Queens Chronicle South Edition 01-04-18

C M SQ page 1 Y K SOUTH QUEENS EDITION Serving Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Woodhaven, Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park, City Line and JFK Airport

YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER VOL. XLI

NO. 1

THURSDAY, JANUARY 4, 2018

South Queens saw safest year ever in 2017 2018 starts with gruesome murder-suicide PAGES 2, 6 AND 10

PHOTO BY ROBERT STRIDIRON

GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS

QCHRON.COM

Hours after South Queens ended its safest year ever, a Jan. 1 murder-suicide rocked the 106th Precinct. An abusive husband allegedly stabbed his wife to death in their Ozone Park home before hanging himself in Forest Park.

NOT A ‘PRIME’ NEIGHBOR

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Residents blast concrete business

Serving The Senior Community of Queens

Resorts World entertainment goes way beyond gaming

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QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 4, 2018 Page 2

C M SQ page 2 Y K

NYC saw record low murders in 2017 Killings up in Queens, while major crimes decline in borough and city

by Michael Gannon Editor

“I

f you went back to the 1990s and told people we would be here today at the Beacon Theatre and talking about this reality — safest big city in America, lowest crime numbers since the 1950s, you would have been laughed out of the room.”

Mayor de Blasio was speaking at Manhattan’s historic Beacon Theatre last Thursday to 480 brand-new graduates of the New York City Police Academy. The miracle he and NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill would speak about was the record low for murders and other numbers for major crimes continuing to drop, in some categories for more than 20 years straight.

Murders, the benchmark for overall crime statistics, fell to 290 last year from 335 in 2016 — a decrease of 13.4 percent based on CompStat numbers obtained on the NYPD website on Tuesday.

It also represents the lowest annual total since at least 1960, when the department began keeping regular statistics.

By contrast, 1990, the worst year, saw 2,245 murders.

Citywide, the number of shooting victims dropped nearly 21 percent, from 1,181 in 2016 to 937 in the year just ended.

Shooting incidents dropped from 997 to 790, also a nearly 21 percent decline.

Overall, reported major crimes in the city fell 5.5 percent, and about 8 percent in the Borough of Queens. “[T]the NYPD is doing things that literally were thought to be impossible,” de Blasio told his new cops. “ ... But here’s what’s so powerful — leaders like Commissioner O’Neill see that achievement as a beginning, not an end.”

Queens did not fare quite so well statistically with murders — the borough ended the year with 50, up from 47 in 2016.

But gunshot victims in the borough fell from 185 to 137, and total shooting incidents dropped from 154 to 122.

Citywide, major crimes — index crimes in NYPD vernacular — saw reductions in six of seven categories. Rapes increased to 1,446, an increase of four, or 0.3 percent, over 2016. Robbery (-10.2 percent), felony assault (-4.3 percent), burglary (-7.6 percent), grand larceny (-3.2 percent) and auto theft (-9.9 percent) all saw fewer reported incidents in the five boroughs.

Transit crime ticked up 0.5 percent, while crime in city housing developments fell 7.5 percent.

Reported rapes in Queens fell from 313 to 307. Robberies dropped by 144 to 1,841.

The Borough of Queens saw a slight increase in murders in 2017, while the city’s overall numbers set a record low. Overall major crimes declined for the year both citywide and throughout PHOTO COURTESY NYPD the borough.

Felony assaults in the borough came in at 3,820, a drop of 144. Burglaries fell by 386 to 2,913, the decline of more than 10 percent far outstripping the city average.

Grand larcenies fell to 7,965, a decrease of 583. Auto thefts were down by 346 to 1,571

Queens’ auto theft numbers dropped about 18 percent, nearly double the citywide average.

The 102nd Precinct, with its station house in Richmond Hill, led all Queens precontinued on page 6

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QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 4, 2018 Page 4

C M SQ page 4 Y K

Residents: Biz doesn’t mix well with the nabe Proprietor says he’s doing the best he can to keep to the streets clean

by Anthony O’Reilly Editor

Ozone Park resident Paul O’Neill has been in the area for decades and has never had a problem with the surrounding businesses — until now.

O’Neill, and others who spoke to the Chronicle, say concrete business Prime Ready Mix has been the source of a number of quality-of-life issues in recent years and it’s only getting worse.

“They block up the streets, this whole neighborhood is full of sand and concrete dust,” O’Neill said. “I’ve lived here for 36 years, never had a problem with Greco concrete,” the business that was there before Prime Ready Mix, “but since they moved there, it’s been nothing but a nightmare.”

The main complaint from nearby homeowners is the dust and sand that emanates from the business, located at 87-13 Rockaway Blvd.

The Department of Building’s website states one caller said, “There have been numerous amounts of dust and sand all over the place, seeping into homes. This influx of dust causes allergies and many people have gotten sick.”

Neighbor Edward Rios said, “It’s crazy, it’s all over the place.

“The other day they were giving it the old hose trick right into the sewers,” he said.

“Now there’s cement all over the place, all over 88th Street.”

Those who spoke to the Chronicle said

Ozone Park residents told the Chronicle that concrete business Prime Ready Mix has not been a good neighbor since moving into the neighborhood, with flying dust and sand particles being the PHOTO BY ANTHONY O’REILLY top complaint. vehicles, barbecue grills and other items have been ruined by the dust.

A man named Sean, who identified himself as the owner of Prime Ready Mix but

did not give his last name, said in a telephone interview he’s doing the best he can to keep the area clean.

“I’m constantly, always cleaning,” Sean

said. “I bought a street sweeper, we’re doing everything we can to keep it clean. Is it in perfect condition? No.” There are two open Environmental Control Board violations, according to the DOB’s website, for not operating the building in a “code compliant manner.” A 2015 violation states a “concrete fence wall is cracked out ... dislodging at various locations in danger of falling onto sidewalk.”

The other main quality-of-life complaint is the number of vehicles often doubleparked near the business.

“Are we just waiting for a kid to get hit and be killed?” said one neighboring resident, who didn’t give his name. “I don’t like my kids playing around there anymore.”

Sean said trucks sometimes have to double-park outside the business because the workers have to clear the yard before they can come in.

“They may have to double-park to come inside,” he said.

Responding to complaints that his vehicles are sometimes seen at a nearby vacant gas station, Sean said he has the owner’s permission to do that.

“If it’s not on the sidewalk it’s legal,” he said.

The owner added he’s “not an unreasonable person” and will talk to any resident who has issues with the business.

“If there’s a problem, I’ll address it,” he said. “If they come to me, I’ll be willing to Q talk to them.”

No strike: Jockeys, NYRA reach a deal

by Anthony O’Reilly

For the latest news visit qchron.com

Editor

The Jockeys’ Guild and the New York Racing Association reached an agreement in principle on a new contract last Friday, averting a walkout at Aqueduct Race Track.

The two sides had not signed off on a new contract by press time, but the Dec. 29 deal allows jockeys to accept racing assignments until one is finalized.

No further details were available by press time.

“NYRA and the Jockeys’ Guild will have additional comment when the agreement is fully executed ,” a r aci ng associat ion spokesman said in a statement.

The previous contract expired on Jan. 1 and, had a new one not been reached, racing at The Big A would’ve stopped on Jan. 6. Jockey assignments for Jan. 1, 4 and 5 were handed out in December, which would’ve allowed those races to proceed as planned because the

Racing at Aqueduct will continue

Jockeys will continue to race at Aqueduct Race Track, after their union and the New York Racing Association reached FILE PHOTO an agreement in principle for a new contract. contract was still valid then.

Jockeys’ Guild President Terry Meyocks told the Chronicle last week “well over 90 percent” of

NYRA jockeys are in the Guild.

The union was seeking a threeyear contract with the racing association that calls for no increase in

benefit payments in the first year, and 1 percent increases in the following two.

It’s unclear if the agreement

includes those terms.

The money in question is used to pay jockeys or their families in the event of injury, dismemberment or death.

Published reports state the Guild has paid out more than $13 million in benef its since 2007. Those injured on the job receive $250 a week for the first eight weeks, and then $200 every seven days for the following 96.

The Guild president pointed to Ramon Dominguez as an example of someone who needed the money.

Dominguez, according to published reports, sustained a careerending brain injury at Aqueduct in January 2013 when he was unseated from his horse when it clipped heels with another equine.

The jockey was then kicked by another horse and was treated in three hospitals for three weeks before being released.

The 13-year veteran announced Q his retirement that June.

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QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 4, 2018 Page 6

C M SQ page 6 Y K

Vincent Asaro gets OP murder-suicide is 96 months for arson 2018’s first slay case Judge calls him ‘danger’ to community Husband found hanging from FP tree

by Anthony O’Reilly

by Anthony O’Reilly

Editor

Editor

Longtime Bonanno crime family capo and Howard Beach resident Vincent Asaro was sentenced to 96 months in prison last Thursday for ordering an associate to torch the car of a motorist who had cut him off in traffic more than five years ago.

He was also ordered to pay $21,276 in restitution for the damage to the car.

The 82-year-old Asaro, who was acquitted in 2015 of racketeering charges surrounding the infamous 1978 theft of $6 million from Lufthansa at John F. Kennedy Airport, pleaded guilty to the arson crime in June.

Despite his being acquitted of participating in the Lufthansa heist, which was depicted in the Martin Scorcese classic “Goodfellas,” a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York said Judge Allyne Ross “found” Asaro was a culprit in the crime and was also guilty of the 1969 murder of Paul Katz.

Katz reportedly owned a warehouse used to store stolen goods and was killed shortly after law enforcement officials raided the building, because the Mafia suspected him of being a snitch.

Ross said the elderly Asaro “remains a danger to the community,” according to the statement.

“Today’s sentence holds Asaro accountable not only for using his power as a member of organized crime to address a perceived slight by another motorist, but for a lifetime of violent criminal activity,” stated Acting U.S. Attorney Bridget Rohde.

Asaro in April 2012 was driving in Howard Beach when he became frustrated that a motorist cut him off at a traffic light.

He began chasing the motorist at a high rate of speed.

The victim, according to federal prosecutors, drove into Ozone Park, tried to call the police and later circled a block to try to set off a red light camera to alert the cops to his location.

An abusive husband stabbed his wife to death in their Ozone Park home before hanging himself from a tree in Forest Park on Jan. 1, cops and reports state.

Stacey Loknath was found unconscious with multiple stab wounds to her torso at 112-20 103 Ave. at 1 p.m., police said. She was declared dead at the scene.

Cops believe the killer was her husband, Vinny Loknath, who, according to published reports, was found hanging from a tree in the Kew Gardens section of Forest Park at 11 a.m. Monday.

Multiple outlets reported Loknath was abusive to his wife and The New York Post reported the husband called a friend early Jan. 1 and said, “I’m bad. I want to be cremated. Don’t bury me.”

The couple had 1- and 5-year-old children together, according to reports.

The Police Department had just closed the books on 2017, which saw fewer than 300 murders — the fewest killings the five boroughs have seen in decades.

The case marks the third year in a row that the city’s first homicide was committed in Queens.

In 2016, a woman was found dead in her Woodhaven bedroom — allegedly beaten to death by her boyfriend.

And last year a man in town for his grandmother’s funeral was shot to death in South Ozone Park during an attempted Q robbery gone wrong.

Vincent Asaro was sentenced to 96 months in FILE PHOTO prison for arson.

Asaro later asked an unnamed Bonanno associate, who recruited the grandson of the Teflon Don, to torch the victim’s car.

John Gotti III, who is already serving time for drug charges, drove the getaway vehicle while the two other suspects doused the car with gasoline and burned it.

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office said there is no scheduled date for Gotti’s sentencing.

“The anger that propelled Asaro to action is reminiscent of so many scripted Hollywood dramas, but unlike the fame and fortune of the big screen, Asaro’s story ends on a different note,” said William Sweeney, assistant director-in-charge of the FBI in New York.

“Today’s sentence proves that living life in the Q fast lane is sure to be short lived.”

Bowling for Vets on Jan. 14 The Rotary Club of Southwest Queens will hold its annual “Bowling for Vets” event Jan. 14 at Bowl360, located at 98-18 Rockaway Blvd. in Ozone Park.

The event starts at 1:30 p.m. and the cost of admission is $20 per adult and $10 per child. Each attendee will be able to play two games, and the admission cost covers shoe rental and refreshments.

The Ozone Park home of Stacey Loknath and Vinny Loknath. PHOTO BY ROBERT STRIDIRON

Proceeds will go to General Needs Ltd., an organization that provides clothing, boots, coats and other items to homebound veterans in Queens, Brooklyn and Long Island.

Free parking is available at Bowl360.

For more information or to book a spot, call Rotary Club President Joe Q DiBlasi at (917) 748-0583.

TELL US THE NEWS! REPORT COMMUNITY EVENTS AND ISSUES DIRECTLY TO EDITOR ANTHONY J. O’REILLY AT (718) 205.8000, EXT. 122

Murders hit record lows in ’17 continued from page 2 cincts with a 21.4 percent decrease in major crimes reported. The 112th Precinct in Forest Hills was the only precinct in Queens with an increase, coming in at 0.5 percent higher than 2016.

The 111th Precinct in Bayside and the 114th in Astoria both saw drops of 12.5, while the 110th Precinct in Elmhurst went down by 11.2 percent.

The 113th Precinct in South Jamaica registered a decrease of 9.8 percent, while the 101st and 100th precincts in the Rockaways came in at 9.5 and 9.0, respectively.

The 104th Precinct, headquartered in Ridgewood, fell by 8.4 percent, with the 109th in Flushing seeing a drop of 7.3.

Rounding out the list were the 108th Precinct in Lonf Island City (-6.2 percent), the 106th in Ozone Park (-5.6), the 103rd in Jamaica (-5.3), 115th in Jackson Heights (-3.5) and 107th in Flushing (-2.8).

Speaking on the Brian Lerher Show on WNYC Radio last week, de Blasio cited numerous factors he believes to have contributed substantially to the ongoing decline in crime.

Starting with the 2,000 new officers who have been hired during his administration, the mayor also credited things like the Neighborhood Coordination Officer program, which O’Neill is largely credited with designing.

“It used to be, you remember the vertical patrols in public housing, well those used to be undertaken by police officers, who no fault of their own, were sent into a development, didn’t know anybody, hadn’t been there before, going up and down the stairs, asking people if they lived there,” the mayor said. “You can imagine how alienating for someone who’s lived some place for decades to be asked if they lived ithere n a kind of questioning way.”

Now, he pointed out, a growing number of precincts and housing developments have NCOs who know the buildings, the residents, the tenant leaders and the potential troublemakers.

“It’s a whole different reality,” he said.

O’Neill, speaking to his new officers last week, reminded them that many of them would be on duty in or near Times Square in a few days to safeguard New Year’s Eve revelers in weather conditions that would be less than optimal. “[Y]ou might not get the front row.

You might be out on Sixth or Eighth Avenue somewhere, but you’ll hear the noise,” O’Neill said. “You’ll know everybody is having a good time. But Sunday is an important day because you’ll be protecting New York City and everyone in it. You’re going to be part of what the NYPD does better than anyone else anyQ where in the world.”

C M SQ page 7 Y K

Now, in Howard Beach, NY, one doctor is helping local residents with knee pain live more active, pain-free lives.

Living with knee pain can feel like a crippling experience.

Let’s face it, your knees aren’t as young as you used to be, and playing with the kids or grandkids isn’t any easier either. Maybe your knee pain keeps you from walking short distances or playing golf like you used to.

Nothing’s worse than feeling great mentally, but physically feeling held back from life because your knees hurt and the pain just won’t go away!

My name is Dr. Robert F. Gucciardo, D.C., owner of Gucciardo Specific Chiropractic and Natural Health Center.

Since we opened seventeen years ago, I’ve seen hundreds of people with knee problems leave the office pain free.

If you’re suffering from these conditions, a new breakthrough in medical technology may completely eliminate your pain and help restore normal function to your knees.

Do You Have Any of the Following Conditions?

• Arthritis • Knee pain • Cartilage damage • ‘Bone-on-bone’ • Tendonitis • Bursitis • Crunching and popping sounds Finally, You Have an Option Other Than Drugs or Surgery

Before the FDA would clear the Class IV laser for human use, they wanted to see proof that it worked.

This lead to two landmark studies.

The first study showed that patients who had laser therapy had 53 percent better improvement than those who had a placebo. The second study showed patients who used the laser therapy had less pain and more range of motion days after treatment. If the Class IV Laser can help these patients, it can help you too.

Could This Noninvasive, Natural Treatment Be the Answer to Your Knee Pain?

For 10 days only, I’m running a very special offer where you can find out if you are a candidate for cold laser therapy.

What does this offer include? Everything I normally do in my “Knee Pain Evaluation.” Just call before January 14, 2018 and here’s what you’ll get…

• An in-depth consultation about your problem where I will listen … really listen … to the details of your case.

• A complete neuromuscular examination.

• A full set of specialized X-rays to determine if arthritis is contributing to your pain (if necessary).

(If you have films please bring them for evaluation).

• A thorough analysis of your exam and X-ray findings so we can start mapping out your plan to being pain free.

• You’ll see everything firsthand and find out if this amazing treatment will be your pain solution, as it has been for so many other patients.

Until January 14th, you can get everything I’ve listed here for only $37. The normal price for this type of evaluation including X-rays is $250, so you’re saving a considerable amount by taking me up on this offer.

Remember what it was like before you had knee problems – when you were pain free and could enjoy everything life had to offer. It can be that way again.

Don’t neglect your problem any longer – don’t wait until it’s too late.

A new treatment is helping patients with knee pain live a happier, more active lifestyle.

Here’s what to do now: Due to the expected demand for this special offer, I urge you to call our office at once. The phone number is 718-845-2323.

Call today and we can get started with your consultation, exam and X-rays (if necessary) as soon as there’s an opening in the schedule. Our office is called Gucciardo Specific Chiropractic and Natural Health Center and you can fi nd us at 162-07 91st Street in Howard Beach. Tell the receptionist you’d like to come in for the Knee Evaluation before January 14th.

Sincerely, Dr. Robert F. Gucciardo, D.C. P.S. Now you might be wondering…

“Is this safe? Are there any side effects or dangers to this?”

The FDA cleared the first Class IV Laser in 2002.

This was after their study found 76 percent improvement in patients with severe pain. Their only warning – don’t shine it in your eyes.

Of course at our office, the laser is never anywhere near your eyes and we’ll give you a comfortable pair of goggles for safety.

Don’t wait and let your knee problems get worse, disabling you for life. Take me up on my offer and call today (718) 845-2323. For more information go to www.drgucciardo.com and click on the laser therapy tab.

Federal and Medicare restrictions apply. Dr. Robert F. Gucciardo Upper, Cervical Chiropractor, Master Clinician in Nutrition Response Testing 162-07 91st Street, Howard Beach, NY 11414 • (718) 845-2323

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New research in a treatment called Class IV Laser Therapy is having a profound effect on patients suffering with knee pain. Unlike the cutting type of laser seen in movies and used in medical procedures, the Class IV therapeutic laser penetrates the surface of the skin with no heating effect or damage.

Laser Therapy has been tested for 40 years, had over 2000 papers published on it, and has been shown to aid in damaged tissue regeneration, decrease inflammation, relieve pain and boost the immune system. This means that there is a good chance cold laser therapy could be your knee pain solution, allowing you to live a more active lifestyle.

Professional athletes like The New York Yankees and team members of the New England Patriots rely upon cold laser therapy to treat their sports-related injuries. These guys use the cold laser for one reason only…

It Promotes Rapid Healing of the Injured Tissues.

Page 7 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 4, 2018

How To Get Rid of Knee Pain Once and For All...

Without Drugs, Shots or Surgery

QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 4, 2018 Page 8

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FHVAC ambulance crushed by a tree The volunteer emergency group was briefly left without a vehicle

by Christopher Barca Editor

Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps member Ron Cohen arrived at work last Friday morning eager to start his tour.

But there was no responding to emergencies for him that day, as the ambulance he would have driven around the area was destroyed — crushed by a large tree branch that had fallen on it overnight.

“We don’t know for sure but that’s what definitely appears to have happened,” Cohen said in a Tuesday interview. “That ambulance had been in service for quite some time. I believe it’s the ambulance that replaced the one we lost in the attacks of Sept. 11.”

So instead of transporting patients, Cohen and some of his fellow FHVAC volunteers spent the day on the phone with their insurance company.

And while the group is still waiting to get an official estimate, President Alan Wolfe said in a Wednesday interview that the vehicle appears “totaled.”

The heavy branch came down on the back of the ambulance, breaking apart its roof, shattering windows and destroying its rear red, white and blue lights.

“It happens,” Wolfe said. “We’ve had ambulances involved in accidents before, it’s the way things operate. You have to move forward.”

With the ambulance out of service indefinitely, the FHVAC is down to just one vehicle. But for a short time on Tuesday and Wednesday, the group simply sat on its hands, as the heater in the other ambulance broke.

“We’re down to zero ambulances, but a repair technician

is coming to fix it and we’ll be back in service by the afternoon,” Wolfe said. “The worst part of this is not being able to serve the community. Thankfully we haven’t had to respond to any calls, as the bus has only been out of service since last night.”

The FHVAC is in the process of acquiring a rental ambulance, Wolfe and Cohen said, which they expect to have by the end of the week.

But in terms of a long-term replacement, the men noted they still need to wait on the insurance company’s official estimate of the damage before moving ahead.

Wolfe anticipates undertaking some sort of community fundraising effort in order to purchase a new ambulance.

“We’re waiting for the insurance company to pay out on the loss,” he said. “And then we’ll probably have to raise some funds to offset the cost above what the insurance company will pay.”

Some area residents have already expressed interest in donating. In response to Cohen’s post on a community Facebook page, a handful of people told him they were willing to help.

“Can you do a GoFundMe or something like that?” Carmella Schwartz asked, referring to the popular fundraising website. “Let us know.”

Any new ambulance the group acquires won’t be the same, however. Cohen said he and all his colleagues had a lot of love for the destroyed vehicle.

“I transported many, many patients in that one,” he said.

“She’s all right, but the last patient to be transported to the hospital was my daughter. We all have a sentimental attachQ ment to it.

A tree branch fell on one of the Forest Hills Volunteer Ambulance Corps’ two vehicles last Friday. FACEBOOK PHOTO / RON COHEN

City to shut a Rikers Man groped teen girl isle jail this summer in Forest Hills: NYPD

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Blaz has 10-year plan for closing complex The de Blasio administration revealed on Tuesday that it plans to close one of the Rikers Island complex’s nine jails this summer.

“This announcement is an important step in our plan to close Rikers Island and create more community-based facilities to better serve people in custody and our hard-working correctional staff,” the mayor said in a prepared statement.

According to City Hall, the George Motchan Detention Center is the facility that will be closed. It houses around 600 inmates.

Explaining why the closure was possible, the city pointed to its dwindling jail population. It was 8,705 as of New Year’s Day. Before December of last year, it had never been below 9,000 since 1982.

According to the Mayor’s Office, the inmate population census has to go below 5,000 for the jail complex to close, though.

City Hall said that closing down the detention center will not result in Department of Correction employees being laid off or in the agency’s staff being reduced.

Rather, city officials say the closure will

allow the department to make the staff stronger in other key areas, reduce overtime as well as provide crucial support and training.

“In shutting down GMDC, Mayor de Blasio has moved us one important step nearer — both symbolic and concrete — to closing Rikers Island,” Fortune Society CEO and President JoAnne Page said in her own statement.

To replace Rikers, de Blasio has said that he wants to use facilities within the boroughs. However, the mayor said last year that he does not want one in Staten Island.

Hizzoner is planning to have the jail facilities completely shut down within a 10-year period.

At least some existing borough jail facilities would have to be expanded to house the inmates, which the de Blasio administration has admitted.

Cou ncilwoma n K a ren Koslow itz (D-Forest Hills) has said that she supports using the former Queens House of Detention building in Kew Gardens to Q house inmates.

— Ryan Brady

Victim was walking down Yellowstone

by Christopher Barca Editor

The 112th Precinct is on the hunt for a man cops say brazenly groped a teenage girl in broad daylight as she walked down a busy Forest Hills street late last month.

Accord i ng to author it ies, the 16-year-old victim was walking along Yellowstone Boulevard near its intersection with Queens Boulevard at 4:30 p.m. on Dec. 19 when the per v approached her from behind and grabbed her groin.

He then f led east toward Jewel Avenue.

Police described the suspect as a white male between 25 and 30 years old.

He stands 5 feet, 7 inches tall, weighs 150 pounds and has black hair.

He was last seen wearing a black hat and black leather jacket with a either a bull or ram logo on the sleeve.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 577-8477 or submit a tip Q online at nypdcrimestoppers.com.

Police say this man groped a teenage girl as she walked down a Forest Hills street on Dec. SKETCH COURTESY NYPD 19.

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P Credit and blame as a mayor heads into a new term EDITORIAL

A

s the city enters a new year and Mayor de Blasio enters a new term, there’s much to be glad about here in Queens. But we’re New Yorkers. There’s also much to be concerned about, and many demands to be made of our re-elected mayor and new City Council.

On the positive side, we just can’t say enough about the stunning, continuous drop in violent crime. Murders are down to the lowest levels seen since the ’50s at least — since the late ’20s in fact, if historical sources are correct.

In 1930 there were 494 killings, when the population was about 6.9 million. In 1990 there were 2,245 among a populace of about 7.3 million. And in 2017? There were 290 murders, with a population over 8.5 million. While we’re used to violent crime falling year after year, the numbers remain incredible to contemplate. Yes, police do have an incentive to fudge the stats, to turn, say, an assault into harassment to please the brass. But there’s no hiding hundreds of bodies.

The trend is real. And de Blasio deserves as much credit for the improvement as his two predecessors.

He also should be lauded for his signature issue, universal prekindergarten, and its new iteration for 3-year-olds, called 3-K for All. Getting kids into school earlier — as long as

AGE

their parents want them there — is beneficial both academically and socially. De Blasio fought hard to establish UPK and deserves credit for a major achievement.

In some other areas, he’s been lucky the economy is doing so well. It’s enabled him to expand the city workforce from a little more than 270,000 full-timers when he took office to nearly 295,000 now. That may mean better services — though many in Queens would say they can’t tell — but it comes at the cost of about $100,000 per employee per year, according to the Citizens Budget Commission. Better hope that stock market bubble doesn’t burst anytime soon, though history says it will. And whether it does sooner or later, changes in federal policy are going to force belt-tightening.

They already are among those taxpayers with significant state and local tax write-offs, and neither City Hall nor Albany can just pretend things will go on as they have forever.

Good times have also allowed for the continued development — overdevelopment, many would say — that’s helping the mayor achieve his goal of expanding affordable housing units by the thousands. That’s good, though when he says, as he did to New York magazine in September, “If I had my druthers, the city government would determine every single

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It’s a better blvd.

Dear Editor: I read with interest “Rego biz band together over bike lanes” in the Dec. 21 paper (multiple editions). I am a pedestrian, cyclist, transit user and car owner in Forest Hills. I chose to live here because of the abundance of activities and shopping available and the multiple choices for getting around in the area.

The impact of the pedestrian and bicycle improvements on what was once the Boulevard of Death lie in the number of safer connections they enable, and a short segment will likely have little impact, but extending the Department of Transportation’s plan east to Union Turnpike will greatly expand safer local mobility for seniors, children and everyone else. The safety improvements demonstrated by the DOT in the first completed segment are terrific news that should be welcomed by all.

Yesterday, I used the bike lanes as part of my bike shopping trip along Queens Boulevard.

And today’s breakfast includes food purchased by bike at Ben’s Best deli. Business owners are one important voice in determining mobility improvements. In your next articles on this subject, I hope you will talk with pedestrians, cyclists and transit users about the current street improvements and what they’d like to see in the future for the boulevard.

Charles Planck Forest Hills © Copyright 2018 by MARK I PUBLICATIONS, INC. All rights reserved.

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plot of land, how development would proceed,” that’s disturbing. It’s not how America works. He should drop such thoughts and focus instead on how to keep expanding housing stock when the inevitable economic downturn occurs.

On the true downside, de Blasio continues to fail when it comes to homelessness, as the numbers keep rising even though every time you turn around, his apparatchiks have turned another hotel into a homeless shelter. That’s despite his stated policy to stop utilizing hotels. There’s a real disconnect between rhetoric and facts in this area that has to be bridged eventually, whether by this mayor or his successor.

Then there are the self-imposed transportation fiascos.

Traffic here was bad enough before the ideology that says bike or bus lanes belong on every thoroughfare, regardless of the downsides, took hold. On 111th Street by Flushing Meadows Corona Park, for example, the city took out two automobile lanes and installed a protected bike lane. The result: 49 crashes over nearly four months after the change was made, compared to 37 in the same time period last year.

It’s tangible issues like these, and many others, that Queens residents are concerned about. Most, like us, would give de Blasio mixed grades as he starts his second term.

E DITOR

A Grinch stole our holidays Dear Editor: For decades, our building’s lobby was decorated for the holidays. Always in good taste, the building’s staff took pride in putting up a menorah and lighting each candle at sunset during Chanukah. Coming close to Christmas, there was a Christmas tree and lights, and a giant Snoopy dressed as Santa with presents under the tree. The kids loved it and the twinkling lights outside and inside the lobby welcomed us home as evening arrived.

Someone has now complained about the decorations to the point where the possibility of a lawsuit has emerged. The owner, in order to prevent this from happening and having to spend thousands of dollars to defend a lawsuit even though it would be deemed frivolous, instead instructed staff to do nothing to celebrate the season of joy and light. We are sad and angry that we are being deprived of our rights to enjoy a few weeks of lit candles and a pretty

tree with some stuffed animals under it.

Whether Christian or Jew, Buddhist, Muslim, Hindu or other, how can anyone deny that this is part of the American culture in which everyone, no matter his or her race or religion, is welcome to join in? In a world gone mad over “inclusion,” it seems that is defined as taking away our rights to enjoy the symbols of our religion and the happiness it gives to everyone of good cheer. Whoever did this should be ashamed.

Sandi Goodman Forest Hills

Vacant on Vleigh Dear Editor: Re Ryan Brady’s Dec. 28 report “Time Marches On In Northern Queens” (multiple editions): Reporter Brady did an excellent job of summing up our borough’s major news events of

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Teachers’ dignity Dear Editor: Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña’s comment that she is proud to have brought back dignity to teaching is a noble sentiment (“Fariña to retire by end of school year,” Dec. 28).

However, it would have been more to the point had she said she was proud to have protected the profession’s dignity. No matter what her predecessors in the Chancellor’s office took from teachers, they could not take away their dignity.

Robert Berger Bellerose

Trump, Islam and you

sidering the absence of American newspapers daring to publish the Mohammad cartoon that set off world rioting, not to mention the murder of Theo Van Gogh, the threats against such “anti-Islamists “ as Ayann Hirsi Ali, Salman Rushdie, Brigitte Gabriel and Geert Wilders, or the fact that few French Jews dare wear a kippah in public, the numbers must be enormous.

Robert Kenler Briarwood

TMLA +

I’ll give Trump an F Dear Editor: As a retired social studies teacher, I thought Chronicle folks would like to read my Trump report card. Here are several first year Oval Office gems.

1) He’s the only president to badmouth a post-election opponent by repeatedly saying “Crooked Hillary,” “lock her up.”

2) First president to hide tax returns; and tell the world how weak former presidents were.

3) Trump’s opening salvo was to destroy Obama’s legacy, especially Obamacare!

4) He enjoys “lying through is teeth” and using terms like fake news.

5) The talk in DC is that Mr. 45 is an “asset” of a former KGB agent, now president of Russia.

6) The White House Chief ratchet attacks on the FBI. 7) He calls Special Counsel Robert Muller’s “collusion” probe a co $ tly witch hunt.

8) He withdrew America from the prestigious Paris Accords on global warming.

9) Remember the baseball term “three strikes — you’re out.” Trump endorsed three top GOP candidates: they all struck out! The Donald’s blessings should ignite GOP jitters in 2018.

10) ‘You’re fired’ became routine in the Oval Office.

11) Trump celebrated his (Scrooge) tax cut victory, but not the public. NBC/WSJ poll: 49 percent bad, 27 percent good. CNN poll: 55 percent opposed, 33 percent approved. At long last, the GOP rewarded the big corporate donors!

These 11 gems should help explain why Mr. 4’s approval rating is at rock bottom.

During the past 12 months, Trump’s divisive leadership has not made America Great Again, just divided. His truculent behavior has provoked consternation. His legacy will reveal how he embarrassed the once-respected presidency. Trumpism is taking America down a path that could destroy humanity.

The grade he deserves is an F! Anthony G. Pilla Forest Hills

Fight human trafficking Dear Editor: The people of America had better wake up concerning human trafficking and the kidnapping of children all over the United States.

President Trump is making January the month of awareness. Please wake up; our priority should be the missing children.

Miriam Rodriguez Ozone Park

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Dear Editor: (My dear vociferous editor) Sticks and stones may not break your bones, but our president’s words certainly seem to harm thee.

What’s the matter? Don’t like Nikki Haley? A bullish stock market? De-escalation of regulation? Recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel? A tax reduction for 80 percent of Americans?

A stimulus for business big and small? The repatriation of monies held abroad (which may explain the bonuses promised by AT&T)? Your Trump-supporting readers?

No? Then it must be his “flawed directive … banning citizens from seven Muslimmajority countries” (“Bike and bus lanes inflamed in 2017,” Year in Review, Central Queens edition). The words are yours. If so consider the following: Granted that the vast majority of the 1.8 billion (1,800,000,000) Muslims are nonviolent, just how many of the remainder are violent?

In truth, I don’t know the answer, but con-

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2017. He noted a tragic fire in January that destroyed 14 businesses on Vleigh Place in Kew Gardens Hills. That item should be headlined: “Time Stands Still on Vleigh Place.” Nearly a year after this blaze, the block between 78th Avenue and 77th Road is a huge hole in the ground with nothing built to replace the demolished stores.

No one has told us what will replace them or when that will happen. We’ve heard nothing from City Councilman Rory Lancman and other elected officials, or from Community Board 8. I hope the Chronicle can give us some information, based on its solid reporting record.

The summary of 2017 events is a great example of local journalism, but Mr. Brady made a mistake in reporting the controversy at the Queens Museum over re-enacting the United Nations’ vote to establish the State of Israel last August. That historic vote occurred 1947, not in 1937. Perhaps it was a printer’s error.

My Medill School of Journalism professors would have given me an F for an error like that. But the Chronicle’s entire staff deserves an A+ for reporting events that major media ignore.

Richard Reif Kew Gardens Hills Editor’s note: The error was a typo and a correction appears in the relevant editions this week.

E DITOR

Page 11 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 4, 2018

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QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 4, 2018 Page 12

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Bundle up! After the snow comes the cold The deep freeze continues as temps won’t crack 15 degrees until Sunday

by Christopher Barca Editor

The past week and a half has been so cold, even the heartiest of winter lovers have been left wondering if the temperature will ever crack the freezing mark again.

Spoiler alert: It will by early next week.

But to get there, we’ll have to endure what will likely be the coldest three days of the winter. Oh, and a little bit of snow, too.

For 10 straight days beginning Dec. 26, the temperature at Kennedy International Airport has failed to reach 32 degrees — the third-longest streak in recorded history.

Even coastal sections of Antarctica, the coldest region on Earth, have recorded readings at or just barely above the freezing mark during that time.

The record of 16 straight days, set in 1961, won’t be broken this year, as temperatures around 40 degrees are in store for both Monday and Tuesday.

But make sure you’re prepared for one final, hellish blast of cold air on Friday and Saturday, as the mercury isn’t expected to break 15 either day.

According to the National Weather Service, tonight’s temperature will dip to about 10 degrees in Queens. And even though Friday will see plentiful sunshine, it won’t bring any warmth to the borough, as the day’s high should hover around 14 — nearly 30 degrees colder than average.

But the real cold blast comes that night, when the NWS says the temperature in Queens will fall to a bone-chilling 3 degrees.

Will that be a daily record? You bet. The coldest Jan. 5 in Queens history was in 1968, when the lowest reading on the thermometer was a balmy 8.

However, the all-time records for the coldest temperature at both JFK, -2 on Jan. 21, 1985, and LaGuardia, -7 on Feb. 15, 1943, most likely won’t fall.

The wind will certainly make it feel that frigid, however, thanks to the powerful nor’easter delivering an anticipated half-foot of snow to the area today.

This storm is expected to be one of the strongest in recent years in terms of atmospheric pressure — expected to rival that of a category 2 or 3 hurricane — in addition to being massive in size.

And it is that combination of size and strength that will allow the nor’easter — which dumped snow and ice as far south as northern Florida and the southern tip of Louisiana — to yank down copious amounts of Arctic air from Canada over our area in the form of a brutally cold, sharp wind.

Gusts could reach as high as 40 mph today, resulting in dangerous wind chills between 0 and -10 degrees during the afternoon and between -10 and -20 at night.

That’s cold enough to cause hypothermia and frostbite in a short amount of time.

The snow is the big story today, but the cold blast following in the wake of Thursday’s powerful nor’easter will be downright danFILE PHOTO gerous. Low temperatures will approach 0 degrees, while the wild chills will make it feel much more frigid.

Saturday appears to be more of the same, with a high temperature of just 12 and a low reading of 5 that should break daily records at both airports.

But consider yourself lucky, Queens residents. Residents of Connecticut and the Hudson Valley will have to endure highs around 0 and lows between -5 and -12 on both Friday and Saturday.

Sunday here will look more like late December with temperatures in the low to mid 20s, before more seasonable weather comes our way next week — followed by another shot of incredible cold.

New York winters can be historically harsh, but why have the last two weeks been so brutal?

The answer can be found thousands of miles away in the form of a massive ridge of high pressure over the northern Pacific Ocean that has provided Alaska with record warmth.

That slow-moving giant ridge created a kink in the jet stream — the west-to-east band of air that weather systems normally move along — tilting it southwestward over Canada.

In recent days, that has allowed low pressure systems moving along the jet stream to transport both frigid air and snow from the Arctic to the central and eastern United States.

Senior citizens, especially those who have trouble caring for themselves, can be the most vulnerable to winter weather.

And Queens Interagency Council on the Aging President Barry Klitsberg is warning elderly borough residents to stay inside at all costs for the next few days.

“Try not to go out at all if you don’t have to,” Klitsberg told the Chronicle on Wednesday. “It’s that critical.”

But winter dangers also present themselves inside the home in the form of fire hazards.

Klitsberg said it’s common to see infernos begin with a space heater or oven during the cold weather months, as people seek alternative ways to better warm their homes.

“Certainly you want to be safe if you’re using a space heater. Keep it away from drapes and furniture that could ignite,” he said. “Also, don’t use your oven as a heater. You see a lot of fires in the winter starting from people turning on their ovens and leaving them open. I also tell people to make sure if you’re using anything with wires, that it’s wired correctly.”

When it comes to staying safe in the snow, Klitsberg said to avoid shoveling. Many deaths during winter storms don’t come from the weather system itself, but from people suffering heart attacks while they shovel snow from their property.

“If you live in a private house, you want to be very careful,” he said. “I don’t know if kids still do this, but if one is going up and down the block shoveling, maybe throw them a few bucks.”

NewYork-Presbyterian Queens hospital in Flushing sent out its own series of safety tips on Wednesday, mostly about heart health and how to prevent falls.

“Hypothermia is the leading contributor to death by heart failure,” the hospital said. “To prevent hypothermia, dress for the cold weather. Wear warm layers of quick-dry synthetic Q material and wear a hat to trap your body’s heat.”

Registration for WORKS opens soon

by Anthony O’Reilly Associate Editor

Parents interested in having their children play in the WORKS Little League — which serves the neighborhoods of Woodhaven, Ozone Park, Richmond Hill, Kew Gardens and South Ozone Park — can register for a spot on four different days this month, beginning on Jan. 5 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Registration will also take place on Jan. 11, 19 and 25, all during the same time as on the 5th, at the league’s headquarters,

located at 84-01 Jamaica Ave in Woodhaven. The cost of registration is $110 per family for all divisions, except the Challenger Division, a team for special needs children, which costs $75 per family. Payment must be made by cash, check or money order.

There will be a late fee of $10 charged to anyone who applies after April 1.

Those interested in registering must bring a copy of their child’s birth certificate and proof of residency.

“The philosophy and goal of Little

League Baseball is to teach good citizenship, build character, and team work through the game of baseball,” the league said in a statement. “These are all tools required to be successful in life.”

There are teams for boys and girls ages 4 to 15.

The league was formerly called the Rich-Haven Little League, but rebranded when it merged with the Ozone Wakefield Little League in 2002.

For more information, visit eteamz.

Q com/WORKS.

Registration for the WORKS Little League FILE PHOTO opens soon.

C M SQ page 13 Y K Page 13 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 4, 2018

Amtrak Repair Work at Penn Station Will Affect Some LIRR Customers Starting January 8 Here’s what the MTA is doing to help Beginning Monday, January 8, 2018, Amtrak will be conducting repair work at Penn Station that requires changes to Long Island Rail Road scheduled service.

To help minimize the impact this construction will have on our customers, the LIRR is making changes that will allow us to maintain capacity into Penn Station. These changes include: • Rerouting five of the 98 morning rush hour trains that normally go to Penn Station • Rerouting three of the 86 evening rush hour trains that normally depart from Penn Station • Adding four trains before or after rush hours – two in the morning and two in the afternoon/evening – plus one additional PM peak train from Hunterspoint Avenue • Adding cars to five trains to increase seating capacity • Combining two evening rush hour trains with prior or subsequent trains that depart within the same time frame (approximately six to 11 minutes) and serve all affected stations

For more details about Amtrak’s construction project, and everything the MTA is doing to help, please visit mta.info/lirr.

© 2018 Metropolitan Transportation Authority

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What you can do For complete schedule change details, be sure to pick up our special timetables effective Monday, January 8 at your nearest station or at mta.info/lirr. In addition, all LIRR customers who travel to Penn Station should: • Consider riding at the start or end of peak hours to avoid congestion • Walk toward either end of the station platform to board the extra cars added to some trains • Consider travelling to Atlantic Terminal or Hunterspoint Avenue instead

QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 4, 2018 Page 14

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State bishops blast guv’s school aid veto Bill sought to ensure nonpublic schools still received reimbursements

by Anthony O’Reilly Editor

Catholic leaders are blasting Gov. Cuomo’s veto of a bill that would’ve ensured nonpublic schools, including those of a religious nature, would continue to receive aid to cover the costs of state mandates.

“The Bishops of New York State are extremely disappointed in Governor Cuomo’s veto of this bipartisan bill,” James Cultrara, director for education of the New York State Catholic Conference, said in a Dec. 19 prepared statement. “The governor’s action will have serious impact on our schools and to the tuition-paying families who must absorb cuts in reimbursement aid, even as public school funding soars to new record heights every year.”

Cuomo rejected the bill, proposed by State Senate Education Committee Chairman Carl Marcellino (R-Nassau, Suffolk), on Dec. 18.

Cuomo’s spokesman, Richard Azzopardi, did not return a request for comment by press time Wednesday afternoon.

The legislation, which was co-sponsored by state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside), was proposed so that nonpublic schools could continue to be reimbursed under the Mandated Services Aid law of 1974.

The 43-year-old law calls for the schools to have a set number of instructional hours

State Catholic leaders fear Gov. Cuomo’s veto of a bill could see families incur a collective $10 million loss. The legislation would’ve guaranteed nonpublic schools continued to receive aid to FILE PHOTO cover the cost of state mandates. per day, depending on the grade, as well as 180 days in the school year.

The state Catholic Conference alleges the state Education Department in recent years has been scrutinizing the calendars and schedules of “select nonpublic schools,”

resulting in a reduction of aid.

The bill, which was co-sponsored in the Assembly by Education Committee Chairwoma n Cat hy Nola n ( D -Su n nyside) , would’ve specified that the SED could give the aid based on the number of daily

instructional hours — at least five hours for grades K-6 and five and a half hours for 6 to 12.

It passed the lower chamber 133-6 and the Senate approved it unanimously. Both included the measure in their one-house budget proposals earlier this year. The bill was drafted after it was not included in the enacted budget.

“This overwhelming support in the legislature makes the Governor’s action all the more disheartening to our Catholic school communities,” Cultrara said. “We will continue our advocacy to ensure that the fourdecade-old basis for reimbursement is restored, and that our schools get their fair share of reimbursement for providing statemandated services.”

It’s not guaranteed that nonpublic schools will lose money because of the veto, and the Catholic Conference says some institutions have continued to receive the same amount of aid they have in previous years even as others have seen money cut.

But published reports state religious leaders fear families could incur a collective $10 million loss because of the governor’s actions.

A spokeswoman for the Diocese of Brooklyn, which covers all Queens parishes and Catholic schools, referred all inquiries Q to Cultrara.

Cuomo: challenges numerous in 2018 State budget deficit, Washington aid cuts loom large in new session

by Michael Gannon

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Editor

Gov. Cuomo on Wednesday called for sweeping changes to the state’s criminal justice system, tax code and how sexual misconduct complaints are handled by the state and those doing business with it in his State of the State address.

And while he did not call it “congestion pricing,” he did say a panel later this year would have recommendations for some sort of plan to charge drivers for driving in Midtown and Downtown Manhattan before 2018 is out.

“It will involve difficult choices,” he said.

“But difficult choices don’t get easier by ignoring them.”

“In 2018, we have a tougher job than New York has faced in its history,” Cuomo said in New York City. “We have unprecedented challenges at every level.”

Many of the challenges stem from or will be vastly complicated by a looming $4 billion budget deficit that needs to be closed.

Cuomo said the deficit only looks to be exacerbated by a Republican Congress’ plans to cut up to $2 billion in federal funding, much of it for healthcare. He also said the loss of deductions for property taxes could amount to a 20 to 25 percent tax increase almost across the board.

“This is a federal assault on New York,”

he said. “This is going to determine the future of our state.”

He said the state intends to sue the federal government over the state and local tax — or SALT — deductions; and that the state will lead a “repeal and replace” movement.

Cuomo called on the Legislature to work on overhauling the state revenue stream, changing it from an income tax to a payroll tax method as a means of combating Washington.

He also asked it to make 2018 the year the state passes the DREAM Act, which would assist children of people who entered the United States illegally to pay for college.

On criminal justice, the governor hit a note very popular in many segments of Queens, namely bail reform. He said up to 75 percent of all people being held in New York City and other jails in the state have yet to be convicted of a crime, but cannot afford bail. Most, he said, are low-income and minority residents.

“Lady Justice is not blind, and her scales are not balanced,” Cuomo said. “Race and wealth should not be factors in justice.”

The governor wants judges to be able to enforce bail only when a defendant is determined to be a flight risk or is considered a danger to the community.

He also wants the state to exercise its authority to supervise and, when necessary,

Gov. Cuomo said the state faces a year of unprecedented challenges in 2018, many budgetary and some from Washington, DC. FILE PHOTO shut down local jails that do not meet minimal standards for housing inmates.

Cuomo, whose public asistance began with a homeless services program still run by his sister, said that issue must be addressed through housing and mental health initiatives.

“We always believed that it was momentary, an anomaly that could not go on,” he said. “Now it is back with a vengeance. ...

We pass homeless people on the street like we pass light poles and mailboxes, considering it part of a new normal. It is abnormal and it is wrong.”

The chief executive wants to force anyone working for the state, up to and including the highest reaches of government, to be forced to pay for any settlement of a sexual misconduct case themselves; and to ban nondisclosure agreements. He also is calling for rules requiring any company doing business with the state to provide its history of sexual misconduct settlements and nondisclosure agreements.

As for subways, Cuomo called on the Legislature to work with his administration for both short- and long-term financing options for the city’s system.

“We can’t wait,” he said. “Funding must be found in a tight budget in this session.

Riders have suffered too long.”

Cuomo also said the state intends to sue the makers of opioid dr ugs, whom he accused of manufacturing the cur rent national drug epidemic, comparing them to the tobacco industry.

On the subject of terrorism, the governor needed only point to recent attacks in New York City. He said the state will continue to expand and improve law enforcement’s training. continued on page 18

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QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 4, 2018 Page 16

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City Council looks to save storefronts Blunt retail business report offers recommendations to aid small retail

by Michael Gannon Editor

High taxes, rising rents and well-funded national chain stores are just some of the challenges facing small retailers and entrepreneurs in New York City.

And with uncertain economic times ahead, the City Council is looking to keep a large assortment of small retail businesses in business, while protecting them from being muscled out by the big boys.

“Planning for Retail Diversity” is a 70-page document that addresses tax incentives, land use and building code regulations and businesses ranging from street carts to gyms.

Signatories in the cover letter include former Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, Councilman Robert Cornegy (D-Brooklyn), chairman of the Committee on Small Business: Councilman Donovan Richards (D-Laurelton), chairman of the subcommittee on zoning and franchises; and David Greenfield, the former councilman and chairman of the Committee on Land Use. The letter states that small retail businesses provide 600,000 jobs in the city.

“However, all is not well without city’s retail sector,’ the letter states. “Low income communities continue to lack essential goods and services and the highest-end retail corridors are pockmarked with vacancies due to ever increasing rents. Addition-

Whether it be tony Forest Hills, above, or a resurgent Jamaica, small retailers are being hit hard on many sides. The City Council soon will review recommendations aimed at helping them surPHOTO BY MICHAEL GANNON vive alongside bigger, deep-pocketed chain stores. ally, e-commerce now takes almost 10% of retail sales nationwide, posing a growing threat to our neighborhood businesses.”

“These are all recommendations at this point,” said Jordan Gibbons, a spokesman for Richards. “This is the start of the con-

versation.” Hearings would have to be held before most of the recommendations could be put in place, and some, such as those involving tax law, would require passage by the state Legislature.

Some of the recommendations involve

things like easing the permit process for gyms, and rezoning some areas to limit the lengths of individual storefronts. The latter, according to the report, would keep a large national retailer out of a spot that then is freed up for two or more smaller enterprises.

The stated aim is not to keep national chains out — just to offer smaller entrepreneurs a fighting chance on a more level playing field.

The authors would like the city’s Department of Small Business Services to conduct regular inventories of vacant storefronts; work on ways to mitigate the impact of e-retailers on brick-and mortar operations; and offer landlords incentives to offer longterm leases to small proprietors.

Under one proposal, landlords would be offered a certain rate of tax abatement per square foot if they agree to 10-year leases with “affordable” renewal riders that set maximum levels for rent increases.

Still another proposal is to offer a variety of tax breaks to supermarket owners and their landlords aimed both at keeping exiting stores in place and encouraging ones to open in underserved neighborhoods.

Leslie Brown, president of the Forest Hills Chamber of Commerce, said the diagnosis is right, but the some of the prescriptions may well be unworkable. continued on page 17

Chain businesses keep growing in Qns. Report finds slowed rise of .9 percent; 34 new MetroPCS stores opened up

by Ryan Brady

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Associate Editor

The presence of national chain retailers in the borough expanded by 0.9 percent in 2017, a Center for Urban Future report has found. It went from 1,665 to 1,680 stores.

In its 10th annual “State of the Chains” analysis, the CU F said that 34 new MetroPCS stores opened in Queens, making it the second-most pervasive chain here with 122 total locations. The city and borough’s top spot still belongs to Dunkin’ Donuts, which added eight new Queens stores in 2017; it now has 187 of them.

Queens lost 14 CVS locations and eight Duane Reade/Walgreens stores in 2017.

The report defined the national retailers as businesses with at least two locations within the five boroughs and at least one more outside them.

The past few years have seen an expansion of the stores in Queens. According to the CUF, their presence rose by 1.6 percent in 2016 and 2015 after going up by 5.3 percent in 2014. In 2013, the number of this borough’s chains fell by 0.4 percent.

Every borough except Staten Island, which saw a 1.9 percent decrease, saw a rise in the chains. Queens and Manhattan tied at 0.9 percent, though the number of national retailers added was higher in the latter because it has more of them overall. Brook-

For the fourth year in a row, the presence of chain businesses increased in this borough. Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins — above, in Flushing — are respectively the most and fourth-most common ones in Queens, according to the Center for an Urban Future. PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER BARCA lyn’s increase of 3.1 percent was the biggest, with the Bronx at 1.8 percent.

Throughout the entire city, the increase in chain stores was 1.8 percent. Just one in

seven of the national retailers enlarged their presence in the five boroughs; one in five of the chains in the city closed.

“I think for a long time, most of the

growth of chain stores happened in Manhattan and in the last five years or so the growth is really being driven in the other boroughs,” CUF Executive Director Jonathan Bowles told the Chronicle. “And Queens has been a real leader.”

Bowles, a Forest Hills resident, added that the national retailers’ growth in Queens puts more pressure on small businesses by bringing rents up.

“There are some areas: Steinway Street, Austin Street and different parts of Queens Boulevard and Northern Boulevard where you find ... a growing number of national retailers,” the CUF executive director said.

“But so many other corridors in the borough are still havens for independent businesses and hopefully it remains that way.”

Within the borough, the number of chain stories varies greatly by neighborhood. The CUF found 131 national retailers to be in 11373, an Elmhurst ZIP code that includes the Queens Center mall, two more than were in the same area last year. The ZIP code 11697 on the Rockaway Peninsula has no chain stores, according to the report.

The biggest rise in chain stores in any ZIP code was 11354, which includes Downtown Flushing. The area saw 10 new such retail locations added in the last year, giving it a total of 78. continued on page 17

C M SQ page 17 Y K

continued from page 16 “A few years ago, we had one vacancy on Austin Street,” she said. “Now we have several. It’s the rent. Even some big stores are having problems with the rent.”

Brown doesn’t know that a landlord would be willing to take a deal in which he or she cannot maximize a return, particularly with a proposal that would cap the abatement and rent increases, but still leave property tax assessment, minus a flat abatement, to real estate market forces.

Gibbons said any regulations would have to differentiate between what is “affordable” in Downtown Manhattan and what would work in Jamaica.

“You couldn’t have one-size-fitsall,” he said.

Several national chains are opening or looking around in Jamaica, adjacent to Richards’ district.

Starbucks has two sites open on the Jamaica Avenue corridor and is looking for a third. Dallas BBQ is open and Chipotle is doing interior construction.

Clothing retailers H&M and Burlington also are rumored to be shopping around for nearby real estate.

Richards’ office did not respond when asked if the regulations the report is recommending would have stopped any of those businesses had Q they been in place two years ago.

continued from page 16 Inversely, the biggest losing ZIP code was 11413, which comprises parts of Springfield Gardens and Laurelton. It lost five chains, giving it a total of 21.

What the CUF analysis discovered about Flushing is part of a larger trend about businesses in general growing in the neighborhood. According to a City Council report about retail in the five boroughs, the same 11354 ZIP code saw an increase in 141 small restaurants and retailers from 2002 to 2012.

Only three other ZIP codes throughout the entire city saw a larger increase in those businesses, which the Council study defined as ones with revenue under $1 million.

With Dunkin’ Donuts and MetroPCS taking the top two spots for chains in the CUF report, the other eight biggest chains in Queens are, in order: Subway with 118 locations, Baskin-Robbins with 77, T-Mobile with 76, Rite Aid with 58, McDonald’s with 55, 7-Eleven with 48, Starbucks with 40 and CVS with 38.

In an interview, Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development Policy Coordinator Lena Afridi praised the CUF report. She also said that the increase in chains is bad for New Yorkers if they are “pushing out the small businesses that meet the current Q needs of the community.”

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The site of the former Joe Abbracciamento Restaurant was just a hole in the ground a few months ago. But not anymore.

Work has proceeded at a rapid pace on a planned six-story mixed-use building at 62-96 Woodhaven Blvd. on the Middle Village-Rego Park line, with the skeleton of the first four floors already completed.

There was no work being done on the 92-unit structure last Thursday, however,

Page 17 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 4, 2018

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Qns. Museum still has no Israel report Institution had law firm investigate why 1947 vote re-enactment was canceled

by Ryan Brady Associate Editor

When the Queens Museum canceled an event last year re-enacting the 1947 United Nations vote that established the state of Israel, many were outraged. Ultimately, the commemoration happened after the institution — which is based in the building where the vote took place — rescheduled it.

And according to the Daily News, the museum’s board of trustees had a law firm investigate why the event was briefly canceled. Though the original deadline for the firm’s report was Nov. 27, according to the tabloid, it was extended to December.

Nonetheless, a spokeswoman for the Queens Museum told the Chronicle that the institution’s board of trustees still have not received the report. She added that “we cannot comment any further than this.”

The firm, Katten Muchin Rosenman, acknowledged an inquiry by the Chronicle but did not respond prior to deadline after being asked when the report will be finished or if its findings will be published.

Immediately after the cancellation was announced, Councilman Rory Lancman (D-Fresh Meadows) called for Queens Museum President and Executive Director Laura Raicovich to be fired over it.

According to the Jerusalem Post, Raicovich had said that the decision to cancel the event was made by the museum’s executive board. She had said that the board’s decision was based on the re-enactment being a “political event,” though Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon disagreed and also called for her to be removed from her role at the museum.

Raicovich had edited a book of essays supportive of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, a Palestinian-led protest movement opposed to Israel occupying Arab territories.

Her critics disagreed with the claim that

A report by a law firm about the Queens Museum canceling an event re-enacting the 1947 vote that established the state of Israel has FILE PHOTO once again missed its deadline. the commemoration is political.

Lancman isn’t happy about the law firm’s report being delayed, either.

“I don’t understand the delay, or the complication,” the councilman said in a prepared statement, adding that Raicovich supports BDS and only reinstated the event after tremendous public pressure. “The museum needs new leadership that the taxpayers can trust to be an honest, unbigoted steward of the public’s money and trust.”

Flushing Jewish Community Council Executive Director Paul Engel said that “maybe the Queens Museum wants it to blow over.

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if they even come out with anything, especialQ ly because it was reversed.”

City recycling Christmas trees The city Department of Parks and Recreation will collect Christmas trees for recycling or chipping at 13 sites throughout the borough from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 6 and Sunday, Jan. 7.

Chipping sites, which will have mulch available, will be at Astoria Park at 19th Street and Hoyt Avenue; Brookville Park on Brookville Boulevard between Caney Road and 144th Avenue; Cunningham Park at Union Turnpike and 196th Place; Forest Park at Woodhaven Boulevard and Forest Park Drive; Hunter’s Point South park at 51st Avenue and Center Boulevard;

Juniper Valley Park on 80th Street between Juniper boulevards North and South; and Travers Park on 78th Street at 34th Avenue.

Drop-off locations include Capt. Mario Fajardo Playground on Kissena Boulevard at Booth Memorial Avenue; Queensbridge Park at Vernon Boulevard and the Queensbridge Park Greenway; Roy Wilkins Park at Merrick and Foch boulevards; Windmuller Park at the Lawrence Virgilio Playground at 34th Drive and 54th Street; and Rockaway Beach at Shorefront Parkway and Beach 94th Street, as well as the Beach Q 11th Street parking lot.

PHOTOS COURTESY NYC COUNCIL

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QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 4, 2018 Page 18

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Bob Holden takes the oath That’s Councilman Bob Holden (D-Glendale) to you.

The former Juniper Park Civic Association president was sworn in as the 30th City Council District’s representative on Tuesday, with City Clerk Michael McSweeney administering the oath of office at City Hall.

“I am humbled and honored to represent this district in the City Council,” Holden said

in a statement. “I’ll be fighting for my constituents every day and I’ll take the fight to City Hall on their behalf. I’m excited to roll up my sleeves and get to work.”

Holden will take over former Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley’s office within The Shops at Atlas Park for the next few months, but plans to move.

— Christopher Barca

Cuomo: challenges ahead in ’18 continued from page 14 Education goals for 2018 include shifting money to the poorest districts in the state. In turn, he said local school districts must direct appropriate amounts of funding to their poorest schools.

“Trickle-down economics doesn’t work,” he said. “Neither does trickledown education.”

While the governor welcomed Mayor de Blasio in the audience, he appeared to slip in a dig at his political rival while explaining his theory of government.

“Progressivism needs dreamers and

doers, visionaries and achievers,” he said. “People need actual accomplishments. They don’t need theoretical progressivism.”

President Trump also was not spared.

Accusing the president of divisiveness, he referred to the phrase “E pluribus unum,” Latin for “Out of many, one,” a motto used on many official seals, including that of the president of the United States: a symbol, Cuomo said, on a f lag just behind Trump’s desk in the Oval Office.

“To find a way forward, the president Q only needs to turn around,” he said.

C M SQ page 19 Y K Page 19 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 4, 2018

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Crowley declares her career far from over Ex-lawmaker plans to stay in the public eye, focus on women’s issues

by Christopher Barca Editor

Elizabeth Crowley’s Glendale office was as busy as ever last Wednesday.

Staffers worked the phones and typed away at their keyboards. A lawyer thumbed through citizenship applications sent in by her constituents. Crowley herself chatted about future initiatives with an aide.

But on Thursday, her modest space on the third floor of The Shops at Atlas Park’s office building would fall silent.

The photographs of friends and family on her desk would be carried out in boxes by staffers who might not have had to set their alarm clocks for the following morning.

Those citizenship applications will be left in a neat pile on a table. And the lawyer whose job it was to help process them will find himself doing the same in someone else’s office by Friday.

Why? In just a few days time, Crowley’s second full term as a member of the City Council would conclude.

And unlike almost every other Democrat who ran for office in 2017, there would be no oath for her to take or religious text to place her hand on.

Instead, it would be her longtime rival and sharpest critic, outspoken civic leader and now Councilman Bob Holden (D-Glendale) — the man who defeated her by just 137 votes out of the 21,023 cast — doing just that.

But even in the face of such a disappointing defeat, Crowley was all smiles last Wednesday as she welcomed members of the Chronicle editorial board into her office for a sitdown interview.

After all, she believes her time serving the residents of the 30th Council District — and, potentially, beyond — has just begun.

“Whatever I do next, it’s going to be helping people. While I always enjoyed the ability to make a difference [as a lawmaker], I think I’ll continue to be that changemaker,” Crowley said. “It’s been so personal for me. I like to think that whatever I do, it will be a similar kind of investment.”

While much of the discussion was on Crowley’s future, she willingly discussed her forced exit from the Council at length.

When asked if there was anything she could have done to reverse Holden’s razorthin margin of victory, the former lawmaker said she was “proud” of the “good, clean” campaign she ran and truly believed she left no stone unturned.

“I ran hard. I was dedicated and worked nonstop. We did everything I thought we needed to do to win the election,” Crowley said. “He did what he could to gain any last vote. There was a lot of fear mongering, blatant lies and dirty tricks.”

In a statement issued after the election, Holden said, “my campaign was a true grassroots effort in every way and proves that ‘you can fight City Hall,’” while also thanking Crowley for her nine years of service.

But Crowley and her successor have a documented history of disdain for one another and the race, one of the most expensive and bruising in the city, played out as such.

In a sitdown interview with the Chronicle last week, former Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley said she was proudest of her work on education and securing new school seats during her nine years as District 30’s representative. When it comes to the future, she plans to focus mostly on FILE PHOTO empowering women and encouraging them to run for political office.

During the summer, Holden repeatedly Independent Commission on Criminal Justice blasted Crowley for negative mailers calling and Incarceration Reform. him “Angry Bob” and comparing him to Abe Despite widespread opposition to the plan Simpson, the senile, hotheaded grandfather in in parts of her district, Crowley has been a the iconic animated TV ser ies “The vocal supporter of the proposal since it was Simpsons.” unveiled in early spring.

And in early fall, Holden, a registered At a December hearing of the Committee Democrat, was given the Queens County on Fire and Criminal Justice Services, which Republican Party’s line on the general elec- she has led for the last four years, she even tion ballot. Crowley slammed him at the time blasted the city for supposedly not moving on for the “despicable bait and switch.” the proposal fast enough, claiming she The outgoing lawmaker said that, despite believes the administration is “trying to hide her record and status as an incumbent, she something.” was “not surprised” by her loss, considering Crowley said she plans to remain outspothe district’s conservative tilt — she is the ken on closing Rikers Island going ahead, only Democrat to have ever represented the pushing the plan forward as much as she can area in the City Council. as a private citizen.

With the race now a month in the rearview “It depends on my time and my level of mirror, Crowley said she has yet to speak committment. But I will do as much as I can,” with her successor and has no immediate she said. “I hope the Mayor’s Office rises to plans to do so. the occasion and is But if he pushes a held accountable as I policy or makes a have done and will hatever I do next, it’s com ment she discontinue to do.” a g r e e s w it h , s h e But where she going to be helping promised to “absoexpects to devote lutely” spea k out much of her energy in people.” against him. the future is the “21 — Former Councilwoman “I won’t be outspoin ’21” initiative — Elizabeth Crowley ken on ever y last the push to recruit vote,” she said. “But prospective female it’s in my nature to speak out and speak up for candidates and ultimately elect 21 of them to what I believe in. I’m going to continue to do the City Council by 2021 — she co-founded that, whether it’s Bob Holden, Mayor de Bla- alongside former Council Speaker Melissa sio or Donald Trump.”

Mark-Viverito early last year.

After Trump was sworn in as commanderThe fledgling organization is in the proin-chief last January, his predecessor, Barack cess of hiring an executive director, she said, Obama, spent much of the next few months and a November membership drive saw about vacationing all around the world.

200 people spend $50 to join.

When asked if she had similar ambitions Crowley said she already has multiple for the cold, winter months ahead, Crowley employment prospects in the works — she said that aside from a weekend getaway she declined to go into further details — but one recently booked, she plans on staying position she would love to have would be the active. top spot on 21 in ’21’s board of directors.

In February, she will participate in a Ford“I am a founder, so once the structure is in ham University panel discussion on the city’s place, I could be the chairperson. Whether proposed closing of the Rikers Island jail Melissa wants to stay involved as much as she facilities within 10 years at the invitation of was last year, there could be two chairs.”

Judge Jonathan Lippman — the chairman of Looking back on her nine years, Crowley

“W

said she’s “certainly” leaving the district in better shape than when she found it.

When asked about what she sees as her biggest accomplishments, the former lawmaker specifically cited numerous school construction and addition projects that were either completed or started under her watch, saying School District 30 — while still packed — is not as severely overcrowded as it had been in past years.

“The truth is there’s only one section of our district that is still overcrowded, but the entire district was in 2009,” Crowley said, citing schools in parts of Elmhurst and Corona.

She also highlighted legislation requiring schools be transparent with how much physical education time it provides its students, in addition to last year’s school-based participatory budgeting process, whereby students or their parents voted on which building upgrades they wanted to spend $100,000 in city funding on.

“It’s not just expanding seats,” she said. “It was continuous funding and upgrading. If you look at the smaller capital projects I was able to fund, from year to year schools were always the big winners.”

Transpor tation-wise, Crowley didn’t remain in the Council long enough to see through her plan to restore passenger train service to the Long Island Rail Road’s Lower Montauk branch from Jamaica to Long Island City — which she announced in 2016 — giving the area a quicker way to get to and from Manhattan.

Holden has called the plan “ludicrous” while Mayor de Blasio said last month he wasn’t sure if enough people would use the line to make it worthwhile. For example, a 1998 New York Times report found just three people per day used the Glendale station, leading to the service’s discontinuation that same year.

But Crowley excitedly said the “positive” result of an MTA study on the proposal should be released sometime in January.

“There’s probably going to be a fairly large announcement as to the feasibility,” she said.

“It will show that it’s certainly feasible.

“We need to make sure we get the funding for it,” she added. “There’s a lot of things still up in the air with federal funding, but this is something that should qualify for it.”

When asked if her career in politics was over, Crowley left the door open to future runs for office both in her old Council district and outside it.

“I wouldn’t rule it out. I think public service is in my blood and it’s a part of who I am. I can’t say yes or no,” she said. “I’m not discouraged by the election by any means and I don’t think it limits my ability to be elected again.”

But before she could think about running again — either in a rematch against Holden or for any other office — she said there was still work to be done as long as the sun still hung in the sky on Wednesday; as long as she was still Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley.

“I was working on the Saturday before Christmas,” she said. “I hadn’t even done any Q Christmas shopping yet.”

C M SQ page 21 Y K

Addabbo: Response times to such incidents needs to be improved

by Anthony O’Reilly Editor

This again?

Twenty-six people were stuck for more than three hours on the waters of Jamaica Bay Dec. 27 when their Manhattan-bound city ferry hit a sandbar — the second such instance in two months.

Nobody was injured and the boat reportedly had heat to keep the passengers warm while emergency crews worked to bring them to dry land.

“First and foremost, our focus is always on the safety of our riders, and we truly appreciate the support of the USCG, FDNY, and NYPD for their assistance with safely transporting our riders off of the vessel last night,” NYC Ferry said in a statement.

A similar incident happened when a Rockaway-bound ship crashed into an underwater pillar in Manhattan Nov. 27.

That vessel had more than 100 passengers and crew members.

That crash came a day after the New York Post first reported five boats had been pulled out of service due to potentially catastrophic holes being discovered in them.

The holes, the Post reported, could have led to leaks in a compartment that if compromised could cause the ship to sink. Each of the vessels costs about $4 million.

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Another city ferry boat hit a sandbar, this time stranding more than two dozen people on the frigid waters of Jamaica Bay. State Sen. Joe Addabbo is calling for improved response times to such FILE PHOTO incidents.

Beach) is calling for better response times to such crashes.

“Measures need to be taken to prevent accidents like this from occurring if people are expected to trust and use the city’s ferry

system,” the senator said in a Dec. 28 statement. “The city has been lucky that over the recent incidents on the Ferry nobody was seriously injured. I’m hopeful that improved safety measures can be implemented before

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the city’s luck runs out.”

The ferry service — operated by Hornblower — began in May, a little more than two years after Mayor de Blasio f irst announced the highly anticipated initiative.

Queens commuters can board at Hunters Point or in Rockaway.

De Blasio said at an unrelated press conference Dec. 29, “From what I know, and this is preliminary information — there needs to be a full investigation — both of them were based on human error but that doesn’t make them acceptable. Again, thank God no one was injured in either incident.”

When asked by a reporter if people should feel safe on the ferries, the mayor responded yes.

“But, no, there’s no question it’s safe,” he said. “We have ample evidence it’s safe and we’re going to continue to make sure the service is run well.”

Rockaway residents had a ferry for a short while after Superstorm Sandy, which took them to Manhattan while the A train was out of commission for repairs.

When the train came back, the waterborne system stuck around for a short time but was scrapped in October 2014 — the city claimed it was paying too much to subsidize the service — only for the mayor months later to announce it would be comQ ing back.

Page 21 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 4, 2018

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How you can coach others in finance

by Mark Lord Chronicle Contributor

In times of financial stress such as these, when many individuals and families are struggling to get back on their feet, it’s nice to know that help is there. It’s probably just as comforting to those who offer the assistance.

And the next opportunity for you to do just that is only weeks away.

Since 2007, the Financial Coaching Corps, launched by the Community Service Society of New York, headquartered in Manhattan, has been helping people in impoverished urban areas achieve financial stability by educating them on how to better handle their personal finances.

The coaching comes from senior citizens who volunteer their time to work one-on-one with those in need — and at no cost whatsoever, providing a better chance for their clients to take control of their financial security by teaching them how to budget, save and build on their assets.

If you have a few hours to spare and you’d like to get involved, your chance is coming up on March 6, when the next training session begins.

According to Courtney Davis, the organization’s community development specialist, “We like to say that we provide free, voluntary and confidential financial coaching.”

Nancy Nierman

COURTESY PHOTO

She indicated that they “have a team of 34 highly trained volunteer financial coaches who serve throughout New York City in 23 non-profit partner agencies.” Each volunteer must attend 30 hours of training before being placed in the group’s partner sites.

Not only do coaches provide invaluable assistance, but they seem to gain a great deal of personal satisfaction in the process.

Nancy Nierman, one volunteer whose back-

ground happens to involve finance, pointed out that “the work I’m doing [for the FCC] is very different from what I did professionally.”

She started working for the FCC in May and has already found the experience “enormously rewarding. Even clients that have substantial financial problems can walk away from a session feeling better about their situation because they now have a plan.”

She pointed out that each volunteer’s clients have different concerns, depending on where they are assigned.

Nierman was partnered with the Grace Institute, a citywide organization that runs a job training program for women. Her clients range in age from 20 to their early sixties.

Their primary concerns, she said, are strategies for managing credit card debt, how to improve their credit scores, learning budgeting skills and dealing with student loan issues.

Fellow volunteer Irene Nunes, a retired natural scientist, had been searching for a way to help fill her time when she happened to see a flyer recruiting people for the program.

“Never in a million years” did she expect to become a financial coach, but she’s been at it for two-and-a-half years and “I’ve loved it ever since.”

Nunes was partnered with ACE, a job-training

program for formerly homeless people. She estimates that one-third of her clients, ranging in age from their thirties to their sixties, have old student loan debts to deal with.

“I just love the whole idea that there are people willing to take jobs to help other people,” she said, though she considers her contributions “minor to the overall picture.” But she has met “so many people I never would have met.” Now 75 year old, she plans to continue coaching as long as she is able.

The minimum age to volunteer is 55. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills are also required. No previous experience is necessary.

Following a personal interview and successful completion of training — which takes place at the CSS — volunteers must commit to four to six hours per week for one year.

The training covers topics ranging from how to review and repair credit reports, developing debt reduction plans and organizing and prioritizing bills, to how to create a budget, set financial goals, screen for public benefits and tax credits, and even how to open a bank account.

Further information on the CSS is available at cssny.org.

Anyone interested in volunteering may apply online by clicking on the following link: cssny.org/ P programs/entry/financial-coaching-corps.

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Financial freedom in retirement is a goal for many working professionals and it involves planning and saving for all potential expenses in retirement.

Potential long-term expenses in retirement

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Retirement planning involves more than just investing in a 401(k) and/or IRA. Individuals who hope to live comfortably in retirement must account for various expenses, including those associated with their health.

A 2013 report from the U.S. Senate’s Commission on Long-Term Care found that each year an estimated 12 million adults in the United States require some type of long-term care.

Planning for the following potential expenses can help men and women ensure they will have enough money to live well in retirement.

• Housing: Many individuals would prefer to spend their golden years living in their own homes. However, adults who can no longer take care of themselves and/or their homes may need to move. Homeowners who simply want to downsize may be able to finance their transitions to retirement communities by selling their existing homes. But those who need to move into assisted living facilities may find that even selling their homes might not provide enough capital to pay for such residences. According to Genworth’s 2016 Cost of Care Survey, the annual cost of assisted living facilities greatly varies by state, with costs as high as $65,550 in Massachusetts and as low as $30,438 in Missouri. Whether they invest in long-term care insurance or develop another plan with their financial advisors, men and women must consider ways to finance potential housing costs in retirement.

• Renovations : Home renovations are another potential cost in retirement. Aging men

and women who can no longer comfortably navigate staircases but are otherwise healthy may need to renovate their homes to account for their limited mobility. Such renovations might include the installation of a staircase chair lift and/or a ramp connected to the entryway of a home. Some may even need to convert a firstfloor den or living area into a bedroom, which may also require adding a full bathroom.

• Maintenance: Homeowners who want to stay in their homes in retirement must also factor potential maintenance costs into their retirement plans. Aging men and women may no longer be capable of maintaining their properties in retirement. Consider the potential costs of landscaping, home maintenance and maid services when making a retirement plan.

• Transportation: Diminishing vision and slower reaction times compel many retirees to give up driving. But retirees who still enjoy getting out and about will still need a way to get around. Moving to a retirement community with daily shuttle service to and from town centers is one way for seniors who no longer drive to get around. But men and women who do not want to move to such communities will need to find alternative means of transportation, the costs of which can add up quickly.

Financial freedom in retirement is a goal for many working professionals. Attaining such freedom involves planning and saving for all P potential expenses in retirement.

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ARTS, ARTS AR R TS S CULTURE CULT C ULT LTU LT T URE U R E & LIVING L IV IVII NG

A good time’s a sure thing

R e so r ts Wo rl d e n te r ta in m e n t

g o e s wa y b e y o n d g a m in g

by Anthony O’Reilly

continued on page 29

For the latest news visit qchron.com

For many in Queens, and elsewhere, Resorts World Casino in South Ozone Park has earned a reputation as a premier gaming spot.

But hitting the slots is far from the only thing to do there.

In the middle of the Times Square Casino level is Bar360, which serves as the racino’s headquarters for all things entertainment. It’s a safe bet you’ll find something to enjoy there as the space offers everything from televised sports games to live musical performances.

Brad Egnor, Resort’s vice president of marketing, said Bar360’s purpose is not only to stream games on “the largest LCD screen east of the Mississippi River,” though that is part of it, but to also “continuously” offer different programming for guests.

He believes Resorts has been successful in that venture since opening a little more than six years ago, at 110-00 Rockaway Blvd., partially because there’s nothing like it in the surrounding area.

“I think people do think of us as an entertainment venue, especially with our Queens audience,” Egnor said. “If you look around, you know JFK doesn’t have entertainment events. We truly try to focus on that local audience.”

If you’re looking to catch the game at the bar’s 16-by-28-foot screen, Sunday is the day to head down there.

The other six days of the week are set aside for free musical performances.

On Mondays, it’s showtime, ladies and gentlemen. Resorts hosts performers often seen throughout the subway system for “MTA Musicians Mondays,” from 6 to 8 p.m.

It’s just like the music you hear while on or waiting for the train, except you’re not running late to work because of signal delays.

The weekly shows started in September and have been a hit, Egnor said.

“They bring a lot of energy to the floor and energy throughout the entertainment,”

Page 25 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 4, 2018

January 4, 2018

C M SQ page 25 Y K

QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 4, 2018 Page 26

C M SQ page 26 Y K

EXHIBITS

Moriah Evans’ “Figuring,” with three female performers attempting to “reconfigure the perceived cohesiveness and stability of the human form.”

Tue.-Wed., Jan. 9-10; Fri.-Sun., Jan. 12-14, 5:30 p.m., SculptureCenter, 44-19 Purves St., Long Island City. $25. Info: (718) 361-1750, sculpture-center.org.

“Art in the Garden: Hope,” with intricately detailed pencil drawings of seeds artist Laura Fantini has collected in NYC and Italy, exploring their power, new beginnings and growth. Tue., Jan. 9-Sun., April 29, Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main St., Flushing.

Free thru March; then free with garden admission.

Info: (718) 886-3800, queensbotanical.org.

TOURS/HIKES

“Carolee Schneeman: Kinetic Painting,” with various works by the pioneering avant-garde artist tracing her development from the 1950s to the 2000s. Thru Sun., March 11, MoMA PS1, 22-25 Jackson Ave., Long Island City. $10; $5 students, seniors; free under 16. Info: (718) 784-2084, momaps1.org.

“Naeem Mohaiemen: There Is No Last Man,” with a film about a man stranded in an abandoned airport and other works examining the artist’s great uncle’s mistaken hope that Nazi Germany would defeat Britain and liberate India; together imagining a relationship between two lonely narrators. Thru Sun., March 11, MoMA PS1, 22-25 Jackson Ave., Long Island City. $10; $5 students, seniors; free under 16. Info: (718) 784-2084, momaps1.org.

“Self-Interned, 1942: Noguchi in Poston War Relocation Center,” works by Isamu Noguchi focusing on his time voluntarily spent in a WWII camp for Japanese-Americans ordered there by the U.S. Thru Sun., Jan. 7, Noguchi Museum, 9-01 33 Road, Long Island City. $10; $5 seniors, students; NYC HS students, kids under 12 free. Info: (718) 204-7088, noguchi.org.

“Mage,” with works by several artists in various media, examining the “spells” cast over us by modern technologists with specialized knowledge, analogous to the mages of yore. Thru Fri., Jan. 19, Radiator Gallery, 10-61 Jackson Ave., Long Island City. Free.

Info: (347) 677-3418, radiatorarts.com.

Turning Over a New Leaf, a guided walk through the East Pond trails, for all ages. Sat., Jan. 6, 10-11:30 a.m. Nature Journaling Workshop, with adults learning how to hone their skills of observation while walking the trails.

Sat., Jan. 6, 2-3:30 p.m. Both Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Center, 175-10 Cross Bay Blvd., Broad Channel. Free. Info: (718) 318-4340, nps.gov/gate/planyourvisit.

It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing! That’s what they’ll be thinking over at Flushing Town Hall on Sunday, Jan. 14, when Kristen Seavey, right, will lead a journey through the swing era, performing to music by the Big Band greats. See Dance.

COURTESY PHOTO “The Socrates Annual,” 15 sculptures by different artists, many commenting on the current political climate. Thru Sun., March 11, Socrates Sculpture Park, 32-01 Vernon Blvd., Long Island City. Free. Info: (718) 956-1819, socratessculpturepark.org.

“Patty Chang: The Wandering Lake, 2009-2017,” a multimedia meditation on mourning, caregiving, geopolitics and landscape, partly inspired by Sven Hedin’s 1938 book “Wandering Lake,” about a migrating body of water in China. Thru Sun., Feb. 18, Queens Museum, Flushing Meadows Corona Park. $8 suggested; $4 seniors; free students, children.

Info: (718) 592-9700, queensmuseum.org.

THEATRE

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Act One: One Act Festival 2018, a competition with four programs of six to eight shows and the audience voting on the best ones. Fri., Jan. 11-Fri., Feb. 2, various dates and times, The Secret Theatre, 44-02 23 St., Long Island City. $15 each night; $18 at door. Info: (718) 392-0722, secrettheatre.com.

“Never Built New York,” with images and models of infrastructure projects that did not come to pass, including Moshe Sadie’s “Habitat New York I&II,” above, apartments enveloping a bridge and a dome over much of Manhattan. Through Sun., Feb. 18, Queens Museum, Flushing Meadows Corona Park. $8 suggested; $4 seniors; free students, children.

Info: (718) 592-9700, queensmuseum.org.

Con Brio Ensemble, performing works by Johann Joachim Quantz, Schumann, Mozart and more, on oboe, violin and piano, along with soprano Osceola Davis. Sun., Jan. 7, 4:30-6:30 p.m., The Church-in-theGardens, 50 Ascan Ave., Forest Hills. $12; $10 seniors, students. Info: (718) 459-1277, conbrioensemble.org.

PHOTO BY MICHAEL GANNON

“Highlights from Self-Taught Genius,” with American folk art from the 18th to 21st centuries in various media, in a new gallery. Mon.-Thu., 11 a.m.-5 p.m., thru Jan., American Folk Art Museum Collection and Education Center, 47-29 32 Place, Long Island City. Free. Info: (212) 595-9533, folkartmuseum.org.

Jazz Jam, the monthly event led by saxophonist Carol Sudhalter, with musicians and vocalists welcome to join in. Wed., Jan. 10 (each first Wed. of the month), 7 p.m., Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd. Free to play; $10 to listen. Info: (718) 4637700, flushingtownhall.org.

SPECIAL EVENTS

DANCE Savoy! Dancing through the Swing Era, with Kristen Seavey portraying Hollywood dancer Lillian Carlyle as a troupe performs the Lindy Hop and more to the music of jazz greats such as Duke Ellington; with vintage fashion show and audience participation too. Sun., Jan. 14, 2 p.m., Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd. $10; free seniors, kids under 12. Info: (718) 463-7700, flushingtownhall.org.

FILM

“Nollaig na mBan” — Woman’s Christmas, celebrating the Irish tradition at Yuletide’s end when women would get to rest and socialize, with refreshments and entertainment. Fri., Jan. 5, 2 p.m., New York Irish Center, 10-40 Jackson Ave., Long Island City. $8; $10 at door. Info: (718) 482-0909, newyorkirishcenter.org.

PHOTO VIA DAILYEDGE.IE

Pet Supplies Plus Grand Opening, with sweepstakes, freebies including complimentary dog washes and more. Sat., Jan. 6, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.; Sun., Jan. 7, 11 a.m.-8 p.m., The Shops at Atlas Park, 80-40 Cooper Ave., Glendale. Info: (718) 894-2602, petsuppliesplus.com.

MUSIC Yalla, the folk rock band from Uzbekistan that was popular across the Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact countries in the 1970s and ’80s. Sat., Jan. 6, 7:30 p.m., Colden Auditorium, Queens College, 153-49 Reeves Ave., Flushing. $35-$100. Info: (718) 7930923, kupferbergcenter.org.

Seasonal garden tour, the monthly event led by knowledgeable staff. Sat., Jan. 6, 1-2 p.m. (activity table 2-4 p.m.), Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main St., Flushing. Free with admission: $6; $4 seniors; $4 students, $2 children over 3. Info: (718) 886-3800, queensbotanical.org.

First Look 2018, screenings of more than two dozen inventive new films that seek to redefine the art, including “Prototype,” above, about the deadly 1900 Galveston, Texas hurricane; many with the filmmakers in person. Fri., Jan. 5-Mon., Jan. 15, various days and times, Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35 Ave., Astoria. $15 (includes museum admission); $11 seniors, students; $7 kids 3-17; $45 for all films, with one exception. Info: (718) 777-6888, movingimage.us.

GRASSHOPPER FILM

“Better Together”: A StoryWise Story-Sharing Event, with Atria Kew Gardens residents and guests including Cynthia Zalinsky of the Queens Jewish Community Council and Rabbi Daniel Pollack, an advisor to Rep. Grace Meng, celebrating the importance of storytelling as a means of human connection. Thu., Jan. 11, 2:30 p.m., Atria Kew Gardens, 117-01 84 Ave. Space very limited; call or email if interested in attending: (718) 4410300, martin.ingber@atriaseniorliving.com. continued on page 30

Send theater, music, art or event items to What’s Happening via artslistingqchron@gmail.com

C M SQ page 27 Y K

If brevity’s the soul of wit, this fest will be a hit

by Mark Lord

Throughout the festival, an estimated three dozen works, none running more than Got a few minutes? That’s all you’ll need 20 minutes, will be presented, on a rotating to enjoy each of the plays that make up the basis, offering what Mazda calls “a plat“Act One: One Act Festival,” beginning a form for emerging and established writers.”

Selecting the plays from over 100 entries three-week run at The Secret Theatre in was a daunting task, Mazda admits, Long Island City on Jan. 11.

The festival, now in its fourth annual edi- explaining, “Great story lines that unfold in tion, was “rooted in our desire to put on 15 minutes — that’s a real challenge.”

And the diversity of the entries is impresnew work,” explained the theater’s artistic director Richard Mazda, who also serves as sive, even considering only those that utilize the full stage time allowed. the festival’s coordinator.

“Personnel Best,” a drama by Pete Mazda understood that “within the offoff-Broadway theater, there is not a lot of Holmberg, could have been ripped from opportunity to put on full-length plays,” today’s headlines. It is set in the wake of the primary difficulty being to find enough the Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment of an audience to justify the budget one controversy and the birth of the #MeToo movement, as three male partners in a sucwould require. cessful public relations firm convene behind closed doors to discuss a pivotal hiring decision.

“All the King’s Horses and All the When: Jan. 11-Feb. 3, various dates, times King’s Men,” described as a black Where: The Secret Theatre, 44-02 23 St., comedy/drama, is from the pen of Long Island City Christopher Sibona, and takes the Entry: $15; $18 at door each night. form of a conversation of faith (718) 392-0722, secrettheatre.com between an angel and a devil.

Marcus Scott’s comedy “Double qboro contributor

‘Act One: One Act Festival’

Rehearsing this writer’s original show “Let’s Hear It for Queens” are musical director and composer Joe Ferrante, left, and Kent Williams, Dan Segredo, Regina Fischedick, PHOTO BY MARK LORD Joseph Riley, Jim Haines, Erin Clancy Balsamo and Caroline Purr.

Rainbow” focuses on two far-left Democratic LGBT rights activists who are under arrest and facing criminal charges.

And the only musical in the festival, “Let’s

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boro

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QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 4, 2018 Page 28

C M SQ page 28 Y K

The National Park Service has a full list of events for the Jamaica Bay area during the winter months, from bird walks to nature hikes.

PHOTO BY JERIN ARIFAL / NPS

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heartfelt and genuine.”

Head south for the winter — straight to Jamaica Bay

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What if we told you some of the best winter activities could be found in the great outdoors? Odds are, you’d probably laugh and return to sipping your hot cocoa while cozied up in a pair of warm pajamas.

But the truth is, there is a full calendar of events planned for the Jamaica Bay area that can be enjoyed even during sub-freezing temperatures. Below are just a few.

“They get a fair amount of year-round visitation,” said Don Riepe, Northeast Chapter president of the American Littoral Society. “There are birds there, mostly water fowl, ducks and geese ... We’ve had an incursion of snowy owls this year.”

This Saturday, nature enthusiasts will be “Turning Over a New Leaf” from 10 to 11:30 a.m. as a guided walk will take place through the East Pond trails.

There will be many other opportunities to join park rangers, Riepe and Mickey Cohen, also of the society, in January and February.

Cohen on Jan. 28, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., will be leading a hike of the North Forty Natural Area at Floyd Bennett Field to “discover the enigmas of the winter woods.”

On Feb. 11, nature enthusiasts can explore “usually-hidden biological treasures” at Fort Tilden during low tide, from 10 a.m. to noon.

And when the weather starts to get a little warmer, Riepe will be leading a “Bird Walk Late Winter Thaw” tour at the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge Center in Broad Channel Feb. 24, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., showing hikers different winter birds and the early signs of spring. Reservations are required for this walk, so if you’re interested

call the Littoral Society at (718) 474-0896 or email donriepe@gmail.com.

The society will also be hosting “survival walks” during the winter, where Cohen and Riepe will be detailing how wildlife keeps warm during the coldest months.

“I talk about how the animals adapt to the winter ... what kinds of plants you can see,” he said. “Hard winters are actually good for some of the plants.”

Riepe encourages everyone wishing to attend any event to “dress comfortably,” especially on days when there is strong wind.

The Littoral Society won’t be the only one hosting winter walks and tours.

Park rangers will encourage you to put your head in the clouds Jan. 13, from 11 a.m. to noon, at the wildlife refuge center.

Attendees will learn how to identify different types of clouds and be educated on how they could impact the weather.

There will be a “Winter Nature Hike” Jan. 20, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., where rangers will show “where all the animals go during the winter.”

Before the Big Game, participate in the “Superb Owl” hike Feb. 4, from 1 to 2:30 p.m., to see owls, hawks and more along the West Pond Trail.

And while we can’t guarantee Bill Murray will be there, a “Groundhog Day Hike” will take place from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Feb. 2, where attendees will learn about the behaviors of the animals.

And while we can’t guarantee Bill Murray will be there ... wait, this seems familiar.

For more information on these events and more, or for a full list of everything going on this season, visit bit.ly/2ClwEoI or Q call (718) 354-4606.

C M SQ page 29 Y K j Page 29 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 4, 2018

Put your money on entertainment at Resorts continued from page 25

he said of the performers. “It’s a unique entertainment option.”

The inspiration for the Monday shows came after Egnor and Scott Molina, president of Resorts World, saw some platform musicians at Penn Station while brainstorming ideas for new events.

If you’re the type who likes to get out of their seat and dance, you’ll want to head to Bar360 on Tuesdays for Latin night.

The fun starts at 8:30 p.m. when, for a half hour, salsa instructors provide lessons to any novices looking to learn some new moves.

You’ll be able to use those lessons over the next three hours as a salsa band plays live music for everyone to enjoy.

“It is really cool,” Egnor said.

On any given Wednesday, from 9 p.m. to midnight, you might hear some Elvis Presley or disco, depending on who’s performing for “Tribute Night.”

The flashes to the past continue on Thursdays, also from 9 p.m. to midnight, during “Throwback Night.”

Kick off the weekend on Friday with live performances from 9 to 10:30 p.m., fol-

lowed by a live DJ spinning records from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m.

“It’s a little more upbeat,” Egnor said of the Friday program.

If you’re up for even more partying, return at 10 p.m. Saturday for “Club Night,” which continues all the way to 3 a.m. Sunday morning.

A list of performers for all nights is availa b l e at R e s o r t s Wo r l d ’s we b s i t e , rwnewyork.com/entertainment/rwnycentertainment. Resorts can also be reached by calling 1 (888) 888-8801.

Some upcoming performances include “One,” a Metallica tribute band, taking the stage on Jan. 10 and Elvis Legend on Jan. 24. The “FDR Drive Band” will take charge of Throwback night on Jan. 11.

And on Jan. 19, the weekend kickoff will feature Freedom Williams of the C&C Music Factory, whose vocals were featured on the ’90s classic, “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now).”

The racino’s third-floor Central Park event space also hosts live concerts. “Freest yle Fever,” with musician George Lamond, artist Judy Torres and more, will take place Jan. 27.

K.T. MaGumbo is just one of the many bands to have graced the stage at Resorts World’s Bar360. On the cover: 1980s rap icon Kurtis Blow took center stage during a PHOTOS COURTESY RESORTS WORLD CASINO previous Throwback night.

And on Feb. 24, Chinese-Filipino singer Jose Mari Chan will be in Queens.

Tickets for both events can be purchased at etix.com /ticket /v/924 4/ resorts-world-casino-new-york-city.

The Red Wall Gallery at Resorts World

will be the site of a live calligraphy exhibit, as part of the racino’s Lunar New Year celebration, on Feb. 6 from 12 to 3 p.m.

Egnor said plans are being finalized for events in honor of Black History Month, Q which is in February.

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boro continued from page 26

COMEDY No Such Thing as Love, a variety show with Claire Burns and Jessie Jolles, who always start the new year optimistically but then get slapped with reality. Thu., Jan. 4, 7:30-9 p.m., QED, 27-16 23 Road, Astoria. $7. Info: (347) 451-3873, qedastoria.com.

Open mic, with performers chosen on a firstcome, first-served basis; order chosen by lottery; some nights open to acts other than comedy. Each Wed.-Sun., varying times, QED, 27-16 23 Road, Astoria. Free (purchase of drink or snack suggested). Info: (347) 451-3873, qedastoria.com.

CLASSES/WORKSHOPS Live Drawing with Models, a chance for those 20 and over to practice with a series of quick and long poses, in a relaxing, nonjudgmental environment. Each second Mon. of the month: Jan. 8, Feb. 12, March 12, April 9, May 14, June 11; 6-9 p.m., Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd. $16; $10 students. Info: (718) 463-7700, flushingtownhall.org.

Art Makers Group, with novice and pro artists at all levels bringing their sketchbooks, small projects or works in progress and a snack to share, in a supportive meet-up. Wed., Jan. 10 and 24; Feb. 7 and 21; March 7 and 21; April 4 and 18; May 2, 16 and 30; June 13 and 27; 6-9 p.m, Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd. $10; $5 students; free 13-19 with ID. Info/ RSVP: (718) 463-7700, flushingtownhall.org.

Turkish fare, with Sila Asa of the Turkish Cultural Center Queens teaching how to prepare authentic dishes and participants enjoying a meal and flavored coffee. Fri., Jan. 12, 7-9 p.m., Alley Pond Environmental Center, 228-06 Northern Blvd., Douglaston. $24. Info/ pre-registration (req’d): (718) 229-4000, alleypond.com.

KIDS/TEENS For the latest news visit qchron.com

SPORTS

Open Studio: Wood, with kids 2-11 and their families exploring the Noguchi Museum and then making art inspired by it on a drop-in basis; repeated each first Sun. of the month.

Sun., Jan. 7, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., 9-01 33 Road, Long Island City. $10 per family up to four members; museum admission included. Info: (718) 204-7088, noguchi.org.

Alley EcoClub: Icy Extremes, with kids 8-12 learning why ice floats, why freezing water becomes snow, sleet, ice or hail; and experimenting with dry ice. Sun., Jan. 7, 12:30-2:30 p.m., Alley Pond Environmental Center, 228-06 Northern Blvd., Douglaston. $25. Info/pre-registration (req’d): (718) 229-4000, alleypond.com.

Storytime!, every Thu., 11-11:30 a.m., Astoria Bookshop, 31-29 31 St. Free. Info: (718) 2782665, astoriabookshop.com.

SOCIAL EVENTS Singles Social & Dance, with DJ Andrew Forman, refreshments and more. Sun., Jan. 7, 2-6 p.m., Rego Park Jewish Center, 97-30 Queens Blvd. $10. Info: (718) 459-1000, rpjc.org.

COMMUNITY ASPCA mobile unit dog & cat spay/neuter clinics. Petland Discounts, all begin at 7 a.m.

Sat., Jan. 13: 147-17 Jamaica Ave., Jamaica. Info: petlanddiscounts.com.

SENIOR ACTIVITIES Howard Beach Senior Center, new computer classes starting Mon., Jan 8. Runs every Mon. and Wed. thru March 14. Basic class for beginners, 1-2:15 p.m.; beyond basics class, 2:30-3:45 p.m. will delve into social networking and online shopping. Also, exercise classes every weekday except Thu., varying times; dances with a DJ and hot lunch every Tue., 12-3 p.m.; art classes every Thu., 9:30-11:30 a.m., 12:30-2:30 p.m.; intro to sign language every Fri., 10-11:30 a.m.; karaoke every Wed., 1-3 p.m.; and more, 155-55 Crossbay Blvd. Info: (718) 738-8100.

SUPPORT GROUPS Overeaters Anonymous, for people who want to lose weight or have any eating disorder.

Every Tue., 7:30-9 p.m., Holy Child Jesus Outreach Center, 112-06 86 Ave., Richmond Hill; every Thu., 12:15-1:40 p.m., Rego Park Library, 91-41 63 Drive. Info: (347) 433-5876, (718) 564-7027 (Richmond Hill), (718) 459-5140 (Rego Park). PEXELS.COM

BEAT

Winter Classic at Citi

by Lloyd Carroll Chronicle Contributor

The National Hockey League celebrated the tenth anniversary of its New Year’s Day outdoor game, known as the Winter Classic, by holding it at Citi Field for the first time on Monday. In spite of the bitter cold, the game was a sellout as 41,821 saw the New York Rangers defeat the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 on center J.T. Miller’s overtime goal.

It was a great showcase for both the NHL, which gets a lot of viewers who normally don’t watch hockey, and Citi Field, which turned out to be almost as good a venue for watching hockey as it is for baseball. Because of a real estate tax abatement deal that dates back to Mayor Ed Koch, the Knicks and Rangers must play all their home games at Madison Square Garden, thus Buffalo was technically the home team.

While there was a sizable contingent of fans from western New York State, the vast majority was cheering for the “visiting” Rangers. Sabres head coach and Hockey Hall of Famer Phil Housley was asked about not having the support of “the home crowd.” “I didn’t hear anyone cheering for the Rangers,” he deadpanned.

Sabres right winger Jason Pominville thoroughly enjoyed the game even though his team lost. “I didn’t mind the cold conditions. At least we didn’t have any snow (a daily occurrence in Buffalo this time of year)!” He admitted that

the team had a heated bench which made dealing with the elements a lot easier.

One good thing about the frigid weather is that the rink ice was ideal for the players. One of the reasons that the Islanders’ current home, the Barclays Center, has been a failure for hockey is because the ice is soft from being located right above numerous subway lines.

Urbane Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist was well aware of the game’s significance. “It’s a great experience but only if you win the game,” he said candidly in the postgame press conference. “I would love to play an outdoor game every year.” It should be noted that he is 4-0 in outdoor NHL contests.

There was plenty of entertainment. Max Weinberg, best known as the drummer in Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, has his own combo, Max Weinberg’s Jukebox, which plays 1960s and ’70s rock classics by request from the audience. He told me after the game he had never performed in such arctic conditions, and expected “The Boss” to call and kid him about it.

KISS guitarist Ace Frehley performed his 1978 solo hit, “New York Groove,” to open the proceedings. Keeping things fair, the Buffalobased classic rock band, the Goo Goo Dolls, play four songs during the first intermission.

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

I HAVE OFTEN WALKED

The Garrison Hotel

by Ron Marzlock

Alcoholics Anonymous, daily meetings around Queens for those with a drinking problem. Info: (718) 520-5021, queensaa.org.

for unknown reasons, Cornelius and Howard went to live with their maternal grandparents, David and Jane Garrison, in Whitestone.

In 1919, with Prohibition preventing the sale of liquor, the building became the home of the New York Canoe Club.

Cornelius and son Cornelius Jr. Garrison opened a poultry farm in Wantagh, LI. When Prohibition ended in 1933, the hotel was in full swing again with dining and catering. The 1935 telephone book gave the address as 12-09 Bell Blvd. However, public records show this add ress no longer exists. The opening of a n ex it a nd entrance to the Cross Island Parkway sealed its fate forever, putting it into the hisQ tory books.

Al-anon, self-help group for anyone affected by another’s drinking: St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 82 St. and 34 Ave., parish house, 1st floor, Jackson Heights, every Tue. Contact: jacksonheightsalanonon@gmail.com. Resurrection Ascension Pastoral Center basement, 85-18 61 Road, Rego Park, every Sun. 12 p.m.

The Garrison Hotel, on the corner of Willets Point and Bell boulevards, seen here in ear ly 1934, was closed decades ago.

Bereavement groups for assistance dealing with loss and the process towards healing, with others experiencing similar situations. Central Queens YM & YWHA, 67-09 108 St., Forest Hills.

Registration req’d. Info: (718) 268-5011, ext.

160, olderadults@cgy.org.

Anxious, nervous, depressed? Recovery International can help. Meetings every Thu., 2:30 p.m., Fri., 3:30 p.m. Forest Hills Library, 108-19 71 Ave. Info: recoveryinternational.org.

Chronicle Contributor

According to the 1870 U.S. Census, Charles and Emily Garrison ran the Garrison Hotel at the foot of Bell Avenue — today Bell Boulevard — and Willets Point Boulevard near Fort Totten. It had a magnificent view of Little Neck Bay and drew tourists and locals alike.

The Garrisons were assisted by an older man named Joseph Bender. They had three sons: Cornelius, William and Howard.

Around 1890, they sold the hotel and,

C M SQ pagej 31 Y K

ACROSS 1 Winter woe 4 Movie fragment 8 Restaurant employee 12 Deteriorate 13 Stash 14 Head light?

15 Formed rust 17 Too 18 Felon’s flight 19 Tasted 21 Miss Muffet’s bugaboo 24 Prune 25 Candy in a dispenser 26 Deli buy 28 Rid of frost 32 Sandwich cookie 34 Yuletide quaff 36 Crucial time 37 Re ebb and flow 39 Existed 41 Individual 42 In medias -44 Libra symbol 46 Sweet girl in an old song 50 Yale student 51 Poi base 52 Worried greatly 56 Ear-related 57 Links warning 58 Detergent brand 59 Timid

60 Applications 61 Rep. rival

DOWN 1 To and -2 Bagel topping 3 Worked with 4 Doorbells, often 5 Claiborne of fashion 6 Mid-month date 7 Accelerator, e.g.

8 In need of balm, maybe 9 Corridor 10 Differently

11 Comestibles 16 Father 20 Chic, in the ‘60s 21 Location 22 Actress Gilpin 23 Take off 27 Violinist’s need 29 Put on a pedestal 30 Chaplin prop 31 Spud’s buds 33 U-shaped part of a rowboat 35 Petrol 38 Hawaiian souvenir 40 Parts of an act

One-act play festival

43 Big glitch 45 -- Baba 46 Teeny bit 47 Piece of info on an invitation 48 Great Lake 49 Ids’ counterparts 53 Raw rock 54 Before 55 Beavers’ construct 50 Standard 51 “The Greatest” 52 Decay 53 Ref 54 Cravat Answers at right

continued from page 27 show that pays tribute to the title borough, and features original songs, poetry and rap.

The shortest entry in the festival is “Don,” a comedy by Kyle Smith, which clocks in at around nine minutes and focuses on the choices the title character makes to get to where he is.

According to Mazda, the festival affords actors who might not have previously secured lead roles “an opportunity to show their stuff. All of a sudden, you can see what they can do. The same for the directors.”

Mazda pointed out that audiences who attend a festival such as this understand that they will be seeing plays featuring, at most, barebones sets, making each performance “about the words, not spectacle.”

While submissions are accepted from all over, Mazda said the festival “tries to feature Queens or local writers. It’s open to playwrights from wherever, but they need to have a New York connection” to facilitate the logistics.

While each play is self-produced, directed and cast, the festival has “a lot of moving parts” that must be coordinated, Mazda said. “It might be easier to call everybody together for a town hall to talk.”

Four different programs, consisting of six to eight shows each, will be presented six

times apiece. The days they are performed, as well as curtain times, vary each week. The schedule is listed at secrettheatre.com.

Designed as a competition, the festival will afford audience members the opporRichard Mazda FILE PHOTO tunity to vote for each show they see, with top scorers moving on to the finals, set for the closing night, Feb. 3. Monetary prizes will go to the best play, best director, best Q actor and best actress.

Crossword Answers

Page 31 QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 4, 2018

King Crossword Puzzle

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322 Mechanical LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 09/20/2017. 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: Ramon & Cinthia Castro, 563 Woodward Ave., 3rd Floor, Ridgewood, NY 11385 Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of Chesford Estates SHINDA LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/29/17. Office location: Queens C ount y. S S N Y designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: 21702 Jamaica Avenue, Queens Village, NY 11428. Purpose: any lawful activity.

533 Remsen Associates LLC Articles of Organization were filed with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 09/28/2017. 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: Joseph Yunatanov, 7013 Austin Street, 3rd Floor, Forest Hills, NY 11375 Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

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Notice of Formation of CB ANCP 2018 LLC. Arts. of Org. filed with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 11/7/17. Office location: Queens County.

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STATE OF CONNECTICUT SUPERIOR COURT JUDICIAL DISTRICT OF FAIRFIELD AT BRIDGEPORT JULY 31, 2017 DOCKET NO. FBTCV-17-6062001 S SUCCESS VILLAGE APARTMENTS, INC. VS JAMES H. MILLARD A/K/A JAMES H. MAILLARD AND EVELYN GRANADY ORDER OF NOTICE. NOTICE TO: JAMES H. MILLARD A/K/A JAMES H. MAILLARD, IF LIVING, IF NOT LIVING, HIS WIDOW, HEIRS, REPRESENTATIVES AND CREDITORS, AND ALL UNKNOWN PERSONS, CLAIMING OR WHO MAY CLAIM ANY RIGHTS, TITLE, INTEREST OR ESTATE IN OR LIEN OR ENCUMBRANCE UPON THE REAL PROPERTY DESCRIBED IN THIS COMPLAINT THROUGH JAMES H. MILLARD A/K/A JAMES H. MAILLARD ADVERSE TO THE PLAINTIFF, WHETHER SUCH CLAIM OR POSSIBLE CLAIM BE VESTED OR CONTINGENT. The Plaintiff has named you as a party Defendant in the complaint which is brought to the above named Court seeking foreclosure of the premises at Apartment No. 113, 113 Success Avenue, Building 32, Success Village Apartments, Inc. Bridgeport, Connecticut for nonpayment of common expense assessments. The complaint has been returned to Court, and is pending therein. The Plaintiff has represented to said Count, by means of an affidavit annexed hereto, that despite all reasonable efforts to ascertain such information it has been unable to determine the identity or whereabouts of the Defendant, if living, if not living, his widow, heirs, representatives or creditors of JAMES H. MILLARD a/k/a JAMES H. MAILLARD. NOW THEREFORE. it is hereby ORDERED that notice of the institution of this action be given to JAMES H. MILLARD A/K/A JAMES H. MAILLARD, if living, if not living, the widow/widower, heirs, representatives or creditors, by some proper officer causing a true and attested copy of this order to be published in the Queens Chronicle once a week for two Successive weeks, commencing on or before 1/22/2018. and that return of such service be made to the court. By the court, Jennings Judge/ Clerk. Date 12/18/17

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Notice of Formation of M1 Garvey NYC LLC. Art. Of Org. filed with SSNY 11/27/17. Office Location: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent for process. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process to: c/o Abraham Piha, 9822 Metropolitan Ave., Forest Hills, NY 11375. Purpose: Any lawful act or activity.

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SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS Index No. 701620/2015 STATE OF NEW YORK SUPREME COURT – COUNTY OF QUEENS U.S. BANK TRUST, N.A., AS TRUSTEE FOR LSF9 MASTER PARTICIPATION TRUST, Plaintiff, -vs- MERAJUL M. MOQUE; THE HEIRS AT LARGE OF SHAHEEN RAHMAN, deceased, and all persons who are husbands, widows, grantees, mortgagees, lienors, heirs, devisees, distributees, successors in interest of such of them as may be dead, and their husbands and wives, heirs, devisees, distributees and successors of interest of all of whom and whose names and places are unknown to Plaintiff; NASIMA RAHMAN; NAZIA RAHMAN; MARUFUR BHUIYA; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; CSGA, LLA; MIDLAND FUNDING, LLC; PORTFOLIO RECOVERY ASSOCIATES, LLC; NEW YORK CITY ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL BOARD; NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF FINANCEPARKING VIOLATIONS BUREAU PAYMENT AND ADJUDICATION CENTER OF QUEENS; HSBC BANK USA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION; CAPITAL ONE BANK (USA), N.A., UNIFUND CCR PARTNERS “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. Mortgaged Premises: 70-16 TROTTING COURSE LANE, FLUSHING NY 11374 A/K/A 70-16 TROTTING COURSE LANE, REGO PARK, NY 11374. TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANT(S): 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 hereof. Your failure to appear or 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, unless the Defendant obtained a bankruptcy discharge and such other or further relief as may be just and equitable. 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 to 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 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. These pleadings are being amended to include the Heirs at Large of Shaheen Rahman, deceased. These pleadings are also being amended to include Nasima Rahman, Naziz Rahman, and Marufur Bhuiya as possible heirs to the Estate of Shaheen Rahman. That these pleadings also be amended to reflect the current Plaintiff, U.S. Bank Trust, N.A., as trustee for LSF9 Master Participation Trust. These pleadings are also being amended to include the United States of America. QUEENS County is designated as the place of trial. The basis of venue is the location of the mortgaged premises. Dated: March 23, 2017, Mark K. Broyles, Esq., FEIN SUCH & CRANE, LLP, Attorneys for Plaintiff, Office and P.O. Address 28 East Main Street, Suite 1800 Rochester, New York 14614, Telephone No. (585) 232-7400, Block: 3177 Lot: 28. NATURE AND OBJECT OF ACTION – The object of the above action is to foreclose a mortgage held by the Plaintiff recorded in the County of QUEENS, State of New York as more particularly described in the Complaint herein. TO THE DEFENDANT, the plaintiff makes no personal claim against you in this action. To the above named defendants: The foregoing summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an order of HON. DAVID ELLIOT, Justice of the SUPREME Court of the State of New York, dated November 28, 2017 and filed along with the supporting papers in the QUEENS County Clerk’s Office. This is an action to foreclose a Mortgage. 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, being more particularly bounded and described as follows: BEGINNING at a point on the southwesterly side of Trotting Course Lane distant 133.09 feet northwesterly from the corner formed by the intersection of the southwesterly side of Trotting Course Lane with the northerly side of Metropolitan Avenue; RUNNING THENCE westerly on a line forming an interior angle of 44 degrees 5 minutes 53 seconds with the southwesterly side of Trotting Course Lane 96.24 feet; THENCE northwesterly on a line forming an interior angle of 49 degrees 09 minutes 32 seconds with the last mentioned course and part of the distance through a party wall 62.93 feet to the southwesterly side of Trotting Course Lane; THENCE southeasterly along the southwesterly side of Trotting Course Lane 72.91 feet to the point of place of BEGINNING. Mortgaged Premises: 70-16 TROTTING COURSE LANE, FLUSHING, NY 11374, A/K/A 70-16 TROTTING COURSE LANE, REGO PARK NY 11374, Tax Map/ Parcel ID No.: Block: 3177 Lot: 28 of the BOROUGH of QUEENS, NY 11374

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QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 4, 2018 Page 36

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Civics largely favor Cabaret Law repeal

by Anthony Medina Chronicle Contributor

Mayor de Blasio and the City Council late last year announced the repeal of the 91-yearold Cabaret Law, which banned people from dancing in New York City establishments without a special license.

Critics said the statute was a fracture in the city that represented a time when jazz clubs in Harlem and interracial dancing were unaccepted by many residents and city officials.

Now that club and bar owners don’t need to fear when more than two people at a time start dancing in their establishments, many Queens civic and business leaders expressed support, though measured. Some predict a better nightlife atmosphere and a possible focus on more important issues.

“We’re very happy the law was repealed,” said John Choel, executive director of the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce.

“Now people can dance in our community without the fear of being raided by the police.”

One of the major criticisms that surrounded the Cabaret Law was its inconsistent use by different officials to crack down on clubs and bars. Former Mayor Rudy Guliani in particular was criticized for shutting down establishments not abiding by it during his tenure.

“It’s always good to get antiquated laws off the books,” said Ed Wendell, a civic activist in Woodhaven. “This is a law they were actually using against businesses.”

Besides the possible risk of a few elderly folks getting too excited dancing around city streets, Wendell thinks the repeal is a positive sign for community growth.

“To waste police on going around picking up people who are dancing when there are so many more important issues, I can’t get myself too excited about that,” Kissena Park Civic Association President Beverly McDermott said. But, she added, “They’re allowing too many bars and karaoke bars in and around residential neighborhoods. ...

Other concerns over nightlife remain

The city can no longer legally stop you from getting off the barstool and shaking it a bit.

I’m more concerned about the fact that it’s so easy to get drugs in a bar than to dance in a bar.”

“I would probably have to agree with what most of the people are saying,” Northwest Bayside Civic Association President Jena Lanzetta said. “It just sounds like a law that’s kind of antiquated. I don’t think it’s really too relevant anymore to today’s times.”

Only 104 businesses held a cabaret license because of the lengthy application process and high fees, according to the Mayor’s Office.

“On the surface I’ll say it’s a good action, repealing a law that was made during the ’20s in a time of blatant racism,” said Coun-

cilman Robert Holden (D-Middle Village), speaking shortly before he was sworn into office. “Anything like that should have been repealed.”

The longtime civic leader added that the zoning of clubs and bars should be enforced to protect areas where residential and commercial uses mix. Using noise ordinance laws instead of the Cabaret Law will keep the focus on problematic issues residents might experience around busy nightclubs, such as music volume or disorderly conduct, he said.

Joann Ariola, president of the Howard Beach-Lindenwood Civic Association, echoed those thoughts.

“The Cabaret Law was antiquated and needed revision,” she said. “I just hope that the City Council is taking into consideration that our communities are already plagued with noise complaints and will be making legally enforceable provisions to ensure the new law does not negatively effect the surrounding communities.”

Clive Williams, chairman of Community Board 13, had reservations about the change.

Board 13, which is covered by the NYPD’s 105th Precinct, has had a handful of serious problems with nightlife spots, even to the point where Inspector Jeffrey Schiff, commanding officer of the precinct, had two sitdowns earlier this year that dozens of business owners on the precinct’s radar were “strongly encouraged” to attend.

A small businessman himself, Williams acknowledges that the fines under the old program could be onerous.

But he also served as chairman of CB 13’s Public Safety Committee before taking his current post.

“I’m worried that some businesses will begin to attract the kinds of crowds that they’re not ready for or equipped to handle,” he said.

Councilman Rafael Espinal (D-Brooklyn) worked closely with the mayor since the beginning of last year to repeal the outdated statute.

“Artists, musicians, businesses owners, workers, and everyday New Yorkers looking to let loose will no longer have to fear the dance police will shut down their favorite venues,” Espinal said in a prepared statement.

“On behalf of the ten thousand dancers that celebrate 80+ styles of dance in the annual Dance Parade, we are grateful for City Council Member Rafael Espinal’s leadership,” Greg Miller, director for the annual Dance Parade at New York, said in a preQ pared statement.

Michael Gannon, Anthony O’Reilly and Ryan Brady contributed to this story.

Council honor for mom who died in childbirth NJ woman Julia Roman was the first female MTA escalator mechanic For the latest news visit qchron.com

by Christopher Barca Editor

Nov. 16 should have been one of the greatest days of New Jersey resident Julia Roman’s life.

It was the due date for the 46-year-old woman’s twin daughters, Isabella and Grace.

The girls entered the world safely themselves that day, but their mother won’t get the chance to see them grow up.

Just over a month after Roman died of an amniotic fluid embolism during childbirth, now-former Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley and other lawmakers honored her with a proclamation last Thursday — celebrating her as not only a devoted mother but also a groundbreaking city employee.

A former resident of the Bronx, Roman was not only the first female escalator mechanic in the MTA, she was elected by her colleagues to become the first-ever female shop steward for Transport Workers Union Local 100.

“Julia’s death is a painful reminder that maternal mortality still happens in the 21st century,” Crowley said in a written statement. “We are not only honoring her for her

In one of her final acts as a member of the City Council, Elizabeth Crowley presented a proclamation to the family of late MTA worker Julia Roman, who died in November during childPHOTO COURTESY NYC COUNCIL birth.

work in the trades or for juggling such an exceptional career with the demands of motherhood. We are highlighting the fact that despite all of the modern medicine available and medical advancements, more women in the United States are dying of pregnancy-related complications than any other developed country.”

A page on the fundraising website GoFundMe was established in honor of the immigrant from the Dominican Republic shortly after her death. As of Tuesday afternoon, 890 people had united to donate a collective $64,321.

“Julia was a special person. She meant the world to me.

She touched the lives of many people always for the good,” her sister-in-law, Lucelenia Pimentel, wrote on the page.

“Thank you all for your support and help. It is such a blessing to have so many people help us in this great time in need.”

In addition to Isabella and Grace, Roman is survived by her husband, Victor, and the couple’s three other children, 26-year-old Valerie, 19-year-old Dwayne and 5-year-old Q Victoria.

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QUEENS CHRONICLE, Thursday, January 4, 2018 Page 38

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Governor pardons transgender activist In move against feds, Cuomo grants clemency to Lorena Borjas and others

by Ryan Brady TWITTER PHOTO / FLUSHING HOSPITAL

NYC’s first baby of 2018 The first baby born in New York City this year came into the world at Flushing Hospital Medical Center.

Kazi Ariana, above with her mother, Tania Shirin, was born at 12:01 a.m. on New Year’s Day after 36 hours of labor, the Daily News said. It is the Jamaica resident’s first baby, according to the publication.

A Bangladeshi immigrant, Shirin was joined at the hospital by Imran Nazir, her husband and the baby’s father, who stood with her during the labor, according to the New York Post.

The tabloid called the four-pound baby a “New Year’s Miracle,” owing to how her due date was Jan. 10 and more than a week before then, her growth had stopped.

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Transgender activist Lorena Borjas got something like a late Christmas gift from the state government last Wednesday.

That was when Gov. Cuomo pardoned her and 17 others “who are contributing members of society and face the threat of deportation and other immigration-related challenges as a result of previous convictions.”

Overall, the governor granted clemency to 61 people. Most of the cases did not involve people facing possible deportation; 39 of them were pardons for people who committed nonviolent crimes and misdemeanors when they were 16 or 17 years old and had not committed any crimes for more than a decade.

Borjas, an Elmhurst resident from Mexico, was convicted of fourth-degree criminal facilitation in 1994, according to Cuomo’s office, a crime committed because she was a victim of human trafficking.

“It is a great relief,” she told the Chronicle via translation by attorney Flor Bermudez.

Cuomo’s office said each of the 18 immigrants who were pardoned has “demonstrated a substantial period of crime-free, good citizenship.”

Borjas is the founder and CEO of Cólectivo Intercultural TRANSgrediendo, a Jackson Heights-based advocacy group dedicated to the transgender community. On her Facebook profile’s wall, the Elmhurst resident shared an emotional video in which she announced the pardon.

Along with syringe exchange programs for trans women using hormone injections, Borjas has run free HIV testing programs for sex workers who are transgender.

“I will now be able to apply for a green card with my correct gender marker and apply for citizenship,” Borjas said.

She co-founded the Lorena Borjas Community Fund, which provides bond assistance to LGBTQ immigrants who have been arrested, in 2012.

The activist has been praised by city officials like Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) and Public Advocate Letitia James. According to El Diario, she also has worked with the AIDS Center of Queens County.

Her advocacy work includes speaking out against the trafficking of trans women.

In an interview, Borjas thanked Cuomo for the pardon.

“I also want to thank the Transgender Law Center,” she added. The law center has represented her.

“Lorena has done more than anyone else I know to shine a light on the epidemic of trafficking in transgender communities and to help other trans women escape exploitation,” TLC Executive Director Lynly Egles said in a pre-

Gov. Cuomo has granted a pardon to immigrants including Elmhurst resident Lorena Borjas, a transgender woman with a 1994 conviction, with the aim of keeping them from being FACEBOOK PHOTO / LORENA BORJAS deported. pared statement. Egles and Bermudez provided counsel to Borjas.

According to the law center, Queens Criminal Court Judge Toko Serita acknowledged that the activist’s criminal facilitation and other convictions were related to her being a victim of trafficking. However, the law allowed only prostitution convictions to be vacated for that reason.

Explaining the granting of clemency, Cuomo criticized the White House. The governor has been highly critical of fellow Queens native President Trump’s tough stance on unauthorized immigrants.

“While the federal government continues to target immigrants and threatens to tear families apart with deportation, these actions take a critical step toward a more just, more fair and more compassionate New York,” Cuomo said in a prepared statement.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is not impressed by the clemency.

“While the Governor’s pardons appear to be yet another politically-driven attempt to circumvent federal immigration law, whether or not they actually have any legal effect on individual immigration cases will be reviewed by ICE,” Enforcement and Removal Operations in New York Field Office Director Thomas DeckQ er said in a prepared statement.

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