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Whitestone Times
Developer amasses deals for Sky View
Despite a nationwide slowdown in the real estate market Muss Development’s megaproject Sky View Parc soldiers ahead, recently landing a major lease with BJ’s Wholesale Club as it continues to fill out a planned retail center. Comment.
Whitestone Times
Auto accident kills Star dealer’s wife
The owner of a Bayside− and Queens Village−based auto dealership was heartbroken last weekend after a Long Island car crash claimed his wife, with whom he would have celebrated their 60th anniversary next month. Comment.
Whitestone Times
NYPD OKs $1B police training academy in College Point
The New York Police Department certified its plans to build a $1 billion training academy in College Point Monday, much to the chagrin of Community Board 7 leaders, who contend that an unpolished project is being dropped in the lap of an overburdened community. Comment.
Whitestone Times
E. Elmhurst man fights double−slay conviction
Lawyers for an East Elmhurst man they contend was wrongfully convicted of a double homicide 13 years ago locked horns with prosecutors Friday over whether a crucial police report containing potentially exonerating evidence was provided to his defense attorney during the initial trial. Comment.
Whitestone Times
Flushing tenants say city ruined street with repair job
For years, residents of the Mitchell−Linden co−ops in Flushing have complained of flooding problems, but now they say the city’s quick fix of the problem has only made things worse. Comment.
Whitestone Times
Halloran touts outsider cred
Queens may be the most multifarious county in the world, but Auburndale attorney Dan Halloran would like to diversify the borough’s City Council delegation by becoming its second Republican. Comment.
Whitestone Times
North Shore opens room for Orthodox Jewish patients
When Orthodox Jewish families used to visit sick relatives overnight at North Shore University Hospital, they had no choice but to sleep in the hospital’s halls if they visited during the sabbath. Comment.
Whitestone Times
Analyst at Queens College forum says U.S. won’t lose credit status
A trio of business experts at Queens College said last week the U.S. economy remains the model for the rest of the world, but cautioned that the economic crisis facing the nation should give fiscal leaders meaningful pause. Comment.
Whitestone Times
Weprin: Con Ed must reform after explosion
City Councilman David Weprin (D−Hollis) joined the husband and children of a Floral Park woman who was killed in April when her home exploded to call on Con Edison to conduct a thorough investigation of the incident. Comment.
Editorial
Con Ed on the Hot Seat Again
The explosion in Floral Park that obliterated a house and took the life of a mother of three children raises questions about the management at Con Edison and its preparedness to respond quickly to a potential disaster. Comment.
Richmond Hill
Kiwanis club holds fashion show at Russo’s on the Bay
Models strutted the latest fashions recently at Russo’s on the Bay in Howard Beach at the third annual Fashion Show hosted by the Lefferts−Liberty Kiwanis Club. Eight models, including two children, struck a pose for a good cause and all proceeds from tickets and raffles will go to benefit the children of the south Queens community. Comment.
CB 11 OKs street name changes in Douglaston
Community Board 11 approved a plan this week to change the names of seven Douglaston streets back to their original names after the city gave them numerical designations more than 80 years ago. Comment.
Far Rock school bus aide nabbed on sex assault rap
A Far Rockaway man was charged last week with sexually assaulting a 9−year−old boy on a school bus where he served as an aide to make sure children got to and from school safely, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. Comment.
Dead porpoise washes up on Little Neck Bay
Police rushed to the shore of Little Neck Bay last week after hearing reports of a beached whale. There, just off the pedestrian path that runs along the Cross Island Parkway, they found a 3−foot−long harbor porpoise already dead, with a series of lacerations along its body. Comment.
Ridgewood residents give input on reservoir
Western Queens residents and community leaders gathered Saturday to etch out their own ideas for major improvements to the Ridgewood Reservoir at Highland Park as the finalized plan for a preliminary upgrade nears completion. Comment.
Civic, city spar over toxic levels
Contamination levels at the future site of a new high school in Maspeth are considerably higher than allowable state standards, the Juniper Park Civic Association and elected officials warned at a meeting last week, while the city maintained that the pollution was no more severe than at any other potential school site in the city. Comment.
Bellerose residents protest hotel plans
More than 40 angry Bellerose residents held up signs and protested last weekend against the development of a controversial hotel at the former site of an iconic neighborhood ice cream shop that had been in the community for half a century. Comment.
PS 176 seeks sponsor for Beacon program
The president of the PTA at PS 176 in Cambria Heights is appealing to the community in hopes of finding a corporation to sponsor an after−school program at the school after the school’s Beacon program is relocating in the summer. Comment.
Baysiders voice anger over church to CB 11
Bayside residents told Community Board 11 members that they were outraged at controversial plans to construct a Korean church on a residential street in the community during the board’s monthly meeting Monday. Comment.
Neurosurgeon to retire after North Shore-LIJ brain operation flap
The chairman of neurosurgery at the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System is stepping down from his post following news reports that he refused to perform a brain operation on a woman who had been anesthetized for surgery because she was not his patient. Comment.
Albany passes MTA bailout plan, saving W and Z lines
The New York State Assembly and Senate have passed legislation pulling back New York City’s mass transit system from the financial abyss, removing the threat of drastic service cuts and 20 percent to 30 percent fare hikes. Comment.
McLaughlin, a humbled recovering alcoholic, awaits sentencing
Just over a year after pleading guilty to bilking millions of dollars from labor groups, his own re-election committee and the Electchester Little League, court papers paint former Flushing assemblyman and labor chief Brian McLaughlin as an alcoholic and an adulterer who has rebuilt his life after thumbing his nose at the law. Comment.
Cow runs wild in South Jamaica
Neighbors of a south Jamaica block watched in awe as a wild cow chase turned their block into a rodeo arena Wednesday afternoon. Comment.
Jackson Heights
Mattones looking to revamp Atlas Park
Neighbors are noticing a shift in the winds as the new management at the Shops at Atlas Park in Glendale begins to change the way things are done at the struggling mall. Comment.
Jackson Heights
A mother’s tearful goodbye
The terminally ill Corona man who enjoyed a tearful hospital−bed reunion with his Peruvian mother last month died Sunday after fighting AIDS and bone cancer, U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D−Bayside) said. Comment.
Fresh Meadows
Family mourns Floral Park blast victim at funeral
Relatives and friends of Ghanwatti Boodram gave their final good−byes last week to the 40−year−old Guyanese immigrant, who was killed when her Floral Park home exploded Friday. Comment.
Fresh Meadows
Jamaica Estates street named for Mother Mary Louis
More than 100 community members, students and elected officials gathered Friday for a ceremony to rename a Jamaica Estates street for Mother Mary Louis, a Queens resident who championed women’s rights in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Comment.
Fresh Meadows
Have your voice heard in vote on DOE, mayoral control
The state law which created the city Department of Education and mayoral control also included a June 30 sunset provision. The state Legislature must either let the current law expire and go back to the city Board of Education structure, change it or leave it the way it is. This is important because the quality of our schools determines the quality of our students, which determines the quality of the city workforce. Comment.
Forest Hills Ledger
Harrison Chain launches City Council campaign
Heidi Harrison Chain formally kicked off her campaign Sunday for the seat being vacated by Councilwoman Melinda Katz, Sunday, citing her support for public safety, schools and seniors before a crowd of 50 people at her Forest Hills campaign office. Comment.
Forest Hills Ledger
Boat trouble scuttles row for AIDS
All that remains of Forest Hills resident Victor Mooney’s attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean last month are calloused hands, a sunburn and an abandoned boat floating somewhere off the coast of Africa. Comment.
Letters
Kelly Breslin touched many lives
There is a saying you will hear in a lot of Irish pubs: “You’re a stranger but once ….” It is a sign that should have been emblazoned on the heart of Kelly Breslin, who died April 21 at 44. Comment.
Letters
Proposed Water Board rate hike unfair to middle−class residents
As president of Glen Oaks Village, a co−op of 10,000 residents, we currently pay close to $2 million in water and sewer charges annually. Just four years ago, the cost burden on our residents was half that. Comment.
Letters
Close schools to protect students from coming down with swine flu
As the swine flu cases continue to increase, it might be a good idea to consider closing all public, non−public and private schools and colleges until the city Health Department can really get a good handle on this serious health situation. Comment.
Letters
Community should help family affected by explosion of house
It is with great sadness that I read about the gas explosion in Floral Park, which resulted in the fire that took the life of a mother of three, Ghanwattie Boodram. Comment.
Editorial
Is the Party Over?
Not long after a judge upheld the legality of the term limits extension that allowed Mayor Michael Bloomberg to run for a third term as mayor, the Queens GOP announced its intention to endorse Bloomberg. Comment.
Astoria Times
Candidates prepare gubernatorial races for next year
The first test of how Americans view the actions of the Obama administration will be projected into the 2010 elections at the national level. Usually, the first national elections two years after a presidential election do not go well for the incumbent executive branch. That was true for former President Bill Clinton in 1994, when the Republicans scored impressive election gains, especially in the U.S. House of Representatives. Comment.
Astoria Times
Flag Day group has memorial dinner for founder Farrell
Another busy week has flown by. Where does the time go? I’m supposed to be completely out of my old house by May 15, having lost five weeks to sciatica. I don’t see how I can possibly do it. I hope I can negotiate a little more time with the new owner — otherwise, what do I do? Any suggestions? Comment.
Astoria Times
Boro residents share their opinions on mothers−in−law
Adam had no mother−in−law. That was why he knew he lived in paradise. Comment.
Astoria Times
Nonprofit helps preserve green spaces, improve boro schools
In my Feb. 26 column, I wrote about the wonderful green playground at my old junior high school, now IS 73, in Maspeth. The Trust for Public Land worked with students and local residents to make this a great destination for children and adults all year ’round. Comment.
Astoria Times
Sunnyside store supports area
It is perhaps doubly appropriate that the Sunnyside shop run by neighborhood residents Dan and Tara Glasser is called Stray Vintage. They named it after a song by one of their favorite bands, Calexico, but the idea of opening a vintage clothing and accessories store was a sort of stray idea reached while wandering around Sunnyside. Comment.
Astoria Times
Start online stock trading
Consumer confidence is shaky regarding trading stocks. Headlines with the word “fraud” on front pages have not made Queens residents feel better about trusting their money with stock brokers. A question I am hearing in my networking travels is, “How can I start online trading?” Comment.
Astoria Times
Dems’ appeal goes beyond Obama: Ackerman
The mood in Washington and abroad is hopeful after the first 100 days of the Obama administration, U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D−Bayside) said in an extended interview with TimesLedger Newspapers. Comment.
Astoria Times
DA charges vault manager
A vault manager at a major Long Island City jewelry manufacturer was arrested on charges of pocketing as much as $12 million in gold over five years, District Attorney Richard Brown said last week. Comment.
Astoria Times
Claxton: Stop−and−frisk policy needs reforming
Although the NYPD is taking measures to make its stop−and−frisk policies more transparent among New Yorkers, a Laurelton police critic said it is not enough to stop the unnecessary questioning of innocent minority civilians. Comment.
Astoria Times
Flushing Airport ban unfair: Willets Point biz owners
Property owners said this week that a city pledge to bar Willets Point businesses from future development at Flushing Airport is discriminatory, although the city Economic Development Corp. says it never planned to move businesses to the former airstrip in the first place. Comment.
Astoria Times
Gotbaum feuds with Ed Dept. over surge in graduation rate
The city Department of Education and the public advocate’s office are at odds over whether city graduation rates have been inflated during Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s tenure after Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum released a report last Thursday that calls into question why discharged students are not counted in graduation rate statistics. Comment.
Astoria Times
Police sting shuts down Queens car theft ring: Brown
The Queens district attorney said Friday that police broke up a major auto theft ring allegedly responsible for more than $400,000 in luxury car thefts from car dealerships in the borough. Comment.
Astoria Times
Asian−speaking parents kept in dark on Prep flu: Liu aide
The offices of Flushing politicians and School District 25 were inundated with calls from concerned parents following the outbreak of swine flu in Queens, largely because information was not initially available to non−English speaking parents, according to Councilman John Liu’s (D−Flushing) aide. Comment.
Astoria Times
Queens College center to study changing boro
The Asian⁄American Center at Queens College will pilot a new minor this fall in order to further study the borough’s changing demographics and link students and staff with Queens communities, the center’s director and associate director said this week. Comment.
Astoria Times
St. Francis reopens after swine flu
Life returned to normal for the first bell at St. Francis Prep Monday and the Catholic school’s 2,700−student body could not have been happier. Comment.
Astoria Times
LIC gallery Art−O−Mat to close at end of May
Long Island City’s arts community is bracing for a loss as the collaborative artists’ gallery Art−O−Mat prepares to close its doors at the end of the month. Comment.
Astoria Times
City labels Cardozo toxic school
An investigation by the city School Construction Authority has discovered that Bayside’s Benjamin Cardozo High School is one of 19 public schools with toxin levels exceeding acceptable city limits, a spokeswoman for the city Department of Education said. Comment.
Astoria Times
Queens GOP endorses Bloomberg for re−election
The Queens GOP’s executive committee unanimously voted to endorse Mayor Michael Bloomberg for re−election on the Republican line after there was initial reluctance to back the Democrat−turned−Republican−turned−independent. Comment.
Astoria Times
Suspected burglar dies in Rikers
Investigators were trying to determine how a suspected Ozone Park burglar who was remanded to Rikers Island died while in custody Saturday night. Comment.
Astoria Times
New city budget would cut Queens Library staff
Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s latest budget plan would eliminate $17 million in city funding for the Queens Library, which a library official said could force the country’s busiest library system to reduce its workforce by 31 percent and sustain major service cuts. Comment.
Astoria Times
Weeping Beech Park work to begin in January
The city Parks Department said it could begin work to revamp Flushing’s Weeping Beech Park as early as January 2010 after receiving approval from Community Board 7 last week. Comment.
Astoria Times
Senate Dems muster enough votes to ensure passage of MTA bailout
With only weeks left before transit officials were scheduled to carry out 20 percent to 30 percent fare hikes and massive service cuts, the final two Democratic state Senate holdouts from Long Island have joined supporters of a legislative rescue plan offering hope at last for the financially distressed MTA. Comment.
Astoria Times
Ex−cop’s memoir calls NYPD racist
A former Queens police sergeant who served as the chief of staff for Hiram Monserrate when he was a councilman has added “author” to his rÉsumÉ. Comment.
Astoria Times
DiNapoli seeks tougher rules for Access−A−Ride inspections
State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has asked the New York City Transit Authority to tighten its inspection process in order to ensure safe rides to riders of the Access−A−Ride service. Comment.
Whitestone Times
CUNY Law School exhibits art by ex−Rikers inmates
Twenty−two days out of jail, former Rikers inmate Kornan Bascombe has already become something of a star. Comment.
Whitestone Times
Keeping the family tradition
Paul Vallone may be no stranger to political campaigns, but his bid for City Councilman Tony Avella’s (D−Bayside) seat in this fall’s upcoming election could be the first to enable him to join in a long family tradition. Comment.
Whitestone Times
Guv’s wife gets show from boro ballerinas
With the state’s first lady sitting in the front row, a group of 30 physically disabled girls took to a Jamaica Estates stage Sunday afternoon to realize their dreams of becoming ballerinas during a recital organized by a Bayside nonprofit. Comment.
Editorial
Lone Star Lunacy
Message to Texas: Y’all got a lot of nerve suggesting people of Asian descent should change their names to “something easier for Americans to deal with.” Comment.
In battle of Bayside, Cardozo reigns supreme with sweep
Steven Joy tossed his glove to the dugout, pumped his fist and was mobbed by the entire Cardozo baseball team. The senior southpaw had just completed a complete-game, two-hit shutout by getting Aaron Shapiro to ground out to shortstop Matthew Lynn. Senior catcher Jamal Vargas gave Joy a Gatorade bath and later danced in the middle of a circle, a traditional celebration. Comment.
Red Hawks softball still soaring
Sheila San Andres was a self-described “girly-girl.” She was a dancer, too, in many forms — jazz, hip-hop, tap and ballet. San Andres was definitely not a softball player. Comment.
Whitestone’s Lippert fights through cancer
Corinne Lippert remembers the dates by heart. She can recite each one with the precision of a computer. Comment.
St. Francis tired of waiting
Last Thursday was supposed to be a day of celebration, but instead it turned out to be a nightmare Billy Xouris won’t soon forget. Comment.
Ridgewood
Pathologist to help civic in fight over Maspeth H.S.
The Juniper Park Civic has enlisted the help of a marine biologist well−known among Queens environmentalist circles as the group continues to butt heads with the city School Construction Authority over ground contamination at the site of a planned high school in Maspeth. Comment.
Paterson floats new MTA bailout plan
Discussions are reportedly going on in Albany on Gov. David Paterson’s New York City transit bailout plan, which includes a 12-county payroll tax. Comment.
Dead marine mammal washes up on Bayside shore
Police rushed to the shore of Little Neck Bay Wednesday evening after hearing reports of a beached whale. There, just off the pedestrian path that runs along the Cross Island Parkway, they found a 3-foot-long harbor porpoise already dead, with a series of lacerations along its body. Comment.
Victim of Floral Park house explosion mourned
Relatives and friends of Ghanwatti Boodram gave their final goodbyes to the 40-year-old Guyanese immigrant, who was killed when her Floral Park home exploded Friday. Comment.
Smith cancels Puerto Rican trip after daughter, wife become ill
State Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-St. Albans) has canceled a controversial trip to Puerto Rico this weekend to tend to his ailing wife and daughter, who is a student at St. Francis Prep, a spokesman for the senate majority leader. Comment.
CUNY Law School exhibits art by ex-Rikers inmates
Twenty-two days out of jail, former Rikers inmate Kornan Bascombe has already become something of a star. Comment.
Whitestone Times
JFK leads country in bird strikes: FAA report
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who successfully fought for release of information on bird strikes against the nation’s jetliners, has called for a federal program to reduce “a very serious problem endangering anyone who takes to the skies.” Comment.
York College honors Tuskegee Airmen with art exhibit
When Dr. Roscoe Brown and his fellow pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen troop fought overseas in World War II, he said his men knew they were fighting for a country that judged them because of the color of their skin. Comment.
Controversial MS 8 Principal Murphy resigns
Principal John Murphy resigned from his position at Middle School 8 in Jamaica Tuesday, after more than a month of protests from the Jamaica school’s teachers who claimed they had been on the receiving end of his tyrannical behavior. Comment.
Little Neck Ledger
Skala calls for protest of Korean church plans
More than 50 angry residents poured into Bayside’s All Saints Church last weekend to voice their opposition to a Korean church being constructed in a neighborhood consisting primarily of one−family homes. Comment.
Little Neck Ledger
CB 13 asks Con Ed for inspections after deadly blast
After 40−year−old Ghanwattie Boodram was killed in a gas explosion that leveled her home, Community Board 13 urged Con Edison to inspect utility systems under the board’s jurisdiction and to develop an evacuation plan in consultation with the community and elected officials. Comment.
Jackson Heights
Corona lawyer Taveras gets prison in $130K scam
A former Corona lawyer, activist and author of a Family Court guidebook was sentenced to three to nine years in prison this week for stealing more than $100,000 from clients, including a botched deal on a Bayside co−op apartment, the Queens district attorney said. Comment.
Jackson Heights
Gallagher attorney to rep Monserrate in assault trial
Facing an impending criminal trial for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend, state Sen. Hiram Monserrate (D−East Elmhurst) has swapped out his legal representation in favor of the man who defended former City Councilman Dennis Gallagher against rape charges last year. Comment.
Jackson Heights
Parents brought along kids on west Qns. break−ins: DA
A Queens couple brought their two young children along with them while allegedly breaking into homes in Maspeth and Woodside, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said last week. Comment.
Fresh Meadows
QC professor earns fellowship for book
Queens College associate professor Heather Hendershot was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship earlier this month, which will allow the media studies teacher to finish her book, “What’s Fair on the Air? Cold War Right Wing Broadcasting and the Public Interest.” Comment.
Fresh Meadows
Sri Chinmoy marathon hosts runners at boro park
As Jamaica Estates resident Dipali Cunningham, one of the world’s best distance runners, recently walked around the colorful tents that now dot Flushing Meadows Corona Park, she constantly waved to champion racers passing by her. Comment.
Forest Hills Ledger
Family sues suspected DWI driver who killed son
Nearly three months after the death of their teenage son at the hands of a suspected drunk driver in a stolen car, the parents of Robert Ogle are suing the alleged driver, the car’s owner and the parents of the teenager whose birthday party Robert was attending. Comment.
Forest Hills Ledger
Forest Hills girls’ baseball league shines under lights
When the 13 softball players on the Forest Hills Little League girl’s travel team took to their home field Friday night, they were making history. Comment.
Flushing Times
CB 7, city compromise on Flushing Airport site
Community Board 7 struck an 11th hour deal with the city Monday that sets aside a portion of the abandoned Flushing Airport site, paving the way to move five Willets Point businesses to the College Point Corporate Park. CB 7 voted to approve the plan unanimously. Comment.
Flushing Times
Falun gong members protest Chinese policies in Flushing
Several hundred Falung Gong followers and supporters shut down a stretch of a Flushing street Saturday as they protested what they contend is China’s unjust killing, torture and imprisonment of the group’s members in the last decade. Comment.
Flushing Times
City to test Flushing traffic
The long−awaited, one−way traffic plan for downtown Flushing could begin a pilot phase as early as this fall, city Department of Transportation officials told the Flushing Business Improvement District last Thursday. Comment.
Flushing Times
Station Road Civic protests road alteration
Members of the Station Road Civic Association held a symbolic candlelight vigil Friday night to protest the opening of what they consider the suspicious and dangerous roadway alteration in front of a car dealership. Comment.
Astoria Times
Experience Chilean cuisine at Rego Park bistro
Chilean is one of the less well represented South American cuisines of Queens. But if you’re a Chilean food lover, or just enjoy trying something different, we have a place for you. Horcon Bistro on Woodhaven Boulevard in Rego Park is serving up some authentic tastes of Chile “with a New York twist.” It is named for a tiny fishing village in central Chile, according to the blurb on the menu, “made famous by its fresh seafood, fresh fishermen, beautiful beaches and relaxed attitude.” Fresh fishermen? Hmmm−−I guess you have to go there. Comment.
Astoria Times
DWI suspect crashed car into truck: NYPD
JAMAICA — A Queens man was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated Monday after he allegedly crashed the car he was riding in into a parked truck on Jamaica Avenue, injuring his passenger, police said. Comment.
Astoria Times
Bayside burglars entered home through basement
BAYSIDE — Jewelry and watches were taken from a Bayside home during a burglary Friday night, police said. Comment.
Astoria Times
Burglars stole jewelry, coins from home: Cops
OAKLAND GARDENS — Jewelry and collector’s coins were stolen from an Oakland Gardens home during a burglary Saturday, police said. Comment.
Astoria Times
Man from St. Albans dies in car crash
ST. ALBANS — A St. Albans man was killed in a car accident after his 2008 Chevy flipped over and hit two parked cars Sunday, police said. Comment.
Astoria Times
Cops seek assistance in catching Astoria robber
ASTORIA — Authorities were asking for the public’s help in finding a suspect responsible for two Astoria robberies, police said. Comment.
Letters
Support education with stimulus
With all the budget cuts being talked about, how could the city Department of Education consider cutting teaching positions? The possibility of losing 2,000 jobs if the stimulus money is not as large as it should be is disturbing. Comment.
Letters
Residents want fair treatment from Housing Department
An open letter to City Councilman Tony Avella. Comment.
Letters
School will not benefit Maspeth
City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D−Middle Village) was incorrect when she stated that the city School Construction Authority cleans up all contamination on its sites before building schools. If she had read and examined the environmental impact statement for the proposed Maspeth high school, she would understand that on−site toxins would remain, with their vapors posing a potential danger to students who attend the school. Comment.
Letters
Bottle law will mean more revenue
The American Littoral Society applauds the state Legislature’s passage of the Bigger Better Bottle Bill as part of the 2009−10 budget. Comment.
Letters
Clinic bill suppresses free speech
I would like to applaud City Councilman Tony Avella (D−Bayside) for speaking out against Intro. 826, aka the Clinic Access Bill. This bill was passed on April 2, but opposed by several council members. This bill allows police to arrest protesters if they are considered too close to an abortion clinic. Avella has called it what it is: a freedom of speech issue. Comment.
Letters
Nature group has been good for northeast Queens parks
In your April 9 article “Padavan’s eco−watchdog a patronage tool: Stavisky,” state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D−Whitestone) said state Sen. Frank Padavan (R−Bellerose) uses the state Northeast Queens Nature and Historical Preservation Commission to give “political patronage jobs.” Comment.
Letters
GOP voters should not back mayor
A lifelong Democrat before seeking elective office, Mayor Michael Bloomberg switched his registration in 2001 and ran for mayor as a Republican, winning the election that year and a second term in 2005. He was frequently mentioned as a possible independent candidate for the 2008 presidential election and fueled that speculation when he left the Republican Party in June 2007 to become an independent. Comment.
Letters
Paper must show sensitivity to minorities
Your April 9 editorial “The Showdown at JHS 8” is wrong. If you had done your homework, you would have found that Principal John Murphy should never have been assigned to IS 8Q, which happens to be the school’s correct title. Comment.
Letters
Vantage cares for its tenants
In 2005, my partners at AREA Property Partners and I set out to create a business with a new approach to affordable housing. The concept was simple: Bring professional management, a sense of duty to customers and a significant capital investment to restore long−neglected buildings. We believed we could be successful by providing working New Yorkers with housing they can be proud of and afford. We also knew that the challenges would be tremendous as we sought to reverse years of disinvestment by prior landlords in both their buildings and customers. Comment.
Editorial
McNuts
Last week, Councilman Eric Gioia introduced legislation that gives new meaning to the term Big Brother. He unveiled a proposal that would require fast food restaurants to keep their distance from schools. Comment.
Astoria Times
Third parties play major role in electing candidates
The United States is considered to have a two−party political system, but the growth of third parties nationally and locally has been a traditional part of our political landscape. Comment.
Astoria Times
Political season starts up with candidates night, fund−raiser
As predicted, now that the holidays are over, the political games have begun in earnest. I live and work in the 19th Council, 26th Assembly and 11th Senate districts and in just this one, small sector, things have started to take off. Comment.
Astoria Times
Everyone’s experiences with their teachers last a lifetime
The ultimate goal of the educational system is to shift to the individual the burden of pursuing his education. — John W. Gardner Comment.
Astoria Times
Queens Botanical Garden a wonder of green technology
It is too often true that people take the obvious for granted. The Queens Botanical Garden is a case in point. Comment.
Astoria Times
Store donations help animals
Times may be tough all around, but volunteers at one Bayside thrift shop said it has not put a damper on people’s giving spirit — to the benefit of four−legged critters citywide. Comment.
Astoria Times
Buy a short sale home
Lately, we have heard the term “short sale” come up in Queens. A short sale occurs when a bank is willing to take less than what it is owed. For example, a buyer purchases a home for $500,000 and can no longer pay the mortgage. The homeowner tries but fails to work out the late payments with the bank. A short sale becomes the only realistic option to get the buyer out of the home without having to go through foreclose proceedings. The home is put on the market at a reduced price. Comment.
Astoria Times
SWINE FLU OUTBREAK: Boro hospitals busy as scare grips Queens
Queens hospitals said they are on guard for the worst should swine flu continue to spread throughout the region, but stressed that the outbreak was small in scale and advised would−be patients to take a calm approach to seeking treatment if they fall ill. Comment.
Astoria Times
Swine flu outbreak strikes St. Francis
St. Francis Preparatory in Fresh Meadows shut down this week after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 44 students and staff at the nation’s largest Catholic high school had swine flu, prompting classmates to raise concerns about the potentially deadly virus that has killed more than 150 people and sickened over 1,600 in Mexico.* Comment.
Astoria Times
Sunnyside crime lab tech slain in bed: Police
A 24−year−old technician with the NYPD’s crime lab was found bound and stabbed to death in her Sunnyside apartment Monday morning, police said. Comment.
Astoria Times
Lions Club of Corona plans Bayside chapter
A Corona−based Lions Club is planning to launch a chapter of the community service organization in Bayside following the dismantling of the neighborhood’s longtime Kiwanis Club last month. Comment.
Astoria Times
10 boro housing projects get $50M stimulus boost
Nearly $50 million in federal stimulus money was approved to renovate 10 public housing projects in Queens, the New York City Housing Authority said last week. Comment.
Astoria Times
SWINE FLU OUTBREAK: Student body rattled as focus turns to Prep
Students at St. Francis Prep and their parents have been coping with mixed emotions as the school confronts its swine flu outbreak. Comment.
Astoria Times
MTA observes LIRR’s 175th b−day at AirTrain station
State leaders, transit officials and historians celebrated the Long Island Rail Road’s 175th anniversary Friday by thanking its employees with a big party. Comment.
Astoria Times
Guyanese−born mother devoted to helping others
At age 19, Ghanwattie Boodram left Guyana, where she worked as a schoolteacher, for Queens to get a degree in another profession that required her to devote her time to others: nursing. That was 21 years ago. Comment.
Astoria Times
Qns. electeds get backing in comptroller campaign
Endorsements have been flying fast and furious in the race for city comptroller as a trio of Queens legislators ramp up their campaigns in a bid for the seat that will be vacated by William Thompson. Comment.
Astoria Times
SWINE FLU OUTBREAK: City, CDC have drug stockpiles ready
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is releasing a national stockpile of anti−flu drugs, gowns and masks to help hospitals treat suspected cases of swine flu as the number of infected people climbed Tuesday. Comment.
Astoria Times
SWINE FLU OUTBREAK: Avoid infection with clean hands, common sense: Health officials
The best ways for borough residents to protect themselves against the swine flu that has infected students from Fresh Meadows’ St. Francis Preparatory School are common−sense measures, such as keeping their hands clean and avoiding people who appear to be ill, the director of Flushing Hospital’s Pediatric Infectious Diseases unit said. Comment.
Astoria Times
SWINE FLU OUTBREAK: Bloomberg urges calm response, downplays threat
Mayor Michael Bloomberg maintained a measured, calm tone as he told New Yorkers this week not to overestimate the threat the swine flu outbreak at St. Francis Preparatory School posed to the rest of the city after several students traveled to Mexico on Easter break. Comment.
Astoria Times
Dial 311 for mayoral threats
An 82−year−old Romanian immigrant from Astoria received a surprise visit from police last week after she called the city’s 311 help line and threatened to turn up on Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s doorstep to complain about repairs she wanted to her apartment. Comment.
Astoria Times
Vantage residents fight loss of supers
The tenants of a major residential landlord in Queens joined with City Councilman Eric Gioia (D−Sunnyside) to denounce what they said is the company’s strategy of eliminating building superintendents through a city loophole. Comment.
Astoria Times
Con Ed finds gas leak before fatal Floral Park blast
Shortly before 4:50 p.m., the two−story home on 260th Street near 80th Avenue blew up, sending a huge column of smoke billowing into the sky, Fire Department officials said. Comment.
Astoria Times
MTA sinks deeper in debt as fare hikes loom
The news from the MTA keeps getting worse. Comment.
Astoria Times
A third MTA worker may have seen ’05 rape
The attorney for a Brooklyn woman who was raped four years ago on a Long Island City subway platform said they received a letter from an MTA dispatcher, which suggests that a third employee from the agency may have been present during the attack, but did not respond. Comment.
Astoria Times
Experts push immigrant biz
Immigrants play a vital role in the city’s workforce, but foreign−born individuals often face daunting barriers when trying to enter into careers, education and immigration officials said at a forum at LaGuardia Community College last week. Comment.
Astoria Times
Sean Bell forum at York hopes to enlighten
On the first anniversary of the Sean Bell verdict, the slain bridegroom’s fiancÉe and her family, the Rev. Al Sharpton and elected officials got together with southeast Queens residents Saturday to work on improving the community’s relationship with the police. Comment.
Astoria Times
Borukhova hires Dershowitz to appeal verdict
The Forest Hills mother who arranged a plot to have her estranged husband killed in front of their daughter has hired one of O.J. Simpson’s lawyers to appeal her conviction, according to one of the attorneys involved in the criminal trial. Comment.
Astoria Times
City czar says rat academy ready to root out rodents
The MTA is gearing up once more for yet another offensive in the seemingly eternal struggle against city subway rats. Comment.
Astoria Times
Serbian film shot in Queens among boro’s Tribeca entries
This year’s selection of Queens−related films at the Tribeca Film Festival is as diverse as the borough itself, with two new movies about immigration, including the first from Serbia to ever play at the festival, as well as three documentaries and Woody Allen’s new comedy making their debuts. Comment.
Astoria Times
Shades of Family Life
“One Thing I’d Like To Say Is” is an original play put on by a relatively new non−profit group, The CockEyed Optimists Theatre Company. The five−person cast is comprised of actors, including two from Queens, with a passion for Ensemble Theater and a knack for playing multi−dimensional characters. Comment.
Astoria Times
Weinman back early after surgery to wrist
Nicole Weinman was never promised by her doctors that she would be able to play during her senior softball season at St. Francis Prep. She had surgery in mid-February to repair torn cartilage in her right wrist, an injury she suffered covering home while pitching on a play at the plate in one of the Terriers’ fall games. Weinman hoped to return the end of April in time for her Senior Day, but there were no guarantees. Comment.
Astoria Times
Strong Texas woman fights to raise teens in bleak ‘40s
Jack Heifner’s “Home Fires” reminds one of those movies and plays that feature strong, resourceful Southern women who are often forced to take up not only the duties of womanhood but the burdens of their weak or venal men as well −− think “Steel Magnolias” or “Crimes of the Heart” or maybe even “Fried Green Tomatoes.” Comment.
Walk off: McClancy rallies to beat Holy Cross, 6-5
Grounders in the infield might be an adventure, and at times runs are about as hard to come by as a parking spot in East Elmhurst. There are more talented teams with more high-profile players than McClancy, but the Crusaders are a gritty bunch with a never-say-die mentality. Comment.
Rice strikes out 11 as St. Francis Prep tames Royals
Johanna Rice was in a groove early. Comment.
Ha sacrifices glory for benefit of team
Todd Gaugler empathizes with Kevin Ha. The former is one of the Cardozo boys’ volleyball team’s top offensive weapons, an outside hitter and one of the best players in the PSAL. The latter could be all of the above, but he has chosen not to be — for the benefit of the team. Comment.
Postel returns to Mary Louis
Katherine Postel was ready to give it all up. The Mary Louis Academy senior, who is a superb soccer and softball player, was prepared to end her athletic career. Comment.
MTA now predicts deficit as $621M
The financial picture keeps getting darker for the MTA. Comment.
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