SOUTH QUEENS EDITION
Serving Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park, City Line and JFK Airport
Leaders privately discuss roadmap PAGE2
Pheffer Amato won’t seek reelection PAGE4
To be decisive is to see ‘Hamlet’ in Ridgewood qboro PAGE23
by Kristen Guglielmo Editor
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has made affordability central to his vision at City Hall. Near the top of his agenda is enacting universal childcare.
“After rent, the biggest cost for N ew York’s working families is childcare,” the website for his campaign stated. “It’s literally driving them out of the city: New Yorkers with children under six are leaving at double the rate of all others. The b urden falls heaviest on mothers, who are giving up paying jobs to do unpaid childcare.”
As mayor, Mamdani has promised to implement free childcare for all N ew Yorkers ages 6 weeks to 5 years, as well as raising the wages for childcare workers to be at parity with p ublic school teachers. The state Department of Health, according to 2022 data, said the city has about 465,000 children under the age of 5.
Mamdani’s plan, according to multiple reports, has a $6 billion price tag.
Few details are available regarding how he intends to pay for and
implement universal childcare, but he may look to former Mayor Bill de Blasio’s rollout of universal pre-K as an example.
Mamdani once told The New York Times that de Blasio was the best mayor in his lifetime, and recently tapped his first deputy mayor, Dean Fuleihan, to return to that role, and Melanie Hartzog, who worked in de Blasio’s administration as well, was appointed to Mamdani’s transition team.
Fuleihan also worked as de Blasio’s budget director, and recently told Politico that Mamdani’s team has started conversations with the governor’s staff on how to make universal childcare a reality.
Gov. Hochul has said she supports Mamdani’s universal childcare plan, but is against his proposed tax hikes on millionaires and corporations to support the initiative.
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani met last week with Gov. Hochul at her office in Manhattan to discuss their shared priorities, which include universal childcare.
PHOTOBYSUSANWATTS/NYGOVERNOR’SOFFICE/FLICKR
path to universal child care,” the spokesperson said. “They committed to ongoing conversations at the senior staff level in the coming weeks to further develop a policy for FY 2027 and beyond.”
The duo also discussed the city and state’s fiscal landscape, including the need to balance propose d federal cuts with ongoing investments that matter to New Yorkers.
Mamdani’s press team did not respond to a request for comment on the matter.
Even without a clear, outlined path to making the plan a reality, proponents of universal childcare, such as The Empire State Campaign fo r Child Care, are looking forward to it.
“I can’t just write a check and cover this cost, but I’ve talked to Zohran Mamdani and others who are thoughtful and want to see a path forward, and we will get on a path forward,” Hochul said at the 5Boro NYC Childcare Summit in Brooklyn last month. “We just have to do it over the right time frame with the right amount of money.
Hochul met with Mamdani in her Manhattan office on Nov. 13 for an hour and a half to discuss shared priorities, and among them was universal childcare. A spokesperson for the
Governor’s Office told the Chronicle Hochul and Mamdani discussed ways to build upon the existing structures in New York City to serve more children.
“Both discussed a shared desire to make significant additional investments that put New York on a
A spokesperson for the group said it “is excited to see the momentum build for the child care system that New Yorkers need and deserve. We have championed statewide universal child care since 2017, and we look forward to working with both Governor Hochul and Mayor Elect Mamdani to realize this vision that will make New York a more affordable place to live, work, and raise a family.” Q
by Kristen Guglielmo Editor
After nearly a decade on the job, Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-Howard Beach) announced on Nov. 17 that she will not seek reelection in 2026. She was first elected in 2016 after the retirement of then-Assemblymember Phil Goldfeder.
Since then, she has represented the seat that was, for more than 24 years, held by her mother, Queens County Clerk Audrey Pheffer.
“I love being in public service and representing the people of the 23rd Assembly District has been the honor of a lifetime,” Pheffer Amato said in a statement.
has been responsible for resolving more than 10,000 individual constituent cases and helped to pass hundreds of pieces of legislation, the most per session of any NYC assemblymember in 2023, 2024 and 2025.
She focused on fighting for the police, teachers, firefighters, nurses and other public employees throughout the state. She is the chair of the Committee on Governmental Employees.
“Representing the people ... has been the honor of a lifetime.”
“My team and I have built a seven-days-a-week, 365-days-a-year operation to make sure this district is well served and through that, I have had the joy of meeting with and delivering for thousands of our neighbors when they need help, she said. “But after 10 years in this position, it is time to move on and serve my community in other capacities.”
— Assemblymember Stacey Pheffer Amato
She did not specify what her next career move would be.
Pheffer Amato, according to her office,
“This district is a pure snapshot of NYS: we are diverse, hardworking, big hearted, and have ... countless opinions on every topic,” Pheffer Amato said. “The people inspire me every day and have been the best part of this job. I am proud to be part of this wonderful community and proud of the work we have done together.”
Asked for comment on Pheffer Amato’s decision, one South Queens colleague in government, state Sen. Roxanne Persaud (D-Brooklyn, Queens), said she will be greatly missed.
“She has worked tirelessly on behalf of the constituents of her district and all New Yorkers,” Persaud said. “She has championed legislation that benefits government employees, firefighters, law enforcement
Stacey Pheffer
announced this week that she will not seek reelection. COURTESYPHOTO/FILE
and many others. It has been my pleasure to work with her and her team, and I wish her the very best in her future endeavors.”
Councilmember and Minority Leader Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park), whose district overlaps with Pheffer Amato’s, said, “I think the Assemblywoman saw the writing
on the wall, and decided to go out on a high note. She faced two very close elections in the past, and with the DSA causing her party to move in a different direction, I think she made the decision to end things on her own accord.”
State Sen. James Sanders Jr. (D-South Ozone Park) said Pheffer Amato has served the people of her district “with dedication and consistency for the past 10 years.”
He added, “Her decision not to seek reelection in 2026 marks the end of a significant chapter in public service. I thank her for her years of work on behalf of our shared communities and wish her the very best as she moves into the next stage of her journey.”
State Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Woodhaven) looked back fondly on working with the assemblymember.
“I truly believe she was there for the right reasons,” Addabbo told the Chronicle. “She wasn’t running for the press opportunity or the photo opportunity. ... She was no wilting flower. She was a fighter for her people.” He said working with her on the Cross Bay Bridge rebate, a bill to require schools to have a moment of silence on 9/11 and on other veterans issues was a pleasure.
“It was great,” Addabbo, who knew Pheffer Amato before their time together in government, said. “The added benefit was that she was a friend.” Q
River Fund, Community Pantry honored at library for their service
by Kristen Guglielmo Editor
Swami Durga Das of River Fund and Tony Singh of Community Pantry were honored Nov. 15 at the Richmond Hill Library as part of its “Giving Thanks” event.
Sponsored by the Queens Book Fair and Literary Festival and the city Department of Education’s Office of Adult and Continuing Education, the program was started by Dhanpaul Narine around seven years ago to highlight the talent of neighborhood youth while honoring significant figures in the community. This year’s honorees, selected with Community Board 9 Chair Sherry Algredo, have run their pantries for more than 30 years.
At the event, kids from the community read Thanksgiving-themed poetry before Das and Singh were honored by a slew of officials, including state Sens. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Woodhaven) and Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans); Assemblymembers Jenifer Rajkumar (D-Woodhaven), David Weprin (D-Fresh Meadows) and Khaleel Anderson (D-South Ozone Park); Councilmembers Lynn Schulman
(D-Forest Hills) and Nantasha Williams (D-St. Albans); and Borough President Donovan Richards Jr.
The duo also received certificates from Community Board 9 and plaques from Narine on behalf of the Queens Book Fair.
“I was proud to honor Swami Durga Das and Tony Singh — two giants of compassion in South Queens,” Rajkumar said in a statement.
“Through River Fund and Community Pantry, they feed thousands of families, fight every day to break the cycle of poverty and throw open the doors of opportunity for our neighbors. Their work ensures no one is left hungry or forgotten, and their unwavering service reflects the very best of who we are as New Yorkers.”
Comrie said he was “honored to present a proclamation to Swami Durga Das, the founder of the River Fund pantry, for his dedication to helping people in need.”
Weprin said, “This event was a powerful reminder of what true community service looks like, honoring leaders who have spent over 30 years fighting food insecurity with compassion and dedication.” Q
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After
by Kristen Guglielmo Editor
Freedom Drive in Forest Park will open to traffic from October through April, more than five years after it closed, following a 33-9 vote from Community Board 9 last week.
The third-of-a-mile strip lies between Myrtle Avenue and Park Lane South and initially was closed to vehicular traffic as part of the city’s Open Streets Plan in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, instead becoming a pedestrian and bike path.
The issue of whether to open the road to traffic has been hotly debated among those living in the area for months. Two competing petitions received hundreds of signatures each, one calling to keep the road closed to cars, and another imploring the city to open it.
Those who wish to keep Freedom Drive closed say it has little impact on traffic and is better off used as a pedestrian route for recreation and proximity to attractions at Forest Park.
Proponents of opening the road say keeping it closed causes issues for public safety, creating a delay in response times from the NYPD and FDNY and increases in crime.
The city Parks Department on Nov. 13 presented a compromise to Community Board 9 during the group’s monthly meeting at Queens Borough Hall, suggesting that if Freedom
road will allow vehicles most of the year
Drive were to open to vehicles, it would only do so during the “offseason,” that is, October through April. The rest of the time, Parks would keep Freedom Drive closed to cars.
The board was set to take a vote on the compromise, and its chair, Sherry Algredo, told the Chronicle she opted to hold a public hearing due to the heavy interest from the community, adding that board members had not objected to the reopening when it was brought up at previous meetings.
Nearly one hundred residents packed into the crowded room to make their voices heard.
Councilmember Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park) was in attendance at the meeting and said she believes the compromise is reasonable. Last year, she and Algredo penned a letter to the city, petitioning for Freedom Drive to be opened.
Capt. Pratima Maldonado, the commanding officer of the NYPD’s 102nd Precinct, said she agreed with the compromise as well.
A representative of the city Department of Transportation told the board that the agency has “no issues with leaving it closed,” adding that Freedom Drive has created a “very safe condition at both Myrtle and Park Lane South.”
The road has a locked gate on either side. Asked if the FDNY and NYPD have keys to the locks, Meira Berkower, the chief of staff
Friends, family, colleagues and thousands of FDNY members gathered on Nov. 15 in Belle Harbor to bid farewell to Firefighter Patrick Brady, 42, who on Nov. 8 went into cardiac arrest while working the roof of a burning building in Brooklyn. He succumbed to his injuries at Brookdale University Hospital Medical Center.
During the funeral service, FDNY Comissioner Robert Tucker posthumously promoted Brady to the rank of lieutenant.
for Queens Borough Parks Commissioner Jacqueline Langsam, said the lock uses a numerical code that was given to the FDNY.
“I’m sorry to say, I’m captain of the precinct and I did not know the code,” Maldonado said. “That’s a problem.”
Berkower said the lock could be cut if needed, and that it has happened before.
Board member Keith Villanueva, a firefighter, said having a locking gate “doesn’t make any sense,” because if it is left unlocked when the road is supposed to be closed, other vehicles could go through and possibly injure pedestrians.
“No fireman is going to use it,” Villanueva said of the numerical lock. “It’s going to add at least another two minutes to response time, and seconds are detrimental people’s lives.”
Plenty of members of the community spoke in favor of keeping the road closed to traffic.
opening Freedom Drive.
“Please, for the families that live there and love the park,” Eustis said. “Forest Park is an emerald of Queens, and let’s not tarnish it by letting more cars in.”
Regina Santoro, a member of the board, said her daughters separately were assaulted and followed down Freedom Drive.
“My daughter, her husband and their 5-month-old were pushing a baby carriage last April when a deranged man came out with a knife and raced to them,” Santoro said. “There was no one around. Nine-oneone was called. ... We called everyone. They could not get to my kid.”
Her other daughter spoke at the hearing and told how a deranged man had chased her through the park, where no one was nearby to help.
“Forest Park is an emerald of Queens, and let’s not tarnish it by letting more cars in.”
— Area resident Elliot Eustis
Brady, a Rockaway resident, was an 11-year veteran of the department who worked at Ladder 120 in Brooklyn. He is survived by his parents, his wife, and two brothers, who are also FDNY firefighters. Remembering a fallen hero
First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro gave
remarks on behalf of Mayor Adams, saying, “When firefighters rush into burning buildings and climb those ladders to get to the roof, they don’t ask who is in the building. They only care about saving lives. And, to me, that’s the definition of a hero. Patrick Brady was a hero.”
Massiel Lanz, the principal of PS 66, the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, which is just one block from Freedom Drive on 102nd Street, said that cars sped when the road was open, creating dangerous conditions.
“Since its closure, the area has become much safer,” Lanz said. “Reopening the road will take away opportunities and bring back serious safety risks.”
Julia del Palacio, a mother of two children who attend PS 66, said the neighborhood is “becoming a racecourse,” adding that there have been more than five accidents on her block this year.
“People will race down [the street] in icy conditions,” del Palacio said. “It’s just going to be terrible, so I’m against the compromise.”
Elliot Eustis, who said he lives across the street from PS 66, said he “strongly opposes”
Cristal Rivera, the board’s second vice chair, said she understands people’s concerns, but believes the road should stay closed.
“We need to address the issues, and not address the issues for particular streets,” Rivera said. “We need to solve the real problems and not just address the issues of traffic. That’s not going to solve it.”
Ultimately, the board voted for the compromise plan.
In a statement to the Chronicle, a spokesperson for the Parks Department said, “NYC Parks believes that keeping Freedom Drive closed to vehicular traffic for recreational activities is an overall benefit to the park and the neighborhood. We are pleased with the compromise met with the vote following the Community Board 9 meeting to open the road to vehicular traffic only during the off-season.”
The agency said the road will be opened in the coming weeks. Q
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“Trust the Journey in Queens” is the name of the newest work unveiled Nov. 13 by the Woodhaven Mural Project, a nonprofit that has set out to beautify the neighborhood through art and collaboration. The group was spearheaded by Jennifer Lambert, second from left at above right, who trusted her own journey when she pitched the idea for the WMP at a block association meeting where Neil Giannelli, far right, offered to help.
The newest mural, located on Jamaica Avenue between 98th and 101st streets, was funded by the Woodhaven Business Improvement
District and celebrates the history and diversity of the World’s Borough by featuring its flag.
At the unveiling ceremony were Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, next to Lambert, state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. and Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar, who presented proclamations to Lambert and Giannelli.
Above, Richards takes a moment to view the mural; while at right, neighborhood kids celebrate the result; and Lambert holds her proclamation while watching the ceremony with onlookers. — Kristen Guglielmo
CYNTHIA J. CONZA, ESQ.
by Stephanie G. Meditz Editor
The 43-day partial government shutdown is over, and while some things have gone back to normal, other impacts remain.
President Trump signed a stopgap spending bill last Wednesday night to keep federal money flowing through January, after it passed the Senate 60-40, and the House 222-209. Congressional Democrats had for weeks refused to vote for any measure that did not extend soonto-expire Affordable Care Act tax credits, but several changed their tune last week.
A key factor for some who did was the distribution of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, or food stamps. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Nassau, Queens), who voted yes on the bill, said in a statement on X that the federal administration chose to make the process “needlessly painful” for the many families who rely on SNAP.
The interim bill funded the program through next September, and benefits have been reinstated for millions. But many recipients’ payments are at risk — President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed in July, changed eligibility requirements.
Certain able-bodied adults without dependents — namely those aged 18 to 64 who do not live with a child under 14 and can work — will have to work, volunteer or partake in job
training for at least 80 hours a month to keep receiving benefits for longer than three months in a three-year period.
The legislation also removes exceptions for homeless individuals, veterans and those 24 and under who aged out of foster care. State waivers ended Nov. 2, meaning affected recipients have three months to meet the new criteria or qualify for an exemption.
Citing data from the Congressional Budget Office, the Associated Press reported that the new rules are expected to lower the average monthly number of SNAP recipients by about 2.4 million over the next decade.
SNAP distributions have resumed after the shutdown ended, but many recipients could lose their benefits due to changes in federal law.
Airports also felt the effects of the shutdown — a shortage of air traffic controllers, who were working without pay, was a major cause of flight delays and cancellations.
But a federal emergency order to reduce air operations ended Monday. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement that controllers have returned to their posts and normal operations can continue, and a joint press release from his department and the Federal Aviation Administration states that staffing levels have continued to “snap back into place”
since the shutdown ended.
The U.S. Office of Personnel Management said meanwhile that it is “committed” to ensuring that federal workers receive retroactive pay “as soon as possible.”
Several published news reports say major flight disruptions declined after Trump signed the spending bill last week. Experts expect Thanksgiving flights to go on as planned, as per The Guardian.
Port Authority Aviation Director Sarah
McKeon said at a press conference last Thursday that no staffing triggers had occurred at its airports, which include Kennedy and LaGuardia, that day because of staffing challenges with FAA air traffic controllers.
Queens’ own Vaughn College had been working behind the scenes during the shutdown. President and CEO Sharon DeVivo said the school, located in East Elmhurst near LaGuardia, continued to train students in its approved FAA programs to become air traffic controllers, and the newest option lets students receive training at Vaughn and go right to a tower.
“This program allows the FAA to expand the number of training seats for controllers,” DeVivo said. “The longterm impact will be more controllers across the country alleviating the shortage.”
But as travel goes back to normal, healthcare subsidies in the new year remain a question. Many Democrats rejected bills that did not extend ACA credits, and the impasse persisted as Republicans refused to negotiate healthcare until the shutdown ended.
It remains to be seen if and when those talks
continued on page 17
More and more it seems that among the top issues in Queens is cars: where they go when they’re moving, where they go when they’re not and where they don’t get to go at all.
This week’s Queens Chronicle contains no less than four stories either focused on or touching upon these topics. Not all are in each of our eight different editions, but they’re all posted at qchron.com.
First up is the long-overdue reopening of Freedom Drive in Forest Park, at the edge of Richmond Hill. The short but useful roadway between Park Lane South and Myrtle Avenue has been closed to cars since the height of the Covid pandemic. Why? Because of the paradigm, the zeitgeist, the anti-car mindset, because when people point out that children are safer when there are no cars around — of course they are — it’s hard to argue.
But the cops want it open, the firefighters want it open, the chair of the City Council’s Committee on Fire and Emergency Management wants it open, and now it will be, at least for most of the year. In an awkward compromise, it will close again from late
spring through early fall. At least it’s something.
We do suggest a strong police presence and aggressive ticketing of speeders upon its reopening.
Conversely, in an area that lacks park space, Jackson Heights just celebrated another milestone in the conversion of 26 blocks of 34th Avenue into a new street-plaza-park hybrid now officially co-named Paseo Park. Driving there is extremely limited. We hope most residents are as happy about it as those who attended the ceremony are. Certainly not all are. It’s hard to imagine this kind of transformation of a roadway being welcome in most of Queens.
Meanwhile, the City Council just voted to put immobile trash bins in front of residential buildings with 10 or more units. That will cost tens of thousands of parking spaces. Why can’t the bins have wheels and get moved when not being emptied?
Lastly, there’s the push to remove parking at intersections to improve driver visibility. Used carefully, so-called “daylighting” is great, worth the lost spaces. Used wantonly, beyond what’s needed, it’s not. Which way do you think the city will do it?
Dutch reach may sound like something naughty, but it’s not. And we hope you can make it a habit.
It’s the name for something conscientious car drivers can do when opening the door to get out. It’s simple, though awkward: Just reach for the door handle with your right hand. That forces you to turn in such a way that you’ll be able to see anyone coming along, preventing accidents. It just might save you a door. People have lost theirs to traffic because they didn’t look first. Dutch reach makes you look.
More importantly, it may save someone’s life. Three times in recent weeks we’ve had to report on some cyclist or e-biker “get-
ting doored,” and getting killed as a result. Sometimes a rider gets knocked to the roadway and run over; sometimes he or she is just killed by the door collision. Either is a terrible way to go. These crashes are preventable. All it takes is for drivers to make just a little extra effort. Maybe you can train yourself to look in the side-view mirror and behind you as you open the door, but Dutch reach forces you to do so. You already look twice when you pull out. You already cross at the green and not in between. You already come to a full stop. Add Dutch reach to your road safety repertoire. You might keep your door from getting ripped off, and you might save a life.
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Dear Editor:
New York State has rejected the Williams/ Northeast Supply Enhancement pipeline three times since 2017. Yet last week Gov. Hochul approved the pipeline, putting our waterways, our wallets and our health at risk. Her decision betrays New Yorkers’ trust.
Dr. Kathleen Nolan and our Southeast Queens state Assemblyman Khaleel Anderson (“Fracked-gas pipelines have no place in NYS,” Opinion, Aug. 28, multiple editions) explained why the proposed pipeline is a bad idea: it imperils environmental and public health. Construction would unleash dangerous levels of copper and mercury into the water, threatening the human and aquatic life that the governor is supposed to protect. Why has Hochul stopped protecting her constituents?
Hochul claims to be a champion for affordability, but the NESE pipeline would increase energy bills. Hochul claims to be an environmental steward, but the NESE pipeline would damage waterways. Hochul claims to stand with families, but NESE jeopardizes children’s health and threatens recreational spaces. Hochul’s words and actions do not align.
Hochul is not representing Queens. Her actions serve the interests of the Williams pipeline executives in Oklahoma, the fracking industry in Pennsylvania and the fossil-fuel administration in Washington, DC. New Yorkers can no longer trust her to act for us. Hochul
has lost my trust and my vote. We need elected officials who will stand up for New York.
Worse still is that building the pipeline is projected to cost New Yorkers $200 million annually for 15 years. Imagine what we could do with that money to improve our lives — like investing in cleaner, cheaper energy and protecting our public spaces. Instead, we are being asked to bankroll a pipeline that will harm us.
Gov. Hochul must reverse this decision or be prepared to answer to the voters she has failed.
Tammy Lewis Rockaway Park
Dear Editor:
Re Thomas Phillips’ Nov 13 letter, “Healing to Vietnam vets”:
As a Vietnam War-era veteran (Air Force, 1964-1968), I share Mr. Phillips resentment over the public’s mistreatment of that conflict’s veterans. People blamed the warriors for a war that our nation’s civilian leaders dragged us
into. Most of those who fought in Vietnam were draftees who did not want to be there. That war’s only good result was an end to the draft, which President Richard Nixon eliminated in 1973, replacing it with an all-volunteer military force. No American has been drafted over the past 52 years, and, I hope, no one ever will be. Richard Reif Kew Gardens Hills Editor’s note: See the article on Queens Vietnam veterans that Thomas Phillips’ letter responded to at tinyurl.com/5y84f2p9.
Dear Editor:
Play ball! It’s definitely not spring but it’s opening day for a new political season. The next inning of New York City history begins now, and Mayor-elect Mamdani is on deck. I wholeheartedly second the Queens Chronicle’s “Compliments to, and concerns about, the mayor-elect” editorial from Nov. 6. Happily, Mayor-elect Mamdani says that the
NYC mayor he most admires is Fiorello LaGuardia, a man who campaigned in English, Italian and Yiddish. Role models on the field and in Gracie Mansion matter, and Mamdani is part of a large LaGuardia fan club.
However, reading Mayor LaGuardia’s resume at the exact moment that he became mayor brings some worries into sharp focus. LaGuardia’s range of experience in government stretched broad and deep. Mayor-elect Mamdani needs to fill some big gaps by recruiting people of impressive expertise and experience to field his administration’s game. His first choices, Jessica Tisch, Lina Khan and Dean Fuleihan, bode well. Here’s hoping we all have a winning season.
Debra Michlewitz Bayside
Dear Editor:
During my childhood, my family lived on 69th Place in Maspeth. I played stickball and touch football in the street with my neighbor friends, sidestepping passing traffic. My father parked his ’49 Oldsmobile in the driveway, where he would require on occasion that the family pitch in to wash it.
Now I live nearby and often drive along “the old block.” The other day I couldn’t help notice some of the parked cars there. A Jaguar, a Corvette, a BMW and an Alfa Romeo, all one after another. Wow. How the neighborhood has changed.
Steve Fisher Middle Village
Dear Editor:
On page 14 of the impressive 47th Annual Anniversary Edition of the Queens Chronicle, “Roar into the ’20s,” then-and-now photos were shared of Queens locations and landmarks (“Flashback: then and now,” Nov. 13). As a lifelong resident of Glendale, one photo in particular stands out.
The bridge over the railroad at 80th Street represents a major change in the community. What the photo doesn’t show is the other side of the walkway across the bridge, an area that is both treacherous and dangerous to walk on.
An elderly woman fell there recently, requiring an ambulance to take her to a hospital because she lost her footing and hit her head on the makeshift divider. It is a common occurrence when people try to maneuver around oncoming walkers in either direction.
Also not pictured in the same area of Glendale is one of the eyesore landmarks of our community: the water tower.
The history of changing streets and buildings was very much appreciated. However, the things that display embarrassment and frustration outnumber the feelings of pride and progress. If only the businesses that make up the mall at the former Atlas Terminals cared enough to make it as safe and as beautiful as it could be, that would show some kind of pride for the community where it resides.
Craig Schwab Glendale
Dear Editor:
Well before President Trump’s term ends, he and his authoritarian MAGA extremists will become repugnant to most Americans. Office holders on both sides of the political aisle who blindly bend a knee to or are cowed by the president will have difficulty securing constituency votes in the future, particularly if there is no improvement on affordability, health insurance coverage and living standards for working families. Consequently, expect Americans to vote for representatives who will better address their concerns, along with preserving our freedoms and our democracy.
Glenn Hayes Kew Gardens
Dear Editor:
As a Vietnam-era veteran sworn to uphold the Constitution, I am extremely disturbed by the illegal actions of the Trump administration around Venezuela. Six more people were killed Nov. 9 in U.S. military strikes, in what Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed without evidence were boats smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, bringing the total death toll from such reported attacks to at least 76 since early September.
The nine-week campaign includes at least 19 attacks in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea. The strikes have come amid President Trump’s deployment of warships and thousands of troops off the coast of Venezuela and follow his approval of covert CIA action and threats to attack and effect regime change inside the oil-rich country.
World leaders, the United Nations and human rights groups have condemned the boat bombings as extrajudicial assassination, murder and war crimes. Senate Republicans recently rejected a bipartisan War Powers Resolution aimed at halting further bombing of alleged drug boats, and attacking Venezuela without Congressional assent, as required by law.
Administration officials have admitted that they aren’t attempting to identify people aboard boats before or after bombing them. Most damning is that the administration is not making any effort to imprison survivors of the strikes or prosecute them because they couldn’t provide any evidence of actual trafficking.
As the most powerful nation in the world, we have an obligation to set a legal, moral example and abide by the rule of law, end the cowboy mentality. We owe it to our nation’s military, which will ultimately pay the price for conducting illegal warfare ordered by their superiors.
Robert Keilbach Queens Village
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by Naeisha Rose Editor
What seemed like another run-of-the-mill deed theft scheme has now also become a strange case of the man with no name.
On Nov. 13, the office of District Attorney Melinda Katz announced that the person going by Carl Avinger — the stolen identity of a Tennessee man who once befriended the defendant — has been sentenced as John Doe, because his real identity remains a mystery.
The fake Avinger, who turned himself in to detectives of the DA’s Office in March for the deed theft of homes in Kew Gardens Hills, Jamaica Estates and Queens Village, was sentenced to four and a half years to nine years in prison for grand larceny in the first degree and a concurrent four to eight years on two counts of grand larceny in the second degree for stealing the Queens homes, said prosecutors.
The subsequent media attention reached the real Avinger, the identity theft victim, who came forward to the DA’s Office and said that his friend “Ace,” the defendant, had resided with him in North Carolina in 2003, and then his identification and Social Security cards went missing. Avinger’s sister ID’d John Doe as “Ace,” too.
“My office was contacted by Avinger
family members, and we immediately launched an investigation into this defendant’s identity,” said Katz, who thanked the DA’s Housing and Worker Protection Bureau for its painstaking investigation into the case that also unraveled the deed fraud scheme, in a statement.
In August, John Doe pleaded guilty to identity theft in the first degree, for which he was sentenced to three and half to seven years.
On Nov. 6, Katz said via email that all the sentences are to run concurrently.
At the time of John Doe’s arrest in March, the defendant submitted a photo ID identifying him as Avinger with the real man’s birth date.
ecutors said he had no ties to Queens.
Further investigation revealed that the defendant has been arrested 12 times over the course of nearly 32 years for using various birth dates and numerous aliases such as John Stamp, Bobby Jackson, Craig Taylor, Avinger, Anthony Williams, Kevin Windley and Corey Blake Duncan, resulting in three felony and six misdemeanor convictions in New York.
“‘A ce,’ John Doe, had absolutely no remorse ...”
A preliminary investigation revealed that he also submitted an application to the state Department of Motor Vehicles to renew his driver’s license, which was signed “Carl Avinger,” which contained an updated 205th Street address in St. Albans, on Nov. 13, 2024. The license was later issued and mailed to the address.
— Maria Benedek, deed theft victim
“Justice should not be avoided by taking other people’s identities,” said Katz in a statement. “In fact, taking someone’s identity for certain benefits is itself a crime. We did not give up investigating until we were able to provide justice to the actual Carl Avinger in addition to holding the man using his identity accountable for the crimes he committed.”
Katz went on to say that he took on the identities of others to enrich his own life.
When asked about the real Avinger, pros-
Agents seized about $403,000 in assets from John Doe and his accomplices, Autumn Valeri, 41, of Commack, LI, Lawrence Ray, 38, of Jamaica, and Torey Guice, 40, of Roselle, NJ.
Guice, who pleaded guilty to falsifying business records in the second degree on Oct. 7, was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge and must consent to void the fraudulent deed for which he was charged.
properties were transferred to third parties, said a spokesperson for the DA’s office. State Supreme Court Justice Leigh Cheng signed an order to void the fraudulent deed of the Jamaica Estates home.
State law will be used to void the fraudulent deeds. This is the sixth time Katz’s office has employed the statute since 2023.
by Kristen Guglielmo Editor
Police are searching for a man they say groped two women on a bus in less than a minute on Nov. 7 in South Richmond Hill, within the confines of the NYPD’s 102nd Precinct.
A 34-year-old female was onboard a Q8 bus approaching 115th Street and 101st Avenue, police said, when an unidentified man approached her from behind and repeatedly pressed his groin against her and grabbed her buttocks.
Moments later, cops said a 29-year-old female also was approached by the man, who then grabbed her rear end.
The suspect fled the location on foot, traveling in an unknown direction. Police said no injuries were reported.
Surveillance images show the suspect wearing a red graphic T-shirt over a black long-sleeved shirt, tan pants and a dark hooded jacket. He has a dark complexion, beard and mustache.
Cops are searching for the above man for alleged forcible touching on a Q8 bus on Nov. 7 in South Richmond Hill. PHOTOCOURTESYNYPD
Valeri, a former real estate agent, pleaded guilty Oct. 8 to three counts of grand larceny in the second degree and was sentenced to five years probation and must surrender her real estate license and consent to the deed of the stolen property being voided.
Ray pleaded guilty Oct. 16 to defraud in the first degree, with a recommended sentence of five years probation; he must forfeit $403,829.22 and consent to the deeds of the stolen property being voided. His sentencing is Nov. 20.
At the time of the defendants’ pleas, the Queens Village and Kew Gardens Hills
Maria Benedek, one of two owners of the Kew Gardens Hills home, which was sold to a third party, said via text the DA’s Office will make the necessary motions to help her family regain its home after Ray’s sentencing.
The other homeowner is Benedek’s elderly mother, Gloria Kubick.
When it comes to John Doe’s sentencing, Benedek gets emotional.
“‘Ace,’ John Doe, had absolutely no remorse and was not the least bit sorry for what he’s done,” she said. “When the judge asked if he wanted to make a statement, he just said, ‘I’m ready to go back upstate,’ as if he was going to a country club!” Q
Police are seeking a man alleged to have groped a teenager Nov. 16 in Richmond Hill.
According to the NYPD, it was reported that around noon at a grocery store at 11501 Jamaica Ave., a 14-year-old girl was approached by an unidentified man. He grabbed the victim’s right breast over her clothing, police said, and then fled the location on foot to parts unknown. There were no injuries reported.
Cops want this man for allegedly groping a teen.
All tips are strictly confidential. Q
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.
The man is described by cops as about 5 feet 6 inches tall, 140 pounds with a white beard. He was last seen wearing a blue and gray jacket, black jeans and blue sneakers.
PHOTOCOURTESYNYPD
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
by Kristen Guglielmo Editor
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards visited his alma mater, PS 136, the Roy Wilkins School, in St. Albans on Monday to announce $43.7 million in funding for schools across the World’s Borough. He was joined by city Schools Chancellor Melissa AvilesRamos, PS 136 Principal Jamel Johnson and school superintendents and administrators from across the borough.
The allocation will help fund 74 different projects across 59 Queens schools in all 14 Queens community districts, according to the Borough President’s Office.
Of the $43.7 million allocated this fiscal year by Richards, $3.45 million is earmarked toward a trio of what the borough president said were badly needed improvement projects at PS 136, including holistic renovations of the school’s playground, auditorium and gymnasium.
At the press conference, Richards told a story of visiting the school and being approached with the words, “I’m tired of getting cuts on the playground.”
He said that as a student, he received a permanent scar after playing football on that very playground.
“For years, deliberate disinvestment has left our kids mentally and physically
scarred,” Richards said. “I carry those scars myself. But those days are done.”
He told the packed auditorium, “You deserve to have what other ZIP codes around this city and Manhattan have. You will be
treated no differently.”
Sixteen different education-related projects received at least $1 million in funding from the Borough President’s Office. Among the allocations are:
• $3.79 million for playing field renovations at Jamaica Educational Campus;
• $3 million for auditorium and cafeteria upgrades at Martin Van Buren High School in Queens Village;
• $2 million for gym upgrades at JHS 226, the Virgil Grissom School, in South Ozone Park;
• $2 million for upgrades to the culinary classroom at August Martin High School in Jamaica;
• $1.6 million for outdoor courtyard renovations at John Adams High School; and
• $1.5 million for a full playground renovation at PS 118, the Lorraine Hansberry School, in St. Albans.
The investment in education is Richards’ largest single-year allocation toward any genre of city service or institution, his office said, besting the previous record of $31.8 million for Queens schools in fiscal year 2024.
Overall, Richards has allocated more than $122 million in capital funding toward schools since taking office in December 2020, his office said.
“This investment, spread across 59 schools, is about the future of our kids, our families and our communities,” Richards said. “It tells our students that we believe in them and our teachers that their sacrifices don’t go unseen. It tells entire communities that they matter.” Q
In honor of World Kindness Day, PS/ MS 146 teachers Jessica Canner and Caitlin Cassidy hosted their third annual Chalk the Walk celebration at the Howard Beach school.
The tradition invites students of all grades to decorate the school grounds with colorful artwork and encouraging words using sidewalk chalk. The event not only brightens the area, but reinforces the importance of kindness, empathy and community spirit, teaching kids to spread joy and inspire one another.
Canner and Cassidy also organized a
kindness-themed poster contest. Students were encouraged to design their own posters that captured what kindness means to them.
Marking the occasion by posing for a photo above are Assistant Principal Christina Kabbadias, left; Canner; the three poster contest winners, second-grade student Lia Parker, fourth-grade student Martina Rinaldi and seventh-grade student Sophia Selling; Principal Danielle Cross and Cassidy. At right, PS/MS 146 staff are all smiles in their World Kindess themed-shirts. — Kristen Guglielmo
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by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor
Mayor Adams on Monday announced better news than expected for the present fiscal year, but also will be handing off more than $17 billion in projected deficits to Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani over the next three years.
Adams, in a press release, said the city is forecast to close the fiscal year with a balanced $18.2 billion budget, $2.2 billion more than the $15.9 billion agreement reached with the City Council in June.
Adams credited his administration’s investments and fiscal prudence for the ability to increase spending. But combined three-year deficits are projected at $17.2 billion, up $100 million from June’s estimate.
“Over the course of four on-time, annual budgets, our administration has delivered for working-class New Yorkers time and again, and this November Financial Plan Update is another example of how our strong fiscal management is making New York City safer, more affordable, and improving New Yorkers’ quality of life,” Adams said. “We are making multiple investments to make our city safer, includ-
ing increasing the headcount of the NYPD by 5,000 officers. We are also continuing to invest in the solutions that make our city more affordable ... This $118.2 billion Fiscal Year 2026 budget, once again, demonstrates how our administration has worked relentlessly to make New York the best place to live in and raise a family.”
But if Monday’s projections hold up, Mamdani will have to close a gap of nearly $4.7 billion in his preliminary fiscal year 2027 budget, due by Feb. 1, before he adds a single new program. Deficits for fiscal years 2028 and 2029 are at $6.2 and $6.3 billion, respectively.
“This plan simply reaffirms that Mayorelect Mamdani’s first budget proposal, due Feb. 1st, will have to close a $5 billion to $8 billion budget gap, prepare for federal hits, and fund progress on his priorities,” said Andrew Rein, president of the Citizens Budget Commission.
Rein said Mamdani should restrain spending growth and improve efficiency as the best way to balance the budget and deliver on his priorities, and should set aside funds to soften the initial blow of federal cuts. Q
They’re ready to get to work! The Student Council at PS/MS 207, the Rockwood Park School, at 159-15 88 St. in Howard Beach, was sworn in on Nov. 17 by area City Councilmember Joann Ariola.
tos of the event and wish the students well.
“It is great to see these up and coming leaders, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for each and every one of you!” Ariola wrote.
Hosting the ceremony were Principal Lisa Nevins, Assistant Principal Stacey Blatt, Assistant Principal Rosalie Santoro And Student Council advisors Patrick Muraco, Stephanie Verdino and Melissa Meric.
Respect for All Team Leader Gloria Tomeo, also a member of the Student Council, said she wants to bring more clubs to the school so its students can be involved in extracurricular activities they are passionate about.
“We are excited to participate in civic engagement and service learning as we take on the new school year,” Meric told the Chronicle.
Ariola took to social media to share pho-
“One positive change I would love to make ... is to give all middle school students more of a club selection,” Tomeo said. — Kristen Guglielmo
Even as Albany declared last week that it will delay enforcement of the 2023 law banning natural gas and oil hookups in new buildings, there is no change to a similar law in the city, where the drive to go all-electric continues unhindered.
The state agreed in a court case last Wednesday to suspend regulations imposed by its All-Electric Building Act, the first phase of which was to take effect on Jan. 1, 2026.
But that has no effect on the city’s own Local Law 154 of 2021, also known as the All-Electric Building Act or similar names.
It too had been challenged in court, but that case was dismissed last March.
Proponents say such laws are needed to reduce fossil-fuel emissions that drive climate change, while opponents say they are unnecessary, costly and risky due to the additional strain on the electric grid. Both laws are written to take effect in phases. The city version already applies to many new homes, with an exception for hot water service. It will take effect for all new housing, and apply to hot water, too, in two phases in 2027. Q — Peter C. Mastrosimone
continued from page 9
will occur, but some Democrats vow to ensure their colleagues keep their word.
“Senate Republicans have promised to hold a vote on the extension of these enhanced premium tax credits, and we are going to hold them and our colleagues in the House to this promise,” Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing) said. “This fight is far from over and I will continue doing all I can to save these needed tax credits, fix our broken health care system and lower costs for hardworking Americans.”
Suozzi said lawmakers “will have accomplished something meaningful” if his GOP colleagues are willing to work together and secure an extension, but if not, “it will be clear who failed to deliver.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) on Fox Business’ “Mornings with Maria” last week blamed Democrats for skyrocketing healthcare premiums. Johnson said they set the ACA subsidies’ Dec. 31 expiration date, and Republicans had said the law would need “massive reforms” if it were to be extended.
NPR reported last Saturday that the subsidies will likely expire if no negotiations take place, barring a change of heart from enough Republicans. That would mean rising healthcare costs for many. Q
by Kristen Guglielmo Editor
Usually, when kids say they have dance after school, they don’t mean they’re performing at Madison Square Garden.
But Hector Rivera and his family, avid fans of the New York Knicks, now have an extra reason to cheer for the blue and orange, as his 12-year-old daughter, Violet, made the Knicks City Kids, the team’s official youth dance group.
Violet, who attends PS/IS 113 in Glendale, has been dancing since the age of 2 and has since busied herself with competitive dancing, jazz being among her favorite genres.
the audition process. “But then I just thought to myself, ‘I have to be myself and have fun.’”
She said she was focused, but still made time to compliment others during the audition.
“I just wanted them to feel comfortable, too,” Violet said.
About a week later, after spending the day at the park with her father, Violet returned home to find a photo of herself on the television with music playing, ready for celebration.
“We’re really huge Knicks fans, so this was a dream come true.”
— Hector Rivera, Violet’s father
She told the Chronicle she found out about the opportunity to audition for the Knicks City Kids through one of her teachers at Moves and Motions Dance, which operates in Glendale, Middle Village and Manhasset, LI.
“Her name is Brooke Fera,” Violet said. “She works for the Knicks City Dancers, and she’s a former Knicks City Dancer.”
The audition was in September.
“I was a little nervous,” Violet said of
She made the team.
“My mom had everything set up all nice for me to find out,” Violet said.
She had her first performance with the Knicks City Kids during the team’s home opener at Madison Square Garden on Oct. 22.
“I’m so proud,” her father said. “It’s an amazing feeling. We’re really huge Knicks fans, so this was a dream come true.”
As for Violet, she said her favorite moments so far as a Knicks City Kid have been “just going to the games and having so much fun with my friends.” Q
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by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor
An agreement between the city and developers pursuing a casino license for the parking lot at Citi Field appears to make accommodations for issues raised by the United States Tennis Association in a lawsuit filed last week.
The accord was announced three days after a state Supreme Court judge in Manhattan had issued an injunction barring any agreement at the USTA’s behest.
“After months of discussion, the city and Queens Future have reached an agreement with respect to the Metropolitan Park project that complies with a recent court order and reflects the U.S. Tennis Association’s rights,” said Liz Garcia, a spokesperson for Mayor Adams, in an email to the Chronicle on Tuesday.
“We look forward to the advancement of a world-class casino that would create thousands of union-paying jobs, billions of dollars in economic impact, and improvements to local communities,” the statement added.
New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock International are finalists for one of three casino licenses being considered by the state Gaming Commission. The casino would be the crown jewel in Metropolitan Park, which would convert the parking lot into a complex with a concert venue, hotel, food
The United States Tennis Association is in court to protect what it says are contractual obligations should a casino and entertainment venue come to Citi Field RENDERINGVIAMETROPOLITANPARK.COM/FILE
pavilion and 25 acres of green space.
Queens Future, the legal title of the entity behind the development effort, also is promising to rebuild Mets-Willets Point subway station and infrastructure improvements to better connect the neighborhoods near Citi Field to the Flushing waterfront.
“We have successfully signed our predevelopment agreement with the City,” a
withdraw its lawsuit.
The USTA, in a 26-page complaint, asserts that creation of a casino, concert venue, parkland and more would possibly infringe on rights the USTA has enjoyed since 1993 for priority use of a portion of the Shea StadiumCiti Field parking spaces during the US Open, with the exception of dates that correspond with Mets games.
The association also claims that concerts and other forms of entertainment would violate an agreement to not stage competing events during the Open. The city is the only defendant on the lawsuit.
The Chronicle was unable to reach USTA representatives prior to deadline, but published reports state that the organization is largely satisfied with the agreement and recognition of its “superiority rights” during the three weeks of the Open, including parking and a ban on competing events.
Queens Future spokesman told the Chronicle in an email on Monday. “This moves forward Metropolitan Park as a comprehensive transformation of the area that embraces the existing sports attractions to create a world-class sports and entertainment destination in the heart of Queens. This is a positive step forward for the local community and fans.” Fox 5 News reported that the USTA will not yet
USTA officials in published reports said they are not opposed to the casino, and only want the city to guarantee past commitments.
The state Gaming Commission is expected to rule on the three remaining applications for casino licenses in December. The other two applicants are Resorts World New York City in South Ozone Park and Bally’s in the Bronx. The state has not guaranteed that all three licenses will be awarded. Q
by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor
Most people in the borough had not been born when the Queens-Midtown Tunnel opened to drivers on Nov. 15, 1940.
And now the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has decided to throw a sort of anniversary party.
Nellie Hankins, manager of the MTA’s bridges and tunnels historical archives, said the route all take for granted today was a massive — and popular — undertaking.
“It was first proposed by the Manhattan borough president in the 1920s,” Hankins told the Chronicle. The Holland tunnel was under construction but hadn’t been completed The idea was to build a tunnel from Midtown Manhattan into Queens.”
Hankins said there also was talk of other projects, such as a tunnel beneath Manhattan directly to New Jersey.
“That didn’t come to fruition,” she said.
The Queens-Midtown’s groundbreaking in 1936 was a huge deal, Hankins said.
“FDR was there,” she said of the president.
“People were really excited about the scope of it. And New Jersey was getting all their infrastructure. People thought Long Island should as well.”
It took some doing. New York City began the project but then ran out of money. The state
came in and took over. President Roosevelt came through with some New Deal money, securing not only an important project, but work for thousands of people who needed it in the throes of the Great Depression.
Hankins said there were an estimated 18 million work hours put into the actual construction, and twice that number in related jobs for manufacturing, shipping and even secretarial work.
It was designed by Ole Singstad, who also worked on the Holland, Lincoln and BrooklynBattery tunnels among others.
While not an eye-popping engineering marvel like say, the Brooklyn Bridge, Hankins said it still was a massive undertaking.
“It wasn’t groundbreaking engineering — pun intended — but he knew what he was doing and he did it well,” Hankins said.
As to the opposition that would spring up against any such project today, Hankins said it was a different time.
“People were excited about it,” she said. “Newspapers were excited about it.” So too, of course, were the New York City Chamber of Commerce and other business and civic groups.
The Long Island Rail Road had a few gripes — Hankins said the massive rail yards presently adjacent to the Queens end are exactly where they were in 1936.
She said the Queens side had been light industrial and manufacturing, with low-rise
housing and the accompanying stores, taverns and barbershops.
“They were really careful about what they disrupted,” Hankins said. “Moving people and businesses is expensive.” Hankins said the MTA still has the building-by-building photographs employees took of surrounding neighborhoods in preparation.
And almost as soon as it opened with four million cars the first year, came World War II
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with gas rationing, rubber shortages and Detroit switching to making tanks.
There also were worries about sabotage.
“When World War II stopped, it picked up again,” Hankins said.
She said the tunnel would prove to increase population, business and even access to Long Island’s recreational facilities.
“The contributions were over time, I think a little more gradual than people realize.” Q
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by Stephanie G. Meditz Editor
Andrew Spitz of Kew Gardens Hills will turn 95 on Nov. 22.
Although he has built a life in Queens with his wife, Ruth, Spitz can never forget what his days were like 80 years ago, when he was taken from his hometown in Hungary to the Nazis’ largest concentration camp.
“Sometimes, you turn to God and you say, how do you allow this to happen to me?” he told the Chronicle during a home visit Monday.
Spitz was separated from his family when he was brought to Auschwitz at 14. His sister also was in the camp, but men and women stayed in separate quarters, and his mother was with her own age group. His father had been in an army unit after being drafted.
He spoke of the Nazis’ “inhumanity” only in vague terms, and got choked up when thinking back to the cruelty he endured.
He said many people in the camp started to revolt and question God’s authority, and the experience changed his thoughts about his religion for good.
“In my childhood before the Holocaust, I was very much into it,” Spitz said. “But everything changed after.” He does not subscribe to Hasidic Jewish beliefs or even adhere to a strict kosher diet.
“It’s funny, no matter how many years go by ... you get very emotional at times,” Spitz said. “In one respect, it’s good to remember some of the past to make sure you do not repeat it.”
But, he said, he would prefer not to remember all that he went through, and the survivors whose memory now fails them “may be better off.”
After his time in Auschwitz, Spitz was transferred to the Strasshof camp in Austria, where he was liberated in 1945 by the Russian army. He fondly recalled drinking with his liberators and learning songs in their language, which he sang Monday in a baritone as strong as ever.
Spitz next traveled to Vienna, followed by Eggenfelden, Germany, where the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration sent him and other survivors. He said there was an open market there, and he did well for himself riding his bike to sell basic items to people in nearby towns.
And though the people he met there were “very pleasant,” he said he knew he could
not stay in Germany. He eventually returned to Hungary, but soon applied for a visa to come to the United States, where he already had some relatives.
Spitz was about 17 when he came to New York and spent some “good years” in the city, especially with his uncle Zoltan, a custom
tailor based in Manhattan. He even met famed Royal Canadians band leader Guy Lombardo, a client of his uncle’s.
His successful trade ventures in Germany continued in the United States. He was staying at a Manhattan commune when he learned of an open busboy position at a small hotel. He earned $650 in that role in 1950, which he said was “a lot of money then.”
He nearly doubled his earnings as a waiter the next summer, and the money he saved later helped him open his first business in lower Manhattan.
“After this, I opened another dozen stores,” Spitz said. “I was fortunate to go into the food business when every store we opened was very successful.” One such undertaking was a bagel shop near Madison Square Garden.
“I printed up menus and fliers, but we didn’t have to give them out,” he said. “The door opened, there was a long line.”
Spitz met Ruth in 1949 and married her shortly thereafter. They have two daughters,
continued on page 22
by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor
Condominium and co-op owners may soon be pitching in more money to fund the city’s war on rats.
The City Council last week approved legislation that would require residential buildings with 10 or more units to place their garbage in stationary curbside containers. Introduction 1123-B waives any kind of fee for MitchellLama buildings; New York City Housing Authority complexes; and structures that have 100 percent affordable housing or at least 50 percent of units rent regulated.
And single-family home residents also are not charged individually for trash collection, as it is considered a taxpayer-funded city service.
But the legislation, sponsored by Crystal Hudson (D-Brooklyn) specifically authorizes the Department of Sanitation to charge other apartment buildings, condominium and co-op complexes up to $55 per unit per year.
The Council passed the bill by a vote of 30-11 with four abstentions.
In the Queens delegation, those voting for the bill were Speaker Adrienne Adams (D-Jamaica), Selvena Brooks-Powers(D-Laurelton), Jim Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows), Shekar Krishnan (D-Jackson Heights Francisco Moya (D-Corona), Lynn Schulman (D-Forest Hills), Sandra Ung (D-Flushing), Nantasha
Williams (D-St. Albans) and Julie Won (D-Long Island City).
Those opposed were Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park), Bob Holden (D-Maspeth), and Vickie Paladino (R-Whitestone).
Tiffany Cabán (D-Astoria) and Jennifer Gutiérrez (D-Brooklyn, Queens) were absent. Linda Lee (D-Oakland Gardens) abstained.
Won, Gutiérrez and Cabán are listed on the Council’s website as co-sponsors of the measure.
Houston said during the Nov. 12 vote she was glad that carve outs for low-income residents were passed; and not a single councilmember questioned the need for the containers to go all in against the rat problem.
But some members wondered why apartment, condo and co-op dwellers would be charged in the first place when no other residences generally would be.
“I totally agree we need to have containers in the street,” said Gail Brewer (D-Manhattan), who abstained. “It worked well [in a trial period] in West Harlem. But they did not pay anything.” Brewer said she could understand people paying a one-time container fee.
“But to have that money continue to accrue for that unit for the rest of their lives I don’t think is fair ... I paid nothing for my container. So why should co-ops have to pay? They are homeowners too.”
Holden concurred with Brewer.
“I don’t agree with the $50 charge,” Holden said. “Again, people are paying their taxes. And they are doing us a favor by subscribing to this. So I just think a charge is excessive.”
“Co-op and condo owners are suffering terribly,” Paladino said. “And with Local Law 97 now in place, maintenance fees have gone up as much as $300 a month. They do not need an additional fee.”
Schulman said containerization of trash is important, and acknowledged during the hearing that she has a lot of co-op and condominium owners in her 29th District.
“Particularly folks who are older adults,” Schulman said. “I want to make sure when the rules are promulgated by the Department of Sanitation that co-ops and condos are not unduly burdened, and I will work with [the DSNY] to make sure it doesn’t happen.”
She then voted for the bill.
Schulman explained in a phone call Tuesday that there still may be a way to work with the DSNY when the agency sits down to establish the rules and regulations for the new program, thus leaving the possibility for relief.
“The devil is in the details,” she told the Chronicle.
Bob Friedrich, president of the Glen Oaks Village co-op, said Monday he was investigating whether his residents will be hit with the fee.
“I will tell you that it’s outrageous that we’d be charged with that,” Friedrich said. “We already pay our taxes. We’re doing our budget now and next year Glen Oaks Village will pay about $12 million in taxes. We certainly pay enough money and shouldn’t be charged for the service that we should be getting for our $12 million. It’s just unbelievable.”
He accused the city of trying to nickle-anddime condo and co-op owners to death.
“It’s getting to the point where the well is drying,” Friedrich said. “Between the high taxes that keep going up every year, the increased valuations that lead to even higher taxes, it’s really difficult, very difficult to afford living here. Q
Queens GOP candidate with Nassau address made ballot, got 3,714 votes
by Peter C. Mastrosimone Editor-in-Chief
You don’t need to live in the City of New York in order to run for the Council of the City of New York. At least not until Election Day. And if you don’t win, you don’t really have to at all, since no one will really mind.
Those are the answers to Queens Chronicle questions posed following Election Day about residency requirements, after the paper discovered that a City Council candidate filed to run using a Nassau County address.
The candidate is Republican Giovanni Enrique Franco, who ran against Democrat Shanel Thomas-Henry to replace term-limited 21st District Councilman Francisco Moya (D-Corona). Thomas-Henry won handily.
The district mostly encompasses Corona, North Corona and East Elmhurst, along with parts of adjacent communities and the grounds of LaGuardia Airport and Flushing Meadows Corona Park, except the southern part where the lakes are, plus Willets Point. It is bounded to the north by Flushing Creek and the East River, to the east by the Van Wyck Expressway, to the south by the Long Island Expressway and to the west by various roads starting with 92nd Street in the north and ending with Junction Boulevard in the south.
Franco doesn’t live near any of that, according to his filings with the city’s Board of Elections and Campaign Finance Board. He instead is listed as living on Bernard Street in Merrick, LI, an unincorporated hamlet on the South Shore in the Town of Hempstead.
But that did not stop him from getting on the ballot for the GOP in the 21st District.
Both agencies said Franco had not made any change to his address since filing to run. State law, however, says candidates for the Council must be residents of the district within which they are running by Election Day. The relevant statute is the state Public Officers Law Chapter 47, Article 2, Section 3, according to BOE and CFB officials.
Not everyone knows that, including some who watch elections closely and educate voters.
The Chronicle, while researching residency requirements, tried one group of experts, the League of Women Voters, in addition to government sources. The LWV said after some internal discussion that it did not know for sure whether someone from outside the city could run for the Council, with an official there saying it’s not often that someone plays “Stump the League” but the Chronicle had.
That LWV official then helped expedite getting an official answer from the CFB.
The state has an online post, at elections. ny.gov/requirements-hold-office, clearly stating the residency rules for state and federal offices, but municipal ones are not included.
Franco could not be reached for this article. Multiple messages were sent to an email address posted on his CFB candidate profile but got no answer, and no phone number for him could be found. The leader of the Republican Party in Queens also did not respond to calls and emails seeking information about him and whether he still lives in Merrick.
Running on the Republican and United Alliance party lines, Franco got 3,714 votes. Thomas-Henry, running on the Democratic and Working Families lines, won the race with 11,940 votes, about 76 percent of the total, to Franco’s 24 percent.
Franco’s candidacy came as a surprise to at least some activists in the community. Frank Taylor, president of the Ditmars Boulevard Block Association and a former chairman of Community Board 3, did not know who he is.
Like the Chronicle, Taylor thought ThomasHenry was unopposed. Another media outlet had reported back in the spring that his petitions to get on the ballot were denied.
“I was quite taken back myself,” Taylor said about seeing his name. “I never heard of this
gentleman and never saw this gentleman.”
Activist Hiram Monserrate also said he does not recall ever meeting him.
Thomas-Henry told the Chronicle she did not know much about him other than what she had read in the CFB voters guide. In terms of his campaigning, her team had heard of fliers being left on doors in LeFrak City.
Franco has a heartwrenching personal story. His wife, Vidya “Joanne” Dookran-Franco, was killed last Dec. 28 in South Ozone Park when two cars crashed and one went onto the sidewalk. It hit her and two other people. They survived. She died at 51.
Dookran-Franco was an activist in Southeast Queens, and elected officials there including City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (D-Jamaica) lamented her loss in public statements lauding her service to people.
Franco cited her in his CFB profile.
“Queens Council District 21 has a diverse community with different needs,” he said. “These needs can be addressed by a leader that is willing to listen to its residents and address their needs. Thanks to my wife, Joanne, I am that person.”
He said her life was dedicated to service, “and I aim to channel her values into my tenure as Councilman. May God rest her soul. May God be with me. May the sun rise again in District 21.” Q
by Kristen Guglielmo Editor
For the past five decades, the Queens Public Library’s Mail-A-Book program has bridged the gap between homebound New Yorkers and the world of reading, delivering books and other materials directly to those unable to visit the library in person.
Originally funded in November 1975 by the federal government as a means to reach homebound readers, the service sends library books in reusable, postage-paid canvas bags to customers’ doors. Return postage is included, ensuring access is free of charge.
And it’s not just limited to Queens.
“We will serve New York State and anyone who cannot get to their library due to age or disability,” said Madlyn Schneider, the program’s coordinator, who has been with the QPL for more than four decades.
Schneider told the Chronicle the program does not require medical documentation and is not limited to any age group. Even caregivers for homebound people are welcome to sign up.
Mail-A-Book customers can borrow books in large print, regular print or audio formats, as well as DVDs, CDs and materials in multiple languages. The program also offers reference and readers’ advisory services, and partners with the Andrew Heiskell Braille and Talking Book Library for low-vision resources.
“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:
• United Sikhs, main room; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 23, at 95-30 118 St. in South Richmond Hill; blood 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;
• NYPD 105th Precinct, muster room; 12 to 6 p.m., Monday, Dec. 22, at 92-08 222 St. in Queens Village; blood drive coordinator Police Officer Jazzlyn Farrell; and
• NYPD 113th Precinct, muster room; 12 to 6 p.m., Friday, Dec. 26, at 167-02 Baisley Blvd. in Rochdale; blood drive coordinator Sgt. Navdeep Singh. Q — Naeisha Rose
As part of the Queens Public Library’s Mail-A-Book program, employees such as Willie Simmons, left, will weigh books to determine postage prior to sending them to one’s home in QPL-branded canvas bags, free of charge to the readers receiving them. PHOTOSCOURTESYQUEENSPUBLICLIBRARY
“We will answer reference questions,” Schenider said. “We’ll print out answers from the internet if it’s not too long. We’ll do their research for them and mail it to them.”
At its inception, Mail-A-Book focused on a smaller population and collection, but it has grown greatly over the years. Schneider estimated that the program sends out 40,000 to 50,000 books per year, and spends about $50,000 annually on postage.
“We also have something called rotating col-
lections, and we have 35 nursing homes that participate,” Schenider said. “They can get anywhere from 50 to 100 books in bins. ... Organizations can join as long as there’s someone on the other end willing to take responsibility for doling out the books and getting them back.”
Customer service remains at the core of Mail-A-Book. A representative will call a program participant and ask questions to determine which kind of books to send them.
“We actually will spend a half hour on the
by Naeisha Rose Editor
The Big Apple’s top cop is staying in her role as the executive of the largest police force in the world when Mayor-elect and Assemblyman (D-Astoria) Zohran Mamdani takes office.
Wednesday’s announcement comes weeks after Mamdani expressed his intention of keeping NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch on at a debate ahead of the Nov. 4 general election.
NYPD Commissioner Tisch to stay on under new mayor.
PHOTOCOURTESYNYPD/FILE
Under the department’s 48th commissioner’s leadership, the city has had the fewest shooting incidents and victims in recorded history over the first 10 months of the year and murders are down nearly 20 percent citywide year-to-date, according to Mamdani.
“I look forward to working with Commissioner Jessica Tisch to deliver genuine public safety in New York City,” Mamdani said in a statement. “I have admired her work cracking down on corruption in the upper echelons of the police department ... and standing up for New Yorkers in the face
phone,” Schneider noted, recalling how important connections are, especially as some participants might otherwise be isolated. During Superstorm Sandy, she said, calls were made to participants to ensure they had adequate care.
For more information on Mail-A-Book or to sign up, call (718) 464-0084 Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., or send an email to mailabook@queenslibrary.org.
Many participants in Mail-A-Book also engage in the library’s creative virtual programming for older adults, including art classes and writing clubs, which can be found on the library’s calendar on its website. Those in the art program even have created watercolor bookmarks to ship alongside Mail-A-Book deliveries.
“There’s something going on five days a week, Monday through Friday,” Schneider said of the virtual programming.
The care even extends to making sure those who are homebound have plans for the holidays: Adults over 50 join QPL for a virtual New Year’s Eve celebration. More information can be found at tinyurl.com/arx9d3aj.
Reflecting on Mail-A-Book’s five decades, Schneider said, “We were successful, I think, in the vision of what I would like Mail-A-Book to be, but we’re making people more aware that it’s for anybody, any age, and family caregivers who can’t get to a library.” Q
continued from page 20
of authoritarianism.”
Tisch thanked the men and women in blue for their work this year in delivering historic reductions in crime.
Tisch said via email that she is staying because “he and I share many of the same public safety goals for New York City: lowering crime, making communities safer, rooting out corruption, and giving our officers the tools, support, and resources they need to carry out their noble work.”
Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park) posted on Facebook that Tisch has done an excellent job of guiding the NYPD.
Councilwoman Selvena Brooks-Powers (D-Laurelton), posted on X, “Hard to find a better, more talented public servant than Commissioner Jessica Tisch.”
Councilwoman Vickie Paladino (R-Whitestone) said Tisch has led the NYPD during a difficult time.
“I have full faith that she will continue to guide the department through whatever difficult times lie ahead,” said Paladino via email. “Congratulations, commissioner.” Q
Andrew and Ruth Spitz, seen above in an old family photo, “hit it off” when they met in 1949, he said. PHOTOCOURTESYJUDITHBERMAN
Judith and Sharon.
Ruth Spitz’s birthday also is coming up — she will turn 93 Nov. 28. The family plans to get together to mark both their birthdays this Sunday.
While his wife was born in the city, Spitz said their coming to Queens was “an accident,” guided by groups that help newcomers find housing. They have lived in the borough since the ’60s, and he said there is a community of survivors in the area.
“It’s not something that I would like to remember, but sometimes, it does come back into mind,” Spitz said. “I’m grateful that I escaped, and I’m grateful that my mind is still intact.” Q
by Stephanie G. Meditz
G Meditz byStephanieGMeditz
Brevity might be the soul of wit, but City Gate Productions’ nearly three-hour staging of William Shakespeare’s longest play is jam-packed with sarcastic quips, to balance out ample devastation.
The tragedy of “Hamlet,” which opened at Ridgewood’s Stone Circle Theatre Nov. 13, follows the titular prince of Denmark, portrayed masterfully by Gage, as he copes with the death of his father, his mother’s hasty marriage to his uncle, his thirst for vengeance and his simultaneous inability to seek it out.
To be decisive is to see ‘Hamlet’ in Ridgewood
“The way I’m treating ‘Hamlet’ is kind of like a fairy tale,” director Jim Haines said. “It’s like the original Grimms’ fairy tales where things don’t work out in the end.” While “Hamlet” is set in Denmark, likely during the Middle Ages, Haines said the creatives behind his production crafted their own reality and space, honing in on the humanity behind each character.
of Den prince o es with he cop e to h marriag neoussimultan way “The e,” di tal mms’ inal Gri he end in t y dur tives b crea tyreali aractech since t And wrapp poetry ular tim a partic , reve Grief, just s ties are or four stage fo 23.
And since the play, described by Haines as “beautiful poetry wrapped around real people,” is untethered to a particular time or place, it can have universal appeal.
Grief, revenge, loneliness and strained familial ties are just some themes that audiences can see onstage for four more performances, on Nov. 20, 21, 22 and 23.
Tickets are $30 for adults and $25 for seniors and students, and they can be purchased at citygateproductions.org. To learn more, one may call (929) 377-7495 or email info@citygateproductions.org.
“This is just a play where everyone has experienced tremendous loss, and how we deal with that,” Haines said.
Throughout several well-acted soliloquies, Gage perfectly captures Hamlet’s frustration with his own inertia. Her prince of Denmark seamlessly and calculatedly masks and unmasks his true feelings during the scenes in between, depending on who else is around.
It is not unusual for Hamlet to feign high spirits around goofy yes-men Rosencrantz and Guildenstern November 20, 2025
continued on page 25
by Ron Marzlock Chronicle Contributor
Thomas Ian Williams, an immigrant laborer from Scotland, married Helen Tewes in Manhattan in August 1929. They settled on West 20th Street in Manhattan.
A son, John Joseph Williams, was born on Aug. 18, 1931. A second son, Robert Francis, soon followed. The family then moved to Queens, where they bought a fivebedroom house at 219-17 114 Ave. in Cambria Heights.
After high school, John joined the Air Force. Following his discharge in 1952, he decided on an acting career, studying with the famous Lee Strasberg. In 1953, he joined The Barter Theater group in Virginia, which provided him a training ground.
At that time he changed his first name on the marquee to Grant.
Williams was signed by Universal Studios and appeared in several films before his breakout movie, “The Incredible Shrinking Man” in 1957. In 2008 Time magazine recognized it as one of the 10 best sci-fi movies of the 1950s for its innovative special effects and engrossing storyline. In 1960 he co-
Members of the
The primary beneficiaries were furloughed federal workers who missed pay-
checks during the recent federal government shutdown.
The workers receive fresh produce and nonperishable food, as well as $50 food vouchers and information on additional services offered through Catholic Charities. — Michael Gannon
The childhood home of actor Grant Williams at 219-17 114 Ave. in Cambria Heights, as it looked in the 1940s, during his youth.
starred in the hit TV show “Hawaiian Eye,” staying on until 1963.
By the 1980s Williams was operating an acting school in West Hollywood. He passed away on July 28, 1985, weeks short of his 54th birthday. Most sources online say the cause was peritonitis. Q
by Lloyd Carroll Chronicle Contributor
Mets CEO Steve Cohen has made it his mission for the Amazin’s to honor their history, as evidenced by a pair of old-timers’ games, numerous uniform retirement ceremonies and several inductions for the Mets Hall of Fame during his five-year tenure as Mets owner. That will continue in 2026. Last Wednesday the Mets announced their newest Hall of Fame inductees will be Bobby Valentine, Lee Mazzilli and Carlos Beltran.
Valentine was the Mets manager in one of the team’s most fertile times, the late 1990s and early 2000s. He always enjoyed the give-andtake with reporters and was not reticent to poke fun at them in a good-natured way. He still does that with me all these years later.
When I saw him at January’s Amazin’ Day I asked him if he thought the Mets would honor the 2000 team that came up short to the Yankees in the World Series that year on its 25th anniversary. I then asked if he thought he would be inducted into the Mets Hall of Fame. “The answer to both questions is ‘No!’” he said with a hearty laugh. He was right on the former, but happily wrong on the latter.
Valentine deserves to be in the Mets Hall of Fame solely based on his work in the aftermath of Sept. 11, 2001. Shea Stadium was transformed from a baseball facility to a staging area
for supplies and food for first responders at the World Trade Center. Valentine worked night and day in the Shea parking lot, leading an assembly line of Mets players and othe r employees packing boxes at incredible speed.
Brooklyn-born Mazzilli had the misfortune playing for the Mets at one of the worst periods in their history, the late 1970s. Shea was a virtual ghost town, but the fans who did show up cheered for their local matinee idol, who provided a glimmer of hope for the future.
1979 was a particularly bleak season for the Mets. They drew under one million fans for the first time since leaving the Polo Grounds 16 years earlier. The brightest moment of that season was when Mazzilli hit the first homer in an All-Star Game by a Mets player, which tied the game in the eighth inning — he then won it for the National League in the ninth by walking with the bases loaded.
Beltran may wind up getting his plaque in Cooperstown before getting one at Citi Field in 2026. As great a player as he was, he has not been as revered as he should be by Mets fans because he struck out against the Cardinals’ Adam Wainwright with the bases loaded in the ninth inning of Game 7 to end the 2006 National League Championship Series. After 20 years, it’s time to move past that. Q
See the extended version of Sports Beat every week at qchron.com.
by Mark Lord qboro contributor
The latest theatrical offering from The Gingerbread Players of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church is a play about a dysfunctional family.
The father, James, and his two adult daughters, who live at home with him — even though one of them, Julie, is already married — are often at odds.
Nobody in the family, except James, has even the slightest idea as to how to earn a living. This includes Julie’s husband, Clinton, who hates work and responsibility in equal measures.
The family business, it seems, has collapsed, leaving them all virtually destitute.
James takes off for an extended period, during which time one of his employees, Adam, takes on the role of surrogate father. Over time, under Adam’s oversight, the family undergoes changes, not always to their satisfaction.
Oh, yes, there is also an unscrupulous doctor in the midst, as well as a couple of sharp-tongued aunts, a money-hungry Scotsman who is after the other daughter, Eva, for selfish reasons, and a maid, who most often serves as the voice of reason.
The play is called “Adam and Eva.” Yes, it’s a comedy.
And, yes, it was written over 100 years ago, in 1919, by the team of George Middleton and Guy Bolton.
Reviewed at its final dress rehearsal last Friday, the night before its official opening, the play remains surprisingly relevant. It is also humorous, and, by the end, it teaches a valuable lesson.
The ensemble cast of 10, under the watchful eye of director Johnny Culver, is headed by Laura Walter, who, as Eva, makes an auspicious debut on the local theater scene, bringing an assured presence and winning personality to the stage. She is paired with Pete Donato, who imbues Adam with the requisite combination of
taskmaster and charmer.
Longtime Gingerbread performer Andrew Dinan adds another colorful character to his ever-growing roster as the easily manipulated James.
Kirry Kaufer is delightful as the shockingly blonde Julie. She is well paired with Mike Miller, who plays her husband, the reluctantly devoted Clinton, who employs a comically high-pitched voice to good effect.
Suzanne Schick and Louise Foisy, often placed as bookends on the well-utilized postage stamp of a stage, deliver the aunts’ lines with zest. Bart DeFinna is Andrew, the Scotsman, making clear (to the audience) the reasons behind his pursuit of Eva. Eric Minhao makes several memorable appearances as the doctor, while Liat Zalait as the maid seems to always be around, reading a cookbook and serving as one of the few adults in the room.
The pacing, which was a bit slow last Friday night, will likely pick up with the presence of an audience. Just as likely, the play will tickle your funny bone.
Remaining performances at St. Luke’s (85 Greenway South, Forest Hills) are on Nov. 22 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 23 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $20; or $15 for seniors. For more information, call (718) 268-7772 or go online to gingerbreadplayers.org. Q
continued from page 23
Guildenstern (Francoise Traxler and Josh Saffran Sedecca), share his inner thoughts with Horatio (Margaret Leisenheimer) and, when he is finally alone, breathe a sigh of both relief and exasperation before speaking from the heart.
Gage never misses a beat with those transitions, lending some credence to other characters’ musings that Hamlet has gone mad, although that remains debatable.
And though the words “frailty, thy name is woman” are uttered onstage, the female characters prove them wrong at every turn.
Naomi Yuchi Townsend’s Ophelia exudes quiet strength and vulnerability that runs cavernously deep. There is immense power in her delivery and physical reactions as the men in Ophelia’s life try to control her — when her father, Polonius (Bill McAndrews), tells her not to continue her romantic entanglement with Hamlet, she, after many an eye-roll, responds with an exaggerated curtsy and a sarcastic pledge to obey.
Later in the play, after life and love get the best of her, a different, muted version of Ophelia reenters. With tattered clothes, a blank stare and a hauntingly beautiful voice singing words that others struggle to make sense of, she need not demand the audience’s heartbreak.
With her adequately girlish Gertrude, Sanam Erfani also displays a startling emotional depth when necessary.
Her infatuation with Claudius (Gilberto Ron), the brother of her deceased husband, is immediately clear to the audience, even when the two are not the overt center of attention. As they sit together and Claudius
looks on at whatever action is happening, Gertrude can be seen leaning on the arm of her husband’s throne, trying to hold his hand if they are not embracing already.
Her insistence on positivity gradually crumbles, though, as the circumstances surrounding King Hamlet’s death come to light. Her reaction to the truth is heart-
wrenching, as she falls to her knees and sobs, both for what already has happened and what will never be the same.
“The relationships of people in this play, if they’re not fractured, they all do fracture,” Haines said. “Maybe the audience can say, hey, whatever problems I have, they’re not this.”
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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. 1818 43RD LLC. 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.
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
Notice is hereby given that an On Premises Tavern Full Liquor License, Application ID NA-0370-25-135346 has been applied for by LSF Group Inc d/b/a CEO serving beer, wine, cider and liquor to be sold at retail for on premises consumption in a tavern for the premises located at 41-02 College Point Blvd., Flushing, NY 11355.
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
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.
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.
State and local laws prohibit
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
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 To Advertise Call 718-205-8000
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.
The City of New York has Request for Proposals available for qualified Consulting Engineering Firms interested in the following Proposed Contract.
Project or Contract Title:
Request for Proposal – Final Design and Construction Support Services for Component Rehabilitation of 10 Bridges in the Boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens
Contract No: HBCR24B
PIN: 84126MBBR732
Expected Contract Term: 1825 Consecutive Calendar Days from the Date of Written Notice to Proceed.
Description of Services Required:
The service to be procured is the Final Design and Construction Support Services for Component Rehabilitation of 10 Bridges in the Boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens.
A Pre-Proposal Conference (Optional) has been scheduled for December 8, 2025, Time: 10:00 AM through Zoom. Proposers who wish to attend the virtual meeting can access by using the Link provided in the “Prepare RFX” Section - SETUP Tab - Pre-Proposal/Pre-Bid Conference Section in PASSPort. This Procurement is subject to participation goals for Minority-Owned Business Enterprises (MBEs), as required by Section 6-129 of the New York Administrative Code. The M/WBE goal for this project is 30%.
This Request for Proposals (RFP) is released through PASSPort, New York City’s online procurement portal. Responses to this RFP must be submitted via PASSPort. To access the RFP, vendors should visit the PASSPort public Portal https://www.nyc.gov/site/mocs/passport/about-passport.page and click on the “Search Funding Opportunities in PASSPort” blue box. Doing so will take one to the public portal of all procurements in the PASSPort system. To quickly locate the RFP, insert the EPIN, 84126P0007, into the Keyword search field. In order to respond to the RFP, vendors must create an account within the PASSPort system if they have not already done so.
Release Date: December 1, 2025
Pre-Proposal Conference: December 8, 2025, at 10 AM through Zoom
Submission of Request for Proposals are due on or before 2:00 PM on January 5, 2026
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 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.
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 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.
Notice of Formation of STUDIO 6517, LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 10/24/2025. Office location: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Chang Law Group PC, 3006 Northup Way, Ste. 100, Bellevue, WA 98004. Purpose: any lawful activities.
Notice of Formation of THE LOTUS LANE LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 06/01/2025. 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: JANAY ETHRIDGE, 17561 HILLSIDE AVENUE, SUITE 202 #1003, QUEENS, NY 11432. Purpose: For 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.
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Supplemental Summons Supreme Court of New York, Queens County. NEWREZ LLC D/B/A SHELLPOINT MORTGAGE SERVICING,, Plaintiff -against- BICKRAM ROOPCHAN; DEVAHATI ROOPCHAN; SHAMIZA BEHARRY, INDIVIDUALLY, AND AS HEIR TO THE ESTATE OF NATERAM ROOPCHAN; ONEWEST BANK, FSB; PANTHER SIDING AND WINDOWS; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; UNKNOWN HEIRS OF THE ESTATE OF NATERAM ROOPCHAN; any and all persons unknown to plaintiff, claiming, or who may claim to have an interest in, or general or specific lien upon the real property described in this action; such unknown persons being herein generally described and intended to be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors, and assignees of such deceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real property by, through or under them, or either of them, and their respective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors, and assignees of such deceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real property by, through or under them, or either of them, and their respective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assigns, all of whom and whose names, except as stated, are unknown to plaintiff, and JOHN DOE AND JANE DOE #1 through #7, the last seven (7) names being fictitious and unknown to the Plaintiff, the persons or parties intended being the tenants, occupants, persons or parties, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the mortgaged premises described in the Complaint,, Defendants Index No.701668/2024, Mortgaged Premises: 105-08 133rd Street, South Richmond Hill, NY11419 Block: 09592 Lot: 0009 TO 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. 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 County 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.
SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF QUEENS, INDEX NO. 717396/2023, Plaintiff designates QUEENS as the place of trial situs of the real property, SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS Mortgaged Premises: 211-11 HOLLIS AVENUE, QUEENS VILLAGE, NY 11429, Block: 10922, Lot: 64, SELECT PORTFOLIO SERVICING, INC., Plaintiff, vs. RAUL LOKASI, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF JOHANNES T. LOKASI A/K/A JOHANNES LOKASI, if living, and if she/he be dead, any and all persons unknown to plaintiff, claiming, or who may claim to have an interest in, or general or specific lien upon the real property described in this action; such unknown persons being herein generally described and intended to be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors, and assignees of such deceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real property by, through or under them, or either of them, and their respective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assigns, all of whom and whose names, except as stated, are unknown to plaintiff; ROMANO LOKASI, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF JOHANNES T. LOKASI A/K/A JOHANNES LOKASI, if living, and if she/ he be dead, any and all persons unknown to plaintiff, claiming, or who may claim to have an interest in, or general or specific lien upon the real property described in this action; such unknown persons being herein generally described and intended to be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors, and assignees of such deceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real property by, through or under them, or either of them, and their respective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assigns, all of whom and whose names, except as stated, are unknown to plaintiff; JONATHAN LOKASI, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF JOHANNES T. LOKASI A/K/A JOHANNES LOKASI; J.L., MINOR CHILD UNDER C/O MARGARETHA MENIG, AS HEIR AND DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF JOHANNES T. LOKASI A/K/A JOHANNES LOKASI; UNKNOWN HEIRS AND DISTRIBUTEES OF THE ESTATE OF JOHANNES T. LOKASI A/K/A JOHANNES LOKASI, any and all persons unknown to plaintiff, claiming, or who may claim to have an interest in, or general or specific lien upon the real property described in this action; such unknown persons being herein generally described and intended to be included in the following designation, namely: the wife, widow, husband, widower, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors, and assignees of such deceased, any and all persons deriving interest in or lien upon, or title to said real property by, through or under them, or either of them, and their respective wives, widows, husbands, widowers, heirs at law, next of kin, descendants, executors, administrators, devisees, legatees, creditors, trustees, committees, lienors and assigns, all of whom and whose names, except as stated, are unknown to plaintiff; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; NEW YORK CITY PARKING VIOLATIONS BUREAU; NEW YORK CITY ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD; NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT ADJUDICATION BUREAU; PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK; MARGARETHA “DOE” (REFUSED LAST NAME) AS JOHN DOE #1; “JOHN DOE” (REFUSED NAME) AS JOHN DOE #2; “JOHN DOE” (REFUSED NAME) AS JOHN DOE #3; “JOHN DOE” (REFUSED NAME) AS JOHN DOE #4; “JOHN DOE” (REFUSED NAME) AS JOHN DOE #5, “JOHN DOE #6” through “JOHN DOE #12,” the last seven names being fictitious and unknown to plaintiff, the persons or parties intended being the tenants, occupants, persons or corporations, if any, having or claiming an interest in or lien upon the premises, described in the complaint, Defendants. To the above named Defendants YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in the above entitled action and to serve a copy of your Answer on the plaintiff’s attorney within twenty (20) days of the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service, or within thirty (30) days after service of the same is complete where service is made in any manner other than by personal delivery within the State. The United States of America, if designated as a defendant in this action, may answer or appear within sixty (60) days of service. Your failure to appear or to answer will result in a judgment against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. In the event that a deficiency balance remains from the sale proceeds, a judgment may be entered against you. NOTICE OF NATURE OF ACTION AND RELIEF SOUGHT THE OBJECT of the above caption action is to foreclose a Mortgage to secure the sum of $383,760.00 and interest, recorded on August 24, 2006, in CRFN 2006000481088, of the Public Records of QUEENS County, New York., covering premises known as 211-11 HOLLIS AVENUE, QUEENS VILLAGE, NY 11429. The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured by the Mortgage described above. QUEENS County is designated as the place of trial because the real property affected by this action is located in said county. NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to the mortgage company will not stop the foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. Dated:October 10th, 2025, ROBERTSON, ANSCHUTZ, SCHNEID, CRANE & PARTNERS, PLLC, Attorney for Plaintiff, Matthew Rothstein, Esq. 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, NY 11590, 516-280-7675
Supplemental Summons and Notice of Object of Action Supreme Court Of The State Of New York County Of Queens Action To Foreclose A Mortgage Index #: 723915/2022 Wintrust Mortgage, A Division Of Barrington Bank & Trust Company, N.A. Plaintiff, vs Tomango C. Faust AKA Tomango Faust, Chondrite Asset Trust, Credit Acceptance Corporation, Criminal Court Of The City Of New York, New York City Environmental Control Board, New York City Parking Violations Bureau, Bridgett “Doe”, “John Doe”, “John Doe”, “John Doe”, “John Doe”, “John Doe”, City Register Of The City Of New York, County Of Queens, Unknown Heirs Of Bessie Edwards Aka Bessie L. Edwards If Living, And If He/She Be Dead, Any And All Persons Unknown To Plaintiff, Claiming, Or Who May Claim To Have An Interest In, Or General Or Specific Lien Upon The Real Property Described In This Action; Such Unknown Persons Being Herein Generally Described And Intended To Be Included In Wife, Widow, Husband, Widower, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin, Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assignees Of Such Deceased, Any And All Persons Deriving Interest In Or Lien Upon, Or Title To Said Real Property By, Through Or Under Them, Or Either Of Them, And Their Respective Wives, Widows, Husbands, Widowers, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin, Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assigns, All Of Whom And Whose Names, Except As Stated, Are Unknown To Plaintiff, People Of The State Of New York, United States Of America On Behalf Of The IRS, Eddie B. Engram AKA Eddie Engram, JR. As Heir To The Estate Of Bessie Edwards AKA Bessie L. Edwards, Sheila L. Engram AKA Sheila Engram As Heir To The Estate Of Bessie Edwards AKA Bessie L. Edwards, Ruthie Ann Waddy AKA RUTHIE Waddy As Heir To The Estate Of Bessie Edwards AKA Bessie L. Edwards, Rosalind Arenette Engram As Heir To The Estate Of Bessie Edwards AKA Bessie L. Edwards, Yolanda Felicia Baker AKA Yolanda Engram-Baker As Heir To The Estate Of Bessie Edwards AKA Bessie L. Edwards, Victoria Beatrice Brinson AKA Beatrice Brinson As Heir To The Estate Of Bessie Edwards AKA Bessie L. Edwards, Derrick Kever Engram AKA Derrick Engram As Heir To The Estate Of Bessie Edwards AKA Bessie L. Edwards, Vashonda A Edwards AKA Vashonda Edwards As Heir To The Estate Of Bessie Edwards AKA Bessie L. Edwards, Shelton Hale Edwards AKA Shelton Edwards As Heir To The Estate Of Bessie Edwards AKA Bessie L. Edwards, Unknown Heirs Of Yvonne Engram If Living, And If He/She Be Dead, Any And All Persons Unknown To Plaintiff, Claiming, Or Who May Claim To Have An Interest In, Or General Or Specific Lien Upon The Real Property Described In This Action; Such Unknown Persons Being Herein Generally Described And Intended To Be Included In Wife, Widow, Husband, Widower, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin, Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assignees Of Such Deceased, Any And All Persons Deriving Interest In Or Lien Upon, Or Title To Said Real Property By, Through Or Under Them, Or Either Of Them, And Their Respective Wives, Widows, Husbands, Widowers, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin, Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assigns, All Of Whom And Whose Names, Except As Stated, Are Unknown To Plaintiff, Unknown Heirs Of Reginald Edwards If Living, And If He/She Be Dead, Any And All Persons Unknown To Plaintiff, Claiming, Or Who May Claim To Have An Interest In, Or General Or Specific Lien Upon The Real Property Described In This Action; Such Unknown Persons Being Herein Generally Described And Intended To Be Included In Wife, Widow, Husband, Widower, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin, Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assignees Of Such Deceased, Any And All Persons Deriving Interest In Or Lien Upon, Or Title To Said Real Property By, Through Or Under Them, Or Either Of Them, And Their Respective Wives, Widows, Husbands, Widowers, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin, Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assigns, All Of Whom And Whose Names, Except As Stated, Are Unknown To Plaintiff, Unknown Heirs Of Dorman Edwards If Living, And If He/She Be Dead, Any And All Persons Unknown To Plaintiff, Claiming, Or Who May Claim To Have An Interest In, Or General Or Specific Lien Upon The Real Property Described In This Action; Such Unknown Persons Being Herein Generally Described And Intended To Be Included In Wife, Widow, Husband, Widower, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin,
Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assignees Of Such Deceased, Any And All Persons Deriving Interest In Or Lien Upon, Or Title To Said Real Property By, Through Or Under Them, Or Either Of Them, And Their Respective Wives, Widows, Husbands, Widowers, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin, Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assigns, All Of Whom And Whose Names, Except As Stated, Are Unknown To Plaintiff, Unknown Heirs Of Santiago Edwards If Living, And If He/She Be Dead, Any And All Persons Unknown To Plaintiff, Claiming, Or Who May Claim To Have An Interest In, Or General Or Specific Lien Upon The Real Property Described In This Action; Such Unknown Persons Being Herein Generally Described And Intended To Be Included In Wife, Widow, Husband, Widower, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin, Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assignees Of Such Deceased, Any And All Persons Deriving Interest In Or Lien Upon, Or Title To Said Real Property By, Through Or Under Them, Or Either Of Them, And Their Respective Wives, Widows, Husbands, Widowers, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin, Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assigns, All Of Whom And Whose Names, Except As Stated, Are Unknown To Plaintiff, Unknown Heirs Of Thomas Edwards If Living, And If He/She Be Dead, Any And All Persons Unknown To Plaintiff, Claiming, Or Who May Claim To Have An Interest In, Or General Or Specific Lien Upon The Real Property Described In This Action; Such Unknown Persons Being Herein Generally Described And Intended To Be Included In Wife, Widow, Husband, Widower, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin, Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assignees Of Such Deceased, Any And All Persons Deriving Interest In Or Lien Upon, Or Title To Said Real Property By, Through Or Under Them, Or Either Of Them, And Their Respective Wives, Widows, Husbands, Widowers, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin, Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assigns, All Of Whom And Whose Names, Except As Stated, Are Unknown To Plaintiff, Jacqueline Edwards Pratt As Heir To The Estate Of Bessie Edwards AKA Bessie L. Edwards, Sheila Edwards Williams As Heir To The Estate Of Bessie Edwards AKA Bessie L. Edwards, Joan Edwards Odom As Heir To The Estate Of Bessie Edwards AKA Bessie L. Edwards, Unknown Heirs Of Tyrone Hawthorne Edwards If Living, And If He/She Be Dead, Any And All Persons Unknown To Plaintiff, Claiming, Or Who May Claim To Have An Interest In, Or General Or Specific Lien Upon The Real Property Described In This Action; Such Unknown Persons Being Herein Generally Described And Intended To Be Included In Wife, Widow, Husband, Widower, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin, Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assignees Of Such Deceased, Any And All Persons Deriving Interest In Or Lien Upon, Or Title To Said Real Property By, Through Or Under Them, Or Either Of Them, And Their Respective Wives, Widows, Husbands, Widowers, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin, Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assigns, All Of Whom And Whose Names, Except As Stated, Are Unknown To Plaintiff, Eastern Funding LLC, New York City Transit Adjudication Bureau, New York State Department Of Taxation And Finance John Doe (Those unknown tenants, occupants, persons or corporations or their heirs, distributees, executors, administrators, trustees, guardians, assignees, creditors or successors claiming an interest in the mortgaged premises.) Defendant(s). Mortgaged Premises: 220-10 134TH ROAD Jamaica, NY 11413 AKA a/k/a 220-10 134th Road Springfield Gardens, NY 11413 a/k/a 220-10 134th Road Laurelton, NY 11413 To the Above named Defendant: You are hereby summoned to answer the Complaint in this action, and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the Complaint is not served with this Supplemental Summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the Plaintiff(s) attorney(s) within twenty days after the service of this Supplemental Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after the service is complete if this Supplemental 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. The Attorney for Plaintiff has an office for business in the County of Erie. Trial to be held in the
County of Queens. The basis of the venue designated above is the location of the Mortgaged Premises. TO Unknown Heirs, Unknown Heirs of Yvonne Engram, Unknown Heirs of Reginald Edwards, Unknown Heirs of Dorman Edwards, Unknown Heirs of Santiago Edwards, Unknown Heirs of Thomas Edwards, Unknown Heirs of Tyrone Hawthorne Edwards Defendants In this Action. The foregoing Supplemental Summons is served upon you by publication, pursuant to an order of HON. Alan Schiff of the Supreme Court Of The State Of New York, dated the Twenty-Third day of October, 2025 and filed with the Complaint in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Queens, in the City of Jamaica. The object of this action is to foreclosure a mortgage upon the premises described below dated July 21, 2017, executed by Tomango C. Faust AKA Tomango Faust to secure the sum of $476,215.00. The Mortgage was recorded at CRFN 2017000283052 in the City Register of the City of New York, Queens County on August 2, 2017. The mortgage was subsequently assigned by an assignment executed February 26, 2019 and recorded on June 23, 2023, in the City Register of the City of New York, Queens County at CRFN 2023000157423. The property in question is described as follows: 220-10 134TH ROAD, Jamaica, NY 11413 AKA a/k/a 220-10 134th Road Springfield Gardens, NY 11413 a/k/a 220-10 134th Road Laurelton, NY 11413 HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS IN FORECLOSURE NEW YORK STATE LAW REQUIRES THAT WE SEND YOU THIS NOTICE ABOUT THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS. PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY. SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME. IF YOU FAIL TO RESPOND TO THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT IN THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION, YOU MAY LOSE YOUR HOME. PLEASE READ THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT CAREFULLY. YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CONTACT AN ATTORNEY OR YOUR LOCAL LEGAL AID OFFICE TO OBTAIN ADVICE ON HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF. SOURCES OF INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE The state encourages you to become informed about your options in foreclosure. In addition to seeking assistance from an attorney or legal aid office, there are government agencies and non-profit organizations that you may contact for information about possible options, including trying to work with your lender during this process. To locate an entity near you, you may call the toll-free helpline maintained by the New York State Department of Financial Services at 1-800-342-3736 or the Foreclosure Relief Hotline 1-800-269-0990 or visit the department’s website at WWW.DFS.NY.GOV. RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO LEAVE YOUR HOME AT THIS TIME. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO STAY IN YOUR HOME DURING THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS. YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO LEAVE YOUR HOME UNLESS AND UNTIL YOUR PROPERTY IS SOLD AT AUCTION PURSUANT TO A JUDGMENT OF FORECLOSURE AND SALE. REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU CHOOSE TO REMAIN IN YOUR HOME, YOU ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR PROPERTY AND PAY PROPERTY TAXES IN ACCORDANCE WITH STATE AND LOCAL LAW. FORECLOSURE RESCUE SCAMS Be careful of people who approach you with offers to “save” your home. There are individuals who watch for notices of foreclosure actions in order to unfairly profit from a homeowner’s distress. You should be extremely careful about any such promises and any suggestions that you pay them a fee or sign over your deed. State law requires anyone offering such services for profit to enter into a contract which fully describes the services they will perform and fees they will charge, and which prohibits them from taking any money from you until they have completed all such promised services. § 1303 NOTICE 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. DATED: October 28, 2025 Gross Polowy LLC Attorney(s) For Plaintiff(s) 1775 Wehrle Drive, Suite 100 Williamsville, NY 14221 The law firm of Gross Polowy LLC and the attorneys whom it employs are debt collectors who are attempting to collect a debt. Any information obtained by them will be used for that purpose. 87940
