Press epaper 082214

Volume 15 Issue No. 34 Aug. 22-28, 2014

ONLINE AT WWW.QUEENSPRESS.COM

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EAT HEALTHY, JAMAICA!

New program seeks to increase healthy options at local businesses. By Jordan Gibbons … Page 4.

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Page 2 PRESS of Southeast Queens Aug. 22-28, 2014

News Briefs

40K To Restore Hamilton Beach Playground

After undergoing extensive damage due to Superstorm Sandy, the Hamil-ton Beach playground will get much needed funding for a renovation.

In a partnership with several elected officials and the Hamilton Beach Civic Association, Resorts World Casino will donate $40,000 to renovate the playground.

The funding will bring new equip-ment to the playground by the end of next month.

“We firmly believe that investing in our community is an essential part of giving back to those who have been nothing but supportive of Resorts World Casino since we opened our doors almost three years ago,” said Ed Farrell, President of Resorts World Ca-sino. “The children of Hamilton Beach have been without a place to play since Hurricane Sandy severely damaged their neighborhood playground in 2012.”

The facility partnered with the three elected officials who represent Hamil-ton Beach - Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park), State Sen. Joe Addabbo (D-Middle Village) and Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Ozone Park) - to bring the money to the playground.

“I believe Resorts World cares about being a part of this community and for that I am truly thankful, as well as appreciative they are reaching out to Hamilton Beach, a geographically isolated neighborhood and one of the worst hit by Hurricane Sandy,” Add-abbo said.

“This is an exemplary case of how elected officials, local businesses and community leaders work together to make a difference in the lives of our children,” Ulrich said.

Community Board 10 Chairwoman Betty Braton said the playground had been in disrepair for years and the damage caused by Sandy made it even worse. She said she is pleased the Racino has dedicated money to restoring the facility.

According to Re-sorts World, work at the playground will begin the first week of September and should be finished by the end of that month.

Third Chatpati Mela Is The Biggest One Yet

What began as a small Jackson Heights cultural celebration has in three years become a busy and highly diverse festival.

The third annual Chatpati Mela, held by housing advocacy nonprofit Chhaya CDC, brought both neighbors and visitors from across the City to Jackson Heights’ 78th Street plaza, next to Travers Park.

Stands offering samosas, dump-lings, henna tattoos and bright cloth-ing lined the street, with a panipuri eating competition at the center of the activity. Panipuri is a fried, bite-sized street snack popular in several South Asian countries.

Tenzing Chadotsang, Chhaya CDC deputy director and the day’s first pa-nipuri eating contest winner, said Chat-pati Mela has evolved rapidly since its conception.

“We started it about three years ago and it was just a small community event,” Chadotsang said. “We didn’t expect it to grow as much as it has.”

“It’s become more about people wanting to showcase their talents. Then we realized that there’s a need for South Asians to have that kind of forum,” Chadotsang added.

He said that Chhaya CDC aimed to showcase little-known artists who rep-resented a wide range of South Asian heritages.

This year’s festival included perfor-mances from Dance Theater of Neptal, the Bangladesh Institute of the Per-forming Arts and dance group Habibi Express.

Chadotsang said that Chhaya CDC is looking to continue expansion of the festival, although he cannot envision it taking place anywhere other than 78th Street Play Street.

East Elmhurst resident Nadia Ah-mad was attending Chatpati Mela for the first time. “It’s exceeding my expec-tations,” she said.

“I think getting at the different groups within the South Asian com-munity and understanding the diver-sity within one area is actually really important,” Ahmad continued.

Participants completed in a panipuri eating contest at the third Chatpati Mela.

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Aug. 22-28, 2014 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 3

Presstime

BY JORDAN GIBBONS

State Sen. James Sanders Jr. (D-South Ozone Park) hosted a town hall meeting Tuesday night at the Holy Unity Baptist Church, across the street from Rochdale Village, to address the concerns residents of the housing complex have about manage-ment and the board of directors.

General Manager Marion Scott wrote a letter to Sanders denying his request to have the meeting on the property of the housing corporation because, “there is no precedent for an elected official having a town hall meeting to hear the concerns of the cooperators.”

“Rochdale has a very active Board and Management staff that is respon-sible for handling issues within the community,” the letter states.

However, residents said the meet-ing was arranged because those is-sues are not being handled at all.

Earl Roberts, a resident and presi-dent of the 113th Precinct Communi-ty Council, said the residents need a board that is interested in the people who live there.

“We need better customer ser-vice from management down to the board,” he said.

Roberts listed off a series of issues that have not been addressed in the community, such as falling and miss-ing bricks in the buildings that cause drafts, gas leaks and the lack of an exterminator to deal with the bed bug and rodent problems in the tenements.

Several residents also complained about letters they felt were threaten-ing that were sent to residents from manage-ment’s General Counsel Bill Greenspan to sign the new leases. They said people were told that they would be evicted if they did not sign the leases and were told they could not get a copy of the new agreements.

The website does offer a sample lease agreement, but no rental fees are specified on the documents.

Greenspan said that the housing development updated its proprietary lease that was approved by the board of directors, submitted to State Homes and Community Renewal, which approved the lease and or-dered its implementation.

He said that 98 percent of resi-

Rochdale Village Pleads For Proper Representationdents complied and they are still waiting on about 100 residents to sign the new leases.

“They received a letter that they need to sign the lease. They are required to sign the lease,” he said. “It is not our wish to evict anyone.”

There are no chang-es to the lease and resi-dents were informed about the updates at board meetings, Green-span said.

“If you pay your car-rying charges and rent payments, there are no

changes,” Greenspan said. “They have no choice. They have to sign it.”

Residents said they were not happy with the 2.5 percent carrying charge increase that they will have to pay this year and next year, because the increase pays for operating costs and maintenance. But they said that maintenance does not do their job adequately.

In October, the village will be holding elections for board mem-bers and a reoccurring theme during the meeting was the need to remove

members who have not represented the residents.

“This year, we have a great oppor-tunity to remove 10 people from that board,” Michelle Hall said. “We have to choose the right candidates.”

But, Joseph Toval, a former board member, said that the elections are fixed and that management does not abide by the election bylaws by hav-ing several methods to tally votes, such as voting booths and attendance proxies that are mailed to residents.

The election also requires a ma-jority of the more than five thousand apartments in order to count the election, according to Toval. If the majority is not met, there is no quo-rum and the vote is nullified.

Sanders allowed the residents to voice their complaints at the meeting and then addressed how he plans to help them.

“As your servant, you put out a legitimate point of view,” he said. “We’re going to do whatever we can to ensure that you have a fair elec-tion. The board is your representa-tion. You need to ensure that that takes place.”

Reach Reporter Jordan Gibbons at (718)357-7400 Ext. 123, [email protected] or @jgibbons2

BY JORDAN GIBBONS

Months after the discovery that several floors in downtown Jamaica’s Social Security Administration were underutilized, officials continue to call for measures to fill the empty space.

In April, the PRESS of Southeast Queens reported that the Joseph Addabbo Building, the Social Secu-rity Administration’s Northeastern Program Service Center, was severely underused because of staff attrition, transfers and layoffs from the SSA.

There has yet to be any changes or strategies planned for the build-ing, which was expected to provide employment for more than 3,000 employees and boost business in the surrounding community of down-town Jamaica.

A study on the building revealed that it holds only half the number of full-time staff that it was designed to hold.

Earlier this month, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) wrote a letter to Administrator Dan Tangherlini at the General Services Administra-

tion, urging the GSA to address the situation by developing a new strat-egy that is cost-effective for the long-term.

“It is important for the GSA to move forward with a plan to secure new tenants and use the Joseph Add-abbo Building to its full capability,” Schumer said in the letter. “This space has been underutilized for far too long and a comprehensive plan for this space would more effectively utilize this public resource and help boost the local economy for both res-idents and businesses in Jamaica.”

Schumer said the GSA should work in a timely manner and extend outreach to new possible tenants, including other agencies, state and local governments, local businesses and nonprofit organizations to effec-tively use taxpayer dollars.

As of press time, Schumer’s office has not received any updates on the status of efficiently using the wasted space, a representative said.

“We are currently awaiting a re-sponse from GSA,” Marisa Kauf-man, a spokesperson for Schumer said.

The SSA office did not immediately re-turn a request for comment.


Joseph Addabbo Building Still Awaiting A Strategy

Sen. Charles Schumer began urging the General Services Administration to improve the underutilized floors of the Social Secu-rity building.

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James Sanders


BY JORDAN GIBBONS

Residents and employees in down-town Jamaica and St. Albans can now take advantage of healthier eating op-tions at local businesses thanks to a collaboration of community leaders and organizations.

There are 18 establishments that have taken on the Jamaica Healthy Business Challenge organized by The Partnership for a Healthier Queens at Make the Road New York. These stores have agreed to meet at least three healthy business steps to be named as a healthy business.

The organizations that have helped to reach out to business owners and guide the initiative include the Sut-phin Boulevard Business Improve-ment District, Cultural Collaborative Jamaica, Cornell Cooperative Exten-sion Services, the Catholic Charities and Public Health Solutions WIC Centers and the First Presbyterian Church of St. Albans.

The recommended choices repre-sent some of the top changes that in-dividuals can make to prevent heart disease, obesity, diabetes and some forms of cancer.

Simone Price, executive director of the Sutphin Boulevard BID, said that the promotion of healthy food will be beneficial to the entire com-

munity in Jamaica.“Jamaica, Queens

is still classified as a food desert,” Price said. “We’re excited about this program and the orga-nized efforts to improve the healthy options avail-able in the community.”

The initiative aims to reduce fried foods and improve the placement and promotion of healthy products or menu items, including healthy lunch and snack combos.

Businesses who have complied have made changes such as moving fresh fruit onto the counter next to the register, stocking healthy snacks near the entrance and selling baked potato chips. The Partnership for a Healthier Queens provides each busi-ness with signs promoting the options outside the store and on the counter where food orders are made.

Tyra Emerson, executive director of CCJ, said that they started the process around six months ago.

“The initial step was to ask stores and delis that were interested,” Emer-son said. “We went back and came up with the ideas and then we came back to check that they had done it.”

The office of CCJ is directly up-stairs from one of the businesses involved, Deli and Grocery on 161st Street, and Emerson said she fre-quents the deli often.

“Everyday I started to see that they were doing it and I started get-ting very excited,” she said.

The project is funded by the Cen-ters for Disease Control and Pre-vention and is not only focused on healthy eating, but also active living, tobacco-free environments and re-ducing underage and excessive alco-hol consumption.

Dahlia Goldenberg, project co-

Jamaica Businesses Making Healthy Choicesordinator at The Part-nership for a Healthier Queens, said she was impressed by some of the business own-ers who were anxious to move some of their unhealthy products to-wards the back and pro-mote water, fruits and vegetables.

“All of this is in the name of preventing chronic disease,” Gold-enberg said. “It’s also about reducing the un-healthy advertising.”

Andrea Blair-Daw-son, regional coordina-

tor at Cornell University Cooperative Extension, said they got involved by doing workshops in the community to increase awareness of the possi-bilities for healthier living.

“We became apart of this with Make the Road New York to get the word out about making healthier options,” she said. “We know that it’s going to take businesses and governments to get in-volved to address this issue.”

For a list of participating business-es, visit queenspress.com.


Tyra Emerson, executive director of Cultural Collaborative Jamai-ca, points out the signs given by the program for healthy specials.

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Forest Hills’ Parkway Hospital has report-edly been sold for $1 million. The shuttered health center, which has been closed since 2008, was sold to Au-berge Grand Central LLP, a Rego Park-based realty firm in a foreclosure action. The hospital was ordered closed by the New York

BY JOE MARVILLI

Just weeks after half of its mem-bers were removed, the Queens Li-brary Board of Trustees will welcome new faces.

Mayor Bill de Blasio appointed Jukay Hsu, the founder and executive director of the Coalition for Queens, to the library board. A few days later, Borough President Me-linda Katz selected Rob-ert Santos, Vice President for Campus Planning and Facilities Management at CUNY. The additions were announced just three weeks after the Mayor and BP removed eight trustees for the lack of financial oversight in the controver-sies surrounding the library’s CEO, Thomas Galante.

Born in Taiwan and raised in Flushing, Hsu founded the Coali-tion for Queens, a nonprofit organi-zation focused on transforming the Borough into a hub for technology, entrepreneurship and innovation. He fought in the Iraq War, where he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for exceptionally meritorious service against an armed enemy.

The new trustee said he looks

forward to the challenge of monitor-ing the library’s finances, increasing transparency and continuing its ad-justment to the 21st century.

“I hope to positively contribute and my first priority will be to work to ensure that the Queens Library has the highest standards of corporate governance and fiduciary oversight and remains a treasured institution that provides critical services to mem-bers of our community,” Hsu said.

Santos, a resident of Sunnyside, has had a long career in higher ed-

ucation, cultural institutions, munici-pal government and construction. He was the COO at the New York Pub-lic Library and worked as the Chief Administrative Officer at Adelphi University. He also held positions in the Dept. of Housing Preserva-tion and Development, the Flushing Meadows Corona Park Development Corporation and the Dept. of Parks and Recreation.

Santos is a veteran as well, serving as a platoon leader with the 101st Air-borne during the Vietnam War. His efforts earned him two Silver Stars and two Bronze Stars for valor.

“It is an honor to serve on the Board of the Queens Library and to join other involved and committed citizens dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of the Queens Li-brary system,” Santos said. “Nothing is more important to the health of a community and the intellectual capi-tal of its people than a public library and the Queens Library is one of the best public libraries in the nation.”

Katz’s representative said the BP is in the process of filling the remain-ing five slots, but has not made any

determination yet on who will get the seats.

The changeover came about due to frustrations from Katz and de Bla-sio over the trustees’ votes against removing Galante and their rejection of Comptroller Scott Stringer’s audit request. Last week, another trustee that had not voted to remove Galante from the board, Mary Ann Mattone, quietly resigned.

Reach Reporter Joe Marvilli at (718) 357-7400, Ext. 125, [email protected], or @JoeMarvilli.

Two New Trustees Appointed To Library Board

State Commission on Healthcare Facilities and was shut down despite a long battle by its owner, Dr. Robert Aquino.

Jukay HsuParkway Hospital Sold


OF SOUTHEAST QUEENS150-50 14th Road

Whitestone, NY 11357(voice) (718) 357-7400 fax (718) 357-9417

email [email protected] PRESS of Southeast Queens

Editor-in-Chief:Steven J. Ferrari

Contributing Editor:Marcia Moxam

ComrieProduction Manager: Shiek Mohamed

Reporters: Jordan Gibbons

Joe MarvilliLuis Gronda

Jackie Strawbridge

Art Dept:

Rhonda LeefoonLianne ProcanynKarissa Tirbeni

Maureen CoppolaAdvertising Director

Howard SwenglerMajor Accounts Manager

Shanie PersaudDirector Corporate

Accounts/Events

Advertising Executives Shari StronginKaryn Budhai

A Queens Tribune Publication

© Copyright 2014 Tribco, LLC

Michael Nussbaum Publisher

Ria McPhersonComptroller

LettersEditorial

A Personal PerspectiveBy MARCIA MOXAM COMRIE

Because Robin Williams was such a beloved performer, the effect of his recent death has crossed geographical bor-ders and I feel compelled to address it in this space.

Everyone everywhere was shocked by Williams’ death last week, but not so much shocked that he died, though we were. It is the way in which he died that has jolted us all awake to a disease of the mind that for too long we have kept under wraps.

From his stand-up acts to his appearances on talk shows to the comedic roles he played in movies and television, Wil-liams, by all outward appear-ances, was a happy-go-lucky guy. Watching him on stage was always a dizzying, if de-lightful, experience. We knew that he had a drug problem, but thought he had successfully sought treatment.

How were we to know that

Depression Destroys A Beautiful Lifethe man who made the world laugh was crying on the inside? The laughter ended on Aug. 11, when the actor asphyxiated himself in his home. Friends who thought they knew him now say they really didn’t, because not once did he let on that he had been suffering from depression his whole life.

Depression is an isolating disease. No one wants any-one to know that they have this malady. It seems simple enough to think, snap out of it! But clearly it’s not that simple. If it were, then this force-of-nature-performer would have done it. Instead, Williams hid his suffering from the world.

But Williams’ death, like his life, has served a purpose. It brought clinical depression into the light; and from this tragedy, many are coming forward to confess that they too have been suffering. Mental health profes-sionals are now able to tell the public that there are help lines and clinics and all sorts of help available for them.

I was extremely proud of

my church when during service last weekend, they made the announcement that “in light of Robin Williams’ death, please know that there is help for anyone suffering from chronic depression.” The speaker pro-ceeded to announce that not only are there external hotlines but that in the back of their church program are the names and contact information for the appropriate elders who handle these crises for members.

We all go through moments of depression over a particular event or crisis in our lives. For some people, though, it is a chronic state of being. Robin Williams had endured a life-time of emotional pain from the disease.

By all appearances, this wonderful comedian had nothing to be depressed over. He had enjoyed a long and fruitful career. Almost every project he touched turned to gold. He could effortlessly segue from comedy to drama to animation flicks and was truly the most versatile actor of his

generation. And yet he was not happy. Adding to the misery, according to his wife, Williams had recently been diagnosed with early stage Parkinson’s disease. Poor guy.

There was something amiss in his mind that pushed him early on the morning of Mon-day, Aug. 11 to hang himself in his home. At any moment, he could have changed his mind and stood up. This was not one of those hanging from the raf-ters kind of hangings. This one gave him the opportunity to change his mind even after the noose had started to tighten; and yet he sat there and did himself in like that.

He did not even care that he had children who loved him and whom he loved and who would be hurt by this. In that moment of hopelessness, he only saw the darkness and wanted to end it.

We need to know that there are better options than the one Williams chose at a youthful 63. We will surely miss his presence. We feel cheated.

Airport Wage Struggle ContinuesLiving on or below the minimum wage in New York

City is a grueling business. Stories of New Yorkers fighting to meet rent, pay for child care and eat well populate every Borough – many residents most familiar with this struggle can be found in Queens working low wage jobs at our airports.

In this climate, JetBlue’s lethargic response to the Port Authority’s recent directive to raise contract work-ers’ wages only hurts those who are already hurting. The new rules stated that John F. Kennedy and LaGuar-dia Airport contract workers will receive a $1 per hour raise, Martin Luther King Day as a paid holiday and a phase-in to a $10.10 per hour wage, and were intended to bring some relief to struggling employees.

The airline brushes demands for action aside, stat-ing that its business partners are responsible for the wages of contract workers. Somehow the other airlines at the airports – American, Delta and United – have all managed to comply with the Port Authority’s direc-tive. JetBlue’s claim that it cannot control its partners’ behavior implies it is either lacking in management acumen or interest in the well-being of airport workers, neither of which can be seen as reassuring to potential fliers.

While the push for a higher minimum wage in New York City continues, any immediate work that can be done to give a little more comfort and flexibility to low wage workers must be commended. Any pushback against this work from multi-million dollar companies such as JetBlue must be questioned very seriously.

End The Scourge Of Graffiti In Queens

To The Editor:The scourge of Queens and

throughout New York City is that of graffiti vandalism. It makes you so angry and somewhat sad to see these senseless indiscrimi-nate markings of these vandals throughout our communities. In Woodhaven, we are fortunate in that we have the Woodhaven Business Improvement District on Woodhaven’s Jamaica Avenue from Dexter Court to 100th Street where this degenerating vandalism is removed periodically at great expense, making our Woodhaven Business Improvement District 98 percent graffiti vandalism free. I would like to compliment Eric Ulrich, our NYC Councilman, on his allocation of funding to remove graffiti vandalism on the remainder of Jamaica Avenue in Richmond Hill and Ozone Park. Also, the volunteer efforts of the Woodhaven Resident’s Block Association removing graffiti vandalism from our community mail boxes. As I have stated, this vandalism is a very expensive criminal act and in actuality a war between these vandals and we that

remove their markings. This war is one that we fight every day.

I believe our Civic Pride will prevail for we will not take the at-titude of “I’m not going to paint it, for they’ll just do it again.” This is war which together we will win.

Maria A. Thomson, Executive Director,

GWDCWBID

Prune The Right TreesTo The Editor:

What is all of this ballyhoo about the Parks Dept. not pruning the correct trees in the boroughs? This Parks Dept. and the office of the Comptroller need to better coordinate how and where this money is being allocated and used. We have trees that were pruned that did not need to be; we have trees that were in desperate need of pruning and were not even touched. The City cannot afford any more lawsuits from people who might suffer injuries due to falling branches or trees that have not been properly maintained. Let’s get with the program and get this work done right!

John Amato,Fresh Meadows



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BY JOE MARVILLI

Elected officials are calling for more resources to the Pomonok Houses after a tour last week revealed the need for improvements.

State Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Flushing), Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz (D-Flushing), Council-man Rory Lancman (D-Hillcrest) and Monica Corbett, president of the Pomonok Residents Association, took a tour of the housing complex, getting a firsthand look at its state of disrepair. The officials strongly criticized the New York City Hous-ing Authority for letting the situation get out of hand and demanded addi-tional resources for upkeep.

Stavisky’s communications direc-tor, Elizabeth Wu, said that Pomonok was generally rundown and messy. Dumpsters were overflowing with garbage. Other bags of trash were ly-ing around or tied to railings because the trash compactor is broken. The garbage led to a rodent problem that was reported to the senator’s office several times.

The building the group visited had broken mailboxes that did not lock and a trash-ridden playground with paint peeling off the bars. The water fountain in the senior center has also been out-of-order for weeks.

According to Corbett, the deterioration is partially due to the lack of employees tak-ing care of Pomonok Houses. Eight years ago, the 52-acre complex was at full capacity with 45 caretakers and addi-tional seasonal workers who handled outdoor upkeep. Since that time though, em-ployees have retired or relocat-ed but have not been replaced. As a result, the number has whittled down to 12 full-time staff members. The seasonal program has also been halted.

“Staff reductions at Pomo-nok are yet another example of residents bearing the brunt of NYCHA’s failing manage-ment. Instead of forcing ten-ants and the surrounding community to suffer from the unseemly condi-tions of unkempt grounds, NYCHA needs to step up and maintain its fa-cilities,” Lancman said.

Wu added that Stavisky has writ-ten several letters about the prob-lems at Pomonok to NYCHA in the past, but the situation at the complex continues to worsen.

“Nearly every day, my office gets a call from a Pomonok resident who is upset and frustrated by the deteriorat-ing living conditions and NYCHA’s

extremely slow responses. Enough is enough,” Stavisky said.

NYCHA said that it is looking into the complaints about Pomonok, but disagreed about the number of employees there.

“NYCHA is looking into the com-

plaints and taking them seriously; staff on site, 25 currently, is working hard to provide quality up-keep given resource constraints and the age and needs of the development,” the state-ment said.

The Pomonok residents have also dealt with electri-cal problems, which are not repaired in a timely fashion, as NYCHA only has one team of electricians for all of Queens and Staten Island, according to Corbett.

“Pomonok Houses like all NYCHA developments are unique and special. NY-CHA needs to stop treating the core NYCHA stakehold-

ers (residents and frontline staff) as second-class citizens. We are what make the fabric of NYCHA,” Cor-bett said.


Officials Demand More Resources For Pomonok

State Sen. Toby Stavisky (left), Monica Corbett, Coun-cilman Rory Lancman and Assemblyman Michael Si-manowitz called for improvements at Pomonok Houses after a tour showed the complex in a state of disrepair.

BY JACkIE STRAwBRIDgE

Different day, same paycheck.According to service workers

union 32BJ SEIU, JetBlue Airlines has neglected to give mandated rais-es to its contracted workers at John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports.

In June, the Port Authority an-nounced a rule that contracted work-ers making $9 per hour or less would receive a $1 per hour raise beginning July 31.

JetBlue contends that wages for contracted workers are the responsi-bility of its contractors.

“JetBlue pays all of its 16,000 crewmembers at or well above mini-mum wage and as we committed to the Port Authority, we are urging our business partners to do the same as each contract gets renewed,” a spokesman for the airline said in a statement.

32BJ SEIU president Hector Figueroa, however, said in a state-ment released last week that he ex-pects more of the relationship be-tween JetBlue and its contractors.

“JetBlue’s failure to issue raises for its contracted workers as ordered by Port Authority executive director Pat Foye is indicative of the utter chaos and disorganization that exists between airlines and their contrac-tors,” Figueroa said.

Chris Valens, a spokesman for the Port Authority, said, “we expect com-pliance from all airlines and contrac-tors covered by the recently adopted rule and we are continuing to moni-tor their efforts.”

Samary Actevedo has been work-ing in cleaning for a JetBlue contrac-tor at LaGuardia for about a decade. At a 32BJ SEIU rally in late June, she explained why a pay raise would be important to her.

“Everything’s going high, rent, all that,” Actevedo said. “We work hard for the money. We really, really, re-ally need more.”

Reach Reporter Jackie Strawbridge at (718) 357-7400, Ext. 128, [email protected] or @JN-Strawbridge.

JetBlue workers Still waiting On Raises

JetBlue contract workers at JFk and LgA airports are waiting on a $1-per-hour raise.


BY JORDAN GIBBONS

Preparing for your wedding can be a complicated process, but if you are planning to have the reception catered in a backyard, vineyard or in a garden, there are options that can make your decisions easier.

Off-premise caterers can usually have more competitive prices than a banquet facility since the catering halls often require that you use their services exclusively.

Your first step should be to select a venue that suits your needs. The de-tails to keep in mind when choosing the location are your estimated guest counts, the hours for the reception and your ideal environment. Some catering companies can assist with the process and may even provide a wedding planner to arrange all of the details for you.

Remember that caterers typically begin booking weddings at least a year in advance. You should ensure any potential caterers have all the necessary permits and licenses, as well as insurance.

Once you narrow down your ca-tering selections, arrange to have a tasting to make sure the quality of

the food is as good as advertised. Also, if you are not sure on exactly what dinner options you would like to have, ask the chef to suggest some choices.

If you decide on a buffet style din-ner or cocktail hour, ask the caterer to display the names and ingredients of all the menu items, which can help your guests try interesting options that they may have stayed away from.

Evaluating the capabilities of the caterer is also important. If they work out of a commercial kitchen, as opposed to out of someone’s home, they will have more access to equip-ment that can handle last-minute changes or unexpected guests.

You should find out if you will be required to rent items such as tents, tables, china, glassware and silver-ware before making any decisions.

It is also important to get all the contact numbers for the caterer and the person in charge of organizing your event in case anything changes at the last minute or you need to ask them any questions.

You can also ask your caterer for references from previous guests who have had similar wedding receptions.

One caterer that offers off-premise

services in the area is Carlyle Cater-ing, which has Carlyle Off the Green that includes wedding planners who will help manage every part of the wedding from food and drinks, to music, lighting and furniture rentals. They can also recommend a list of vendors for you to choose from as well as providing access to venues throughout Long Island and Man-hattan.


Bridal Guide:Planning Your Off-Premise Wedding

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Carlyle Catering offers tent rentals, along with a selection of vendors to choose from.


Bridal Guide:Behind The Scenes With Wedding Cake Bakers

By JaCkie STraWBridge

A wedding cake has many roles – it must look beautiful, represent the life of a couple and taste delicious, all at once.

Denise Passarelli, the baker and decorator behind Denise Makes Cakes, said she does not take the re-sponsibility of creating this type of dessert lightly.

“It’s a lot more work, it’s a lot more process [than other types of cake]. You get to really know the client a lot,” she said. “They’re really putting a lot of trust in you that you’re going to be able to fulfill their vision.”

Altogether, the process from brainstorming to baking takes sever-al weeks, Passarelli said. She added that many customers come in with pictures and Pinterest boards full of ideas, while others let her take con-trol of the design.

“Some people leave the creative decisions up to [me] and some peo-ple are very specific,” she said. “I like someone who will give me an idea but will let me choose some of the embellishments.”

One of Passarelli’s favorite accom-plishments was a groomscake.

“The groom was a huge fan of ‘Ghostbusters,’ so the bride asked me to make the Ecto-1, which is the car that they drove [in the movie],” Passarelli said.

She added that as an extra sur-prise to the bride, she made the cake flash with blue lights.

Lisa Bracigliano, who owns the Chocolate Swirl bakery, said that a crucial aspect of the cake design pro-

cess is getting to know the couple she is working with.

“I actually like to talk with them, to see how they met and get a feel for what their vibe is,” Bracigliano said.

Some of the more popular wed-ding cake themes Bracigliano has no-ticed over the past few years include beaches, art deco, simple ribbon and lace.

Both bakers stressed that couples should start the cake planning pro-cess early, to give themselves time to

denise Passarelli runs a one-woman bak-ery where she designs custom cakes.

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By JOe MarViLLi

When it comes to au-tumn weddings, the main appeal is the season and its effect on nature. Exchang-ing vows with a loved one among colorful tree leaves is an experience that can-not be duplicated during any other time of year.

If you are planning a wedding, one of the first items to square away is the venue. Finding a location that takes advantage of the fall sea-son should be a priority, but you also need to prepare for poor weather.

According to Bri Palillo, director of marketing at The Dover Group, clients are looking for colorful, warm ceremonies when they book an autumn wedding. The Dover Group owns the Coral House, a wedding and catering facility in Nassau County.

“When clients look to book fall weddings, they’re often looking for foliage, specific decor and a real fall environment, consisting of roaring fires, and plenty of brown and or-ange hues,” Palillo said.

Palillo also recommended that you have a plan B, in case your out-door wedding is ruined by a sudden storm.

“Make sure you have a backup plan, as the fall is a very unpredictable time of year,” she said. “If you’re set on an outdoor event, make sure your guests are comfortable if the weather is on the chilly side.”

There is no better borough then Queens to get in touch with nature while staying in New York City.

One of the best spots for a fall wedding is the Voelker Orth Mu-seum, Bird Sanctuary and Victorian Garden. The Trellis archway in its garden is a popular spot for wedding

ceremonies. The surrounding flora and wildlife also adds to its unique, relaxing setting.

“Our lawn, it’s lush and beautiful. It’s such a secluded little haven, just off bustling Northern Boulevard,” Gloria Lomuscio, office manager at Voelker, said. “We have wonderful foliage all around. All in all, it is a lush backdrop for a venue.”

Besides being a great location for a wedding ceremony, Lomuscio add-ed that couples use the inside and outside of the Flushing museum for their wedding photos. To learn more, call (718) 359-6227.

A popular choice for autumn wed-dings is a barn, adding to the rural feeling for the season. For a Queens version of this type of venue, there is Queens County Farm Museum. You can rent the barn complex for a spot that fits in any weather. It fits up to 120 people, including room for dancing. Hold the ceremony outside, near the season maize maze and the pumpkin patch, then go into the spacious barn for the reception.

For reservations, call (718) 347-3276, ext. 301 or email [email protected].


Many Couples Fall For autumn Wedding Venues

Voelker Orth Museum’s garden creates a per-fect, scenic vibe for an autumn wedding.

choose a bakery and cake design they are comfortable with.

“Start early, do a lot of research, have a clear theme in mind,” Passare-lli said.

Denise Makes Cakes and the Chocolate Swirl can be found online at denisemakescakes.com and th-echocolateswirl.com, respectively.



Police Blotter

CALL CRIME STOPPERS1-800-577-TIPS

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102nd PrecinctAssault Arrest

On Aug. 18, the NYPD arrested an individual in regards to a July 30 assault incident within the confines of the 102nd Precinct.

The incident involved a pick-up truck that allegedly ran over an indi-vidual on 99th Street after a verbal altercation. The suspect in the truck dragged the victim several feet before fleeing the scene. The victim was transported to Jamaica Hospital and treated for abdominal and back inju-ries, as well as several abrasions.

Following an investigation, police arrested Joseph Caleca, 55, of Set-auket, and charged him with attempt-ed murder as a hate crime and felony assault as a hate crime.

104th PrecinctCollision Investigation

At 2:52 a.m. on Aug. 18, police re-sponded to a 911 call of a motor ve-hicle accident involving a pedestrian

struck on Fresh Pond Road between 60th Drive and Elliot Avenue.

Upon arrival, officers observed a 32-year-old male, identified as Karoll Grzegorczyk of Ridgewood, uncon-scious and unresponsive with trauma about the body, lying on the road-way. EMS also responded and trans-ported the man to Elmhurst General Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Investigation revealed that the pe-destrian was walking southbound on Fresh Pond Road when he entered the roadway mid-block, emerging be-tween parked cars at the location. A dark-colored sedan, traveling south-bound, struck the pedestrian before fleeing the scene. There are no ar-rests. The investigation is ongoing.

109th PrecinctCollision Investigation

At 9:50 a.m. on Aug. 13, police responded to Parsons Boulevard and 37th Avenue, where officers discovered a male in his 60s un-

conscious and unresponsive. Further investigation determined

that the male was riding a bicycle northbound on Parsons Boulevard and made a left turn onto 37th Av-enue. He was then struck by a private ambulette that was travelling south-bound on Parsons.

The cyclist was taken to Booth Memorial Hospital via EMS, where he was pronounced dead. The NYPD’s Highway District Collision Investigation Squad will continue to investigate the incident.

Grand Larceny The NYPD is asking the public’s

assistance identifying and locating the following suspect wanted in con-nection to a grand larceny.

At 4:15 p.m. on Aug. 11, in front of 142-41 Franklin Ave., a male sus-pect approached a 50-year-old sitting in a wheelchair. The suspect placed his hand on the victim’s shoulder, snatched the chain from the victim’s neck and fled westbound on Frank-lin Avenue.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stop-pers at (800) 577-tips, visit www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or text tips to 274637(CRIMES), then enter TIP577. All calls are confidential.

112th PrecinctRobbery

The NYPD is asking the public’s assistance identifying an individual wanted for a robbery that occurred at 5:45 a.m. on Aug. 11 inside of an apartment building on Saunders Street. The suspect approached a vic-tim with a small bat and removed the victim’s wallet and cell phone.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stop-pers at (800) 577-tips, visit www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or text tips to 274637(CRIMES), then enter TIP577. All calls are confidential.

By JACkIe StRAwBRIdGe

Weeks of dispute over hiring at a new Long Island City hotel have cul-minated in a tense back and forth be-tween hotel managers and the com-munity.

Queensbridge residents and mem-bers of nonprofit Urban Upbound gathered outside the soon to open Mayflower International Hotel last Friday morning to protest alleged un-fair hiring practices there. The press conference followed an episode in which Urban Upbound CEO and se-nior pastor at Center of Hope Inter-national Bishop Mitchell Taylor was recorded on hotel cameras shoving an employee who confronted him at the door.

Taylor and a handful of employees then exited the hotel pushing and shoving, with Taylor briefly grabbing a pickaxe and waving it upside down at the workers.

Taylor issued an apology for the violence at Friday’s rally.

“I apologize for that kind of ag-gression and [that] incident, but I don’t apologize for standing up for my community,” Taylor said.

A number of other speakers issued

their support for Taylor regarding the altercation, including Assemblywom-an Catherine Nolan (D-Sunnyside), who said, “I have no issues with what happened yesterday.”

Also present at the rally was Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside).

Urban Upbound called the press conference to contend that Mayflow-er was not living up to a verbal agree-ment to hire hotel employees from within the community.

According to the hotel, however, meetings had been held on the topic but no formal promises were made.

“What [Taylor] is trying to do is he’s trying to control the hiring pro-cess,” Elio Forcina, an attorney who represents Mayflower, said. “It’s an open process – anyone can give their resume in.”

“Textbook extortion scam,” Forci-na added.

According to George Frangoulis, operating manager of the hotel, seven of the approximately 20 people he has hired so far are from Long Island City. At Friday’s rally, Frangoulis noted that the hotel will host a job fair and open house within the community in about three weeks.

“All Bishop Taylor is asking from the ho-tel is a fair chance for the Queensbridge com-munity to apply for job openings,” Kamian Al-len, a spokesperson for Urban Upbound, said on Tuesday. “Friday was the first we’d heard of the hotel hiring sev-en locals. If that’s the case, we’re thrilled.”

The hotel has already held a preliminary hir-ing search in Flushing. Frangoulis said it was held in Flushing because the owners’ main office is located there.

Confusion has also arisen regard-ing money that Urban Upbound received from the hotel. Frangoulis asserted that the hotel gave Taylor $4,500. Taylor said that the money was an unsolicited donation for an Urban Upbound gala and amounted to $2,500.

Friday’s ralliers, who included community leaders such as Queens-bridge Tenant Association president April Simpson, marched outside the hotel with signs reading “we need

jobs, not false promises” and “if you build here, hire people from here.”

Queensbridge resident Margaret Haywood attended the rally in soli-darity with unemployed youth.

“We have a lot of young people out here who have no jobs,” Hay-wood said. “I have family members here, young people who need jobs. I had to come out here and support them.”


turbulent Jobs dispute Continues In LIC

Bishop taylor (center) and Urban Upbound held a press conference and rally for jobs at the new May-flower Hotel.


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Future sluggers and fireballers received some expert training and ad-vice from a couple of big-leaguers last week on Aug. 14. Eric Campbell and Josh Edgin of the New York Mets helped to conduct the annual YMCA Jr. Mets clinic at the Cross Island Y.

Motown Philly Comes To Queens

Legendary R&B artists Boyz II Men performed their greatest hits dur-ing a concert at Citi Field on Aug. 16. The group took the field after the New York Mets beat the Chicago Cubs, 7-3.

Don’t Shoot!

Locals gathered at Baisley Pond Park on Aug. 14 for a vigil for those who had been affected by the situation in Ferguson, Mo.

Photo by Bensy Sanon

Photos by Bruce A

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A Work of Art

Philippa Karterton and other members of the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning show off artwork on display during the PRESS of South-east Queens celebration of culture held in Astoria on Aug. 14.

Stars of The Future


A & E

By Jackie StrawBridge

A world class contortionist has arrived in the Borough with plans to bend the minds of audiences across the United States.

Swiss contortionist Nina Burri

said she moved to Long Island City earlier this summer. Having already performed on the Swiss and French versions of the competition, she made her American debut Tuesday on NBC’s “America’s Got Talent.”

Burri appeared on the show dur-ing its audition round in June, receiv-ing rave reviews from judges Howard Stern, Heidi Klum, Melanie Brown and Howie Mandel.

“You know what seemed to be missing from that act? Bones,” Man-del said at the time.

Burri’s path to the “America’s Got Talent” stage has brought her across the globe and through many fields of performance. After working as a bal-lerina, commercial dancer and circus performer throughout Europe, Burri moved to China to study at Beijing’s International Arts School.

She said she became a contortion-ist to gain more control over her art and career.

“My wish was strong to be a so-loist, doing my own work,” Burri said. “As a ballerina, you are usu-ally in a big company, there [are] a lot of other girls that follow the

instructions of the choreographer.”“Here, I can express myself as I

wish. I have to please my audience, that’s the only thing,” Burri added.

She also noted that she enjoys con-tortion because it is “so crazy, so ex-treme – I can go always further and further in my development…[it] keeps you in shape and makes you alert of your body. It’s very satisfying.”

For Burri, performing for an American TV audience represented an opportunity to expand her brand.

“I decided one year ago I want-ed to go on in my career and I was thinking America would be a very good option,” Burri said. “I went to audition [at] ‘America’s Got Talent’

Lic resident Performs On ‘america’s got talent’because it’s a huge chance for me to be seen by American people and in-troduce myself to the American en-tertainment industry.”

Tuesday’s show, taped live at Ra-dio City Music Hall, marked the last round of quarterfinals. She compet-ed against several dance teams and singers, a magician and a child card-thrower, among others.

“I hope [the audience] has fun watching it, they feel some connection, and that I go in their hearts,” Burri said.


By JOe MarViLLi

The new season at Queensborough Perform-ing Arts Center is ready to start.

Between Sept. 14, 2014 and May 9, 2015, 15 per-formers will come to enter-tain audiences in Queens-borough Community College’s 875-seat venue.

This season begins with Broadway actress, Patti LuPone in her new concert, “COUL-DA, WOULDA, SHOULDA... played that part.” On Sept. 14 at 3 p.m., the Tony Award-winner will sing famous numbers from “Hair,” “Evita,” “Gyp-sy” and more.

On Oct. 5 at 3 p.m., celebrate Broadway’s Jewish musical legacy with “Shalom Broadway.”

Another musical tribute will take place at 3 p.m. on Oct. 12 with “The Kings of Motown.” This Las Vegas show will display the skills and show-manship that made The Temptations famous.

If you are looking for laughs, check out “The Pirates of Penzance” on Oct. 19 at 3 p.m.

On Nov. 16 at 3 p.m., check out The VOCA People, an Israel-based vocal performance ensemble that creates an innovative sound with just vocals.

Next up, on Nov. 23 at 3 p.m., Re-nee Taylor will talk about her 60-plus years in show business.

The first show of 2015 at QPAC will be a performance of Tango Bue-nos Aires, one of Argentina’s cultur-al exports. It will take place on Feb. 12 at 8 p.m.

On March 21, author James Van

Praagh will share an evening of mes-sages from guides, family and friends in spirit. He will take the stage at 8 p.m.

The Russian National Ballet will perform “The Sleeping Beauty,” starting at 3 p.m. on March 29.

On April 12 at 3 p.m., master pianist/vocalist Kenny Brawner will transform himself into Ray Charles.

On April 19 at 3 p.m., “The Doo Wop Project” will show the evolution of the genre in a one-of-a-kind con-cert experience.

The American Jewish Symphony will play on April 26 at 3 p.m.

On April 30, QPAC will move out to Colbeh Mediterranean Grill in Great Neck for “Love Will Keep Us Together: Carole King, Neil Sedaka and the Music of The Brill Building.”

On May 3 at 3 p.m., see Chazz Palminteri perform his one-man stage version of the hit movie, “A Bronx Tale.”

The season will wrap up with “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus,” at 8 p.m. on May 9.

For more information, visit www.qcc.cuny.edu/qpac/shows.asp.


QPac reveals Schedule

On Aug. 13, the Hip to Hip The-atre Company’s production of “Two Gentlemen of Verona” was per-formed in the garden of the Voelker Orth Museum in Flushing. The hi-larious performance, which explored the themes of love and friendship, included masks, puns, slapstick and a human playing a dog.

The masks were from the tradi-tion of commedia dell’arte farce, which features stock characters and clownish exaggeration. In “Two Gentlemen,” Proteus (Jon-athan Dyrud) loves Julia (Joy Marr), and his friend Valentine (T.J. Gainley) loves Silvia (Lawryn Lacroix). Launce (Guy Ventoliere) loves his dog Crab (Drew Bloom). When Proteus sees Silvia, he falls in love with her too and tells her father about Valentine’s plan to elope with her, hoping to get her himself. Before everything ends happily, Valentine is banished and, after being menaced by a group of three outlaws, bluffs his way into becoming their leader; Julia (dis-guised as a boy) becomes Proteus’s servant, and has to deliver his gift

to Silvia (who refuses it).The many hilarious scenes (ku-

dos to Carter Gill, the commedia consultant) included one in which Valentine takes forever to realize that the love letter he’s holding is meant for him. Marr beauti-fully handled the dual role of Julia and her gender-bending disguise, Sebastian, while Lacroix was an excellent and elegant Silvia. Luc-etta, a servant, was well-acted by Sarah Gwynne Walker, who also amusingly plays an outlaw, while versatile Amanda Thickpenny por-trayed three parts: Panthino, an attendant; Eglamour, a gentleman; and an outlaw, while the third outlaw was humorously played by Cassie Alexander. A modern touch was added when Silvia’s father, a Duke, is accompanied in one scene by Darth Vader’s music from “Star Wars.”

For more information about the company, go to www.hiptohip.org. To vote for this show to win a New York Innovative Theatre Award, go to www.nyitawards.com.

- Barbara arnstein

Voelker Orth welcomes ‘two gentlemen’

Nina Burri performed on “america’s got talent” tuesday night.

“the kings of Motown” will perform on Oct. 12 at 3 p.m.

Queens today

WEDNEsDay 8/27

Got EvEnts?send all information to

[email protected] or mail to: 150-50 14th Rd., Whitestone, Ny 11357

moNDay 8/25

FRIDay 8/22

saTURDay 8/23

THURsDay 8/28

sUNDay 8/24

SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEKsCHooLYARD GAMEs DAY

FizzY DRinkLittle Makers will present a family-friendly event on fizzy drinks at the New York Hall of Science. Cool off this summer with a cold, refreshing citrus drink. Ex-plore the science behind citrus fruits and invent your own fizzy drink to enjoy. The workshop runs from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. There is an $8 materials fee per family. Call (718) 699-0005 to learn more.

iDiot BRiGADEBorn out of late-night drink-ing and picking in an up-state New York hayfield, the Idiot Brigade is a five-piece rollercoaster of a bluegrass band. These experienced New York City pickers bring infectious energy to a tra-ditional music genre. With instrumentation includ-ing a stand up bass, fiddle, mandolin, guitar and dobro, they promise to get you stomping your feet and singing along. Catch the Idiot Brigade at the Queens Kickshaw Friday from 9 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. For more information, call (718) 777-0913.

BikE RiDEAn evening ride to end Alzheimer’s will take place at the Forest Park Carousel. Attendees can enjoy face-painting, magic shows and unlimited rides on the carousel for $10. It will cost only $3 to ride the carousel during the event. The money will go towards the New York City chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. This is the third straight year this fundraiser has taken place at the carousel.

suMMER DAnCE PARtYResorts World Casino will host its “largest fundraiser of the sum-mer dance party.” DJ Marley Marl will provide the tunes to the party at the racino. There will also be a special guest performer along with the DJ. The par-ty is for those who are 21 years and older and there are no refunds. Tickets are $25 for a regular entry and $50 for a V.I.P ticket. Resorts World Casino is

located at 110-00 Rockaway Blvd. in South Ozone Park.

ConCERtThe show will feature four bands, Degreaser, Frustra-tions, Silk Purse and Cya-nide Tooth. Tickets are $8 and the show starts at 8 p.m. Trans Pecos is located at 715 Wyckoff Ave. in Ridgewood.

CAMP DRoPinnTaught by award winning director, actor and Secret Theatre Director Richard Mazda, Camp DropInn is a casual acting camp taking place Saturdays this summer, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The workshops tackle a different subject each week, and are stand-alone, so participants need not attend every class. $15 per class, pay as you go. For more information, email [email protected].

LinCoLn CEntER LivE The Villalobos Brothers will perform at 3 p.m. at the Broadway branch of the Queens Library, 40-20 Broadway in Long Island City. The Villalobos Broth-ers masterfully blend the indigenous rhythms and melodies of their native Xalapa in Veracruz, Mexico, with the intricate harmonies of jazz and classical music. This bilingual program delivers an intoxicating brew of musical brilliance and virtuosity that awakens the senses as it redefines notions of Latin music. For more information about Villalobos Brothers, please visit villalobosbrothers.com. Suggested for ages 5 and up.

LEGEns oF oL’skooL ii Resorts World NYC Ca-sino will host live perfor-mances by Christopher Williams, Full Force, Meli’sa Morgan, Horace Brown, Johnny Kemp, Taana Gardner and Joyce Sims at 9 p.m., with doors opening at 8 p.m. Tickets cost between $25-80.

JAzz EnsEMBLEThe Afri-Garifuna Jazz Ensemble will play a free concert at Flushing Town Hall. Known for exciting and exhilarating perfor-mances, the Afri-Garifuna

Jazz Ensemble infuses the indigenous rhythms and music from Saint Vincent and The Grenadines with Af-rican, Latin and Jazz rhythms, creating a high-energy music-and-dance spectacular. Dance lessons start at 1 p.m., followed by the concert at 2 p.m. For information, call (718) 463-7700.

tAstE oF iRELAnDCome to Kingsland Homestead and enjoy the music, food and culture of Ireland to give you an experience similar to walking through a World’s Fair pavilion. Hosted by the Queens Historical Soci-ety, this event will include “Remembering Yesterday: Queens and Its World’s Fairs,” an exhibition that takes a look at both the 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs held in Queens. Tickets cost $15. To learn more, call (718) 939-0647.

soL LiEBEskinD At LiC ConCERtsVisiting from Argentina, Sol Liebeskind brings her jazz, blues, soul and funk inspired music to the LIC waterfront. This second free weekly perfor-mance of the LIC Concerts

series takes place at Gantry State Plaza Park and begins at 5 p.m. For more informa-tion, visit licconcerts.com.

WHitEstonE WALkinG touRThe Bayside Historical Society will present a walking tour through Whitestone, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Join historian Jason D. Antos and follow the path of the old Whitestone line of the North Side branch of the Long Island Rail Road. Explore historic Beechhurst and old Whitestone Village. The tour will meet in the Waldbaum’s shopping center parking lot by the Tropicana entrance. Dress appropriately for a warm afternoon and bring water. The tour costs $5 for BHS members and $10 for nonmembers. For infor-mation, email [email protected].

CAR sHoWPEP Boys on Metropoli-tan Avenue in Ridgewood will host a car show starting at 10 a.m. and run-ning until 4 p.m. There will be music, prizes and special deals offered at the store as well. The PEP Boys in Ridge-wood is located at 61-01 Metropolitan Ave.

LittLE RED’s HooDLittle Red Riding Hood gets a modern makeover with the City Parks Foundation Puppet Mobile. Bring the family out for “Little Red’s Hood,” a free, 30 minute puppet show, Monday at Astoria Heights

Before Queens kids go back to school, they should head to the Alley Pond Environmental Center for its Retro Schoolyard Games Day. Games have been played during recess in schools for decades; through the years, the original games have evolved and new games have emerged. The classic schoolyard games children once played, however, are still fun today. Reminisce and bond with your children over activities that you probably participated in as a child.

This parent participation program is for children ages 4-12. It runs from 10 a.m. to noon and costs $18 for nonmembers, $12 for members.

Park at 4 p.m. For more information, visit www.cityparksfoundation.org.

‘FRozEn’Head to the Main Park House in Cunningham Park at 8 p.m. and enjoy a free screening of Disney’s “Frozen.” Sing along to “Let It Go” and watch Anna embark on an epic journey with iceman Kristoff to find her ice-powered sister. Call (718) 217-6452 for more information.

‘oLYMPus HAs FALLEn’Glen Oaks will hold a free screening of the 2013 ac-tion flick, “Olympus Has Fallen.” Terrorists attack the White House and take the president hostage, and disgraced former presiden-tial guard Mike Banning must use his inside knowl-edge to help rescue him. The screening will start at 2 p.m. The library is located at 256-04 Union Tpke.



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People

Send notices of graduation, awards, anniversaries,

etc., to: PRESS of Southeast Queens

150-50 14th Rd., Whitestone, NY 11357

The New York Army National Guard has announced the promotion of members in recognition of their capability for additional responsibil-ity and leadership.

Djama Amegan of Jamaica was promoted to private.

Darrol Anderson of Rosedale was promoted to specialist.

Roberto Barbier of Laurelton was promoted to private.

Sharron Beckett of South Ozone Park was promoted to specialist.

Martina James of Jamaica was promoted to sergeant.

Khalid Lewis of Jamaica was pro-moted to private.

Melanie Rodriguez of Queens Vil-lage was promoted to private first class.

Fatoumata Simpara of Jamaica was promoted to private.

Timothy Granville-Crooks of Rock-away Park, a member of the Colgate University Class of 2017, participat-ed in a summer internship with the Blue Hill Boys & Girls Club.

Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder has announced a schedule for upcoming

mobile office hours throughout his district. The upcoming schedule in-cludes:

Aug. 26: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. JASA-Brookdale Village Senior Center lo-cated at 125th Beach 19th Street in Far Rockaway.

Aug. 28: 3-6 p.m. Waldbaums lo-cated at 156-01 Cross Bay Blvd. in Howard Beach.

Sept. 7: 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Young Israel of Wavecrest and Bayswater located at 27-16 Healy Ave. in Bay-swater.

Sept. 9: 3-6 p.m. Rock ‘n Roll Ba-gel located at Corner of E. 21st Rd. & Cross Bay Blvd. in Broad Channel.

The Oratorio Society of Queens has announced that the group will hold auditions for its annual holi-day concert, Handel’s “Messiah,” scheduled for Dec. 21. Auditions will take place 7 p.m. Sept. 8 and Sept. 15. For more information, call (718) 279-3006 or visit www.queensorato-rio.org.

The Republican Club of Queens Village will host a candidates night from 7:30-10 p.m. at St. Ann’s

Knights of Columbus Council, 262-15 Union Tpke, Glen Oaks. Candi-dates scheduled to attend include lieutenant governor candidate Chris Moss, state attorney general candi-date John Cahill, state comptroller candidate Bob Antonacci and U.S. Congress candidate Grant Lally.

Jennifer Alvarez of Woodhaven was commissioned as a second lieu-tenant with her graduation from Of-ficer Candidate School on Aug. 16. Alvarez will serve within the Medical Service Officer career field with the Company F, 169th General Aviation Support Battalion in Rochester.

Amie McManus of Belle Harbor will attend the University of Dayton in Ohio for the fall 2014 semester.

American Family Community Ser-vices, a not-for-profit organization located at 37-63 76th St. in Jackson Heights, is planning to extend its community programs and is looking for bilingual volunteer professionals (English and Spanish) willing to pro-vide professional services in educa-tion and social services.

Interested individuals can email [email protected] or call (718) 639-8370

The Latin American Cultural Cen-ter of Queens will offer art classes for children ages 8-16 from 10-11:30 a.m. Saturdays at ARROW Commu-nity Center, 35-30 35th St., Astoria. Participants will develop fundamen-tal techniques in painting, sketching, drawing and sculpting. Materials will be provided.

For information, call (718) 261-07664 or email [email protected].

A defensive driving course for in-surance and point reduction will be given at Our Lady of Fatima Church, 25-02 80th St., Jackson Heights, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sept. 27. For information and registration, call (631) 360-9720. Cost is $45.

BY JORDAN GIBBONS

A Better Jamaica launched a new program, Jamaica Shoots, this sum-mer, to train youth in the community how to become sports and action photographers.

The Summer Youth Employment Program supplied six 14- to 16-year-olds to serve as apprentice photogra-phers for a total of 96 hours spread over six weeks.

Students were instructed to cap-ture other young people participat-ing in local youth sports and dance programs around the Jamaica com-munity.

They attended pee-wee football, soccer, tennis, wrestling and dancing programs to learn the best techniques to use while practicing and fine-tun-ing their photography abilities.

Jimmy Fonsville, a member of the Southeast Queens Camera Club, vol-unteered to be the instructor for the first three weeks and Devin Allen, a freelance photographer, volunteered for the last three weeks.

Allen said he focused on teach-ing the kids how to use the camera’s manual settings as opposed to au-

tomatically letting the camera decide the set-tings for them.

“I gave them the settings that I thought were appropriate based on the lighting,” Allen said. “I tried not to be in their space, but made sure they had the right settings and let them do their thing. From there, they really began to im-prove.”

Allen said that at the start of the day, they re-viewed photos from the previous day on three large monitors in the classroom provided by the SUNY Queens Educational Opportunity Center. The students provided in-sight into why they chose the angles and photos they did. From there they were given the assignment for the day and went out into the field.

One thing Allen said he spoke to the students about was using their feet to zoom in on the action instead of the camera’s lens.

“I tried to instill in them to get

close up to their subject and get inti-mate with them,” he said. “Working with teens was a learning experience for me as well.”

Nicole Washington, a student at the Academy for Careers in Televi-sion and Film in Long Island City, said it was fun to take pictures around the community.

“I basically liked the fact that we experienced something new,” Wash-ington, 16, said. “My favorite pictures

were of the dancers when they were moving and be-ing all together.”

Greg Mays, founder of A Better Jamaica, created the program by getting dona-tions from Indiegogo and providing the rest of money to purchase three Canon ES Rebel T5i D-SLR cam-eras and a telephoto lens to help them capture action shots better.

He said that the program will continue next year with some slight modifications. He plans to have the stu-dents upload the photos to Google Drive so that they

look at them at night, edit them the next day and present them to their peers.

“We’re also going to show them instructive photos to teach the kids,” he said. “It will have them be even more deliberate with their work.”

View all the photos from the pro-gram at Jamaica311.com.


Photography Program Captures Positive Activities

Young teens from the Summer Youth Employment Program spent six weeks this summer learning photography.


Faith

NotebookBoys And Girls Club

Phot

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Jack

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By LuiS Gronda

The doors opened on a brand-new clubhouse at the Richmond Hill Boys and Girls Club of Metro Queens Tuesday morning.

Several club executives and local elected officials who played a role in making the $10 million facility a real-ity touted its opening as the beginning for what is to come in the future.

George Russo, president of the Richmond Hill Boys and Girls Club, said the new building was built upon the same dream that they hope the kids that use the facility

will carry on as they get older. “If you believe it, you can achieve

it. If you have a vision and you’re willing to work hard and overcome many obstacles, you can realize that vision,” he said.

The 3,500-square-foot facility will offer a lot more programs and servic-es to the thousands of children that use the club, according to Carol Si-mon, the club’s executive director.

Its main attraction is the All-Star Teen Center and Café, donat-ed to the club by Major League Baseball and the New York Mets as part of hosting the All-Star

Game last year at Citi Field. The teen center offers children a

chance to relax and socialize with their peers in a comfortable environ-ment. It has a flat screen television with an X-Box One hooked up to it, as well as several board games to play. It also has a small café that will offer food and drinks based on what the kids at the center would like to see served.

In addition to the teen center, the clubhouse will also offer the Helen Marshall Learning Center, named after the former Borough President who funded some of the project, a

Boys and Girls Club Gets Teen CenterTechnology Center, the Pre-Teen Center and a high school regulation size gym.

The club will now shift its focus to renovating the old building next to the new teen center. Simon said that project will cost about $4 million, but they first must raise that money to kickstart the project. Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Ozone Park) has allocated $125,000 in State capital funding for that second phase, accord-ing to a press release from his office.

Reach Reporter Luis Gronda at (718) 357-7400, ext. 127, [email protected] or @luisgronda.

By JaCkie STrawBridGe

Astoria has seen enormous trans-formation in 90 years and neighbor-hood church Immaculate Concep-tion reflects that change.

Immaculate Conception Church celebrated its 90th anniversary on July 26, the day its cornerstone was laid in 1924. Highlights of the church’s long history include the founding of the Catholic War Veterans of America in the 1930s, which now has posts throughout the country.

Immaculate Conception Church also prides itself on decades of dedication to children’s education programs. In the 1960s, Our Lady’s Pre-School brought religious educa-tion to the young children of the con-gregation.

Monsignor Fernando Ferrarese has been pastor at the church for about six years. He said he has witnessed “remarkable” change even in that short time, citing added children’s education programs as well as greater Latino and Filipino representation.

Today, the church conducts mass in four languages: English, Spanish, Italian and Tagalog.

“We pride ourselves on welcom-ing everyone to our community,” Ferrarese said. “We learn from one another’s perspective and it keeps us from a narrow parochialism.”

However, he added, “what has been consistent over the years is our

Catholic faith and the service to the Astoria community, which springs from that faith.”

The church’s community service programs include a parish food pan-try and short-term shelter housing for homeless men.

Astoria resident Giovanna Traugott said she has been a member of the church for about 60 years.

“It was always very open, now it’s even more so,” she said.

“I’m always happy when institu-tions stay and grow,” Traugott added.

Ivania Castillo said she joined the church in the early 1990s, then moved away from Astoria, returning in 2006. She said that when she came back to Immaculate Conception, she noticed the growth of the Latino con-gregation.

“What I remember is we were in the lower basement in the church and when I came back, I guess be-cause we are a big group now, we have our mass in Spanish in the up-per church,” Castillo said.

Immaculate Conception Church will hold several events throughout the fall and winter to commemo-rate its 90th birthday. Coming up this fall, a celebration on Oct. 4 will commemorate the anniversary of the church’s first mass.


immaculate Conception Church Turns 90

astoria’s immaculate Conception Church is celebrating its 90th year of service to the neighborhood.


What’s Up

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK COUNTY OF QUEENS Index No. 22641/2013 SUP-PLEMENTAL SUMMONS Plaintiff designates Queens County as the place of trial. Venue is based upon- the County in which the Mortgage premises is situ-ated. RECEIVED 7/18/2014 COUNTY CLERK QUEENS COUNTY Capital One, N.A. –against- Charis Sachtouris, if living and if any be dead, any and all persons who are spouses, widows, grantees, m0ligagees, lienor, heirs, de-visees, distributes, or succes-sors in interest of such of the above as may be dead, and their spouses, heirs, devisees, distributes and successors in interest, all of whom and whose names and places of residences are unknown to Plaintiff, Fleet National Bank, New York City Environmental Control Board, New York

City Parking Violations Bu-reau New York City Transit Adjudication Bureau United State of America-Internal Revenue Service, New York State Department of Taxation and Finance, Defendants. TO THE ABOVE NAMED DEFENDANT(S): YOU ARE HEREBY SUMMONED to answer the Complaint in this action and to serve a copy of your Answer or, if the Com-plaint is not served with this Summons, to serve a Notice of Appearance on the attor-neys for the plaintiff within twenty (20) days after service of this Summons, exclusive of the day of service (or within thirty (30) days after service is complete if this Summons if not personally delivered to you within the State of New York). In case of your failure to appear or answer, judge-ment will be taken against you by default for the relief demanded in the Complaint.

NOTICE OF NATURE OF AC-TION AND RELIEF SOUGHT THE OBJECT of the above captioned action is to fore-close a Mortgage to secure $100,000.00 and interest, recorded in the Office of the Clerk of the County of QUEENS on June 30, 1992 in Book 3346, Page 906, which was consolidated with the mortgage recorded on Octo-ber 15, 1996, in Book 4443, at Page 1523 in the amount of $38,750.00 by a Consolida-tion, Extension and Modifica-tion Agreement dated August 20, 1996, recorded October 15, 1996 in Book 4443 at Page 1535, which created a single lien in the amount of $138,750.00, covering premises known as 149-35 12th Avenue, Whitestone, NY 11357. The relief sought in the within action is a final judgment directing the sale of the premises described above to satisfy the debt secured

by the Mortgage described above. 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 if 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 ATTOR-NEY FOR THE PLAINTIFF (MORTGAGE COMPANY) AND FILING THE ANSWER WITH THE COURT. Dated:

WILLIAMSVILLE, New York JUNE 26, 2014 By: Stephen J. Wallace Esq. Frenkel, Lambert, Weiss, Weisman & Gordon, LLP Attorneys for Plaintiff 53 Gibson Street Bay Shore, New York 11706 (631) 969-3100 Our File No.: 01-033536-FOO TO: Charis Sachtouris 149-35 12th Avenue, Whitestone, NY 11357 and/or 116 East 83rd Street, New York, NY 10028 United State of America-Internal Revenue Service New York State Department of Taxation and Finance________________________NOTICE OF SALE SU-PREME COURT COUNTY OF QUEENS HSBC BANK USA, NATIONAL ASSO-CIATION, AS TRUSTEE FOR DEUTSCHE ALT-A SECURI-TIES INC., MORTGAGE PASS-THROUGH CERTIFICATES, SERIES 2007-AR3, Plaintiff, against ANDRE BAKSH, et al., Defendant(s). Pursuant to a Judgment of Foreclosure and

Sale duly dated 4/24/2014 I, the undersigned Referee will sell at public auction at the Queens County Courthouse in Courthouse #25, 88-11 Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, New York on 09/12/2014 at 10:00AM, premises known as 197-17 100TH AVENUE, Hollis, NY 11423 All that certain plot piece or parcel of land, with the buildings and improvements erected, situate, lying and being at Hollis, in the Borough and County of Queens, City and State of New York, BLOCK: 10844 LOT: 19. Approxi-mate amount of judgment $650,805.60 plus interest and costs. Premises will be sold subject to provisions of filed Judgment Index# 15598/09. Joseph F. Defelice, Esq., Referee Gross Polowy, LLC, Attorney for Plaintiff, P.O. Box 540, Getzville, NY 14068 Dated: August 4, 2014 1106450

LEGAL NOTICE LEGAL NOTICE LEGAL NOTICE LEGAL NOTICE LEGAL NOTICE LEGAL NOTICE

AUG 22Fundraiser

Resorts World Casino is hosting a fundraiser at 9 p.m. to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Metro Queens and the Jamaica YMCA. DJ Marley Marl will be performing at the con-cert and dance party. Ray DeJon, founder of the Laffaholics Comedy Club will host the concert along with Video Music Box’s Ralph McDan-iels and DJ Vernon. Tickets can be purchased at Resorts World Casino New York City on the lower level or at rwnewyork.com. Tickets will run from $25 to $50. The doors will open at 8 p.m. and the casino is located at 110-00 Rockaway Blvd., Jamaica.

AUG 23Block Party

The Springfield/Rosedale Com-munity Action Association invites local families to a Community Block Party located on 225th Street be-tween 147th and 148th Avenues in Springfield Gardens on Saturday. The event is free and anyone in the community is welcome to attend to join in celebrating family and civic unity. Attendees should bring chairs and picnic baskets. Health informa-tion and voter registration will also be available. The event will take place from noon to 6 p.m. The Block Party is also part of the year-long celebration of the association’s 25th anniversary.

For more information, email [email protected] or call (718) 525-4399.

District 28 DayCouncilman Ruben Wills, As-

semblywoman Vivian Cook, the City Parks Dept. and the Dept. of Trans-portation present District 28 Day, which features handball and wallball tournaments, rock climbing, bounc-ing rides and other fun-filled activi-ties for families. The festivities will be located at Baisley Park from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wills will also be respond-ing to an ALS Ice Bucket Challenge at 2:30 p.m. and introducing a new challenge at 3 p.m. The rain date will be on Sunday at the same time.

CarnivalFriendly Church will be having its

Back To School Carnival this Satur-day from noon to 5 p.m. The carnival will feature pony rides, face painting, carnival games and a bouncy house. There will also be vendors, food live music and free medical awareness in-formation. Free school supplies will be given out while supplies last. The church asks for a $5 donation, which includes a hotdog or hamburger and access to all activies. There is free admission with your “VBS Pass.” The event will be located at Friendly Church at 115-03 Sutphin Blvd.

For more information, call (718) 322-5433 or (718) 723-3716.

Town Hall MeetingThe United Black Men of Queens

invites everyone to come out and add your voice to the discussion address-ing several critical issues facing Black men. “The State of the Black Male”

meeting will focus on a positive agen-da for Black men in the community. Keynote speakers at the meeting are Rodney Pride, who will be speaking about the Black male in the family and Patrick Jenkins who will be speaking about education. Refreshments will be served and there is parking near the meeting. The meeting will be held at the Harvest Room located at 90-40 160th Street, Jamaica from 2 to 4 p.m.

AUG. 25Participatory Budgeting

Councilman Donovan Richards is holding his next participatory budget-ing informational meeting in Spring-field Gardens on Monday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The meeting will be at Birch Early Childhood Center located at 145-02 Farmers Blvd.

AUG. 28Back to School Fair

Forestdale is hosting their Annual Back to School Fair for Forestdale families on Thursday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. They are expecting 500 guests and staff to be inattendance. There will be information booths sponsored by local health and community orga-nizations, as well as a bouncy house, face painting and a sack race for the kids. All youth will receive backpacks filled with school supplies donated by Forestdale’s generous supporters. Contact Jesse Brown at (718) 263-0740 or by email at [email protected].

AUG. 29Back to School

Councilman Donovan Richards is hosting a back to school event for students, co-sponsored by the Parks Dept. and Friends of Brookville Park at Brookville Park located at S. Conduit Avenue and 149th Av-enue between 232nd Street and 235th Street in Rosedale. There will be tons of games and giveaways, in-cluding school supplies for the stu-dents. The event will take place from noon to 4 p.m.

OnGOinGJump & Ball 2014

LL Cool J & Senator Malcolm A. Smith are pleased to present the 10th annual Jump & Ball Basket Ball tournament. The tournament begins August 1st and will hold every Saturday and Sunday until August 30 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, call (718) 528-4290. The tournament will be at Daniel O’ Connell Park, located at Murdock Avenue at 195th Street, Hollis.

Jamaica Farmer’s MarketThe Jamaica Farmers’ Market

on June 20, 2014 and will run every Friday and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. through November 20, 2014. The market is held on 160th Street just outside the entrance of the Jamaica Market between Jamaica Av-enue and 90th Street. Free one hour parking is provided for Farmers Mar-ket customers only.

At a debate in Jamaica last week, State Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Hollis) said that the charges he is facing for at-tempting to bribe his way onto the 2013 Republican mayoral ticket are based on racially mo-tivated officials attempting to gentrify Southeast Queens. He promised to provide names during his retrial in January, which would reveal the people who are trying to get him and other prominent Black leaders out of City politics. Essentially, he said he is an innocent man caught in the middle of a political conspiracy. However, all of the details

Skyscraper BluMusicians OF QuEEns

QCONF

IDEN

TIAL

The title of Skyscraper Blu’s new mixtape is “LABI,” which stands for “Living

Malcolm In The Middle Of Political Conspiracy

with Will Smith, which was enough to make me believe in my dreams again,” he said. “The video is still up and it's called ‘Will Smith's Words of Wisdom.’ I recommend it to everyone.”

Since then, Blu has cre-ated his own hip-hop style that has a similar flow to Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole, with an emphasis on strong lyrics. He said his music, which targets high school and college students in the urban community, is inspired by other artists and songs he hears. If a song resonates with him, he tries to take motivation from it, while con-tributing his own style.

When he writes his lyrics, they are planned out and slowly developed, which each line carefully constructed.

“I often like to plan ahead what I'll be writing about and

Before the State Senate candidate's forum devolved into protests Tuesday night, proceedings had already been delayed by a late moderator. NY1's Ruschell Boone was supposed to lead the fo-rum, but did not arrive until halfway through State Sen. Tony Avella's portion of the proceedings. When she finally got to the microphone, Boone apolo-gized, saying she got caught in traffic in Flushing, then turned to the Senator. "Can you do something about the traffic here?" she asked. Avella, who was on time for the event, said, "I got caught in the same traffic," and noted he only represented half of Flush-ing.

QConf is edited by:

Steven J. FerrariContributors: Bruce

Adler, Jordan Gibbons, Luis Gronda, Walter Karling, Joe Marvilli,

Marcia Moxom Comrie, Michael Nussbaum, Michael Schenkler, Jackie Strawbridge.

Follow us on Twitter: @QueensTrib

@SEQueensPress

Traffic Conundrum

Trees Are Better In Queens The Parks Dept. has a pruning problem – but not in Queens. City Comptroller Scott Stringer released an audit last week indicating that tree pruning in the City has been mismanaged and wasteful. According to the report, all Borough Forestry Offices – the bodies that manage the tree maintenance contrac-tors – except for Queens’ “had weaknesses…which increased the risk of injuries to people and property from falling limbs.” “I’m not going out on a limb when I say that Parks’ perfor-mance has been unacceptable,” Stringer said. Manhattan and Staten Island had the poorest pruning, with the Bronx and then Brooklyn

showing better branches. The Queens Forestry Office, meanwhile, had put controls in place that “appeared to be functioning and could be used as a guide to assist the other four Borough offices,” according to the report. From our parks to our par-ties to now even our beautifully pruned trees – everything’s better in Queens.

During our cultural celebration last week, former Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. posed for this selfie with former QConf reporters

Natalia Kozikowska and Trisha Sakhuja. With all the recent reboots of classic TV shows, we think this pic makes a great pitch for an updated version of the 1970s hit "Three's Company." The show would follow the former councilman and his two former reporter sidekicks as he looks to his future in Queens. The show sounds

like a hit to us!

Come And Knock On Our Door

then from there I try to think of the most creative and relatable lines relevant to the topic,” he said. “It usually takes me days to write my verses because I'm so meticulous when it comes to my music.”

This thorough method led to the creation of “LABI.” Although it initially started as a mixtape, Blu said that it transformed into something closer to a full album during its production.

“At first, I just wanted to create a body of work exhibiting my talents as both a lyricist and a song writer. But eventually as I got more and more into making it, I began to really put my heart into the music and started treating it more like an album,” he said. “While it still does serve its initial purpose, it's more than just another mixtape.”

There are a few special

guests throughout the 16 tracks on “LABI.” Chanel Nicole, Fred The Godson, Patty Rockmore from Peace Fam, RP from Team Blackout and Karina all contribute their talents to the record, mixing their skills with Skyscraper Blu.

Even as he has grown as an artist and his career has started to achieve lift-off, Blu remains close to his roots in Southeast Queens.

“Queens in general is where I've made unforget-table relationships, chased a lot of girls and had wild nights out with my friends,” he said. “They definitely make for some good stories that I think the average kid from Queens can relate to.”

For more information on Skyscraper Blu, visit www.facebook.com/skyscraper-blumusic.

Like us on Facebook: facebook.com/

QueensTrib

he is ignoring do not seem to match this theory. He is one of six people who were arrested in 2013 for the failed bribery scheme. Three of them are black and three are white. Former City Council-man Dan Halloran was found guilty for his role in the scheme last month. Considering Smith was allegedly the center-piece of that scheme, it is hard for us here at QConf to believe that he had nothing to do with the plot. Also, Smith’s opponents in the upcoming September primary, former City Coun-

cilman Leroy Comrie and attorney Munir Avery, are both Black. So, if this alleged

culprit has some grand gentrification motiva-tions, he seems fairly short-sighted. Either way, it will be difficult for Smith to find time to represent the resi-dents of his district while he is the middle of a trial

and with Councilman Ruben Wills’ (D-Jamaica) powers in limbo. Southeast Queens needs elected leadership who have the time and the ability to get things accomplished in the community.

Above Basic Individuals.” For the Rosedale rapper though, that line is not a title, but his philosophy of standing out from the crowd.

“It basically means being better than those who choose to live a life of mediocrity,” he said.

When Blu was younger, he almost fell into the trap of settling for less than his full potential. While he had a strong passion for music, he said he was made to believe that he should follow more practical career options. One YouTube video changed all that though.

“Sometime around my third year in college, I saw this inspiring YouTube video


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