QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, July 25, 2013 Page 38
SQ page 38
QUICK Lawmakers call for hearing on NYPD IG, stop-and-frisk bills
Karen Batts, left, and Alexander Pope, right, are the two Queens residents competing in this season of “Project Runway.” Batts prides herself on her quirky and classic style while Pope is PHOTO COURTESY A AND E TELEVISION more avant garde and romantic.
Queens residents take over ‘Runway’ by Tess McRae
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“Project Runway,” the hit reality-television competition, kicked off its new season on July 18 and this year two Queens residents are vying to be a top designer. Alexander Pope of Ridgewood and Karen Batts of Rego Park have revved up their sewing machines and are trying to “make it work” against 16 other designers in a world where you’re “in” one day and “out” the next. Though the two live nearby, they couldn’t be more different from one another. Pope, originally from Hollywood, is all about the “wow” factor, pairing bold colorblocking with romanticism for an avant garde feel rem iniscent of Alexander McQueen and Vivian Westwood — two of his idols. “I was really into fashion all my life but I fought it when I was younger and became a makeup artist instead,” Pope said. “But I still felt the pull into fashion.” Though his fashion is over the top, Pope doesn’t utilize too much color in his day-today life. “I wear black all of the time,” he said. “On hot days it can be tough but that’s what I like to wear. I’ll throw a pop of color in here and there but all black is just striking and contrasts well with my hair and skin color.” Pope moved to Ridgewood five months ago to be closer to his friends and to have the luxury of working from home. “To be in Manhattan, you sacrifice space and I really like to have my home also be my place of work and living in a loft in Ridgewood lets me do that,” he said. Batts, on the other hand is a bubbly ball of energy who is attracted to bright colors and classic looks along the lines of J. Crew. “I know people always say don’t design
for yourself but I definitely design for myself,” she said. “I am what I wear.” Batts, who works as a nanny, had applied for “Project Runway” last year but was turned down. “I was super nervous the f irst-time around,” Batts said. “This time I missed the paper application deadline so I had to go to a casting call and I went in with a completely different mind-set. I felt like showing my outgoing, crazy and funny personality was the best thing. I wanted to let them see who I am as a designer but let myself be the quirky person I am.” And while Batts doesn’t consider herself avant garde like Pope, she said there is beauty in simplicity. “I’m very much a classic and commercial person and that is how I design,” she said. “I can appreciate the look of a well-tailored pocket and find the intricate design of that breathtaking versus the ‘in your face’ stuff.” Pope, who has done costume work for a number of Broadway shows including “The Lion King” and “Wicked” said he’s not afraid to admit that his designs are extreme. “I try and design pieces that create emotions,” he said. “When I show my pieces to someone, I don’t get a ‘meh’ or a ‘that’s okay,’ I get an ‘I hate it’ or ‘I love it.’ It gets such strong feedback whether it’s good or bad.” Over the next few weeks, Pope, Batts and the other designers will compete for a prize package including $150,000 from GoBank, $50,000 of next generation technology from HP and Intel, a year’s supply of Resource spring water, a fashion spread in Marie Claire magazine and more. For information on Batts, visit her fashion line’s website at letsgoseedo.com. Information on Pope is available on his website at alexanderpope.com “Project Runway” airs every Thursday at Q 9 p.m. on Lifetime.
Six members of the City Council, none of them from Queens, asked Mayor Bloomberg last Thursday to hold a hearing on the Community Safety Act, made up of two NYPD oversight bills the mayor has vowed to veto. The six lawmakers, all sponsors of the measures, said in a letter that the mayor should listen to New Yorkers before he makes a final decision on the bills, which passed the Council by veto-proof majorities. Bloomberg reportedly is trying to get some members to change their minds to avoid having his veto overridden. The bills would create an inspector general to oversee the NYPD and make it easier for people who believe they were wrongly stopped, questioned and frisked to sue the department, though not for monetary damages. The mayor and police commissioner say they would reduce the city’s ability to combat crime. The Council members who requested the hearing are Jumaane Williams (D-Brooklyn), Brad Lander (D-Brooklyn), Fernando Cabrera (D-Bronx), Robert Jackson (D-Manhattan), Melissa Mark-Viverito (D-Manhattan) and Q Rosie Mendez (D-Manhattan).
Five Neighborhood Achievers in Queens Five people and organizations in Queens were winners of this year’s Neighborhood Achievement Awards, announced last week by Mayor Bloomberg. The awards honor “organizations, businesses and individuals that have demonstrated excellence in enhancing New York City neighborhoods by fostering economic opportunity.” The Queens winners were: • The Action Center, a community organization in Far Rockaway, which won the Helping Hand Award for its aid to the victims of Hurricane Sandy, which still continues; • Songza, a small business in Long Island City, which won a Small Business of the Year Award for producing an innovative app to stream music, creating 15 full-time jobs; • Laurel Brown, executive director of the
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Jamaica Center Business Improvement District, who won a BID Leadership Award for her efforts to improve Jamaica Center’s appeal as a place to live, work and visit; • Gayle Baron, president of the Long Island City Partnership, who also won a BID Leadership Award for her work improving LIC’s business climate by working to create and expand its BID and attracting new companies; and • Stephanie Cruz, an account manager with the Workforce1 Industrial & Transportation Center in Jamaica, who won a Workforce Service Award for matching job seekers with employers in transport and manufacturing. Q
10,000 IDs issued to illegal aliens in NYC Foreign consulates have now issued 10,000 identification cards to undocumented immigrants in the city, Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhattan), a mayoral candidate, said last week as she celebrated the milestone with the New York Immigration Coalition. The IDs allow holders to enter public schools and other government buildings, obtain information to file income tax returns, open bank accounts, get library cards and ensure access to other public services, Quinn said. She credited NYIC workshops the Council has spent $400,000 funding over the last two years with making the card program a success. It was driven by the city rule that school visitors show Q ID, a problem for parents here illegally.
State to start tracking breast cancer cases The state will begin mapping cases of breast cancer under a bill Gov. Cuomo just signed, state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Flushing), who voted for the measure, announced last week. The law will create a database that doctors and researchers can use to examine environmental and socioeconomic factors that affect the incidence of the disease, Stavisky said, aiding new treatments and prevention practices. Approximately 15,000 women statewide battle breast cancer each year, according to Q Stavisky, with 2,600 dying from it. — compiled by Peter C. Mastrosimone
Korean War cease-fire event The Greater Ridgewood Historical Society and the Allied Veterans Memorial Committee of Ridgewood and Glendale are hosting a Korean War Cease-Fire commemoration on Saturday at 10 a.m. The event, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the cease-fire agreement that ended fighting during the Korean War, will be held at the Vande Ende Onderdonk House at 18-20 Flushing Ave. in Ridgewood. Former state Sen. and Korea War veteran Serphin Maltese will be the keynote speaker and the Mayor’s Office of Veter-
an Affairs Commissioner Terrance Holliday will also be in attendance. The society is planning a Korean War exhibit, entertainment and refreshments following the short program and the Onderdonk House museum and the picnic ground will remain open for the rest of the day. Tours of the Onderdonk House will also be available. To RSVP, contact Paul Schottenhamel by emailing him at LTCPJS@msn.com with the number of members who plan to Q attend or visit onderdonkhouse.org.