Queens Council Members Comment

A charter bus owned by Dahlia Travel and Tours, a company with offices in Fresh Meadows, Flushing and Corona, spun off the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey Friday en route from Manhattan's Chinatown to Atlantic City, killing two passengers and injuring 28. Comment

Gracy Gregory has worn a Garden School basketball uniform for six years, while Claudia Bermudez darned blue and white for the past two seasons. The occasion was fitting because Gregory (8 points.) scored the first basket of the game and Bermudez (2 points) followed by netting the second bucket. Comment

A mother, her two sons and a niece died early Wednesday morning in a raging three-alarm fire that gutted two homes in Ozone Park and injured six others fleeing the flames, fire officials said. Comment

A charter bus owned by Dahlia Travel and Tours, a company with offices in Fresh Meadows, Flushing and Corona, spun off the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey Friday en route from Manhattan’s Chinatown to Atlantic City, killing two passengers and injuring 28. Comment

Councilwoman Melinda Katz (D-Forest Hills) briefed a group of 36 teenage Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union last Thursday in the Bukharian Teen Lounge at the Central Queens YM/YWHA in Forest Hills on what to say to legislators during an upcoming trip to Washington, D.C. Comment

Within three hours after its grand opening party Monday night, Shapiro Catering Hall, a new glatt kosher restaurant in Forest Hills, had 22 reservations for parties. Comment

Queens Borough President Helen Marshall and the city Department of City Planning have approved a recommendation to allow a zoning change and the eventual building of a 33,000-square-foot commercial complex on Cross Bay Boulevard and North Conduit Avenue. Comment

A group of leaders in the Queens Korean-American community urged U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) to help create a strong and consistent policy toward North Korea at a meeting with the congressman at his office last week. Comment

Security at the borough’s airports and major crossings was increased this week following the federal government’s decision to raise the terrorism-alert level for the nation as tensions escalated over a possible war against Iraq. Comment

District 29 parents voiced their support for the proposed curriculum at the three new schools set to open in September, but many are concerned the plan could change if Chancellor Joel Klein’s plan to reorganize the administration moves forward. Comment

When Thurgood Marshall, the first black U.S. Supreme Court justice, grew up in Baltimore in the early 1900s, the city leaders proudly proclaimed it a “white city” and more than 100 black people were lynched a year. Comment

A national union has begun demonstrating in front of the College Point Cintas Corp. facility as part of a campaign to organize the uniform company’s workers across the country. Comment

A man who grew up in Whitestone pleaded guilty last week to storing dozens of images of child pornography on his computer, the Queens district attorney said. Comment

After a heated discussion Monday evening, Community Board 7 rejected a plan to add more apartments to a half-completed waterfront development in College Point. Comment

The city Board of Standards and Appeals gave the green light to a planned six-story building on the College Point waterfront Tuesday by granting the developer’s request for a variance. Comment

Police closed the Whitestone Bridge Wednesday morning after a white truck believed to be carrying explosives sped across the span. Comment

As the winter drags on, long nights mean the continual search for blankets, food and clothing for the homeless of Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Comment

School District 26 officials presented plans for PS/IS 266, the district’s first new school in 42 years, to parents last Thursday even as talk of dismantling the community school districts left the school’s future makeup uncertain. Comment

Orion Telecommunications Corporation, the prepaid phone card company that has turned the former Associated supermarket on Bell Boulevard into its sales headquarters, has even bigger plans to grow its business in the next few months. Comment

Ninth in a Series Comment

A $140 million reconstruction of the sewer system in Bayside is scheduled to break ground in mid- to late March, Community Board 11 Chairman Jerry Iannece said last week. Comment

Preparations for the 76th annual Little Neck-Douglaston Memorial Day Parade kicked into high gear with the parade organization’s dinner dance fund-raiser planned for Thursday at Terrace on the Park. Comment

The Chipper restaurant that opened two months ago in Sunnyside looks like it sailed to Queens Boulevard straight from England. Comment

The song told us, “Life is a cabaret, old chum, so come to the cabaret.” Comment

The state Education Department released figures Monday showing a list of 38 schools in Queens that are among the most improved in the state based on standardized English language and math tests. Comment

Feb. 19 - Borough President’s Cabinet Breakfast – Crowne Plaza LaGuardia, 104-04 Ditmars Blvd., Astoria – 8:30 a.m. Comment

Sunday, Feb. 23 - Commission for Social Justice, Order Sons of Italy in America, hosts its 23rd Annual CSJ Dinner Dance at which Councilman Tony Avella (D-Whitestone) and activist Jack Como will be honored for their commitment to the Italian-American community, noon, at Russo’s on the Bay in Howard Beach. For more information call Stella at 718 454-2585. Comment

Noel Coward would have had a field day with the disreputable folks in Brent Buell’s new drawing room comedy, “The Gem Exchange,” given its delicious juxtaposition of big money, small treachery, upscale tippling, acerbic repartee and the war between the sexes — all played out with gleeful, unrepentant amorality. Comment

The Science of the Circus Comment

They inspired each other, were at times jealous of each other and knew each other as friends later in life. Now, decades after their deaths, some of their finest works have been brought together for what is likely to be one of the most exciting exhibits to hit the city this year. Comment

The submission deadline is Feb. 27, for slides and/or photos, only. The exhibit will run March 22-April 27 with an opening reception March 23. Comment

It’s getting scary at City Hall. With each new week comes a proposal for new and, for the most part, unnecessary legislation. Most of this proposed legislation comes with good intentions. But this new legislation could cause more problems than it solves. Comment

In a year with more than its share of doom and gloom, the opening of the new Queens Family Court is happy news indeed. The new building is more than just a court. It is a gleaming state-of-the art justice center that houses both court rooms and the agencies that provide support for the important work done in the Family Court. Comment

Students at Queens College and other City University of New York schools are understandably upset over the governor’s call to raise tuition at the state-funded colleges. The governor has proposed raising tuitions and cutting the state’s Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) in an effort to close a massive deficit in fiscal year 2004. Comment

I remember on one cold and snowy morning, I had to trudge through inclement weather to get to the local supermarket for some ice-melter. I needed it for my automobile... Comment

Taylor lived to see three centuries, from her birth in 1890 in Manhattan through the entire 20th century up to her death in the house she and her husband built on 175th Street, according to the Daily News. Comment

Queens is not a picture-perfect locality, but it’s a relatively affordable place to live on the East Coast, which is known for its high cost of living. Comment

The story of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination is an episode in our history that remains of interest to researchers who continue to delve into our past. One of the most controversial historical cases of the 19th century is that of Samuel Mudd, the physician convicted and sent to prison for his role in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln. Comment

In emergency situations, it is helpful if you can have some routine functions to perform. The trouble is, sometimes the emergency occurs in the midst of the routine itself. Comment

My wife and I just returned from a month-long vacation in Australia and New Zealand and discovered that they are all very similar to the United States. Australia and the United States are the same size, although Australia’s population is only about 20 million. Comment

Welcome to the Point. The Point being College Point. Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania, Staten Island Chuck and Flushing Phil are still wearing their mufflers, so there will not be an early spring. These groundhogs know their stuff. I think they are wearing earmuffs, also. Comment

ELMHURST -- New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly and Queens District Attorney Richard Brown announced the arrests last week of three people on charges that included criminal possession of stolen property, possession of burglar’s tools and failure to report sales tax for allegedly selling contraband clothes and jewelry. Comment

The sales growth of bottled water far outpaces that of any other bottled beverage and is now a $7 billion a year industry in the United States. Clearly, people want the convenience, quality and consistency that bottled water provides and are willing to pay for this premium product. Comment

By Drs. Barry Drucker and Elizabeth Kim Comment

But while exercise is certainly preferable to the sofa-bound lifestyle, the American Physical Therapy Association warns that people who fail to use proper form while performing abdominal exercises run the risk of injury. Comment

The good news is that it is likely only one pound, not the five pounds many think they gain during the holidays. The bad news is that the weight often stays on, so it’s a pound this year, a pound next year, and another the next year . . . until you’re 10 or 20 pounds heavier. Comment

Scores of Queens citizens from college presidents to advocates for battered women took the rostrum Tuesday to list for Queens Borough President Helen Marshall their “save-at-all-costs” priorities when the budget ax falls. Comment

But this Valentine’s Day, many Americans are thinking about their hearts in a far more serious way. They’re learning that a healthful low-fat diet, a regular exercise program, and finding ways to deal with life’s stresses boost heart health. Comment

The Perfect Crunch Comment

It was a foregone conclusion that Lincoln would be the top-seeded team in the upcoming PSAL boys’ basketball playoffs, but where the best teams in Queens would fall was a matter of great debate at the PSAL basketball seeding meeting Friday at PSAL headquarters in Long Island City. Comment

Mike Eisenberg knew the Francis Lewis girls’ basketball team would be seeded right behind four-time defending PSAL champion Murry Bergtraum for the upcoming PSAL playoffs. Comment

His voice resonated well past the corner of Francis Lewis Boulevard and 116th Avenue. And Campus Magnet assistant football coach Joe Pepe especially remembered that voice in early September when he and Jimmy Ryan conducted pre-season practices in the late summer heat. Comment

School: St. Francis Prep Comment

It was a never-ending parade to the scorer’s table. At almost every stoppage, another player on the New Haven men’s basketball team would leap off the bench and enter the game in the Chargers’ 66-52 win at Queens College last Thursday night. Comment

If things could get any worse it would be hard to fathom. Comment

Any manager looking to start travel teams should contact his or her player agent. These travel teams will help develop the ballplayers in the league to compete at the next level of play. It will encourage serious ballplayers to play and practice year-round. Comment

St. Andrews, rebounding from only two wins in the seventh grade, went undefeated in the division due to the teamwork and hustle of its 10 players. St. Mels, St Gregorys and OLBS also had outstanding seasons, with many exciting competitive games. Comment

The director of the borough’s independent economic development corporation left her post late last month amid conflicting reports over what precipitated her departure. Comment

The cost is $90, and you must live within the towns of Woodhaven, Ozone Park (east side of Woodhaven Boulevard), Richmond Hill, Kew Gardens and South Ozone Park to be eligible to play. Please bring a photo copy of the child’s birth certificate and proof of residency. We are required to keep them on file. Comment

Billy Finegan didn’t waste any time getting back on the horse. Comment

The Public School Athletic League held its annual seeding meetings Friday to determine the layout for the upcoming citywide playoffs. And wouldn’t you know it, not everyone is pleased with the outcome. Comment

The St. Francis Prep varsity girls’ basketball team shook off a slow start Sunday en route to a workmanlike 62-53 win over Bishop Kearney. Comment

46 Great Neck Rd., Comment

Media Kit Comment

The Forest Hills-based low-fare airline JetBlue has announced an expanded schedule of flights to Puerto Rico and Buffalo in a move praised by both of New York's U.S. senators and Gov. George Pataki. Comment

Eight custodians assigned to Queens schools were indicted on charges they rigged bids and received kickbacks as part of a scheme to secure window-cleaning contracts for a Bronx-based company, state and city officials announced Monday. Comment

With Sunday’s 91-86 overtime win over the Archbishop Molloy Stanners, the St. Francis Prep boys’ basketball team may have finally gotten over the hump the team has struggled to traverse all season. Comment

A developer's plan to build a condominium complex in the blighted carcass of an old Ditmars Boulevard warehouse drew mixed reaction at a civic meeting last Thursday, where some residents resurrected an old fight to secure senior housing on the site. Comment

A judge ordered the bookkeeper for a Long Island City elevator company held without bail last Thursday after prosecutors accused her of performing creative accounting to land $2.3 million of the company payroll into her personal bank account, authorities said. Comment

Attorneys for a student at Franklin K. Lane High School in Woodhaven have filed a class action lawsuit alleging school and city officials illegally excluded, expelled and discharged students by not providing adequate information prior to the dismissals, according to court documents. Comment

With a bit of artful tweaking, City Councilman Peter Vallone Jr.'s (D-Astoria) latest piece of legislation could read like a fairy tale or even a Shakespearean history play. Comment

As the city starts a final round of public hearings on what may be the last draft of the new city council lines, Ridgewood residents are pushing ahead undeterred in their quest to prevent part of the neighborhood from joining a predominantly Brooklyn district. Comment

They’re baaaack! Comment

A trio of teenagers from Ridgewood and Glendale long suspected in a rash of local graffiti vandalism that cost tens of thousands of dollars in damages may face stiff jail terms if they are convicted of criminal mischief charges, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. Comment

Police were still searching for two men who fatally shot a 43-year-old Guyanese immigrant early Saturday morning while he was drinking coffee in a deli across the street from the Ozone Park supermarket where he worked, police said. Comment

Queens Borough President Helen Marshall and the city Department of City Planning have approved a recommendation to allow a zoning change and the eventual building of a 33,000-square-foot commercial complex on Cross Bay Boulevard and North Conduit Avenue. Comment

Community Board 10 voted last Thursday against a recommendation to allow a year-old city composting facility in Brooklyn seeking a state permit to take in more solid waste materials such as grass, leaves and potentially horse manure. Comment

Another game, another milestone. Such is the life of Lauren Cargill. Comment

An 18-year-old Ozone Park resident has been charged in connection with a hate crime in December at the Queens Center Mall, where he allegedly hit, punched and cut an Asian man with a box cutter, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. Comment

More than 300 people came out Sunday afternoon to The Sikh Cultural Society's temple in Richmond Hill for a ceremony honoring the seven Columbia astronauts who died Feb. 1 when the space shuttle broke apart upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. Comment

The owner of a used car dealership in Richmond Hill convicted of falsifying business records has been sentenced to five years' probation and forced to pay back $2.1 million in liabilities and back taxes, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. Comment

About 50 Jamaica residents got a lesson in zoning laws last week as the city Planning Department discussed its proposal to update a 415-block area of southeast Queens. Comment

A Hollis truck driver for the Daily News was murdered last week after he was allegedly stabbed in neck during a fight with his 17-year-old son and namesake, police said. Comment

The Queens Borough Public Library system will not reclaim the historic Central Library building that has served as the Queens Family Courthouse for the past 30 years because it wants to conserve capital funds for about 65 other projects across the borough, library officials said. Comment

Cash prizes, medals and certificates will be awarded. The event will also feature a unique bull’s-eye darts championship. Comment

When Thurgood Marshall, the first black U.S. Supreme Court justice, grew up in Baltimore in the early 1900s, the city leaders proudly proclaimed it a "white city" and more than 100 black people were lynched a year. Comment

Two Democratic city councilmen from Queens who voted against Mayor Bloomberg's property tax hike were told their official parking permits were being temporarily withheld last week, a move that one is saying is payback for their votes. Comment

District 29 parents voiced their support for the proposed curriculum at the three new schools set to open in September, but many are concerned the plan could change if Chancellor Joel Klein's plan to reorganize the administration moves forward. Comment

Cosmo Plumbing held on to defeat Berardi Bakery, 16-12. Cosmo Plumbing’s offense was led by Christine McGrory’s 8 points, with help from Jaclyn Kulogowski and Jenna Fogelman. Comment

A retired air marshal and owner of a chain of music stores shot and killed one of two burglars outside his Briarwood home on Monday morning after the intruder allegedly pointed a gun at him, police said. Comment

Queens legislators weighed in on how mental health services could be funded in a time of record-tight budgets at the city and state levels during a roundtable discussion Friday hosted by Pride of Judea Community Services in Douglaston. Comment

"The first time I got on the ice, I took off," said the 14-year-old Little Neck resident, who has been skating since she was 5. Comment

As the winter drags on, long nights mean the continual search for blankets, food and clothing for the homeless of Flushing Meadows Corona Park. Comment

For Ellen Alexander and Johanna Hirsch Liebmann, volunteering at the Holocaust Resource Center and Archives is more than just putting together exhibits and organizing mailings. Comment

With the threat of war imminent, St. John’s University opened an exhibit last week featuring works of combat artists who documented the atomic bombings in Japan, the Pacific and the Nevada desert. Comment

As the result of a legislative initiative last year by state Sen. Frank Padavan (R-Bellerose) and Assemblywoman Ann Margaret Carrozza (D-Bayside), the 40-year-old Clearview Expressway now commemorates one of the most valorous military units in U.S. history, a unit of foot soldiers who originally left all walks of life in New York City to serve their country. Comment

Gov. George Pataki has hailed the Bush administration’s go-ahead to provide more funding for the EastSide Access project that would bring Long Island Rail Road trains into Grand Central Terminal. Comment

MTA Comment

City Council Comment

103rd Precinct Comment

Queens Members of the City Council Comment

Howard Beach Comment

Queensborough Community College Comment

Juniper Park Civic Association Comment

      The United Black Men of Queens County Comment

Boy Scouts of America, Greater New York Councils Comment

Forest Hills Health Online Comment

Forest Hills Country Club Comment

By Comment

Paws for Love Comment

LN/D Community Ambulance Corps, Inc Comment

Jamaica High School Comment

Jamaica YMCA Comment

National Association of Black Accountants Comment

Bayswater Players Comment

Solomon Schechter School of Queens Comment

The Forest Hills Jewish Center Comment

Tom Manton Comment

By Comment

Colden Center for the Performing Arts Comment

American Museum of the Moving Image Comment

Long Island Jewish Medical Center Comment

By Comment

Senate Comment

      New York Mets Comment

Independent Arts Gallery Comment

By Comment