Within a few critical life-saving moments, he was able to locate an unconscious, wheelchair-bound Dominick Scaperotta and pull the 90-year-old man out of his burning home Monday. Comment.

Politicians and civic leaders decried city Department of Education plans to construct an 800-student high school on the grounds bounded by the Grand Central Parkway, Goethals Avenue, Parsons Boulevard and 164th Street. A high-rise building with commercial and residential units and an expanded morgue are also in the works for the campus where the Margaret Tietz nursing home is slated to move into one of the hospital's old buildings. Comment.

The hospital is the centerpiece of a system of medical facilities and doctors, encompassing more than 1,000 pediatricians on Long Island and in Queens, said Dr. Philip Lanzkowsky, executive director and chief of staff at Schneider. Comment.

State Sen. Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose) and state Assemblyman Brian McLaughlin (D-Flushing) earlier this month introduced bills in both houses of the Legislature that would eliminate tax breaks to people who demolish smaller homes and build larger ones on the same site. The legislation, which would limit the tax breaks to governmentally approved programs or properties located within census-defined poverty zones, was to go to the Assembly Ways and Means Committee Wednesday. Comment.

"They were hitting the northern part of our precinct," Lt. John Hall, director of special operations for the 105th, told an April 28 meeting of the community council about the gang accused in the rash of burglaries. Hall later said the affected areas in the precinct included Queens Village and Glen Oaks, among other neighborhoods. Comment.

Led by Patricia Thomas, a nun and doctor at the hospital, about 20 people marched on Union Turnpike and Parsons Boulevard Friday afternoon with signs that spelled out their wishes to keep St. Joseph's open. No elected officials turned out for the march. Comment.

"I came in for a couple of years, but then I liked the neighborhood, I liked the people and a couple of years, they went by," said Francica, who is 72. Comment.

The hospital is the centerpiece of a system of medical facilities and doctors, encompassing more than 1,000 pediatricians on Long Island and in Queens, said Dr. Philip Lanzkowsky, executive director and chief of staff at Schneider. Comment.

Led by Patricia Thomas, a nun and doctor at the hospital, about 20 people marched on Union Turnpike and Parsons Boulevard Friday afternoon with signs that spelled out their wishes to keep St. Joseph’s open. No elected officials turned out for the march. Comment.

"Unfortunately, the city has not provided any of the federal money provided for these students," said Dave Pinzon, co-president of the PTA at MS 172, after an emergency meeting last Thursday in Floral Park Comment.

"He shouldn't be in a situation that presents a dilemma like this," said Councilman Tony Avella (D-Bayside), one of the protest organizers. "The purpose of the rally was to let the state know that we still want him moved to a better location, better for the community and better for him." Comment.

The Police Department officially unveiled the three-week old initiative Monday and said enforcement has already begun in places such as Zarega Avenue in the Bronx and Flatlands Avenue in Brooklyn. Comment.

Students at PS 156 (winners of one of the Pathfinder awards), were treated April 23 to a preview of some of the actual acts from the UniverSoul Circus right in their very own auditorium. Clowns and acrobats did their thing, and we are told the place really rocked. Comment.

Avella is the chairman of the Council's Subcommittee for Zoning and Franchises. The BSA is a five-person body appointed by the mayor that decides on variances to the zoning law that allow structures larger than permitted under the zoning for that area. Comment.

Congratulations are in order to City Councilman Joe Addabbo upon the birth of his baby daughter Alexis, as well as to Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer, who informed us she has become a grandmother one more time. Welcome, baby Isabella. Comment.

"From the land of Play, from the land of Play." Comment.

It was thought that Pataki would announce his support for the rail link at a meeting of the Association for a Better New York in Manhattan Wednesday. The question was whether the governor would chose to dig a $5 billion tunnel beneath the East River or an alternate plan to use the existing Montague Street tunnel in Brooklyn. It now serves trains of the M, N and R subway lines. Comment.

The impact means diminished services in Queens and the entire city, including for our elderly and youth, libraries, cultural institutions, parks and safety. Budgets represent choices and priorities and opportunities to advocate. The mayor notes how Albany and Washington shortchange us but must translate the mere presentation of data into results. Comment.

Not to worry, says Keyspan, the noise will be gone when the testing is done and the turbines are fully online. But the residents aren't buying the reassurance from the Keyspan execs. They have good reason to be suspicious. They already feel dumped on by the city. When Keyspan inaugurated the $350 million Ravenswood Power Plant, it promised the natural gas-powered facility would be the cleanest and most efficient in New York City. The turbine uses a combined cycle generator, which captures and recycles heat from the primary generator. Comment.

Kanyi in turn sued the doctors at Mary Immaculate Hospital for $25 million for malpractice. Here's a guy who gets caught trying to smuggle heroin into the country and then sues the doctors who saved his life. In some countries, such as Malaysia, a person can get the death penalty for this alone. Signs at the airport in Kuala Lumpur read, "Dada [illegal drugs] means death." People who get caught smuggling drugs into that country can expect to die. But in America sleazy drug runners get to sue. Comment.

Like the budget itself, the lawmakers have had an entire year to act on this decision. Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno (R-Rensselaer) and Gov. Pataki have been looking for ways to interpret this decision that would not result in more money for the city's public schools. On Wednesday Pataki and Bruno met with Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) to discuss the school budget impasse. Not surprisingly, nothing changed after these talks. Comment.

We in Queens as well as those in the entire state of New York should seriously being addressing the issue of taxes. Let's look at some very interesting facts. New York state maintains the highest burden of taxes, with nearly 13 percent of all income going to both the state and local governments. Comment.

There he was referred to the college's small business development center, which helped him secure a $100,000 installment loan to help get him on solid financial ground. Comment.

"You're body is like a car: The longer you're using it the more things are going to break down," said Morea, 31. "You need a therapist to help you live a better quality of life." Comment.

After the assault, the victim went to her apartment and called the police. She identified the perpetrator as an Indian or Pakistani man in his late 30s, police said. The man is about 5-foot-7, 135 pounds with a thin build and black hair, police said. Comment.

"The defendant's girlfriend was so severely beaten by the defendant that she lost her right eye," Brown said in a release. "The punishment of a lengthy prison term is more than warranted, and I hope the victim receives solace knowing that her attacker can no longer inflict pain upon her." Comment.

Russell is suspected of committing three robberies near 50th Avenue and 48th Street in Woodside Monday and Tuesday, police said. During each instance, the man allegedly got out of a black Chevy Caprice, flashed a badge to his victims, took their money and personal property and fled in the Chevy, police said. Comment.

At that moment the bicyclist, Kenneth Wilson, 57, turned west on 111th Avenue and was struck and killed by the speeding van, police said. Comment.

The man said the sanitation worker, Jan Ebron, 48, stomped on his foot, police said. Ebron was arrested and charged with assault in the third degree, police said. The man who said he was attacked was taken to Astoria General Hospital where he was treated for "swelling to the foot," police said. Comment.

Pimenton is named for the smoky-sweet Spanish paprika essential to many of its recipes. The restaurant occupies two stories of brownstone with a downstairs tapas bar and dining room, an outdoor garden (used in good weather), and an additional dining room upstairs. The ambiance is spare but cozy. A stone fireplace gives the primary decorative focus to the downstairs dining area. Many of the walls are bare. A few more paintings wouldn't be out of place. Surely some of the many talented Long Island City artists would love to mount exhibitions on the unadorned walls. Comment.

At nearby Yummy House you can choose dishes from colorful photos of special dishes or from lengthy lists of assorted Asian dishes. Note: This small restaurant is tasty, bare-bones dining/ lunching/take-out. It caters to local residents and is popular with the interns and personnel of the nearby NYHQ. Comment.

The one-block Stockholm Street Historic District is located between Woodward Avenue and Onderdonk Avenue in Ridgewood. Elected officials, including state senators John Sabini and Serphin Maltese, are scheduled to atttend. Stockholm Street Historic District homeowners have also been invited. A reception for invited guests will be held at St. Aloysius Church on Stockholm Street following the dedication. Comment.

Close is the executive and artistic director of Queens-based Musica Reginae Productions, the host of the Accolade Concert Series at Flushing Town Hall, and director of music at Our Lady Queen of Martyrs in Forest Hills. Comment.

But it would be difficult to find a production that has as fervent a following or as many repeat customers as this Off-Broadway send-up of four women's perplexing and perspiring "change of life." Comment.

Gordon's exhibit is made up of gorgeous prints she took of the fauna of the Galapagos Islands over two trips she made a few years back. There are red- and blue-footed boobies with their cute/ugly chicks, including one booby who has, improbably, adopted a frigate bird chick whose parents still come to feed him. Male frigate birds flaunt their inflated chest sacs like bright red balloons to attract females. Comment.

But spend a few minutes with Bonal - a 17-year-old Woodhaven resident and a junior at the Frank Sinatra School of the Arts in Long Island City - and you will sense the same starry-eyed resolve and panache that propelled the "Fame" kids to fame. Comment.

Tables set along the mall had representatives from the Sierra Cub, The Queens Library, The Queens Botanical Garden Craft Group, FDNY (fire safety), Queens Zoo, Queens Museum of Art and Flushing's Voelker Orth Museum. Paper cutter Roslyn Zocks produced enchanting animals and flowers for the youngsters. Comment.

In an all-important conference weekend, the Stony Brook baseball team came together and swept the Hartford Hawks in a three-game series. Comment.

What was a promising season... Comment.

It’s up to debate which was the more formidable opponent for Bayside Monday: the rain-soaked conditions or Francis Lewis’ softball team. Aided by the Texas Turf that prevented the game from being canceled, Bayside showered Francis Lewis with four runs in the first inning and four runs in the sixth to prevail, 11-1, over the Patriots Monday. Comment.

The pitcher and lone senior on the team went 4-0 during the Red Storm’s 5-1 week, posting a 0.72 earned run average with 35 strikeouts in 29 innings and was... Comment.

For more than 50 years the United States Open was the club's crown jewel, and once a year parents would take their children to watch John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Billie Jean King. Comment.

School: Townsend Harris Comment.

Padavan’s Paragons 10, Bayside Milk Farm 8. Comment.

Near misses by Melissa Weiss and Pooja “Pipi” Mani in the first half did not stop the Liberty from... Comment.

Keeping MQFM outfielders busy were Ben Park, Tyler Portalatin, James Aquista, Mike Rosario, James Cazzorla, Corey Mittenthal and... Comment.

It was a bit more than three years ago when playing for the Modell’s White Sox that Joey Caraballo pitched a no-hit, no-run game in the Glen Oaks Little League International... Comment.

Jason Sophie started and again had a tremendous outing. He pitched six innings, allowing one run on three hits... Comment.

The first is slated to run July 5 to July 9, with the second week from July 12 to July 16. Children ages 7 to 14 are... Comment.

Due to an injury to Jeremy Hausdorf and some family obligations, the Angels started the game with only eight players but their team spirit and... Comment.

Donna Merris, an administrative law judge, declared that the officer, Jasjit Singh Jaggi, had suffered from religious discrimination under the Police Department's rules and should be allowed to wear a turban while on the job. Comment.

"This is our home and nobody comes into our house and beats us," said Niebles, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Galaxy in the 2002 MLS SuperDraft and played for the now-defunct New York Freedoms of the Pro-Select League last season. "We take it really serious and we're tying to keep up what we started." Comment.

Bar Chairman Philip Weinberg sent a letter to Gov. George Pataki and Mayor Michael Bloomberg on April 23, questioning the legality of funding the plant with $400 million in Liberty Bonds, the tax-free loans intended to revitalized lower Manhattan after the terror attacks. Comment.

A blue-eyed, blond woman in her 20s robbed $86 from the Grand Avenue burger joint with nothing more than a napkin and some guts, a witness said. Comment.

But last Thursday the sophomore from Long Island City gave his coach a reason to reconsider his role as a reliever, blanking division rival Bushwick 11-0 at home on five hits and four strikeouts and opening the debate that he should get more starts. Comment.

The only parts of the Trylon's exterior still unblemished are its cupola-shaped glass tower and its circular box office, which features the theater's symbol of a marbleized trylon. A similar trylon icon can also be seen on its tiled lobby floor. Comment.

Some 300 motorcyclists from the Independent Bikers of Queens, Toys for Tots Inc. - IBTFT, among friends - circled up by the Bandshell in Forest Park Sunday clad in traditional biker gear accented by the toy donations that many came bearing under arm. Comment.

But Tuesday at American Legion Field in Canarsie there was no missing Urgelis, who tossed a one-hit gem in a 3-1 win over Molloy. Comment.

"She left a card here before," McLean said. Comment.

Councilman Hiram Monserrate (D-Corona), who already represents a small portion of Crowley's Queens constituency at the city level, said Monday he may make a run for the seat that stretches across Queens and the Bronx. Comment.

The second was from Pepsi, inviting her to a casting call for a commercial that was scheduled to air during the Super Bowl. Comment.

"Frank will always be remembered as 'The Mayor of Maspeth,' a leader, a builder, a fighter and a champion for his neighborhood," said Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, who honored Principe during her most recent State of the Borough address. Comment.

Gleason's Gym held try outs last Thursday and Friday with the promise of a six-figure cash prize and promotional contract with Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions for the winner of a round-robin tournament tentatively scheduled to air in the fall. Comment.

Some 300 children got a chance to see the animals perform at the UniverSoul Circus in St. Albans April 28, thanks to the efforts of their local City Councilman, James Sanders Jr. (D-Laurelton). Comment.

The 48-14 vote in the state Senate on April 19 moved the measure forward, but it is now in committee in the state Assembly, where it died in a previous session. Comment.

A handful of people turned out at Bethesda Baptist Church in Jamaica last Thursday to share their experiences with the Administration for Children's Services, the agency that investigates unhealthy situations for children, and to get information on what procedure agency employees should be following. Comment.

The building at 92-20 164th St., owned by notorious real estate heiress Rita Stark, was put in foreclosure proceedings and a public auction had been planned for Friday, April 30, but a last minute payment put off the sale, said a spokeswoman for JE Roberts, the company handling the transaction. Comment.

"It is true that I have an attendance record of close to 70 percent," said Councilman James Sanders Jr. (D-Laurelton). "I'm not happy about it, but I'm not going to hide from the truth." Comment.

The Edward Byrne Center, located in the High School for Law Enforcement and Public Safety on Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, was named to honor Byrne, a 22-year-old officer who was shot in 1988 by four men while he was guarding the house of a Guyanese immigrant who was to testify against a major drug dealer in Jamaica, Comment.

Donna Merris, an administrative law judge, declared that the officer, Jasjit Singh Jaggi, had suffered from religious discrimination under the Police Department's rules and should be allowed to wear a turban while on the job. Comment.

Traditionally a commuter school, St. John's has seen an influx of students interested in living on campus this year. The dorms are full to capacity, with some large doubles being transformed into triples, said students. Comment.

It was there that guards allegedly beat him, kept him from his lawyer, and humiliated him by shoving a flashlight and pencil up his rectum, according to the Egyptian immigrant's lawsuit against the federal government. Comment.

The state Legislature is taking up the battle to reform the Rockefeller drug laws — which force judges to impose lengthy prison terms for even minor drug offense — again this year after it failed to reach a compromise last spring. Hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, who grew up in Hollis, led the charge during last year’s efforts, which included a marathon closed-door meeting with Gov. George Pataki, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) and Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno (R-Rensselaer). Comment.

“We’ve been working with the Bayside community for several years because there is always a need there,” said Ken Cohen, president of the Northeast Queens NAACP. “There have been quite a few incidents of a bias nature in the Bayside area.” Comment.

The investigators could not confirm whether the final scores on the February 2003 statewide test reflected any upward revision, according to a letter from the Special Commissioner of Investigation for the New York City School District Richard Condon. But the school’s scores on the test that measures English language achievement rose precipitously between 2002 and 2003. Comment.