Queens Chronicle South Edition 08-31-23

City prepares parents for school bus strike

DOE, mayor have contingency plan in place for student transportation

by Kristen Guglielmo

Associate Editor

Students and parents may soon have to scramble for last-minute rides to school due to a possible bus drivers’ strike, described in an email sent to parents by the city schools Chief Operating Officer Emma Vadehra on Monday morning.

“This may impact your child’s transportation to school if your child uses yellow bus service to get to school. In the event of a strike, our top priority remains ensuring that every student, especially our most vulnerable, can continue attending their schools without interruption,” Vadehra wrote.

The announcement comes after Schools Chancellor David Banks warned parents about the potential for a bus strike at a parent advisory council meeting on Aug. 10.

At the time, Banks told members that negotiations were being held with the Amalgamated Transit Union, according to reports. He said a strike could affect between 85,000 and 150,000 students.

“NYC remains hopeful for a resolution where our dedicated bus drivers can continue their crucial role. Until then, we’re prepared to support all affected families. ... Every student deserves uninterrupted education, and we stand committed to that promise,” Banks wrote on Twitter.

“Ensuring our students can continue to go to school and learn every day is our top priority. We have a plan in place to help ensure that, even if a strike by school bus drivers does occur this fall, parents will still be able to get their kids to school with minimal interruptions,” said Mayor Adams in a tweet on Monday afternoon.

The possible strike, according to the email, could impact as many as half of the school bus routes.

“NYC Public Schools and the Mayor’s Office are monitoring the situation closely and working with our partners across the city to support a resolution, with the goal of avoiding the substantial impact a strike would have on our students and families,” the email said.

All families impacted by any strike will have the option of emergency MetroCards for both the student and caregiver. The cards will provide a total of four trips daily, from Monday through Friday between 5:30 a.m. and 8 p.m., according to the Department of Education.

Additionally, the DOE will provide prepaid rideshare services and offer reimbursement to students with disabilities who have transpor-

tation recommended on their Individualized Education Program or 504 Accommodation Plan, the email detailed. The planned reimbursement rate is 58 cents per mile, with a maximum reimbursement of $200 per day.

“All parties are working diligently towards a resolution, and it is our hope that these plans will not be necessary,” Vadehra wrote. “We are committed to supporting you and all of

our families in all ways possible.”

The COO encouraged parents to monitor schools.nyc.gov/transportation for information on interruptions.

Parents can call 311 for updates on yellow bus service, and will be notified multiple times by the DOE in the event of a strike.

The DOE also addressed on its website safety concerns for students having to navigate to school.

“We are working with the city and our partners at the New Yor k City Police Department to closely monitor this situation and to engage all necessary resources to ensure the safe commute of our students,” the web page reads. “In the event o f a bus strike, NYPD will station additional transit officers where we anticipate increased numbers o f students using public transportation and/o r walking to school.”

Though Section 210 of the Taylor Law, also known as the Public Employees Fair Employment Act, prohibits New York public employees from striking, school bus drivers are not state or city employees. They are contracte d by Local 1181, and therefore, a strike would not violate the law. Q

School bus drivers may go on strike, according to an email from the city Department of Education sent to parents on Monday. FILE PHOTO

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Community movers and shakers participate in citywide initiative Ozone Park gathers to ‘break bread’

by Kristen Guglielmo Associate Editor

More than 350 people walked through the doors of Majestic Marquise party hall in Ozone Park on Monday evening to attend a Breaking Bread, Building Bonds gathering.

The event is part of a citywide initiative by the Adams administration that “aims to cultivate the immense diversity of our city and bring New Yorkers together to learn about common bonds, share cultures and traditions and break down silos between communities,” according to the program’s city website.

Monday evening’s gathering was organized by the Ozone Park Residents Block Association after Patricia Raghunandan, of the mayor’s Community Affairs Division, called block association President Sam Esposito and asked him to organize the event on short notice.

“I said no, and she said yes, and I said no, and she said yes,” Esposito quipped at the event, which he was able to organize in a matter of four and a half days.

Sandra and Roj Datnarain, owners of Majestic Marquise, donated the space and Esposito got to work inviting community figures and leaders. Roberto Collado of Enzo’s Pizza donated large trays of Italian food, and kosher and halal dining options were also provided. Snapple donated 750 cases of beverages

for the event.

Attendees included state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Woodhaven), Assemblymembers Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-Rockaway Park)and Jenifer Rajkumar (D-Woodhaven), a representative of Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan), a representative of Queens District Attorney Melinda

Katz, Capt. Jeremy Kivlin, commanding officer of the 102nd Precinct, and Capt. Mario Deras of the 106th Precinct.

Religious leaders from a number of organizations were also present: Imams, pastors and pandits all gathered together, and a prayer from each faith was said before dinner was served.

Esposito worked as the evening’s emcee, at one point grabbing a pair of microphones and having every person in attendance introduce themselves to the crowd.

Kivlin lauded the program in a speech, saying, “It’s important for us to come together to talk about our problems, and then come together to solve them.”

“I think just making time to know the community better is so important,” Pheffer Amato told the other attendees. “So I’m here for you with anything you need. I want to continue this relationship, and I’m proud to be part of it.”

Rajkumar echoed a similar message, telling the audience, “This is about opening our hearts, breaking bread and breaking all the walls in our hearts and coming together. And that’s what we are doing. And I want to thank Mayor Eric Adams for doing this all across the city, bringing us together.”

Addabbo praised the gathering for its effort to facilitate communication, and reminded the other attendees to reach out to their elected officials to communicate their concerns in the future. “We’re not mindreaders. We need to hear from our people,” he said. “The bottom line is you have to let us know what’s happening, what’s important.”

“This community just got that much closer to working together to bring the best Ozone Park has to offer,” Esposito wrote on Facebook after the social, promising that the block association will put on “some of the most unique events Ozone Park has ever seen” in 2024.

The neighborhood will see another Breaking Bread, Building Bonds event in the coming months, according to Esposito. Q

One year into 24/7 surveillance, fatalities are down by 25 percent Speed cams lower traffic injuries: DOT

by Sophie Krichevsky

Associate Editor

A year since the city’s speed cameras became operational 24/7, speeding violations, injuries and fatalities have been on the decline, the city’s Department of Transportation announced on Monday.

“The results are in: The program has reduced speeding, decreased the number of injuries and made our streets safer,” DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said in a statement. “Speeding happens most often on nights and weekends, and expanded enforcement has been a highly effective tool to keep New Yorkers safe.”

The expansion was the result of legislation approved by both the City Council and the state Legislature last

year. In making the city’s 2,000 cameras in 750 school zones operational 24 hours a day, with speed limits in school zones typically 20 miles per hour during certain weekday hours, the city still had a default 25-mph limit on most streets much of the day, even while it sought to change driver habits.

On average, speeding violations are down by 30 percent citywide, the DOT said; traffic fatalities decreased 25 percent since the Adams administration put the policy change into effect.

City Council Majority Whip Selvena Brooks-Powers (D-Laurelton) called the decrease “promising.”

“As Chair of the New York City Council’s Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, my focus is ensur-

ing all communities benefit equitably from the implementation of measures and infrastructure that keep New Yorkers safe,” she said in a statement. “Transit deserts in outer-borough neighborhoods like the ones I represent deserve infrastructure investments that will save lives.”

Robert Sinclair, a spokesperson for AAA, agreed. “AAA policy generally supports the use of automated enforcement and looking at the data ... it seems like it is working to reduce crashes,” he said in an email to the Chronicle. “That’s a good thing given the significant increase in fatal crashes during COVID.”

In Queens, the DOT noted speeding

Sandra Datnarain, left, Sam Esposito, state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr., Assemblymembers Stacey Pheffer Amato and Jenifer Rajkumar and Patricia Raghunandan pose at Monday evening’s gathering.

PHOTO BY KRISTEN GUGLIELMO

Since last year, the city’s 2,000 speed cameras in 750 school zones have been on at all times of the day and on weekends.

PHOTO BY RYAN BRADY / FILE continued on page 15

Illicit businesses of concern in Corona

Unlicensed vendors an issue at BP’s town hall; sex-work protest planned

by Ariella Kissin Chronicle Contributor

Approximately 70 residents gathered Aug. 24 at the Aliento de Vida Christian Church in Corona Plaza for a town hall hosted by Borough President Donovan Richards: an opportunity to raise questions and concerns about recent developments in the community.

The forum was part of Richards’ “Borough Hall on Your Block” initiative for western Queens, which included a job fair, self-defense training and youth events for the community.

In light of the recent enforcement sweep on unlicensed street food vendors, several questions pertained to the city’s issuance of permits.

“We are working with different entities to look into pushing the administration — and working with the administration, quite frankly — to correct some of the systemic things that have happened around the licenses,” Richards said.

State Sen. Jessica Ramos (D-Jackson Heights), who joined Richards at the event, also addressed the issue, and informed resi-

dents that although there is a limit to vendor permits per year, each one also needs a food handling permit from the Department of Health. According to Ramos, since there is no limit on the Department of Health permits, there is “no excuse” for vendors not to get those certifications while waiting on the status of their other permits.

Many of the vendors’ supporters, such as state Assemblywoman Jessica GonzálezRojas (D-East Elmhurst), say they are doing just that.

“It’s a very unfair system and it’s been happening now for 30 years,” Ramos said. She compared the situation to the immigration system, saying that they “mirror” each other.

“In the same way that people can’t just get in line and get papers ... people can’t just get in line and get a food vending permit,” she said.

Ramos empathized with the street food vendors, saying that the system is unjust.

“That’s actually what we have been trying to change for a long time,” she said.

One questioner asked if there are any solutions to the street vendor situation.

Deputy Inspector Bacchi

“Yes,” Richards said. “I can’t talk about it openly ... But I feel relatively good that we’re going to come to a resolution on this issue in the coming weeks.”

Richards assured the residents that several city agencies have been working closely with Mayor Adams’ administration to come to a solution.

Corona resident Massiel Lugo, who attended the town hall with her 14-year-old daughter, was among a group of residents demanding answers pertaining to sex work in the area. Though her question on it was not relayed to the panel by the moderator, Lugo called out at the end of the forum, asking for an answer.

“That is not something we would speak openly about,” Richards responded, stating that the NYPD — specifically the vice unit — would handle such issues.

“I wanted to speak specifically about the prostitution going on and how congested the area is,” Lugo told the Chronicle after the forum. “Our kids can no longer walk [around] the community. So that is why the community is coming together.”

Lugo is organizing a protest on Sept. 10 near the Jackson Heights post office on 78th Street for concerned residents.

She expressed disappointment at the lack of conversation about the issue, which also was raised by City Councilman Francisco Moya (D-Corona) and residents at a recent rally. Though many town hall attendees wrote their questions down for the moderator, only a few were selected. Lugo, among others, left the event with questions they consider critical unanswered.

Richards was joined at the town hall by about 10 agency officials, among them NYPD Assistant Chief at Patrol Borough Queens North Christine Bastedenbeck and representatives from the Department of Health and Department of Transportation.

Prior to the highly anticipated Q&A session, the officials briefly updated residents on recent

developments at their agencies.

Assistant Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Social Services Hailey Nolasco informed attendees that victims of SNAP, aka food stamps, benefit scams from the past year are now able to apply for replacement and reimbursement. Parks Commissioner for Queens Jacqueline Langsam announced a new initiative called “Let’s Green NYC,” which she said is expected to “engage in a record number of partners, volunteers and stakeholders in caring for parks.”

“Volunteering not only improves the health of our parks and our communities, but also the health of New Yorkers,” Langsam said.

The assistant commissioner of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Ricky Wong, reminded residents to get updated vaccinations as the back-to-school season begins. He also announced that despite an uptick in Covid cases, there is less hospitalization than usual. Wong also briefly spoke about three recently confirmed West Nile Virus cases, stating that there were no fatalities.

“We just want to remind folks to take precautions,” he said.

For the Q&A session, residents were given note cards on which to write their questions, which were consequently read aloud by a moderator.

While Lugo’s question about prostitution was not selected, one from her daughter about a different topic was.

The teen’s inquiry regarding solutions to children struggling mentally in school was commended by the panel and gained a round of applause from the audience.

In response, Richards cited the Queens Mental Health Initiative as a resource, and said that the city has “hired hundreds more social workers and guidance counselors” in schools.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done around that,” Richards admitted.

“I openly talk about mental health all the time,” he added. “Even for me, as the borough president, there’s a lot to balance.” Q

9/11 memorial at Our Lady of Grace

Stars Community Center is sponsoring a candlelight memorial ceremony on Monday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m. in the parking lot of Our Lady of Grace Church, located on 100th Street between 158th and 159th avenues.

The event will be followed by fellowship and refreshments.

The parking lot will be closed to all vehicles during the ceremony. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own candle, chair and American flag. Q

The commanding officer of the 106th Precinct has been promoted from captain to deputy inspector.

Deputy Inspector Jerome Bacchi, right, seen above with Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey, has served in the NYPD for over 20 years and was named the 106th Precinct’s commanding officer in 2021.

The precinct shared a message on Twitter on behalf of Bacchi, writing that he “extends his gratitude to the women and men of the 106 for their continued hard work & commitment to making our city a safer place for all and to the community partners for their unwavering support to making our mission successful.” — Kristen Guglielmo

Borough President Donovan Richards hosts his town hall in Corona, flanked by officials with various agencies. State Sen. Jessica Ramos also joined the table. Resident Massiel Lugo, at left with her daughter, wanted answers on prostitution but did not get them.

PHOTO BY ARIELLA KISSIN

Labor Day: a celebration of working people and unions

by Eric Adams

Here in New York City, the three-day Labor Day weekend marks the beginning of a new year in many ways. Many of us are enjoying the last days of summer, traveling or spending time with friends and family, and our children are getting ready to return to school.

This chance to relax and recharge is possible thanks to the American labor movement, whose members fought for so many workplace benefits that we now take for granted — from basic safety protections to the 40-hour workweek. Labor Day celebrates those landmark achievements and the people who continue to fight for workers and their rights.

As New York City’s blue-collar mayor, I have stood shoulder to shoulder with working people all my life. As a former union member and the son of a union member, I’ve experienced firsthand the transformative power of labor organizing. Being part of a union was what allowed my mother — a single mom raising her six children in a modest home — to provide for our family and keep a roof over our heads.

Now that I am in City Hall, our administration is working hard to create jobs, support labor unions and ensure that working people get the wages, rights, and benefits they deserve. We have actively worked to promote a Working People’s Agenda that calls for investments in housing, job training and education — as well as support for those who serve our city every day.

I am proud our administration has actively worked to support our municipal unions, reaching landmark contract agreements with the Uniformed Officers Coalition, a group that includes the NYPD, FDNY, DSNY and the Department of Corrections. We also reached new and improved labor contracts with the United Federation of Teachers, PBA and DC 37, New York City’s largest pub-

Mayor Adams airs concerns on Rikers

Questions if it’s feasible to close by ’27

lic sector union. All of these labor agreements support the thousands of New York City workers who support us — and keep us the greatest city in the world.

Our economy continues to show record growth and recovery. In fact, we have recovered 99 percent of the privatesector jobs lost during the pandemic. And we are focused on creating more jobs than ever before — jobs you can build your life around, and you can build our city and our economy around.

We’re bringing jobs directly to the people by creating the Office of Community Hiring. Community hiring will use the city’s immense purchasing power to create a more equitable economy by ensuring that contractors who benefit from the city’s spending hire from oftenoverlooked communities. Once fully implemented, community hiring has the potential to create 186,000 jobs for economically disadvantaged workers and residents over the next five years.

We have also launched a number of new job-training programs, including New York City PINCC, or Pathways to Industrial and Construction Careers. This program would train and place over 2,000 New Yorkers into high-wage, career-track jobs in the construction, transportation and utility sectors over the next three years.

Workers are the bedrock of our city’s prosperity, and as more asylum seekers continue to arrive, we want to make sure they are getting an opportunity to support themselves and integrate into our society. That is why we continue to call for work authorization for asylum seekers, who have so much to contribute to our economy, and who can help fill the jobs New Yorkers do not want.

We have thousands of unfilled jobs right here in New York City, including openings in manufacturing, food service, home care and transportation. And, just as so many previous immigrants did, we must help new arrivals get a job and do their part in pursuing the American Dream.

New York City is America’s largest union town, and union solidarity is what makes so many American Dreams possible. As a proud supporter of workers from all walks of life, I’ll continue to fight for the same things unions do: fairer wages, better benefits and a higher quality of life.

Labor Day!

by Naeisha Rose Associate Editor

The plan to close Rikers Island for four smaller boroughbased jails in Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx continues to be a topic of concern for Mayor Adams.

Since Adams took office in January 2022, he has brought into question if shutting down the city’s largest jail in the next four years is the right choice, and he continued to cast doubt on the initiative at the New York Law School on Tuesday morning.

“It was flawed from the beginning” Adams said during his visit at the school, according to multiple reports.

The mayor also noted the exorbitant cost to close the 413-acre complex, which the City Council would like to transform into an energy hub, to erect the smaller jails, including one in Kew Gardens.

“Everyone created this ideal environment, and now we’re stuck with something that started at one price tag, and now it has ballooned beyond belief,” he added.

The project is estimated to cost the city $8.7 billion, but none of the newer facilities are expected to be completed by the 2027 deadline and the prison population has been increasing during his tenure. The jail complex has more than 6,000 detainees per month, which is approximately 1,000 more since he took office, and the borough-based jails are projected to hold somewhere between 3,300 to 4,200 once built, reported the Queens Daily Eagle with data from the Department of Correction.

A spokesperson for the City Council said via email that the law is clear and Rikers must close by 2027.

“The Council remains committed to ensuring the City adheres to its legal mandate,” said the spokesperson. “The responsibility of every mayoral administration is to implement the laws and the plan to close Rikers is no differ-

ent. The mayor is correct that the population on Rikers is too large and unnecessarily, because roughly half of those detained have a mental health diagnosis and could be better served elsewhere.”

The Mental Health Roadmap was passed earlier this year by the City Council and the legislation includes Intro 1021-A, which would require the mayor to establish four new crisis respite centers to provide the mentally ill increased access to communitybased, peer-run facilities that are alternatives to hospitalization.

Intro. 1022-A would require five new clubhouses, which are community-based facilities designed to support people with serious mental illness by providing wraparound services and opportunities for social connection.

Councilman Bob Holden (D-Maspeth) shares the mayor’s concerns with closing Rikers Island.

“The left’s religious movement to closing Rikers is not a viable solution; my proposed legislation to renovate the island offers the pragmatic path forward that resonates with the concerns of New Yorkers,” Holden said via email.

Holden introduced the Committee on Criminal Justice bill last year to create a commission to examine the cost of renovating jail facilities on Rikers Island. If it were enacted, the commission would be required to issue a report of its findings.

During Adams tenure, 27 people have died at Rikers Island and 43 have since 2021, according to the Queens Daily Eagle. Many of the deaths have been blamed in part on poor conditions at the jail complex.

During an off-topic section of a faith-related press conference that was held later that evening Adams said, “How do we come up with a plan that gets the reform we are looking for and the safety we are looking for?” Q

Happy

Q Eric Adams is Mayor of New York City.

“Lunch Atop a Skyscraper” shows immigrant laborers constructing what was then the RCA Building, now the Comcast Building, aka 30 Rockefeller Plaza, in 1932.

PHOTO BY CHARLES CLYDE EBBETS VIA WIKIPEDIA

Mayor Adams questioned the feasibility of closing Rikers Island Tuesday. FILE PHOTO

AGEP

Your guide to the new season and school year

The Queens Chronicle’s 2023 Back to School and Fall Guide special supplement is in your hands — either just a few pages away or, if you’re reading this online, a few clicks away. Each story is posted at qchron.com as an individual item, and the entire section is there in PDF form.

You’re not going to just go right to our one-stop public school calendar for 2023-24 so you can cut it out and put it on the fridge, are you? It’s perfect for that. The city’s listing online takes up two pages; ours is all on one. The freezer door is where our calendar wants to be. You just have to make sure you don’t skip all the stories on the way to it!

One of our staples leads off the supplement: a look at new schools and expansions in Queens. Much of the borough has long lacked enough school seats. And while it’s true that overall student population has been dropping, the ongoing influx of migrants is changing the calculus. Find out where the new seats are. (And if you’re lucky enough to have a kid going to the new IS 429 in Sunnyside, which our education editor just toured, it’s got a baby grand piano and a parent room. Alas, the former is not in the latter, but still.)

In addition to traditional district schools, we have a piece on charters, an option that appeals to many families —

enough so there are waiting lists. Another story talks about why parents might choose a Catholic education, whether they’re of the faith or not. We talk to some top schools.

Not shy about tackling the hard issues even in a seasonal supplement, we have a piece looking at how school curricula are being adjusted to better incorporate groups who historically have been marginalized: the black community, LGBTQ+ people and others. It’s an ongoing project.

Beyond the classroom, we examine how schools are trying to mold their student athletes into leaders not just on the field or court but in life. So it always has been, but both the Public School Athletic League and the Catholic High School Athletic Association are increasing their efforts in that area. Sport is not just an extracurricular activity, it’s about “building an individual for life,” the top CHSAA official for Brooklyn and Queens schools told us.

Lastly, one of our writers hit the stores, both chains and indies, to report on youth fashion from preteen to college.

On the Fall Guide side, we start with our traditional listing of upcoming community theater shows, by our expert who’s been covering the boards for us for decades. Leave it to him to notice a distinct trend away from big musicals

and toward actual plays. Let’s see what audiences think!

Next we go into some detail about a number of the latest exhibits in our museums and art galleries — everything from vaunted MoMA PS1 in Long Island City to the Garage Art Center in Bayside, which is just what it’s name says it is. Small space does not mean small art, though.

We’re all about Queens, of course, but it’s long been a tradition to include one piece on a day trip outside the city, or maybe just outside the borough, in these supplements. This time we turn our gaze toward the Pocono Mountains. When you need a break from the concrete, the scooters, the sirens, the Poconos have it all: natural parks, theme parks, rafting, cycling, zip lines, haunted houses, a big animal park and so on. Pharmacies that stay open until 11 and the 24-hour transit system will still be here when you get back.

Among the toughest topics we cover is what the Mets can do in the fall and beyond to field a better team next year. Again, we have our expert on the job — he’s been watching the Amazin’s up close for decades. You might need some comfort food after reading that one, though, so we have a story with some nice recipes for cooler weather.

We’re here with you at the change of seasons as always.

LETTERSTO THE EDITOR

Adams’ shady deals

Dear Editor:

Re your Aug. 24 editorial “Shady donations and public money”:

1970s “poverty pimps.” Are the recipients of no-bid contracts from the Adams administration “migrant crisis crooks”? The City Council must find out.

wish to travel north or south, the bus or subway available is of no use to you. The same holds true if the route is north-south and you wish to travel east or west.

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Straw donors to Mayor Adams’ 2021 campaign aren’t the only aspect of his conduct that’s under scrutiny. New York’s City Council will investigate “billions of dollars in no-bid contracts the Adams administration has doled out to cope with the massive migrant crisis,” noted the New York Post (“Council probing no-bid pacts,” Aug. 20). City Councilwoman Gale Brewer (D-Manhattan), who chairs the Committee on Oversight and Investigation, will hold a hearing on “emergency deals that prompted a slew of complaints from lawmakers.” One of those deals cited is a $432 million contract to DocGo, a migrant shelter firm paid to relocate “asylum seekers” to upstate New York. There are many more dubious deals like that.

Nearly all contracts going to migrant crisis vendors were awarded without competitive bidding, despite NYC’s Procurement Law requiring competitive sealed bids on all contracts for goods and services valued at $1 million or more (nyc.gov). Why did the Adams administration ignore the competitive bidding rule? How many of those no-bid contracts went to the mayor’s campaign donors and political cronies? We need answers.

Former Mayor Ed Koch called shady providers of anti-poverty program services during the

Richard Reif Kew Gardens Hills

Transit deserts are real

Dear Editor:

This statement by a congestion pricing advisor proves that the decision makers do not use transit nor understand what a transit desert is: “Other than Breezy Point, every census block in the five boroughs is within a half mile of a bus or subway stop” (“Study finds one boro transit desert: TMRB,”Aug. 24, multiple editions).

First of all, the accepted domestic standard for a local bus stop is one-quarter mile, not onehalf mile. Studies have shown that is the distance most people are willing to walk to access a local bus route. Even if it were one half-mile, if only one east-west route is available and you

Transit deserts are very common in many areas of the city and certainly are not limited to Breezy Point.

Allan Rosen Brooklyn

The writer is a former director of MTA New York City Transit Bus Planning with three decades of experience in transportation an d a master’s degree in urban planning.

Cross-hire hurricane

Dear Editor:

In the last few years after hurricanes, Florida, Texas and other Gulf Coast states have relied on migrant workers to assist with the cleanup and rebuilding of damaged homes and infrastructures. With recent catastrophes related to climate change and the National Oceanic

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LETTERSTO THE EDITOR

and Atmospheric Administration’s prediction of an above-normal hurricane season, it would be ironic if those states are hampered or delayed in their rebuilding programs after shipping migrants from their states to New York and other cities.

However, if past trends hold after disasters, due to the labor shortage in the United States, migrants residing in other states, such as New York, will travel to where work is readily available.

Glenn Hayes Kew Gardens

Editor’s note: The writer penned his letter Aug. 23, several days before Hurricane Idalia formed.

Migrants, not asylees

Dear Editor:

Your Aug. 24 story “Two migrants share their stories” is very important in shedding light on the problem we are facing.

You were very accurate in calling these industrious young people migrants. They are looking for a better life, not running away from war or political persecution. They are here in sin, jumping the line beyond millions of people dreaming to start a new life in the USA. This will haunt them for a long time.

If you start your life in the United States in an unlawful, questionable way, you’ll have to make amends for that. I do hope the migrants understand their obligations to this country, including keeping the law of this land and paying our enormous deficit.

These are wonderful people but the way they’re coming here is not. This is not the way to open our country to immigration.

First take care of our poor and homeless.

Giora Katz Jackson Heights

Send funds, fix border

Dear Editor:

(An open letter to President Biden and congressional leaders)

The New York business community is deeply concerned about the humanitarian crisis that has resulted from the continued flow of asylum seekers into our country. The situation is overwhelming the resources not only of the border region but of city and state governments across the nation. New York City, alone, has received more than 100,000 asylum seekers whose status is uncertain and who lack authorization to work. Increasingly, these are families with young children.

We write to support the request made by New York Gov. Hochul for federal funding for educational, housing, security and healthcare services to offset the costs that local and state governments are incurring with limited federal aid. In addition, there is a compelling need for expedited processing of asylum applications and work permits for those who meet federal eligibility standards. Immigration policies and control of our country’s border are clearly a federal responsibility; state and local governments have no standing in this matter.

There are labor shortages in many U.S. industries, where employers are prepared to offer training and jobs to individuals who are authorized to work in the United States. The

business community is also providing in-kind assistance and philanthropic support to organizations that are addressing the immediate needs of this largely destitute population.

Bipartisan action by Congress and the administration is ultimately the way to resolve immigration issues, but that will take time. In the interim, we urge you to take immediate action to better control the border and the process of asylum and provide relief to the cities and states that are bearing the burdens posed by the influx of asylum seekers.

Albert

Bourla

Chairman and CEO, Pfizer Inc. Co-Chair, Partnership for New York City

Rob Speyer President and CEO, Tishman Speyer Co-Chair, Partnership for New York City Manhattan

Editor’s note: This letter was signed by 112 other business leaders; the full list can be seen at pfnyc.org.

Remember Afghanistan

Dear Editor:

August 2023 represents the second anniversary of CBS Channel 2’s unannounced, lastminute cancellation of the Monday, Aug. 16, “United States of Al” episode. It did not soothe America’s guilt. The Biden administration’s incompetent planning for the evacuation of thousands of our own citizens along with Afghans who served as interpreters or worked for Americans did nothing to save many of their lives. The Taliban have extracted their revenge over the past two years on those citizens who worked with us during the 20-year war in Afghanistan.

It is too bad that no one in the Biden administration paid attention to the public service announcement at the end of one episode. Two of the actors, Adhir Kalyan, who plays Al, the Afghan interpreter, and Parker Young, who plays Riley, the Marine, promoted a private organization dedicated to rescuing Afghan citizens, who put their lives on the line for us, helping them come to America.

CBS executives should be ashamed of themselves for promoting Taliban-style censorship in America. They have the moral courage of the Cowardly Lion from the Land of Oz, known as Hollywood. They also weaseled out of producing a third season of “United States of Al.”

Larry Penner Great Neck, LI

Department of Injustice

Dear Editor:

Every American should be appalled by Attorney General Merrick Garland’s recent appointment of David Weiss as special counsel in the Hunter Biden case. The Department of Justice must think we’re either really gullible or just plain dumb.

Weiss was the prosecutor on Hunter Biden’s case, and, after more than four years, he came up with a plea deal in which Hunter would plead guilty to misdemeanors, would not serve a day in jail and would dodge any other federal charges. It was firmly denied by federal Judge Maryellen Noreika.

In that time, Weiss shut down investigations, continued on next page

Three men sent to prison for nearly 30 years over false statements Wrongful convictions vacated: QDA Katz

by Naeisha Rose Associate Editor

Three men who were imprisoned in two separate criminal cases in the 1990s had their wrongful convictions vacated last Thursday.

New evidence came to light freeing Earl Walters, along with Armond McCloud and Reginald Cameron, according to the Office of Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.

In the case of Walters, fingerprint evidence implicated other men in the abductions and robberies of two women in Jamaica in 1992, which he ended up spending 20 years in prison. As for McCloud and Cameron, the detective on their Lefrak City murder and robbery case was known for eliciting false confessions, including that of the “Central Park Five” in 1989 and that of a defendant in the 1990 murder of a tourist to the US Open tennis tournament, prosecutors said. McCloud spent more than 28 years in prison and Cameron, who pleaded to a lesser robbery charge, was out after eight years. There was also no probable cause to arrest McCloud and Cameron and both of their confessions did not align with the facts of the crime.

Several criminal justice groups helped to fight the wrongful conviction cases, according to Katz.

“I want to thank the New Jersey Innocence Project at Rutgers University, the Center on Wrongful Convictions at Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law, the Exoneration Initiative and the Legal Aid Wrongful Conviction Unit for their work on these cases with our Conviction Integrity Unit,” Katz said in a statement.

On Sept. 2, 1992, two men approached a woman, 28, in Borough Park as she was exiting a friend’s car that was just parked in front of a building where she lived, and one of them struck her in the head with a gun and forced her to lie on the floor in the back of the car, prosecutors said. The men then rifled through her belongings, found an ATM card and then demanded her PIN. The car was then driven to an ATM on Hillside Avenue in Jamaica and approximately $2,000 in cash was withdrawn. The vehicle was abandoned and found stripped months later with all potential forensic evidence destroyed.

A second similar incident occurred a few weeks later on Sept. 24 to a 58-year-old woman, who was also getting out of her car after parking near her Flushing home. As she was putting a steering wheel lock on two men approached her. She was punched in the face, had her head slammed repeated-

LETTERSTO THE EDITOR

continued from previous page

tipping off suspects before searches, refusing to interview Hunter, hiding FBI documents and firing IRS investigators.

He is firmly in Biden’s corner and regardless, Justice Department regulations require that special counsels be selected from outside the U.S. government, which he is not.

It’s an appointment that says the fix is in: to stall this investigation until after the election, just like in 2020, when they didn’t report on Hunter Biden’s laptop. Meanwhile, the Justice Department is proceeding at warp speed in prosecuting President Biden’s most likely opponent in next year’s presidential election.

Keep up the good work, Rep. James Comer of the House Oversight Committee, because if this isn’t two-tier justice, we don’t know what is.

Take it from “two deplorables” who ain’t that dumb!

Thomas and Constance Dowd Oakland Gardens

Can’t handle the truth

Dear Editor:

When letters are written by individuals quick to dismiss incidents related to voting fraud to appease their own beliefs, based solely on hatefulness, there’s a one-sided bias against logical reasoning. Lost in the melee

by some sort of media manipulation of the truth are stories related to ballots suddenly appearing out of nowhere — or tossed outright in the middle of the night. Where’s the investigation into these allegations? Instead, naysayers are given voice to label those people who have every reason to be skeptical.

Common sense tells us that the only logical explanation for any kind of problem today goes through a series of preconceived notions that have very little basis in reality. When dismissing story lines makes what may be the truth impossible to believe, the public has no choice but to be skeptical of what is written, heard on the radio or watched on television. In foreign countries this is called brainwashing.

We are a nation of free thinkers who believe in seeking truth to achieve the goal of righteousness. Sadly, our society is dependent on how many people can be convinced that what we believe is not in keeping with a popular narrative. Curiously enough, people are willing to accept lies to make their lives easier, to follow the bouncing ball on their screens.

These people cannot handle the truth. It’s easier for them to believe what they are told to believe. They can be persuaded to accept anything if it’s part of the popular narrative. Thinking for themselves is not an option.

Craig Schwab Glendale

ly into the steering wheel and then was thrown into the back of the car. Similar to the previous victim, they demanded her ATM card and PIN, but one of the men also sexually assaulted her as the other withdrew money from her account. She was then dragged out of her car and thrown over a fence near train tracks, and they urinated on her, according to authorities. The victim then called 911 at a bodega after she made sure the men were gone.

Walters, who was 17 at the time, initially was considered a witness in an unrelated Sept. 21 carjacking and murder. He later emerged as a suspect in all three cases. After being interrogated for 16 hours while in police custody without counsel, he made statements implicating himself and two others, prosecutors said. The witness in the first carjacking identified him as well, but only after picking two other candidates and conferring with a detective.

Three carjackings and robberies of women, similar to the first two aforementioned incidents, occurred while Walters was still in custody, and three men, Kraigory Odom, Robert Masters and Jermaine Williams, were charged for similar crimes, but Walters was convicted at a trial in March 1994. He would eventually get released to parole in April 2013.

In 2020, with the help of Rebecca Freedman and Glen Garber of the Exoneration Initiative, Walters requested Katz’s Conviction Integrity Unit to review the case and specifically requested that fingerprints associated with the two carjackings be compared to Odom, Masters and Williams.

The NYPD Latent Print Section used fingerprint database technology that wasn’t available in the 1990s to re-examine the evidence and obtained a match to Williams and Masters. There was no evidence that Walters was associated with either man and he was excluded as a source of any of the forensic evidence in the case, prosecutors said.

After being formed in 2020, Katz’s Conviction Integrity Unit reinvestigated the McCloud and Cameron case after an internal review uncovered potential discrepancies between the facts of the crimes and the confessions, which were the basis for the convictions.

Det. Carlos Gonzalez, a member of the Police Department who was accused of eliciting false confessions for the 1990 convictions of the Central Park Five and Johnny Hincapie, a man who was accused of fatally stabbing a Utah native who was visiting New York to attend the US Open Tennis Championships, also obtained admissions of guilt from McCloud and Cameron when

other detectives failed to do so, prosecutors said.

On Aug. 4, 1994, a tenant of the Columbia building in Lefrak City reported shots fired at 11:20 p.m. Japanese national Kei Sunada, 22, was found with a gunshot wound to the head on the landing of the fourth-floor stairwell by a peace officer. The victim died three days later. By Aug. 8, McCloud and Cameron were arrested without probable cause because a 16-yearold being questioned in an unrelated robbery told police he overheard people saying that someone who fit the former man’s description killed Sunada.

After being interrogated for approximately nine hours, McCloud, who was thirsty and hungry, said he confessed and hoped after recanting his admission of guilt, his innocence would come to light in court. Cameron was interrogated for approximately eight hours, confessed and recanted his statement after describing the interrogation techniques to be coercive.

Despite that, McCloud was convicted of murder in 1996 and sentenced to 25 years to life. He was released in January 2023. Cameron pleaded guilty to robbery in exchange for the dismissal of murder charges after seeing how his co-defendant’s case turned out and served eight years. The latter defendant spent more than half of the recommended 3.75-year minimum in pretrial detention before his plea.

Further review of the case shows that Gonzalez inaccurately reported that Sunada was found lying face down in a pool of blood in a fourth-floor hallway, not stairwell. Another officer incorrectly noted that the victim was shot twice, not once. The men’s confession described a robbery in the hallway and Cameron added that the man was shot twice, which matched the inaccuracies in the reports, prosecutors said. The “false fed facts” indicated that the confessions came from an interrogator, not direct knowledge of a crime.

A crime scene reconstruction expert also determined that the murder could only have happened in the stairwell, where the victim’s body was discovered.

The discrepancies, along with the lack of any reliable evidence to implicate either man in the murder, led to their convictions being vacated, according to Katz’s Office.

“Fairness in the criminal justice system means we must re-evaluate cases when credible new evidence of actual innocence or wrongful conviction emerges,” Katz said in a statement. “Those who have served prison time for crimes they demonstrably did not commit deserve to have the slate wiped clean.”

“Fairness in the criminal justice system means we re-evaluate cases when credible new evidence ... emerges.”

— District Attorney Melinda Katz

Seniors can plan for burglary protection

Trusted neighbors, simple precautions may help avoid

by Michael Gannon Senior News Editor

Early this summer, Eileen, a senior citizen and Queens resident, had an unexpected medical emergency.

“I thought I would be in the hospital for four days,” she said.

But it turned out to be more serious than she thought, and after an extended stay in the hospital, Eileen — not her real name — required a stay at a rehabilitation facility.

Very early on during her stay, Eileen’s letter carrier saw mail piling up for a few days when it should not have been. The NYPD was notified to conduct a wellness check, with officers forcing their way in hoping not to discover the worst.

While recuperating, Eileen periodically checked with her bank, and each time her balance was what she expected it to be.

Until it wasn’t.

“I had just over $200 left,” she said.

Eileen recently got an emergency release and was brought back home, where she found the door slightly open.

During her weeks away, her residence was burglarized.

The door will have to be replaced. Personal items lay strewn on the floor of two rooms. And her personal papers were laid out as if they were gone through in an orderly manner by someone who knew what to look for.

“He took my driver’s license, the registration for my car,” she said. “He took my extra car keys.”

And at least one check from her checkbook, which was cashed for a great deal of money.

“I was at motor vehicles yesterday getting my new license and registration,” she said, with a determined grit, but still no small trace of despair in her voice over the fact that her home, her sanctuary, had been broken into.

Barry Klitsberg is president of the Queens Interagency Council on Aging.

the ordeal related here

Joseph Giacalone is a retired NYPD detective who now teaches at John Jay College in Brooklyn. Both told the Chronicle that there are things seniors can do before a planned medical absence from home, and plans they can have in place before emergency strikes.

“First, if this was planned, whether she lives in a private house or an apartment, she should mention to a neighbor, someone she knows, someone she trusts, that she’s going to be away and have them take in her mail, Klitsberg said. “That’s the first thing.

“When you see a lot of mail piling up, that’s a sign that no one is home. If her letter carrier noticed it, somebody else will notice it too.”

Giacalone, former commander of the NYPD’s Bronx Cold Case Squad, said if it is planned, people can arrange with the Post Office to hold their mail. If not, there are precautions that can be taken.

“If they have no family members who can readily help, they need to have some sort of plan,” Giacalone said. “There’s got to be a caretaker who can be trusted. There are lawyers who handle this, estate lawyers, who are available to take care of things like this — ‘When I get home, I’ll contact you. If I don’t, you know what to do.’”

Klitsberg said one should always keep his or her car locked.

“Always lock up important things in a strongbox or something,” he added. “Get a timer for your lights. Let them go on at a certain time. Let them go off at a certain time. You can get those at a hardware store for a few dollars. Especially if you have a private house, you want lights to go on in the evening. If they don’t, that’s a sign nobody is home.”

Giacalone said even a strongbox is not enough caution by itself for important personal papers, credit cards and other important or valuable items.

“If a pro gets in ... where do people keep their important stuff?” he asked. “In the

Advocates and law enforcement professionals say there are measures seniors can take to protect their homes and documents from burglars if they have extended absences that are either planned or emergency-mandated. One older Queens resident just found out what can happen the hard way.

bedroom. Every burglar knows this. It’s in your sock drawer. You need to switch that up, be more creative about where you keep those things.”

Both men said the same goes for securing medications, as thieves do target drugs. Klitsberg added that prescription medicine containers also contain personal information.

NYPD CompStat figures through Aug. 20 show a 10.3 percent drop in burglaries citywide year-to-date from 2022.

In Queens, however, cases are up just over 4.4 percent year-to-date, with 1,984 incidents being reported in the borough through Aug. 20, as opposed to an even 1,900 last year.

Giacalone said that in some cases, the pilfered documents mentioned by Eileen can work in detectives’ favor once they are reported stolen.

“If you go to use these documents, and the place has a good security camera ...

Eileen said she had no problem whatsoev-

er with her letter carrier contacting police, knowing he or she was acting in good faith. But she is concerned that perhaps officers didn’t secure her door as well as they should have.

Klitsberg didn’t think that was likely the issue, as the NYPD has safety checks down to a routine.

“If they have to break in, they have to repair the door,” he said. “They lock up everything again. So I’m assuming it wasn’t sitting there with an open door.

“The procedure, when we have to make an entry like that, is that the city is responsible for securing that door,” Giacalone said. “They leave a cop there until somebody comes to secure that door.

“They have to file a report called ‘City Involved’ and call a division in the department to come and secure that door.

“Because word will get around the neighborhood fast. And who needs to go out of their way to go to [the Department of] Motor Vehicles like she had to?” Q

“There’s got to be a caretaker who can be trusted.”

— John Jay Professor and retired NYPD Detective Joseph Giacalone

Speed cams

continued from page 4

dropped 83 percent on Union Turnpike and that traffic injuries during overnight and weekend hours declined by 16 percent on Queens Boulevard. The agency declined to say what stretches it was referring to on each of those roadways.

When the policy was announced last summer, the Chronicle reported that the cameras remained set to flag the speed at which one gets a ticket when the default is 25 — 36 mph since the first 10 mph over do not trigger a summons. Since they were not adjusted to be lower during school hours, a driver would not be ticketed for going up to 35 mph even during the school day.

Not all Queens lawmakers are excited by the DOT’s report — Councilmember Vickie Paladino (R-Whitestone) said the agency’s social media pages are “virtually indistinguishable from those of the radical TransAlt[ernatives] lobby.”

“For this reason any study pointing to the ‘success’ of the deeply unpopular and increasingly predatory 24/7 speed camera program must be taken with a grain of salt,” she said in a statement. “They are desperate to justify a program that regular working people are increasingly fed up with outside of a very small but very influential activist community whose ultimate goal is to abolish cars in New York City entirely.” Q

Rockwood food distribution

Rockwood Park Jewish Center in Howard Beach held a free distribution of an assortment of fruits and vegetables in partnership with The Caruana Foundation on Monday, Aug. 28.

The distribution started at 3 p.m., according to Harold Rosenbaum, president of Rockwood Park, and within one hour, the last piece of produce was gone. Over 110

HB fundraiser for Patriot Day

The Howard Beach Lindenwood Civic Association is hosting a Patriot Day fundraiser on Sept. 9 at the PS 207 schoolyard, co-sponsored by the office of City Councilwoman Joann Ariola (R-Ozone Park). There will be crafts, food, raffles and games available.

The event’s itinerary begins with an adult fitness course at 11 a.m. Registration is $25. To register, send your payment to @HBL-Civic on Venmo with your name, cell phone number and email address.

At 12 p.m., children can participate in an American flag scavenger hunt. Registration is $5 per child, and payment should be sent to the same Venmo account, along with your child’s name and your contact information.

people showed to claim their share of food.

According Rosenbaum, this is the third time the center has used its facilities to help the community with a food distribution.

Rosenbaum extended special thanks to Michael Sakhai and Rabbi Shuie Samuels for making the event possible.

— Kristen Guglielmo

The fundraiser is being held in memory of Rocco Morabito, a 7-yearold boy born with a severe condition that he braved through for years. Morabito’s father, John, is a retired firefighter who saved countless lives on 9/11.

The proceeds will go toward funding the neighborhood’s 9/11 mural site and to the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. Q

— Kristen Guglielmo

PHOTO COURTESY HAROLD ROSENBAUM

US Open nets tennis fans new and old

Sold-out tickets for the first games at Flushing Meadows

by Naeisha Rose Associate Editor

Thousands of people swarmed Flushing Meadows Corona Park for the US Open to watch tennis, cheer on their favorite players or simply root for the USA for the first games of the last of the Grand Slam tournament of the year on Monday.

The Queens Chronicle was at the games and interviewed people who came from near and far and were excited about the tennis competitions.

Wendy Wider-Burroughs told the Chronicle that she took a more-than -five-hour flight from Mississippi with layovers in Memphis and Chicago before she reached LaGuardia Airport, but once she got to the Open all the tickets were sold out.

“I was looking forward to the games but they are all sold out of grounds passes and the cheapest tickets are for $400,” Wider-Burroughs said. “I’m just a little too cheap for that, but I’m going to the ticket office to see if they have passes for Tuesday and Wednesday.”

Wider-Burroughs pulled an Issa Rae and joked that she is rooting for all of the Black players.

“Well of course Coco [Gauff] for sure, and [Francis] Tiafoe on the guy sides,” Wider-Burroughs added.

“Those are my favorites.”

Marcy Morgan and her friend Gretchen Bergstresser came in from Connecticut.

“We drove in from Stamford,” Morgan said. “We are excited to be on the grounds, being able to see the

practice courts, to see what’s going on and do some shopping.”

Guests were able to go to several venues for tennis swag including US Open Collection and Tennis Point, to name a few.

Joseph Goldman had a father-son day at the games as he drove Samuel Goldman, 12, six hours to attend the US Open from Boston.

“I’m looking forward to seeing Tiafoe,” said Sam. “Last time we were here, he was in the top 50, now he’s like in the top 10. I think it’s really cool because he is from America.”

Tiafoe is ranked 10th for men’s tennis, while Carlos Alcaraz (Spain), Novak Djokovic (Serbia), Daniil Medvedev (Russia), Holger Rune (Denmark), Casper Ruud (Norway), Jannik Sinner (Italy), Stefanos Tsitsipas (Greece), Andrey Rublev (Russia) and one fellow American, Taylor Fritz, are the nine players ranked above him, respectively.

“This is really nice because he grew up playing tennis,” said Joseph Goldman, who is originally from Flushing. “He’s as excited about it as I am.”

Sam is considering a tennis career in the future.

Francesca Falletta, along with her son Lucas Oskwarek and partner, Noah Oskwarek, spent 90 minutes on the road coming in from Connecticut.

“I’m looking forward to Dominic Thiem playing Alexander Bublik on the grandstand,” said Lucas, who plays tennis. “He’s hard-hitting and has a powerful serve, especially his

spike.”

Lucas, 15, is also inspired by Thiem’s comeback story.

“He got injured and now he’s back at the US Open,” said Lucas, who has played tennis for 10 years.

In 2020, Thiem, an Austrian player, won the US Open to become a Grand Slam champion, but at the 2021 Mallorca Open he suffered a wrist injury and had to miss out on Wimbledon and other tennis competitions.

J.L. Jose of Crown Heights was on the subway for 70 minutes to get to the games.

“I love tennis in general, but I’m a big Djokovic fan,” said Jose. “He has great determination, will, and you can’t deny his greatness overall.”

Jose is also a fan of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Gauff, along with Serena and Venus Williams.

Paul Cohen, from Manhattan, said it was his third time attending the game.

“There are a few matches I want to watch,” Cohen said. “I want to watch Sorana Cîrstea versus [Kayla] Day, the American.”

Cohen was also looking forward to seeing Djokovic and Tiafoe play.

“I think Francis Tiafoe is probably the best American player right now,” Cohen added.

Brian Yin said he is from the Upper East Side and came to the US Open to take a business client out for the games and to enjoy some drinks.

“I haven’t been in a few years, but I really don’t remember anything about this experience at all,” Yin said. “I just know I had a good time. The client is bringing his family with him and I hope they get some exposure to the games.”

Some food vendors at the games included Van Leeuwen, an ice cream joint; Nixtama, which sold tacos, nachos and chips and salsa; and Queens’ very own The Nourish Spot, a juice bar from Jamaica.

Gayle Burkett, originally from Jamaica, West Indies, and a resident of Jamaica, Queens, since 1992, said that she grew up watching the games back on the island nation.

“I’m a big tennis fan,” Burkett told the Chronicle. “They used to broadcast Wimbledon in Jamaica

and I started watching [Martina] Navratilova. She became my favorite player and I’ve loved it ever since.”

She is looking forward to seeing Alcaraz, Gauff and Tiafoe play.

Kenneth Smith of College Point, similar to Wider-Burroughs, joked that he is rooting for the “brothers and the sisters” at the game.

“The history of sports in America is part of the history of America and I’m always rooting for Black players,” said Smith, who was given a ticket by a friend who couldn’t make it to Monday’s games. “I’m grateful to be here last minute to come opening day ... This is my second time at the US Open.”

Smith has been watching tennis since the 1970s because of Arthur Ashe, the first Black man to win singles titles at Wimbledon, the US Open and the Australian Open. Ashe won three Grand Slam titles in singles and two in doubles, along with a Davis Cup for the men’s national team, before retiring in 1980.

A tennis arena named for Ashe opened at the park in 1997. Q

“He’s as excited about it as I am.”

— Joseph Goldman

Thousands of people from all over the country were in Queens for the US Open on Monday.

PHOTOS BY NAEISHA ROSE

Rebeka Masarova, left, a Swiss-born Spanish tennis player, beat her first top-10 opponent, Maria Sakkari of Greece, at the opening games on Monday. Gayle Burkett, a Jamaica resident, was happy to attend the games. Joseph and Samuel Goldman, a father-and-son duo, came in from Connecticut to watch the games. Joseph Goldman grew up in Flushing.

Sheet metal union seeking apprentices

Deadline for applications is Nov. 21

The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportations Workers is seeking applicants for its Local 28 apprenticeship program.

The people who are selected into the five-year program will be able to earn an income while they learn about the sheet metal industry, according to the Local 28 union. To apply, applicants must be at least 17 years of age, have basic math skills and a desire to work hard with their hands and mind.

The people selected into the program will take an entrance exam for classes entering 2024, and successful candidates must pass a drug screening. There will be random drug tests for the duration of the program.

As a sheet metal worker, apprentices will learn to design, fabricate, install, weld and service ductwork for heating, ventilating and air conditioning, the union added. They will use galvanized metal, copper and aluminum, along with a wide variety of specialty materials.

Throughout the program, those within it

will work full-time for a union contractor that pays them to attend classes, and once the apprenticeship is completed they will receive college credit from select accredited institutions of higher learning. The first six to eight months to a year, however, will be considered a pre-apprenticeship indenture and the initial month will include mandatory lessons without pay until a person is assigned a union contractor.

Applications must be submitted in person from Nov. 6 to 21 from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 1 to 3:30 p.m. to the training center, which is located at 139-20 143 St. in Jamaica. People can take the E train to the Jamaica/Van Wyck stop or the F train to the Sutphin Boulevard stop to get to the center. They can also take the Long Island Rail Road to Jamaica. The training facility also has a parking lot on 143rd Street, but space is extremely limited. For more information, one may call (718) 297-5570. Information on other union recruitments may be found online at dol.ny.gov/apprenticeship/overview.

Kim Russo’s homecoming

Ozone Park’s own Kim Russo, the celebrity psychic colloquially known as “The Happy Medium,” returned to Queens on Tuesday, Aug. 22 for a gallery-style reading event at Villa Russo in Richmond Hill.

Russo is known for her appearances on shows “Celebrity Ghost Stories,” “Psychic Intervention” and “The Haunting of ...”

Q

— Naeisha Rose

Through her readings, Russo is believed to be able to offer closure and insight to those

who may have lost a loved one by connecting with those who have passed.

The event was organized by the Ozone Park Residents Block Association and the Ozone Park Howard Beach Lions Club.

According to Sam Esposito, president of the block association and Lions Club, the event was sold out with 111 people in attendance, eager to see Russo in person and receive a reading.

— Kristen Guglielmo

Mets to retire Doc’s, Straw’s uniform nos.

16 and 18 to join team’s legends atop Citi Field in 2024 ceremonies

by Peter C. Mastrosimone and Michael Gannon Editor-in-Chief and Senior News Editor

Two of the Mets’ greatest stars from the 1980s, both of them key to the team’s second World Series win, will see their numbers retired next year.

Darryl Strawberry, the rightfielding power hitter, will see his No. 18 retired. Lights-out pitcher Dwight “Doc” Gooden will get the same honor for his No. 16.

The Mets announced the move in a trio of tweets last Thursday.

First came one saying Nos. 16 and 18 are “forever enshrined in Mets history.”

The next one said, “Doctor K dominated the ’80s. Next year his number 16 will forever be immortalized in our history.” It was accompanied by a short video of highlights from Gooden’s time on the mound.

The third one said, “No one had a sweeter swing than Straw. Next season his number 18 comes home for good.” The highlight reel shows a few of those smooth-as-silk swings.

Though Gooden underperformed in the postseason in 1986, he was key to the Mets’

getting there, going 17-6 with 200 strikeouts, the fifth-highest in the National League, according to baseballreference. com. And even though he did not win a postseason game, the Mets won four out of the five that he started, and beat the Boston Red Sox for the title.

Strawberry only hit .259 in the regular season in 1986, but he belted 27 homers and drove in 93 runs. He too was less than stellar in the postseason, hitting .227 against the Astros in the National League Championship Series with two homers, and only .208 against the Sox, putting one over the fence.

The Mets did not elaborate in their tweets as to how they will mark the retirement of the two stars’ numbers during the rebuilding year that will be the 2024 season, but later said they would have individual ceremonies.

Gooden in a tweet said the honor made for “an extraordinary day.” He thanked owners Steve and Alex Cohen, his teammates, the Mets organization and the fans. He also thanked his late parents, and the

SPORTS EAT

For Pete’s sake

by Lloyd Carroll Chronicle Contributor

family and friends “who have stood by me through all the highs and lows of life.”

“And to my brother Darryl, it looks like they really do love us!”

“It’s been a long time coming,” tweeted longtime Mets announcer, lifetime fan and Bayside native Howie Rose. “Thrilled that these Mets icons will receive this rightful honor.”

Both men spent their prime years with the Mets.

says. “Leading Major League Baseball with 24 wins, 268 strikeouts, and a 1.53 ERA (the second-lowest in the live-ball era, trailing only Bob Gibson’s 1.12 in 1968) Gooden earned the major leagues’ pitching Triple Crown. He led the National League in complete games (16) and innings pitched (276 2⁄3). From his second start onward, Gooden’s ERA never rose above 2.00.”

Doc in 1996 pitched a no-hitter for the Yankees, beating the Seattle Mariners.

Veteran

baseball journalist

Ken Rosenthal caused a stir when he wrote in The Athletic that the Mets and Milwaukee Brewers were “within field goal distance” of making a trade that would have sent Pete Alonso to America’s beer capital. Of course, today’s NFL kickers can make field goals from more than 60 yards out, so the deal may not have been as close to consumption as Rosenthal’s analogy would indicate.

Mets General Manager Billy Eppler did not deny Alonso was the source of trade talk before the Aug. 1 deadline. He made it clear the return he expected had better be quite large. No team offered a tempting haul.

Alonso has one more season left before he becomes a free agent. My guess is the Mets will not seriously discuss moving him unless he says he would prefer to play elsewhere. Alonso, however, has been vocal about how he loves both New York City and being a Met.

Mets owner Steve Cohen, like all successful hedge fund entrepreneurs, made his fortune understanding markets. He knows the supply of power-hitting first basemen is far smaller than the demand from other teams. I doubt Alonso is leaving Queens in the immediate future.

Alonso’s teammate Francisco Lindor is a huge tennis fan. Last Thursday, the shortstop was at the launch of tennis star Coco Gauff’s new line of

Bathletic shoes, the CG1. New Balance officials believe Gauff can be the face of women’s tennis now that Serena Williams has retired. New Balance touted how the CG1 sneakers have carbon fiber instead of foam in the soles, reducing foot stress. Lindor, who also has an endorsement deal with New Balance, hopes to watch Gauff compete at the US Open if his Mets schedule permits.

The US Open is not only a Grand Slam tennis event, but it has increasingly become an outstanding epicurean one as well. There were long lines at every food vendor at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center during Fan Week. Among the popular choices were Crabby Shack’s lobster rolls, Melba’s catfish and sweet potato fries combo, Pat La Frieda’s Angus steak sandwich, and Hill Country’s chipped brisket and pulled pork sandwiches.

Just as the Mets welcome Queens food purveyors to Citi Field, so has the United States Tennis Association. Open attendees can enjoy sandwiches from Forest Hills’ Stacked and smoothies from South Jamaica’s The Nourish Spot.

Interest in tennis is great news for the country’s fastest growing racquet sport, pickleball. A few days before the start of the US Open, Venus Williams and defending men’s US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz took part in a pickleball exhibition at the Lotte New York Palace hotel. Q

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

Strawberry was with them from 1983 to 1990, later playing for the Dodgers, Giants and Yankees. He wound up with a career batting average of .259 with 335 home runs and 1,000 runs batted in.

Gooden was with the Mets from 1984 to 1994, later pitching for the Yankees, Indians, Astros and Devil Rays. He ended up with a win-loss record of 194-112, an earned run average of 3.51 and 2,293 strikeouts.

Straw and Doc were major stars and fan favorites, who also got themselves into trouble. Gooden has been arrested multiple times for offenses related to alcohol and drugs and has done time in prison. Strawberry also has been arrested a number of times, including for drugs, and has spent time in jail. He says he has been clean and sober for more than 10 years now.

Despite their troubles, both were Amazin’ at their peak.

“In 1987, Strawberry hit 39 home runs and stole 36 bases, joining the exclusive 30-30 club at the time becoming one of only 10 players in baseball history to accomplish the feat,” Wikipedia notes. “In addition to that, he hit 32 doubles and drove in 104 runs.”

A year later, Strawberry would lead the National League in homers, again hitting 39.

“In 1985, Gooden pitched one of the most statistically dominating single seasons in baseball history,” the online encyclopedia

The two won back-to-back National League Rookie of the Year awards, with Strawberry capturing the honor in 1983 at age 21, and Gooden following a year later at just 19.

Strawberry was named to eight consecutive All-Star teams, including during his last seven seasons in Flushing.

He finished in the top 10 vote recipients for most valuable player four times, including a second-place finish behind the Dodgers’ Kirk Gibson in 1988.

Gooden won the Cy Young Award in his sophomore season, and played in four AllStar games.

Strawberry (1996 and 1999) and Gooden (2000) both won World Series rings with the Yankees.

Both men remain conspicuous presences in the Mets’ record book, according to baseballrefrence.com.

Strawberry still holds the team record for home runs with 252. He remains in the top 10 in club history in slugging percentage (3), games played (9), at-bats (8), hits (9), runs batted in (2), walks (2), strikeouts (2) and stolen bases (5).

Gooden’s .649 winning percentage still is the club’s best by far. He ranks in the team’s top 10 for career earned run average (7), wins (2), losses (3), games (10), innings (3), strikeouts (2), starts (3), complete games (3) and shutouts (4). Q

Dwight Gooden, left, and Darryl Strawberry will formally take their places among New York Mets immortals in 2024 when the team plans to retire their numbers. The club has announced they will be honored in separate, individual ceremonies. PHOTOS BY BARRY COLLA VIA WIKIPEDIA

“A

nd to my brother Darryl, it looks like they really do love us.”

— Dwight Gooden

Back in 2014, Karesia Batan was an up-and-coming young dancer, living in Long Island City, and doing what she calls the “typical New York City artist hustle”: going to auditions and trying “to get the lay of the land.” But, she recently recalled, she felt she was missing something. She felt the need to meet fellow dancers. She wanted to know where they all went to rehearse. She wondered why there seemed to be so few dance performances around the borough.

Steppin’ lively Queensboro Dance Festival

gears up to end season with epic events

by Mark Lord

“There must be something happening in Queens,” she remembers thinking to herself at the time.

That’s when she decided to make things happen, building, from the ground up, an event that has evolved into one of the borough’s major annual attractions, the Queensboro Dance Festival.

Now about to wrap up its 10th season, highlighted by three nights of performances at Queens Theatre from Sept. 15 to 17, the festival brings together dozens of performers

who are as diverse in cultural background and dance style as the borough’s residents themselves.

When Batan launched the festival, her mission was “to strengthen the dance community in Queens and inspire greater appreciation for Queens dancers,” she said.

It began modestly enough, she explained, as a three-night run at a local theater.

Eventually, she realized that “if we wanted to reach as many Queens residents as possible, we had to tour. The

tour was a major step in our growth.”

This year’s edition began on June 3, running weekends throughout the summer with free outdoor performances in parks, in plazas and on the borough’s streets, with classes and dance parties adding to the festive atmosphere.

Two such performances remain this year: On Sept. 2, the festival makes a stop at Jackson Heights’ Diversity Plaza (73-19 37 Road) from 6 to 7:15 p.m.,

continued on page 21

King Crossword Puzzle

I HAVE OFTEN WALKED

‘You talkin’ to me?’

Scorsese asked Corona

by Ron Marzlock Chronicle Contributor

Luciano “Charlie” Scorsese was born on May 8, 1913 in New York City. He fell in love with Catherine Cappa, born April 16, 1912, one year his senior, and they were married in May 1934 according to ancestry.com (not 1933 as listed elsewhere).

They settled down at 232 Elizabeth St. in NYC. Their first child, Frank, was born in 1936. Their second son, Martin, joined the family on Nov. 17, 1942. Needing more room, they moved out to Queens, to 53-17 104 St. in Corona.

Martin could not play sports because of asthma and spent his time in movie theaters. This greatly influenced his life and future. After graduation from Cardinal Hayes High School, he considered the priesthood, but it was not to be.

At the Tisch School of the Arts he was making movie shorts and got noticed. After directing his breakout hit movie “Taxi Driver,” he was recognized as one of the great new young filmmakers and was on his way. Many other renowned movies such as “Rag-

ing Bull,” “The Last Temptation of Christ,” “GoodFellas” and “The Departed” followed. Married five times with three children, Scorsese is not slowing down. After meeting Pope Francis in May 2023, he said he will make a new epic film about Jesus. Q

The childhood home of filmmaker and director Martin Scorsese at 53-17 104 St. in Corona, as it looked in the 1940s when he grew up there.

INSET VIA WIKIPEDIA

Queens libraries show great movies all the time

by Peter C. Mastrosimone editor-in-chief

There was a time when movies featured neither superheroes nor computer animation. Instead they were replete with something called “acting,” which, done by several different people all at once and captured on reels of “film,” served to entertain humans whose attention spans were as yet undamaged. Some of these movies ran for more than two hours without a single explosion or squeal from some googly-eyed thing that appears to be half emoji, half Dr. Seuss reject.

Sure, this type of thing is still done to a degree, especially among independent filmmakers, but no one’s mistaking the 2020s for a new golden age of Hollywood. Are they? One institution that will take you back — even as it also joins in the modern zeitgeist — is the Queens Public Library. From one end of the borough to the other, the library shows movies both new and old, including some of the best ever made.

In Howard Beach, audiences can let out their inner anguished cry of “Stella!” next week when the 1951 Southern drama “A Streetcar Named Desire” is screened, at 3 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8, and 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9. Based on the Tennessee Williams play, the film made Marlon Brando a star and reminded everyone that Vivien Leigh is pretty good at playing a troubled Southern belle.

Howard Beach goes back and forth: The following week it has a movie based on a video game, then on the 22nd and 23rd it has “The Outsiders,” a 1983 coming-of-age drama with Brat Packers that will take Gen Xers back, and then on the 29th and 30th it has a recent franchise slasher movie.

Glen Oaks has a nice mix of flicks for those with mature minds in its September Saturday Afternoon Movies lineup.

On Sept. 9 at 12 p.m. it will demonstrate that if you screen it they will come with a showing of “Field of Dreams,” the 1989 baseball fantasy. The 2005 version of “Oliver Twist” follows on Sept. 16. A week later it’s “Lansky,” the 2021 biographical crime drama about leading organized crime figure Meyer Lanksy, aka “The Mob’s Accountant.” Then on Sept. 30 “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,” the 1969 Western starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford, rides in. Other libraries show other films, both of the animatedthings-zipping-and-quipping variety and of the kind that might appeal to parents and guardians. They’re all free, and can be found here: tinyurl.com/3y4h28z3. Remember you’re welcome at any branch, regardless of where you live.

Sunnyside shows classics on Mondays at 3 p.m. Alfred Hitchcock’s “Suspicion,” the 1941 romantic thriller starring Cary Grant and Joan Fontaine, screens Sept. 11. On the 18th it’s “The Letter” (1940) with Bette Davis and on the 25th “Miss Sadie Thompson” (1953), starring Rita Hayworth.

But it’s the Central Library in Jamaica that truly turns into a movie palace of yore, every Friday at 2 p.m. Or maybe it’s just that Central’s Friday flicks are listed online all the way through December already (it also has movies on Mondays).

The lineup is impressive for fans of old Hollywood, both the Golden Age and beyond. It starts tomorrow, Sept. 1, with “Mean Streets,” the 1973 drama about a young man torn between the church and the mob, among other things. A few names say it all: Scorsese. Keitel. De Niro.

On Sept. 8 “Rebel Without a Cause” rolls in from 1955, with its tragic stars James Dean (dead at 24: car wreck) and Natalie Wood (dead at 43: drowning; foul play?) portraying troubled teenagers. A week later it’s “The Mark of Zorro” from 1940 (almost a proto-superhero, is he not?). “From Russia with Love” follows, from the year someone killed Kennedy, the second James Bond film. Then on the 29th it’s “You Can’t Take it With You,” the 1938 screwball romantic comedy about a zany family in a zany house, with a stellar cast and a message about monopolistic capitalism.

Quality remains job one in Jamaica on Oct. 6, with James Stewart and Kim Novak starring in Hitchcock’s “Vertigo,” the 1958 psychological thriller that is often ranked among the top movies of all time, sometimes even topping “Citizen Kane.” The next week brings “Friday the 13th,” but at least it’s the 1980 original, and it is October, after all. More scary stuff follows, and the tide of classics appears never to ebb. Q

Queensboro Dance Festival set for season finale

continued from page 19

featuring classical Indian dance, tap and contemporary dance, among other genres.

On Sept. 3, it’s off to Queensbridge Park in Long Island City (Vernon Boulevard at 41st Avenue), also from 6 to 7:15 p.m., for a show featuring hip-hop, street jazz and Mexican and Japanese dance.

As with all the festival’s out-of-doors performances, they are free and open to the public.

Crossword Answers

The three-night season finale moves indoors to Queens Theatre (14 United Nations Ave. South in Flushing Meadows Corona Park) with a different lineup of dance troupes scheduled for each performance.

Show time each night is 7:30 p.m. Tickets for each night are $27; three-night passes are $66. Discount tickets are available and ASL and CART captioning will be provided (details are posted in the calendar at queensborodancefestival.org).

Sept. 16 will also offer a preshow gala dinner and a “Dancing with the Queens Stars” competition, pairing three Queens community leaders with three of the festival’s choreographers. Separate tickets are needed for the gala, at $100 each. For further information on the events at Queens Theatre, call (718) 760-0064.

As the festival’s founding executive director, Batan, who now lives in Sunnyside, said she would “love to see us continue to grow our audiences. We’re proud to say we’re a mainstay and we’re earning the trust of everyone we’re here to support. There’s more work ahead to reach as many different dancers as possible.” Q

Performances in the Queensboro Dance Festival have included Manhatitlan, above, in Bliss Plaza, and Mala’s Odissi Indian dance, right, in Forest Park. On the cover: The Cole Collective performs at the Unisph ere. Remaining shows are set for Jackson Heights, Long Island City and Queens Theatre. PHOTOS BY ROBIN MICHALS,

ABOVE AND COVER, AND JOHN CASEM, RIGHT

James Stewart and Kim Novak in Alfred Hitchock’s “Vertigo,” often ranked as one of the best movies ever made and showing at the Jamaica Library Oct. 6. PARAMOUNT PICTURES

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THE CITY OF NEW YORK DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

DIVISION OF BRIDGES CONSULTANT PROGRAMS REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

The City of New York has Request for Proposals available for qualified Consulting Engineering Firms interested in the following Proposed Contract.

Project or Contract Title: Request for Proposal – Material Sampling and Testing in the United States and Canada Contract No. HBCD014 PIN: 84124MBBR612

Expected Contract Term: 1095 Consecutive Calendar Days starting from the date of the Notice to Proceed

Description of Services Required:

The services to be procured is the Material Sampling and Testing in the United States and Canada.

A Pre-Proposal Conference (Optional) has been scheduled for September 12, 2023, Time: 10:00 AM through Zoom. Proposers who wish to connect to the Zoom Conference will need a Zoom ID and Password or the link. Therefore, proposers who wish to connect will need to contact the authorized agency contact person via email at least three (3) days prior to the Pre-Proposal Conference for the information to connect. Proposers will need to provide the first name, last name of everyone who wishes to connect, name of the organization, phone number and email address.

This Procurement is subject to participation goals for MinorityOwned Business Enterprises (MBEs), as required by Section 6-129 of the New York Administrative Code. The M/WBE goal for this project is 30%.

This Request for Proposals (RFP) is released through PASSPort, New York City’s online procurement portal. Responses to this RFP must be submitted via PASSPort. To access the RFP, vendors should visit the PASSPort public Portal at https://www1.nyc.gov/ site/mocs/systems/about-go-to-passport.page and click on the “Search Funding Opportunities in PASSPort” blue box. Doing so will take one to the public portal of all procurements in the PASSPort system. To quickly locate the RFP, insert the EPIN 84123P0019, into the Keyword search field. To respond to the RFP, vendors must create an account within the PASSPort system if they have not already done so.

Release Date: September 5, 2023 Pre-Proposal Conference: September 12 at 10AM Submission of Request for Proposals are due on or before 2:00 PM on October 3, 2023

Fair Fair Legal Notices

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK - COUNTY OF QUEENS BANK OF AMERICA

Real Estate

Co-ops For Sale

NOTICE OF SALE

Garage/Yard Sales

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Legal Notices

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF QUEENS, SC PARK LANE II, LLC, Plaintiff, vs. WALI AHMED, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to an Order Confi rming Referee Report and Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on November 22, 2022, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the outside steps of the Queens County Supreme Court, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11435 on September 8, 2023 at 11:15 a.m., premises known as 3520 Leverich Street, Unit B226, Jackson Heights, NY 11372. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough and County of Queens, City and State of New York, Block 1270 and Lot 1111 together with an undivided .6091 percent interest in the Common Elements. Approximate amount of judgment is $647,245.66 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of fi led Judgment Index # 724727/2020. The Referee shall comply with the Eleventh Judicial District’s COVID-19 policies concerning public auctions of foreclosed properties. These policies, along with the Queens County Foreclosure’s Auction Rules, can be found on the Queens Supreme Court - Civil Term website. Austin I. Idehen, Esq., Referee, Vallely Law PLLC, 6851 Jericho Turnpike, Suite 105, Syosset, New York 11791, Attorneys for Plaintiff

N.A., V. ERROL W. PARRIS, AS HEIR TO THE ESTATE OF SYLVIA BELL AKA SYLVIA JUSTINA BELL, ET AL. NOTICE OF SALE NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to a Final Judgment of Foreclosure dated January 05, 2022, an d entered in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Queens, wherein BANK OF AMERICA N.A. is the Plaintiff and ERROL W. PARRIS, AS HEIR TO THE ESTATE OF SYLVIA BELL AKA SYLVIA JUSTINA BELL, ET AL. are the Defendant(s). I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the COURTHOUSE STEPS OF THE QUEENS COUNTY SUPREME COURT, 88-11 SUTPHIN BLVD., JAMAICA NY 11435 on September, 15, 2023 at 11:30AM, premises known as 216-24 132ND AVENUE, SPRINGFIELD GARDENS, NY 11413: Block 12923, Lot 18: ALL THAT CERTAIN PLOT, PIECE OR PARCEL OF LAND, SITUATE, LYING AND BEING IN THE BOROUGH AND COUNTY OF QUEENS, CITY AND STATE OF NEW YORK Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index # 704124/2015. Martha Taylor, Esq. - Referee. Robertson, Anschutz, Schneid, Crane & Partners, PLLC, 900 Merchants Concourse, Suite 310, Westbury, New York 11590, Attorneys for Plaintiff. All foreclosure sales will be conducted in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines including, but not limited to, social distancing and mask wearing. *LOCATION OF SALE SUBJECT TO CHANGE DAY OF IN ACCORDANCE WITH COURT/CLERK DIRECTIVES.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT A LICENSE, NUMBER 1352340 FOR RESTAURANT WINE HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR BY THE UNDERSIGNED TO SELL BEER, WINE AND CIDER AT RETAIL IN DON CHINGRI RESTAURANT INC, UNDER THE ALCOHOL BEVERAGE CONTROL LAW AT 30-78 STEINWAY STREET, ASTORIA NY 11103 FOR ON PREMISES CONSUMPTION.

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF Queens, NYCTL 2019-A Trust, and The Bank of New York Mellon as Collateral Agent and Custodian for the NYCTL 2019A Trust, Plaintiff, vs. One Three Seven 24 Holdings LLC, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale dated February 23, 2023 and duly entered on March 10, 2023 and a Short Form Order dated June 9, 2023 and duly entered on June 12, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the outside steps of the Queens County Supreme Court, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11435 on September 15, 2023 at 10:00 a.m., premises known as 137-24 231st Street, Laurelton, NY 11413. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough and County of Queens, City and State of New York, Block 13172 and Lot 50. Approximate amount of judgment is $33,426.59 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of fi led Judgment Index # 724281/2020. The Referee shall comply with the Eleventh Judicial District’s COVID-19 policies concerning public auctions of foreclosed properties. These policies, along with the Queens County Foreclosure’s Auction Rules, can be found on the Queens Supreme Court - Civil Term website. William Driscoll, Esq., Referee, Bronster, LLP, 156 West 56th Street, Suite 703, New York, New York 10019, Attorneys for Plaintiff

Notice is hereby given that a full liquor restaurant license number 1355459 for liquor/cider/wine/ beer has been applied for by the undersigned to sell liquor/ cider/wine/beer at retail in a Restaurant under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Law at 25-01 Steinway St, Astoria, NY 11103 for on-premises consumption.

MATIGY CAFE CORP 25-01 Steinway St Astoria NY 11103

EQUAL HOUSING. Federal, New York State and local laws prohibit discrimination because of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, marital status, familial status or disability in connection with the sale or rental of residential real estate. Queens Chronicle does not knowingly accept advertising in violation of these laws. When you suspect housing discrimination call the Open Housing Center (the Fair Housing Agency for the five boroughs of New York) at 212941-6101, or the New York City Commission of Human Rights Hotline at 718-722-3131.

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

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Legal Notices Legal Notices

NOTICE OF UNCLAIMED PROPERTY HELD BY THE BROOKLYN UNION GAS D/B/A NATIONAL GRID, BROOKLYN NOTICE OF UNCLAIMED PROPERTY HELD BY KEYSPAN GAS D/B/A NATIONAL GRID, HICKSVILLE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN pursuant to Section 402 of the Abandoned Property Law of the State of New York that:

a) a report of unclaimed amounts of money or other property held or owing by the above named corporation has been made to the Comptroller of the State of New York, and that a list of names of the persons appearing from the records of such corporation to be entitled thereto is on file and open to public inspection at its principal office or place of business in (name of city, village, or county) where any such property is payable;

b) such deposits, payments, and refunds, together with interest due thereon and less lawful deductions, will be paid by it on or before the succeeding thirtieth day of September to persons establishing to its satisfaction their right to receive the same; and

c) in the succeeding month of October, and on or before the tenth day thereof, such unclaimed deposits, payments, and refunds, together with interest due thereon and less lawful deductions, still remaining will be paid to the Comptroller of the State of New York and that it shall thereupon cease to be liable therefore.

The Brooklyn Union Gas Company d/b/a National Grid 2 Hanson Place, Brooklyn, NY 11217

NOTICE OF SALE

SUPREME COURT COUNTY OF QUEENS, BANTAM FUNDING

II, LLC, Plaintiff, vs. UNITED ASSETS CORPORATION USA, ET AL., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale duly entered on June 7, 2023, I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the outside steps of the Queens County Supreme Court, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, NY 11435 on September 8, 2023 at 11:00 a.m., premises known as 1142 Welling Court, Astoria, NY 11102. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough and County of Queens, City and State of New York, Block 506 and Lot 60. Approximate amount of judgment is $854,910.06 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index #712227/2020. The Referee shall comply with the Eleventh Judicial District’s COVID-19 policies concerning public auctions of foreclosed properties. These policies, along with the Queens County Foreclosure’s Auction Rules, can be found on the Queens Supreme Court - Civil Term website. Richard M. Gutierrez, Esq., Referee, Polsinelli PC, Amy E. Hatch, Esq., 600 Third Avenue, 42nd Floor, New York, New York 10016, Attorneys for Plaintiff

Notice of Formation of 11935 191 MADISON PROPERTY

LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 12/20/2022.

Offi ce 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: NEKEBWE SUPERVILLE, 14419 107TH AVE., JAMAICA, NY 11435.

Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

125 MOUNT LLC Articles of Org. fi led NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 7/5/23. Offi ce in Queens Co. SSNY desig. agent of LLC whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail process to 172-14 89th Ave., Jamaica, NY 11432. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

REFEREE’S NOTICE OF SALE IN FORECLOSURE SUPREME COURT - COUNTY OF QUEENS JPMORGAN

CHASE BANK, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION, Plaintiff - against - HUGO VELASTEGUI, et al Defendant(s).

Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and Sale entered on December 27, 2019. I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction on the Courthouse steps of the Queens Supreme Court, located at 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, New York on the 15th day of September, 2023 at 10:45 am. All that certain plot, piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements thereon erected, situate, lying and being in the Borough and County of Queens, City and State of New York. Premises known as 103-12 104th Street, Ozone Park, New York 11417. (Block: 9507, Lot: 12) Approximate amount of lien $722,088.99 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of fi led judgment and terms of sale. Index No. 704393/2014.

Charlane O. Brown, Esq., Referee. McCalla Raymer Leibert Pierce, LLC, Attorney(s) for Plaintiff 420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 840, New York, NY 10170 Tel. 347/286-7409

For sale information, please visit Auction.com at www.Auction.com or call (800) 280-2832

Dated: July 12, 2023 During the COVID-19 health emergency, bidders are required to comply with all governmental health requirements in effect at the time of sale including but not limited to, wearing face coverings and maintaining social distancing (at least 6-feet apart) during the auction, while tendering deposit and at any subsequent closing. Bidders are also required to comply with the Foreclosure Auction Rules and COVID-19 Health Emergency Rules issued by the Supreme Court of this County in addition to the conditions set forth in the Terms of Sale.

170-21 JAMAICA AVENUE, LLC. Arts. of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 08/22/23. Offi ce: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 89-05 138th Street, Jamaica, NY 11435. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

To Advertise Call 718-205-8000

Legal Notices Legal Notices

SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS–SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, COUNTY OF QUEENS – BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A. AS TRUSTEE FOR MORTGAGE ASSETS MANAGEMENT SERIES I TRUST, Plaintiff, -againstISHA CLAYTON, AS HEIR, DEVISEE, DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF MARY FRANCES CLAYTON; ANY AND ALL KNOWN AND UNKNOWN HEIRS, DEVISEES, GRANTEES, ASSIGNEES, LIENORS, CREDITORS, TRUSTEES AND ALL OTHER PARTIES CLAIMING AN INTEREST BY, THROUGH, UNDER OR AGAINST THE ESTATE OF MARY FRANCES CLAYTON; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ACTING ON BEHALF OF THE SECRETARY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT; RAVIN CLAYTON AKA RAVINE CLAYTON, AS HEIR, DEVISEE, DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF MARY FRANCES CLAYTON; RADIN CLAYTON AKA RAYDIN CLAYTON, AS HEIR, DEVISEE, DISTRIBUTEE OF THE ESTATE OF MARY FRANCES CLAYTON; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, ACTING ON BEHALF OF DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY - INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE; “JOHN DOE #1” through “JOHN DOE #10,” said names being fi ctitious and unknown to plaintiff, intended to be possible tenants or occupants of the premises, or corporations, persons, or other entities having or claiming a lien upon the mortgaged premises, Defendants - Index No.: 721325/2022 Plaintiff Designates Queens County as the Place of Trial. The Basis of Venue is that the subject action is situated in Queens County. To the above named Defendants–YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the complaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the Plaintiff’s Attorney(s) within 20 days after the service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after the service is complete if this Summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York); and in case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. That this Supplemental Summons is being fi led pursuant to an order of the court dated July 27, 2023.

NOTICE-YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME – If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who fi led this foreclosure proceeding against you and fi ling the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to the mortgage company will not stop the foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (BANK OF NEW YORK MELLON TRUST COMPANY, N.A. AS TRUSTEE FOR MORTGAGE ASSETS MANAGEMENT SERIES I TRUST) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. The foregoing summons is served upon you by publication pursuant to an order of the Honorable Allan B. Weiss, J.S.C. Dated: July 27, 2023 Filed: July 27, 2023. The object of this action is to foreclose a mortgage and covering the premises known as 17911 Eleventh Road, Jamaica, NY 11434. Dated: March 28, 2023 Filed: August 12, 2023 Greenspoon Marder LLP, Attorney for Plaintiff, By: Meir Weiss, Esq., 590 Madison Avenue, Suite 1800, New York, NY 10022 P: (212) 524-5000 F: (212) 524-5050 No Service by fax) Service purposes only: Trade Centre South 100 W. Cypress Creek Road, Suite 700, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309 P: (888) 491-1120 F: (954) 343-6982

NOTICE OF FORMATION OF LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY (LLC).

Name: 212A Properties, LLC. Articles of Organization fi led with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on June 5, 2023. Offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY is designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY may mail a copy of any process to: 212A Properties, LLC, c/o Aram P. Cazazian 166-25 Powells Cove Blvd., Beechhurst, New York 11357. Purpose: for all legal purposes.

Notice of Formation of 70TH ROAD, LLC Arts. of Org. fi led with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/19/23. Offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

9155 Gold LLC, Arts of Org. fi led with Sec. of State of NY (SSNY) 4/6/2023. Cty: Queens. SSNY desig. as agent upon whom process against may be served & shall mail process to Frances Ariola, 157-05 91st St., Howard Beach, NY 11414.

General Purpose

Notice of Formation of APRD LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 07/21/2023. Offi ce 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: APRD C/O ASHLEY, 9511 64TH ROAD, APT. 11B, REGO PARK, NY 11374. Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

Notice of formation of CUCCHIARA FAMILY, LLC, a domestic LLC in NY. Articles of Organization fi led with Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 08/14/2023. Offi ce location: Queens County. SSNY is designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail a copy of any process to: 87-11 163rd Avenue, Howard Beach, New York 11414.

Purpose: Any lawful act.

DEAR INNER SELF, LLC Articles of Org. fi led NY Sec. of State (SSNY) 06/27/2023. Offi ce in Queens Co. SSNY desig. agent of LLC upon whom process may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to Maisie Wong, 102-55 67th Road, Apt. 5X, Forest Hills, NY 11375. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

DS11, LLC, Arts. of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 08/29/2023.

Offi ce loc: Queens County. SSNY has been designated as agent upon whom process against the LLC may be served. SSNY shall mail process to: Simon Blitz & Daniel Gazal, 11-11 44th Drive, Long Island City, NY 11101.

Purpose: Any Lawful Purpose.

Notice of Formation of Golia LLC Articles of Organization were fi led with the Secretary of State of New York (SSNY) on 07/11/2023. Offi ce 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: MICHAEL J GOLIA, 233-34 40TH AVE., DOUGLASTON, NY 11363.

Purpose: For any lawful purpose.

GRAMPS GIFT LLC. Arts. of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 08/24/23.

Offi ce: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, c/o Melissa Katz-Fusco, 600 S Ocean Boulevard, Apartment 407, Boca Raton, FL 33432.

Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of KUSH & KEMET HOLDINGS, LLC

Arts. of Org. fi led with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/21/23.

Offi ce location: Queens County. Princ. offi ce of LLC: 111-12 Sutphin Blvd., Jamaica, NY 11435. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to Corporation Service Co., 80 State St., Albany, NY 12207-2543.

Purpose: Any lawful activity.

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK – COUNTY OF QUEENS INDEX # 705468/2013 FILED: 06/22/2023 SUPPLEMENTAL SUMMONS Plaintiff designates Queens County as the place of trial based on the location of the mortgaged premises in this action. MORTGAGE ASSETS MANAGEMENT, LLC, Plaintiff, against DEBORAH RASCOE AS ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ESTATE OF MILDRED RASCOE AND AS HEIR AT LAW AND NEXT OF KIN TO MILDRED RASCOE; MELVIN RASCOE AS HEIR AT LAW AND NEXT OF KIN TO MILDRED RASCOE, if living, and if dead, the respective heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, executors, administrators, trustees, devisees, legatees, assignors, lienors, creditors and successors in interest and generally all persons having or claiming under, by or through said defendant who may be deceased, by purchase, inheritance, lien or otherwise of any right, title or interest in and to the premises described in the complaint herein, and their respective husbands, wives or widow, if any; ELIZABETH FANNIE HORNE AS HEIR AT LAW AND NEXT OF KIN TO MILDRED RASCOE, if living, and if dead, the respective heirs at law, next of kin, distributees, executors, administrators, trustees, devisees, legatees, assignors, lienors, creditors and successors in interest and generally all persons having or claiming under, by or through said defendant who may be deceased, by purchase, inheritance, lien or otherwise of any right, title or interest in and to the premises described in the complaint herein, and their respective husbands, wives or widow, if any; EACH AND EVERY PERSON NOT SPECIFICALLY NAMED WHO MAY BE ENTITLED TO OR CLAIM TO HAVE ANY RIGHT, TITLE OR INTEREST IN THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED IN THE VERIFIED COMPLAINT; ALL OF WHOM AND WHOSE NAMES AND PLACES OF RESIDENCE UNKNOWN, AND CANNOT AFTER DILIGENT INQUIRY BE ASCERTAINED BY THE PLAINTIFF; STATE OF NEW YORK; NEW YORK CITY PARKING VIOLATIONS BUREAU; NEW YORK STATE; UNITED STATES OF AMERICA O/B/O INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE; NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF TAXATION AND FINANCE; Defendants. To the above-named defendants: YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the complaint is not served with this summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the plaintiff’s attorneys within twenty (20) days after the service of this summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within thirty (30) days after the service is complete if this summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York); and in case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the complaint. NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME IF YOU DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE MORTGAGE COMPANY WHO FILED THIS FORECLOSURE PROCEEDING AGAINST YOU AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT, A DEFAULT JUDGMENT MAY BE ENTERED AND YOU CAN LOSE YOUR HOME. SPEAK TO AN ATTORNEY OR GO TO THE COURT WHERE YOUR CASE IS PENDING FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON HOW TO ANSWER THE SUMMONS AND PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY. SENDING A PAYMENT TO YOUR MORTGAGE COMPANY WILL NOT STOP THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. This action was commenced to foreclose a mortgage against property located at 13908 111th Avenue, New York 11435, Tax Parcel ID No.: Block 11955 Lot 22. McCabe, Weisberg & Conway, LLC, Caren Bailey, Esq., Attorneys for Plaintiff, 1 Huntington Quadrangle, Suite 4N25, Melville, NY 11747. (631) 812-4084. (855) 845-2584 facsimile. File # 548-0155. HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS IN FORECLOSURE NEW YORK STATE LAW REQUIRES THAT WE SEND YOU THIS NOTICE ABOUT THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS. PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY. SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME. IF YOU FAIL TO RESPOND TO THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT IN THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION, YOU MAY LOSE YOUR HOME. PLEASE READ THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT CAREFULLY. YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CONTACT AN ATTORNEY OR YOUR LOCAL LEGAL AID OFFICE TO OBTAIN ADVICE ON HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF. SOURCES OF INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE The State encourages you to become informed about your options in foreclosure. In addition to seeking assistance from an attorney or legal aid offi ce, there are government agencies and non- profi t organizations that you may contact for information about possible options, including trying to work with your lender during this process. To locate an entity near you, you may call the toll-free helpline maintained by the New York State Department of Financial Services at 1-800-342-3736 or visit the Department`s website at www.dfs.ny.gov RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO LEAVE YOUR HOME AT THIS TIME. You have the right to stay in your home during the foreclosure process. You are not required to leave your home unless and until your property is sold at auction pursuant to a judgment of foreclosure and sale. Regardless of whether you choose to remain in your home, YOU ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR PROPERTY and pay property taxes in accordance with state and local law. FORECLOSURE RESCUE SCAMS Be careful of people who approach you with offers to “save” your home. There are individuals who watch for notices of foreclosure actions in order to unfairly profi t from a homeowner’s distress. You should be extremely careful about any such promises and any suggestions that you pay them a fee or sign over your deed. State law requires anyone offering such services for profi t to enter into a contract which fully describes the services they will perform and fees they will charge, and which prohibits them from taking any money from you until they have completed all such promised services. § 1303 NOTICE

LAW OFFICE OF MICHAEL NAGHDI, PLLC. Arts. of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 08/18/23. Offi ce: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the PLLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the PLLC, 109-21 Jamaica Avenue, Queens, NY 11418. Purpose: For the practice of the profession of Law.

LLANOS PROPERTY GROUP, LLC. Arts. of Org. fi led with the SSNY on 07/20/23. Offi ce: Queens County. SSNY designated as agent of the LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail copy of process to the LLC, 30-05 38th Avenue, Long Island City, NY 11101. Purpose: Any lawful purpose.

Notice of Formation of MORNINGSIDE NELSON APARTMENTS LLC Cert. of Conversion fi led with Secy. of State of NY (SSNY) on 07/17/23, converting MORNINGSIDE HOUSING ASSOCIATES, L.P. to MORNINGSIDE NELSON APARTMENTS LLC. Offi ce location: Queens County. Princ. offi ce of LLC: 118-35 Queens Blvd., Queens, NY 11375. SSNY designated as agent of LLC upon whom process against it may be served. SSNY shall mail process to c/o Nelson Management Group at the princ. offi ce of the LLC. Purpose: Any lawful activity.

Supplemental Summons and Notice of Object of Action Supreme Court Of The State Of New York County Of Queens Action to Foreclose a Mortgage Index #: 721980/2022 HSBC Bank USA, National Association, As Trustee, On Behalf Of The Ace Securities Corp. Home Equity Loan Trust, Series 2005-SN1, Asset Backed Pass-Through Certificates Plaintiff, Vs Khadiza Khanam If Living, And If He/She Be Dead, Any And All Persons Unknown To Plaintiff, Claiming, Or Who May Claim To Have An Interest In, Or General Or Specific Lien Upon The Real Property Described In This Action; Such Unknown Persons Being Herein Generally Described And Intended To Be Included In Wife, Widow, Husband, Widower, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin, Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assignees Of Such Deceased, Any And All Persons Deriving Interest In Or Lien Upon, Or Title To Said Real Property By, Through Or Under Them, Or Either Of Them, And Their Respective Wives, Widows, Husbands, Widowers, Heirs At Law, Next Of Kin, Descendants, Executors, Administrators, Devisees, Legatees, Creditors, Trustees, Committees, Lienors, And Assigns, All Of Whom And Whose Names, Except As Stated, Are Unknown To Plaintiff, Lucus Valley Inc., New York City Environmental Control Board, Capital One Bank USA, NA, People Of The State Of New York, New York City Department Of Finance, United States Of America On Behalf Of The IRS John Doe (Those unknown tenants, occupants, persons or corporations or their heirs, distributees, executors, administrators, trustees, guardians, assignees, creditors or successors claiming an interest in the mortgaged premises.) Defendant(s). Mortgaged Premises: 4057 Junction Boulevard Corona, NY 11368 To the Above named Defendant: You are hereby summoned to answer the Complaint in this action, and to serve a copy of your answer, or, if the Complaint is not served with this Supplemental Summons, to serve a notice of appearance, on the Plaintiff(s) attorney(s) within twenty days after the service of this Supplemental Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within 30 days after the service is complete if this Supplemental Summons is not personally delivered to you within the State of New York). In case of your failure to appear or answer, judgment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint. The Attorney for Plaintiff has an office for business in the County of Erie. Trial to be held in the County of Queens. The basis of the venue designated above is the location of the Mortgaged Premises. TO Khadiza Khanam, Lucus Valley Inc. Defendants In this Action. The foregoing Supplemental Summons is served upon you by publication, pursuant to an order of HON. Ulysses B. Leverett of the Supreme Court Of The State Of New York, dated the Twenty-Sixth day of July, 2023 and filed with the Complaint in the Office of the Clerk of the County of Queens, in the City of Jamaica. The object of this action is to foreclose a mortgage upon the premises described below, dated June 27, 2003, executed by Khadiza Khanam to secure the sum of $582,140.00. The Mortgage was recorded at CRFN 2004000030303 in the City Register of the City of New York, Queens County on January 15, 2004. The mortgage was subsequently assigned by an assignment executed June 26, 2009 and recorded on October 30, 2009, in the City Register of the City of New York, Queens County at CRFN 2009000355947. The mortgage was subsequently modified on October 25, 2011. The property in question is described as follows: 4057 Junction Boulevard, CORONA, NY 11368 HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS IN FORECLOSURE NEW YORK STATE LAW REQUIRES THAT WE SEND YOU THIS NOTICE ABOUT THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS. PLEASE READ IT CAREFULLY. SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME. IF YOU FAIL TO RESPOND TO THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT IN THIS FORECLOSURE ACTION, YOU MAY LOSE YOUR HOME. PLEASE READ THE SUMMONS AND COMPLAINT CAREFULLY. YOU SHOULD IMMEDIATELY CONTACT AN ATTORNEY OR YOUR LOCAL LEGAL AID OFFICE TO OBTAIN ADVICE ON HOW TO PROTECT YOURSELF. SOURCES OF INFORMATION AND ASSISTANCE The state encourages you to become informed about your options in foreclosure. In addition to seeking assistance from an attorney or legal aid office, there are government agencies and non-profit organizations that you may contact for information about possible options, including trying to work with your lender during this process. To locate an entity near you, you may call the toll-free helpline maintained by the New York State Department of Financial Services at 1-800-342-3736 or the Foreclosure Relief Hotline 1-800-269-0990 or visit the department’s website at WWW.DFS.NY.GOV. RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO LEAVE YOUR HOME AT THIS TIME. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO STAY IN YOUR HOME DURING THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS. YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO LEAVE YOUR HOME UNLESS AND UNTIL YOUR PROPERTY IS SOLD AT AUCTION PURSUANT TO A JUDGMENT OF FORECLOSURE AND SALE. REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU CHOOSE TO REMAIN IN YOUR HOME, YOU ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR PROPERTY AND PAY PROPERTY TAXES IN ACCORDANCE WITH STATE AND LOCAL LAW. FORECLOSURE RESCUE SCAMS Be careful of people who approach you with offers to “save” your home. There are individuals who watch for notices of foreclosure actions in order to unfairly profit from a homeowner’s distress. You should be extremely careful about any such promises and any suggestions that you pay them a fee or sign over your deed. State law requires anyone offering such services for profit to enter into a contract which fully describes the services they will perform and fees they will charge, and which prohibits them from taking any money from you until they have completed all such promised services. § 1303 NOTICE NOTICE YOU ARE IN DANGER OF LOSING YOUR HOME If you do not respond to this summons and complaint by serving a copy of the answer on the attorney for the mortgage company who filed this foreclosure proceeding against you and filing the answer with the court, a default judgment may be entered and you can lose your home. Speak to an attorney or go to the court where your case is pending for further information on how to answer the summons and protect your property. Sending a payment to your mortgage company will not stop this foreclosure action. YOU MUST RESPOND BY SERVING A COPY OF THE ANSWER ON THE ATTORNEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. DATED: August 3, 2023 Gross Polowy LLC Attorney(s) For Plaintiff(s) 1775 Wehrle Drive, Suite 100, Williamsville, NY 14221, The law firm of Gross Polowy, LLC and the attorneys whom it employs are debt collectors who are attempting to collect a debt. Any information obtained by them will be used for that purpose. 77469

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