Queens Chronicle 11-13-2025

Mayor-elect to maintain sanctuary policies, fund immigration defense Mamdani to ‘Trump-proof’ NYC from ICE

by Stephanie G. Meditz Editor

Mayor-elect and state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani (D-Astoria) is a staunch critic of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but as federal officials’ crackdown on unlawful immigration continues, it remains to be seen just how far his plans to “Trump-proof” the city can go.

Mamdani at a press conference last Wednesday said his message, both to ICE agents and people across the city, is that “everyone will be held to the same standard of the law.” He said there is a growing sense across the nation that “certain people” can break the law, “whether they be the president or whether they be the agents themselves.”

“What New Yorkers are looking for is an era of consistency, an era of clarity, an era of conviction, and that is what we will deliver to them,” the mayor-elect said.

Mamdani has promised to make New York “the strongest sanctuary city in the country,” according to a policy memo on his campaign website. In such cities, cooperation between local and federal law enforcement is limited.

Stating that sanctuary policies enhance safety, by allowing undocumented people to report crime without fear of deportation, he vowed to get ICE out of all city facilities and end any cooperation between local and federal law

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, left, intends to “Trump-proof” the city, specifically from the president’s crackdown on illegal immigration. But federal agents, including border czar Tom Homan, are not backing down. FILEPHOTOSVIAZOHRANK.MAMDANI/X,LEFT,ANDBYGAGESKIDMORE/FLICKR

enforcement, referencing an executive order under the Adams administration to let the feds back onto Rikers Island.

First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro in April signed an order to allow that. The City Council filed a lawsuit against it, alleging that it was tainted by a conflict of interest, namely the dismissal of Adams’ criminal case in exchange for a Rikers ICE office.

A judge in September ruled the order illegal, writing that there is an “impermissible appearance of a conflict of interest.” City Hall had said the mayor responded to that by delegating the matter to Mastro. The defendants’ notice of appeal is pending.

According to Jeelani Law Firm, PLC, the mayor-elect will be able to implement some immigrant protections, such as funding legal

defense programs, expanding city-funded immigrant resource centers and issuing directives to limit local law enforcement’s cooperation with ICE.

The Mamdani administration plans to invest $165 million in funding for immigration legal defense services, as well as protect and expand programs such as the Rapid Response Legal Collaborative and the Immigrant Opportunity Initiative.

He also vowed to “protect all personal data from other jurisdictions” to protect immigrants from deportation.

On the debate stage, Mamdani also said he would fight President Trump “every single step of the way” if the president wanted to discuss pursuing “the single largest deportation force in American history.”

But as per the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, federal law supersedes local policy.

The feds operate in their Manhattan field office, located in the same building as the city’s immigration courts. ICE agents have made many an arrest there after hearings and routine check-ins.

The U.S. Department of Justice in July also sued the city over sanctuary policies, claiming they mark an “intentional effort to obstruct federal law enforcement” and have let dangerous criminals roam.

continued on page 16

Board members skeptical of new rezoning blueprint for ‘the Hole’ Jewel Streets plan scrutinized at CB 10

by Kristen Guglielmo Editor

Officials from the city Department of Housing Preservation and Development fielded pointed questions from members of Community Board 10 last Thursday about the transformative $146 million Jewel Streets Neighborhood Plan during the board’s monthly meeting at the Old Mill Yacht Club in Howard Beach.

The exchanges focused on the city’s motivations, community involvement and the impact of proposed infrastructure and zoning changes to the long-neglected 12-block area, which straddles East New York and Lindenwood, and is colloquially referred to as “The Hole” due to its depth, poor infrastructure and flooding.

The proposal has five clear goals: Reduce flooding; ensure access to safe, resilient and affordable homes; make streets safer and better connected; encourage redevelopment of vacant land with new affordable housing, stores and open space; and increase access to essential business, job and social services.

The full plan can be found online at tinyurl.com/ypdzx29s.

Three reps from HPD, Paula Diaz Torres, Kevin Parris and Sarit Platkin, presented the proposal to the board and took questions from the public. The presentation did not require a vote from CB 10.

Board member Darryl Wesby asked HPD whether the 17-acre city-owned parcel on the Brooklyn side of the neighborhood was being considered as a potential spot for a low-rise housing project, and questioned whether the larger plan was driven by that land.

“The city-owned site is going to be a really critical component of that broader infrastructure plan that’s connected between north of Linden [Boulevard], south of Linden and the city-owned site,” Platkin said, adding that the city is absolutely interested in positioning the parcel for affordable housing.

community, local elected officials and residents of the Jewel Streets.

Board member Kevin Roan cited public workshop notes, challenging HPD’s assertion that residents backed higher-density zoning.

“When I reviewed all of the public workshop key takeaways that are published online, none ... spoke to a consensus agreement around rezoning,” Roan said. “Specifically, workshop number five, the key takeaways for the north Jewel Streets were to develop new housing that matches — not increases, but matches — the same size and shape as other buildings.”

“It sounds a lot like a ‘careful what you wish for’ scenario.”

— CB 10 member Brina Ciaramella

“The pieces of the plan started coming together, but I would definitely not say it was driven by the 17-acre city owned site,” she added. “That’s not how we approached it.”

Brina Ciaramella, a board member and area realtor, told the reps, “It sounds a lot like a ‘careful what you wish for’ scenario. These folks were trying to get some help with flooding, but instead are getting stuck with this major density housing project.”

Ciaramella asked for clarification on who posed the project. Torres said the coalition is made up of the East New York Community Land Trust and the Cypress Hills Local Development Corp., as well as the larger

He added, “There seems to be a disconnect. I didn’t see any public support for increasing the zoning.”

Platkin said Roan was talking about semantics.

“I think what we heard from Jewel Streets residents is exactly what you read in the takeaways, which is that people want to see new development that matches the existing context. ... I would say there is a mix of two to four stories, depending on where in the neighborhood.”

She continued, “Our assessment has been that if we really want to see these changes, we’re investing in raising the streets and investing in this drainage infrastructure, that a small change in the zoning, based on our experience elsewhere in the city, is something that could encourage new small homes to match the surrounding context.”

Roan retorted, “I’m not really sure anyone buys that.”

When asked by Roan if HPD had conducted any internal analysis on how additional housing might strain the electrical

grid, Torres replied, “This is something we need a threshold to go and analyze,” confirming that such impacts would be reviewed and subject to public comment.

Rohan Narine told HPD he attended initial meetings in the years prior and asked how the city has solved the illegal dumping, parking and squatting issues near Jewel Streets.

“I will be completely honest with you that we absolutely have not solved those issues yet,” Platkin said, adding that the HPD has been working hard with NYPD Community Link, which mobilizes multiple agencies to jointly work together.

“We’ve been consistently doing that for an extended period now, but the root of the cause is the lack of infrastructure,” Platkin said. “That’s why these sites are vacant and why people are using them for a range of nefarious reasons, and so until we see redevelopment of the sites, we’re not going to see that issue fully eradicated.”

Roan also asked the reps if the city owns

the land on the north side of Jewel streets being proposed for blue belts, and Platkin said it does not, but the acquisition of the land will be part of the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure.

He also asked if the city will seek to implement eminent domain if it cannot acquire the land through negotiation, to which Platkin responded, “We’re committed to this project and we’re going to have to do what it takes to see it through.”

The board further urged HPD to keep plans for Queens and Brooklyn parcels distinct during future Uniform Land Use Review Procedure processes.

Chairperson Betty Braton emphasized, “There are different neighborhoods. The patterns of development in Queens are far different than the patterns in Brooklyn.”

She also urged HPD to talk with the Howard Beach Lindenwood Civic.

“This board listens to the civic associations in our area for projects that deal with the areas within those civics,” Braton said. Q

Cross Bay paving commences

After three weeks of drivers narrowly avoiding potholes and navigating over rugged asphalt, resurfacing was set to begin last night, Nov. 12, on Cross Bay Boulevard, from Ozone Park to Lindenwood and Howard Beach.

According to the city Department of Transportation, the paving will be done on Cross Bay Boulevard between 107th Avenue and Sutter Avenue, Chicot and Gold roads, Linden Boulevard and South Conduit Avenue, 153rd Avenue and Belt Parkway, and at 156th Avenue.

The work is set to be done at night

through Friday by in-house crews, according to a schedule on the DOT’s website, but is subject to change in the event of inclement weather or any emergencies. The full schedule, with detailed location information, can be viewed online at tinyurl.com/28tky3x4.

Those who wish to file a claim for damages can do so with the city Comptroller’s Office, at comptroller.nyc.gov.

Any recent reports of street defects will be addressed by the resurfacing, a DOT spokesperson told the Chronicle. Q — Kristen Guglielmo

Paula Diaz Torres and Sarit Platkin, of the city Department of Housing Preservation and Development, left, fielded questions fr om members of Community Board 10 last week about the Jewel Streets Neighborhood Plan.

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Federal shutdown could end this week, as some Dems shift gears Senate passes bill to fund the government

by Stephanie G. Meditz Editor

The longest federal shutdown in American history could end this week, after an interim measure to fund the government passed the Senate.

Democrats have for weeks refused to support any spending bill that does not extend soon-to-expire Affordable Care Act tax credits. But several Democratic senators changed their tune Monday, as eight joined all but one Republican for a 60-40 vote on a stopgap bill to keep federal money flowing through January. It also would reinstate federal workers laid off during the shutdown and ensure retroactive pay, as per The New York Times.

The measure now needs approval from the House, as well as President Trump’s signature. House representatives, who have not held a vote since passing their own stopgap bill in September, were set to vote on it Wednesday evening. Trump has expressed support for the legislation.

In the Senate, the bill just met the necessary quota of 60 affirmative votes to pass. More than a dozen previous votes had fallen short, though some had approval from a majority of lawmakers. GOP Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) was the lone Republican nay.

But some Democrats still are not backing down. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jef-

Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, left, and GOP Sen. Rand Paul were among the dissenters in their chamber’s 60-40 vote for a spending bill. PHOTOSBYMICHAELGANNON/FILE,LEFT,ANDGAGESKIDMORE/FLICKR

fries (D-Brooklyn) in a statement on social media pledged to fight the bill.

“Donald Trump and the Republican Party own the toxic mess they have created in our country and the American people know it,” Jeffries said.

Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing) said also that she will not support legislation that leaves millions vulnerable to “skyrocketing health care costs.”

“This Senate legislation is bad for Queens

and the rest of the country, and I have already started hearing from constituents all across my district who are reeling about their health insurance premiums soaring out of control,” Meng said.

Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-Brooklyn, Queens) concurred.

“This isn’t compromise — it’s surrender,” Velazquez said in a video on X Wednesday. “And I refuse to cave while people’s health and livelihoods are on the line.”

Last weekend, ahead of the vote, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said on X that the country’s “Republican-made health care crisis” is “so severe, so urgent, and so devastating for American families” that he cannot support a resolution that fails to address it.

Monday’s progress toward resolving the impasse follows another back-and-forth, between the executive and judicial branches on funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program during the shutdown.

Federal court rulings had required the Trump administration to fund the program in full, but the Supreme Court on Friday granted an administrative stay to block the mandate temporarily.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said Friday that it was working toward distributing full benefits in compliance with the rulings, as per Newsweek. The Times also reported that some of the 42 million SNAP recipients have started to get their benefits.

The USDA on Saturday directed the states to undo any measures they had taken toward issuing full SNAP benefits, but a judge blocked enforcement of that instruction Monday, Newsweek said.

The stay was extended Tuesday and will remain in effect until Thursday night. The bill passed by the Senate would fund SNAP through next September. Q

Mamdani starts to build his new team

Mayor-elect recruits transition and City Hall staff; accepts

by Kristen Guglielmo Editor

With his inauguration on the horizon, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is setting the stage for his new administration by announcing the first members of his team.

Dean Fuleihan, a more than 40-year veteran of city and state management, on Monday was appointed first deputy mayor, according to a press release from Mamdani’s office.

Fuleihan previously served in that role under former Mayor Bill de Blasio, overseeing the city’s budget, labor, education, criminal justice and sustainability portfolios. Before then, he was de Blasio’s budget director.

“I’ve spent my entire career guided by a commitment to serving working New Yorkers. Today, we stand at an exciting moment of promise for our city,” Fuleihan said in a statement. “I’m grateful to help build and carry out this vision for a new era of leadership, and to ensure that City Hall deploys all of the tools at its disposal to deliver on Zohran Mamdani’s affordability agenda.”

Elle Bisgaard-Church will remain Mamdani’s chief of staff after having started her career in Albany in that same role during Mamdani’s tenure in the state Assembly. She was his campaign manager for the mayoral primary, and after June, became his campaign’s chief advisor.

“The work of government begins here, by ensuring that those we choose to lead it do so with a singular goal: delivering for working New Yorkers,” Mamdani said. “With Dean Fuleihan as first deputy mayor and Elle Bisgaard-Church as chief of staff, I have no doubt we will build a powerful and competent administration that delivers an affordable, livable city for working people.”

While Fuleihan and Bisgaard-Church will be working closely with Mamdani once he’s sworn in, the mayor-elect also has a team helping him prepare for the start of his mayoralty.

Mamdani on Nov. 5 announced the appointments of Grace Bonilla, Melanie Hartzog, Lina Khan and Maria Torres-Springer as his transition co-chairs. Elana Leopold is his transition executive director.

The group, according to a press release, is tasked with “building a government of public servants that will drive down costs and keep all New Yorkers safe.”

Bonilla is president and CEO of United Way of New York City, a nonprofit that helps those with low incomes coordinate with providers, companies and government services. She previously served as administrator of the city Human Resources Administration and as the first executive director of the city’s Taskforce on Racial Equity and Inclusion.

Hartzog is president and CEO of the New

resumes from

public

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, at mic at a Nov. 10 press conference, has begun to unveil staff members for his transition and City Hall teams, including the retention of longtime aide Elle Bisgaard-Church, second from right, as his chief of staff, and the hiring of Dean Fuleihan as first deputy mayor.

York Foundling, a nonprofit that helps families in need through services, support and advocacy. She was the deputy mayor for health and human services under de Blasio, overseeing the city’s social service agencies, after having served as the director of the mayor’s office of management and budget.

Khan was the 57th Federal Trade Commis-

SCREENSHOTVIAX/@ZOHRANKMAMDANI

sion chair under former President Biden and led efforts to revitalize antitrust and consumer protection enforcement. Before then, she was an associate professor at Columbia Law School and worked as counsel to the U.S. House Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law.

Anti-bullying bill is OK’d by Gov. Hochul

by Kristen Guglielmo Editor

Gov. Hochul last Friday announced the signing of the Jack Reid Law: Protect All Students Act in recognition of the International Day Against Violence and Bullying at School.

The bill aims to protect students attending private schools from bullying, discrimination or harassment when at school, online or at a school event. It also requires private schools to strengthen or develop clear anti-bullying policies and reporting procedures.

The legislation is named for Jack Reid, a 17-year-old student who tragically died by suicide in 2022 after experiencing bullying for a year at the boarding school he attended, the Governor’s Office said.

Also known as S4544B/A5403, the bill was co-sponsored by Queens state Sens. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Woodhaven), Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans), Mike Gianaris (D-Astoria), Julia Salazar (D-Brooklyn, Ridgewood) and Toby Ann Stavisky (D-College Point) in the state Senate. Its co-sponsors from the World’s Borough in the state Assembly were Assemblymem-

bers Andrew Hevesi (D-Forest Hills) and Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-Howard Beach).

With the passage of the new law, all schools in the state, now including nonpublic schools, are required to have strong policies and procedures in place that teachers and school staff are trained to properly implement when bullying is reported.

The law requires schools to implement a commonsense approach to address bullying among students, including establishing clear reporting and investigation obligations.

“The Jack Reid Law protects kids from the harmful impacts bullying can have on their lives,” Hochul said in a statement.

“Every student deserves to feel safe when they’re learning, online with fellow students or enjoying school events off campus, no matter what school they’re enrolled in.”

Reid’s parents in a statement said the bill’s passage is a “crucial step forward, but it is not the finish line — we look forward to building on this progress and advancing similar protections across the country.” Q

NYC: rules to legalize basement apartments

by Stephanie G. Meditz Editor

The Adams administration on Monday announced its proposed criteria for legalizing basement and cellar apartments.

The Authorization for Temporary Residence pilot program, which was included in the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity rezoning plan, allows tenants to continue living in eligible illegally converted units while property owners bring them up to code. So long as they take certain steps to bring the dwellings into compliance over a decade, homeowners in the program may legalize the units without penalty.

“For too long, too many New Yorkers have been forced into dangerous basement and cellar set ups just to find a place to live,” Mayor Adams said in a statement. “This pilot program will help us change that — turning illegal, unsafe apartments into legal, safe ones.” The city says the program will let owners add property value and prevent tenants’ displacement.

Apartments are eligible for the program if they existed before April 20, 2024; are in certain community districts set out in Local Law 126; and have basic safety features,

such as smoke alarms and access to appropriate egress. Properties in flood-prone areas do not qualify.

Legalization requires the addition of more safety measures, including sprinklers and flood water sensors. Owners must apply for the program on the city Department of Buildings’ website before April 20, 2029.

Local law gives the right of first return to tenants living in a unit under the program who must vacate for alteration work, once construction is complete. Among the city Department of Housing Preservation and Development’s proposed rules are requirements for the property owner to share key information with tenants, such as the work’s expected start and end date. After a renovated apartment passes city inspections, the owner also must secure an amended certificate of occupancy.

A virtual hearing for the DOB rules will take place at 11 a.m. Dec. 11, and one for the HPD rules at 10 a.m. the next day. Comments may be sent to both agencies via mail or email at dobrules@buildings. nyc.gov and rules@hpd.nyc.gov. One also can comment or register for the hearings at rules.cityofnewyork.us. Q

CONZA | MCNAMARA ESTATE PLANNING ATTORNEYS

CYNTHIA J. CONZA, ESQ.

EDITORIAL AGEP

Roar into the ’20s with our anniversary supplement

You still don’t have that time machine you’ve always dreamed of, but perhaps the next best thing is in your hands right now — the Queens Chronicle’s 47th Annual Anniversary Edition: Roar into the ’20s.

Therein we take you back 100 years to Queens in the wild decade that began shortly after the close of World War I and ended with the start of the Great Depression. It was a time of great material progress and rampant building, as well as corruption and lawlessness exacerbated by Prohibition, which was repealed early in the next decade. Queens grew so rapidly the population doubled from 1920 to 1930.

Back then, when coal was burned to keep buildings warm, the city produced tons and tons of ash. It had to go somewhere, and much of it went to Queens, to the northern part of what is now Flushing Meadows Corona Park in particular. The site was immortalized in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 book, “The Great Gatsby,” often ranked as one of the greatest novels of all time. It did not paint a great picture of Queens, but we start our anniversary section with an article about the “valley of ashes” — both to show what it was and what it became, and in tribute to the novel, which epitomized the Jazz Age, on its centenary.

Our next article discusses that great population growth in the 1920s and how much of it tracked subway expansion, a lot of which had occurred just a few years prior. Discussing that and how businesses also fueled the growth is Jason Antos, the Queens borough historian and executive director of the Queens Historical Society. Antos and his expertise are featured in several of the supplement’s articles.

Next we see stars, in a piece about Paramount Studios in Astoria, now Kaufman Astoria Studios. Some of the big names who filmed there in the 1920s were Rudolf Valentino, W.C. Fields, the Marx Brothers and director D.W. Griffith.

After that it’s a look at urban planning, with the garden communities of Jackson Heights, Sunnyside Gardens and Forest Hills Gardens the main focus. And did you know Jackson Heights once had an airport?

The next piece to cross the finish line is on horse racing. Queens had more tracks a century ago, and one star horse, Man o’ War, lived up to his name with 20 wins in 21 races.

Right in the middle of our trip down memory lane is a then-and-now photo page, with eight locations from Long Island City to Little Neck seen as they were in the 1920s and as they are now. Even the Chronicle’s home is included!

Following that, it gets gritty, as the ’20s often did, with a piece about two public figures whose fates are intertwined. One put people in jail for a living; one wound up there.

Queens is famous for jazz, and our next story talks about two players who set the stage for all the stars who followed: Clarence Williams and Bix Beiderbecke.

Following that is an article on Black folk in particular moving to Queens, leaving either the South or some big city to find a suburban lifestyle. Jamaica became the largest African-American suburb in the United States.

Then it’s back to sports — this time tennis. Our story looks at how the US Open, then called the National Championships, made its way to Forest Hills, where it was for most of the 1920s, and how history was made there with the first Women’s National Championship tournament in 1921.

Lastly, we check out four Queens businesses that were open 100 years ago and still are today: Neir’s Tavern, Schmidt’s Candy, Eddie’s Sweet Shop and Bartunek Hardware. Have you been? What are you waiting for?

We hope you like our Roar into the ’20s anniversary supplement. And don’t worry — it’s fine to enjoy it with an adult beverage. Prohibition disappeared with the ash heaps.

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Dear Editor:

LETTERSTO THE EDITOR

Cross Bay bull ...

Cross Bay Boulevard between Liberty and 156th avenues should be the testing ground for Army tanks.

They dug it up two weeks ago, and nothing has been done to repave it. Driving and walking on the dug-up surface is incredibly horrible.

When is the road going to get some semblance of normalcy?

Ray Hackinson Ozone Park

The dangers of LL 97

Dear Editor:

For years, politicians have touted their commitment to “affordable housing”— yet co-ops remain the last stronghold of affordable middleclass homeownership. Where else in NYC can you own your own apartment for $250K?

But Local Law 97 is a threat to that affordability, pushing families toward financial ruin as it phases in over the next few years. LL 97 forces co-ops to spend tens of millions of dollars to switch from affordable, reliable natural gas heating to costly electric heating. And many older buildings like Glen Oaks Village will need to be rewired to increase electric capacity for electric heat, creating crushing special assessments and crippling maintenance increases.

In a co-op, cheap natural gas heating is produced by a single boiler and shared equitably

across all households. Under LL 97, your apartment will have its own electric heating unit, forcing you to pay the nation’s highest electric rates to heat your home. Non-compliance will result in fines exceeding $1 million annually.

Even our neighbors at North Shore Towers are in the crosshairs of this insanity. LL 97 requires large co-ops such as NST, Co-op City and Rochdale Village, with their own power generation plants, to dismantle them and hook up to the unreliable Con Ed grid.

Placing greater demands on a grid that can’t handle its current load is perilous, and the dangers are not hypothetical. This summer, Glen Oaks Village endured multiple blackouts. The prospect of a winter blackout, where homes rely solely on electric heat, is chilling, quite literally, and will quickly turn homes into iceboxes, putting lives at risk.

LL 97 isn’t a minor policy issue — it’s a direct assault on the middle class to be secure in their homes.

A clean environment and affordable housing is not a binary choice. You can have one with-

out destroying the other.

A mayor must understand this. Unfortunately, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani does not. Bob Friedrich Glen Oaks

The writer is president of Glen Oaks Village and founder and co-president of the Presidents Co-op and Condo Council.

The truth in FH Gardens

Dear Editor:

Re “New faces to run for Gardens Corp. board, by Stephanie G. Meditz, Nov. 6, multiple editions:

We, the residents running against the Forest Hills Gardens Corp.’s picks for the upcoming election, feel that we must respond to false statements made in this article by FHGC Legal Chair Matthew Mandell.

It is simply untrue that the board has been transparent about its legal expenses. To the contrary, this board has actively misled residents regarding legal expenses. At the budget meeting

LETTERSTO THE EDITOR

on Sept. 25, FHGC omitted its plans to file a new lawsuit against the City of New York. In fact, Mr. Mandell told the community that no litigating would happen while the appeal on the original lawsuit remained pending. Eighteen days later FHGC filed suit against New York City. Obviously, this new case was already in the works by the time of the budget meeting.

Regarding Mr. Mandell’s false claim that we are a “random group of West Side Tennis Club members”: Five out of seven of us are not WSTC members. The other two are experienced lawyers and respected members of this community, who, like many others in the neighborhood, happen to also be WSTC members. Four out of seven of us have served on prior FHGC boards and/or committees. All of us want a board that listens to all members of the community (and not just a select few), and operates ethically and honestly.

We know that after spending over $1 million on lawsuits over three years, other important issues have been neglected, including security and upkeep. The community is behind us, and wants every effort made to find a solution, not more expensive litigation with no end in sight.

Brittany Russell

Jeffrey Mitchell

Brett Sharoni

Deborah Dillingham

Laura Singh

Forest Hills Gardens Stand Up Forest Hills

Healing to Vietnam vets

Dear Editor:

Thanks for the Nov. 6 article ”Vietnam still haunts vets, 50 years later.” Sending healing thoughts to the three vets interviewed on the trauma, scars and horrors of war they experienced overseas and the disdain upon returning home. They, like many others, served when others got heel-spurs deferments of privilege.

Thomas Phillips Rego Park

Socialists rip Dems apart

Dear Editor:

I had hopes Mayor-elect Mamdani was going to unify the Democratic Party through commonsense initiatives such as keeping Jessica Tisch as police commissioner, voting for ballot proposals 2 through 5, championing efficiency in government and saying he will not defund the police.

But then Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez comes out with a fundraising letter on Nov. 5 in which she said people were brought together by Mamdani’s campaign “Because they were not just tasked with defeating a Republican — they were also tasked with defeating the old guard of the Democratic Party that led us to many of the perils of this moment.”

And then Michael Blake announces he is running against Rep. Ritchie Torres because he does not like Torres’ stance on Israel.

I do have hopes that the Democratic Party can remain unified west of the Hudson River. Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger and New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill did not invite AOC or Sen. Bernie Sanders to assist their campaigns. Minneapolis Democratic

Mayor Jacob Frey defeated Democratic Socialist Omar Fateh.

As it stands, Republicans nationwide will likely add Mamdani to AOC and Sanders as the poster children for portraying all Democrats as being far leftists.

However, Democrats can still regain control of Congress in 2026 if they embrace individuals such as Spanberger, Sherrill and Frey, and tell the Democratic Socialists to stay in their own backyards.

David Soukup Sunnyside

Centrism, not populism

Dear Editor:

Last year Americans elected a right-wing would-be autocrat as president. Last Tuesday New Yorkers elected a socialist as mayor. The one commonality to their campaigns was a large dose of populism.

We must see that populism is the enemy of moderation. What New York and America need is a centrist movement that rejects populism. New York has never been fertile ground for independent political movements, and the election rules promulgated by the two parties make it nearly impossible to run as an independent. Even worse, so many New York City voters are parochial in their loyalty to a party.

As we saw in New Jersey and Virginia, mildly centrist candidates can win high office. If only in New York.

John Attanas Forest Hills

Hope for Mamdani

Dear Editor:

As a Republican, I did not vote for Mayorelect Zohran Mamdani, but I do pray for him and wish that he accomplishes all or at least some of what he promised.

We need cheaper rents, cheaper groceries, lower crime, more police officers and the promotion of kindness for all citizens of this great City of New York. Included in that is my hope that Mayor-elect Mamdani will promote love, kindness, respect and understanding of our Jewish neighbors. Also, as a senior citizen, I implore him to help seniors and do right by us.

As a proud New Yorker, I hope the mayorelect makes New York a great city again.

Frederick R. Bedell Jr. Bellerose

The biggest irony

Dear Editor:

Many people from the far left often have referred to President Trump and his followers as Nazis. This is despite the fact that Trump, for all his faults, has been very good for Jews. He has been a strong supporter of Israel and has fought universities to stop tolerating anti-Semitism on their campuses.

These same people have now voted for Zohran Mamdani for mayor. Mamdani is a true anti-Semite who will not denounce the phrase “Globalize the intifada,” which is a call against Jews worldwide.

The far left is so obsessed, so consumed with their Trump Derangement Syndrome, that continued on next page

Deed theft victims fighting for home

Maria Benedek believes there needs to

by Naeisha Rose Editor

One victim of a deed theft scheme that targeted her, her mother and others in Queens, was not pleased about the recent sentence handed out to one of the two defendants involved in the crime.

Maria Benedek told the Chronicle that she still has to head to court to get back her grandparents’ Kew Gardens Hills home, which she and her elderly mother, Gloria Kubick, inherited decades ago.

Of the four people who surrendered themselves to detectives from District Attorney Melinda Katz’s office in March, Carl Avinger, of St. Albans, who is now being listed as John Doe, as the DA’s office does not know his real name, and Autumn Valeri, 41, of Commack, LI, a former licensed real estate agent, were sentenced Nov. 5.

the first count and to four to eight years on the second-degree counts, which will run concurrently.

Valeri, a first-time offender, pleaded guilty in October to three counts of grand larceny in the second degree and was sentenced to five years of probation on Nov. 5, said the DA’s office, to the displeasure of Benedek.

The defendants are also responsible for stealing homes in Queens Village and Jamaica Estates.

“Money was recovered but is now being held,” said Benedek about the theft of her family’s home, which was the only one of the three that was sold by the deed theft crew.

“What do you do when your home is stolen?”

— Maria Benedek, deed theft victim

Benedek said she thanks the Department of Environmental Protection, because it was a water bill that alerted her that someone was staying at the home, which her mother kept as a shrine to her parents.

John Doe, who pleaded guilty last month to grand larceny in the first degree and two counts of grand larceny in the second degree, orchestrated the scheme, said the DA’s office via email.

He is expected to be sentenced today, Nov. 13, to four and half to nine years in prison on

A spokesperson from the DA’s office previously said agents seized about $403,000 in assets as part of its investigation.

Avinger and Valeri filed a false document with the city Department of Finance, which recorded a deed transfer of Benedek’s home on 61st Road to Kubick LLC, a firm owned

LETTERSTO THE EDITOR

continued from previous page

they do not see the irony of their actions. I ask this question: Who is really more like the Nazis, Trump or Mamdani?

Lenny Rodin Forest Hills

Mideast geometry

Dear Editor:

Who needs triangles, three-sided arguments, when we can have an apeirogon, a polygon with an infinite number of sides, an issue with infinite arguments or beliefs? We have one. It’s all things about the Middle East, Palestinians, Israel and Jews.

The novel “Apeirogon” explores the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It follows the story of two fathers who each lost a daughter. One is Palestinian, the other Israeli. We can imagine the rest and this is just one possible story.

Another story, “Warring factions,” unfolded at the Oct. 22 meeting of Community Board 8 and was featured on the front page of the Oct. 30 Queens Chronicle (Northeast and Queens editions, headlined “Conflict resolution” in the latter). This story circles around the different strong feelings and history of the slogan “Globalize the Intifada.” What we need is long, historically grounded answers, not multiple-choice short ones, not slogans, which erase all nuance.

Kudos to the Queens Chronicle for giving

this piece of the very, very complicated puzzle front-page coverage. More is needed.

Obviously, the election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of NYC is going to focus our attention on other angles of the larger issue as it manifests itself in the city. It will need careful graphing and more than one solution.

Debra Michlewitz

Bayside

It’s like slavery’s return

Dear Editor:

Please, let’s stop pulling punches here regarding House Speaker Mike Johnson and the government shutdown, especially on food stamps, aka SNAP benefits. There is plenty of blame to go around for other issues, but Johnson is showing the same sadistic attitude as the plantation owners did toward the enslaved, who were basically disposable.

We are seeing people going hungry. We know that they will get sick and with the cuts in programs such as Obamacare will be disposable as well. What makes it worse is that most of the people on food stamps are poor whites, the overseers, the MAGAs, who were also seen with contempt and a total lack of empathy by the massers such as Johnson and President Trump. Please, can the imagery and behavior be any clearer?

Stewart Frimer Forest Hills

be

tougher laws for the crime

by third defendant Lawrence Ray, 38, of Jamaica, said prosecutors.

Benedek said she and her mother never signed the document, which was also later found to have a fraudulent notary signature.

A civil suit was filed against Benedek and

her mom for the home by a third party who purchased it for $600,000. A fraudulent marriage certificate with Benedek’s name and a driver’s license with her mother’s name, 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 the subject of a pending deed fraud investigation.

“What do you do when your house is stolen?” said Benedek, who became emotional. “My mom was crying. Who are these people that wanted to sell our house? Our stuff is gone?”

Benedek said her grandfather’s Purple Heart and love letters to her grandmother were stolen, along with her mother’s wedding dress and dozens of other items.

“I think they all should have done jail time,” said Benedek. “My mom feels the same thing. We were told these are the parameters of the law. Well, we still have to get our house back. This is the best they can do. ...

“We want the laws to be changed. ... It feels very unfair. I don’t have anything left of my grandparents’ anymore. Everything is gone.” Q

Grand larceny suspect sought

The NYPD is searching for a man in connection with a grand larceny incident in Woodhaven last month.

According to the police, it was reported to cops on Oct. 23 at around 9:20 a.m. that an unidentified man walked into a business at 94-09 Jamaica Ave. and removed a 41-year-old victim’s purse from a chair. The suspect then fled eastbound on Jamaica Avenue on foot. The victim was not injured.

The suspect has a medium complexion and slim build, cops said. He was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, black sweatpants and grey slippers.

Police are seeking the above woman for a robbery on Nov. 1.

A woman is wanted by the NYPD in connection with a robbery the evening of Nov. 1 in Woodhaven, within the confines of the 102nd Precinct.

Cops are seeking this man for an alleged grand larceny.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 577-TIPS (8477), or, for Spanish, 1 (888) 57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit tips by logging onto nypdcrimestoppers.com, or by texting 274637 (CRIMES) and then entering TIP577, or by going to @nypdtips on X. All tips are strictly confidential. Q

It was reported to cops that at approximately 6 p.m., an unidentified individual forcibly removed a bag from a 67-yearold woman, knocking her to the ground in front of 92-30 91 Ave. Police said the suspect then fled northbound on Woodhaven Boulevard on foot. EMS responded and treated the victim for minor injuries at the scene.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 577-TIPS (8477), or, for Spanish, 1 (888) 57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit tips by logging onto nypdcrimestoppers.com, or by texting 274637 (CRIMES) and then entering TIP577, or by going to @nypdtips on X. All tips are strictly confidential. Q

PHOTO

COURTESYNYPD

Maria Benedek, right, and her mother, Gloria Kubick, at their Kew Gardens Hills home at Christmas 2024. Benedek and her mother are victims of a deed theft scheme. COURTESYPHOTO

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A march on Metropolitan for veterans

Last Sunday’s gray skies had no effect on the vibrant red, white and blue of Middle Village’s annual Queens Veterans Day Parade.

At top right, Nelson Acevedo helps daughter Samantha put on some patriotic face paint, supervised by Phoenix Viglietta. At top left, parade Grand Marshal Tom Bullaro, a U.S. Army veteran of the Vietnam War, rides down Metropolitan Avenue in style.

At center left, members of Middle Village’s Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 551 march with pride. At center, cadets from Francis Lewis High School’s Patriot Battalion take strides in union, and in uniform. Next to them, Billy Amadal waves Old Glory as he watches the parade, as do dancers from Moves & Motions

as they walk along the stretch.

Above, members of Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 32 get together for a photo, with signature bus and regalia, too. Next to them, clockwise from above right, Antonio Martinez and Matthew Chiofolo of Boy Scout Troop No. 427 show off their badge collections; youngsters from the Middle Village Roller Hockey League skate along in their team gear, along with co-founder Giedre Pogozelski; City Councilman-elect Phil Wong honors vets with his soonto-be constituents, as well as Rep. Grace Meng and incumbent Councilman Bob Holden; and classic car enthusiast Bruce Stock takes pride in his red 1993 Corvette. — Stephanie G. Meditz, with reporting by Walter Karling

PHOTOS BY WALTER KARLING

Mamdani ICE

continued from page 2

Court documents show that the case has been stayed amid the federal government shutdown. The initial conference scheduled for Nov. 13 was adjourned indefinitely last month.

DOJ attorneys were furloughed during the shutdown, and the Eastern District of New York issued an administrative order to stay all noncriminal DOJ cases until the department is funded.

A spokesperson for the city’s Corporation Counsel said Monday that there had been no movement in the case, and attorneys have yet to file their motion to dismiss. He added that once Mamdani is sworn in and new commissioners are in place, the new mayor and his appointees for the roles named in the suit will automatically be substituted in.

Federal agents also have begun bracing for a new administration. Newsweek reported last week that, leading up to the election, border czar Tom Homan said ICE would “flood the zone” in the city.

The agency last Friday also made an X post soliciting NYPD officers, calling on them to work for leaders who “support and defend law enforcement — not defund or demonize it.” Mamdani has previously supported defunding the police, but has since changed his tune.

Mamdani’s press team did not respond to requests for further comment. Q

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Foul called on illicit court

The city Department of Transportation last Saturday removed an illegally installed basketball court on public property at the intersection of 161st Avenue and 83rd Street in Howard Beach, much to the dismay of area residents.

A post about the court’s removal on the Howard Beach Dads Facebook group received more than 200 comments lamenting the loss and calling for it to be rebuilt.

“Wow, that’s terrible,” one resident commented, adding that his son and friends played there. “It was comforting knowing they were safe in the neighborhood playing

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and being kids.”

According to residents, the court appeared in early October, though its facilitator has not been publicly identified. Following its construction, neighborhood children took advantage of the new digs.

A DOT spokesperson told the Chronicle the agency had received complaints about noise and safety related to the illegal court.

When workers arrived to address the issue last Saturday, the agency said, elements of the court were already gone, so it removed the remainder, including pieces of pavement. — Kristen Guglielmo

Transition

continued from page 6

Torres-Springer was the first deputy mayor for Mayor Adams until she resigned in February following his criminal indictment. She is a civic and urban policy leader with more than 25 years of experience driving large-scale organizational transformation at the intersection of government, business and philanthropy.

Leopold has more than 15 years of experience in government, campaigns and organizational leadership, most recently serving on Mamdani’s mayoral campaign as a senior advisor and acting as a liaison to civic, business and cultural leaders. She served in several senior roles during the de Blasio administration and worked on his transition team.

Mamdani’s transition team is also accepting applications from members of the public who are interested in serving in his administration.

The Transition 2025 resume portal, at transition2025.com/apply, is free to access and is accepting applications from those of all backgrounds and experience levels.

“Our transition leaders will help build a City Hall committed to excellence, integrity and a hunger to solve old problems with new solutions,” Mamdani said. “Together, we will show the nation how government can deliver when we put the people, not billionaires, first.” Q

Flight delays to stay in place for a while

Normal could take into next week

by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor

Federal authorities and the airline industry are warning that it will take at least several days to restore pre-shutdown numbers of flights and reduce flight delays, even if the U.S. House of Representatives, as expected, approved new government funding on Wednesday.

The U.S. Senate passed a funding extension on Monday [see separate story in some editions or at qchron.com].

JetBlue, with its headquarters in Long Island City, and Delta, a major carrier at both JFK and LaGuardia airports, said they were continuing to implement higher levels of cancellations mandated by the Federal Aviation Administration that have been escalating rapidly since last Friday.

Both JFK and LaGuardia are among the 40 airports in the nation under mandatory fight reduction orders.

“All FAA directed flight cancellations through Nov. 13 have been completed,” Delta posted on X Tuesday evening.

Both airlines posted that they expect the vast majority of their flights to take off as scheduled. And both said to check their websites and apps regularly, and well in advance, to monitor the status of their flights.

JetBlue said in most cases of a cancellation it will automatically book passengers on the next available flight. Delta said it is employing maximum flexibility for those seeing rebookings or refunds with no penalty.

The news website The Hill late Wednesday morning quoted the FlightAware tracking system as saying 888 flights within, into or out of the United States had been canceled on the day up to that point, with 720 delayed.

The major cause of delays and cancellations has been a lack of air traffic controllers, who have been working without pay and have missed two paychecks. Many con-

trollers have called in sick or just skipped work since Oct. 1. Others have had to get second jobs.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has announced that controllers will receive 70 percent of their back pay within 48 hours of the government reopening.

But even that is not expected to increase flights and reduce delays immediately.

The Hill quoted Duffy as telling CNN that veteran controllers are now retiring from an already short-staffed industry in record-shattering numbers.

“I used to have about four controllers retire a day before the shutdown,” The Hill reported him saying. “I’m now up to 15 to 20 a day.”

The mandatory retirement age is 56.

USA Today said the pre-shutdown number of 11,000 controllers was already considered 30 percent fewer than the government believes is needed, leading to six-day work weeks, mandatory overtime and strict limitations on vacations. Q

By Cynthia J. Conza, Esq.

Readers of this column know that proper drafting of an irrevocable trust can ensure the trust’s beneficiaries can claim a step-up basis on their inheritance and eliminate the capital gains tax. This allows the basis of an asset to be “stepped up” to the fair market value of the asset upon the grantor’s death. However, not every irrevocable trust is drafted properly, and some do not include language that allows beneficiaries to claim the step-up basis on inherited assets. What can you do if you discover you transferred your most valuable assets, such as your home, to an irrevocable trust that was not properly drafted and will result in a significant capital gains tax? The terms and language of an irrevocable trust cannot be amended, so your trustee cannot just correct an error in the trust. While it is possible in some circumstances to terminate an irrevocable trust and transfer the assets back to your name, this means you would also restart the five-year Medicaid lookback window and potentially put the property at risk to a nursing home or jeopardize your

eligibility for Medicaid.

Estate Planning Fundamentals: Trust Decanting to Preserve the Step-Up in Basis in an Irrevocable Trust

However, there is a solution to this problem where you can preserve your Medicaid status, prevent capital gains tax, and still keep your property safely in an irrevocable trust. Your trustee has the authority under New York’s Estates, Powers & Trusts Law to transfer assets from one irrevocable trust to another irrevocable trust. This process is known as “decanting” a trust, and is employed to moves assets to a new irrevocable trust that corrects drafting errors in the original trust.

If you have any concerns about an existing irrevocable trust, or any other estate planning documents, we can review your documents and will identify any issues and advise on the proper solution.

Proper planning will have a significant impact on your ability to protect your assets for your children and beneficiaries. Please feel free to contact me at cynthia@ conzamcnamara.com or (718) 845-5555 if you would like to discuss further.

Even with congressional funding approval, it is expected to take time to ramp up the country’s air traffic control system.

PHOTOCOURTESYPANYNJ/FILE

Opinions mixed at public IBX meeting

Some cite safety concerns, while others await faster

by Stephanie G. Meditz Editor

Passionate voices both for and against the Interborough Express came to the mic last Thursday, when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority held a public scoping meeting on the project at Christ the King High School in Middle Village.

The meeting was the second of four such sessions announced in conjunction with the start of the project’s examination under the State Environmental Quality Review Act. The IBX is a planned light rail system linking Queens and Brooklyn, with 19 proposed stations.

Jordan Smith, the project director, said the meeting was intended to gather feedback on the MTA’s scoping document, which lays out issues to be addressed by the environmental impact statement. Presenters did not take questions at the meeting.

“I feel like it’s really going to ruin the neighborhood,” Barbara O’Donnell of Middle Village told the Chronicle before the meeting,

adding that she finds it “immoral” to dig under a cemetery.

The MTA is looking to tunnel under Metropolitan Avenue so rail cars do not run on street level there.

The tunnel is set to run beneath All Faiths Cemetery.

O’Donnell said also that the proposed Eliot Avenue stop is a “recipe for disaster.” Not only would the line run from “terrible neighbor-

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“Donate Today, Save Lives Tomorrow” is the motto of the New York Blood Center, which is seeking donors as the state continues to face a blood shortage.

All types are sought, but O-negative is especially useful. Visit nybc. org for information. There are four places in and around Eastern and Southeast Queens listed now where people may donate:

• St. John’s University, Student Organization lounge room 128; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., today, Nov. 13, at 8000 Utopia Pkwy. in Jamaica Estates; blood drive coordinator Paul Lazauskas;

• United Sikhs, main room; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 23, at 95-30 118 St. in South Richmond Hill; bood drive coordinator Inderjeet Singh;

• Knights of Columbus Council 197, main hall; 8:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 29, at 94-04 Linden Blvd. in Ozone Park; blood drive coordinator Paul Eggert; and

• NYPD 113th Precinct, muster room; 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., Friday, Dec. 26, at 167-02 Baisley Blvd. in Rochdale; blood drive coordinator Sgt. Navdeep Singh. Q — Naeisha Rose

hoods” such as New Lots and East New York, she explained, but the stop would be near a park, a school, a church and one- and twofamily homes.

Barbara Jankowski, also of Middle Village, reiterated O’Donnell’s safety concerns, and disputed the need for the IBX.

“We have every express bus known to man coming through our

transportation

neighborhood,” Jankowski told the Chronicle, adding that one could take those buses to nearby transit hubs for service to Brooklyn.

Smith said the MTA predicts about 160,000 daily riders on the train.

While Community Board 5 District Manager Gary Giordano said he could understand a station on Fresh Pond Road or Myrtle Avenue if demand justified it, there is “not much room” for one on Eliot Avenue, as planned.

Others were in full support of the IBX.

“I think we’re a little overdue for a Queens-to-Brooklyn connection that isn’t just the G,” said Charlotte Lomino, who is temporarily living in Greenpoint. Lomino also lauded the project for its planned construction on an existing rail corridor, as “New York City isn’t known for doing things cheaply.”

Brandon Zwagerman of Ridgewood, who chairs CB 5’s Public Transit Services Committee, said his neighbors are excited about the accessibility options promised by the project. He said also that it

could speed up previously “convoluted” trips.

As for what should be included in the EIS, Zwagerman mentioned impacts on land use, future development, traffic near stations and the properties that must be acquired to build the IBX, among other factors.

Asked by this reporter about the extent of property acquisition needed, Smith said that since the train would run in an existing rail corridor, it would be less than a brandnew project might demand.

In response to a follow-up question, he said it is “too soon to know” whether the use of eminent domain is completely off the table. The project’s design and engineering phase is running concurrently with its environmental review.

The project is estimated to cost $5.5 billion. Gov. Hochul secured half of that in the MTA’s 2025-29 capital plan, and Smith said projects of that scale usually span several capital plans.

The MTA will hold an IBX open house from 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 19 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Middle Village. Q

B SPORTS EAT

White flag for Gang Green

by Lloyd Carroll Chronicle Contributor

The New York Jets surprised the NFL last Tuesday by jettisoning two of their best-known players — defensive end Quinnen Williams and cornerback Sauce Gardner — in trades to the Dallas Cowboys and Indianapolis Colts, respectively. The Jets received a treasure trove of firstand second-round picks from each team. In addition, the Cowboys sent defensive tackle Mazi Smith to the Jets, while the Colts dispatched wide receiver Adonai Mitchell.

The Jets had only one win up to the Nov. 4 trade deadline. It was apparent they would not be making the playoffs for the 15th straight season, the longest drought in professional sports.

Although Williams and Gardner have Pro Bowl appearances on their resumes, their play this year has not lived up to their reputations. While it may not have been their fault, they did not transform the Jets into a winning franchise.

Jets General Manager Darren Mougey, who did not draft either player, felt the way Pittsburgh Pirates GM Branch Rickey did about his lone star player in the 1950s. The late Mets broadcaster and Hall of Fame outfielder Ralph Kiner was fond of talking about his frustrations of negotiating a contract with the tightfisted Rickey. “We can finish last with or without you,” Kiner would say with a chuckle. Rickey eventually traded Kiner to the Chicago Cubs.

Mougey and Jets Head Coach Aaron Glenn made it clear they were not going to hold a fire sale at the deadline. There were rumors swirling that running back Breece Hall, who is one of the few Jets having a good season, was certain to be dealt. He stayed put because Mougey was not interested in sending him elsewhere unless he got a prime draft choice in return. He was not interested in a generic third-rounder, which often is the compensation teams receive when trading a name player. Mougey sent a message that no one should take advantage of him.

Long-suffering Jets fans did not flood sports talk radio stations with angry calls over the team parting with popular players. They understand the team’s need for draft capital, especially when it comes to finding a franchise quarterback from the college ranks. The Jets have fared poorly in that regard as the selections of Geno Smith, Sam Darnold and Zach Wilson attest. In fairness, Smith and Darnold have found success after leaving the Jets.

The Jets have a terrific wide receiver in Garrett Wilson, and a promising tight end in rookie Mason Taylor. However, as Dan Leberfeld, host of a popular show on the SiriusXM NFL channel and the publisher of “Jets Confidential” likes to say, “It’s the quarterback who makes the receivers, and not the other way around.” Q

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

Gov. hits brake on free buses

Gov. Hochul last weekend indicated that she does not support making city buses free, a key plank in the successful campaign of Mayor-elect and state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani (D-Astoria).

As governor, Hochul oversees the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and appointed its chair, Janno Leiber, for his official, long-term tenure.

Speaking to reporters during New York politicians’ annual post-election conference in Puerto Rico, Hochul said, “I cannot set forth a plan right now that takes money out of a system that relies on the fares of the buses and the subways. But can we find a path to make it more affordable for people who need help? Of course, we can.”

Mamdani says the lost fare revenue can be made up for by increasing income taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers. Albany would have to approve that, also. Critics of fare-free buses say that aside from the need for revenue, people should be charged because otherwise some might take advantage and ride not to get anywhere, but just to have a safe and comfortable place to be, to the detriment of others on board. Q

— Peter C. Mastrosimone

Barbara Jankowski, at mic, was among those who spoke against the Interborough Express, the planned light rail system linking Queens and Brooklyn, last Thursday. PHOTOBYSTEPHANIEG.MEDITZ

by Michael Gannon

Willy Loman can gladhand anyone and regale them with his stories of the friendships and respect he has garnered in more than 30 years as a groundbreaking salesman; and how his sons are destined to be even more successful in their future.

Douglaston stages a great ‘Death of a Salesman’

and conversations with his late brother, a diamond miner in Africa, takes place in Willy’s memory. Or at least some of them?

But the opening scene, and even the title of the play itself, might cause the audience to take pause with Loman as the Douglaston Community Theatre presents Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman.”

The show’s seven-performance run at Zion Church Parish Hall began Nov. 7, and has performances remaining on Nov. 14 at 8 p.m.; Nov., 15 at 2 and 8 p.m.; Nov. 22 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 23 at 2 p.m.

The 1949 tragedy takes place mostly in Loman’s Brooklyn home. A series of flashbacks

As the audience meets Loman, played by Frank DiSpigno, he has just come home after a sales trip to Boston that ends abruptly. In his 60s, he gets as far as Yonkers due to a fender bender that could have been a serious car accident. Like one he had recently. For someone whose entire identity is tied up in being a salesman, his career, his company and the sales business itself seem to be steadily casting him aside.

His wife, Linda, played by Geri DiBari, is concerned, and about far more than his accidents. He hasn’t been feeling well and she’d like his company

to let him work from New York. And he’s worried about money. Per usual, things are very tight as they go over the bills, this month for car repairs, a broken refrigerator and Willy’s life insurance. And a frightening discovery in the basement.

Linda knows his flaws and weaknesses and still loves him unconditionally — something with which she wishes their grown sons would be far more concerned.

Biff and Happy recently moved back home. Just temporarily, until they go out to conquer the world, becoming as successful in business as Willy, to hear him tell it.

Biff, played by Giovanni Marine, is returning

King Crossword Puzzle

I HAVE OFTEN WALKED

Allan Drake had tears and laughs alike in Rego Pk.

by Ron Marzlock Chronicle Contributor

Nathan Margolis was born Oct., 15, 1921, the eldest of five boys born to Morris and Rose Margolis in Boston. Morris operated a grocery store.

With no apparent comic ambitions, Nathan became a Checker taxicab driver. He left his passengers laughing and they suggested a career change to him. In 1946, perhaps because of his ability to make her laugh, he married beauty queen Janice Hansen, Miss New Jersey 1944. After the birth of their son, Michael, he made the move to comedy, using the stage name Allan Drake.

The family moved into a brand-new apartment building in 1949 at 63-60 102 St. in Rego Park. He got gigs on the Ed Sullivan and Jackie Gleason shows.

While he was working in Washington, DC, his wife stepped out with Mafia captain Anthony Carfano, aka “Little Augie Pisano.” On Sept., 25, 1959, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, she was executed alongside Carfano in a mob hit, shot dead in his Cadillac in front of 24-50 94 St. in East Elmhurst.

Drake still had the eye for beauty and married Playboy bunny Wanda Owens in 1964. They had a son named Cary. Drake found TV fame in 1975, playing Rodney Victor, Fred Sanford’s brother-in-law, on “Sanford and Son.” He died on March 8, 1986 at age 64. New generations still enjoy his work in TV reruns. Q

The home of comic Allan Drake and his beauty queen wife, Janice Hansen, was at 63-60 102 St. in Rego Park, seen as it looked in 1949, when they moved in upon the building’s opening.

Step right up! Circus Vazquez swings back to Queens

by Kristen Guglielmo editor

A sense of wonder is about to descend on Queens as Circus Vazquez rolls back into town with its signature blue and white tent, bringing awe, laughter and generations of family tradition along for the ride.

Fresh from international tours, this year’s Circus Vazquez promises nothing but aweinducing spectacles for old fans and firsttimers alike.

The show, running Nov. 21 to Dec. 14 at Citi Field, is a vibrant blend of nostalgia and innovation, curated by a family that’s been perfecting the circus craft for decades and originally founded in 1969 as Circo Hermanos Vazquez in Mexico City.

Since then, the circus has continued to evolve its acts, architecture and technology to give audiences unforgettable memories.

Alexa Vazquez, a fourth-generation performer, is a living example of the circus’ enduring legacy.

“I‘ve been touring and basically like living in the circus and traveling all over the world for many years and continuing the tradition in the family legacy,” Vazquez told the Chronicle.

Circus Vazquez maintains the tradition that comes along with a family circus, with classic circus acts and a live orchestra, but

Circus Vazquez is returning to Citi Field from Nov. 21 to Dec. 14 with a live band and showstopping acts sure to delight audiences of all ages, such as the above acrobatic performers.

also modernizes the experience.

Among the performers are Russia’s award-winning clown Boris Nikishkin, sure to elicit laughs with his outrageous brand of comedy. Emiliano Vazquez, from Mexico, will showcase his unicycle juggling skills.

From Chile, The Flying Caceres, with Paloma Torres and her celebrated triple somersault, will display breathtaking cour-

age on the flying trapeze.

The Pork Chop Revue has performing pigs and hogs that will exhibit plenty of personality, and the Cartoon Poodles are set to showcase talented pups who will amaze audiences.

Meanwhile, the live Circus Vazquez Band will weave together a magnificent musical mosaic to keep the beat going

throughout the show.

“It’s 10 musicians who come all the way from Mexico City to New York, and just bring something that has a magic that’s not like another,” Vazquez said.

And of course, the whole production is led by Ringmaster Memo Vazquez, a thirdgeneration performer.

Tickets for the two-hour extravaganza are available in-person at the box office and online at circusvazquez.com. Performances run weeknights at 7 p.m. and weekends at 1, 4 and 7 p.m.

Prices start at $17.23 for children and $56.75 for adults, with discounts for seniors, military and guests with disabilities.

And if you’re left craving even more spectacle, keep an eye out for Flip Circus, another signature production by the Vazquez family, at Forest Park through Nov. 25. Information for that show can be found at flipcircus.com.

Alexa Vazquez said among her favorite acts are the trapeze performers.

“It’s like women’s empowerment a little bit,” she said. “I feel like usually you see the guys flying all the way up into the tent, but this time, we have an all-girl trapeze act. I think it’s super cool to see how we have that girl power.” Q

‘Death of a Salesman’ dazzles in Douglaston

continued from page 21

from years out west. He was once a promising college football recruit, but didn’t go. He just can’t seem to find his calling and has had a contentious relationship with his father. Younger brother Happy, played by Bailey Brondum, is a slick-talking womanizer who assures his parents he is getting married and is a break away from a major promotion at his job.

DiSpigno, a former longtime Whitestone

Crossword Answers

resident, injects Willy with strong passion and a great deal of physical acting. But through all of Loman’s bluster and pipe dreams, he also never lets the audience not see the slumping shoulders and desperation of a broken, beaten-down man trying to lug his suitcases up that next flight of stairs.

“You can analyze Willy forever,” DiSpigno said. “He’s not a bad man. He’s a good man. A pure man. But he’s also a failure as a man.” DiSpigno does have difficulty with some of Loman’s moral compromises, but loves the play, particularly Miller’s writing.

Director Cathy Chimenti had DiSpigno in mind as Willy Loman for long time.

“I reached out to him maybe about five years go,” Chimenti said. “It took that long to get the rights.” She said it is not an easy piece to direct. Her favorite Broadway adaptation was the 2022 revival starring Wendell Pierce.

“It’s one of Miller’s more sophisticated plays, and I wanted the challenge, I’ll be honest with you,” she said.

Chimenti said she had ideas of what she was looking for to cast Linda Loman, and even had invited some actresses to audition.

“And then somebody I never met walks

Geri DiBari, Frank DiSpigno, Bailey Brondum and Giovanni Marine from ”Death of a Salesman.” On the cover: Willy Loman discusses another preempted business trip with his wife, Linda.

in the door and just blew me away,” she said of DiBari. “I had never met her.”

Other cast members include Gary Tifeld, JK Larkin, Joe DiPietro, Michael Chimenti, Dawn Bianco, Nili Resnick and Joe Dujmic.

Chimenti wants the audience to think about Willy Loman’s dysfunctional idea of the American dream in his flashbacks.

“Is he going back in time? Does he have dementia? Is he depressed?” she asked. “If that is conveyed, that is clearly my goal.”

Zion Church Parish Hall is at 243-20 Church St. in Douglaston. Tickets are $20, cash or check only.

For tickets, call (718) 885-4785 or send an email to dougcommthtr@gmail.com. Q

PHOTO COURTESY CIRCUS VAZQUEZ

PHOTOS BY NICHOLAS SARNELLI; COVER PHOTO BY MICHAEL GANNON

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Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/14/25. Office: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 15-31 146th Place, Whitestone, NY 11357. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

24-32 27TH STREET LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 09/30/25. Office: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 24-32 27th Street, Astoria, NY 11102. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of TON SERVICE LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 10/03/2025. 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: DIEGO GIRALDO LOPEZ, 8732 78 ST., FLOOR 1, WOODHAVEN, NY 11421. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of VCS CONSTRUCTION SERVICES LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 01/17/2024. 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: CONCEPCION NAVARRO, 2536 22ND STREET, APT 1B, ASTORIA, NY 11102. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF QUEENS JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association, Plaintiff AGAINST Douglas Carr, as Executor of the Estate of Gloria Patrick a/k/a Gloria A. Patrick a/k/a Gloria A. Ballom a/k/a Gloria Patrick Ballom a/k/a Gloria A. PatrickBallom; et al., Defendant(s)

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered August 25, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee, will sell at public auction at the Queens County Supreme Courthouse, on the second floor in Courtroom 25, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, New York on November 21, 2025, at 10:00AM, premises known as 18833 Keesville Avenue a/k/a 188-33 Keesville Avenue, Saint Albans a/k/a Jamaica, NY 11412. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Fourth Ward of the Borough and County of Queens, City and State of New York, Block 10427 Lot 34. Approximate amount of judgment $413,024.00 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 710701/2019. Heidi J. Henle, Esq., Referee LOGS Legal Group LLP f/k/a Shapiro, DiCaro & Barak, LLC Attorney(s) for the Plaintiff 175 Mile Crossing Boulevard Rochester, New York 14624 (877) 430-4792 Dated: September 15, 2025 For sale information, please visit www. Auction.com or call (800) 2802831 87190

Notice of Formation of HJ77 LLC Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 09/25/25. Office location: Queens County. Princ. office of LLC: 33-02 Skillman Ave., Long Island City, NY 11011. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to the LLC, 33-02 Skillman Ave., 5th Fl., Long Island City, NY 11011. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

NOTICE OF SALE SUPREME COURT QUEENS COUNTY WEBSTER BANK, N.A., Plaintiff against LETICIA M. CALUAG A/K/A LETICIA CALUAG, et al Defendant(s) Attorney for Plaintiff(s) Margolin, Weinreb & Nierer, LLP, 575 Underhill Boulevard, Suite 224, Syosset, NY 11791. Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered June 4, 2025, I will sell at public auction to the highest bidder at the Queens County Supreme Court, Courtroom #25, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11435 on December 12, 2025 at 11:00 AM. Premises known as 84-92 Homelawn Street a/k/a 84-92 Home Lawn Street, Jamaica, New York 11432. Block 9862 Lot 76. 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. Approximate Amount of Judgment is $137,839.57 plus interest, fees, and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No 708473/2023. The foreclosure sale will be conducted in accordance with 11th Judicial District’s Covid-19 Policies and foreclosure auction rules. The Referee shall enforce any rules in place regarding facial coverings and social distancing. Referee will only accept a certified bank check made payable to the referee.

David I. Weprin, Esq., Referee File # 23-0243

KAM 14 LLC Articles of Org. filed NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 9/29/25. Office in Queens Co. SSNY design. Agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to The LLC 8425 85th Ave., Woodhaven, NY 11421. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

PROBATE CITATION. File No. 2025-577 SURROGATE’S COURT-QUEENS COUNTY CITATION THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK By the Grace of God Free and Independent TO: Heirs at law, next of kin, and distributees of JOSE RAMON ALONSO a/k/a JOSE R. ALONSO, deceased, if living, and if any of them be dead to their heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, legatees, executors, administrators. assignees and successors in interest whose names are unknown and cannot be ascertained after. due dillgenence. Public Administrator of Queens County Attorney General of New York State. A petition having been duly filed by JOSE HERNANDEZ, who is domiciled at 5830 SW 63rd Avenue, South Miami, Florida 33143. YOU ARE HEREBY CITED TO SHOW CAUSE before the Surrogate’s Court, Queens County, at 8811 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, New York, on December 18, 2025 at 9:30A.M. of that day, why a decree should not be made in the estate of JOSE RAMON ALONSO a/k/a JOSE R. ALONSO, lately domiciled at 8337 Saint James Avenue, Apt. 3S, Elmhurst, New York, admitting to probate a Will dated September 30, 1992, a copy of which is attached, as the Will of JOSE RAMON ALONSO a/k/a JOSE R. ALONSO, deceased, relating to real and personal property, and directing that [x] Letters of Administration c.t.a. issue to. Jose Hernandez (State any further relief requested) HON.

CASSANDRA A. JOHNSON Surrogate. Dated, Attested and Sealed October 8, 2025. JANET EDWARDS TUCKER, Chief Clerk. Daisy Echevarria. Esq., Attorney for Petitioner Telephone Number 212-286-9499. 270 Madison Avenue, Suite 1501, New York, New York 10016, Address of Attorney. [NOTE: This citation is served upon you as required by law. You are not required to appear. If you fail to appear it will be assumed you do not object to the relief requested. You have a right to have an attorney appear for you.]

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF QUEENS THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FKA THE BANK OF NEW YORK TRUST COMPANY, N.A. AS SUCCESSOR TO JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS TRUSTEE FOR RESIDENTIAL ASSET MORTGAGE PRODUCTS, INC., MORTGAGE ASSET-BACKED PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006RS3, -against- JOAN D. MINTO SEOW ET AL. NOTICE OF SALE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure and entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Queens on August 20, 2025, wherein THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FKA THE BANK OF NEW YORK TRUST COMPANY, N.A. AS SUCCESSOR TO JPMORGAN CHASE BANK, N.A., AS TRUSTEE FOR RESIDENTIAL ASSET MORTGAGE PRODUCTS, INC., MORTGAGE ASSET-BACKED PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2006RS3 is the Plaintiff and JOAN D. MINTO SEOW ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the QUEENS COUNTY COURTHOUSE 88-11 SUTPHIN BLVD., COURTROOM #25, JAMAICA, NY 11435, on 12/12/2025 at 10:00AM, premises known as 2 HOLLYWOOD COURT, FAR ROCKAWAY, New York 11691; and the following tax map identification, -15714-185. 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 will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No.: 713471/2023 . Scott H. Siller, 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.

EQUAL HOUSING. Federal, New York State and local laws prohibit discrimination because of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, marital status, familial status or disability in connection with 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 212-941-6101, or the New York City Commission of Human Rights Hotline at 718722-3131.

The Queens Chronicle reserves the right to alter wording in ads to conform with Federal Fair Housing regulations.

Far Rockaway, Sun 11/23, 1pm-2pm, 1234 Crossbay Blvd. Deceptively spacious, private retreat w/Jamaica Bay views. Just reduced. $675K. Co-broke w/Melissa Carrington, 347-432-0602. RE/MAX Elite, Team Tubz., Patrick 954-873-0427 or Deborah 917-930-3957

Howard Beach, Sat 11/15, 3pm-4:30pm, 161-24 84 St. Updated 4BR. Living area w/HW flrs, cathedral ceilings & 4-season room. C21 Amiable II, 718-835-4700

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per month/ negotiable for good tenant. Very close to shopping & transportation. Available immediately. Call Rohanee: 718-704-7731

Broad Channel, Sun 11/23, 12pm-2pm, 20 W 18 Rd. Turn key home. 3 BR, 1.5 bath, open concept. Income producing adjacent lot, sold together or separate. $819K & $149,999. RE/MAX Elite, Team Tubz., Patrick 954-873-0427 or Deborah 917-930-3957

Legal Notices

COLOMBOS PROP. LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/22/25. Office: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 60 Stone Hill Drive S., Manhasset, NY 11030. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

CORRA REALTY GROUP, LLC, Arts. of Org. filed with the SSNY on 10/09/2025. Office loc: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: The LLC, 3907 Prince St. 6B, Flushing, NY 11354. Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

Large 1 BR Garden Co-Op. Clean, beautiful hardwood floors, nice block, quiet bldg. Must see! Call for appt, 718-440-5647

Legal Notices

Notice of Formation of CRESCENT STREET CONSULTING LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 10/10/2025. 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: ENTITY PROTECT REGISTERED AGENT SERVICES LLC, 447 BROADWAY 2ND FL. - #3000, NEW YORK, NY 10013. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of ECO AIRE, LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 10/03/2025. 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: YVONNE WHITTER, 104-09 209 STREET, QUEENS VILLAGE, NY 11429. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

$3,850.

To Advertise Call 718-205-8000

Legal Notices Legal Notices

SUMMONS Supreme Court of New York, Queens. WILMINGTON TRUST, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE FOR MFRA TRUST 20161, Plaintiff -against- ALBERT DICKERSON III, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF PATRICIA DICKERSON A/K/A PATRICIA JANE DICKERSON; UNKNOWN HEIRS OF THE ESTATE OF PATRICIA DICKERSON A/K/A PATRICIA JANE DICKERSON; NEW YORK CITY ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD; SYNCHRONY BANK; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (EASTERN DISTRICT); “JOHN DOE” AND “JANE DOE” said names being fictitious, it being the intention of Plaintiff to designate any and all occupants of premises being foreclosed herein, Defendants Index No. 707536/2024. Mortgaged Premises: 199-16 116th Avenue Saint Albans a/k/a Jamaica, NY 11412 Block: IN 11071 Lot: 33TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANTS: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in the above captioned action and to serve a copy of your Answer 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 completion of service where service is made in any other manner 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 hereof. In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT THE OBJECTIVE of the above captioned action is to foreclose on a Mortgage to secure $376,000.00 and interest, recorded in the Office of the City Register of the City of New York on September 24, 2007, in CRFN 2007000488874, covering the premises known as 199-16 116th Avenue, Saint Albans a/k/a Jamaica, NY 11412 The relief sought herein is a final judgment directing sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the reverse mortgage described above. Plaintiff designates Queens as the place of trial. Venue is based upon the County in which the mortgaged premises is located. 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 your mortgage company will not stop this 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. FRIEDMAN VARTOLO, LLP 1325 Franklin Avenue, Suite 160 Garden City, NY 11530, Attorneys for Plaintiff.

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF QUEENS U.S. BANK TRUST NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, NOT IN ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, BUT SOLELY AS TRUSTEE OF LSF9 MASTER PARTICIPATION TRUST, Plaintiff AGAINST ALESSANDRA DEPESTRE, ET AL., Defendant(s) Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered September 23, 2025, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Queens County Supreme Courthouse, on the second floor in Courtroom 25, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, New York on December 12, 2025 at 11:00 AM, premises known as 13818 250th Street, Rosedale, NY 11422. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough and County of Queens, City and State of New York, Block 13619 and Lot 33. Approximate amount of judgment $643,227.04 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #710812/2023. Ruth M. Baez, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC 1775 Wehrle Drive Williamsville, NY 14221 22-002782 87820

LaundryBee Sutphin

LLC filed 10/27/25. Cty: Queens. SSNY desig. for process & shall mail to: 22111 Kingsbury Ave., Oakland Gardens, NY 11364. Purp: any lawful.

Notice of Formation of LITTLE ROSE FLORALS, LLC

Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 10/02/2025. 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: JULIE MAK MOTAYNE, 141-10 82ND DRIVE, #234, BRIARWOOD, NY 11435. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF QUEENS U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, -against- MARISOL ALVELO, ET AL. NOTICE OF SALE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure and entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Queens on July 3, 2025, wherein U.S. BANK NATIONAL ASSOCIATION is the Plaintiff and MARISOL ALVELO, ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the QUEENS COUNTY COURTHOUSE 88-11 SUTPHIN BLVD., COURTROOM #25, JAMAICA, NY 11435, on 11/21/2025 at 10:00AM, premises known as 13105 135TH ST, SOUTH OZONE PARK, New York 11420; and the following tax map identification, 51-11780-119. 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 will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index No.: 701260/2020. Gregory J. Newman, Esq. - Referee. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/ CLERK DIRECTIVES.

Notice of formation of S KIM CPA PLLC. Articles of Organization filed with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 10/2/2025. Office location: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. 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: is The PLLC 3809 Union Street, Suite 3 Flushing, NY, 11354. Purpose/ character of LLC: Any Lawful Purpose.

SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS IN TAX LIEN FORECLOSURE –SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, COUNTY OF QUEENS – NYCTL 19982 TRUST, and THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON as Collateral Agent and Custodian for the NYCTL 1998-2 Trust, Plaintiffs, UNKNOWN HEIRS AND DISTRIBUTEES OF THE ESTATE OF VELIA R. TENERIO, et. al., Defendants. Index No. 722337/20. To the above named Defendants –YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action within twenty days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service or within thirty days after service is completed if the summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York. In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint. Plaintiffs designate Queens County as the place of trial. Venue is based upon the county in which the property a lien upon which is being foreclosed is situated. The foregoing summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to the Order of the Hon. Alan J. Schiff, J.S.C., entered on October 27, 2025. The object of this action is to foreclose a tax lien covering the premises located at Block 9806 Lot 59 on the Tax Map of Queens County and also known as 91-08 172nd Street, Jamaica, New York. Dated: October 27, 2025 BRONSTER, LLP, Attorney for Plaintiffs NYCTL 1998-2 TRUST, and THE BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON as Collateral Agent and Custodian for the NYCTL 1998-2 Trust, By: Leonid Krechmer, Esq. 156 West 56th Street, Suite 703, New York, NY 10019 (212) 558-9300

Notice of Formation of Snap Chocolates LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 10/17/2025. 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: ALEXANDRA ELLIOTT, 42-77 HUNTER STREET, APT 6B, LONG ISLAND CITY, NY 11101. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF QUEENS, WILMINGTON SAVINGS FUND SOCIETY, FSB, AS TRUSTEE OF QUERCUS MORTGAGE INVESTMENT TRUST, PLAINTIFF, vs. RONALD SHAW, ET AL., Defendant (s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on October 10, 2024, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the second floor in Courtroom 25 Queens County Supreme Courthouse located at 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11435 on November 21, 2025, at 10:00 AM, premises known as 192-11 116TH ROAD, SAINT ALBANS, NY 11412. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough and County of Queens, City and State of New York, Block: 11061, Lot: 46. Approximate amount of judgment is $489,246.08 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 721276/2022. If the sale is set aside for any reason, the Purchaser at the sale shall be entitled only to a return of the deposit paid. The Purchaser shall have no further recourse against the Mortgagor, the Mortgagee, the Mortgagee’s attorney, or the Referee. All parties shall comply with the Eleventh Judicial District’s COVID-19 Policies concerning Public Auctions of foreclosed properties. These policies, along with the Queens County Foreclosure Auction Rules, can be found on the Queens Supreme CourtCivil Term Website (https:// www.nycourts.gov/LegacyPDFS/COURTS/11jd/supreme/ civilterm/partrules/Foreclosure_Auction_Rules.pdf)

DOMINIC CHIARIELLO, Esq., Referee Roach & Lin, P.C., 6851 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 185, Syosset, New York 11791, Attorneys for Plaintiff

Notice of Formation of STRICTLY WHOLESALE LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 03/25/2025. 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: ARTURO CIFUENTES, 8709 164TH ST BSMT, JAMAICA, NY 11432. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

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