Queens Chronicle South Edition 03-07-24

Council makes faulty battery rules stricter

Businesses would need proof that products are UL-certified; higher fines

by Sophie Krichevsky Associate Editor

The City Council last Wednesday passed two bills designed to taper the proliferation of uncertified lithium-ion batteries. Often used to power off-brand e-bikes and e-mopeds, the faulty batteries have increasingly been found at the heart of devastating fires across the city in the last several years. Per City Council records, the number of fires caused by them went up nearly 20 percent from 2022 to 2023.

Intro. 19A requires all businesses online and brick-and-mortar — selling e-bikes or other micromobility devices powered by lithium-ion batteries to clearly display battery safety materials. Fines for violations would start at $150, and would be $250 for the second violation and $350 for all future ones. The bill stipulates that each day a violation continues would count as a separate infraction.

Intro. 21A amends a law enacted just last year that limited the sale, distribution and rental of electric micromobility devices to those that are powered by UL-certified lithium-ion b atteries. That was to be enforced

solely by the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. Under the amendment, the law could also be enforced by the FDNY.

Perhaps more significantly, the amended bill requires that online businesses post product certifications on their websites; brick-and-mortar businesses should have them on the batteries themselves or on packaging.

Fines for violations were raised from $1,000 to $2,000. The bill also requires all businesses to keep records of product certification for three years; those found out of compliance three times could see their premises sealed by the FDNY.

Councilmember Gale Brewer (D-Manhattan) was the primary sponsor of both bills; Councilmembers Lynn Schulman (D-Forest Hills) and Jim Gennaro (D-Hillcrest) co-sponsored both.

“These bills were the direct result of unsafe products being illegally sold,” Gennaro said in a statement, in part. “It was crucial we crack down on this by increasing fines and expanding FDNY’s ability to issue fines.”

“The stark uptick in fires caused

WOMEN'S IMAGING

by lithium-ion batteries is a threat to public safety,” Schulman agreed in a statement. “Throughout New York City these fires have cost lives, led to serious injuries and caused devastating damage — all of which is entirely preventable ... I’m proud to have supported legislation that will increase awareness and enforcement regarding these batteries so that we

can put an end to these tragedies.”

New Yorkers buying products using uncertified batteries online may not be dealing with a city-based business, however, stopping the city from enforcing record-keeping requirements in those cases. Asked about that, Sam Goldsmith, Brewer’s chief of staff, said that while city lawyers can send cease-and-desist

letters, the bill is not foolproof. “I won’t try to spin it — Intro. 21A isn’t going to stop all e-retailers from sending uncertified batteries to New York City,” he wrote in an email to the Chronicle. “But it’s a start, and it’s the best we can do locally when it comes to online sales.”

In one Queens enforcement action, the city last month raide d Wilson’s E-Bike Shop in Forest Hills as it was advertising itself as a “battery factory.” Though the owner, who declined to give his name, told the Chronicle that the “Fire Department lied,” at the time, when asked about the new legislation, he said he supported it. He added, however, that he thought it was “impossible” to prevent these fires, and said most occur “due to users’ failure” to use products “correctly and safely.”

Asked whether Mayor Adams intends to sign the bills into law, a City Hall spokesperson said in an email to the Chronicle, “We are pleased the Council is passing these common-sense bills that will help prevent unnecessary fatalities in our city.” Q

The number of fires caused by uncertified e-bike batteries increased by nearly 20 percent between 2022 and 2023. PHOTO BY MICHAEL SHAIN / FILE

Resorts World going all in on license pitch

Casino plans include 1,600 new hotel rooms, 7,000-seat arena, 10-acre park

by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor

Resorts World NYC last Thursday laid down its markers for the public — and the state — in its efforts to bring full casino gambling, 10,000 construction and permanent jobs and “a world-class entertainment resort” to South Ozone Park.

Resorts World is pursuing one of three downstate casino licenses that have been approved by the state Legislature but have yet to be awarded.

Officials of the international gaming giant were joined in the lobby of their complex next to Aqueduct Race Track by government officials from Queens as well as celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, who has agreed to bring a restaurant to the proposed project. There also was a reception hosted by hip-hop artist and Queens native Nas.

rooms at the Hyatt Regency; and 10 acres of publicly accessible open space.

Robert DeSalvio, president and CEO of Genting Americas East, which operates Resort World NYC, said the site already has pumped billions into the state economy, particularly for education funding. Speaking with the Chronicle after the press conference, he said there would be no need for downtime between receiving a state license and breaking out the shovels and hammers.

“We could begin immediately,” DeSalvio said. “You heard me say we could have full table gaming up in six months. It could take three to four years to build it out fully, but we could start right away.”

Included in what the company is calling a $5 billion investment in Southeast Queens and the city would be a 7,000-seat arena; a combined 350,000 square feet for entertainment, meeting and conference space; a 1,600-room Crockfords luxury hotel on top of the 400 existing

State Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Woodhaven) is chairman of the Senate’s Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee. He also is about as staunch an advocate for a full Resorts World casino as DeSalvio.

The senator said as of now there is no hint of when decision will be made.

“That’s the frustrating thing — there’s no timeline yet,” Addabbo

said. “Some of the proposals need things like zoning issues which the state would like to see cleared up. I’ve told the state they can’t wait forever.”

New York Mets owner Steve Cohen, who is seeking his own casino license for what is now the parking lot at Citi Field, did not need to be mentioned by name when Addabbo was asked if Queens could sup-

port two casinos. “Somebody would have to make that case,” he said.

Betty Braton, chairwoman of Community Board 10, said Resorts World has proven to be an outstanding member of the community since opening; something she said the state should take into account.

“Who’d have thunk it in 2010 when we stepped outside for the

groundbreaking?” Braton asked. “It was hard to envision what we would see. It was a leap of faith, as I’ve said before, and that faith was wellplaced. Resorts World has been a true corporate citizen in the best way. We have a proven entity. Everywhere else where there is a proposal, it is a new thing. Our community knows what we are gonna get. The

continued on page 6

BP hosts Q-and-A for District 6, 9 residents

Richards

brings in city department representatives for town hall meeting

by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor

Borough President Donovan Richards brought Community Boards 6 and 9 together with the NYPD and numerous city agencies at Borough Hall on Feb. 29 as part of his Borough Hall on Your Block initiative for central Queens.

CB 6 serves the neighborhoods of Forest Hills and Rego Park. CB 9 serves Kew Gardens, Richmond Hill, Woodhaven and Ozone Park.

Joining Richards before an audience of nearly 200 were NYPD Deputy Inspector Jeremy Kivlin, commanding officer of the 102nd Precinct, and Capt. David Cordano, CO in the 112th; as well as Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Fresh Meadows)

Also on hand were representatives of the city’s departments of Parks, Transportation, Sanitation, Buildings, Health and Mental Hygiene, Social Services and Environmental Protection.

Audience members were asked to submit any questions they had on index cards. Kivlin and Cordano got a fair share of attention for topics ranging from quality-of-life complaints to illegal marijuana shops.

Cordano said police do make undercover visits to shops suspected of selling contraband.

“We see if they are selling to minors,” he said.

Kivlin, addressing questions about loud music and parties, said they have had success, though a

continued on page 6

Genting and Resorts World NYC have grand plans for their corner of South Ozone Park should the state grant a full gaming license. IMAGE COURTESY PERKINS EASTMAN / RESORTS WORLD NYC

Chef Marcus Samuelsson

PHOTO BY MICHAEL GANNON

Deputy Inspector Jeremy Kivlin of the 102nd Precinct, left, Capt. David Cordano of the 112th Precinct and Borough President Donovan Richards joined representatives from city departments at Borough Hall on Feb. 29 to take questions from residents of Community Districts 6 and 9. QUEENS BP PHOTO / X

Crime down by a ‘razor-thin’ margin

Spikes in robberies, grand larcenies give 102nd Pct. ‘a lot of work to do’

by Oona Milliken Chronicle Contributor

Crime in the 102nd Precinct is lower than it was in 2023 but not by a whole lot, according to Deputy Inspector Jeremy Kivlin, the commanding officer.

In comparison to this time last year, overall crime reports in the seven closely tracked categories have sunk by a meager 0.47 percent. However, robberies have increased from one incident by this time last year to five in the same time period in 2024.

“We’re seeing spikes in robberies, we’re seeing spikes in grand larcenies,” Kivlin said at the Precinct Community Council meeting Tuesday. “We’re razor-thin versus last year. Right now, we are down for the year but it’s really a little less than 1 percent, so we’re hanging in there but we have a lot of work to do.”

In particular, Kivlin said NYPD is focusing on a hot-spot area of Jamaica Avenue in Woodhaven between 108th Street and the Van Wyck Expressway where multiple commercial and strong-arm robberies of civilians have taken place.

Despite the recent upticks in criminal incidents, felony assault, murder and auto thefts are all down in comparison to last year.

Grand theft auto was a particular issue for the 102 last year, according to Kivlin, but seems to have abated in 2024.

To combat the string of robberies along Jamaica, Kivlin said the 102nd’s Public Safety Team, dedicated to combating violent crime, has been posted along that particular part of the avenue. On Saturday, March 2, the NYPD got a call about shots fired in a restaurant on Jamaica Avenue, which is currently being investigated.

Capt. Hank Yeager, head of Highway Patrol Unit 3, also spoke at the community council meeting to give a traffic update of Queens highway patrol. Highway Patrol Unit 3 is a support unit whose jurisdiction includes all highways in the borough. He mostly spoke of the Van Wyck Expressway and Jackie Robinson Parkway in the area, as well as the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.

Due to construction on the Van Wyck and Jackie Robinson, traffic has been too slow for any real accidents to occur, Yeager said.

There have been two fatal collisions on Queens highways since the start of the year, he reported, the most deadly being a crash in Whitestone Jan. 1 in which all five passengers in one vehicle lost their lives. The other fatality of the year is still under investigation, but Yeager said initial findings point to the driver experiencing a cardiac event behind the wheel.

Two community members, one civilian and one on the force, were awarded at the meeting.

Diana Conde won the Civilian of the Month award for being a positive, calm and welcoming community assistant for the 102nd Precinct. To show appreciation for Conde, Kivlin read several reviews and comments about her work in dealing with people who entered the precinct.

Richards hosts town hall

continued from page 4

recent court case has made it more difficult if said party or music is on private property or inside a private home.

Music from concerts at Forest Hills Stadium, owned by the West Side Tennis Club, had both harsh critics and staunch defenders in the crowd.

Some residents who live near the stadium have gone to court, saying the noise from the concerts, alleged broken promises on concert night curfews and the increase in the number of concerts have been harmful.

Others pointed to the quality of the entertainers and the positive impact on area businesses around the stadium since concerts returned 10 years ago.

Richards, following input from the DEP,

DOT and police, said he would be perfectly willing to sit down with both sides and try to find a solution — provided both act in good faith.

“I

don’t want to be

in a room with people at each other’s throats,” he said.

In regard to getting street trees pruned, the Parks and Recreation representative said the borough is divided into seven sections, all serviced on rotating basis.

Going back to Forest Hills specifically, Craig Chin, a planner with the Queens office of the DOT, said the department is studying a request from Board 6 to consider changes that would remove or greatly restrict vehicular traffic on some or all of Austin Street; and that the department will make recommendations in the future. Q

“People are more often than not making negative comments. That’s just the way of life and just how we are. So, when you see overwhelming positive comments [about someone] that really says something,” Kivlin said.

In keeping with Yeager’s talk about traffic

safety, the 102 awarded Cop of the Month to Officer Wayne Mccloud, a part of the precinct’s traffic team. Mccloud is a five-year veteran of the NYPD and made 10 arrests in the month for traffic violations and crimes such as driving while intoxicated and driving with a suspended license. Q

Resorts World states its case

continued from page 4

State of New York State knows what it is gonna get.”

Borough President Donovan Richards went into hard specifics.

“There’s a big difference between jobs and careers,” Richards said. “Resorts World has created careers. Sen. Addabbo and I talk about the days of Hurricane Sandy in the Rockaways when we were devastated and we needed to get food on the table for our residents. Resorts World was providing food every single day.

“Then we needed assistance with Covid19 for testing and the vaccinations, and this institution opened its doors for the community.”

Assemblywoman

said he is savoring the opportunity to open a new restaurant in an expanded site.

“As you drive through Queens, you see all these amazing restaurants, all these mom-and-pops,” he said. “Ask chefs, not just in New York, but across the country, and they’ll tell you that Queens is the most delicious borough ... Thank you for the opportunity to participate and to continue to make the most delicious borough the most diverse and most exciting of all.”

“Queens is the most delicious borough.”

— Chef Marcus Samuelsson

Stacey Pheffer-Amato (D-Howard Beach) called for a show of hands from the numerous Resorts World employees working at or near last week’s presentation.

“How many of you have been working for Resorts World for 12 years?” she asked.

The hands were numerous.

“Look round,” she said. ‘This is an investment in good jobs for our community It’s an opportunity ... Now go get that gaming license.”

Samuelsson, proprietor of Red Rooster in Harlem and other acclaimed restaurants,

Genting officials also said Resorts World is pledging $50 million for Genting Innovation Campus, which would include a community health center and a Queens STEAM Institute, geared to students with talents in science, technology, the arts, engineering and math.

DeSalvio also floated a proposal for the adjacent state-owned Aqueduct Race Track property. The state has targeted Aqueduct for elimination once renovations are completed at Belmont Park in Nassau County, possibly by next year.

The proposal, should Resorts World be able to acquire the land, would have 3,000 units of “workforce housing,” 50 acres of park space and mass transit improvements for travel between Manhattan and John F. Kennedy International Airport. Q

Diana Conde was named the Civilian of the Month in the 102nd Precinct, receiving her award at Tuesday’s community council meeting. She is joined above by family and officials including Deputy Inspector Jeremy Kivlin, the commander, in uniform, and council President Simcha Waisman, second from right. The Cop of the Month was Officer Wayne Mccloud, who was joined by his girlfriend at the presentation.

PHOTOS BY OONA MILLIKEN

Sanctuary laws are here to stay, says speaker

Mayor wants communication to open up with ICE for major migrant crime

by Naeisha Rose Associate Editor

“This city must be safe,” said Mayor Adams during a segment with CBS News on Feb. 28, which is a sentiment he reiterated over the past few weeks during several interviews and briefings in regard to opening up the line of communication with ICE when it comes to asylum seekers and other migrants who commit major crimes or are repeat offenders.

The Mayor’s Office told the Queens Chronicle Monday that he has been clear on the city being and remaining a sanctuary city and he doesn’t want people, regardless of their immigration status to be fearful of seeking help from the police, but his reference to Immigration and Customs Enforcement is solely in relation to those who commit major felonies or repeatedly commit crimes.

“I don’t believe people who are violent in our city and commit repeated crimes should have the privilege of being in our city,” Adams said to CBS.

This comes on the heels of six migrant men being indicted for the assault of two police officers in Manhattan on Jan. 27.

The City reported, that despite the damning accusations, recently released officer body camera videos and surveillance footage paints a picture of the men allegedly being hassled by police while standing near a street corner, not sitting on the ground blocking a sidewalk, which was a point of contention, and walking away only for one, Yohenry Brito, 24, to be allegedly grabbed by the collar and rammed into a wall by one of the cops.

After being rammed to the wall, he fell to the ground with an officer allegedly on top of him. It appears in the footage that the migrant men turned back and started kicking and grabbing both officers in an attempt to free him, the outlet continued.

Aside from that, there have been incidents of violent crime allegedly committed by migrants, including assault and robberies, in Queens, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Manhattan.

In a sitdown interview on March 3 with Rosanno Scotto of Fox News, Adams said that the sanctuary city law must be “modified.”

His office, when asked what steps he might take to modify the law, said the City Council makes the laws and

the administration implements them.

In comments she made Feb. 8, Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (D-Jamaica) said the City Council has no plans to revisit the laws.

“We are not looking to interfering with any state or federal law,” Adams said. “Individuals should see due process. That is where the Council is right now.”

She was asked if the mayor’s prior remarks about an immigrant crime wave cause fearmongering. “I don’t know his intent,” she said. “I can only say that remarks like that and others tend to damage and absolutely muddy the waters when it comes to perception around asylum seekers and migrants.”

The speaker said the fervor caused by the comments can be damaging to the climate in the city, later citing the Curtis Sliwa incident.

Last month, Sliwa, the leader of the Guardian Angels, and other members of the organization, accused a man of

being a shoplifting Venezuelan migrant and allegedly attacked him on live TV. Marco Pina, 22, is a Mexican DACA recipient who has been living in the U.S. for 20 years. Police found no evidence of shoplifting, reported the Daily News. The Bronx man has since filed a lawsuit.

“The rush to broadly demonize asylum seekers and immigrants is dangerous on many, many levels,” Adams said. “So called sanctuary policies have no bearing at all on how crime is prosecuted. They don’t conceal or shelter people from detection, nor do they shield people from deportation or prosecution for criminal activities.”

The Legal Aid Society and defender services for Brooklyn, Manhattan, Harlem in particular and Queens said in a joint statement that what the mayor seeks would result in local law enforcement being able to transfer New Yorkers merely suspected of a crime to ICE, upending criminal court

proceedings while perpetuating family separation, which could divide communities.

“Our detainer law is based on the principles of due process and the orderly administration of justice. These protections aim to ensure that New York City complies with the constitutional requirement of probable cause when working with ICE to detain someone. This allows people, many of whom have been targeted by our city’s racist policing policies, to remain in New York City to fight their cases rather than be turned over to ICE officials,” said the joint statement.

The groups would instead prefer that the mayor support Intros. 185, 184 and 158, which limit communication between the city Department of Correction and ICE, limit the NYPD’s ability to hold people on immigration detainers and create a way for immigrants who have been harmed by violations of the law to seek justice, respectively.

Aracelia Cook, president of the 149th Street South Ozone Park Civic Association, sides with the mayor.

continued on page 16

Mayor Adams, left, and Council Speaker Adrienne Adams. FILE

EDITORIAL AGEP For an accessible JH Post Office

The Postal Service is not legally required to install a ramp for those with mobility issues at the Jackson Heights Post Office, but it would be the right thing to do. Too bad that doesn’t seem to count for much.

It was a whole year ago that Rep. Grace Meng, Democrat of Flushing, led area elected officials in writing the postmaster general about the need for a ramp to make the post office accessible (the area where the building is located only became part of her district in January 2023 after redistricting). “For years, Jackson Heights residents have b een urging the USPS to make their post office fully accessible, allowing people with disabilities, older community members, and people with strollers to enter the building safely,” the letter reads.

Not only is no ramp forthcoming, the postmaster general, Louis DeJoy, will not even give the congresswoman the time of day. She’s been trying to get some phone time with him, but, as a press release she issued said, “DeJoy refused to take her call. His office told Meng that she could instead talk to a government liaison.”

(We’d say, “Welcome to our world,” but we actually do speak with Meng at times; it’s those city departments

where we usually can only get spokespersons, who often don’t want to be quoted, despite being spokespersons!)

Perhaps DeJoy is busy calculating the next increase in the price of stamps. His agency is a fiscal wreck, after all.

The USPS notes that it does not have to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 but only with the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968. That means that since the building predates 1969 and has not undergone “certain types of alterations” since then, it does not have to be accessible. Well, isn’t that special? That doesn’t help the person who uses a wheelchair and just wants to send out his or her packages the same as everyone else. And those laws were enacted by the same government that forbids you from opening a public facility that is not accessible.

During the last city election cycle, early voting was held in the building where the Queens Chronicle is located. Even though there are concrete ramps leading to the front door, management had to install a temporary metal ramp with a different angle of incline so people could vote.

And all that time, as those with mobility issues and everyone else came and went, the Jackson Heights Post Office remained inaccessible. That’s unacceptable.

Queens casino bets

The battle has been joined! The bet has been called. No longer is Steve Cohen the only deep-pocketed player at the table; now experienced operator Genting is also publicizing its bid for a lucrative casino license.

Genting is of course the international gambling firm that runs Resorts World New York City, the racino next door to Aqueduct Race Track in South Ozone Park. Last week it laid out its basic plans for a full casino operation with table games at the site, along with a bigger, better hotel, shopping, fine dining, green space and more. The track will be gone — the end of an era! — as the state moves horse racing there to Belmont Park. The renderings sparkle, with everyone at the pool looking very fit.

Cohen is the Mets owner, and hopes to build a broadly similar complex on what is now the Citi Field parking lot. His plan has been out for a while now. He faces the complication of needing a parkland alienation to go forward.

Both need a license, and only three will be given downstate. It’s unlikely two will go to Queens. Who will win? We can’t say, except for the people. Either project will mean thousands of new jobs. You bet we’ll take those!

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LETTERSTO THE EDITOR

A synagogue scarred

Dear Editor:

Thanks, Chronicle, for being there for us reporting the news of Queens. Thanks for making us aware of that terrible hate crime of proPalestinian graffiti found on a synagogue wall (“Pro-Palestine graffiti found at Bellerose Jewish Center,” March 1, qchron.com).

This hatred must stop, and deformation of holy places by those who do not care is an abomination indeed. Your paper is always for Israel and I appreciate that so much.

Cynthia Groopman Little Neck

Replace property taxes

Dear Editor:

New York residents get the benefit of services from the sanitation, fire and police, etc. If you are a renter, you also receive free water usage. However, if you are a homeowner, you pay, in addition to your mortgage, $9,000 to $15,000 a year in property taxes. So, what do you get for that? Absolutely nothing more than what any renter would get, plus you pay for your own water.

Yet our elected officials proclaim that shelter is a basic human right. Do you know that in New York State thousands of families have lost their homes due to nonpayment of as little as $10,000 in property taxes? Many fell behind

due to medical hardships. In addition to their homes being lost, the state heartlessly, after the debt had been paid, kept the additional equity so homeowners got absolutely zero compensation despite having made mortgage payments for 20 to 30 years. Fortunately, the U.S. Supreme Court deemed this practice unconstitutional and now the state has to catch up. (Arabella Saunders’ Jan. 12 article in New York Focus covers this shocking revelation in depth.) My question is, why did this have to go all the way to the Supreme Court in the first place?

Here’s the solution. Since everyone uses the municipal services, why not eliminate property taxes all together and create a residency tax for all to pay their fair share? Landlords, who raise rents to cover their property taxes, would have to lower rents accordingly. This would create more affordable housing.

Property owners should write to their state and local officials to eliminate the discriminatory form of taxation they pay. By the way,

when you buy a car you don’t pay taxes indefinitely, so why must you do so for shelter? And think about it: Do you own your home, or does the state?

Linda Carlson Woodside

Red-light cam jam

Dear Editor:

Safety is again being used as an excuse to raise city revenue. (“City seeking more red light cameras,” Feb. 29.) If it weren’t, there would be a half-second or one-second grace period for drivers misestimating the length of the amber light on a traffic signal, but that would cut revenue 50 percent since most of the fines are issued for going through the red in the first threetenths of a second.

The length of the amber signal varies so it is not always possible to accurately estimate its length. Robert Sinclair of AAA makes a good

LETTERSTO THE EDITOR

point in your article that the length of the amber signal should be set for the prevailing speed, not the speed limit. Even when driving at the speed limit, you frequently have to slam on the brakes if you are too close to the signal when it turns amber rather than come to a comfortable stop. That increases the likelihood of a rear-end collision, contributing to skyrocketing car insurance rates.

Since red-light cameras have generally been proven to increase safety, adding locations for them is not inherently bad, but the targets should be dangerous drivers, not innocent motorists misjudging the length of the amber signal, which is generally too short anyway. Many times it seems to be less than the required three-second minimum. I once photographed a signal that turned red in a quarter second.

Allan Rosen Brooklyn

Migrant voters vs. citizens

Dear Editor:

Yep, allowing noncitizens to vote for City Council, mayor and so on would indeed be unfair. Not just for the 21 percent of registered voters who cast ballots in NYC last mayoral election, but everybody.

With noncitizens voting, we may never have known a Mayor Bill de Blasio. Or Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. Where might social justice be if some contingent besides that wise fraction of our citizenry put in place a Manhattan district attorney other than the Sorosbacked defender of prosecutorial restraint we now take for granted?

Above all, swarms of hardworking, taxpaying, striving noncitizens may enthusiastically vote interests contrary to those of our leading lights, making troublesome demands like properly taxing elites. It is essential to nip this potential perversion of democracy right in the bud.

Edwin Eppich Glendale

Sanctuary and homicide

Dear Editor:

Our hearts go out to the family of Laken Riley of Georgia, who was brutally murdered, allegedly by illegal migrant Jose Antonio Ibarra. He was arrested in Queens on Aug. 31, 2023, but was released before Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials could file a request to ask local cops to hold him in custody.

Currently in New York we have had many assaults on our own police and citizens by illegal migrants, which has prompted Mayor Adams to rethink our so-called sanctuary city status, which was adopted in 1989 by executive order and a law in 2014 that prohibited the city from honoring ICE detainers if someone is suspected of a crime, or even convicted.

City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams has made it clear that her members would not even consider re-examining these policies.

Who exactly do our elected representatives represent if not the citizens of New York, whose safety is jeopardized every day because they won’t do their job? If they did, Laken Riley would be alive today.

Speak up and vote them out of office.

Thomas and Constance Dowd Oakland Gardens

No-good Congress

Dear Editor:

The worst return on investment for the American taxpayers is the value they get from a do-nothing Congress. Considering taxpayers pay salaries for 100 senators and 435 representatives, along with their staff, office expenses, travel and other perquisites, that governmental body is woefully nonproductive.

Serious debate and compromise among politicians working to the benefit of their constituents is nonexistent. Partisan intransigence puts the party before the constituents. This nation needs a Congress that functions for the benefit of the people. Deliberately deferring votes on critical issues is a dereliction of duty, which is what inconsequential idlers do while still collecting a paycheck.

Glenn Hayes Kew Gardens

My primary solution

Dear Editor:

A political primary is a preliminary election in which registered voters nominate candidates for office. The key word here is preliminary.

The current system allows small states such as Iowa and New Hampshire (assisted by the media) to award frontrunner status to the victorious candidate. From there the candidates travel a path determined by which states wants to “leafrog” the others by moving up their primary dates. Candidates are whisked across the country without any real ability to distinguish regional issues from national issues.

If the primary process were organized on a regional basis, candidates would be able to study the regional issues and then receive votes based on the solutions they propose. A regional approach would also prevent a premature selection of a frontrunner because success in one region would not guarantee success in the next region. Each state would still have a say all the way down to the end. Finally, the number of delegates awarded in each state should be determined by the percentage of votes won by each candidate. And yes, convert the caucuses to primaries.

The primaries should occur between January and June. Each of the six regions would be assigned a particular month. A lottery would determine when each region holds its primaries. An example illustrates the format:

January — Middle West (9): Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Wisconsin.

February — Southern (8): Alabama, Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia.

March — Atlantic (8): Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina.

April — New England (8): Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont.

May — Northwestern (9): Alaska, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Washington, Wyoming.

June — Southwestern (9): Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah.

Joe

Contentious pricing hearing at MTA HQ

Supporters, opponents of Manhattan toll dig in at hybrid public hearing

by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor

The second of four public hearings on congestion pricing took place last Friday and some in attendance questioned whether the intent of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and its request for public input were genuine.

“Am I talking to people who already have counted and spent the money they’re hoping to take from me?” asked Thomas Laskaris, a delivery driver, in the hearing carried on Zoom. “I would hope not.”

“I feel this congestion pricing law was pushed through as a predetermined outcome,” added Elizabeth Chan one speaker later.

much to adjust it.”

The system as now planned calls for a basic fee of $15 for cars, and $24 or $36 for trucks. There are more than two dozen variations, including nighttime discounts and credits for some tolled crossings into Manhattan. Those without E-ZPass will pay more.

Pending the outcome of four federal lawsuits, implementation is tentatively set for June. The stated aims are to collect $1 billion per year for the MTA’s mass transit capital fund; and to reduce traffic congestion and pollution from Manhattan’s Central Business District. Two meetings were held Monday.

“The best tool on a fire truck is a well-rested firefighter.”

— Andrew Ansbro, president, Uniformed Firefighters Association

MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber would not go that far. But during a break in the March 1 proceedings he was quoted by the New York Post as saying a toll to travel into Manhattan below 60th Street is coming in some fashion.

“This is not about whether we’re doing congestion pricing or not,” the paper quoted Lieber as saying. “It’s about [whether] the proposed toll structure makes sense and how

Friday’s speakers who favored the toll said it is necessary for public health and the environment, as it will encourage use of mass transit where it is available. Opponents largely cited economic hardship that will be imposed on those who live in the toll zone or others who have little or no choice but to drive.

FDNY firefighters were out in numbers.

Andrew Ansbro, president of the Uniformed Firefighters Association, said firefighters need an exemption, as they are often required to

Breast health lesson at JAHS

The Maurer Foundation, a Long Islandbased nonprofit focused on breast health education, is expanding its programs into Queens and gave a presentation to students at John Adams High School in Ozone Park on Feb. 25.

The program, presented in both English and Spanish, was made possible by state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. It was well-received.

“What a wonderful program this is,” said John Adams Principal Pedro Cubero, center, joined by Maurer Foundation program educator Megan DiDominica and JAHS Assistant Principal Scott Silverman. “Their mission is to save lives through breast health education that focuses on breast cancer

prevention, early detection, risk reduction and healthy lifestyle choices. But to see this in action is quite amazing.”

The foundation said the students were very engaged and asked a lot of great questions. When asked what they enjoyed the most, one student replied, “Knowing that I can potentially save a life, including my own, just by simply using the prevention techniques we learned today.”

Based in Melville and found online at maurerfoundation.org, the organization says it has reached nearly 480,000 high school and college students, parents, coworkers and neighbors since 1995.

— Peter C. Mastrosimone

use their own vehicles after reporting to work and getting assigned to another firehouse, depending on staffing needs and a firefighter’s specialized training.

“The firefighter’s bag could weigh anywhere from 50 to 80 pounds,” Ansbro said. “I don’t think anyone here thinks it is safe for a New York City firefighter to carry the bag from the firehouse down to the subway, in the subway and — after a half an hour to an hour CrossFit session — show up to the firehouse and fight a fire to full capacity.

“The best tool on a fire truck is a well-rested firefighter,” Ansbro said. “That’s why the city allows us to take out own vehicles.”

Michael Schreiber, health and safety officer for the UFA, said firefighters’ bags also would be bringing stowaways onto a bus or subway with them in the form of cancer-causing substances and compounds that embed themselves in and on equipment bags and bunker coats — and diffuse into the air.

“Arsenic, asbestos, benzene, dioxins, flame retardants, formaldehyde, PCBs, PHSs ...” Schreiber said. “These are the chemicals that are going to be on every bus, every subway, contacting every New Yorker.”

Firefighter Christopher Jensen said building security personnel at MTA headquarters asked firefighters not to bring their equipment bags inside for Friday’s hearing.

“Rightly,” Jensen said.

Ansbro cited the MTA’s own rules of conduct.

“You have a $75 fine for carrying hazardous objects on a train or subway,” Ansbro said. “We consider these carcinogens to be hazardous. You probably would not want us bringing it there.”

Former Queens resident Kathleen Collins, a congenital quadruple amputee, backed the measure.

“For the past 40 years I have paid taxes on the federal, state and local level for many services I cannot access,” Collins said. “But I am willing to pay because I know the end game is an accessible subway system, something I’ve

dreamed about since I was a little girl. I may not see the creation of an accessible subway system, but I am willing to pay for it so the future disabled New Yorkers can use the subway system like everyone else.”

Some residents fear recent carveouts for people traveling to and from medical treatment may not go for enough.

“The entire medical base that serves me is in Manhattan,” said Jack Gastel of Forest Hills. “I have mobility issues. It is already expensive for me to get to my doctors. This will make it worse. I think you need some accommodation for people such as myself who want to keep seeing the doctors they’ve had for maybe half their lives without incurring additional costs.”

And Gastel was far from the only speaker to point out that the practice of removing traffic lanes for bus lanes and bike lanes — while seeing tens of thousands of Uber, Lyft and other for-hire vehicles added — just might explain increased congestion, particularly as one heads farther downtown.

Among the elected officials who testified, Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani (D-Astoria) advocated tens of millions in new state funding to expand and improve existing mass transit service, funding that thus far has not been attached to congestion pricing legislation since it passed in Albany in 2019.

“[W]e won’t get congestion pricing right just by making driving more expensive without offering New Yorkers better public transit than they have today,” Mamdani said.

The assemblyman also called for an exemption for yellow cabs, saying their fares still are 50 percent below pre-Covid numbers; and that they still are suffering from the taxi medallion crisis “that was created by city policies.”

State Sen. Jessica Ramos (D-Jackson Heights), who said she doesn’t have a driver’s license, said the city is “a day closer to funding the capital plan, reducing traffic and delivering the mass transit system New Yorkers desire.” Q

PHOTO COURTESY MAURER

Forest Hills resident Jack Gastel, left, and former Queens resident Kathleen Collins have distinctly different positions on the state’s congestion pricing proposal. MTA SCREEENSHOTS / ZOOM

Construction Laborer Apprentices Sought

The Local 1010 Joint Apprenticeship Committee will conduct a limited recruitment for 12 Skilled Construction Craft Laborer Apprentices. Applications will be available from March 25 through April 5, 2024 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at:

Local 1010 JAC

17-20 Whitestone Expressway, 3rd floor Whitestone, NY 11357

Applications must be returned to the same offi ce during the above business hours until 1:00 p.m. on April 12, 2024. All applications must be obtained and submitted by the applicant in person. The applications will be available until April 5, 2024 or until 80 applications have been distributed, whichever happens first. Only 80 applications will be distributed, on a first-come basis.

Applicants must be:

• at least 18 years old; and

• physically able to perform the work required of a Skilled Construction Craft Laborer and endure strenuous exertion and exposure to the elements.

Applicants should note:

• no specific education level is required; however, a higher level of education may increase the applicant’s score and placement on the rank list.

• proof of education, if any, must be submitted at the time of the interview to be considered.

• a minimum physical condition test will be scheduled at the time the completed application form is submitted.

• the minimum physical conditions test will consist of:

- wheeling a wheelbarrow loaded with 150 pounds to a flat distance of 300 feet;

- lifting a 90-pound cement bag and carrying it to a distance of 100 feet,

- carrying framing wood for a distance of 100 feet, - digging a one square foot hole to a depth of one foot; and - mixing sand and cement, as instructed.

For further information, applicants should contact the 1010 JAC at (718) 886-3310.

Local 1010 JAC is committed to provide equal employment opportunity to all people without discrimination because of race, gender and/or gender identity or expression, color, creed, religion, age, national origin, ethnicity, disability, veteran or military status, sex, sexual orientation, partnership status, pregnancy or child birth (including related medical conditions), genetic information, reproductive health decision making, marital or parental status, alienage or citizenship status, domestic violence victim status, unemployment status, or on any other legally protected basis.

Borough Hall goes to Richmond Hill

BP allocates funds to renovate Rizzuto Park and discusses Van Wyck station

by Naeisha Rose Associate Editor

Borough President Donovan Richards spent six days last week in one section of Queens as part of his Borough Hall on Your Block program, a community initiative meant to engage with the public, learn more about the people’s needs and to share information about capital projects.

“My office’s time in Central Queens could not have been more fruitful,” Richards said in a statement. “This iteration of Borough Hall on Your Block was the most successful, energetic and well-attended one yet, and I’m thankful the families of Community Districts 6 and 9 helped make it so.”

One neighborhood Richards spent time in was Richmond Hill, where he announced upgrades to Phil Rizzuto Park last Friday. He also dropped by Richmond Hill High School for a Youth Opportunities Fair and Mixer, held mobile office hours at Chhaya Community Development Corp. and visited the Jamaica-Van Wyck subway station.

founder and executive director of the Southeast Queens Chamber of Commerce, told the Chronicle that she was pleased to hear about the borough president’s plans to increase safety and enhance the station, which has been an initiative she has longed advocated for.

“It’s a bit dark,” said Lord Marcelle about the subway station and triangle. “For the safety of everyone, we need more light.”

Lord Marcelle said there also need to be more patrols in the area for students and other straphangers at night because of the drug use in and outside the station. She wants the migrant children who sell candy at the station to be safe.

“For the safety of everyone, we need more light.”

— The Rev. Simone Lord Marcelle

“I believe that outreach will be necessary for all the drug addicts out there who need help ... instead of ignoring them,” she said. “We need social workers to help with homeless services. They don’t have a place to get mail to even get a food stamp card. They need to get access to services.”

At a press conference, he announced that $3 million will be allocated toward funding the renovation of the handball and basketball courts of Phil Rizzuto Park, located at the corner of 95th Avenue and 127th Street.

That same morning, the borough president hosted a fair at Richmond Hill High School, connecting students to information about the Summer Youth Employment Program so they could learn more about job, volunteer and internship opportunities.

The SYEP application period is open. To apply, visit application.nycsyep.com.

Organizations that partnered with Richards’ office included Commonpoint Queens, Queens Community House, Life Camp, Community Capacity Development, iMentor, the Queens Community Justice Center and South Asian Youth Action, amongst others, according to his office.

Richards’ Constituent Services department held mobile office hours at Chhaya, located at 121-18 Liberty Ave., to assist people with various issues. He also spoke with the NYPD and the city Department of Transportation to discuss measures to make improvements and increase public safety at the Jamaica Van Wyck subway station.

Adding lighting, beautifying the location, creating a maintenance plan for the triangle outside the station and providing social services for people who are unhoused, abusing drugs or are in need of assistance with mental help were some of the topics of his meeting with officials, according to his office.

The Rev. Simone Lord Marcelle, the

Lord Marcelle, a licensed naturopath, also suggested having a mobile van parked near the triangle with health providers to give health assessments and care packages to the homeless population.

“We need to get some outreach going and we need to acknowledge them,” she said. “We care about those people.”

Richards also held a roundtable last Monday with members of the South Asian-Indo Caribbean community at Richmond Hill Library. Issues discussed included sanitation services in the neighborhood and complaints around excessive noise such as loud music coming from homes, vehicles and car exhausts, according to his office.

The borough president closed out the event last Saturday by hosting an Immigrant Resource Fair at the food distribution center River Fund, located at 89-11 Lefferts Blvd.

At the center, attendees were able to connect with on-site providers offering services such as legal consultations, IDNYC appointments, health insurance, job training resources and more.

“I’m deeply grateful to our neighbors in Richmond Hill for being such engaged participants and active community members during our Borough Hall on Your Block: Central Queens initiative,” Richards said via email. “From investing $3 million into Phil Rizzuto Park to discussing quality-oflife concerns with local leaders to interacting with the brilliant students of Richmond Hill High School, last week was an informative one in Richmond Hill and I look forward to the work ahead in this dynamic community.” Q

New cancer equipment for Jamaica Hospital

BP Richards delivers $3M allocation toward state-of-the-art technology

by Naeisha Rose Associate Editor

Borough President Donovan Richards was at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center last Thursday, where he delivered $3 million toward funding a new state-of-the-art piece of equipment for the healthcare facility’s new cancer center.

“Thank you so much, Donovan, and welcome back,” said JHMC CEO Bruce Flanz to the borough president at a press conference held at the hospital, at 89-00 Van Wyck Expy. in Richmond Hill.

The funds will go toward JHMC’s first linear accelerator, which is used to deliver pinpoint external beam radiation treatments to cancerous tumors while preserving a patient’s healthy tissue

Dr. Sabiha Raoof, JHMC’s chief medical officer and a cancer survivor, was also grateful for the new technology.

“This is personal to me as well,” Raoof said. “I’ve gotten treatment at [Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center]. I’ve seen what the accelerator can provide and to bring that back to our patients is very, very personal to me.”

JHMC will now have radiation oncologists who are able to precisely target cancer cells with high energy X-rays.”

Before the procedure with the accelerator, medical staff will take high-resolution CT images so the radiation oncologist can precisely hit the tumor without affecting the healthy tissues.

“This is the best that is available in the market,” Raoof said.

Richards, who was born at the hospital, was very proud to have helped give back.

“It is great to be here today as we make our Queens healthcare system much, much stronger,” he said. “As the borough president — once again taking office at the height of the pandemic — I’ve made it my mission to root out certainly the disinvestment in this borough ... I know everyone in this room knows what Queens has gone through on the health front over the last few years.”

The City Council’s Queens Delegation under Speaker Adrienne Adams (D-Jamaica) provided the additional $2.4 million needed to buy and install the machine.

“The work that will be done in this space will be transformational.”

Created in partnership with MSK, a leader in cancer treatment, the new center is set to have a ribbon-cutting in a little over a month, said Flanz.

— Borough President Donovan Richards

There are three major treatments for cancer: surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, said Raoof.

“About half of the patients receive radiation therapy either alone or in conjunction with surgery and chemotherapy,” she said. “It is especially important in patient populations like ours because we have so many moderate conditions, that many times they are not surgical candidates. Unfortunately, currently we do not have this treatment modality available on our campus, so our patients have to be sent out.”

“With the linear accelerator, patients at

As it is for Raoof, the upgrade is personal to Richards.

“In my journey into politics in 2003, I got hired by [then-] Councilmember James Sanders and then a month later my grandmother passed away from cancer,” he said. “I spent a lot of time at Sloan Kettering and I did not have a car ... So really, this is a labor of love for me. Rest in peace to my grandmother and to my aunt Felicia, who also passed away.

“The bottom line is that you should not have to leave this borough to get the highest quality care ... This is about saving lives. We are going to save a lot more lives with this technology ... The work that will be done in this space will be transformational.”

During a tour of the new cancer care facility with Raoof and two oncologists, Drs. Jia Yee and Rosa Nouvini, Flanz said patients will be able to stay in their own rooms and

the healthcare providers will come to them.

“One stop,” the CEO added. “This will be very beneficial.”

Not only will patients get access to the oncology team, but also a palliative care team. If interested, they may get massage therapy and acupuncture in addition to their other treatments, he said.

“It’s to really make the patients comfortable,” Flanz added. “There’s also going to be a flat-screen TV in every room.”

Nouvini told the Chronicle that along with surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, patients can also be treated with immunotherapy and antibody drug conjugates.

“All standards of care treatments for cancer we have,” Nouvini said. “Radiation oncology is currently offsite, but we are going to bring it onsite.”

There is also an onsite nutritionist dedicated to the oncology program, said Nouvini.

“It is a critical piece to overall wellness during treatment,” she said.

The oncologist said the hospital’s focus is on the social drivers of health too.

“There are things like addressing transportation, social support, financial support, housing crises, food insecurity — all of those things,” Nouvini said. “We have a really robust team with social work patient naviga-

Sanctuary laws

continued from page 8

“I think that the problem is that when all of the migrants were brought in, they were not vetted,” Cook told the Chronicle. “They had no vetting process when they came in here, they got overwhelmed and the situation has gotten out of control now.”

Cook also said that when migrants leave the shelter system they simply end up on the streets because they do not know how to apply for temporary housing.

“Of course they are going to be on the streets doing whatever,” she said. “No, not every migrant is bad; however, those who are

tion, also in conjunction with our colleagues at MSK to develop a program to address all of these aspects.”

Flanz told the Chronicle that the pandemic highlighted the health inequities in Queens, and he is thrilled that teaming up with MSK will help close the gap in the borough’s access to high-quality cancer care treatment.

“I’ve been here for 49 years,” he said. “It’s so gratifying that something that I’ve been talking about for decades is now finally being appreciated for so many. I’m so glad we are able to provide these services to the people of this area.” Q

Corrections

The Feb. 15 article “‘Plugging the gaps’ in Southeast schools” misstated who encouraged Queens South High Schools Superintendent Josephine Van-Ess to become a teacher. It was a guidance counselor.

Also, the article was not clear that students from outside the district can take courses at schools with innovation labs; that District 29 Superintendent Crystal Bonds meant to say parents don’t always know what’s offered in district schools; and that Van-Ess is 16 years younger than Bonds.

We regret the errors. Q

committing these crimes repeatedly or felonies, they should be deported. We should not tolerate having them here. Now we have to pay for them and feed them while they are committing these crimes.”

She believes the incident with the police officers being attacked should have resulted in an immediate deportation.

Cook said there is also prostitution going on near the Jamaica hotel that’s being used as a migrant shelter.

“I’m pretty sure they are migrants,” Cook said. “We didn’t use to see that here before. You see them on the corner skimpily dressed by the hotel and these men are coming through there. This has been going on for months.” Q

Borough President Donovan Richards, left, allocated $3 million to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center toward a linear accelerator for cancer treatment at a press conference, attended by oncologist Dr. Rosa Nouvini, JHMC CEO Bruce Flanz and Chief Medical Officer Sabiha Raoof. PHOTO BY NAEISHA ROSE

Congressman - Fifth District of New York

Terminal 6 at JFK reaching to the sky

First anniversary of construction on $4.2B international terminal

by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor

The $19 billion reconstruction of John Kennedy International Airport passed an important milestone on Feb. 27, the first anniversary of the start of construction on the new Terminal 6.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the airport, and JFK Millennium Partners, the company selected to build and operate the terminal, said in a press release last week that construction of the $4.2 billion facility is on schedule.

The last steel beams are expected to be in place this summer, with the first gates to open in 2026.

“Watching the steel frame of a new Terminal 6 taking shape is a tangible sign that JFK’s transformation into a world-class global gateway is well underway,” PA Executive Director Rick Cotton said in a statement. “This magnificent new international terminal is a key component of the Port Authority’s $19 billion reimagining of John F. Kennedy International Airport, and it will bring unprecedented economic opportunities to the communities near the airport.”

JMP is developing Terminal 6 in two phases, with the first five gates opening in early 2026 and construction completion expected by 2028.

Lufthansa Group has announced it will move to the new terminal, operating flights to several European gateways and creating a world-class lounge experience for guests travelling on its group of airlines that includes Lufthansa, Swiss International Air Lines, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Air-

lines. JMP said “advanced discussions” with other air carriers are underway.

“To see our hardworking, talented team and partners develop the new JFK Terminal 6 from the ground up is tremendously exciting,” said George Casey, JFK Millennium Partners chairman and the chair and CEO of

Vantage Airport Group, which leads Terminal 6 development.

“With each construction milestone and this one-year mark, we’re closer to welcoming passengers to an extraordinary new airport facility that will provide tremendous benefits to the local community, city, and state that Terminal 6 will proudly serve,” Casey said.

Among the planned features and amenities are:

• 10 gates, nine of which will accommodate widebody aircraft;

• state-of-the-art automated baggage system, customs-border control facilities and the latest TSA screening technologies;

• the longest departures curb at JFK, with airline-branded passenger drop-off zones;

• up to five airline lounges, in addition to a new arrivals lounge;

• digital concierge services;

• a new ground transportation center and shared taxi stand with JFK International Airport’s Terminal 5;

• a curated collection of New York Cityinspired artwork featuring local and international artists, curated by the Public Art Fund in partnership with JMP and the Port Authority; and

• sustainably sourced building materials, rooftop solar power and energy-efficient systems and operating practices. Q

There

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•

•

•

•

•

The operators and builders at John F. Kennedy International Airport are celebrating the first anniversary of construction on what will be the new Terminal 6 in two years. IMAGE COURTESY JMP

Pro-Palestine graffiti found at Bellerose JC

Rabbi adamant incident was a hate crime; cops still investigating

by Sophie Krichevsky Associate Editor

An exterior wall of the Bellerose Jewish Center was discovered last Friday morning to have been vandalized with pro-Palestine graffiti.

Rabbi Menashe Bovit said the words “Free Palestine” were found to have been spray painted on the synagogue alleyway wall, opposite the wall of the Services Now for Adult Persons senior center next door, which had been spray painted with “Jews for Gaza.” The SNAP facility had been purchased from the congregation in 2013.

It is unclear whether the vandalism occurred early Friday or late Thursday, as the synagogue — which is in the process of being sold — does not have security cameras.

A spokesperson for the NYPD confirmed Bovit’s report, and said that the Hate Crimes Task Force had assessed the site. The spokesperson noted that police have neither deemed the incident a hate crime nor ruled it out as one, as the investigation is ongoing. It has, however, been classified as a case of “criminal mischief.”

Bovit, who described the graffiti as “antiIsrael and pro-Hamas” strongly objected to the fact that the incident has not, at this point, been deemed a hate crime.

“If they would have graffitied that on 7-Eleven, you can call that ‘criminal mischief,’

with Hamas, the terrorist group that governs the Gaza Strip, since Oct. 7, when Hamas launched an attack on Israel.

According to the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Dashboard, 136 hate crimes were reported in Queens from Jan. 1, 2023 through Dec. 30, 2023, the latest time for which figures were available. Of those 136, 59 were classified as being against Jewish people; 18 of those 59 occurred from Oct. 7 on. Though no hate crimes had been reported in the 105th Precinct, home to the Bellerose Jewish Center, since the beginning of the war, the 107th Precinct — which includes Kew Gardens Hills, one of the borough’s largest Orthodox Jewish enclaves — reported the most hate crimes of all Queens precincts with seven over that period, six of which were against Jews.

Meanwhile, five hate crimes were reported to have been committed against Muslim people in Queens all year, one being after Oct. 7.

MENASHE BOVIT

The walls of the Bellerose Jewish Center, left, and the Services Now For Adult Persons senior center, between which is an alley, were discovered last Friday to have been vandalized. The investigation remains ongoing.

I guess — that might be a hate crime, too,” he told the Chronicle. “But certainly going on a synagogue knowing that it’s meant to be a hateful message towards Jews, that’s certainly a hate crime, isn’t that?”

“‘Jews for Gaza’ is meant to be specifically poking in the eyes of the Jew,” he added later.

Holden: pot sweep ‘a rude awakening’

by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor

City Councilman Bob Holden (D-Maspeth) admits even he was surprised on Tuesday when he accompanied authorities on a raid of alleged illegal marijuana shops on Metropolitan Avenue in Middle Village.

Holden joined a combined effort that included the New York City Sheriff’s Office, the NYPD and the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.

The story was first reported Tuesday evening by the New York Post.

“We had wanted to get together with the sheriff for some time now,” Holden told the Chronicle Wednesday afternoon.

“They have a lot of prep work to do. It’s a big operation.”

The sweeps took place at a storefront called “Gas City Members Lounge” at 73-12 Metropolitan Ave., and a few doors down at Metro King Deli Corp. at 73-02.

The office of Sheriff Anthony Miranda could not be reached prior to the Chronicle’s deadline on Wednesday.

“It was a rude awakening; it was blatant,” Holden said.

He said the deli did look to function as a luncheonette or bodega, with alleged contraband concealed from obvious view.

Gas City, Holden said, was different.

“It’s a stand-alone pot store,” he said. “You could see everything from the street. I can’t believe they were so blunt about this.”

The Chronicle left messages at both businesses on Wednesday, with the call to Gas City going to voicemail. The Post reported that both were temporarily closed, but people did answer the phone at the deli Wednesday afternoon and took a message.

Holden said officers allegedly identified hallucinogens and items purportedly packaged to resemble candy along with marijuana at Gas City.

He also said the Gas City shop had a basement lounge where people could partake of their purchases.

“We’ve kind of hit rock bottom,” Holden said, aiming his ire at elected officials who voted to legalize marijuana without proper safeguards in place.

“How could the state legalize pot without setting up the infrastructure first?” Q

Corey Bearak, who chairs the Northeast Queens Jewish Community Council, was similarly upset by the vandalism. “It’s on a synagogue building and on a building that used to be a synagogue building,” he said. “That makes it a hate crime.”

The incident comes as Israel has been at war

Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Nassau, Queens) condemned the incident in a post to X last Friday. “Cowardly, irresponsible thugs defaced the Bellerose Jewish Center last night,” he wrote. “Our good friends in the 105th Precinct of the NYPD must investigate and bring these criminals to justice. Hate has no home here.”

As of press time Wednesday, another NYPD spokesperson said, the investigation remained ongoing, with no person of interest thus far. Q

NYCFC stadium plan clears major hurdle

by Sophie Krichevsky Associate Editor

The City Planning Commission on Wednesday unanimously voted to approve the proposed New York City Football Club stadium and 1,400 units of affordable housing at Willets Point.

NYCFC Vice Chairman Marty Edelman applauded the move in a statement. “NYCFC committed 10 years ago to build our stadium in the five boroughs, and today’s vote gets us one step closer to bringing this promise to life in Queens — the World’s Borough will be our home for The World’s Game,” he said.

The plan is part of Phase 2 of the Willets Point Redevelopment Project, which includes the stadium, the affordable housing and a 250-key hotel.

That’s on top of the 1,100 units being built as part of Phase 1. Work on the first building, which accounts for 880 of those apartments, began in December. The site — located at the northeast corner of Roosevelt Avenue and Seaver Way — underwent immense environmental remediation before that. Phase 1 also includes retail space and a 650-seat school.

Phase 2 had been approved previously by both Borough President Donovan Richards and Community Board 7. One of the conditions of the panel’s approval was that NYCFC come to an agreement with the Mets so that fans could use Citi Field parking on game days. Spokespeople for both the city’s Economic Development Corp. and NYCFC said the two parties are working toward an agreement; the NYCFC spokesperson said the deal was being finalized, but that nothing had been signed. That’s the same thing CB 7 was told back in December.

The City Council has 50 days to review and vote on the matter, at which point the Mayor Adams would give his yea or nay; he has spoken highly of the project.

The plan is likely to pass in the Council; its tradition of member deference when voting on local zoning issues means lawmakers would look to Councilmember Francisco Moya (D-Corona), whose district includes Willets Point and who has been a staunch advocate for the project. Moya said he was “thrilled” by Wednesday’s vote in a statement, calling the project “a game-changer.” Q

PHOTOS COURTESY RABBI

Are Americans financially educated on retirement savings ?

Financial education helps people learn about savings, credit, and loans. It also helps them prepare for life changes and the unexpected. When planning for retirement, financial knowledge is essential.

So, how prepared are adults in the United States for their retirement? The National Endowment for Financial Education conducts polls on how retirement savings affect people’s financial well-being.

Here’s what we have learned:

• In a financial well-being poll conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, 85 percent of respondents confirmed that some aspect of their personal finances was causing them stress. For 31 percent of respondents, that concern was “having enough saved for retirement.”

• In that same poll, 70 percent said they

made financial adjustments due to the COVID19 pandemic. Of that group, 27 percent increased contributions to their emergency savings, retirement savings, or other savings or investments. In comparison, 21 percent tapped into emergency savings — or borrowed against retirement savings.

• In a poll about financial education mandates, 80 percent of adults said they wish they were required to complete a semester- or yearlong course focused on personal finance education during high school. Also, 88 percent think their state should require a semester- or year-long course for high school graduation.

• In that same poll, 84 percent of those approaching retirement age said “spending and budgeting” should be taught in schools.

Lifetime financial education is helpful when it comes to retirement preparation. This includes understanding Social Security retirement benefits and making the most of retirement income. You can learn more on our Retirement webpage at ssa.gov/retirement.

A personal my Social Security account should be a part of your financial plan. With an account, you can verify your earnings history, get personalized retirement benefit estimates, and more. If you don’t have an account, you can easily create one at www.ssa.gov/myaccount.

How prepared financially for retirement are American adults?

To learn more about NEFE, visit their website at nefe.org. Please share this information with friends and family. P

As printed in the Social Security Star (February 2024), published by the Social Security Administration.

Variables that affect seniors’ ability to drive safely

Driving is a responsibility that should never be taken lightly. Estimates from the Environmental Protection Agency indicate the average small car weighs around 2,500 pounds and the average large car weighs about 4,200 pounds, while SUVs and trucks can weigh as much as 6,000 pounds. The weight of cars underscore just how dangerous the roads can be when fastmoving vehicles are being driven by drivers whose focus or physical abilities have been compromised.

Lack of focus and physical issues can affect drivers of all ages, but the National Institute on Aging notes that age-related changes can alter a person’s ability to drive. Older adults will not necessarily experience physical and cognitive issues that can affect their ability to safely operate a motor vehicle. However, the NIA reports that certain variables that tend to affect older adults could compromise their ability to drive.

• Muscle/joint stiffness and weakness: Aging can cause muscle and joint stiffness and weaken muscles. Arthritis is a common condition among older adults and the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases reports that swelling in the joints is one of the more common symptoms associated with the condition. Stiffness, weakness and

swelling in the joints can make it harder for drivers to turn their heads, effectively steer their vehicles and brake safely.

• Diminishing eyesight: Strong eyesight is essential to safe driving. As drivers get older, changes in their eyesight can make it harder to

see pedestrians, fellow motorists, animals on roadways, and any movements outside of their direct line of sight. In fact, the Optometrists Network reports that aging has been shown to cause a loss of peripheral vision by one to three degrees for every decade of life. The NIA urges drivers 60 and older to schedule a dilated eye

exam every one to two years. Certain issues affecting drivers’ vision might be fixable, while others may result in avoiding driving at certain times of day, such as at night and when the sun is at its brightest, or giving up driving entirely.

• Diminishing hearing: Similar to diminishing eyesight, hearing loss, even some hearing loss, can affect a driver’s ability to drive safely. Drivers must be able to hear horns and sirens from other vehicles as well as any noises coming from their own cars that could indicate a problem with the vehicle.

• Medications: Data from the health policy research organization KFF indicates 89 percent of adults 65 and older are currently taking a prescription medicine. Medications often produce side effects that can compromise a driver’s ability to drive safely. Such effects include drowsiness, lightheadedness and diminished alertness. Aging drivers should discuss medication side effects with their physicians and what, if anything, they can do to counter the effects of a given prescription on their driving abilities. A host of age-related variables can affect older motorists’ ability to drive safely. More information is available at nia.nih.gov. P — Metro Creative Connection

The NIA reports that certain variables that tend to affect older adults could compromise their ability to drive.

Considerations for Parents in Estate Planning

By Cynthia J. Conza, Esq.

Clients with children often ask whether they should prepare a will or set up a revocable trust. To answer that question, it is important to understand the differences between these two important estate planning tools.

Fundamentally, both a will and a revocable trust are designed to transfer your assets to your benefi ciaries when you die. You will also name an individual to carry out your wishes: the executor in your will or the trustee in your trust. Both a will and a revocable trust can be changed as many times as you wish while you are still alive. You also retain complete control over the assets you identify in your will or revocable trust.

There are also signifi cant differences between a will and a revocable trust. A primary difference is by putting your assets into a revocable trust you are allowing your benefi ciaries to avoid the probate process in Surrogate’s Court. Probate can be expensive and may take

many months. By avoiding the delay of probate a revocable trust gives beneficiaries immediate access to assets upon death. A revocable trust also prevents a will contest by an heir you purposefully left out of your will or received less than they think they deserved.

A revocable trust can also ensure the inheritances you leave remain in your bloodline for your grandchildren and not end up with in-laws. Similarly, a revocable trust can protect the inheritances you leave from your children’s divorces or creditors. Married couples with taxable estates can also reduce and often eliminate estate taxes with a revocable trust.

Choosing between a will or revocable trust is an important decision and will have a signifi cant impact on your children and benefi ciaries. Please feel free to contact me at cynthia@con zamcnamara.com or (718) 845-5555 if you would like to discuss further.

- Advertorial -

Sun and smiles at St. Pat’s for All Parade

The Hillside High School Cheer Squad just will not be grounded.

At left, Irish Consul General Helena Nolan with the leader of the Irish Senate, Jerry Buttimer; at center, the parade grand marshals, actress Geraldine Hughes and Dennis Brownlee, the founder and president of the African American Irish Diaspora Network; and at right, happy paradegoers Jen Shoemaker and Sean Stefanic.

City Councilmembers Lynn Schulman, left, Keith Powers, Shekar Krishnan, Adams, the speaker, and Bob Holden march. At front center is Krishnan’s son, Vikram. At right, young Killian shows his enthusiasm for the joyful event.

Parade dignitary Roisin Wiley, the Rose of Tralee, left, and Girl Scouts from Troop 4501, who flash some toothy smiles.

PHOTOS BY WALTER KARLING

The 25th anniversary St. Pat’s for All Parade brightened up Skillman Avenue in Sunnyside and Woodside last Sunday, setting the stage for a welcoming St. Patrick’s Day. Participants came from far and wide, including, yes, from the Emerald Isle itself. And it was not just humans celebrating the culture brought here from Ireland. Above, King the horse would not be de-neighed his chance to join in, and was accompanied by Christiana Hansen and Alanna Bodman. To see more photos, visit qchron.com. — Peter C. Mastrosimone

Above, the girls are all smiles for the camerman, and so is one gent who’s gone green for real! Inset, a duplicate of the sign that now adorns the corner of Skillman Avenue and 43rd Street after it was co-named by Councilwoman Julie Won and her colleagues.

Above, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams is introduced by parade emcee Danny Dromm, himself a former lawmaker. At left, the Shannon Gaels youth sports group and other marchers.

Projections and paradigms

SculptureCenter exhibit examines humanity and technology

by Stephanie G. Meditz

yp

reliance and the recent u ptick in artificial usa ge, SculptureCenter in Long

Against the backdrop of society’s increasing reliance on technology and the recent uptick in artificial intelligence usage, SculptureCenter in Long Island City unveiled an exhibition last Thursday that will examine the relationships between humans and machines until March 25.

between humans and machines until March 25.

Based loosely on the artist’s previous AI research, “In Practice: Adriana Ramic” uses scientific visuals and equipment to interrogate the logistics of human understanding, memory and perception. SculptureCenter’s “In Practice” series is an annual open call that selects up to seven artists who have never had a solo exhibition in New York City to display their work.

The first thing viewers encounter when they enter the exhibition’s dark room is three enclosures reminiscent of a laboratory, complete with rotating Porro prisms serving as would-be specimens. Light refracts as they move, splaying multicolored orbs across the room. Lining the walls are jars of pickles submerged in fluid and turnips cut into shapes of mice and cats, echoing biology laboratories’ frequent subjects for dissection.

Ramic” uses scientific visuals and to interrogate the of human memory and series is an annual open call that selects to seven artists who have never had a solo exhibition in New York Cit y to display their work. exhibition’s room is three enclosures reminiscent of a complete with rotating Porro prisms serving as would-be refracts as move, les in fluid and cut into of mice and cats, biolog y laboratories’ for dissection.

On the walls of each enclosure is Ramic’s 2024 film entitled “Standard Human Mesh Recovery Method” based on memories of her late father’s scientific research.

Human Mesh Recover y Method” based on memories of her late father’s

The camera footage from the late ’90s and early 2000s displays infant fish, as the young Ramic helped her father capture the copious eggs spontaneously laid by their pufferfish, Ježic and Bumbar.

The camera foota ge from the late ’90s and 2000s infant fish, as the young Ramic her father ca pture the copious eggs spontalaid their Ježic and Bumbar.

father not to — never ha ppened to in captivit y before, but it ha ppened several times. He tried to them alive, but his efforts were futile. camera motion captures his to inquire into t his tion of a as its different lenses the of tr ying to get a clearer view. Included in the exhibition booklet are some of

She said her father did not know what to do with them — this had never happened to pufferfish in captivity before, but it happened several times. He desperately tried to keep them alive, but his efforts were futile.

The camera motion captures his desperation to inquire into this disruption of a paradigm, as its different lenses give the impression of constantly trying to get a clearer view. Included in the exhibition booklet are some of her father’s charts observing the fish’s behaviors over time in an attempt to make sense of them.

sense of them

continued on page 29

1

King Crossword Puzzle

12

13

15

17

19

21

24

25

28

30

climber

33 Rocker Rose

34 Plains grazers

35 Formerly known as

36 Earth (Pref.)

37 Stink

38 “It’s -- real!”

39 Texter’s “Enough!”

41 Bring up

50 Lena of “The Reader”

51 Sake, e.g.

54 Curse

55 Greek mountain

56 Zilch

57 Rosebud, to Kane

58 Camp bed

59 Flag feature

DOWN

1 Calico’s call

2 “My Way” writer

3 Beehive State

4 Jesuit university

5 Sushi fish

6 Press for payment

7 Zwei follower

8 Blood part

9 Ore source

10 Aswan’s river

11 Congers

16 Sailing hazard

20 Subsequently

22 Party cheese

23 Stunning gun

25 Pester

26 Chopper

27 Story thread

29 Pepsi rival

31 Victory sign

32 Longing

34 Telly watcher

38 Cleveland squad

I HAVE OFTEN WALKED

Iris Apfel honed just the right look in Astoria

by Ron Marzlock Chronicle Contributor

Samuel Barrel married Sadye Asofsky in May 1920. They had a daughter, Iris, born Aug. 29, 1921. Samuel had a lucrative plate-glass and mirror business, which enabled them to buy a home at 30-32 37 St. in Astoria.

Iris showed a talent and interest in fashion early on. She married Carl Apfel of Bayside, whose father was a commercial artist and shared Iris’ passion for fashion and design, in February 1948. The newlyweds moved to the second floor of Iris’ parents’ home on 37th Street. He toiled for two years as an advertising man.

In 1950 they decided on a career change and started Old World Weavers, an international textile and design company that recreated the fabrics of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. They did White House restoration projects for every president from Truman to Clinton, save the elder Bush. They traveled to Europe often to source rare textiles, one of the reasons they decided not to have children.

Iris was famous for her fashion design and personal style. In 2019, at the young age of 97, she signed a modeling contract due to brands’ demand for appearances, at the suggestion of Tommy Hillfiger.

Her mother, who was known in the fashion world as Syd, died in 1998 at age 100. Carl also died at 100, in 2015. But Iris surpassed them, passing away at 102 years of age on March 1, 2024. Q

April

Sun. Nature Exploration & Clean-up at 10am - 12pm

April 14, Sun. Spring Cherry Blossoms Walk 10am. (meet at Unisphere)

April 27, Sat. City Nature Challenge Biodiversity Hike at Mauro

Willow Lake, Pat Dolan Trail

May 12, Sun. Birding, Hawk Watch (meet at Unisphere)

May 25, Sat. Intermediate Canoeing on Willow Lake, Meet near Ballfi eld 13 at Meadow Lake

June TBA Dinosaurs at FMCP (Triassic Playground)

July TBA

Aug.

Sept.

The childhood home of designer Iris Apfel at 30-32 37 St. in Astoria, as it looked in the 1940s, when she lived there. INSET VIA WIKIPEDIA / ALBERT MAYSLES

It’s easy being green at the New York Irish Center

by Michael Gannon senior news editor

The New York Irish Center in Long Island City is inviting everyone to get a jump on celebrating St. Patrick’s Day at its third annual 40 Shades of Green event, a sixhour Celtic cabaret of entertainment.

The festival of music, song, dance and comedy will have about 50 individual performances. The show runs from 3 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, March 16.

Tickets are $35 and are good the entire day. Children under 12 are admitted free. Tickets are available at newyorkirishcenter. org. The center is at 10-40 Jackson Ave.

Sponsors include Invest Northern Ireland, Baron Property Group, and the Law Office of Theodore M. Davis, Esq.

George Heslin, executive director of the center, will be among the rotating cast of emcees.

“St. Patrick’s Day in New York continues to branch out into many neighborhoods across the city, and takes on many more activities than just the parade,” Heslin said in a statement from the center. “This is our contribution to the festivities which have become a daylong attraction, even a weeklong affair.”

Among the performers will be Donie Carroll, Bronagh and Bob Batch, Tim Con-

nell, Colin Harte, Connor Delves, Peter Maguire, John McDermott, Tara O’Grady, Fiona Walsh, Lowri Clancy Davies, Daniella Rabbani, Tony Perry, Darrah Carr Dance, and the McManus School of Irish Dance. Beck Lee, a spokesman for the center, said assembling an eclectic group of entertainers is a priority.

“Relationships are ongoing, because the

center programs a lot of entertainment over the course of the year,” Lee said. “So George has the advantage of knowing a lot of the performers. A lot of them have performed at the center. But he also likes to keep his ear to the ground, to know who’s visiting New York from Ireland.” He also said managers and performers will reach out to Heslin.

“They turn to him often to find out, ‘Hey, could my performer, could this show I have, visit and perform at the center?’” Lee said. “George loves to introduce acts from Ireland and Northern Ireland ... Give them a night.

“So for this show, 40 Shades of Green, It’s possible that there will be people making their New York debuts. It will be their first experience here.”

And organizers reiterate that it is a family-friendly event.

“It’s a fun party, really, since it’s a sprawling show that doesn’t stop for six hours,” Lee said. Along with the procession of performers, they anticipate a few area dignitaries dropping in.

“It’s a nice atmosphere,” Lee said. ”A nice party atmosphere. People sit at tables and watch the performances. They can go downstairs to the lounge.

He also pointed out that many of the step-dancing troupes feature teens in their performances.

“Its been fun from the beginning and it seems to be catching on; people are now looking forward to it,” Lee said.

And when it’s over with, when does the fourth annual performance start in motion?

“George will begin planning that on the 17th of March.” Q

An artist looks at the computations of life itself

continued from page 27

With its hyper-focus on the study of life and struggle to gain understanding, the exhibition demands viewers to contemplate the phenomena that reject such close examination and must remain unknown.

Ramic described her work as emotional, from its connections to her own past and its way of forcing humans into closer proximity to machines than they might be used to. Viewers are left to contemplate the computa-

Crossword Answers

tions of life itself and the feelings behind such close examination.

Haunted by the things they can and cannot understand, viewers will leave the exhibition and immediately reenter the concurrent display entitled “R.I.P. Germain: Avangarda,” the UK-based artist’s first U.S. exhibition.

R.I.P. Germain’s various works resembling graffiti-covered storefronts serve as political commentary, namely that a lack of essential resources and services often requires underprivileged groups to seek alternative support systems.

The sculptures in this exhibition appear to the inexperienced viewer as innocuous storefronts, but they are just slightly off, with qualities such as shutters over glass. Germain posits that these unconventional spins on architectural designs that are generally taken for granted often mask illegal operations to all except the insiders who “know.”

For some viewers, there is a sense of inclusion and community embedded in this seeming exclusivity. Others might see reinforcements of systemic oppression, and still others might see a simple survival mechanism. Still, Germain’s works question the social institutions and policies that perpetu-

ate discrimination.

“R.I.P. Germain: Avangarda” will remain on view until March 25.

Also running through March is “Small World Cinema,” a series in collaboration with the Taipei Fine Arts Museum that presents moving-image works from last year’s

Taipei Biennial.

With the theme “Small World,” the films examine the perceived size of the world relative to humans’ closeness to and distance from others. The works will remain on view through March 25 on SculptureCenter’s lower level.

Q

The McKenna Clan will be among the dozens of entertainers taking the stage March 16 at the third annual 40 Shades of Green concert at the New York Irish Center in Long Island City on March 16.

PHOTO BY PAUL COUGHLAN

“In Practice: Adriana Ramic” highlights the artist’s 2024 film “Standard Human Mesh Recovery Method,” which includes clips from the artist’s late father’s research on pufferfish. On the cover: A visitor on the exhibit’s opening day. PHOTOS BY STEPHANIE G. MEDITZ

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Boroughs of Manhattan and The Bronx Contract No. HB1070MD

NYCPIN: 84123MBBR607 EPIN: 84123B0034

EPIN: 84123B0034 - PIN: 84123MBBR607- Protective Coating of Macombs Dam Bridge, in the Boroughs of Manhattan and The Bronx. This Competitive Sealed Bid (CSB) is being released through PASSPort, New York City’s online procurement portal. Responses to this CSB must be submitted via PASSPort. To access the solicitation, vendors should visit the PASSPort Public Portal at https://www.nyc.gov/site/mocs/passport/ about-passport.page and click on the “Procurement Navigator”. This will take you to the Public Portal of all procurements in the PASSPort system. To quickly locate the CSB, insert the EPIN: 84123B0034, into the Keywords search field. In order to respond to the Competitive Sealed Bid, vendors must create an account within the PASSPort system if they have not already done so.

Any inquiries concerning this Competitive Sealed Bid should be directed by email to agency contact nkumar@dot.nyc.gov, under the subject line EPIN: 84123B0034.

A pre-bid conference via ZOOM is scheduled for 03/18/2024 at 10:00 am. Those wishing to attend must email the authorized agency contact for a link. Optional field visit is scheduled on 03/20/2024 at 2:00PM in the intersection of 155th Street and St. Nicholas Place in Manhattan.

The deadline for the submission of questions is 03/25/2024 by 4:00 pm.

The bid due date (submission via PASSPort) as well as hard copy as instructed is due 4/17/2024 by 11:00 am.

Bid opening date via ZOOM is 4/17/2024 at 12:00 pm.

This procurement is subject to M/WBE participation goals, the M/WBE goals for this project are 30%.

As-Built Drawings will be available upon request from the Contractors. Contractors need to sign Confidentiality agreement to view As-built drawings.

Eric Adams, Mayor

Ydanis Rodriguez, Commissioner

Notice of Formation of DGPJ32, LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 03/14/2022. Offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: LEGALINC CORPORATE SERVICES INC, 1967 WEHRIE DR, SUITE 1 #086, BUFFALO, NY 14221. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of FRUITY VENUS LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 09/24/2023. Offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: THE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, 5934 MADISON ST #A, RIDGEWOOD, NY 11385. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of HR GROUP NYC LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 02/06/2024. Offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: NURY ROBLES, 1923 WOODBINE ST, APT. 2L, RIDGEWOOD, NY 11385. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

JPM 4 LLC. Art of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 01/25/2024. Offi ce: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC. JOHN MCCABE 160-07 80TH STREET, HOWARD BEACH, NY, 11414. Any lawful purpose.

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK - COUNTY OF QUEENS BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A. AS TRUSTEE FOR MORTGAGE ASSETS MANAGEMENT SERIES I TRUST, V. YUL G. CLARKE, AS ADMINISTRATOR, HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF SYLVIA COURTAR A/K/A SYLVIA CLARKE, ET AL. NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure dated December 22, 2023, and entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Queens, wherein BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A. AS TRUSTEE FOR MORTGAGE ASSETS MANAGEMENT SERIES I TRUST is the Plaintiff and YUL G. CLARKE, AS ADMINISTRATOR, HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF SYLVIA COURTAR A/K/A SYLVIA CLARKE, ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction RAIN OR SHINE on the COURTHOUSE STEPS OF THE QUEENS COUNTY COURTHOUSE, 88-11 SUTPHIN BLVD., JAMAICA, NY 11435, on March 29, 2024 at 11:00AM, premises known as 116-26 133 STREET, SOUTH OZONE PARK, NY 11420: Block 11688, Lot 18: ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN THE FOURTH WARD OF THE BOROUGH OF QUEENS, CITY AND STATE OF NEW YORK

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 704596/2016. Morton Povman, Esq. - Referee. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/CLERK DIRECTIVES.

Notice of Formation of L&C ACUHEALTH LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 12/19/2023. Offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: L&C ACUHEALTH LLC, 146-02 20TH AVE, WHITESTONE, NY 11357. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF QUEENS, SC PARK LANE

II, LLC, Plaintiff, vs. WALI AHMED, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to an Order Confirming Referee Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on November 22, 2022, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the outside steps of the Queens County Supreme Court, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11435 on March 15, 2024 at 11:00 a.m., premises known as 35-20 Leverich Street Unit B226 a/k/a Unit 226, Jackson Heights, NY 11372. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough and County of Queens, City and State of New York, Block 1270 and Lot 1111 together with an undivided 0.6091 percent interest in the Common Elements. Approximate amount of judgment is $647,245.66 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 724727/2020. The Referee shall comply with the Eleventh Judicial District’s COVID-19 policies concerning public auctions of foreclosed properties. These policies, along with the Queens County Foreclosure’s Auction Rules, can be found on the Queens Supreme Court - Civil Term website. Austin I. Idehen, Esq., Referee, Vallely Law PLLC, 6851 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 165, Syosset, New York 11791, Attorneys for Plaintiff

Notice of Formation of THE BIRTHDAY BOOKS LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 01/31/2024. Offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: THE BIRTHDAY BOOKS LLC, 25 HUDSON WALK, BREEZY POINT, NY 11697. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of LW ERSKINE REALTY LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 02/06/2024. Offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: THE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, 11416 197TH ST., SAINT ALBANS, NY 11412. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF QUEENS, US BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY BUT SOLELY AS OWNER TRUSTEE FOR VRMTG ASSET TRUST, Plaintiff, vs. MARJORIE MORGAN, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on December 19, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the outside steps of the Queens County Supreme Court, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11435 on March 15, 2024 at 10:15 a.m., premises known as 214-32 113th Avenue, Queens Village, NY 11429. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough and County of Queens, City and State of New York, Block 11136 and Lot 16. Approximate amount of judgment is $591,833.30 plus interest and costs.

Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 705287/2015. Cash will not be accepted. The Referee shall comply with the Eleventh Judicial District’s COVID-19 policies concerning public auctions of foreclosed properties. These policies, along with the Queens County Foreclosure’s Auction Rules, can be found on the Queens Supreme Court - Civil Term website. Gregory M. LaSpina, Esq., Referee Knuckles, Komosinski & Manfro, LLP, 565 Taxter Road, Suite 590, Elmsford, NY 10523, Attorneys for Plaintiff

Notice of Formation of ME SUPERVISIONAL DEVELOPMENT

LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 03/09/2022. Offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to: DANIEL LEVY, 184-30 AVON ROAD, JAMAICA, NY 11432. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

OMAE LLC. Art of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 02/08/2024. Offi ce: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC.

OMAR ELSHARAWI 163-63 89TH ST, HOWARD BEACH, NY, 11414. Any lawful purpose.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT QUEENS COUNTY U.S.

NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR VELOCITY COMMERCIAL CAPITAL LOAN TRUST 2019-1, Plaintiff against ZENTENO CORP.; VICTORINA DOMINGUEZ, et al Defendant(s)

Attorney for Plaintiff(s) McMichael Taylor Gray, LLC, 28 Corporate Drive, Suite 104, Halfmoon, NY 12065. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered January 17, 2024, I will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at steps of Queens County Supreme Court, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11435 on April 5, 2024 at 10:45 AM. Premises known as 80-09 Roosevelt Avenue, Jackson Heights, New York 11372. Block 1291 Lot 43. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Second Ward in the Borough of Queens, County of Queens, City and State of New York. Approximate Amount of Judgment is $2,924,513.60 plus interest, fees, and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No 714725/2021. The foreclosure sale will be conducted in accordance with 11th Judicial District’s Covid-19 Policies and foreclosure auction rules. The Referee shall enforce any rules in place regarding facial coverings and social distancing. Referee will only accept a certified bank check made payable to the referee. Michael Cervini, Esq., Referee File # 23-00063-01

March 7, 2024

Notice of Qualifi cation of PAINT LIKE FRIDA USA LLC. Authority fi led with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/05/24. Offi ce location: Queens County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 01/24/24. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: TELOS LEGAL CORP., 5500 Main St., Ste. 345, Williamsville, NY 14221. Address to be maintained in DE: 13 W. Main St., PO Box 953, Felton, DE 19943. Arts of Org. fi led with the Secy. of State, Division of Corporations, John G. Townsend Bldg., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activities.

Notice of Formation of Paul 4727 Realty LLC Articles of Org. fi led NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 2/16/2024. Offi ce in Queens Co. SSNY desig. agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to 47 Morris Drive, Syosset, NY 11791. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

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B SPORTS EAT

It’s soccer season

by Lloyd Carroll Chronicle Contributor

With March upon us, the days are getting longer and the weather is warming up. This means outdoor professional sports are being played in stadiums in our area. No, not that one. It is Major League Soccer that is underway.

For years, our country has taken almost perverse pride in paying minimal attention to the world’s most popular sport. Things are changing. Last month’s announcement that the 2026 World Cup Final will be at MetLife Stadium, coupled with soccer legend Lionel Messi’s signing last year with the MLS’s Inter-Miami team, has increased interest in the United States.

MLS Commissioner and Bayside High School alum Don Garber must be thrilled his sport is no longer light years behind the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL in terms of popularity.

In 2022, Garber negotiated a 10-year, $2.5 billion deal with the Apple TV+ streaming service. While the revenue was far greater than what broadcast and cable networks were offering, it reduced the sport’s visibility to the traditional fan. And it has hurt locally, as the YES and MSG networks can no longer air New York City Football Club and New York Red Bulls games, respectively.

The lack of a local television presence also costs the two New York MLS teams when it comes to coverage on our newscasts. The Union

is treated not much differently than the Phillies, Eagles, 76ers, and Flyers on the 6 and 11 p.m Philadelphia news shows. Since New York has multiple teams in the four major sports leagues, NYCFC and the Red Bulls get squeezed out.

Legendary goalie Tim Howard, who grew up in central New Jersey and was one of the first Americans to be sought out as a free agent by the English Premier League, is an analyst for NBC Sports on its EPL telecasts. Emirates Airlines hired Howard to host a watch party of the Emirates Football Association Cup competition taking place at London’s Wembley Stadium in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood last week.

The Emirates FA Cup is a soccer competition that is open to English professional soccer clubs of all levels. “The best way for American fans to think of the FA Cup is to imagine football teams from the National Football League, the XFL [now the UFL] and the Canadian Football League all playing against each other in a playoff for an extremely prestigious trophy,” Howard said.

I joked that since he was able to land the 2026 World Cup Final for our area, he should use his talents to get a groundbreaking for the proposed New York City Football Club stadium in Willets Point. “I would be more than happy to help in any way I can,” he replied. Q

See the extended version of Sports Beat every week at qchron.com

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