputERS............

INTRO INTERNET Friday, June 27 Central library. Register.

MASTER EXCEL Friday, June 27 Flushing library. Register.

BEGIN COMPUTERS Friday, June 27 Middle Village and Auburndale library. Register.

POWERPOINT Saturday, June 28 Central library. Register.

INTRO EMAIL Saturday, June 28 Flushing library. Register.

INTRO COMPUTERS Tuesday, July 1 Flushing library. Register.

BEGIN COMPUTERS Tuesday, July 1 McGoldrick library at 11.

ADULTS & COMPUTERS Tuesday, July 1 Sunnyside library 11:45.

BEGIN COMPUTERS Tuesdays through July 29 Woodside library at 5:45.

COMPUTER BASICS Wednesday, July 2 South Ozone Park library. Register. Windsor Park library at 11:30.

MOBILE DEVICES Wednesdays through July 30 Woodside library at 10:30.

tEENS & KIDS......

TEEN HAPPY HOUR Friday, June 27 Flushing library at 4.

TEEN GAMES Friday, June 27 Queens Village library at 3:30.

MOVIE TIME Friday June 27 Laurelton library at 3:30.

MEATBALLS 2 Friday, June 27 film “Cloudy with a Chance of

Meatballs 2” at the Glen Oaks library at 2.

JEWELRY MAKING Friday, June 27 6-12 at the Langston Hughes library at 2:30.

SUMMER READING Friday, June 27 register for the summer reading program for grades Pre-K to 6 at the McGoldrick library at 3.

MARY POPPINS Saturday, June 28 film at the Ridgewood library at 2:30.

POMPEI Sunday, June 29 film at the Central library at 2.

PUPPET SHOW Monday, June 30 Hoover Park Playground, Manton Street between 83rd Avenue and Main Street, briarwood at 11.

ARTS/CRAFTS Monday, June 30 McGoldrick library ages 6-11 at 2.

READING BUDDIES Monday, June 30 McGoldrick library at 3.

FROZEN Monday, June 30 film at the Whitestone library at 3.

GAME TIME Tuesday, July 1 Bayside library. Grades K-8 at 2.

ACTIVITY DAY Tuesday, July 1 McGoldrick library ages 6-11 at 2.

PROJECT ART Tuesday, July 1 ages 8-12 Forest Hills library. Register.

FROZEN Tuesday, July 1 film at the Pomonok library at 2:30.

SCIENCE FUN Tuesday, July 1 McGoldrick library. Over 7 at 3.

ROCK GARDEN Tuesday, July 1 5-12 at the Whitestone library at 3.

BOARD GAMES Tuesday, July 1 Windsor Park library. Register.

HIP HOP & POETRY Tuesday, July 1 teens at the Richmond Hill library at 5:45.

TEEN READ/CRAFTS Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, July 1, 2, 3 Lefferts library at 3.

SUMMER READING Tuesdays and Thursdays book buddies at the Ridgewood library at 2.

TEEN CRAFTS Tuesdays and Thursdays McGoldrick library at 4.

CRAFTY TUESDAYS Tuesdays Cambria Heights library at 4.

Grades 1-5.

DRAMA CLUB Tuesdays Central library.

Register.

TEEN MEDIATION Tuesdays Central library at 4.

PROJECT ART Wednesday, July 2 ages 5-17. Corona library. Register.

SUMMER STORYTIME Wednesday, July 2 McGoldrick library 11:15 18 months-5 years.

TODDLERS COLOR Wednesday, July 2 Queensboro Hill library at noon.

SUMMER READING Wednesday, July 2 North Forest Park library. Grades 1-3 at 1:30 and grades 4-6 at 3.

SCIENCE FUN Wednesdays through August 20 Douglaston library at 3.

UNO TOURNAMENT Wednesday, July 2 McGoldrick library at 4n.

KIDS & COMPUTERS Wednesday, July 2 Ridgewood library. Ages 6-12.

Register.

READING TWEENS Wednesday, July 2 Grades 6-8 North Forest Park library at 5.

DRAWING CLUB Wednesdays LIC library at 4.

READING FOR FUN Wednesdays Laurelton library at 3:30.

WII GAMES Wednesdays McGoldrick library at 4.

SCIENCE & TOTS Thursday, July 3 McGoldrick library Ages 2-5 at 11:15.

READ TO ME Thursday, July 3 Glen Oaks library at 11:30 and North Forest Park library at 11:30 and 12:30.

ARTS & CRAFTS Thursday, July 3 ages 6-11 McGoldrick library at 2 and ages 5-12 Auburndale library at 4:30.

CRAFT TIME Thursday, July 3 Queensboro Hill library at 4.

READING BUDDIES Thursday, July 3 McGoldrick library. Grades 1-3 at 3.

LEGO MOVIE Thursday, July 3 film at the Richmond Hill library at 3:30.

LEGOS Thursday, July 3 ages 5+ at the Ridgewood library at 4:30.

MANGA DRAWING Thursdays ages 10-17 South Ozone Park library at 4.

FAMLY STORYTIME Thursdays through July 31 Bay Terrace library at 11:30.

18 months to 4 years.

talKS.........................

NEGOTIATE SALARY Friday, June 27 Central library. Register.

AUTHOR TALK Saturday, June 28 human rights activist Dowoti Desir at the Central library at 2:30.

STEINWAY LIBRARY Monday, June 30 “Joseph Anton: A Memoir” discussed at 6:30.

ENtERtaINmENt..

WORLD’S FAIR EXHIBIT Through June 30 celebrate the 50th anniversary of the 1964-65 World’s Fair at the Central library.

ART SHOW & SALE Friday, June 27 East Elmhurst library at noon.

OPEN MIC Friday, June 27 Lefferts library at 4.

MOVIE MATINEE Friday, June 27 Rosedale library at 2:30.

FRESH MEADOW POETS Sat urday, June 28 Forest Hills library at 10.

HAITIAN DANCE Sat urday, June 28 Flushing library at 1:30.

CLASSICAL MUSIC Sat urday, June 28 Flushing library at 2:30.

DOWN MEMORY LANE Sat urday, June 28 Forest Hills library at 2:30.

THE BUTLER Sat urday, June 28 film at the Fresh Meadows library at 2:30.

MARY POPPINS Sat urday, June 28 film at the Ridgewood library at 2:30.

DIVAS TRIBUTE Sat urday, June 28 Sunnyside library at 3. Tuesday, July 1 Queens Village library at 4.

POMPEI Sunday, June 29 film at the Central library at 2.

BINGO Thursdays McGoldrick library at 1.

JAZZ SINGER Wednesday, July 2 film at the Hillcrest library at 1.

ABOUT LAST NIGHT Wednesday, July 2 film at the Central library at 6.

YANKEE DOODLE Thursday, July 3 film at the Central library at 2.

OPEN MIC Thursday, July 3 Corona library at 5:15.

LONE SURVIVOR Wednesday, July 9 film at the Central library at 6.

KING KONG Thursday, July 10 film at the Central library at 2.

LEGO MOVIE Wednesday, July 16 film at the Central library at 6.

CIMARRON Wednesday, July 16 film at the Hillcrest library at 1.

BLACKBOARD JUNGLE Thursday, July 17 film at the Central library at 2.

HEAVEN IS REAL Wednesday, July 23 film at the Central library at 6.

HUSH CHARLOTTE Thursday, July 24 film at the Central library at 2.

SAVING MR. BANKS Wednesday, July 30 film at the Central library at 6.

TOP HAT Thursday, July 31 film at the Central library at 2.

DOUBLE INDEMNITY Wednesday, August 6 film at the Hillcrest library at 1.

MARTY Wednesday, August 20 film at the Hillcrest library at 1.

EDucatION..............

CHESS CLUB Friday, June 27 Woodside library at 4.

RESUME/JOB SEARCH Friday, June 27 Astoria library at 11.

BALLROOM DANCE Monday, June 30 Forest Hills library at 6:30.

CREATIVE WRITING Monday, June 30 Langston Hughes library at 6:30.

SOCA DANCE Monday, June 30 Laurelton library. Register.

SAVE ENERGY & $ Wednesday, July 2 Flushing library at 11.

FINANCIAL COCHING Thursday, July 3 Central library at noon.

THINK POSITIVE Thursday, July 3 Central library at 6.

HEaltH......................

AUTISM PROGRAM Tumbling with Autism in Glendale. Call 4171216.

CAREGIVERS Cancer support services in Western Queens. 2685060, ext. 226.

CARDIO SCULPT Friday, June 27 Richmond Hill library at 5:30.

HEPATITIS Sat urday, June 28 workshop and screening 11-3 at St. James Episcopal Church, 84-07 Broadway, Elmhurst. 592-2555.

DANCE FITNESS Sat urdays through July 12 LIC library at 3.

ZUMBA Mondays through December Bayside library at 6:30.

WORKOUTS Wednesdays South Jamaica library at 5:30.

mEEtINGS................

QUILTING CLUB Mondays Alley Pond Environmental Center 2:30. $5. 229-4000.

TALK OF TOWN Tuesdays, July 1, 15 learn the art of public speaking in St. Albans at 7:15. 640-7092.

RH QUILTERS Tuesdays noon at the Richmond Hill library.

CHESS CLUB Tuesdays LIC library at 4, Windsor Park library at 5:30 and Howard Beach library at 4.

BEREAVEMENT Wednesday, July 2 Bereavement Support Group at Holy Family in Fresh Meadows. 7:30.

969-2448.

DRAWING CLUB Wednesdays LIC library at 4.

EXHIBIt.....................

DOLL MUSEUM Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sat urday 12:30-4:30 the Maria Rose Doll Museum, 187-11 Linden Blvd., St. Albans. 276-3454. “Candace Queen Warriors.” $2.50 youth, $3.50 seniors, $5 adults. www. mariarose.biz. 917-8178653.

QUEENS HISTORICAL Tuesdays, Sat urdays and Sundays Queens Historical Societ y at Kingsland Homestead, 144-35 37th Avenue, Flushing. 9390647, ext. 17. $3 seniors and st udents, $5 adults.

BAYSIDE HISTORICAL Tuesday-Sunday Bayside Historical Societ y, 3521548. 11-4. $3 donation.

LOUIS ARMSTRONG Guided tours at the Corona museum. $8 adults, $6 seniors, st udents, groups. 478-8274.

ANTHROPOLOGY Queens College. 4285650.

LI ARCHIVES LaGuardia and Wagner Archives display various exhibits exploring the history of N YC. LaGuardia Communit y College.

482-5709. Free.

ALLEY POND CTR. Variet y of exhibits and a chance to see nat ure up-close in the minizoo and aquarium. 2294000.

KING MANOR Pre-Hampton 19th cent ury get-away Village, Jamaica Village, at King Manor Museum, in the middle of King Park. $2 adults, $1 children. By appointment only. 2060545.

ENVIRONmENt.......

FOOD WASTE DROPOFF Saturdays 1-3 at the Broadway and LIC library.

COMPOSTING Tuesdays Woodside library 5:15-6:30.

JH SCRAPS Tuesday 6-8pm and Saturdays 10-2 35th Avenue between 69th Street and the BQE. Bring coffee, tea, fruit, veggie scraps.

June 27 - July 3, 2014 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 15

Profile

Kaylah Waylah’s First Day In Sixth Grade

BY ESTHER SHITTu Jamaica resident Ashanti Middleton, 27, sympathizes with the stress of being a sixth grader in her first children’s book, “Kaylah Waylah’s First Day in 6th Grade.”

Middleton, currently studying Business Administration at Briarcliffe College, says the inspiration for the book came from her niece. The idea to write the book came into Middleton’s mind two years ago, but she did not write out her ideas until late 2013 through early 2014. Middleton began her career as a writer in high school. She went to John Bowne High School, where she wrote intensively. She says that is where she accessed her passion for writing. Years later, she is turning her passion into a career.

As a writer, Middleton has a routine.

“Usually entrepreneurs and writers can’t sleep, I wake up early in the morning because I can’t sleep [and write]. I send it right to the illustrator,” she said.

“Kaylah Waylah’s First Day in 6th Grade” is about a 12 year-old girl named Kaylah, who is going to

the sixth grade. The book dishaving to hire someone to edit cusses the everyday stress that the book for her. Moreover, she accompanies going to sixth received support from many grade. Middleton mentions others who were in her high that the book is about her school. niece Kaylah’s life, since she Because of the success that is also a sixth grader.

“Kaylah Waylah’s First Day in “Going to sixth grade is 6th Grade” received, Middlesomething totally new, it ton plans on continuing the could be a little scary with the Kaylah Waylah series. She eighth graders. It wasn’t resays that her next book will be ally comfortable with me at a “Kaylah Waylah’s Big Trip to point,” Middleton said. “[The the Dentist.” Middleton also book] gives sixth graders the plans on turning the series into courage to go through the day a cartoon. and have a good time.”

Knowing from experience In a press release, Middlehow hard it is write out one’s ton said, “Kids need encourideas, Middleton’s advice for agement in school, especially all writers is to just put their when going in to sixth grade, ideas on paper and not keep it which is a really big deal. Ashanti Middleton’s book “Kaylah Waylah’s First in their head for a long time.

Parents are focused on back- Day In 6th Grade,” is about the challenges of enter“They have to get up and to-school shopping and orga- ing sixth grade and overcoming fear. make it happen,” she said. “It nizing uniforms, so the book was a challenge for me to figure works with the kids to let out how to make it a reality.” them know the first day is going to what she wants to wear in the book,” “Kaylah Waylah’s First Day in be okay.”

Middleton said, adding that the book 6th Grade” is available in hard copMiddleton’s niece is not only an makes her niece feel like a celebrity. ies and can also be downloaded on inspiration for the book, but she is Middleton also received support the website at www.itskaylahwaylah. also a supporter and gives input from her former high school English com. Middleton plans on making the wherever she feels it is necessary. teacher, whom she says edited her book available on both Amazon and “She gives me tips and ideas on book, and saved her the money from Barnes and Noble.

People Local students were named to the Dean’s List for the spring 2014 semester at Farmingdale State College.

They include: Cambria Heights: Brendon Ricketts.

Hollis: Kishan Singh.

Jamaica: Tatiana Turnbull.

Queens Village: Zeeshan Ali, Ava Cazabonnet, Shannel Tomlinson, Kimberly Castilla, John Cassidy.

Rosedale: Ashley Chandler.

South Ozone Park: Sandeep Singh.

Springfield Gardens: Samson Lawal, Yunus Dossaji, Julianne Johnson.

Local students were named to the President’s List for the spring 2014 at SUNY Potsdam. They include: Jamaica: Jaylin Cole, Ahniel Gowie.

Queens Village: Ricole Beaubian.

Local students have made a commitment to enroll at SUNY Potsdam for the fall 2014 semester. They include: Jamaica: Lisa-Marie Joseph, Md.

Rahman, Joshua Tocays.

Laurelton: Amber Jones.

Rosedale: Matthew Isaac.

St. Albans: Tonii-Ann Davis.

South Ozone Park: Justin Braswell.

Edgar Gonzalez of Jamaica received the Frank Kline Baker Spanish and Latin American Civilization Award during the annual All-College Honors Convocation at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa. Stephanie Harris of Jamaica was named to the Dean’s List for the spring 2014 semester at Cornell University in Ithaca.

Angelo Hunt of Rosedale earned honors for the spring 2014 academic term at the Westminster School in Simsbury, Conn.

Rachel Mercredi of Jamaica was named to the Dean’s List for the spring 2014 semester at St. Bonaventure University.

Local students received degrees during spring 2014 commencement ceremonies at Morrisville State College. They include: Cambria Heights: Andrew McClain.

Hollis: Keshia Hines.

St. Albans: Robert Brown, Jeniqua Salmon.

Isaiah Henderson of Jamaica received a degree during spring 2014 commencement ceremonies at the Pomfret School in Connecticut.

Takiea Mance of Jamaica received a Master of Business Administration degree during spring 2014 commencement ceremonies at the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, Kansas.

Shenai Miranti of Springfield Gardens was named to the President’s List for the spring 2014 semester at Herkimer College. Peter FasanAjetomobi was named to the Dean’s List.

Chanel Weekes of St. Albans

was named to the Dean’s List for the spring 2014 semester at the University of Delaware.

Local students graduated from the University of Hartford during spring 2014 graduation ceremonies. They include: Tashayna Sprinkle of Queens Villages received a Bachelor of Science degree in management.

Nazih Neely of Hollis received an associate’s degree in liberal studies.

Aneesa Folds of Jamaica received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in music theatre.

Victoria Bermudez of Laurelton was named to the Provost’s List for the spring 2014 semester at Hofstra University in Hempstead.

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Page 16 PRESS of Southeast Queens June 27 - July 3, 2014

Faith

Ramadan: Cleansing The Soul Through Fasting

BY JORDAN GIBBONS Muslims throughout the world observe Ramadan as the month of fasting. It occurs in the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. This year, Ramadan begins on Saturday, June 28 and ends on Monday, July 28.

This annual observance is regarded as one of the five pillars of Islam and lasts 29 to 30 days, based on the visual sightings on the crescent moon.

“The holy month of Ramadan is the month of both vertical and horizontal dedication and commitment,” Imam Shamsi Ali, director of the Jamaica Muslim Center, said. “It is a month of worship and obedience, but it is also a month of social awareness and solidarity.”

The word Ramadan comes from the Arabic root ramida or ar-ramad, which means scorching heat or dryness. Fasting is obligatory for adult

Muslims, unless they are ill, traveling, pregnant, breastfeeding, diabetic or going through menstrual bleeding. Fasting during Ramadan was made obligatory during the month of Sha’aban, in the second year after the Muslims migrated from Mecca to Medina.

While fasting from dawn until sunset, Muslims refrain from consuming food, drinking liquids, smoking, engaging in sexual relations and in some interpretations, they also refrain from swearing. It is said that fasting redirects the heart away from worldly activities to cleanse the soul by freeing it from harmful impurities. Ramadan also teaches Muslims how to better practice self-discipline, self-control, sacrifice and empathy for those who are less fortunate to encourage actions of generosity and charity. According to Islam, the rewards of fasting are many, but in this

month, they are believed to be multiplied.

“During the month of Ramadan, Muslims worldwide humble themselves fully to their Lord in seeking His forgiveness and mercy, struggle to do every possible means to be closer to Him and enrich their souls with spiritual richness of the month through prayers, reading holy scripture (Qur’an) and different kinds of rituals available during the month,” Imam Ali said.

It becomes necessary for Muslims to start fasting when they reach puberty, as long as they are healthy, sane and have no disabilities or illnesses.

According to the Qur’an, Muhammad first received revelations in the lunar month of Ramadan so the month of Ramadan is considered to be the most sacred month of the Islamic calendar.

Laylat al-Qadr, which in Arabic

means “the night of power” or “the night of decree,” is considered the most holy night of the year. This is the night that Muslims believe the first revelation of the Qur’an was sent down to Muhammad stating that this night was “better than one thousand months” of proper worship, as stated in the Chapter 97:3 of the Qur’an.

The holiday of Eid al-Fitr, “festivity of breaking the fast,” marks the end of Ramadan and the beginning of the next lunar month, Shawwal.

“American Muslims in particular use the month as an opportunity to build a sense of community, which is human and American in nature,” Imam Ali said. “Our diversity is a blessing and Ramadan enriches that diversity that we value highly in this country.”

Reach Reporter Jordan Gibbons at (718)357-7400 Ext. 123, jgibbons@ queenspress.com or @jgibbons2

Notebook

Hillcrest High School

Hillcrest High School Model UN Class Wins Big

BY ESTHER SHITTU The Model United Nations class of Hillcrest High School walked away with three Honorable Mentions at the Global Classrooms International Model United Nations Conference this past May. The advisor of MUNCH, Kevin Shult, said that the students begin prepping for both local and international conferences the first day of school.

“I show them a 20 minute documentary that was done by John Adams called Decorum UNAUSA,” Shult said. “It shows the kids what the conference is all about. I really want them to see what the end goal is.”

After showing them their goal, Shult then invites each student to write what they believe their weaknesses are and what their strengths are. It is from what the students write that Shult then begins to challenge them. If a student believes that he or she is weak in the area of public speaking, Shult asks them the second week of school to give a speech in class.

“My goal is to improve their weakness and make it stronger,” Shult said.

From that first day, the students

research is done, the students then have to write a position paper, where they introduce their topic and the resolution they have to the topic. In class, students practice their speeches, what they believe their opponents will say and the rebuttals they have to their opThe Model United Nations class at the Hillcrest High ponents.

School received three Honorable Mentions at the GlobShult said the stual Classrooms International Model United Nations dents are paired up Conference in May. into delegates, who work together to solve learn the history of the United Na- a number of problems for the country tions; they learn what the UN is all and to create a resolution. This allow about, what they do and about global them to learn about teambuilding, policy. The students also learn life es- collaborating and negotiating. sential skills, such as public speaking The conferences are run by Dais. and research.

Shult said that the international con“All of these skills are used to ferences, such as the Global Classrepresent the cause, learn about the room International Conference, are path, form a position and work with run by college students. The Dais other countries to make a resolution. presents a rubric which judges each We deal with real life,” Shult said. student on their position paper, public For the conferences, the students speaking skills and how professional represent a country that they do ex- they were in their negotiations. tensive research on and the decisions At this year’s conference, the country has made in the past MUNCH did something they have concerning their topics. Once the never done before by winning three

awards. Seniors Ravina Kumar and Japneet Kaur represented Indonesia and won Honorable MentionBest Delegation in the UN Women Committee. Juniors Mah Noor and Arpita Tahsin represented Indonesia and won Honorable Mention-Best Delegation in the United Nations Economic and Social Council. Sophomore Sunpreet Singh represented Indonesia by himself and won Honorable Mention-Best Delegation in the World Health Organization.

MUNCH plans on creating its own conference, which it plans on inviting 250 to 400 high school students. He says his students began practice for this conference, which is set to happen in December 2014, in May. He also said the class makes him and his students more globally aware.

Some of his students have gone on to greater endeavors beyond the class such as creating Non-Government Organizations (NGO), working to fund a local school in Morocco.

“The kids are awesome, the seniors who are graduating want to come back,” Shult said. “ I’m really lucky to have [MUNCH]. It makes me a better person, I am more globally aware, I am more globally conscious.

I try to take what I learned from my UN class to my other classes.”

June 27 - July 3, 2014 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 17

What’s Up June 27 Book Launch Delicia B. Davis will launch her young adult fiction, “Dear Diary, The Bullying Won’t Stop,” at CityRib Bar*Cue from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. The restaurant is located at 89-14 Parsons Blvd., Jamaica. For more information, call (917) 518-0720.

“Despicable Me 2” The movie “Despicable Me 2” will be shown at Smokey Oval Park, located at 127th Street and Atlantic Avenue, Jamaica. The movie night is free and will be shown from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. For more information, call (718) 206-2068 or visit council. nyc.gov/d28/html/members/home. shtml.

Concert First Faith Baptist Church, Inc. presents The Power of Praise & Worship concert, hosted by Roy Gordon.

The concert features Trey McLaughlin & Sounds of Zamar, Sistaz and many more. General admission is $25, VIP admission (dinner included) is $50. The concert will take place at Merrick Park Baptist Church, located at 120-02 Marsden St., Jamaica, at 8 p.m., doors open at 7 p.m. For more information, call Pastor Esther Wiggins (757) 319-7385 or Rev. R. Simone at (917) 720-2485.

A Conversation On Gun Violence Join Councilman Daneek Miller, the Kevin Miller Foundation, Queens Chapter of the National Action Network and Embrace Ya Kidz for a gun violence discussion in an effort to remember Kevin L. Miller. The talk begins at 6:30 p.m. at Cambria Car Wash, located at 208-15 Linden Blvd., Cambria Heights. For more information, call (718) 949-9500 or email queenschapternan@gmail.com.

June 28 Health & Wellness Fair

games and more. The party is located at 111-20 Farmers Blvd., St. Albans. For more information, email seqfcu@gmail.com.

Disco Inferno Resorts World Casino invites all to its disco inferno with performances by Melba Moore, Yvonne Elliman, Maxine Nightingale, Sara Dash of Labelle and more. The event begins at 9 p.m. but doors open at 8 p.m.

Admission cost ranges from $20 to $75. The Resort World Casino is located at 110-00 Rockaway Blvd., Jamaica. For more information, call (888) 888-8801 or email info@ rwnewyork.com.

Block Association Meeting All are invited to the 147th Road Block and Community Association, Rosedale, monthly meetings held on the last Saturday of each month at 7 p.m. The group will meet at 14765 249th St., in the school cafeteria (adjacent to St. Pius X Church), Rosedale. For more information, call (718) 525-1757 or email rosedaleblockcommunity147@yahoo.com.

June 29 A Pint Of The Past Participate in an interactive talk and beer tasting with Mark and Tess Szamatulski of Maltose Express in “A Pint of the Past: Beer & Home Brewing in 19th Century New York” at the King Manor Museum. Discuss beer styles and beer history, learn about beer ingredients and sample a home brew that is similar to beer from the late 19th Century. The beer discussion begins at 3 p.m. Reservation is required for this event. For more information or to RSVP, call (718) 206-0545, email programs@ kingmanor.org or visit www.kingmanor.org/events. King Manor Museum is located at Rufus King Park (153rd Street at Jamaica Avenue).

Groovin In The Park

The public is invited to the Community Health and Wellness Fair from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., sponsored by the Laurelton Lions Club. The fair is free and will take place at the Duane Reade parking lot, located at 230-01 Merrick Blvd., Laurelton. For more information, call (718) 525-7655 or email Edna Maduako at maduako1@ netzero.com.

New York’s ‘Groovin in the Park’ returns with headliners Beres Hammond and Air Supply, joined by Marcia Griffiths, Chronixx, Judy Mowatt and a few others. The concert will begin at 12 p.m. at Roy Wilkins Park, located at 119-08 Merrick Blvd., Jamaica. For more information, call (718) 276-4630. Admission costs ranges from $60 to $150.

Block Party

June 30 Summer Arts Program

The Southeast Queens Federal Credit Union presents a kickoff block party from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Enjoy music, food, face painting,

workshops in dance, musical theater, chorus and keyboards. There will be a performance held at the end of each session. This year’s performances are Annie and Aladdin. Tuition is $165 per week. For additional information, call (718) 560-3016 or visit ljanemusic. com. The camp will be in session from June 30 through Aug. 15 at Robert Ross Johnson Family Life Center, located at 172-17 Linden Blvd., Jamaica.

JuLy 1 Resumes And Cover Letters Make your resumes and cover letters the best they can be in this workshop. Learn how to get started, the different types of resumes, what to include and not include, tips for making a resume and cover letter stronger. The workshop will take place at the Queens Library Central Branch, located at 89-11 Merrick Blvd., Jamaica. The class will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and has a code of JR130. For more information, call (718) 990-8625.

Join Queens Library for the viewing of “The Help” from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. The movie will be shown at Queens Library-Rochdale Village, located at 169-09 137 Ave., Rochdale Village. For more information, call (718) 723-4440.

ing presents First Fridays in downtown Jamaica. Enjoy great music, drinks, networking and great art with other young urban professionals (25+) who work, shop, live and dine in the downtown Jamaica area every first Friday of the month. Business casual attire encouraged. The event starts at 7 p.m. at Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning, located at 161-04 Jamaica Ave. Admission is $5 for those with Business Cards or Student IDs and $10 for those without. Doors open at 6 p.m. For more information, call (718) 658-7400.

JuLy 2 Job Search Strategies

Forestdale STyA youth Mentor

“The Help”

Learn what is needed to start a successful job search on general and career specific websites, and how to safely find and apply for jobs online.

To preregister, visit jobmap.queenslibrary.org using the class code JR190.

For more information, call (718) 634-1876. The class will be held from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Queens LibraryCentral Branch, located at 89-11 Merrick Blvd., Jamaica.

Mock Interviews Learn how to prepare for your interview, successfully deal with difficult questions and how to follow up properly after the interview at this workshop JR180. Preregistration is required online at jobmap.queenslibrary.org. For more information, call (718) 990-8625. The class will be held from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Queens Library Central Branch, located at 89-11 Merrick Blvd., Jamaica.

OnGOInG Kids (Pre-K and up) are invited to First Fridays in Downtown attend Laurissa Jane Summer Arts Jamaica Program. The program will focus on

Jamaica Center for Arts & Learn-

Forestdale, Inc., an organization with a great history of supporting families in need and committed to empowering children in foster care and in the local community, is launching a new mentoring program in January 2014. This new program, called “Future Prep: Successfully Transitioning Youth to Adolescence,” or STYA, is designed to attract community-minded people who may not be able to commit to foster parenting, but nevertheless want to make a significant investment in the lives of children and their better future. We are looking for mentors (18 or older) to work with children ages 9-12 for one year.

Starting in January, there will be four 10-week sessions throughout the year, each running for three hours on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The program will take place at the Hollis Community Center at 203-09 Hollis Ave. For additional information, contact Mirzya Syed, Youth Volunteer Coordinator, at Msyed@forestdaleinc.org or (718) 263.0740, ext.

365.

Mr. Smith Goes Back To Albany

Q

CONFIDENTIAL

Page 18 PRESS of Southeast Queens June 27 - July 3, 2014

Musicians OF QuEEns

Christopher Paul

QConf is edited by: Steven J. Ferrari

Contributors: Bruce Adler, Jordan Gibbons, Luis Gronda, Joe Marvilli, Marcia Moxom Comrie, Michael Nussbaum, Michael Schenkler, Jackie Strawbridge.

Follow us on Twitter: @QueensTrib @SEQueensPress Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/ QueensTrib Two days after a mistrial released State Sen. Malcolm Smith from his fraud trial, the veteran politician was back in the chamber, albeit a little more tight-lipped than he’s known to be.

According to published reports, Smith had no comment about the mistrial or new trial, scheduled to begin in January, and simply stated “yes” when asked if he still plans to seek reelection this year.

Maybe Smith is eschewing English for what must be his new favorite language – Yiddish. His mistrial was declared after the prosecution disclosed piles of untraslated Yiddish recordings of conversations between government informer Moses Stern and activist Joseph Frager.

His return to chambers had the media all fermisht, gleefully Tweeting out sightings of the senator.

Sleepover At Citi Field

Gather your pillows and blankets and go have a sleepover at Citi Field!

The team announced its second annual Citi Field sleepover last week, inviting fans to sleep on the same outfield where Curtis Granderson and company roam every home game.

On July 19, fans who choose to spend their day and night will get to do many activities at the stadium including watching what should be a high scoring affair between the Mets and Padres game that night.

According to a Mets press

release, other activities offered at the 15-hour event include a dinner buffet and breakfast the next morning. Fans will also get to meet Mr. and Mrs. Met at some point during the sleepover.

The price for calling Citi Field your bed for a night won’t be cheap though. It costs $200 each for one to three tickets and $175 each if you purchase four to six tickets. As a gift for shelling out that money, fans who attend the sleep over will get a free ticket to the Sept.

28 game against the Houston Astros.

Knowing When To Quit

A Ridgewood resident escaped police custody last week by commandeering the police van he was placed in after being arrested for drug charges.

Bryan McMenamin, 38, was arrested in Glendale along with another man and both were handcuffed and put in the van.

While the police were outside the vehicle, McMenamin managed to maneuver his hands in front of him and began to drive the vehicle.

A detective grabbed onto the driver’s side door and McMenamin put the van in reverse and dragged the detective for approximately one block, injuring his legs.

The van was recovered later that night with the other man still inside. Police located McMenamin and rearrested him in downtown Manhattan the next day.

McMenamin now, if convicted, faces up to 25 years in prison for the additional charges of second-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, first-degree unauthorized use of a vehicle, fourth-degree grand larceny, second-degree escape, tampering with physical evidence and reckless driving on top of his drug charges.

McMenamin really should have cut his losses when he got arrested the first time.

While music played a big role in Christopher Paul’s youth, he did not start in rock music. Growing up as a classical pianist, Paul made the transition in high school to pop-punk. With a deep-seated love of karaoke as well, Paul had everything he needed to start a music career.

“It was only a matter of time before I thought to combine the creation of music through playing an instrument with the performance aspect of singing karaoke,” Paul said. “When I found myself still performing in college, I realized that this is definitely what I want to do for the rest of my life.”

Paul’s music is rough and rowdy rock and roll played how it is supposed to be played: fast and loud. His songs have a punk edge, but do not sacrifice melody to put forward that level of energy. The Queens Village musician said his writing process differs from song to song, but it always starts with an idea.

“The initial idea that begins the songwriting process is always sparked by a feeling that I'm having at the current moment,” he said.

The debut EP by Paul, “No Shame In Playing With Yourself,” was conceptualized about a year and a half ago, when he decided to start his own solo recordings after being unable to find band members after graduating from high school.

The record was assembled in Paul’s home studio, with the help of producer Peter Tanico, and it was released in January of this year.

Although he records music under his own name, he

is also the drummer for The Silverwings, a band that came together during his freshman year of high school. For Paul, one of the biggest differences between recording with the band and recording by himself is the feedback he does or does not receive.

“I also obviously only have my own opinion when things are recorded so I'll spend time emailing recorded worksin-progress to get second opinions from my friends,” Paul said. “As a band, one member will act as producer and we record our parts in each other's company and it's a much different experience.”

While Queens Village may not have the resources of somewhere like Long Island City, Paul said that the neighborhood has a very supportive music scene.

“There are not many venues to play in Queens Village but there are many talented musicians that I've had the pleasure of sharing experiences with over the years,” he said. “We've put on shows in each other’s backyards for huge crowds. It's a tight scene with many local hometown heroes and the best sense of community and family that any music scene can offer.”

The Silverwings are currently recording a new seventrack record titled “Lignum Vitae,” with no release date yet scheduled. Paul is also working on his full-length debut, which he hopes to have out in early 2015. He also plans to play a ton of shows in the City in the near future.

To keep up with the latest from Paul, visit www.facebook. com/ChristopherPaulMorales or christopherpaulmusic. bandcamp.com.

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