THE ABSENT TRUTH
Nearly 35 percent chronic absentee rate concerns teachers, advocates Lack of attendance plagues DOE schools
by Kristen Guglielmo Editor
Arecent in-depth brief from the Manhattan Institute, penned by 50CAN’s William E. Simon Policy Fellow Danyela Egorov, revealed that New York City public schools had a 34.8 percent chronic absentee rate at the end of the 2023-24 school year.
Chronic absenteeism is defined by the State Education Department as missing 10 percent or more of the total days in the school year. New York’s students are required to have a minimum of 180 instruction days, per the SED, so chronic absenteeism would mean missing 18 or more days.
“It’s always been an issue, but it got worse during Covid,” a Woodhaven educator told the Chronicle. “I thought it would get better, and it hasn’t. Not really.”
Parent Leaders for Accelerated Curriculum and Learning, an education advocacy group, said the city’s Covid policies treated in-person education as “non-essential.”
“Schools did not fully open for 18 months,” the group said in a statement to the Chronicle. “Pre-COV-
ID, attendance was used as one admissions criterion for academically rigorous programs, so parents were particularly mindful about their child’s absences. The decision to scrap that policy post-pandemic further devalued school attendance. This rising problem won’t be easy to combat when we are hearing that some high schools are pushing virtual classes as a way to comply with the small class size mandate.”
City data does show that attendance has improved since the pandemic. In the 2021-22 school year, 40.2 percent of students were chronically absent. The following year, 36.2.
But advocates and educators alike believe the 34.8 percent chronic absentee rate is an issue — even though the state’s Every Student Succeeds Act eliminated chronic absenteeism as a measure of quality, which means it will not be included
in performance evaluations of school districts.
According to the city data, pre-K students had the most chronic absence in the 2023-24 school year, at 54.4 percent. High school seniors followed at 45.5 percent.
In Queens’ education districts, rates of chronic absence varied during the 2023-24 school year. District 26, which encompasses Floral Park, Little Neck, Bayside and Fresh Meadows, had the lowest rate of absenteeism, at 21.9 percent, followed by District 25, which consists of College Point, Whitestone, Hillcrest and Flushing, at 26 percent.
Alternatively, District 27, encompassing Richmond Hill, Woodhaven, Howard Beach, Ozone Park and Rockaway, had the highest rate of chronic absenteeism during the last school year, at 41 percent, followed by District 29, which has Rosedale, Saint Albans, Cambria Heights and Queens Village, at 36.9 percent.
Other Queens districts had rates between 26 and 33.9 percent.
“Patterns of chronic absenteeism reflect common equity issues: Students who come from low-income
families, students of color, students with disabilities and students involved in the juvenile justice system are more likely to be chronically absent,” the American Federation of Teachers says on its website. “Additionally, major social determinants of health are intimately linked to chronic absenteeism. For example, factors like unsafe school conditions, bullying, housing instability, substance abuse and delinquency affect a student’s attendance.”
There are disparities across demographics when it comes to the issue. Students in temporary housing have the highest chronic absentee rate at 51.7 percent, while low-income students have a 39.1 chronic absentee rate. Among Black students, it’s 41.5 percent, and Hispanic students, 41.7. However, the Manhattan Institute report notes there are schools that are in the top decile for attendance rates with large Black populations or lowincome students.
In Queens, the Pathways College Preparatory School in St. Albans, a secondary school, had a 95.16 percent daily attendance rate in the 2022-23
continued on page 26
CONZA | MCNAMARA
PLANNING ATTORNEYS
J. CONZA, ESQ.
Georgetown University, B.A.
St. John’s University School of Law, J.D.
CYNTHIA
EDWARD R. MCNAMARA, ESQ.
Classrooms have been emptier as of late — there was an approximate 35 percent chronic absentee rate in New York City schools during the 2023-24 school year, a new study finds. CDC PHOTO / FILE
Reading garden renovation in progress; more than $2K raised for peace groups PS/MS 232 pupils remain civic-minded
by Kristen Guglielmo Editor
The city Department of Education teamed up with DemocracyNYC for the seventh annual Civics Week, from March 10 to 14. The week saw plenty of exciting events designed to inspire students across the city to tap into their civic superpowers.
With the theme “Democracy Begins Here,” students learned how their voices can spark real change and how they can make an impact in their communities.
During Civics Week, PS/MS 232, the Lindenwood School, under the leadership of Principal Naviha Paz, celebrated its second year of being part of the Civics For All Partner School Program.
“Only in our second year, our students are in the process of renovating our reading garden with participatory budgeting funds and a NYC sustainability grant secured by our Student Council themselves!” said Cheryl Rizzo, PS/MS 232’s lead civics teacher and a comoderator of the school’s student council, in an email to the Chronicle. “Queens Botanical Gardens is our partner and our pollinator garden with a little library is underway!”
Rizzo complimented the efforts of Paz, Assistant Principals Kevin Collins and Khalilah Woods, and co-moderator of the student council, Michelle Anander.
During the week, students participated in SoapboxNYC for city
school District 27, a public speaking event at which students can speak out about issues that affect them and their communities, and creatively advocate for solutions.
The school’s student council also has raised more than $2,000 for
peace organizations around the world with the help of Students Rebuild, Rizzo said, a movement that inspires young people to foster meaningful change through creativity.
On March 14, PS/MS 232 culmi-
nated Civics Week with a group of impressive guest speakers: City Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park), state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Woodhaven) and artist Justin Wadlington of Philadelphia, who sometimes goes by the moniker “Blind Eye Artist.” He will debut a new exhibit at Gracie Mansion later this year.
“All of them emphasized the importance of using your voice to be heard, the importance of respecting each other, and collaboration can help others and improve our community,” Rizzo said.
Ariola took to social media to laud the students’ enthusiasm.
“The students at PS 232 do a wonderful job participating in civics for all week,” the councilwoman wrote on Facebook. “Every year that I visit with them, their ideas and questions get better and better. I was happy to hear that they were able to secure a grant to rebuild their outdoor classroom and I look forward to visiting it when it is complete. I was also able to present each student with a service award for the work that they are doing for their school and community. Hats off to Ms. Rizzo for her dedication to her students and the outstanding work that she does with them.” Q
Two Queens GOPers oppose Citi casino
Ariola’s district has competing application; Paladino’s voters don’t want it
by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor
When the City Council gave its lopsided approval to zoning changes that would allow a casino and more in the Citi Field parking lot, only two legislators out of 43 dissented. Both were Republicans from Queens; both gave straightforward explanations to the Chronicle; and both said it was a matter of defending the folks on their home turf.
Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park) serves a district that includes Resorts World NYC, which also is applying for one of the three downstate casino licenses that are expected to be awarded by the New York State Gaming Commission sometime this year.
Councilwoman Vickie Paladino (R-Whitestone) told the Chronicle that a casino next door just isn’t popular in her 19th District.
Metropolitan Park, as the planned casino, concert venue, green space upgraded infrastructure and more are collectively known, is backed by New York Mets owner Stere Cohen
and Hard Rock International.
“I don’t think there is enough of a market share for two casinos to prevail in Queens,” Ariola told the Chronicle in an email. “A lot of the visitors of Resorts World are from the Flushing area. Resorts World has been an amazing partner for our district. They have employed many people throughout the communities that I serve and I look forward to them getting the license and growing their footprint in Ozone Park.”
Paladino, speaking with the Chronicle in College Point at last week’s annual meeting of the Coastal Preservation Network, said most residents she has spoken with have opposed the idea from the start.
“It is not what my constituents want,” Paladino said. “To be fair, Steve Cohen [and his team] have done a great job. I’ve seen the plans. I’ve seen the 360-degree model. But it’s not what my people want.”
All other Queens pmembers voted yes on the zoning changes with the exception of
Nantasha Williams (D-St. Albans), who was absent, and Tiffany Cabán (D-Astoria), who abstained.
Their colleague Francisco Moya (D-Corona) rejoiced last week in a press release put out by Queens Future, the formal name of the Cohen-Hard Rock collaboration. He said the
Council has spoken emphatically.
“This project is about more than building a sports and entertainment park,” Moya said.
“It’s about creating meaningful job opportunities with 100 percent union jobs, investing back into our community, and elevating our local economy to unprecedented heights.”
Cohen has emphasized 23,000 new union jobs when counting the construction that would be necessary.
The $8 billion project also would include modernization of the No. 7 subway station at Mets-Willets Point, a hotel, food hall and infrastructure improvements to better link surrounding neighborhoods with Citi Field and the Flushing waterfront.
As the acreage is legally parkland, there also needs to be legislation in Albany to alienate the property so that it can be used for private purposes. Legislative tradition would have state Sen. Jessica Ramos (Jackson Heights) introduce the bill in her house, but she has chosen not to do so. Q
Students of Howard Beach’s PS/MS 232, the Lindenwood School, were treated to special guest speakers last Friday, including area elected officials City Councilwoman Joann Ariola, left, and state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr., to mark the end of Civics Week. PHOTOS VIA NYC COUNCIL / FACEBOOK, LEFT, AND CHERYL RIZZO
Councilmembers Vickie Paladino, left, and Joann Ariola are unapologetic for standing against a proposed entertainment complex at Citi Field. PHOTOS BY SOPHIE KRICHEVSKY, LEFT, AND PETER C. MASTROSIMONE / FILE
Some cite soliciting spike post-City of Yes
Holden wants cease-and-desist zone; realtors say biz is unchanged
by Stephanie G. Meditz Associate Editor
“They call morning, noon and night, they leave flyers on my gate, they send mailers,” Christina Wilkinson, the Juniper Park Civic Association secretary, told the Chronicle March 14 via email about realtors who she said target her home with solicitations.
“There’s seemingly a never-ending supply of them,” Wilkinson said. “I don’t know anyone who would sell to someone who behaves this way.”
She is not alone in the neighborhood, according to Councilman Bob Holden (D-Maspeth). Citing aggressive real estate solicitations after the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity plan passed in December, Holden last week requested a cease-anddesist zone in his district.
In a letter to New York Secretary of State Walter Mosley, he reported a slew of complaints from constituents about “relentless” phone calls, postcards, other mailings and door-to-door visits from agents. He added that seniors have reported feeling harassed and pressured into selling their homes.
“This is not a hypothetical concern — it is already happening,” he said in a press release issued last week.
Daniel Kurzyna, Holden’s chief of staff, told the Chronicle that the councilman himself has received calls, and some constituents have reported receiving texts.
to Councilwoman Vickie Paladino (R-Whitestone), told the Chronicle via email that her office has received similar complaints.
Winters said the office has done everything possible to reassure the community, but the district is feeling uneasy about the new zoning laws.
But at the end of 2017, a law went into effect allowing some Queens residents to opt out of receiving real estate solicitations. The policy applies to Bay Terrace and parts of North Flushing, Whitestone, College Point, Malba, Bayside and Auburndale.
Chief of Staff to Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park) Phyllis Inserillo also told the Chronicle that her office knows people have been receiving solicitations as of late, though no one has reported feeling harassed.
The office of Councilmember Tiffany Cabán (D-Astoria) declined to comment, when asked by the Chronicle.
“The passage of City of Yes has unleashed a wave of speculative real estate activity that threatens the stability of our neighborhoods,” Holden said in his letter. “If we do not act now, more and more residents will fall victim to these predatory practices, leading to displacement and the erosion of our community.”
“It is too premature for builders to do any planning.”
—
“This is blockbusting all over again, and we must shut it down before more residents are harassed and displaced,” Holden said.
Brina
Ciaramella, Sovereign Realty of NY
According to the Department of State’s Licensing Services division, cease-anddesist zones prohibit soliciting the sale of real estate from any homeowner whose name appears on a state-issued list. A zone may be established if, after an investigation, the Department of State determines that homeowners in a certain area are subject to repeat and intense solicitation to sell.
Alexis Winters, communications director
Awash
The law loosened zoning rules to enable more redevelopment citywide, with the goal of getting about 80,000 more units of housing built over the next 15 years.
Brina Ciaramella of Sovereign Realty NY, a real estate agent and broker with offices in Ozone Park and Forest Hills, told the Chronicle via text message that she has not yet seen any effects of the City of Yes changes on real estate.
Ciaramella said also that she has not seen a spike in solicitations by mail in her neighborhood of Howard Beach, nor has she gotten calls from investors looking specifically for properties pursuant to the City of Yes changes.
“My opinion is that it is too premature for builders to do any planning, especially in
in color, civics at PS 97
Kids at PS 97, the Forest Park School, had an eventful last week. On Friday, March 14, the students celebrated both Civics For All Week and Holi, the Hindu festival of colors.
Civics For All was celebrated during an assembly wherein the children also recognized area Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar for Women’s History Month, according to the school’s parent coordinator, Naresha Ali.
Rajkumar’s deputy chief of staff, Neil Trevidi, presented citations to the school’s Student Council team and advisors, as well as the principal and school community, in recognition of their hard work.
our zip code, given the flooding issues that will hopefully trigger exemptions and modifications to the plan,” she said.
After a City Council modification to City of Yes, ground floor and basement accessory dwelling units are not permitted in floodprone areas.
“It sounds like in other areas, where creating a higher density environment would be more feasible, builders and investors are already setting their sights on properties,” Ciaramella said. “But in my opinion, it would be poor planning to do that in Howard Beach.”
Citing a difficult real estate market with high prices and interest rates as well as low inventory, Anne Marie Chirichigno of Century21 Amiable II Realty Group told the Chronicle that, while there are realtors who solicit, any rude ones should not be considered to represent the profession.
“We cannot control aggressive people who are not nice to the homeowners,” Chirichigno said. “I don’t think we should be put in a whole category of being bad realtors doing this.”
She added that other businesses such as banks and car companies solicit frequently,
but it seems to be a bigger issue when realtors do it, which she said is “part of the job.”
“We have people that are still coming into the boroughs looking for homes, and unfortunately, we don’t have the inventory for the middle- to lower-priced homes,” she said. “So it’s basically their job to try to find inventory, but not to be aggressive and forcing people to sell their houses. It’s ridiculous.”
Chirichigno said also that the City of Yes plan has not yet had any effect on her Howard Beach-based office, as no one has received questions about it from buyers or sellers.
REBNY, the Real Estate Board of New York, did not answer requests for comment by press time.
A spokesperson from the Department of State told the Chronicle that the agency has received Holden’s correspondence requesting a cease-and-desist zone and is in the process of reviewing it.
“If we don’t act immediately, our longtime homeowners — especially seniors — will be targeted and pushed out of the communities they built,” Holden said. “We cannot let that happen.” Q
The Student Council also created a podcast, called “Stand Up and Speak Out,” to raise awareness about diversity and understanding human rights while also exploring meaningful solutions.
Teacher Nikieta Seecharan facilitated a Holi event with the prekindergarten students and their parents. She read a book and presented a slideshow on the history of the holiday and how it is celebrated. At the end of the event, the kids and their parents were able to play with gulal or abir, colorful powder used to celebrate Holi, above.
“A huge thank you to Ms. Seecharan for sharing her culture with us,” Ali told the Chronicle.
— Kristen Guglielmo
Councilman Bob Holden said some residents in his district have reported aggressive real estate solicitations and are feeling pressured into selling their homes. PHOTO BY MICHAEL O’KANE / FILE
NY Senate OKs utility, trash bills
Two Addabbo measures await process in Assembly
by Kristen Guglielmo Editor
Two bills primarily sponsored by state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Woodhaven) recently passed the state Senate.
S1194-A would enhance transparency and consumer protection by requiring gas and electric corporations to notify customers at least 45 days before any increase in service rates or charges. The Senate approved the bill, which is also co-sponsored by state Sen. Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans), on March 12.
A version of the bill that instead called for 60-days notice passed the state Legislature in 2024, but was ultimately vetoed by Gov. Hochul. In her veto message, dated Dec. 21, 2024, the governor said that while she recognizes the need to increase transparency for ratepayers, price shifts are rarely forecast 60 days in advance.
“The mandates imposed by this bill would likely result in inaccurate estimated rates that would then need to be reconciled, frustrating the intent of the law,” Hochul wrote. “Updat-
ing these billing systems to enact these changes would come at a significant cost, which ultimately would be passed on to ratepayers, making their costs even higher.”
The new version, with a shorter, 45-day notice period instead, is now with the Assembly’s Energy Committee as bill A6326. Its prime sponsor there is Assemblymember Claire Valdez (D-Sunnyside).
“New Yorkers deserve fair notice when their utility costs are expected to increase,”
Addabbo said in a statement. “Customers have seen significant rate and monthly increases in their utility bills, many without notice of these changes. As many households struggle to afford necessities, such as a carton of eggs, the burden of increased utility charges without notice for these same individuals is stressful and unacceptable.”
The second bill, S1187, would permit municipal sanitation departments to install and use security cameras in order to help enforcement officers identify and fine individuals who have engaged in illegal dumping.
The bill’s earliest iteration was in 2015, according to nysenate.gov, sponsored by then-Assemblymember Mike Miller. Addabbo introduced it for the first time in 2017. State Sen. Roxanne Persaud (D-Brooklyn, Queens) is among the co-sponsors for the newest iteration, which passed on March 10.
The bill is in the Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee as A1793, sponsored by Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar (D-Woodhaven).
Illegal dumping costs municipalities millions of dollars annually in cleanup efforts and damages residents’ quality of life, Addabbo’s office said. The bill is meant to help to increase enforcement, significantly reduce incidents and deter future offenders.
The city Department of Sanitation’s press secretary, Vincent Gragnani, told the Chronicle, “We have significantly stepped up illegal dumping surveillance citywide in the last two years, with a network of more than 300 cameras positioned in known hotspots to catch illegal dumpers.”
He added, “Crooks who are dumping trash on our city are on notice: If you dump on our neighborhoods, we will catch you, we will impound your vehicle, and you will pay.”
Though the DSNY said it already uses cameras for enforcement, Addabbo told the Chronicle the bill was introduced in response to complaints received from constituents and that more should be done. He said there’s a need for implementation when addressing the issue.
“We have to ask — does it hit its intended target?” Addabbo said. “Unfortunately, in pockets of my district we see illegal dumping. And we need to deter it.” Q
37th Phagwah Parade, 3/23
Get ready to be showered in color and witness pure joy as the 37th annual Phagwah Parade returns to Richmond Hill this Sunday, March 23.
The parade is in celebration of Holi, sometimes called the festival of colors, a Hindu spring celebration marking a time for happiness, renewal and the celebration of good over evil. Hundreds of people turn out every year for the parade in Queens.
Formation begins at 10 a.m. at Liberty Avenue and 133rd Street and will kick off at 12 p.m. sharp, according to information posted on the official event page,facebook.com/groups/ phagwahparade.
From there, the route will go west on Liberty Avenue and end at Phil “Scooter” Rizzuto Park at 125th Street. Attendees will be treated to a festival of lively music and other cultural performances there.
Traffic and road closures are expected in the area. Public transportation is recommended by the event organizers, but they said drivers can try to park on a side street near Liberty and Atlantic avenues. For more information, call organizer Herman Singh at (347) 624-7200. Q — Kristen Guglielmo
EDITORIAL AGEP
Fiscal concerns for city and state
At a time when the president is promising to slash federal government spending and is causing economic uncertainty — at best — with mercurial policies that throw markets into doubt, should state and local governments continue to grow and get more expensive as if nothing’s going on?
You might think not, but that’s just what both New York State and New York City are doing as they plan new budgets and keep on passing new laws that require more spending. On top of the chaotic changes underway in the federal government, and the maybe-we-will, maybe-we-won’t threat of new tariffs that could louse up the economy, Gov. Hochul has ruled out any state tax increases.
The city could see a real reduction in its revenue from Washington, and maybe Albany, too. According to Crain’s New York Business, federal funds provide $9.7 billion of this fiscal year’s $116 billion city budget. The mayor’s preliminary fiscal 2026 spending plan anticipates only $7.4 billion, but no one can say if even that will come through. Mayor Adams is proposing some modest reductions in spending, but the City Council is sure to increase it, just as the state Legislature wants to raise it more than Gov. Hochul planned in her initial proposal. She’s eyeing a $252 billion spending plan for fiscal 2026, but the Assembly wants $257 billion and the Senate $259 billion. Don’t expect negotiations to yield a
number on the lower side. That’s not how it works.
And it’s notable that while Hochul’s plan is only 3.6 percent higher than the adjusted fiscal 2025 budget, she’s planning to increase the share that is state operating-funds spending by 10.5 percent. More than half that money goes toward Medicaid and schools. With President Trump and the Republican Congress targeting federal funding for both, what might happen next?
Yet state and city lawmakers alike just can’t resist new programs, new hires, new obligations. At the city level, a bill before the Council called Int. 1130 provides just one small example of how it works. The measure would regulate warehouses such as those operated by Amazon, monitoring the emissions of the trucks going to and fro, with the goal of reducing pollution. The warehouses would have to pay a new fee for the right to operate — of course — but it would not cover the cost of monitoring them. For that, the city anticipates spending $10.6 million over four years, while generating $1.4 million a year in revenue. It would hire 12 new people at an estimated cost of $995,000 a year. Couldn’t existing employees do the work? The Council doesn’t seem to think so. So the city will have 12 more employees for life, getting raises and getting benefits when they retire, if the measure passes.
And so our governments grow, and we all pay the bills.
Go, Red Storm!
Maybe the St. John’s University men’s basketball team is playing their hearts out in tribute to forever Coach Lou Carnesecca, who left us late last year at 99. Maybe it’s that today’s Coach Rick Pitino has an incredibly talented group of players who together are more than the sum of their parts. It’s probably all that and more. Whatever it is, the Red Storm are at the top of their game. They just dominated the Big East Tournament and were named the No. 2 seed in the West Region for the NCAAs. Tonight, March 20, they’ll take on the Omaha Mavericks in round one.
The Johnnies won 30 games this season — the first time in 40 years — and have taken 19 out of 20 so far in 2025. Their energy is electrifying. We’re proud they call Queens home and hope they go all the way this year. They just might.
MARK WEIDLER
President & Publisher
SUSAN & STANLEY MERZON Founders
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LETTERSTO THE EDITOR
Let the children play
Dear Editor:
Full disclosure, my grandsons go to Q Studio Lab.
The story that Q Studio has been fined for violation of some “double secret” permitting requirement seems to exemplify an arbitrary and lazy bureaucracy (“Quit playin’: City hits pre-K with fines,” March 13, multiple editions).
If no one at the Department of Buildings or Department of Health can identify what permits are required (which should be simple) or take the time to respond to your simple inquiry, either the permitting requirement is too vague for them to understand, or just doesn’t exist.
Simple courtesy and common sense require that DOB and DOH work with the school on at least a basic level so that the play equipment can be brought into compliance.
James Swinnen Jackson Heights
Fix what you broke?
Dear Editor:
Does City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, who now is running for mayor, think that her fellow Council members and she are not responsible for most of the problems our city is experiencing? Our city has to be careful and not follow in the footsteps of Chicago. It had a terrible mayor and then voted for a worse one and look how that is working out. The last
12 years here have been awful, and we cannot raise that to 16 years.
Adams’ beliefs are so far left and insane, just like her fellow Council members, who believe we do not need police officers, the criminals are the victims and no one should ever go to prison no matter how many times they have been arrested. Remember that our City Council abolished jaywalking because a majority claimed it was racist.
David Conlin Howard Beach
Farewell, Gourmet Teresa
Dear Editor:
When news reached me on a brutally cold January day that the storied Homestead Gourmet Shop in the Kew Gardens “village” would be closing at the end of the month, I got it; it’s over. Having put the Homestead up for sale for $100,000 on Nov. 19, 2023, in a tentative sign on the counter, owner Teresa, with Anya, her devoted daughter, and familial staff, kept this haven of hospitality alive with extraordi-
nary grace, grit and generosity.
“I have spent so many years working here, I have poured my heart and soul into this.” In a new, post-pandemic era of dining habits and amid a shift of demographics and tastes, Teresa reflected upon the diminishing returns of a landmark business in continuous operation since the ’40s — keeping particular, often elderly, patrons of the past close (even delivering as a courtesy), how could she ever have imagined how her moving story told in a community memoir, “Once Upon a Time in Kew Gardens,” would end?
As if she and her deli were one, Teresa Wianecka passed away on Feb. 4, 2025; the windows of the little white gourmet shop on the corner of Lefferts and Cuthbert, with its glorious red signature Christmas ornaments and tempting trays of pastries, as if in tribute, lay in darkness. Yet another heartrending ending to an original Kew Gardens story.
Only Christmases and cherry strudel last forever. Godspeed, Teresa. Thank you.
Frank S. Alberti Kew Gardens
Dear Editor:
LETTERSTO THE EDITOR
Debt is no dream
During a recent public discussion about the possibility that Medicaid benefits will be slashed, a stunning statistic was revealed: 312,000 people in SE Queens — more than 42 percent of us — are on Medicaid. That is twice the national average and a harsh indictment of our elected officials.
In order to qualify for Medicaid, you have to be living with significant financial hardship. For instance, the income limit for a married couple is just $28,208. How can it be that in a district covered with middle-class neighborhoods, so many of our fellow citizens are living in poverty generation after generation? Isn’t this the type of problem our congressmen, state legislators and City Council reps are supposed to solve?
It is true that the president is trying to reduce federal spending. Why? Because the USA is going bankrupt. Back in 1998, our country had $5.5 trillion in debt and a balanced budget. Fast forward to today and the federal debt has ballooned to $36 trillion. Annual deficits of $1.5 trillion are the norm. The interest we pay on the debt will be close to $1 trillion in 2025!
For too long, congressmen and presidents from both parties have kicked the can down the road. The results? Our grandchildren are born owning a $106,000 slice of the national debt. And if they live in Southeast Queens, there is a good chance poverty will dog them their entire lives. (Forty-eight percent of our children are on Medicaid.) That is not the American Dream. Paul King Belle Harbor
The writer is a former Republican candidate for Congress.
Service cuts for tax cuts
Dear Editor:
Welcome to the new America, where $2 trillion will be cut from programs benefiting ordinary Americans. Of that, $330 billion will be from the Department of Education (overseeing student loans and grants), $230 billion from Agriculture (overseeing SNAP, or food stamps) and $880 billion from Medicaid (for 72 million low-income and disabled Americans). Consumer protection will be nonexistent, weather forecasts won’t be accurate, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention won’t issue warnings, and medical research will be drastically reduced, meaning no vaccine for next year’s flu, etc., etc.
These cuts will enable a $4.5 trillion tax cut, mostly for millionaires, billionaires and corporations with record profits. For 80 percent of Americans, the cut will range from 0.8 to 1.6 percent, but for the top 20 percent it will be much higher, with the wealthiest people getting the biggest reductions.
Shouldn’t people making the least get the biggest tax breaks? For someone earning $30,000, the tax cut would only be $330 a year; for $107,000 it would be $5,000; for $1 million it would be $77,545; and for incomes of $4.7 million the cut would be $619,000 per year.
We realize the wealthy need more money so they can “contribute” large amounts to politicians. Look where this got Elon Musk. As the right hand man to President Trump, Musk has gleefully and recklessly fired thousands of experienced government workers in departments investigating his businesses. And now the tariffs on our allies are in effect. Something tells me this isn’t going to end well for any of us.
Linda Imhauser Whitestone
Trump’s disdain for vets
Dear Editor:
Did I miss something, or am I living in some sort of parallel universe? Since when does saying “Thank you for your service” to veterans mean firing them? This is from the same person who called the great John McCain “a loser.” Please explain. Thank you.
Stew Frimer Forest Hills
Delusions of grandeur
Dear Editor:
A few weeks ago, I was named in this paper by another reader who took exception to something I wrote in response to those people who compare President Trump to Hitler (“Their letters, my take,” Feb. 27). I needed to reach out to a few friends who happen to be Jewish asking them what they thought of these comparisons. Their response was one of sadness and total misunderstanding.
When trying to understand the ongoing dissension today, we are reminded of childhood schoolyard games. Each side in our game of adolescent reprisals believes it owns the ball that is being tossed in the air around us. Sadly, those who refuse to play by the rules want to take the ball and declare it’s theirs alone so no one else can relax. Hence, the distorted views that compare historical figures and the want to use terms like racist and dictator to further such inappropriate thoughts.
Sorry to rain on their parade, but the facts align with our country having been led down a blind alley for the past four years; this demands order be restored. Law and order requires we, the people, to welcome the changes being made now. This was strongly displayed when the nation brought back into the White House the only candidate capable of eradicating the corruption of the past four years.
It’s embarrassing in our culture that so many people have the mindset of misunderstanding, a mindset most times influenced by our leftist media. They are, most times, very educated and intelligent people, but asking them to have a balanced conversation is not in the cards.
We will prevail. Keep the faith. It’s best to just leave them be. It’s no one’s fault they don’t want to be on the Freedom Train.
Craig Schwab Glendale
Campaign cash hauls for mayoral hopefuls
A look at the crowded race and the candidates’ new financial disclosures
by Kristen Guglielmo Editor
In a crowded field of candidates for mayor of New York City, there are two clear leaders in fundraising during the last filing period: former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani (D-Astoria).
According to the latest figures released by the city Campaign Finance Board on March 17, the two Democrats had strong showings. Cuomo, who formally entered the race on March 1, raised $1,516,344 in 13 days of fundraising. After spending, he has an estimated $1,225,378 in his account.
His campaign said $332,350 of that is eligible for matching funds — a program that offers candidates an 8-1 match on contributions if they meet eligibility criteria. Mayoral candidates must garner at least $250,000 in contributions from 1,000 small-dollar donors to qualify.
Pending CFB approval, with matching funds, Cuomo would have $4,174,643.75 in his war chest, his campaign said.
Cuomo boasts endorsements from the city Deputy Sheriffs’ Benevolent Association, Teamsters Local 237 and Local 3 IBEW, among others. Queens Assemblymembers Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-Howard Beach) and Sam Berger (D-Flushing) endorsed his bid.
Mamdani, a Democratic socialist, has raised $1,491,837 in private funds to date, according to CFB data. He has $3,672,618 in his war chest.
(D-Sunnyside) and state Sen. Kristen Gonzalez (D-Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens) also have endorsed him.
The incumbent, Mayor Adams, a Democrat, received $18,967 during the filing period. Though the CFB data shows he received $36,121 in monetary contributions during that time, $21,450 was refunded.
Adams has not received matching funds and has an estimated $3,024,171 in his war chest after spending.
Another new entry to the race, City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (D-Jamaica), announced her candidacy March 5. She raised $128,000 in five days, her campaign said.
With a $211,404 transfer from her Council campaign account, her contribution total was $337,437. She has $276,256 after spending and did not qualify for matching funds.
The moderate Democrat has endorsements from state Attorney General Letitia James and state Sen. James Sanders Jr. (D-South Ozone Park).
He raised $849,026 in the last fundraising period, Jan. 11 to March 13. Of that, more than $500,000 is eligible for matching funds, his campaign said, meaning he would receive about $4 million if approved.
Mamdani, who is running on a platform of lowering costs and has proposed rent freezes and fare-free buses, has support from the NYC Democratic Socialists of America, United Auto Workers Region 9A (an endorsement shared with fellow candidates Brad Lander and state Sen. Jessica Ramos), Jewish Voice for Peace (also shared with Lander) and New York Communities for Change. Queens’ own Assemblymember Claire Valdez
Lander, the city comptroller and progressive Democratic mayoral hopeful, raised $227,867 in the last filing period, of which $130,330 is eligible for matching funds, according to his campaign. The latest filing, combined with $5.44 million from the January filing period, will put his war chest at approximately $6.71 million. The mayoral race has an $8.3 million spending cap.
The city finance chief’s endorsements include New York Progressive Action Network, NYC Public Advocate Jumaane Williams and Councilmember Tiffany Cabán (D-Astoria), according to his campaign.
Former city Comptroller Scott Stringer, another hopeful for the Democratic ticket, raised $188,054 in the last filing period, according to the CFB. Of that, $103,313 is eligible for matching funds. His estimated balance is $2,981,208, but after matching funds, his campaign said it expects to have approximately $4 million in cash on hand.
Stringer’s endorsements include U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-Brooklyn), the Lexington Democratic Club and El Nuevo Caribe Dem-
New chapter for 207’s library
Howard Beach’s PS/MS 207, the Rockwood Park School, turned a fresh page last Monday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate its library’s renovation.
Roaring for more reading here are the school’s lion mascot, left, Councilmember Joann Ariola, Principal Lisa Nevins, and Assistant Principals Chrysa-wnthi Alifieris and Stacey Blatt. Ariola allocated $750,000 in funding for the library, her office said.
“One of my favorite parts about being a Council Member is being able to see projects that we fund come to life,” Ariola wrote in a
ocratic Club.
Ramos, a progressive labor champion, garnered $70,061 in private funds during the last filing period, bringing her total contributions to $232,292. Though her balance was estimated to be in the red in initial data on March 17, on Wednesday, her war chest sat at $1,039, according to the CFB.
Her endorsements include Teamsters Locals 804 and 808, and Downtown Women for Change.
Other Democratic candidates include state Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D-Brooklyn), former Bronx Assemblymember Michael Blake and hedge fund manager Whitney Tilson.
Myrie raised $136,840 in the last filing period and has an estimated balance of $2,351,024, according to CFB records.
Blake raised $140,798 during the last filing period, and has $18,311 after spending.
Tilson raised $343,692 during that same time, bringing his total contributions to $755,818. He has an estimated balance of
$84,857 after spending.
James Walden, an independent candidate and former U.S. attorney, received $272,178 in private funds during the filing period. After spending, his balance is estimated at $1,077,681.
Hopefuls for the Republican ticket include Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa; Daniel Aquino, the founder and CEO of Advocates for Disabled Americans, Veterans, Police, Firemen & Families; and pastor James Manning.
Manning netted $17,626 in contributions during the filing period, but his balance is in the negative — he owes an estimated $31,444. Aquino’s latest filing was not available as of publication, but he owed $6,761 at the end of the filing period that ended Jan. 11.
Sliwa did better than his fellow Republican competition, receiving $76,137 in contributions. His balance stands at about $55,346.
Primary day is June 24. Q
social media post accompanied by photos from last Monday. “Last week, I visited @PSMS207Q in Howard Beach to cut the ribbon on the new library. I can’t wait to see all of the rest of the projects we have in store for District 32.”
The school took to its X page to celebrate the opening and thank the councilwoman.
“Huge thanks to @JoannAriola32 for her support and attending our ribbon-cutting ceremony!” the post said. “Our 8th graders and Student Council had a fantastic time celebrating for #CivicsWeek.” — Kristen Guglielmo
The city Campaign Finance Board recently released the newest data for the filing period ending March 13.
PHOTO BY MICHAEL GANNON
UNDER THIS RADICAL LAW:
The average family of four will pay $456 to $732 more per year for groceries.
It’ll be harder to buy everyday food products like cheese, hot dogs, chips and items for school lunches by banning some packaging.
Small businesses that make up the backbone of our communities will be hurt.
Elmhurst doctor on his experience serving areas ravaged by the virus Covid through the lens of the epicenter
by Stephanie G. Meditz Associate Editor
While neighborhoods and hospitals across Queens were overwhelmed when the Covid-19 pandemic struck five years ago, the communities surrounding NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst emerged as some of the hardest hit.
The hospital’s emergency department is typically busy, with about 250 to 300 patients being treated per day. That number could jump up to 500 during the pandemic, emergency department Director Dr. Stuart Kessler told the Chronicle in an interview via WebEx last week.
“We went from just being a busy emergency department to really being a tidal wave of patients coming into the department, all of whom were extremely ill,” Kessler recalled.
Asian population, with the largest concentrations in Elmhurst and Flushing-Willets Point. Elmhurst, Jackson Heights and Corona also had the largest neighborhood concentrations of Hispanic residents.
NYU’s Furman Center found that the median household income for Corona and Elmhurst was 14 percent less than the rest of the city in 2022.
While other hospitals also saw staggering statistics during Covid, the neighborhoods surrounding Elmhurst Hospital were especially at risk.
Elmhurst Hospital’s website states that it serves approximately one million people in one of the most diverse communities in the world, with 20,000 recent immigrants from 112 countries. Its patients are primarily from Central and South America, Asia, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe.
Data from the 2020 Census revealed Queens as the borough with the highest
Kessler said the hospital had seen a few Covid patients in the days leading up to the real surge. Healthcare workers had heard news from abroad about the novel coronavirus, but no one knew of a clear treatment approach during the early onset. Without an established care plan, medical professionals in the early days of the pandemic worked to treat critically ill patients that Kessler said were lined up bedto-bed in every inch of the emergency department.
He described the pandemic as an “overwhelming experience” that took some time to adapt to, largely because the patients coming in were so sick and presented with a
variety of symptoms.
“In an emergency department, you get used to death a little bit. They see a patient die on a daily basis, or every couple of days, every two or three days,” Kessler said. “This was multiple patients dying every day, no matter what we did.”
For Kessler, a possible driving factor for Elmhurst Hospital being the Covid epicenter was that many people in the surrounding
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The overwhelming number of patients who required frequent monitoring led to a need for as much manpower as possible, even though the hospital’s staffing normally would have sufficed, he said.
assessment Taking Covid lessons for the city’s future
Restaurant industry, business and education advocates give
by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor
Nothing like Covid-19 had been seen in the United States in more than 100 years, and everyone from the president and governors to parents of schoolchildren had to make fast decisions, often on information known to be imperfect and possibly incomplete; the results were both lifesaving and devastating.
But it also unleashed a creativity and flexibility that some on-the-ground experts interviewed by the Chronicle hope result in lessons learned — particularly by government — should a new pandemic arise.
Melissa Fleischut, president and CEO of the New York State Restaurant Association, said the results of Covid are still being felt today — a daunting thought in a borough where restaurants are as much part of the landscape as skyscrapers are in Manhattan.
“I think it was really unfortunate that we really didn’t understand how it spread or how long it was going to last,” Fleischut said. “I think that was beyond the science at the time — people just didn’t know or understand. The industry by and large was told, ‘Let’s shut down for two weeks. Get the thing under control and then we’ll reopen.’ And I don’t think anyone knew, could have predicted areas of the state shut down for three or four months.
“New York City indoor dining was shut down for six. Indoor dining closed across the state completely on March 17, or the night of March 16. And while we started to reopen slowly in the upstate regions first, New York City didn’t really open for indoor dining until Sept. 30.” And then only at 25 percent capacity.
Fleischut said many lessons were learned
by businesses, including fast pivots to things like outdoor dining, takeout and delivery, which showed resilience. She hopes all levels of government have learned as well for next time. She said Congress’ $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund, though wellintentioned, fell short of its goal.
“It was one-third of what we needed nationally,” she said. “I mean, it was ridicu-
lous just how much money we needed.” She also hopes the states will not feel compelled in the future to impose an across-the-board shutdown of businesses, citing catering halls as an example.
“There were size restrictions on those events,” Fleischut said. “What we found out was people didn’t stop having events. They just moved them inside their homes with no restrictions, no regulations, no guidelines. Our businesses that were under guidelines could have managed those events and weren’t allowed to do so. That’s something we have to look at if it were to happen again.”
Leslie Brown, president of the Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce, hopes that if the need arises again that relief money can get to those that need it faster and with fewer complications.
“I think government should have made it easier to get funding,” she said. “Some [businesses] were able to work out deals with landlords and others weren’t. I got funding for the chamber, but it was hard. I didn’t fit the mold because I was a not-for-profit.”
Brown acknowledges there was a need to
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Drs. Laura Iavicoli, left, Stuart Kessler and Phillip Fairweather were among the healthcare professionals at the epicenter of the Covid pandemic. PHOTO COURTESY NYC HEALTH + HOSPITALS/ELMHURST
A Wednesday morning rush-hour photo of Jamaica Avenue in Queens Village in April 2020 depicts a ghost town less than three weeks into the Covid pandemic that shut that down New York State. Many of the shuttered businesses would never reopen. PHOTO BY MICHAEL GANNON / FILE
Elmhurst as Covid epicenter
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neighborhoods still had to go to work every day as essential workers.
“They were delivery people or they were working in markets, and their responsibilities were jobs that they needed to be out and about to do,” he said. “So there was no real ability for them to stay home and avoid contact with other people.”
He said the highly contagious virus also spread rapidly within Queens homes, many of which are small and crowded.
“If one person in a household got it, it was likely that almost everybody in the household would get it,” Kessler said.
Although Elmhurst does a great job of being a community hospital for the neighborhoods it serves, he said, there may have been people in the epicenter who did not regularly visit a primary care provider and were unaware of underlying conditions that put them at a higher risk, such as diabetes or asthma.
For Kessler and many other medical professionals, the pandemic is still a difficult topic to discuss and relive.
But one part of Covid’s peak that sticks with him the most is the show of support that hospital staff saw from the community. There was a constant influx of cards and letters of thanks from members of the public, which he said was very helpful for getting through it.
“We really saw the potential best of people at a time where I think we were seeing the worst possible situation that nobody could have expected or planned for,” Kessler said.
He also was heartened to see staff work so hard — he said he had to turn emergency department workers away, telling them they had to take days off.
“Everybody wanted to be at the hospital at a time that, in a lot of places, nobody would’ve wanted to go anywhere near a hospital,” he said. He also emphasized the importance of funding for public health, including for hospitals that serve economically disadvantaged communities.
Elmhurst Hospital and state Sen. Jessica Ramos (D-Jackson Heights) on Saturday held a community vigil to remember the lives lost during the pandemic and pay tribute to the essential workers who worked tirelessly to serve their community when it mattered most.
“We lost too many of our neighbors, loved ones, and essential workers to this virus,” Ramos said in a press release.
“Today, we remember them, but we also recommit to fighting for stronger protections, fair wages, and resources for the workers who sacrificed the most. Five years later, we must ensure that our communities never have to endure such a tragedy again without the proper support and infrastructure in place.” Q
and think you’re paying too much for
Assessing lessons of Covid
continued from previous page
quarantine and mask up. She was glad her child was home from school and safe, learning remotely.
But she also said while businesses learned to be flexible, she hopes government will do the same in the future, including giving retail stores some of the breaks given to restaurants.
“What they could have done differently was let them set up outside,” Brown said. “I said so at the time. You could have your lunch outside but if you didn’t want to go into a store, there was a way they could have done it. Let them set up a table outside. Let someone go in and get that blue sweater you want to buy. They should have done something for retail stores.”
A year before Covid struck, Yiatin Chu of Whitestone founded Parent Leaders for Accelerated Curriculum and Education, or PLACE NYC, to advocate for rigorous standards and high-quality education in public schools.
Chu was glad her child went to school, given the lower risk factor for children. She also believes that the lessons city and state officials should learn about education during a pandemic could fill a textbook.
“I was being called an ‘open-school mom,’” Chu said. “I met a lot of parents who were advocating to keep the schools open. And while the lockdown was from March 16 to the end of June, the following
year was not a full year. Yes, the schools were open, but how many days did they actually have the amount of instruction that they had pre-Covid?”
She said even with some parents opting for remote education upon reopening, space restrictions for the remaining children left principals scrounging for enough rooms, libraries and other available space to operate.
“The one thing I recall, the thing that bothered us the most wasn’t just academics,” Chu said. “School is social for kids. They need their friends. There was the social and afterschool aspects, like clubs and sports.”
Lunchtime at her daughter’s school, she said, had children all facing in one direction in the cafeteria, not facing anybody.
The impact, Chu said, has manifested itself in learning loss, lower standardized test scores and massive increases in chronic absenteeism, the latter hitting harder in marginalized communities.
In a borough of immigrants where many students are learning English, the loss of time submersed with their friends who speak it was devastating, she said.
“It was a travesty what we did for a generation of children,” Chu said. Q
Find more Covid remembrance stories tagged “SARS-CoV-2: five years later” in print or at qchron.com throughout March.
Deed theft crew arraigned: DA
QV, Kew Gardens Hills and Jamaica Estates homes stolen
by Naeisha Rose Editor
Four people from in and out of the city surrendered themselves to detectives from District Attorney Melinda Katz’s Office on Tuesday.
Carl Avinger, Torey Guice, Lawrence Ray and Autumn Valeri, a licensed real estate agent, were indicted for their alleged roles in a deed fraud scheme in the northern and eastern parts of Queens, said prosecutors.
A spokesperson from the DA’s office said agents seized $403,000 in assets as part of its investigation.
Avinger, 42, of St. Albans, Ray, 38, of Jamaica and Valeri, 41, of Commack, LI, were arraigned on a 47-count indictment charging them with grand larceny, criminal possession of stolen property, conspiracy, criminal possession of a forged instrument, identity theft, falsifying business records, false instrument for filing and scheme to defraud, said Katz’s Office. Guice, of Roselle, NJ, was hit with charges of grand larceny, conspiracy, criminal possession of a forged instrument, identity theft, falsifying business records and offering a false instrument for filing.
If convicted, for allegedly stealing homes
in Queens Village, Kew Gardens Hills and Jamaica Estates, Avinger faces 12 1/2 to 25 years in prison; Ray and Valeri face a potential maximum sentence of 8 1/3 to 25 years; and Guice faces five to 15 years, said prosecutors.
On approximately April 10, 2023, Avinger and Valeri allegedly filed a false document to the city Department of Finance, which recorded a deed transfer of a home on 208th Street in Queens Village, from a 76-year-old woman, the rightful owner, to Shuler Management LLC, owned by Ray, according to the indictment. One of the alleged signatures on the deed was that of a former co-owner who died in 2016. The notary signature on the transfer was later found to be fraudulent.
The DA’s spokesperson said Guice was alleged to have been involved in signing an affidavit filed with the deed in order to facilitate the transfer of the property.
About 18 days later, Avinger and Valeri allegedly filed a false document with the same agency, which recorded a deed transfer of a home on 61st Road in Kew Gardens Hills, belonging to a mother and daughter, to Kubick LLC, another firm owned by Ray, said prosecutors. The family members confirmed they
never signed the document, which was also later found to have a fraudulent notary signature.
A civil suit was filed against the victims for the home by a third party who purchased it for $600,00, and a fraudulent marriage certificate with the name of one of the victims and driver’s license for the other victim, along with forged corporate documents, were provided by the defendants to the title company, said Katz’s office. Approximately $442,000 in sale proceeds was wired to a TD Bank account owned by Ray’s LLC. The suit was paused due to a November 2023 law to quiet the title of a property that is subject of a pending deed fraud investigation.
On May 4, 2023, the home on Kendrick Place in Jamaica Estates, belonging to an 82-year-old woman, had allegedly had its deed transferred by Avinger and Valeri, to Castaneda Ray Family LLC, another business owned by Ray, according to the investigation.
The DA’s Office said none of the defendants was charged with forgery as investigators cannot speculate on who forged the signatures.
The defendants are to return to court on April 29. Q
New slow zone in Broad Ch.
The city Department of Transportation announced Wednesday that it will implement a Regional Slow Zone in Broad Channel, part of its effort to introduce them to the other boroughs after launching one in Manhattan last year.
A Regional Slow Zone is a specific geographic area where speed limits will be set at 20 miles per hour. The reductions are targeted in an effort to improve traffic safety following the passage of Sammy’s Law, which grants the city greater authority to reduce speed limits.
The Broad Channel slow zone will span 0.16 square miles from East Sixth Road to West 22nd Road, including Cross Bay Boulevard. All streets within that geography will be reduced to 20 mph.
The area had one traffic fatality and six severe injuries in the last five years, the DOT said.
“Lowering speed limits in key areas across the city is a crucial step toward making our streets safer for everyone,” state Sen. James Sanders Jr. said in a statement. “A safer New York is a stronger New York.” Q
— Kristen Guglielmo
• Five-Star Nursing & Rehabilitation Facility awarded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
• Administrator member of American College of Health Administrators
• Administrator recipient of CMS Outstanding Achievement award for Reducing Hospitalizations
SPRING SPRING 2025
• How to stay safe from scams targeting seniors
• Seniors adapting to technology in everyday life
• How to decide when the time is right for joint replacements
• Administrator is 2016 Recipient of Lily Leadership Award
• Elder Law • Wills And Trusts • Estate And Medicaid Planning • Probate
• Administration Of Estates
• Special Needs
• Real Estate
Donna received her law degree from St. John’s University of Law. She was Co-Chair of the Elder Law Committee of the Queens County Bar Association from 2012 through 2019. She is Past President of the following organizations: Catholic Lawyers Guild of Queens County, Women’s Bar Association of Queens County, Flushing Lawyers Club, Kiwanis Club of Astoria/LIC and the East River Kiwanis Club.
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Transfer on Death Deed and Medicaid Planning
By Donna Furey, Esq.
The Transfer on Death Deed Law (TOD Deed) became effective in New York on July 19, 2024. Similar to adding beneficiaries to bank accounts, the law allows an individual (transferor) to add one or more beneficiaries to their deed. The transferor still controls the property and is eligible for their usual property tax exemptions. The transferor can revoke the deed or change beneficiaries anytime. The beneficiaries have no control over or claim to the property until the transferor passes away.
The benefits of a TOD Deed are that it avoids the time and expense of going to Court and the expense of the estate paying the carrying costs for the house until the Court appoints an Executor or Administrator for an estate because the beneficiaries become the owners of the property once the transferor passes away.
Unfortunately, the TOD Deed may not protect your property if you need Medicaid in the future because the
transferor is still the owner of the property and controls the property. Although, an individual may own a home and qualify for Medicaid, if the individual no longer resides in the house, the house becomes an exposed asset for Medicaid eligibility purposes. Prior to seeking Medicaid, it is generally best to protect your assets.
Under current Medicaid law, the transfer of assets cause “look back” penalties. Medicaid “looks back” at fi nancial transactions and gifts made prior to seeking Medicaid. There is a 30-month “look back” period for Community Medicaid (homecare) and a 60-month “look back” period for Institutional Medicaid (nursing home).
In light of the “look back” penalties, it is best to plan in advance. An Irrevocable Trust protects assets from Medicaid is often used for estate planning and asset protection and has many benefits.
Identifying and protecting against scams
by Kristen Guglielmo Editor
Mary W. rushed over to her mother-in-law’s apartment in Forest Hills one cold Thursday evening last year.
“She was inconsolable,” Mary said of the 73-year-old. “She said my son was in jail, and that an officer called and said she had to give her credit or debit card number so he could post bail and get released. She read him her credit card number, and he hung up and wasn’t calling her back.”
The Jamaica resident continued, “Donna just kept repeating, ‘We have to get him out. He’s in jail, and we have to get him out.’”
Though she knew something was amiss, Mary made quick work of calling her son to verify that he was indeed not in police custody, but instead still away at college.
She immediately got to work canceling her mother-in-law’s credit cards while trying to explain to her what had happened: She had been scammed.
Mary said no money was taken, and they never called the police to report the incident.
“She was traumatized after,” she said. “For a moment, we thought she really was going to have her money stolen. She told me I should take her phone away, and that she wasn’t going to answer phone calls ever again.”
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, millions of elderly Americans fall victim to some type of financial fraud or scheme, including romance, lottery and sweepstakes scams, each year.
Because seniors tend to be trusting and polite and less inclined to report fraud because they don’t know how or are too ashamed, they
become easy targets, the bureau said on its website.
With the elderly population growing and seniors racking up more than $3 billion in losses to scams annually, according to the FBI, elder fraud has remained a growing problem.
In New York state, elder fraud, which involves the illegal or improper use of an older adult’s funds or property, is a class A misdemeanor.
The defendant is alleged to have worked with a co-conspirator who called older adults and claimed to be from the Social Security Administration, their bank or a vendor.
at all.
“The rise of the use of artificial intelligence in perpetrating these scams is certainly alarming,” the DA’s Office said. “Among the scariest of them is the use of voice simulation to mimic the voice of a loved one in trouble and in need of cash.”
Mary said, “I can’t imagine if Mom actually heard my son’s voice on the other line. They told her he was still being processed, so he couldn’t come to the phone. If they had used AI to mimic him, I think she would have offered her life savings.”
As the New York City Department for the Aging wrote on its website, “When in doubt, hang up.”
Technological scams are among the most common. Some adults and seniors alike might have received a text message or 10 in the past few weeks about a road toll balance being due. Oftentimes, the message will come from an out-of-state or even out-of-country phone number, or an unknown email address.
The FBI calls it “smishing” — a “social engineering attack” using fake text messages to trick people into downloading malware, sharing sensitive information or sending money to cybercriminals.
Anyone who receives a text message about an outstanding toll balance should not respond or open the attached link, but instead check with the toll company’s customer service directly, the bureau said in a public service announcement.
The Office of state Attorney General Letitia James on its website outlined the anatomy of a scam: Bad actors will use a “hook” and, chances are, it will be something related to money or greed; love or good will; or fear and desperation.
Most people are inclined to look for a good deal or dream of sudden riches; good people want to help those they care about; and being afraid can make people less cautious and more open to the promise of a “quick fix,” the AG’s website states.
It’s important to catch those bad actors — reporting them is a big help — but it’s also important for elders to stay vigilant when faced with unexpected contact from a stranger.
At home in Queens, District Attorney Melinda Katz is trying to spread awareness of the issue.
“Anybody can fall victim to a scam,” the Queens District Attorney’s Office said in an email. “The goal of the office of Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz is to stay two steps ahead of bad actors and empower our community members to prevent becoming a victim. Shortly after taking office in 2020, DA Katz created a Frauds Bureau, as well as a Housing and Worker Protection Bureau, so we can match the growing efforts and technology of scam and fraud perpetrators.”
The DA’s Office recently filed criminal charges against a man for scamming more than $600,000 from seniors across the country.
“The victims were told that their accounts had been compromised and instructed to wire money for ‘safekeeping,’” the DA’s Office said, noting that the man, Fei Liang of Flushing, had previously pleaded guilty to federal charges and is required to pay restitution as part of his sentencing in that case.
The most important preventative measure one can take is to stop and take the time to verify the information being provided directly with the parties involved.
Don’t act immediately and take time to confer with a trusted person, the DA’s Office advised. It said you can surely suspect a scam if an unknown person is asking for cash; someone on the phone is pressuring you and creating a sense of urgency or secrecy; a person says payments must be in cash or gift cards; or personal information is requested.
Jorge Franco, 68, of Kew Gardens, said he got a call from a man supposedly from Microsoft a few months ago saying support for his computer’s operating system would end.
“I was mad,” he said. “I paid for it, and they were going to take it away? I asked what I could do.”
The caller, who identified himself as “Microsoft tech support,” said the issue would be avoided if Franco purchased four $25 Apple gift cards and provided him with the serial numbers.
“The ridiculousness of it,” Franco said. “Common sense said Microsoft isn’t asking for Apple cards. Common sense said a system I paid for wouldn’t just stop working. I hung up. I know I should have reported it.”
But, as technology advances, scammers are getting more creative. Sometimes, the voice on the other end of the phone won’t be unfamiliar
After verifying with the service company, file a scam complaint at ic3.gov, including the phone number the message originated from and the website linked in the text, the FBI advised. Then immediately delete the message.
Katz has recently been making the rounds at civic and community board meetings to spread awareness about scams. At one in Howard Beach in January, the district attorney said no elected official or police officer will ever call and ask for money, and said she is always careful when it comes to potential scam calls. She said she hung up when someone claiming to be the pension office called her so she could verify that the number truly belonged to the pension office. It did.
Katz specifically brought attention to the “grandparents scheme” — when elderly residents are targeted by someone claiming to be a grandchild who needs bail money — the scheme Mary’ s mother-in-law fell victim to.
“Don’t give anybody your money,” Katz said. “You don’t know them. They’re the other line of a phone. They’re a pop-up on your internet.”
Anyone who may have been a victim of a scam or other fraudulent activity is encouraged to contact the DA’s Frauds Bureau at frauds@queensda.org or Cyber Crimes Unit at CyberCrimes@queensda.org. Prosecutors from both bureaus also may be reached by calling (718) 286-6673.
“The experience taught everyone in my family to not entertain phone calls from an unknown number or give money to strangers,” Mary W. said. “I drilled it into them.” Q
Older adults are prime targets for scams and other fraud. Officials advise taking time to verify the source when receiving calls and text messages asking for money, and to file a complaint if you believe you are the target of a fraud. PHOTO VIA SHVETS PRODUCTION / PEXELS.COM; ILLUSTRATION, BELOW
Joint replacement can offer relief, fresh start
by Michael Gannon Chronicle Contributor
There can come a time when joint discomfort can cross the threshold from inconvenient to incapacitating. When that time comes, joint replacement surgery can be an option. Dr. Richard Seldes, director of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Northwell Health’s Long Island Jewish Forest Hills hospital, told the Chronicle this week that for many, the process can bring relief.
“You can pretty much replace any joint,” said Seldes, who specializes in hip, knee and shoulder procedures. He also has a private practice in Rego Park. He said there are signs patients should pay attention to.
“It they are having a lot of pain, stiffness, swelling, decreased ability to walk, having trouble going downstairs or getting out of a chair,” Seldes said. “If you hear noises from your hip, hear a crunching sound, those are the symptoms of arthritis.
“Certainly if you have those symptoms, you probably have it. You should go to a doctor, get X-rays and see how bad it is.”
Seldes also said not everyone is a candidate for joint replacement surgery, or at least might not be one immediately.
“The main reason for having joint surgery is to improve the quality of life,” he said. “Certain patients can have the X-rays and really bad arthritis, but if it’s not that painful and they’re able to function, you don’t necessarily have to have the surgery. Also, there are people who are just medically unfit, people who are at high risk. This is still major surgery. They should be sure to get checked by a doctor to make sure they have to have it.”
Modern technology and surgical techniques have made joint replacement more successful and less risky. But there still are things potential patients should discuss with their doctors.
Another reason, Seldes said, is that the patient may be too young.
“The average age of a transplant patient is in the 70s, maybe a bit younger,” he said. “If you are very young, you should probably wait as long as possible to get it. It’s an artificial part. Like anything else, it doesn’t last forever. It will wear out over time. About 90 percent of them last 20 years or more with the newer models. So someone in their 40s or 30s, they don’t really need two or three more surgeries down the road.”
Second and third surgeries on the same joint, Seldes said, carry an increased risk of complications.
Then again, ever-advancing technology is making joint
surgery more and more patient-friendly.
“We have newer techniques with robotic surgery we are doing now at Forest Hills,” Seldes said, using a knee replacement procedure as an example. A scan is taken of the knee and the data is fed into a computer. The computer then programs where the machine will make the necessary cuts.
“The surgeon is still controlling the robot,” he said. “It’s 99 percent accurate.”
And as it is major surgery, there are gradual stages to the recovery process.
“For most people, the recuperation processes are similar,” Seldes said, focusing on knees and hips. “In the first four to six weeks, you have to learn how to walk, to get the motion back. The pain level and the swelling will subside. It can be about three months to do about 80 or 90 percent of the stuff you’re used to doing. It can take six months to a year [to fully heal]. But within about three months, you can usually be back to normal activity.” He said some of the younger, more active patients might be thinking about resuming activities like heavy-duty competitive sports.
“They’re for light activity like bike riding and tennis. No heavy lifting. An artificial knee is not made for that and it will wear out. You can also break it.”
There also are precautions Seldes recommends for unrelated medical treatments during recuperation, such as a visit to the dentist.
“You’ve got to be careful,” he said. “You’ve got to let it heal. The thing is every time you go to the dentist, bacteria gets into your mouth and into your bloodstream. I tell patients any time you go to the dentist, to get a colonoscopy, have minor skin procedures, you should take an antibiotic before you do that.”
Adapting to the digital age, with some help
by Stephanie G. Meditz Associate Editor
For many adults 60 and older, technology is nothing more than a byproduct of the modern age that has come to be a necessity. They might feel indifferent towards it, if not slightly disdainful.
Aspects of life that once were strictly inperson have gone digital, such as shopping, going to the doctor or even just communicating. Many seniors do take advantage of tech developments, though, even though they signify a shift from what they were used to growing up.
“I use Siri a lot, for alarms and stuff like that, and to ask questions, and that’s it,” Judy Ginter, 63 of Richmond Hill, said.
Sandra Arena, 66, of Lindenwood said technology does not play too large of a role in her life — she uses a standard computer at work and owns a Samsung cell phone for calls and texts.
“Yes, if I left it at home, I’d freak out a little because what if someone tries to call or text me?” Arena told the Chronicle. “Otherwise, oh well, it’s at home.”
Cathy Balbone of Howard Beach said she would not consider herself a computer expert, but she does regularly perform basic Google Sheets and Microsoft Excel functions at work.
“Instagram, I have no idea how to use,” Balbone, 63, said. “I don’t know how to post anything, nothing. I just go on and flip through.”
But as the world becomes increasingly digital, more older adults have begun leaning into change, or at least making modern technology work for them.
Mark Lord, 71, a Queens Chronicle freelancer and longtime lover of theater, did not own a computer when he retired from teaching 15 years ago. After he got one with the support of his colleagues, Lord’s friend introduced him to the world of Facebook, where he now does most of his socializing — he has a whopping 1,300 friends, almost all of whom he knows personally.
“There are some people that I’ve now been
friends with on Facebook for 10 or more years, who I’ve actually never met, but we talk regularly, if not every day,” the Forest Hills resident said. “I feel as if I’ve really gotten to know a lot of them.”
One day, he decided to post a theater-related question on his Facebook page, wondering if anyone would respond. Over the span of years, that one post would evolve into many others in a weekly series.
Eventually, Lord would chronicle the copious conversations he had in a book entitled
“The Theater and I,” which he said was the no. 1 new release in two different Amazon categories at the end of 2019.
Then, when the Covid-19 pandemic struck, social media emerged as an even more valuable resource for maintaining relationships, regardless of physical distance. As he and his friends were stuck at home, he transitioned to posting questions on a daily basis.
“People would write to me and they would say, Mark, thank you so much for doing this,” he said. “I’m shut in the house and out with Covid, and this is the one thing that I look forward to every day, these theater questions and our discussions, and you’re helping us all get through this pandemic.”
The daily theater queries continued for about two years. Lord has since moved on to posting general “weekly points to ponder,” and he is still going strong.
“All of this is quite surprising, being a person who had never wanted to go near a computer before,” he said.
Although modern technology may be confusing for some seniors, many of them share a common goal of staying in touch with family and old friends. Ginter said she uses Facebook every day to scroll and keep up with her
weekly computer classes for seniors, too. An intern also comes in a few times a week to help older adults navigate their cell phones, Director Daisy Baez-Vasquez told the Chronicle.
“We try to get them into that, telemedicine and things of that nature, because it’s the way of the future world, of the present, actually,” Baez-Vasquez said, adding that there is some resistance to technology among seniors.
“This telehealth aspect of it, I think, is a great thing to be able to use, for people who don’t get out or who can’t get out who need that medical attention. I think it’s tremendous,” Lord said. “Years ago, that was out of the question. So now that that’s available, I think it’s wonderful.”
The Kew Gardens Older Adult Center offers a weekly virtual reality program in collaboration with Weill Cornell, which is conducting a study on the benefits of virtual reality for older adults.
Program Director Karen Jaramillo said the latest virtual reality demo involved the Cubism app, which includes puzzles that sharpen cognitive functions. The center also offers technology classes on Mondays.
“Technology is the way to go,” Jaramillo said. “It’s the new future and we’re trying to get them on board and keep them up to date.”
old friends’ activities.
“I just keep up with some people that I know from school, and see what’s going on,” she said. “And people I’ve met throughout my life, they’re on, I see what they’re doing.”
Arena, too, said she uses Facebook to interact with her friends’ posts, but she does not usually post on her own account. She said she often uses texting to communicate.
Though she has since transitioned to a Samsung, Arena said she would not be opposed to going back to an iPhone, but said she does not “need all that.”
“The only difference with the iPhone and this one now, I miss the FaceTime,” she said. “My niece used to FaceTime me, and with the Android, it has to go through WhatsApp, so it was easier with the iPhone.”
Lord owns a simple flip phone that he obtained for emergency purposes only.
“There are times that I would like to take greater advantage of the technology, but what I need is for somebody to sit with me while I’m on the computer and have them show me step by step ... and I would take notes,” he said. “And then in the future, I’d be able to just follow those same steps myself.”
Resources for seniors to become more tech-savvy have started to pop up in the increasingly digital age.
Commonpoint’s Central Queens Adult and Older Adult Center in Forest Hills offers seniors one-on-one technology tutoring with a social work intern. During those brief sessions, they can receive assistance with any technological questions they might have.
“[Technology] really sort of opens up just a completely different world for them,” Director Shelly Channan told the Chronicle.
The Jamaica Older Adult Center offers
This past month, Richmond Hill High School through Title I funding launched a program that teaches parents basic computer functions, such as sending emails and navigating online forms from the Department of Education.
“It makes things a lot easier if families are computer-literate,” parent coordinator Donna Crayton said. She added that the DOE provides students with devices, meaning families of all income levels can access technology at home and become familiar with it.
“It would be great if more information was shared with the elderly and ... to have training more accessible to them so they can get over the intimidation of technology, because that’s a big part of it,” Crayton said.
Seniors certainly can have reservations about technology. Arena said she was not happy to transition to receiving payments through direct deposit instead of paper checks during the pandemic, describing herself as “big-time old school.”
Balbone also has doubts about the rising use of artificial intelligence.
“Seems like they can do anything. I think it’s horrible. Because if you can take somebody’s face and do anything you want with it, that’s horrible,” she said. “Because you won’t even know if your identity is stolen or not.”
Balbone even went as far as to declare that she hates technology.
“Because the computer goes down, that’s it, you’re lost,” she said.
But Ginter said technology can keep seniors active and connected, especially if they are homebound.
“My mom is 94. She texts, she emails, she orders online, so she’s pretty good with it,” she said. “She’ll play solitaire. She goes, ‘Don’t let my iPad break. I’ll be so lonely.’” Q
As some seniors told the Chronicle that they prefer when someone can walk them through the steps of using technology, the Jamaica Older Adult Center offers weekly computer classes for seniors, where they can receive hands-on assistance.
PHOTO COURTESY JAMAICA OLDER ADULT CENTER
Richmond Hill High School recently launched a program teaching parents how to use basic technology PHOTO BY DONNA CRAYTON
Covid anniversary marked at epicenter
Ramos hosts memorial vigil outside NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst
by Michael Shain Chronicle Contributor
Five years after the earth-rattling start of the Covid pandemic, officials last weekend marked those days with solemn ceremonies honoring those who battled it and those who died from it.
NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, which served as the city’s unofficial ground zero during the early days of the siege, was the backdrop of choice for those ceremonies — including a visit from Mayor Adams last Friday and an
Above, state Sen. Jessica Ramos, center, and other vigil attendees hold a moment of silence for those lost to the Covid-19 pandemic, bearing white flowers in their memory outside NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst, dubbed “the epicenter of the
Dr. Joseph Rabinovich, an
a food bank group. Near left, Ramos greets a constituent before the start of the vigil.
hour-long vigil on Saturday organized by state Sen. Jessica Ramos (D-Jackson Heights).
About 30 local leaders and hospital staffers gathered on a playground across the street from the hospital that Ramos noted was called “the epicenter of the epicenter.”
Elmhurst emergency-room physician Dr. Joseph Rabinovich recalled “coming to work and dreading what I was going to confront” during those dark days.
“But I also remember seeing that giant ‘Thank You’ mural in front of
Absenteeism
continued from page 2
school year. The school’s population is mostly Black and low income, at 75.04 and 74.88 percent, respectively.
Egorov, in her brief, found that parents are now more likely to let children stay home for minor illnesses, as remote work flexibility has made it easier to navigate childcare needs when their kid stays home.
One parent, Vanessa M. of Jamaica, told the Chronicle, “I don’t play since Covid. If my son is sick, he stays home. That’s that.”
Ivy Lee of Flushing said, “My daughter goes in if she’s sick, but isn’t throwing up or
the hospital,” Rabinovich said. The banner, hung on the playground fence, accumulated hundreds of signatures from healthcare workers and became a moving symbol of community appreciation during the first months of the pandemic.
“That really helped us get through it,” he said.
Parent coordinators from area schools, ER nurses and representatives of food delivery workers spoke at Saturday’s vigil praising the haveyour-back spirit that welled up in Elmhurst during those days.
feverish. If that happens at school, she can go to the nurse and I’ll get her.”
To address chronic absenteeism, the city Department of Education said that it has expanded its Student Pathways and career and technical education initiatives, calling those a proven approach that give students the critical “why” they need to come to school.
“Since the pandemic, New York City Public Schools has reduced chronic absenteeism over the past three years thanks to strategies that encourage student attendance, including ‘Every Student Every Day’ — providing a range of services and supports in and out of school, working in collaboration with schools, city agencies, shelters, foster care agencies, and community-based organizations,” DOE
But Ramos also warned that lawmakers have not kept up with preparations for a possible return of a fast-spreading disease.
She called for the formation of a commission to look at what worked and what did not during the last pandemic.
Ramos, a declared candidate for mayor in elections later this year.
SARS-CoV-2
SARS-CoV-2 FIVE YEARS LATER
“We have to make sure that our hospitals and our healthcare system is fully equipped for emergencies of this magnitude,” said
press secretary Nicole Brownstein said in a statement.
Brownstein added that the agency also offers professional development to staff and targeted supports to community schools.
“Additionally, we are supporting districts and schools to help families access food, clothing, and hygiene supplies, as well as counseling, and health services, all of which are barriers to regular attendance,” she said. “There is much more work to be done to reduce chronic absenteeism, but we are on the right path.”
The Woodhaven educator said she’s been teaching at her school for years, and that she definitely sees a correlation between absences and effort.
“Since the pandemic. we sadly have only seen nurse shortages and doctor shortages deepen. It is getting harder to recruit the health professionals we need.
“That is an indictment on the values of the decision makers [on] the budgets that have passed without acknowledging the care that is needed.” Q
“It’s simple, really — the more consistent a student is with their attendance, the more consistent their successes will be,” she said. “But sometimes, for reasons out of our control as teachers, the kids have difficulties showing up.”
Asked what teachers can do when they have chronically absent students, she said, “Check in. As a mandated reporter, if you’re seeing a student miss class repeatedly, you should be checking in.”
She added, “I’ve had frequently absent students who have had real issues at home or with their health. But I always make sure to spend time individually to catch them up. It’s my job to ensure my kids are absorbing my lessons, even if they’re not always physically present to do it.” Q
epicenter” of the pandemic. Second from right is emergency room nurse Janice Fana. At top left,
ER physician, recalls the darkest days. At far left is Evelyn Heilbron, founder of Community Center Services Organization,
PHOTOS BY MICHAEL SHAIN
Candidates discuss their solutions to public safety, education and more Five battle it out for District 28 seat
by Naeisha Rose Editor
A real estate agent, former city and state staffers, a community leader and a former councilman are all vying for the seat being vacated by City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams’ (D-Jamaica) in District 28. Adams is term-limited and making a bid for mayor.
Real estate agent Romeo Hitlall and activist Japneet Singh, both of South Ozone Park, along with Adams staffer Ty Hankerson, of Jamaica, said sanitation, public safety and housing are some of the top problems they plan to address in the district. Latoya LeGrand, of South Jamaica, a former staffer of Assemblywoman Vivian Cook (D-Jamaica), shared their sentiments, but also has a more education-focused platform. Former District 28 Councilman Ruben Wills, has a more criminal justice reform platform, according to his social media. “Being a long-term resident of this community, I have seen where it was 25 years ago and where it is today,” said Hitlall, a Guyanese-American immigrant, whose family came to the United States in 1986. “I have not seen many major changes. Our elected officials have not been doing anything great for this district.”
Hitlall, district governor of the 20-K1 Brooklyn & Queens Lions Club, a philan-
COMPREHENSIVE MEDICAL IMAGING
thropic organization, and a Community Board 10 member, says it is time for a nonpolitical insider to represent the area that encompasses parts or all of Jamaica, South Jamaica, Richmond Hill, Rochdale Village and South Ozone Park.
“I call myself the people’s candidate because I’m just like everyone else,” Hitlall said. “The quality of life in our community is just — we lost it. We lost it. It is not safe. Sanitation is a problem from one end to another end ... The district is a mess.”
from his experience as a real estate agent.
Hitlall wants to foster more neighborhood policing by building relationships between officers and residents. He also wants to work with stakeholders to address the lack of affordable housing. He does not support the City of Yes for Housing rezoning measure and does not believe what he calls a blanket citywide plan will address the problem.
Hitlall said if elected he would work with the Department of Sanitation to make sure there are more on-time pickups and street sweepers, using his negotiation skills
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Hankerson, Adams’ former chief of staff, has endorsements from the speaker, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Borough President Donovan Richards, City Council Majority Whip Selvena Brooks-Powers (D-Laurelton), U.S. Rep. Greg Meeks (D-Jamaica), eight other councilmembers, three Assembly district leaders, the Queens Democratic Party, 100 Black Construction Workers and NYS Building & Construction Trades.
He believes his nearly eight years of experience as a staffer would help in office to address the needs of the public.
“Dealing with several issues going on in the community, working on constituent cases, making budget allocations, all to promote the health and wellness of our community — so for me, running for City Council is just a great honor,” said Hankerson, who also worked at several positions at the Southern Queens Parks Association and was a member of the NYPD Law Enforcement Explorers.
“Every neighborhood is completely different,” he said. “As the people’s candidate, I’m hungry and willing to do the job for this district.”
Hitlall was endorsed by Guyanese artist Terry Gajraj and businessman Marcus Bisram.
Hankerson believes agencies have to be held accountable to tackle the problems in the community.
“One of the things that I did as a staffer in the speaker’s office was create community coalitions,” said Hankerson. “There is a
continued on page 28
Romeo Hitlall, left, Ty Hankerson, Latoya LeGrand and Japneet Singh are among the five people running for City Council District 28 seat. Former Councilman Ruben Wills is also running for the seat.
COURTESY PHOTOS
Service changes for Hempstead line
by Naeisha Rose Editor
Starting Monday, March 24, there will service changes at the Hollis, Queens Village and Elmont-UBS Long Island Rail Road stations through 2027, according to the MTA.
The transit agency will be making the changes while it builds an elevator and replaces platforms at the Hollis station, it said last Friday. On weekdays, after the morning rush hour until approximately 3 p.m., trains will not stop at Hollis or Queens Village in one direction. Due to the track layout when work is occurring on the westbound track, westbound trains will not be able to stop at the Elmont-UBS Arena.
To further improve accessibility and infrastructure, the MTA is building an elevator to the eastbound platform and a ramp to the westbound platform. It also will replace existing four-car wooden platforms with eight-car concrete platforms equipped with snow-melt systems. This will make the station easier to use and reduce delays for all Hempstead Branch riders.
LIRR tickets for Hollis or Queens Village station riders will be accepted on MTA buses, said the agency. The TrainTime app
will show which trains are or aren’t stopping, but won’t show bus alternatives. The Q2 and Q3 buses connect the 165 Street Bus Terminal in Jamaica with Hollis Avenue at the west end of Hollis station. The Q110 bus also runs along Jamaica Avenue and serves Parsons Boulevard in Jamaica, where you can transfer to multiple buses to Jamaica station.
For people who take the Queens Village station, the Q1 and Q36 buses connect to the 165 Street Bus Terminal in Jamaica with Hollis station. For those who frequent the Elmont-UBS Arena station, the agency said to use the nearby Bellerose station.
Eastbound trains will skip Hollis and Queens Village from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Friday: March 24 to 28; March 31 to April 4; April 28 to May 2; May 5 to 9; and May 12-16. Westbound trains will skip Elmont-UBS Arena, Queens Village, and Hollis from 10 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Monday through Friday: April 7 to 11; April 14 to 17 (normal service on Good Friday); and April 21 to 25. For LIRR employees, service changes also apply to the Hillside Support Facility.
More dates will be added as the project progresses. Q
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 beneficiaries 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 significant differences between a will and a revocable trust.
A primary difference is by putting your assets into a revocable trust you are allowing your beneficiaries to avoid the probate process in Surrogate’s Court. Probate can be expensive and may take
The campaign for District 28
continued from page 27
community coalition that is led by the staff, but has community leaders and clergy folks, including our agencies. We meet once a month for each neighborhood and we discuss the major areas that need just a little more love. It’s a form of accountability for the city agency ... I plan to bring all my experiences ... to the table.”
LeGrand, a former constituent services representative of Cook, raised $14, 887 from private donations, resulting in $65,816 in matching funds, according to campaign finance records as of Tuesday. Hitlall raised $39,897 and was matched with $132,767. Singh raised $31,888 and was matched with $191,832. Wills raised $500.
LeGrand, who was also a staffer for state Sen. Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans) and is the founder of Projects II Projects, which provides housing equity, youth empowerment and education resources to people who are autistic, in the foster care system and NYCHA, wants to bring her experience in state government to the table.
“We have overcrowded classes,” said LeGrand. “We need more space for our students.”
LeGrand, who also serves as the education chair of Community Board 12, said there also needs to be more resources and teachers.
“Then there are the shelters — this goes together,” said LeGrand. “With our new families entering in our district, we have a
lot of students in the classroom where English is not their first language. We need more bilingual books, teachers and programs.”
She said that there are a lot of people in the shelter system because personal income is not matching the housing market. She believes there needs to be more schools to address the lack of classroom space, which she thinks will be ideal at 15, or 20 students per teacher maximum. She wants to address the shelter system by having conversations with other colleagues in government to create more permanent homes.
Japneet Singh, the president of the Khalsa Community Patrol, a community-based organization, who immigrated from Punjab, India, in 1994, said there needs to be a bridge between those who live east and west of the Van Wyck to solve the problems of the district.
“There needs to be a bridge between communities and between ethnic lines,” Singh said. “If we want to protect our community, we need to step up as young people.”
Singh believes there needs to be more government transparency to address problems related to sanitation, crime and affordable housing.
“The City of New York has a $113 billion budget,” said Singh. “If you were to ask taxpayers where your money is going, no one would have a clue. We need to know where our money is going.” Q
IBX talk in Ridgewood 3/27
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 significant impact on your children and beneficiaries. Please feel free to contact me at cynthia@conzamc namara.com or (718) 845-5555 if you would like to discuss further.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is hosting a series of open houses on the Interborough Express this spring. The first will take place on Thursday, March 27, at the Ridgewood Library. Members of the public are encouraged to attend to learn more about the project.
The plan is to run a light rail line for 14 miles between Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights and Bay Ridge in Brooklyn along an active but lightly used freight rail right-of-way. The Jackson Heights stop would be three blocks from the transit hub at 74th Street-Broadway.
Preliminary plans includes Queens stops at Myrtle Avenue, at the RidgewoodGlendale border; Metropolitan Avenue in Middle Village; Eliot Avenue at the Maspeth-Middle Village border; and Grand Avenue in Maspeth.
The library is at 20-12 Madison St. Other open houses are on April 3, at South Shore High School, and April 22, at Maimonides Medical Center, both in Borough Park; and in Jackson Heights, on May 8 at Renaissance Charter School.
All meetings are from 6 to 8 p.m. Q — Michael Gannon
Thestronger sex
by Stephanie G. Meditz
It’s no secret that much of the work women do, especially in the household and in relationships, often goes unrecognized.
At The Secret Theatre in Woodside, City Gate Productions’ run of “POTUS: Or, Behind Every Great Dumb*ss Are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive” puts a biting political spin on that notion of women as unsung heroes.
The all-female, fast-paced farce follows seven women as they work to preserve the president’s reputation, which proves to be a nearly insurmountable task.
The characters are thrown into crisis as soon as the curtains open, as chief of staff Harriet, played by Marianne Goodell, and press secretary Jean, portrayed by Erin Layton, frantically discuss how to salvage a situation in which the man himself uses a rather colorful term in a public address. The script can come as a hilarious shock to audience members who may not expect certain language in a play about a chief executive.
As the show powers forward, the unnamed, unseen president unwittingly makes an even larger mess. The audience see a motley crew of zany women come up with equally desperate and innovative solutions to save him from himself.
But “POTUS” is far more complex than it may initially appear. Though undoubtedly wacky, the
Women rescue a ‘POTUS’ in crisis in new play
women onstage are whipsmart, resourceful and deeply human. They have to be, in order to protect their own jobs and reputations, let alone those of a man oblivious to their painstaking efforts.
“Oftentimes in plays of the past, women are either seen as obstacles or just love interests. They’re not really complete characters,” director Christina Shea-Wright said. “But in this show, the women are complete characters. They are not all good, they are not all bad.”
Indeed, morality tends to take a back seat in many of the characters’ decisions. For instance, Bernadette, POTUS’s sister, and Dusty, his mistress, come up with shocking, effective ways to keep White House personnel out of the team’s hair. b h d
King Crossword Puzzle
I HAVE OFTEN WALKED
Howard Lutnick was a babe in arms in KGH
by Ron Marzlock
Chronicle Contributor
Solomon Lutnick was born in the Bronx on Sept. 6, 1928. He was an ambitious young man who helped his father, Isador, in his dry-cleaning store, called Dunhill Cleaners.
Solomon fell in love with 20-year-old Jane Liberman of New Jersey. They married in December 1955. He was hired as a history professor at Queens College and they got an apartment at 138-33 Jewel Ave. in Kew Gardens Hills, a few minutes from where he worked.
Their firstborn, Edith, arrived in 1959. A second child, Howard, was born July 14, 1961. By the end of the year they had bought a 1,631-square-foot, 3-bedroom house at 32 Hicks Ave. in Syosset, LI. A third child, Gary, joined the family in November 1964.
Howard excelled at Jericho High, but bad luck plagued the family as his mother died at age 42, in February 1978, and the next year his father died at 51, on Sept. 12, 1979.
Howard pushed on and met Bernard Can-
tor, who saw brilliance and took him under his wing. He ascended in the financial firm Cantor Fitzgerald. He developed ESpeed, an electronic trading platform and went on to head the company.
Lutnick experienced the pain of 9/11 deeply, as the firm lost all 658 employees at work that day, including his brother, Gary. He and Donald Trump formed a relationship, which led to Lutnick’s recent appointment as U.S. secretary of commerce. Big things are expected of him and everyone is watching. Q
The first home of commerce chief Howard Lutnick was at 138-33 Jewel Ave. in Joyce Gardens, above, in Kew Gardens Hills. GOOGLE MAPS IMAGE; INSET WHITE HOUSE PHOTO VIA WIKIPEDIA
Marvels of Media Festival: A different perspective
by Naeisha Rose editor
The fourth annual Marvels of Media Festival, which celebrates the work of people on the autism spectrum, will be held at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria.
The free three-day event, which has an opening reception on March 27, from 6:30 to 9 p.m., will feature more than 20 films ranging from narrative fiction to thrillers to horror, comedy, animation and documentaries.
Amazon’s “As We See It” star, Sue Ann Pien, who is on the spectrum, makes her directorial debut with “Once More, Like Rain Man,” which will screen opening night.
She told the Chronicle via email that she is proud to headline this year’s festival.
“From winning our award for ‘As We See It” at the inaugural festival, to debuting this beloved project as a first-time director, the journey feels full circle, and I am thrilled to join you all in-person for the opening night festivities!” said Pien. “Our short film is a great example of hiring many disabled, autistic and neurodiverse cast and crew in positions everyone can thrive in or grow from, and our continued success on the festival circuit hopes to encourage more productions to let our unique expertise and
work speak for ourselves.”
Starring in the 15-minute film is autistic teenage writer-actress Bella Zoe Martinez, along with Tal Anderson, Sosie Bacon, Matt Jones and Pien. The movie illustrates “a day in the life” of autistic actress Zoe (Martinez), who travels throughout Los Angeles for auditions, only to keep getting offered stereotypical parts. The film is produced by
Darren Dean, who is behind indie films
“The Florida Project” and “Tangerine.” Pien, Martinez and “Elegy for the
Future” director Christina Phensy will be there in person for a live forum, followed by a discussion about autistic representation behind and in front of the camera that will be moderated by filmmaker and playwright Jackson Tucker-Meyer. The evening’s program will be followed by a reception.
The festival features nonlinear cinema, and more than just films. There also will be video games and two virtual reality experiences at the Marvels of Media Exhibition: “The Adventure of Nature and the Senses”
and the Media Game Lab.
Kyle Davis, who directed “Night City,” a four-minute experimental film, is from Long Island City and has his work in the exhibit, and Alex Lundqvist of Astoria, the game designer of Fizzy Adventure from Tech Kids Unlimited, a nonprofit technology program for neurodiverse students in Brooklyn, has his work in the Game Lab. The TKU section of the lab features are playable and are inspired by retro games like Mario Brothers, said the museum, which is located at 36-01 35 Ave. The other game section is for A Night for Flesh and Roses, by game designer Elliot Rex White.
To RSVP for the festival, exhibit or lab, visit shorturl.at/ESoLQ. The museum is located at 36-01 35 Ave.
The virtual reality experiences include Booper, Get Home, with art by Nathan Fletcher, who is on the spectrum, and programming by his father, Thomas Fletcher. Booper allows players to jump, hop and skip their way through a colorful storybook-like platform and has puzzles and quests. The MUD & TKU Student Work XR/VR Gallery has a collaborative piece between TKU’s Digital Agency and the Media Under Dystopia Foundation, a nonprofit that creates hybrid art and technology programs, which offers digital media work from students. Q
Girls get it done onstage at The Secret Theatre
continued from page 29
“There’s a lot that’s going on in this piece,” Shea-Wright said. “Something that kind of stands out to me, which is not at all front and center, is all the things that women are expected to do during various times in their lives.”
Chris, a journalist portrayed by LaRelle Gee, is a breastfeeding mother who must answer her babysitters’ calls in between and even during interiews. She also must find
Crossword Answers
spots to pump, when there are none.
Although the president is the primary public figure behind whom the play’s characters work, very little is said about his appearance, but the women backstage receive plenty of jabs about theirs, whether it’s Jean’s “Steve Jobs” turtleneck or Harriet’s attempt at a “presidential” haircut.
The show also includes a standout performance from Farah Diaz-Tello as Stephanie, a secretary anxious to meet the demands of her superiors while also permitting herself to take up space in the workforce, literally and figuratively.
While thoroughly capturing those nerves, Diaz-Tello makes a hilarious shift after her character opens a bottle of Tums that does not, in fact, contain Tums.
“Because this is sort of a tumultuous time in the country and things are changing ... it’s been a really nice release, I would say, for me and for my cast members as well,” Shea-Wright said.
Also on view at The Secret Theatre with “POTUS” is artist Dara Abrams’ pop-up gallery, which includes works inspired by the play. With materials such as spray paint and glitter, Abrams’ paintings are as vibrant
The all-female cast of “POTUS” powers the show to its close. On the cover: Farah DiazTello, left, and Margaret Leisenheimer play two of the seven zany characters. Dara Abrams’ pop-up gallery at The Secret Theatre includes works inspired by the show.
and eclectic as the women onstage.
“Things I touch upon with my art sometimes are things that maybe make people uncomfortable, but I do it kind of in a fun way, and I make people think about sometimes uncomfortable subjects,” she said.
One of the pieces on view depicts Uncle Sam with a metallic beard and a luxury brand name peeking out of his mouth.
“POTUS” will run through March 23. One may visit citygateproductions.org or call (929) 377-7495 to learn more. Q
Bella Zoe Martinez and Matt Jones star in “Once More, Like Rain Man,” directed by Sue Ann Pien, inset. PHOTO COURTESY MOMI, LEFT, AND PHOTO BY DAN DOPERALSKI / VARIETY
PHOTOS BY CHRISTINA SHEA-WRIGHT, ABOVE, AND, COVER, JOE SINNOTT, RIGHT, AND STEPHANIE G. MEDITZ
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NOTICE OF POSTPONEMENT OF SALE
THE BELOW SALE WAS ORIGINALLY SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 7, 2025 AT 10:00 A.M. AND IS BEING POSTPONED TO MARCH 28, 2025 AT 11:00 A.M. AT THE SAME PLACE. LAMONT RAMSAY, REFEREE. SUPREME COURT: QUEENS COUNTY. CHONDRITE REO, LLC (5), Pltf., vs. EXCELLENT DEVELOPMENT I LLC., et al, Defts. Index #707851/2019. Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale entered March 27, 2024, I will sell at public auction on the front steps of the Queens County Supreme Court, 88-11 Sutphin Blvd., Jamaica, NY on March 28, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. prem. k/a 87-34 169th Street, Jamaica, NY 11432 a/k/a Block 9841, Lot(s) 46 and 48. Approx. amt. of judgment is $1,088,825.35 plus costs and interest. Sold subject to terms and conditions of filed judgment and terms of sale. LAMONT RAMSAY BAILEY, Referee. DEUTSCH & SCHNEIDER, LLP, Attys. for Pltf., 79-37 Myrtle Avenue, Glendale, NY. File No. LF-108#102179
PUBLIC NOTICE
AT&T proposes to modify their existing facility (new tip heights 78’)on the building at 241-20 Northern Blvd., Little Neck, NY (20250151). Interested parties may contact Scott Horn (856-809-1202) (1012 Industrial Dr., West Berlin, NJ 08091) with comments regarding potential effects on historic properties.
Notice is hereby given that an On-Premises Restaurant-Liquor License, NYS Application ID NA-0340-25-106326 has been applied for by 3938 Bell Enterprises Inc d/b/a Papazzio to sell liquor, beer, wine and cider at retail in an on-premises Restaurant-Liquor establishment. For on premise consumption under the ABC law at 39-38 Bell Boulevard, Bayside, NY 11361.
Notice is hereby given that an On-Premises Restaurant-Liquor License, NYS Application ID NA-0340-25-105761 has been applied for by Soothr Koon Limited to sell liquor, beer, wine and cider at retail in an on-premises Restaurant-Liquor establishment. For on premise consumption under the ABC law at 25-20 43rd Ave., Long Island City, NY 11101.
Legal Notices
NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF QUEENS CROSBY GIBRALTAR, LLC; Plaintiff v. GANESH ARORA; et al.; Defendants Attorney for Plaintiff: Hasbani & Light, P.C., 450 7th Ave, Suite 1901, NY, NY 10123; (212) 6436677 Pursuant to judgment of foreclosure and sale granted herein on 8/5/24, I will sell at Public Auction to the highest bidder at the Queens County Supreme Court, located at 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11435 on March 28, 2025, at 10:00 AM Premises known as 57-65 75th Street, Queens, NY 11379 Block: 2814 Lot: 93 All that certain plot, piece, or parcel of land, situate, lying and being in the County of Queens, State of New York. As more particularly described in the judgment of foreclosure and sale. Sold subject to the terms and conditions contained in said judgment and terms of sale. Approximate amount of judgment: $1,568,659.05 plus interest and costs. Docket Number: 726628/2022 Gerald Chiariello, Esq., Referee
Notice of Formation of DOGRU CONSULTANTS LLC
Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 05/17/2024
Office 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, 6466 ELLWELL CRES APT 2, REGO PARK, NY 11374. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.
Notice of Formation of EdgeSide LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 12/20/2024. Office location: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 3705 88th Street, Apt C6, Jackson Heights, NY 11372. Purpose: any lawful activities.
REFEREE’S NOTICE OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF QUEENS
MIDFIRST BANK, Plaintiffagainst - TRAVIS GREEN, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered on July 25, 2024. I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Queens County Supreme Courthouse located at 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY, on the second floor in Courtroom 25 on the 28th day of March, 2025 at 10:00 AM. 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. Premises known as 620 Beach 69th Street, Arverne, (City of New York) NY 11692. (BL#: 16029111) Approximate amount of lien $676,203.69 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed judgment and terms of sale. Index No. 705844/2023. Carolyn Salian Clyne, Esq., Referee. Davidson Fink LLP Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 400 Meridian Centre Blvd, Ste 200 Rochester, NY 14618 Tel. 585/760-8218 For sale information, please visit Auction.com at www.Auction. com or call (800) 280-2832
Dated: January 7, 2025 During the COVID-19 health emergency, bidders are required to comply with all governmental health requirements in effect at the time of sale including but not limited to, wearing face coverings and maintaining social distancing (at least 6-feet apart) during the auction, while tendering deposit and at any subsequent closing. Bidders are also required to comply with the Foreclosure Auction Rules and COVID-19 Health Emergency Rules issued by the Supreme Court of this County in addition to the conditions set forth in the Terms of Sale.
SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF QUEENS. NYCTL 2021A TRUST AND THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON, AS COLLATERAL AGENT AND CUSTODIAN, Plaintiffs -againstMILDRED RABRY FACINELLI, et al Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered herein on January 29, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Queens County Supreme Courthouse, 88-11 Sutphin Blvd., in Courtroom # 25, Jamaica, NY on March 28, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. premises situate, lying and being in the Borough of Queens, County of Queens, City and State of New York, known and designated as Block 9177 Lot 130 on the Queens County Tax Assessment Map. Said premises known as 85-65 98 STREET, WOODHAVEN, NY Approximate amount of lien $13,270.52 plus interest & costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment and Terms of Sale. Index Number 726155/2022. HETTIE V. POWELL, ESQ., Referee Phillips Lytle LLP Attorney(s) for Plaintiffs 28 East Main Street, Suite 1400, Rochester, NY 14614
Notice of Formation of SAS PROPERTY GROUP LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 02/15/2025 Office 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: SAS PROPERTY GROUP LLC, 3731 73RD ST, APARTMENT 2E, JACKSON HEIGHTS, NY 11372. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.
Notice of Formation of 21245 26 AVE LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 02/10/25. Office location: Queens County. Princ. office of LLC: c/o Cord Meyer Development LLC, 108-18 Queens Blvd., Forest Hills, NY 11375. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC at the addr. of its princ. office. Purpose: Any lawful activity.
the sale or rental of residential real estate. Queens Chronicle does not knowingly accept advertising in violation of these laws. When you suspect housing discrimination call the Open Housing Center (the Fair Housing Agency for the five boroughs of New York) at 212941-6101, or the New York City Commission of Human Rights Hotline at 718-722-3131. The Queens Chronicle reserves the right to alter wording in ads to conform with Federal Fair Housing regulations.
Legal Notices Legal Notices
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF SULLIVAN Index No. E2024-410 Date Summons Filed: March 8, 2024 SUMMONS HYUNG KEE CHOI Plaintiff, -againstCHANGHO KIM Defendant. TO THE ABOVE-NAMED DEFENDANT Changho Kim: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED and required to submit to plaintiff’s attorney your answering papers on this motion within thirty (30) days after the service of this notice where is made in any other manner than personal delivery within the State. In case of your failure to submit answering papers, summary judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the notice of motion. NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT. The Plaintiff filed a motion for summary judgment in lieu of complaint. The object of the above captioned action is (1) to renew a lien on real property pursuant to the previous judgment dated January 14, 2011 (Index No. 854/08) and (2) permit Plaintiff to record the deed on the real property located at 123 DeBruce Road, a/k/a 1 DeBruce Road, Livingston Manor, County of Sullivan, State of New York, also identified as being in Section 26, Block 2086, Lot 12.1 (“Property”) without the signature or the social security number of the Defendant and for such other and further relief as to the court may seem just and proper, plus the costs of this motion, upon the ground that this action is based upon a prior judgment pursuant to CPLR 3213. The basis of the venue designated is SULLIVAN County, New York, as it is the county in which the subject real property is located. Dated: February 14, 2025 /s/ Michael Song Attorney for Plaintiff Michael W. Song, Esq. 400 Sylvan Ave., Suite 106B, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Tel: 201-568-3136
Howard Beach, New Side. 1 BR. Gas & electric incl. 1 person, no smoking/pets.
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF QUEENS Index No.: 701796/2025 SUMMONS WITH NOTICE
Plaintiff designates QUEENS County as the place of trial. The basis of venue is Plaintiff’s’ residence. Plaintiff resides at 103-25 168 Place, Jamaica, NY 11433. Vivienne J. Moore, Plaintiff, -against- Benjamin E. Egbadon, Defendant. ACTION FOR DIVORCE To the above-named Defendant:
YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to serve a notice of appearance on the Plaintiff’s Attorney within twenty (20) days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service or within thirty (30) days after the service is complete if this summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York; and in case of your failure to appear, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the notice set forth below. Dated: January 21, 2025, Theresa E. Agunwa Esq. Attorney for Plaintiff 149-27 Jamaica Avenue, Suite 4 Jamaica, NY 11435 (718) 487-3007.
NOTICE: The nature of this action is to dissolve the marriage between the parties, on the grounds: DRL Section 170 subd. (2) -the abandonment of the Plaintiff by the Defendant for a period of more than one year. The relief sought is a judgment of absolute divorce in favor of the Plaintiff dissolving the marriage between the parties in this action. The nature of any ancillary or additional relief demanded is: That the Family Court shall have concurrent jurisdiction with the Supreme Court with respect to any future issues of maintenance and support. That either party may resume the use of a prior surname. That I am not seeking maintenance as payee as described in the Notice of Guideline Maintenance (the “Notice”). The parties have divided up the marital property, and no claim will be made by either party under equitable distribution. That the Court grant such other and further relief as the Court may deem just and proper.
Notice of Formation of EXELTHIOR’S KINGDOM LLC
Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 02/10/2025 Office 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: RICK D’ANDREA, 31-10 23RD STREET, 3B, ASTORIA, NY 11106. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.
Notice of formation of EXPERT SPEAKERS LLC. Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State of New York SSNY on 2/23/2025. Office located in Queens County. SSNY has been designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail copy of any process served against the LLC to 108-11 95th Avenue, South Richmond Hill, NY 11419. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
Notice of Formation of FREEZE SECURITY LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 05/27/2024 Office 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, 17506 DEVONSHIRE RD APT 5F, JAMAICA, NY, 11432. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.
Notice of Formation: HONGXING REGIONAL CENTER
LLC Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 02/03/2025. Office loc: Queens County. SSNY designated for service of process. SSNY shall mail copies of any process served against the LLC to 58-97 57th Street, Maspeth, NY 11378 Purpose: Any lawful purpose or activity
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF QUEENS JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, -against- JOHN DERGOSITS, ET AL. NOTICE OF SALE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Queens on January 13, 2025, wherein JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION is the Plaintiff and JOHN DERGOSITS, ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction at the QUEENS COUNTY SUPREME COURT, 88-11 SUTPHIN BLVD, COURTROOM 25, JAMAICA, NY 11435, on April 11, 2025 at 10:00AM, premises known as 41-33 PARSONS BOULEVARD, UNIT 8A, FLUSHING, NY 11355; and the following tax map identification: 5051-1118. THE UNIT KNOWN AS UNIT NO. 8A (THE “UNIT”) IN THE PREMISES KNOWN AS AND BY 33 PARSONS PLAZA CONDOMINIUM AND LOCATED AT 41-33 PARSONS BOULEVARD, FLUSHING, NEW YORK, 11355 QUEENS COUNTY, CITY AND STATE OF NEW YORK DESIGNATED AND DESCRIBED AS UNIT NO. 8A IN THE DECLARATION ESTABLISHING A PLAN FOR CONDOMINIUM OWNERSHIP OF THE BUILDING AND THE LAND ON WHICH IT IS ERECTED (HEREINAFTER CALLED THE “PROPERTY”), UNDER THE CONDOMINIUM ACT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK (ARTICLE 9-B OF THE REAL PROPERTY LAW OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK) TOGETHER WITH AN UNDIVIDED 5.2632% INTEREST IN THE COMMON ELEMENTS OF THE PROPERTY (HEREINAFTER CALLED THE “COMMON ELEMENT”). ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN THE BOROUGH OF QUEENS, CITY AND STATE OF NEW YORK Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No.: 700901/2023. Lamont Ramsey Bailey, 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.
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF QUEENS INDEX NO. 716292/2022
SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS Plaintiff designates QUEENS as the place of trial situs of the real property Mortgaged Premises: 2721 MCINTOSH STREET, EAST ELMHURST, NY 11369 Block: 1660, Lot: 68 WELLS FARGO BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AS TRUSTEE FOR SOUNDVIEW HOME LOAN TRUST 2007-OPT3, ASSET-BACKED CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-OPT3, Plaintiff, vs. JOSEPH J. JADOOBIR; CLARENCE JONES, if living, and if she/he be dead, any and all persons unknown to plaintiff, claiming, or who may claim to have an interest in, or general or specific lien upon the real property described in this action; such unknown persons being herein generally described and intended to be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors, and assignees of such deceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real property by, through or under them, or either of them, and their respective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assigns, all of whom and whose names, except as stated, are unknown to plaintiff; NEW YORK CITY ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD; NEW YORK CITY PARKING VIOLATIONS BUREAU; NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT ADJUDICATION BUREAU; THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; “JANE DOE” AS “JOHN DOE #1”; “JOHN DOE” AS “JOHN DOE #2”, “JOHN DOE #3” through “JOHN DOE #12,” the last ten names being fictitious and unknown to plaintiff, the persons or parties intended being the tenants, occupants, persons or corporations, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the premises, described in the complaint, Defendants To the above named Defendants YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in the above entitled action and to serve a copy of your Answer on the plaintiff’s attorney within twenty (20) days of the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service, or within thirty (30) days after service of the same is complete where service is made in any manner other than by personal delivery within the State. The United States of America, if designated as a defendant in this action, may answer or appear within sixty (60) days of service. Your failure to appear or to answer will result in a judgment against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. In the event that a deficiency balance remains from the sale proceeds, a judgment may be entered against you. NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT THE OBJECT of the above caption action is to foreclose a Mortgage to secure the sum of $540,000.00 and interest, recorded on May 11, 2007, in CRFN 2007000247359, of the Public Records of QUEENS County, New York., covering premises known as 2721 MCINTOSH STREET, EAST ELMHURST, NY 11369. The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above. QUEENS County is designated as the place of trial because the real property affected by this action is located in said county. NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to the mortgage company will not stop the foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. Dated: March 7th, 2025 ROBERTSON, ANSCHUTZ, SCHNEID, CRANE & PARTNERS, PLLC Attorney for Plaintiff Matthew Rothstein, Esq. 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310 Westbury, NY 11590 516-280-7675
50-94 194 STREET LLC.
Arts. of Org. filed with SSNY on 3/17/25. Office: Queens County. SSNY desig. as agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of process to Danielle Winfield, 23 W. 69 St., Apt. A., NY, NY 10023. Purpose: any legal purpose.
Notice of Formation of ANATOLIKO LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 01/19/2025. Office 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: ENTITY PROTECT REGISTERED AGENT SERVICES LLC, 447 BROADWAY 2ND FL. - #3000, NEW YORK, NY 10013. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.
ATM MASPETH LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 3/11/25. Office in Queens Co. SSNY desig. agent of LLC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to 44-17 54th Dr., Maspeth, NY 11378. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.
For
THE BROOKLYN UNION GAS COMPANY d/b/a NATIONAL GRID NY
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by The Brooklyn Union Gas Company d/b/a National Grid NY (“Company”) that it has filed with the New York State Public Service Commission (“PSC”) tariff revisions to its Schedule for Gas Service, PSC No. 12 – GAS, to become effective, on a temporary basis, April 1, 2025.
These revisions have been filed in compliance with the Commission’s Order issued August 15, 2024 in Case 23-G-0225. The table below compares the Company’s current rates (prior to April 1, 2025) to rates effective April 1, 2025 by service classification.
S.C. No. 1A, 17-1A – Residential Non-Heating Service
S.C. No. 1AR, 17-1AR Residential Non-Heating Service
Monthly usage
First 3 therms or less
Current Rates 04/01/25
$19.00
S.C. No. 1B-DG, 17-1B-DG – Distributed Generation
3
3
usage
Rates
S.C. No. 2-1, 17-2-1 – Non-Residential Non-Heating Service Monthly usage
Rates
First 3 therms or
S.C. No. 3, 17-3 – Multi-Family Service
S.C. 4A-CNG, 17-4A-CNG – Compressed Natural Gas
S.C. 7, 17-7 – Seasonal Off-Peak Service Monthly
3
S.C. 21, 17-21 – Rate 1 – Less than 1MW
usage
Rates
S.C. 21, 17-21 – Rate 3 – Equal to or greater than 5 MW but less than 50 MW
Monthly usage
First 10 therms
10
Current Rates 04/01/25
(Apr – Oct)
Over 10 therms, per therm (Nov – Mar) $0.0628 $0.0710
Demand charge per
S.C. 22 – Non-Firm Demand Response Sales Service –
Tier 1 (Commercial & Governmental / Multifamily)
Monthly usage
First 10 therms or less
Over 10 therms, per therm
Current Rates 04/01/25
S.C. No. 1B, 17-1B – Residential Heating Service
S.C. No. 1BR, 17-1BR-Residential Heating Service
S.C. No. 2-2, 17-2-2 – Non-Residential Heating Service
S.C. 4A, 17-4A – High Load Factor
S.C. 4B, 17-4B – Year Round Air Conditioning Service
S.C. 21, 17-21 – Rate 2 – Equal to or greater than 1 MW but less than 5 MW
usage
First 10 therms or less
10 therms, per therm (Apr – Oct)
10 therms, per
(Nov – Mar)
S.C. 22 – Non-Firm Demand Response Sales Service –Tier 2 (Commercial & Governmental / Multifamily)
Monthly usage
First 10 therms or less
Over 10 therms, per therm
Current Rates
These revisions have been filed in compliance with the Commission’s Order issued August 15,2024 in Case 23-G-0225.
Copies of the proposed revisions are available for public inspection and can be obtained on the Company’s website at https://www.nationalgridus.com/NY-Home/Bills-Meters-and-Rates/ or the PSC’s website (dps.ny.gov).
KEYSPAN GAS EAST CORPORATION d/b/a NATIONAL GRID
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN by KeySpan Gas East Corporation d/b/a National Grid (“Company”) that it has filed with the New York State Public Service Commission (“Commission”) proposed tariff revisions to its Schedule for Gas Service, PSC No.1 – GAS, to become effective, on a temporary basis, April 1, 2025.
These revisions have been filed in compliance with the Commission’s Order issued August 15, 2024 in Case 23-G-0226. The table below compares the Company’s current rates (prior to April 1, 2025) to rates effective April 1, 2025 by service classifi cation.
S.C. No. 1A, 5-1A – Residential Non-Heating Service
S.C. No. 1AR, 5-1AR – Residential Non-Heating Service
Monthly usage
First 3 therms or less
Next 47 therms, per therm
Over 50 therms, per therm
Current Rates 04/01/25
$21.75 $25.85
$2.8472 $2.9324
$0.8453 $0.8928
S.C. No. 1B, 5-1B – Residential Heating Service
S.C. No. 1BR, 5-1BR – Residential Heating Service
Monthly usage
First 3 therms or less
Next 47 therms, per therm
Over 50 therms, per therm
Current Rates 04/01/25
$24.59 $25.50
$1.9054 $2.0482
$0.4487 $0.4823
S.C. No. 1B-DG, 5-1B-DG – Distributed Generation
Monthly usage
First 3 therms or less
Over 3 therms, per therm
Current Rates 04/01/25
$34.89 $37.00
$0.2849 $0.3133
S.C. No. 2-A, 5-2A – Non-Residential Non-Heating Service
Monthly usage
First 3 therms or less
Next 87 therms, per therm
Next 2,910 therms, per therm
Over 3,000 therms, per therm
Current Rates 04/01/25
$41.50 $45.00
$2.0820 $1.9393
$0.4931 $0.5376
$0.3269 $0.3987
S.C. No. 2-B, 5-2B – Non-Residential Heating Service
Monthly usage
First 3 therms or less
Next 87 therms, per therm
Next 2,910 therms, per therm
Over 3,000 therms, per therm
S.C. No. 3, 5-3 – Multi-Family Service
Monthly usage
First 3 therms or less
Next 997 therms, per therm
Over 1,000 therms, per therm
Current Rates 04/01/25
$41.50 $45.00
$2.0026 $1.9397
$0.6285 $0.7136
$0.4947 $0.6311
Current Rates 04/01/25
$83.95 $90.00
$0.6617 $0.6929
$0.4315 $0.4802
S.C. 9, 5-9 – Uncompressed Natural Gas Vehicle Service
Monthly usage
First 3 therms or less
Current Rates 04/01/25
$ 42.44 $ 45.00
Over 3 therms, per therm $ 0.7771 $ 0.8215
S.C No. 15, 5-15 – High Load Factor Service
Monthly usage
First 10 therms or less
Over 10 therms, per therm
Current Rates 04/01/25
$169.75 $180.00
$0.2909 $0.3073
S.C. No. 16, 5-16 – Year-Round Space Conditioning Service
Monthly usage
Current Rates 04/01/25
First 3 therms or less $245.19 $260.00
Next 497 therms, per therm $2.1568 $2.3195
Over 500 therms, per therm $0.3698 $0.3976
S.C. 17 – Baseload Distributed Generation –Rate 1 – Less than 1MW
Monthly usage
Rates 04/01/25
First 10 therms or less $204.38 $216.73
Over 10 therms, per therm (Apr – Oct) $0.2308 $0.2373
Over 10 therms, per therm (Nov – Mar)
S.C. 17 – Baseload Distributed Generation –
Rate 2 – Equal to or greater than 1 MW but less than 5 MW
Monthly usage
Current Rates 04/01/25
First 10 therms or less $371.43 $393.86 Over 10 therms, per therm (Apr – Oct) $0.2308 $0.2373
Over 10 therms, per therm (Nov – Mar) $0.2965 $0.3047
S.C. 17 – Baseload Distributed Generation –Rate 3 – Equal to or greater than 5 MW but less than 50 MW
Monthly usage Current Rates 04/01/25
First 10 therms or less $1,074.32 $1,139.22
Over 10 therms, per therm (Apr – Oct) $0.0572 $0.0588
Over 10 therms, per therm (Nov – Mar) $0.0779 $0.0803
Demand charge per therm of MPDQ $6,252.00 $6,252.00
S.C. 18 / 19 – Non-Firm Demand Response Sales Service – Tier 1
Monthly usage
Rates 04/01/25
First 10 therms or less $375.00 $375.00
Over 10 therms, per therm $0.2231 $0.2853
S.C. 18 / 19 – Non-Firm Demand Response Sales Service – Tier 2
Monthly usage
Current Rates 04/01/25
First 10 therms or less $375.00 $375.00
Over 10 therms, per therm $0.1784 $0.2279
These revisions have been filed in compliance with the Commission’s Order issued August 15,2024 in Case 23-G-0226. Copies of the proposed revisions are available for public inspection and can be obtained on the Company’s website at https://www.nationalgridus.com/Long-Island-NY-Home/Bills-Meters-and-Rates/ or the PSC’s website (dps.ny.gov).
Red Storm lands No. 2 NCAA seed; wins first Big East title since 2000 St. John’s dominant in postseason play
by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor
Fresh off last Saturday’s win in the Big East championship game, the St. John’s men’s basketball team earned the No. 2 seed in the West region of the NCAA Tournament.
The Red Storm (30-4) are scheduled to open the Big Dance with 15th-seeded Omaha (22-12) as their partner tonight, March 20, at 9:45 p.m. at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, RI.
“I know the players are excited,” said St. John’s Head Coach Rick Pitino in a transcript of a post-selection press conference on the team’s website. “The fans are excited. So, it’s a great opening.”
The Jamaica Estates school, in a press release, said the No. 2 seed is the highest the Red Storm has received since 2000.
Florida (30-4) claimed the top seed in the West bracket.
The winner on Thursday will play the winner of the game between seventh-seeded Kansas and 10th-seeded Arkansas on Saturday.
But Pitino said that still is too far off.
“I’m just going to focus on Omaha,” he said. “I’ve lost in the first round before. So we’ll just focus on that.”
The West Regional final will be in San Francisco on March 29.
An automatic bid to the tournament was on the line last Saturday when St. John’s played Creighton in the Big East title game at Madison Square Garden, though neither school would wind up needing it.
St. John’s captured its first postseason conference title since 2000 with an 82-66 win over the Bluejays.
RJ Luis Jr. led all players with 29 points and added 10 rebounds. Zuby Ejiofor scored 20 points. Kadary Richmond had 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Creighton (24-10) actually led 28-25 at halftime. The Red Storm, however, owned the second half, at one point hitting 14 straight field goals during a 32-14 run. They shot 7-for-14 from three-point range. Creighton was able to secure the ninth seed in the South Region. The two teams could meet again in the national semifinals on April 5 in San Francisco if both are able to “survive and advance” to the Final Four. Q
St. John’s stormed straight through the 2025 Big East Tournament last weekend. At left is the postgame celebration and above, standouts RJ Luis Jr., left, and Zuby Ejiofor flank Head Coach Rick Pitino as he is interviewed by Fox’s Gus Johnson. PHOTOS COURTESY ST. JOHN’S ATHLETICS
B SPORTS EAT
Magical night at MSG
by Lloyd Carroll Chronicle Contributor
I have been to many basketball games at Madison Square Garden, but Saturday night’s Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament championship game between the Creighton Bluejays and the St. John’s Red Storm elicited a level of fan engagement and joy I had never previously seen. Yes, the Knicks have won playoff series in the world’s most famous arena, but they have not hoisted any trophies there in over 50 years.
As was the case the night before against the Marquette Golden Eagles, the Red Storm found themselves in a hole early, falling behind by double digits. It did not appear to be a good night for Kadary Richmond, RJ Luis Jr., Aaron Scott and Zuby Ejiofor, whose shots were clanging off the rim.
Things changed in the second half for the de facto home team. Head Coach Rick Pitino knew Creighton had been through a fatiguing doubleovertime less than 48 hours earlier against the DePaul Blue Demons. He told his guards to become greyhounds and rush the ball up the court as fast as possible. Ejiofor was able to outrun weary Creighton big men Jackson McAndrew and Ryan Kalkbrenner. The Red Storm’s fast-break game gave them a lead they would not relinquish on the way to an 82-66 win.
Pitino was philosophical at the postgame press conference. As a native New Yorker, he
took pride in what the Big East championship meant to our city. He also did not appear to be worked up about the upcoming NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. “I have had teams go to the Final Four. I have had teams get bounced in the first round. It all depends on the matchups.”
He also paid tribute to a friend and contemporary, 12-year NBA veteran and phenomenally successful businessman Junior Bridgeman, who died from a coronary a few days earlier. Pitino is 71, which was Bridgeman’s age.
Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman, who must appear neutral, let her guard down when I spoke to her on the confetti-strewn MSG court following the game. “This is a great night for St. John’s, the Big East, New York City and college basketball!” she said without reluctance.
Ackerman was the first WNBA commissioner nearly 30 years ago. That was when the New York Liberty would get to the finals four times in six years and yet always wind up as bridesmaids. You cannot blame Ackerman if she wonders if the WNBA’s fortunes, which are quite rosy now, would have changed a lot faster had the Liberty been able to enjoy the kind of celebration the Red Storm had on Saturday night.
A strong Red Storm in the Big East gives Ackerman leverage for future television and sponsorship deals. Q
See the extended version of Sports Beat every week at qchron.com
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