THE FORUM NEWSGROUP | MAY 24, 2018

VOL. 17 • NUMBER 21 • MAY 24, 2018

SOUTHERN EXPOSURE

State Comptroller’s ‘Snapshot’ of Queens Reveals ‘a Bright Future and Soaring Economy,’ Especially in the South: Howard Beach, Lindenwood, Hamilton Beach, Ozone Park, South Ozone Park, South Richmond Hill Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and Comptroller Tom DiNapoli delivered the good news on Friday at Borough Hall.

See Story on Page 3 Photo Courtesy of the Queens Borough President’s Office

THE FORUM NEWSGROUP • VOL. 18 • Number 20, MAY 24, 2018 | 1

Glendale Vietnam Vet Enters State Senate Veterans’ Hall of Fame

By Forum Staff State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (DHoward Beach) recently selected Glendale’s Michael O’Kane to be inducted into the Senate Veterans’ Hall of Fame.

“Mike O’Kane has served his country, his community, and his fellow veterans for many years,” Addabbo said. “From seeing combat in the Vietnam War, to fighting for his local community, to making sure veterans who passed on without any known living relatives have proper military burials, Mike has exemplified what it means to serve. He is certainly deserving of being inducted into the Senate Veterans’ Hall of Fame.”

According to Addabbo, O’Kane was born in Brooklyn in 1948, and enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1966. He attended the Great Lakes “Boot” Camp before being assigned to the USS Implicit. While serving on Implicit, O’Kane was deployed to WestPac, and participated in Operation “Market Time,” which

Photo Courtesy of Sen. Addabbo’s Office

Sen. Addabbo (r.) congratulates O’Kane on earning the honor.

was the most successful counterinsurgency operation of the Vietnam War. After serving on Implicit, O’Kane was transferred to the USS Widgeon, which ported in Sasebo, Japan. Widgeon was de-

ployed to Cam Ranh Bay, Republic of Vietnam, and operated with Inshore Undersea Warfare Group One in Operation “Market Time.” Widgeon earned the Vietnam Service Medal, National Defense Medal, Vietnam Campaign

Medal, and the U.S. Navy Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, and Meritorious Unit Citation for engaging the enemy several times in firefights along the various rivers and canals in the RVN.

In honor of his service, O’Kane was awarded the National Defense Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal (with three campaign stars), Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, and the Meritorious Unit Citation. He left the Navy in 1970 after achieving the rank of Petty Officer Third Class, and began his career with New York Telephone, eventually retiring in 1998.

O’Kane continues to be very active in his community as a member of Queens Community Board 5. Until recently, he led the Vietnam Veterans of America Queens Chapter 32, serving as an advocate for other former military members.

He has worked especially hard to ensure that indigent veterans of all eras and conflicts are provided proper burials. To date, Chapter 32 has worked with local Hess-Miller Funeral Home to ensure dignified final resting places for 127 veterans.

O’Kane married his best friend, Cathy, in 1979, and they live in Glendale with their two cats: Yuki and Tuck.

City Council Details Package of ‘Mother’s Day’ Bills

By Forum Staff City Council leadership recently introduced a package of legislation geared toward supporting parents and caregivers. The 10 measures, collectively dubbed the “Mother’s Day Bills,” cover a range of subjects, including pre- and post-natal care, childbirth, parenting and child rearing, as well as promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood.

Here’s a look at all 10 proposed laws: Bill 1: This measure would require employers in the City with more than 15 employees to provide lactation spaces, as well as refrigerators in reasonable proximity to work areas for the purposes of storing breast milk.

Bill 2: Would require employers in the City to establish policies describing lactation accommodations, the process by which an employee can request such accommodation, to be distributed to all new employees. It would also require the City Commission on Human Rights to establish and make available a model lactation accommodation policy.

Bill 3: Would require lactation rooms be made available in Department of Education schools, police precincts, City jail facilities accepting visitors, and City jail facilities housing females.

Bill 4: Would require the City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to assess the needs of pregnant people and

Photo Courtesy of NY City Council/John McCarten

Councilwoman Laurie Cumbo (c.) sponsored or co-sponsored seven of the 10 pieces of legislation.

the availability of free and low-cost doula services to meet such needs. This would be done by assessing demand, the cost of doulas, existing doula programs, current availability of doula services, and the benefits of doula programs. DOHMH will then be required to provide the council with an annual plan for providing access to doulas to more pregnant people who request doula services.

Bill 5: Would require DOHMH to include additional information in the annual maternal mortality report to the council, including data at the individual level, ano2 MAY 24, 2018 • Number 21 VOL. 17 • THE FORUM NEWSGROUP

nymized to comply with privacy concerns, related to the total number of births, as well as disaggregated information on maternal mortality numbers. It would also require the department to include information on enhancing cooperation between city agencies in its annual recommendations.

Bill 6: Would permit campaign funds, but not public money, to be used for certain childcare costs for children under 13 years of age for which the candidate is a primary caregiver.

Bill 7: Would require that any inmate in the custody of the Department of Correc-

tion be required to be treated by a doctor of the gender of their choosing, absent any substantial safety risk.

Bill 8: Would require the Department of Citywide Administrative Services to provide to child-subsidized care centers, Family Justice Centers, DOE LYFE programs, domestic violence shelters operated by the Human Resources Administration, and shelters operated by the Department of Homeless Services and the Department of Youth and Community Development, a supply of diapers that is sufficient to meet the needs of the residents and service recipients of those programs.

Bill 9: Would require annual reporting from the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to the speaker of the council, or via the Mayor’s Management Report, relating to licensed and unlicensed child care facilities. This reporting would be required to include the number of licensed child care facilities, the number of inspections of these facilities performed, the number of complaints of unlicensed child care facilities, the results of such complaints, and the number of unlicensed facilities that were closed. The department would also be required to publish the address of child care providers that received cease and desist orders or were otherwise closed due to their unlicensed operation.

Bill 10: Would require DCAS to conduct a feasibility study and pilot for offering on-site group childcare options for City employees.

State Comptroller Develops Picture-Perfect ‘Snapshot’ of Borough Economy

By Michael V. Cusenza Record numbers of jobs and businesses, and an all-time low unemployment rate are the key ingredients in the recipe for a booming economy.

And according to State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, Queens is well-stocked with all three.

In delivering his “Economic Snapshot of Queens” on Friday at Borough Hall, DiNapoli hailed the World’s Borough’s “bright future and soaring economy.”

Specifically, DiNapoli noted that South Queens is on the rise.

Private-sector job growth was fastest in the Howard Beach and Ozone Park area, rising by 43 percent between 2009 and 2017.

Richmond Hill has enjoyed a 34-percent increase in privatesector job growth during the same period.

Howard Beach and Ozone Park were among the top communities in Queens in median household income growth, jumping 29 percent between 2010 and 2016.

Since the end of the Great Recession in 2009, DiNapoli pointed out that taxable business sales in Queens grew by 54 percent (faster than the citywide growth rate of 44 percent), reaching a record of $12.9 billion in 2016. The areas with the fastest growth in sales were Howard Beach and Ozone

“Economic growth is evident across the borough,” according to DiNapoli’s report.

Park, Jackson Heights and North Corona, Astoria and Long Island City, and Flushing.

The borough accounted for 58 percent of all transportation jobs in the city and 96 percent of air transportation jobs. John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports together employed 49,000 people and contributed $64.4 billion in economic activity to the

New York–New Jersey metropolitan region in 2017. Both airports are undergoing major upgrades, which will create thousands of new jobs, DiNapoli added.

Approximately 44 percent of households in Queens own their own homes (including cooperatives and condominiums), higher than the citywide share (32 percent). Ownership rates were high-

Photo Courtesy of Comptroller DiNapoli’s Office

est (about 70 percent) in areas such as Howard Beach and Ozone Park, Queens Village, Cambria Heights, and Rosedale.

“It’s heartening to see our district showing median household income is growing at a rate among the fastest in Queens and that we had the fastest business sales growth and neighborhood job growth from 2009-2016, especially

in light of the major damage to our business community by [Superstorm] Sandy in 2012,” Community Board 10 Chairwoman Betty Braton told The Forum on Monday. “The Queens economy has been on the right track and CB 10 (Ozone Park, South Ozone Park, Howard Beach, South Richmond Hill) is proud that its residents and businesses are contributing to and are part of our borough’s strong economic picture.”

Other findings in DiNapoli’s report include: • As of Sept. 30, 2017, private sector employment was on pace to reach a record 567,800 jobs in 2017.

• The average private sector salary was $48,400 in 2016 (the latest available data), the highest among the four boroughs outside of Manhattan.

• A 49 percent increase in construction permits between 2011 and 2017 helped fuel a 32-percent increase in construction jobs during this period.

Queens had a record 52,700 construction jobs in 2017, more than in any other borough.

DiNapoli also noted that for all the positives, Queens still faces significant challenges, including school overcrowding, a need for more affordable housing, and long commute times.

Elected Officials Furious over Partial Closure of Rockaway Beach

By Michael V. Cusenza The City Parks Department this week was unequivocally excoriated by area elected officials for suddenly indicating that it plans to shutter 12 blocks of Rockaway Beach indefinitely and effective this weekend—Memorial Day Weekend, also known as the unofficial start of summer in the city—due to erosion.

The de Blasio administration noted that the area between Beach 91st and Beach 102nd streets, one of the more popular stretches of the borough tourist destination, will be closed for safety concerns.

“Thank you @NYCParks for once again screwing my constituents,” City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) fumed in a tweet early Tuesday morning.

Later in the day, Ulrich issued an equally strong statement.

“This is an insult to the thousands of residents who have been tirelessly fighting for sand on our beaches. It has been more than five years after Superstorm Sandy, and parts of the Rockaways are still recovering. It is a disgrace that the Parks Department would rather

Photo Courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

Councilman Ulrich called the closure announcement “an insult to the thousands of residents who have been tirelessly fighting for sand on our beaches.”

ignore the problem than work to address the needs of this community,” the councilman said. “My constituents cannot wait another three years for some sort of a remedy. Hurricane season is right around the corner and our coastal communities are still vulnerable. We need a solution now.”

Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-Howard Beach) said “the City failed us.”

should have acted years ago to remedy this situation,” Addabbo noted. “Now, the people and businesses of Rockaway that depend on the summer season will suffer because of their lack of action.”

The Hurricane Sandy Relief Act of 2013 provided the corps with over $5 billion in funding to protect the region’s most vulnerable areas, including fully funding the Rockaway Reformulation Study and construction of the Rockaway Beach coastal protection project. However, a year ago—four years after the law passed—Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Greg Meeks (DJamaica) blasted the Army for not delivering.

“It is simply unacceptable that a fullyfunded project languish for so long, leaving Rockaway susceptible to erosion, storm surge and flooding,” the legislators wrote to the corps in June 2017.

On Monday, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz said that once again the people of Rockaway will be left holding the bag.

“The consequences of the City’s failure to act earlier will be disproportionately borne by the Rockaway community,” she noted.

“We have been demanding sand and resiliency measures for our beaches for YEARS— and this is how the City reacts? By closing 12 blocks of the beach?” she added.

State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) said he “could not be more frustrated” by the news.

“The Army Corps of Engineers knew that this portion of the beach needed attention and THE FORUM NEWSGROUP • VOL. 18 • Number 20, MAY 24, 2018 | 3

Wait for Police Commissioner’s Review before Pushing to Legalize Public Pot Smoking: Queens DA

By Michael V. Cusenza Responding to an email sent by a group of borough elected officials calling for the end to all prosecutions of low-level marijuana offenses, including individuals caught smoking in public, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown on Tuesday insisted on a more cautious wait-and-see approach before deciding to summarily stop all such collars and cases.

City Councilmen I. Daneek Miller (D-St. Albans), Donovan Richards (D-Laurelton), and Rory Lancman (D-Hillcrest), along with State Sen. Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans), Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman (D-Springfield Gardens), U.S. Rep. Greg Meeks (D-Jamaica), and other borough representatives recently sent a letter to Brown urging that his Courtesy of Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office office “conform to reality,” which reflects the public’s According to a Daily News story thisPhoto week, Mayor de Blasio has already told Police tolerant attitude towards recreational marijuana use. Commissioner O’Neill and the NYPD to stop arresting people for smoking marijuana “A series of damning reports have revealed ex- in public. treme racial disparities between communities of color and more affluent neighborhoods populated by

whites in both the number of arrests and summonses issued for minor possession and public smoking,” the lawmakers added.

On Tuesday, Brown released his response to the letter. In it he noted that last week Police Commissioner Jim O’Neill formed a 30-Day Working Group to review the NYPD’s enforcement practices and policies with respect to marijuana offenses. Additionally, Brown said that his office completed its own preliminary study, which revealed that over 97 percent of the public smoking cases did not result in a criminal conviction.

“In my view, the wisest course for all of us at this point is to allow the police commissioner’s Working Group to do its job,” Brown said. “I am confident that the resulting report will help shape our determination of what is best for our city.”

In other marijuana-related developments this week a New York Daily News story indicated that Mayor Bill de Blasio has told the NYPD to end all arrests for toking in public.

Gillibrand Calls for New Oversight Regulations for Student Loan Industry

By Forum Staff

Noting that the Trump administration recently announced that it will pare back its monitoring of student loan companies for predatory practices, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) on Sunday pushed for new oversight regulations and legislation that could “dramatically” lower monthly loan payments for hundreds of thousands of graduates.

New York students have higher average loan balances than those in the rest of the country, and many areas of the city have disproportionately high rates of loan default, which forces borrowers into financial despair and could hurt their credit forever, according to Gillibrand. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s decision to close the student lending office opens up graduates to predatory practices that could force them to pay higher monthly payments and increase the likelihood that they will default on their

Photo Courtesy of the City Department of Consumer Affairs

City Department of Consumer Affairs Commissioner Lorelei Salas (at lectern), students, and advocates joined Gillibrand (at Salas’ l.) on Sunday in her push for new oversightregulations and legislation.

loans, New York’s junior senator added.

To address this problem, Gillibrand said she is pushing to pass two pieces of legislation: the Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act and the Streamlining Income-

driven, Manageable Payments on Loans for Education (SIMPLE) Act. Specifically, the Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act would cut interest rates and immediately reduce debt for millions of student-loan

borrowers. The SIMPLE Act would automatically enroll vulnerable borrowers in income-based repayment programs, which would help slash monthly payments, eliminate burdensome paperwork requirements, and reduce the likelihood of default.

“Thousands of New Yorkers are graduating from college this time of year, and many of them will already be buried in student debt from the moment they walk across the stage and get their diploma. But instead of helping them out, the Trump Administration just passed new rules that make students even more vulnerable to predatory loan practices that could push them into financial despair,”Gillibrand said. “We can and must solve this problem now, because our student debt crisis is creating tremendous hardship for our recent graduates and holding back an entire generation. We need real oversight of our student loan servicers, and we need to make sure that students can actually pay back their loans without defaulting.”

106th Precinct Issues ‘Fraud Crime Alert’ for Scams where crooks hack into social networking accounts and then target friends with frantic requests for money, claiming injury, arrest, etc.

Community Affairs cops at the 106th Precinct issued a The Green Dot Money Pack scam has been perpetrated by Fraud Crime Alert this week on the command’s social media many for many years. The crook calls a potential victim, claims platforms to warn area residents of the two most common to be a “marshal” or “agent” from the Internal Revenue Service, scams crooks are currently employing to pilfer money and/or U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, State Lottery, or identities. utility company officials from Con Ed or Verizon, calling about Authorities said it all comes down to confidence. a past-due balance that is owed. The caller will tell the victim “[Thieves] gain your trust and when they have you hooked, that unless the debt is paid immediately, a team of officers will they ask you for money; they take it and run,” the officers wrote. come to the victim’s home that day to arrest them.

“The scenarios they use to lure you in constantly change. But File Photo The scammer will also request that the “IRS Tax Warrant” you can protect yourself and your friends and family by arm- Authorities this week detailed the Emergency/Grandparent scam and the be paid with a Green Dot Card Money Card or Western Union ing yourself with the knowledge of the most common types Green Dot Money Pack scam.

MoneyGram. They also often use caller ID spoofing so that of fraud.”

First is the Emergency/Grandparent scam. This scheme, to the NYPD. “There’s the Grandparent scam where con artists the victim’s box indicates that the “Internal Revenue Service” like so many others, plays off people’s emotions and strong de- contact the elderly claiming to be their grandchild, urgently is calling, or displays the phone number of the IRS. Sometimes asking for money.” scammers will also ask victims for personal information such sire to help others in need.

Police also warned of the similar Social Networking scam as a Social Security number in order to commit identity theft.

“Emergency scams come in all shapes and sizes,” according 4 MAY 24, 2018 • Number 21 VOL. 17 • THE FORUM NEWSGROUP

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Amendment would Restrict Funding for Inclusion of Citizenship Question in Next Census

By Forum Staff Two New York pols recently introduced an amendment that would restrict funding for the inclusion of a question about citizenship status in the 2020 census.

The Trump administration has decided to add a question to the 2020 census that would ask respondents if they are U.S. citizens.

Last week, U.S. Reps. Jose Serrano (DBronx), Ranking Member of the House Appropriations Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee, which funds the U.S. Census Bureau, and Grace Meng (DFlushing), a member of the Subcommittee, unveiled the amendment during the full committee markup of the Fiscal Year 2019 CJS bill restricting funding for the inclusion of the query.

“Adding a question that asks respondents if they are citizens is a horrible and reckless decision that will likely decrease response rates, resulting in an inaccurate and incomplete count that will have a decade’s worth of consequences on Queens and communities throughout New York and the nation,” Meng said. “It will have a devastating impact on the billions of dol-

Photo Courtesy of U.S. Census

U.S. Reps. Meng and Serrano haveintroduced an amendment during the full committee markup of the FY2019 Commerce, Justice, Sciences, and Related Agencies bill restricting funding for the inclusion of a question about citizenship status in the 2020 census.

lars in federal aid that is distributed for schools, infrastructure, social services and other critical resources. We have urged Commerce Secretary [Wilbur] Ross to not add this question to the 2020 census, and we’ve warned him about the consequences of doing so. But our requests continue to fall on deaf ears. We will continue to do all we can to stop the administration from including this question on the upcoming census. We don’t need a citizenship question; we need an accurate census count.”

Serrano echoed Meng’s sentiment on the subject of the question in question.

“The purpose of the census is to serve as a nonpartisan instrument to gain an accurate count and understanding of American society every ten years,” Serrano said. “As we have said before, the inclusion of a citizenship question is unnecessary, unsupported, and a clear attack on our immigrant communities. Its inclusion will make people afraid to fill out the form, undermine the count, raise

costs, and have a detrimental effect on the distribution of formula funding. As a result, states will receive less funding for education, infrastructure and other important services. This question has no place in the 2020 census and no taxpayer money should be used for a question that will ultimately hinder localities from accessing the resources that they need to serve the American people. The amendment we introduced today is one of many bipartisan efforts to prevent it from being ultimately included in the final form.”

In March, Meng questioned Ross during a Subcommittee hearing regarding the impacts of adding the question to the official population count.

“Many immigrants who are fearful of deportation under the current administration will simply choose to not participate in the census out of fear that the information they provide will be used against them,” Meng said, noting that she was “deeply disappointed” in Ross.

State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) called the addition of the question “a mistake.”

Earlier this year, Meng vowed to introduce legislation to block the question.

THE FORUM NEWSGROUP • VOL. 18 • Number 20, MAY 24, 2018 | 5

EDITORIAL It One of the oldest saws is Albert Einstein’s purported definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different result.

Around here, the definition of insanity is “see: government.”

The latest installment of our infinite-volume series “Tales of the Ridiculous” presents perhaps the strongest case for our insanity shorthand.

This week, the City suddenly and casually informed borough elected officials that it plans to shutter Rockaway Beach between Beach 91st and Beach 102nd streets indefinitely and effective this weekend due to erosion.

Never mind that “this weekend” marks the unofficial start of summer; or that this stretch of shoreline is one of the most popular parts of arguably the borough’s top tourist attraction.

Never mind that Rockaway residents, civic leaders, and pols have been warning City officials for years about erosion issues at certain swaths of the beach.

“The City’s immediate plans for the Rockaways will significantly hurt the local community and Queens economy during the vital visitor season of the summer months, and shortchange one of the largest tourist attractions

BEACH BUMS

in the City. This is unacceptable; the Rockaways deserve better,” said Borough President Melinda Katz.

“The community had long expressed its concerns about the vulnerable shoreline to the Parks Department for years. When the Army Corps [of Engineers] last replaced 3.5 million cubic yards of sand on the Rockaway Beaches in 2014, the community repeatedly warned the City that without permanent protective measures, the sand would soon need to be replaced again.”

Stories like this make us think of another phrase, one made famous by the journalists-as-detectives Watergate saga, “All the President’s Men.”

“Follow the money,” Hal Holbrook as Deep Throat implores Robert Redford’s Bob Woodward.

However, when we try to follow the money in this instance we end up nauseous.

In 2013, Congress passed the Hurricane Sandy Relief Act, which provided the Army Corps of Engineers with over $5 billion in funding to protect the region’s most vulnerable areas, including fully funding the Rockaway Reformulation Study and construction of the Rockaway Beach coastal protection project. But last year, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Greg Meeks (DJamaica) fired off a letter to the corps

that basically noted, ‘We gave you a boatload of cash, but have received zero results.’

“We write to urge the Army Corps of Engineers to take action to address the severe and constant beach erosion along the Rockaway Peninsula that threatens the coastal protection of this vulnerable area,” they wrote to corps leadership in June 2017. “More than four years later the study is not complete and construction has not started. It is simply unacceptable that a fully-funded project languish for so long, leaving Rockaway susceptible to erosion, storm surge and flooding.

The corps must provide a firm timetable for completion of the study and a construction schedule, including spelling out a specific timetable for construction of jetties, groins and a sea wall. Given the importance of this project, the corps must expedite this schedule.”

Expedite. Yeah, right.

And so, as with so many issues since time immemorial, Queens ends up getting burned for no good reason.

Perhaps Borough President Katz put it best on Monday.

“The consequences of the City’s failure to act earlier will be disproportionately borne by the Rockaway community.”

Insanity: see: government.

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Union Official Gets Five Years for Extortion

By Forum Staff A Long Island-based union official was sentenced on Friday to five years’ imprisonment and three years’ supervised release, following his guilty plea to extorting a construction business owner during a meeting at a borough restaurant, federal authorities announced.

Roland Bedwell, the business manager of United Plant and Production Workers Local 175, which is headquartered in Roslyn, was arrested in December 2016.

He pleaded guilty last August.

According to court filings, extortion for which Bedwell, 57, was sentenced on Friday was partly captured during a recorded conversation he had at a Queens eatery with an owner of a construction company. Bedwell explained to the victim the financial pain he had previously inflicted on others when, for example, a delivery truck transporting trees was blocked causing the trees t o die. Bedwell then warned the victim that if he did not em-

Photo Courtesy of Google

United Plant and Production Workers Local 175 is based in Roslyn, L.I.

ploy Local 175 members, Bedwell would use a crew of 15 “ex-military” men, who were unafraid to serve time in p rison, to interfere with the victim’s business, resulting in the loss of a “tremendous amount of money.” Bedwell added, “Honestly, whatever they do or don’t do—pretty much up to them . . . either you’re gonna sign the con-

tract . . . or these boys are gonna do it again.”

The business owner relented, making his workers sign with Local 175.

In connection with his guilty plea, Bedwell also admitted that he attempted to extort another construction business owner, telling him that he would not get asphalt delivered to a LaGuar-

Fate of Sinking Ramblersville Home Sealed by City

dia Airport job site if he did not agree to employ Local 175 members. When the owner refused to sign an agreement with Local 175, Bedwell and his co-conspirators stopped the asphalt-delivery trucks, harassed the drivers, and slashed their tires.

According to federal officials, Bedwell, who lives in Freeport, often referred to his ties to a

member and then-associate of the Gambino organized crime family, as well as his own reputation as a “muscle man,” to intimidate businesses into signing labor contracts with Local 175. Bedwell’s co-conspirators also physically assaulted workers associated with contractors who refused to sign with Local 175, according to charging documents and statements made in court.

“For many of the cases investigated by our FBI New York Joint Organized Crime Task Force, the general public doesn’t see the real life impact of organized crime groups and their criminal acts,” stated FBI New York Assistant Director-inCharge Bill Sweeney. “But this case illustrates how extortion and threats stopped progress at a public works project at one of the busiest airports in our region.

The subject boasted about how he didn’t understand why he wasn’t in jail. After an outstanding investigation with our law enforcement partners, that’s exactly where he is going.”

Statue Dedicated to Fallen Firefighter

Forum Photo by Nicole SanPhilippo' Concerned residents can rest easy with demolition of the longtime eyesore on the immediate horizon.

By Patricia Adams

Residents in Old Howard Beach recently made several calls to The Forum after a waterfront property, abandoned since Superstorm Sandy, began to sink further into Hawtree Creek.

Fears were mounting that the shed and the deck attached to the property would soon break free and clog the waters of the creek, introducing dangerous conditions in the waterway and prohibiting any watercraft from passing.

The house, located on Bayview Avenue near 163rd Avenue in Ramblersville, was badly damaged back in 2012 and has remained unoccupied since.

As with all properties in similar condition, the homeowners were offered the choice to renovate, rebuild, or surrender the property

for market value to the City’s Build it Back initiative.

Due to the highly restrictive conditions and the extended time frame involved, the homeowners of this property chose to participate in the acquisition phase of the program and sold their home to the City.

On Wednesday, The Forum learned from a spokesperson at State Sen. Joe Addabbo’s (DHoward Beach) office that the fate of the property, which has been boarded up and presented an eyesore for years, is finally being resolved.

The house is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Housing Preservation and Development and demolition is now being rushed. Sources told the newspaper that permits from the City Department of Buildings and Department of Environmental Conservation should be issued by the end of this week and that demolition should begin next week.

Members of the City Fire Department family gathered at Sacred Heart Church in Glendale on Sunday for the St. Florian Statue Dedication Mass in honor of fallen Firefighter William Tolley.

The veteran smoke-eater died in April while battling a blaze in Ridgewood. Tolley, a member of Ladder Co. 135, was mortally wounded when he fell five stories to the sidewalk on Putnam Avenue after falling from the roof. The married father was rushed to Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, but ultimately could not be saved.

Florian is the patron saint of the Bravest.

Photo Courtesy of FDNY

THE FORUM NEWSGROUP • VOL. 18 • Number 20, MAY 24, 2018 | 7

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718-619-4955 THE FORUM NEWSGROUP • VOL. 18 • Number 20, MAY 24, 2018 | 9

The Pharmacist’s Corner

Please join me this Memorial Day in taking the �me to remember and pray for all those who gave their lives figh�ng for our �eedom and our coun�y.

Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. New York State Senator District 15

Ranking Member of the Veterans, Homeland Security, and Military Affairs Committee District Offices: 159-53 102nd Street Howard Beach, NY 11414 (718) 738-1111 (718) 322-5760 – FAX

66-85 73rd Place Middle Village, N.Y. 11379 (718) 497-1630 (718) 497-1761-FAX

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FINALLY A DRUG FOR MIGRAINES : This could be an answer...

For the last two weeks, we've offered you a lot of information about migraine headaches and what steps you can take, within your living environment, your diet to help you through this debilitating condition.

But this week our nation learned that the Food and Drug Administration, FDA, has introduced a medication, the first of its kind, that promises to reduce the number of migraines among the millions who suffer from these crippling headaches.

Currently, the majority of drugs on the market to act on migraines are aimed at helping to alleviate symptoms.

But the new drug, Aimovig, approved last Thursday, is the first medicine in a new class of drugs designed to reduce the number of migraines in frequent sufferers.

The generic name of the drug is erenumab-aooe, is being sold here by pharmaceutical giant, Amgen.

The new drug is what's known as a monoclonal antibody and it zeros in on a molecule known as CGRP, which is found much more in people with migraines. It has to do with nerve communication. Aimovig

binds to CGRB and basically renders it useless.Experts say the research leading to Aimovig began over thirty years ago in the 1980's.

One of the recent studies leading to the release of the drug revealed that participants in the study dropped from more than 8 headaches a month to fewer than 5.

The drug will be available within the next week or so and will need to be injected, once a month, through a pen like device similar to those used in insulin delivery.

Right now it looks like the cost for the year will be just under $7,000, however Amgen says it has programs which will help educe the cost of the medication for some patients.

You can also visit the Aimovig website which is offering a two-month free trial for new patients.

For those of you that have been waiting for as long as you can remember for a drug specifically for migraines, the day has arrived. Please feel free to stop by and talk with us about it.

Until next week!

For your family’s prescription needs, please call

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QUEENS DOT Deputy Commissioner Jason Banray will discuss the proposed start date of the Lindenwood Triangle project also on the agenda the plan to truck 70,000 cubic yards of soil into Spring Creek to create the flood resiliency berm @ St. Helen's Catholic Academy, 83-09 157th Avenue, Howard Beach, NY 11414 Refreshments will be served-Please remember to bring your clipped coupons for the military!

Trio Wanted for Savage Robbery The 106th Precinct Detective Squad this week reached out to the public for assistance in identifying and locating the three pictured men who are wanted for a vicious robbery that took place earlier this month inside a Checkers restaurant in South Richmond Hill.

According to surveillance footage of the May 12 incident at the Liberty Avenue eatery, the three suspects attacked a victim simultaneously—one even picked up a metal chair and slammed it on top of the man—and later removed belongings from his person.

Anyone with information is asked to call (718) 845-2261.

Please reference case #2018131.

Photos Courtesy of NYPD

10 MAY 24, 2018 • Number 21 VOL. 17 • THE FORUM NEWSGROUP

City Files Brief Supporting Right to Protect Sensitive Information of Immigrant Communities

By Forum Staff The City announced on Friday that NYC, together with a coalition of 20 other cities and counties across the nation and the U.S. Conference of Mayors, has submitted an amicus brief to help defeat a Trump administration lawsuit seeking to invalidate three California state laws. Among other things, the administration is suing for greater access to sensitive information that states and local governments collect from immigrant members of the community in the course of delivering services to all residents. Amici filed their brief in United States v. California to support California’s effort to limit the information it turns over, arguing that disclosing the information would erode the trust it has built with residents—including in vulnerable immigrant Photo Courtesy of Edwin Torres/Mayoral Photography Office communities—that is necessary to effectively protect the “Welcoming immigrants has helped make this the safest big city in the safety and health of all residents. country,” Mayor de Blasio said.

“In New York City, we have shown how welcoming im-

migrants has helped make this the safest big city in the country,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said. “We are all better off when we have policies in place that ensure residents are willing to report crime and assist the police, complain about unsafe conditions, send their children to school, and seek medical treatment. In New York, we will vigorously defend against any effort to undermine our local laws to protect the confidential information of our resident immigrants.”

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney added that the City of Brotherly Love will defend “policies that promote public safety as well as build trust and cooperation with our immigrant communities.

“Cities have an overriding interest in these policies,” Kenney continued. “Policies like these, in combination with smart, community policing, have resulted in our city having the lowest level of crime in 40 years. By working to bring our immigrant communities out from the shadows, we continue to ensure a safer Philadelphia for all residents.”

City Reopens Emergency Medical Services Museum at Fort Totten

By Forum Staff The City Fire Department on Friday cut the ceremonial red ribbon outside the refurbished FDNY Emergency Medical Services Museum at Fort Totten in Bayside.

The 400 square-foot museum, which was originally established in 1992, chronologically displays how FDNY’s EMS grew from the nation’s very first municipal ambulance service to the busiest provider of pre-hospital emergencies – responding to more than 1.4 million calls annually.

“Remembering history and honoring those who came before The 400 square-foot museum was originally established in 1992 and reopened on Friday.

Photo Courtesy of FDNY

us are celebrated traditions of the FDNY,” said Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro. “The rededication of this museum is a testament of our tradition and we look forward to sharing the history and tenacity of our dedicated members.”

According to the department, the museum will be a stop for new probationary EMTs and paramedics as they enter FDNY EMS. It is curated with antique uniforms and equipment.

The archive will be open to the public for the first time from May 21 to 25, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, and will only be open to the public during EMS week each year.

City Set to Offer First South Asian Dual Language Program in Public Schools

By Michael V. Cusenza Beginning this September, the City Department of Education will offer the first South Asian dual language program in public schools, according to U.S. Reps. Grace Meng (D-Flushing) and Joe Crowley (D-Queens and Bronx), who have been urging the agency to create such curricula.

According to Meng and Crowley, the DOE will make a program in Bengali, the most widely spoken language Bangladesh and second-most widely spoken language of India, available at PS 7in Elmhurst.

In dual language programs, students are taught half in English and half in another language. The programs are made available to English-language learners, immigrant students who are native speakers of the second language, and native English speakers.

“This initiative is greatly needed and it will be a tremendous boon to students of Bangladeshi descent. I am also thrilled that it will be offered in a school attended by my constituents here in Queens,” Meng said.“By establishing the first South Asian dual language program, the DOE

Photo Courtesy of Google

The dual language program in Bengali will be available at PS 7 in Elmhurst in September.

demonstrates that it understands how important these programs are to the South Asian community. Dual language programs help immigrant students flourish in the classroom, and provides them with opportunities to succeed in life. I now call on the DOE to build on this important first step and expand dual language programs to other South Asian languages in order to meet the needs of students and parents in the Indian, Pakistani, Nepalese, and other South

Asian communities. I look forward to working with Chancellor [Richard] Carranza to help make that happen.”

In 2015, Meng and Crowley penned a letter to then-Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña, asking the administration to expand their language programs, arguing that these initiatives would better meet the needs of the large South Asian population in New York. Meng and Crowley noted in their missive that dual language programs included Spanish, Chinese, French, Haitian Creole, Russian, Korean, Arabic, Polish, and Hebrew—but no South Asian languages.

“The South Asian-American community in NYC is ethnically and linguistically diverse with well over 351,000 South Asian Americans living in NYC and over 60 percent of that population located in Queens, NY,” the lawmakers wrote.“This community includes, but is not limited to: Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Nepalese, and Indo-Caribbean Americans. The most common South Asian languages spoken in NYC are also the languages with the most Limited English Proficient speakers.”

There are swaths of Bangladeshi-American communities in Queens, especially in City Line, Richmond Hill, Jackson Heights, Jamaica, and parts of Flushing.

THE FORUM NEWSGROUP • VOL. 18 • Number 20, MAY 24, 2018 | 11

State Announces $100M Available to Fund Clean Air and Alternative Transportation Projects

By Michael V. Cusenza Governor Andrew Cuomo on Friday announced the availability of $100 million in federal transportation funding to support a range of projects, including the construction of pedestrian and bicycle facilities, recreational trails, and safe routes to schools, to community improvements such as historic preservation and projects that reduce congestion and gas emissions.

The funds, made available to the State through the Federal Highway Administration and administered by the State Department of Transportation, are provided through the Transportation Alternatives Program and the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program. The programs will provide up to 80 percent of project-related cost, with the remaining 20 percent provided by project sponsors.

According to the State, projects will be selected through a competitive solicitation process that rates proposals based on criteria that includes public benefit, air quality improvement, and finance or delivery innovation. Selected projects will also help municipalities meet the requirements of the Clean Air Act and the Americans with a Disabilities Act, Cuomo noted.

Projects must be related to the surface transportation system and provide full access to the public, State officials said.

Applications for funding may be developed by any municipality or non-profit incorporated group. Projects must be sponsored either by a municipality, a state agency, or public authority eligible to administer federal transportation funds.

Eligible project activities include:

“Preservation and conversion of abandoned railroad corridors for trail use” might sound familiar to some readers because it succinctly sums up the purpose of the proposed QueensWay. The project involves converting the long-abandoned Rockaway Beach Rail Line of the Long Island Rail Road—a 3.5mile, 47-acre swath of the borough, from Rego Park to Ozone Park—into a $120 million public park, similar to the Highline in Chelsea, boasting trails and amenities.

Additionally, “Establishment of travel demand programs that shift traffic demand to non-peak hours or other transportation modes” could describe the proposed QueensRail. Proponents of the project are devoted to the reactivation of the Rockaway Beach Rail Line either as part of the Long Island Rail Road or, more likely, the City subway system. The defunct spur was put into service in the late 19th Century under the control of the LIRR and connected Rockaway and southern Queens with Rego Park, provided area residents with expedient access to other parts of the city, and 40-minute commutes File Photo to Midtown Manhattan from the Rockaway Peninsula. In the The QueensWay and QueensRail plans could qualify for the funding. early 1960s, parts of the railroad service were condensed, sectioned off, and it eventually closed in 1962.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is currently • The addition of accessible sidewalks; conducting a comprehensive feasibility study of the reactiva• Construction of new bicycle and pedestrian facilities; tion of the RBRL. • Preservation and conversion of abandoned railroad “By securing this federal funding and making it available to corridors for trail use; our local communities, we can help ensure that New York will • Enhancement of traffic signals or intersections that continue to attract businesses, generate new jobs and encourimprove traffic flow; and • Establishment of travel demand programs that shift traf- age economic activity while helping meet our goal of a cleaner, fic demand to non-peak hours or other transportation modes. greener and safer Empire State for all,” Cuomo said.

Record 5,000 Lane Miles of City Roadways have Been Repaved: City

By Forum Staff The City Department of Transportation recently paved its 5,000th lane-mile since 2014, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Friday.

The increased repaving has driven down potholes 44 percent, according to the City. Hizzoner pointed to a 10-year investment of $1.6 billion in street repairs as the reason for the record asphalt output.

“Smoother streets have meant fewer potholes. We paved it forward with a big investment in repaving, and the men and women of the DOT have delivered,” de Blasio added. “We will keep up this pace, and bring on new equipment, new asphalt and new ways to avoid the frustration of newly paved streets getting dug up.”

De Blasio also unveiled on Friday investments and innovations coming to DOT’s paving efforts: Reining in street cuts for utility work – A newly paved street can last 10 to 20 years. But too often, repaved streets are quickly marred by utility “street cuts.” Starting in July, the DOT will reduce street cuts for repairs for a full two years after a street is repaved on Staten

Photo Courtesy of Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

The City repaved 1,265 lane miles in FY16, and 1,324 lane miles in FY17. So far in FY18, crews have resurfaced over 1,000 lane-miles. It is the highest three-year output of pavedlane-miles in DOT’s recorded history.

Island (the current permit-hold time is 18 months, with any repairs made during that time requiring significant and costly restoration of the street at the utility’s expense).

If successful, the policy will be applied citywide. Going forward, DOT will also meet regularly with National Grid and Con Edison to better plan and coordinate any disruptive work they plan on city

12 MAY 24, 2018 • Number 21 VOL. 17 • THE FORUM NEWSGROUP

roadways, the mayor pledged.

New paving equipment – As part of the City’s increased investment in paving, DOT announced that it has made a $36 million investment in its fleet of street paving equipment – including new trucks, milling equipment and.

Rubberized asphalt – After a recent successful pilot along Fingerboard Road on Staten Island,

DOT will be looking to expand the use of innovative roadway materials that combines recycled crumb rubber with liquid asphalt. Rubberized streets appear to suffer fewer cracks and also offer quieter drives.

Red asphalt – DOT will expand the use of red asphalt for dedicated bus lanes. Bus lanes paved with red asphalt are more

cost-effective: They last longer and completely eliminate the need for street painting and touch-ups, de Blasio noted.

High-Performance Asphalt Overlay – After the successful conversions of Manhattan’s First Avenue and Fordham Road in the Bronx, DOT will explore the transformation of the City’s concrete roadways with a new overlay of asphalt. According to the administration, concrete roads with an asphalt layer reduce traffic noise and are less expensive to repair.

Additionally, de Blasio announced that major streets in every borough will be repaved in the last six weeks of the current fiscal year that ends on June 30, including Northern and Vernon boulevards in Queens.

“We have reached this significant milestone while at the same time seeing potholes and pothole complaints decline dramatically— by more than 50 percent,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “As our paving crews now transition from potholes to road repaving, we ask that New York drivers give them the necessary space and maintain a safe speed as we try to pave as many streets during these warm weather months.”

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THE FORUM NEWSGROUP • VOL. 18 • Number 20, MAY 24, 2018 | 13

Legal Notices

Base Rock LLC Arts of Org filed with NY Sec of State (SSNY) on 4/11/18. Office: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 42-23 212th St, #1B, Bayside, NY 11361. General Purposes.

JD PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SERVICES LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 5/03/2018. Office in Queens Co. SSNY desig. agent of LLC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to JONATHAN DECKER, 57-15 69TH LANE, UNIT #7, MASPETH, NY 11378. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of A S D LOGISTICS LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 1/05/18. Office location: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: AROON DARBY, 11034 158TH STREET, JAMAICA, NY 11433.

Purpose: any lawful activity.

OBI’S NEW YOK, LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 3/23/2018.

Office in Queens Co. SSNY desig. agent of LLC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to OBI’S NEW YORK, LLC, 1423425. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

JEUNE ET TALENTUEUX, LLC Art. of Org. Filed Sec. of State of NY 2/27/2018. Off. Loc.: Queens Co. United States Corporation Agents, Inc designated as agent upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY to mail copy of process to The LLC, USCA, INC., 7014 13th Avenue, Ste. 202, Brooklyn, NY 11228. Purpose: Any lawful act or activity.

TRIALS TO TRAILS, LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 1/11/2018. Office in Queens Co. SSNY desig. agent of LLC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Alexandria Awad, 4045 193rd St., 2nd Fl., Flushing, NY 11358. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Qualification of Vernon Tower DE LLC. App. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 4/17/18. Office location: Queens County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 4/17/18. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o 116-55 Queens Blvd., Ste. 206, Forest Hills, NY 11375. DE address of LLC: c/o United Corporate Services, Inc., 874 Walker Road, Ste. C, Dover, DE 19904. Arts. of Org. filed with DE Secy. of State, Townsend Bldg., Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation: SMART MARKETING GROUP, LLC Art. Of Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/12/2014.

Office Loc.: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: THE LLC, 161-12 SANFORD AVENUE, FLUSHING, NY 11358. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation: 90-75 Sutphin 2, LLC, Art. Of Org. filed with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/20/2018. Office Loc.: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 34-30 Collins Place, Flushing NY 11354 Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation, SL&TT Realty LLC. Articles of Org. filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 03/07/20 18. Office location: Queens County. SSNY designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail copies of any process served against the LLC to: The LLC, 69-21 184th Street, Fresh Meadows, NY 11365. Purpose: any lawful purpose or activity.

Notice of formation of Bonu and Jafar Entertainment, Limited Liability Company, Arts. of Org. filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 08/07/2017. Office loc: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to 97-07 Horace Harding Expy, 8B. Queens, NY 11368. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

MAMOON BARKA LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 10/11/17. Office in Queens Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to Corporate Filing Service 763 Coney Island Ave Brooklyn, NY 11218.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of MINKIN GST LMO 6, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/06/18. Office location: Queens County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/04/18. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Jeffrey W. Bullock, DE Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Qualification of MINKIN GST LMO 1, LLC Appl. for Auth. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 04/06/18. Office location: Queens County. LLC formed in Delaware (DE) on 04/04/18. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Corporation Service Co. (CSC), 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543. DE addr. of LLC: c/o CSC, 251 Little Falls Dr., Wilmington, DE 19808. Cert. of Form. filed with Jeffrey W. Bullock, DE Secy. of State, Div. of Corps., 401 Federal St., Ste. 4, Dover, DE 19901. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Notice of Formation of Falidas Holdings, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 4/13/18. Office location: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: c/o Falidas Associates, LLC, 25-15 Queens Plaza North, Long Island City, NY 11101 (Attn: John Falidas and Paul Falidas). Purpose: any lawful activity.

RASOULPOUR TORREGOZA PLLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 3/08/2018. Office in Queens Co. SSNY desig. agent of LLC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to AMIR RASOULPOUR, 3540 82ND STREET, #5E, JACKSON HEIGHTS, NY 11372. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

RULE THE ROADS

ANNCHAR REALTY LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 09/15/1997.

Office loc: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 133-50 32nd Avenue, Flushing, NY 11354. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

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Articles of organization for a New York LLC, to wit, all square realty, llc whose principal business location is in quens county, were filed with the NewYork State Department of State on April 23, 2018. The Secretary of State is designated agent for service of process. The address to which the Secretary of State shall mail a copy of any process against it served upon him or her is c/o The LLC, 2268 31st Street, Astoria, NY 11105-9997. The purpose of the LLC is to engage in any lawful activity to which a LLC may be organized under the LLCL of New York State.

Notice of formation of JENZ CRAFT CO LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York SSNY on 04/04/2018. Office located in Queens. SSNY has been designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail copy of any process served against the LLC, 11590 224th street, Cambria Heights, NY 11411. Purpose: any lawful purpose.

14 MAY 24, 2018 • Number 21 VOL. 17 • THE FORUM NEWSGROUP

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