PR

ES

S P

hoto

by

Ira

Coh

en

Volume 12 Issue No. 1 Jan. 7-13, 2011

Online at www.QueensPress.com

PAGE 22

Jamaica High School students deal with overcrowding, a lack of guidance and no new technology while their peers at the schools co-located in their building have an abundance of aid, computers and assistance. By Sasha Austrie and Jessica AblamskyPage 3

www.metropcs.com

Jan

. 7

-1

3, 2

01

1 P

RE

SS

o

f S

ou

th

ea

st Q

ueen

s P

ag

e 3

Presstime

BY SASHA AUSTRIE

AND JESSICA ABLAMSKY

In what could be a sad end to its illustri-

ous 100-year history, Jamaica High School

leaves its students walking the halls with

kids that have more.

Never meant to be a campus, the Ja-

maica High School building on Gothic

Drive just north of Hillside Avenue is home

to four schools – segregated into different

floors and wings – that share gyms, labs, a

lunch room and auditorium. Coordinating

shared facilities is a challenge that requires

careful coordination and what some feel is

too much of a compromise.

Though the cafeteria was designed to

hold 200 students, for safety’s sake, no

more than 150 were assigned to each

lunch period in the past. Today, students

start eating before 10 a.m., and each lunch

period sees students filling the room to its

maximum capacity.

Maximum capacity is the new normal

for students at Jamaica High School. The

average class has 34 students crammed

into each room.

With a dwindling population of 1,200

students, Jamaica’s resources are quickly

evaporating, and the effects manifest as a

graduation rate that hovers between 52

and 53 percent.

The Advanced Placement program at Ja-

maica High School is not what it used to be. In

2007, the school offered six or seven college

BY DOMENICK RAFTER

Sanitation workers are pushing back

against accusations that DOS supervisors

purposely ordered their workers to slow

down snow cleanup after last month’s

blizzard in protest of Mayor Mike

Bloomberg’s budget cuts.

Federal and local prosecutors have, at

the same time, opened criminal investiga-

tions into the alleged slowdowns.

The office of U.S. Attorney Loretta

Lynch in Brooklyn opened a criminal probe

into the response, as did the DAs of Brook-

lyn and Queens, to investigate if any crimi-

nal activity occurred in the accused slow-

down, even as Sanitation workers con-

tinue to deny it occurred.

“It’s not true. There was no work slow-

down” said Tony DiLeonardo, a Sanitation

worker from Bellerose. He said many of his

coworkers who were caught sitting in snow-

plows the day after the blizzard were there

because their trucks got stuck in the snow,

forcing them to wait for long periods of time for

rescue vehicles to come – sometimes hours.

“We couldn’t even see [while work-

ing],” he said. While plowing the LIE

between the Nassau County border and

Lefrak City, conditions were so bad that

DiLeonardo said he couldn’t see a few feet

in front of him. He said cars that had

gotten stuck during the blizzard blocked

plows from moving all over Queens, in-

cluding on the LIE.

DiLeonardo, who worked long hours

Inequality Reigns On Gothic Drive

Sanit Staff Deny Slow Snow Scheme

level courses. Today, they can only afford one.

While Jamaica has been slated for phase

out, Queens Collegiate, one of the co-lo-

cated schools in the same building, has plans

to expand. Housed on the third floor of the

Jamaica High School building, Collegiate

currently offers sixth, ninth, and 10th grades.

The school opened in September 2008 and

has more than 300 students.

Collegiate has two AP classes and plans

to add three more next year.

Though Collegiate has only one guid-

ance counselor and a counseling intern, its

smaller student population allows its 30

staffers to host an advisory program, with

a ratio of 15 students to each administrator.

Occupying one hallway of the sprawling

building is the Hillside Academy of Arts and

Letters, in its first year. Its philosophy is

that art fosters academic achievement. With

classes in session, all that can be heard from

the hall is a softly echoing chatter.

Hillside’s 90 students have access to

one guidance counselor, and meet weekly

in groups of 16 for sessions with an advi-

sory teacher.

Jamaica High School, with consider-

ably fewer resources in comparison, has

four guidance counselors for its 1,200

students. A catch-22, the school is pro-

posed for closure due to poor performance,

but the inadequate guidance staff makes it

tough to boost graduation rates.

Also in its first year, the High School for

Community Leadership was designed to

develop civic-minded critical thinkers. In

partnership with local organizations, stu-

dents perform nine-week, resume-boost-

ing internships.

Like the most elite private schools, you

will not find single desks at Leadership.

Classes are set up to encourage dialogue,

with students seated around brand-new tables.

Though the school can afford a com-

puter for each student, administrators

capped their purchase at one computer for

every two students.

Some classes have as few as 10 stu-

dents enrolled.

“Each new school gets start-up funding

for supplies and many chose to invest in

technology,” said DOE Spokesman Jack

The students who occupy the Jamaica High

School building may be separate, but they are

certainly not granted equal opportunities.

Zarin-Rosenfeld. “Struggling schools like

Jamaica see decreased enrollment because

parents are choosing better options for

their kids, and smaller schools naturally

have smaller budgets.”

After a walk through of the Jamaica High

School building, State Sen. Tony Avella (D-

Bayside) Council members Karen Koslowitz

(D-Forest Hills) and Danny Dromm (D-

Jackson Heights) and Queens clergy met.

They expressed their concern with the lack

of resources for Jamaica High School and

the bounty of assets at the other schools.

“Jamaica High School students are sec-

ond-class citizens,” said Avella.

Koslowitz said Jamaica students are

forced to learn in an environment that

promotes “psychological hindrance.”

“It’s like seeing a group of kids with a

Gucci bag and you are holding a paper

bag,” she said.

Avella vowed to fight the closure of

Jamaica High School. The electeds prom-

ised to attend the public hearings to staunch

the closure of the school and explore legal

options, including a lawsuit with the United

Federation of Teachers, if necessary.

“How can we stand here and watch our

children be neglected?” Koslowitz asked.

Both Dromm and Koslowitz feared

Newtown and Richmond Hill high schools

would be next on the chopping block, and

their students would meet a similar fate.

Reach the Queens Tribune newsroom at

editor@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-7400.

during the blizzard, said the storm’s

strength, as well staff strength, were issues

for DOS. He said the agency did not have

the emergency personnel list they nor-

mally had during past blizzards and in-

stead had to rely on a Sunday list, which

left the department understaffed.

“The city sent us out 12 hours too late,”

he added.

Danny McCormick worked the night

shift around Flushing and Bayside the

night of the storm. He said getting to work

from his home in Nassau County was

uncharacteristically difficult because of

cars stuck on the roads. He denied there

was any purposeful slowdown.

“There was absolutely no work slow-

down,” McCormick said. “Everyone takes

the snow seriously. Even if there are dis-

gruntled supervisors get-

ting demoted, there was

no discussion on that at

all.”

McCormick said he and

his colleagues were ordered

to stick to primary roads on

the first night and no one

was sent to secondary

routes, which was uncom-

mon, but was done because

the primary roads were ab-

normally difficult to clear.

“I’m not management, so

I don’t know how they posi-

tion trucks,” he said. “But I

noticed this was the most

difficult storm I’ve experienced.”

He said many trucks, including his own,

got stuck in the snow, especially the day after,

which had also never happened before.

“I just think it was a combination of

many factors,” he said.

Councilman Dan Halloran (R-

Whitestone) said the workers who came to

Halloran’s office to confess to an organized

slowdown represented only a small portion

of the DOS, and he had never implied that

the slowdown was a citywide problem.

“Only a small number of DSNY super-

visors were behind the slowdown. The

vast majority of workers did their jobs, and

they should be commended,” said

Halloran. “They are rightly outraged, but

they should be mad at their colleagues who

put personal grudges over their obliga-

tions to New Yorkers.”

Halloran spokesman Steven Stites said

videos showing plows driving up streets with

their plows raised and pictures of sleeping

Sanitation workers in trucks that didn’t ap-

pear to be stuck in the snow generate anec-

dotal buzz, but don’t prove anything.

Last week, State Sen. Tony Avella (D-

Bayside) filed Freedom of Information

requests to access communications be-

tween the Mayor’s office, the DOS and

other City agencies during the blizzard.

“New Yorkers lives were put in jeop-

ardy following this storm,” Avella said.

“We must make sure that this does not

happen again.”

Unplowed streets are being blamed for

delaying emergency help to people in the

hours and days after the blizzard. Fire

Department officials had to dig their way

through snow-covered Elmhurst streets to

get to a five-alarm fire the day after the

storm. A Corona woman, Yvonne Free-

man, died, and a Corona newborn is cur-

rently on life support after emergency aid

was delayed in getting to them.

“I don’t know of another area in the city

where the consequences of failing to plow

streets in a timely manner were as devas-

tating as in my district,” said State Sen.

Jose Peralta (D-Corona).

The City Council will hold hearings on

blizzard cleanup on Jan. 10.

Reach Reporter Domenick Rafter at

drafter@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-

7400, Ext. 125.

Plows made it to some major thoroughfares in the early hours

of the blizzard, but were quickly overwhelmed, according to

Sanitation employees.

PR

ES

S P

ho

to

b

y Ira

C

oh

en

Pa

ge 4

P

RE

SS

o

f S

ou

th

ea

st Q

ueen

s Jan

. 7

-1

3, 2

01

1

Center Spared Budget Axe Wrath

BY JASON BANREY

The City will continue funding a popu-

lar mental health service facility in Ja-

maica.

In a change of heart, the Dept. for the

Aging and Health Dept. will continue to

fully fund Friendship Center for the bal-

ance of fiscal year 2011.

Cuts would have phased out the facility

over a two-year period and left the facili-

ties participants with no place to go.

The Jamaica Service

Program for Older Adults

(JSPOA), which operates

out of the Friendship

Center, assists nearly 100

participants, some of

whom suffer from

Alzheimer's disease and

dementia.

Under last month's

proposed cuts, the Health

Dept. was expected to

axe significant funding,

which provides mental health services and

facilities throughout the city.

Keeping the facility's recovery-ori-

ented service open for seniors and eld-

erly participants until June 30 will make it

possible for the center to remain open,

said JSPOA Executive Director Carol

Hunt.

"We're very elated that the Dept. of

Mental Health and Hygiene made the

decision to fund us," said Hunt. "We

couldn't have gotten a better gift for the

new year."

When the center's staff announced

that the proposed budget cuts would no

longer be put into effect, some seniors

found themselves in tears after hearing

the good news.

"We don't leave the Friendship Center

until we die," said one senior.

As one of the only programs in Queens

to be affected by the proposed cuts, the

Friendship Center was ex-

pected to lose $147,781

by Feb. 28.

Although the Health

Dept. will cut the Friend-

ship Center's budget by

50% in July of this year,

"this gives us time to plan

for our future as we pre-

pare to move into a new

building in Downtown Ja-

maica," said Hunt.

Through the help of

borough politicians, the center was re-

cent ly prov ided wi th a to ta l o f

$2,126,000 to add 20,000 square feet of

space within the luxury rental building

called Moda.

Hunt says it will be difficult for the

center to make it through on their own.

With significant cuts coming from the City

in 2012, she hopes to ensure the same

quality of service they provide now will

Protesters decry the possible closing of the Friendship Center weeks ago, but the program

was spared the wrath of the budget axe.

“We couldn't

have gotten a

better gift for

the new year.”

- Carol Hunt, JSPOA

Executive Director

stay in place for her participants.

"Although government is there, they

can't always provide all the answers," said

Hunt. "Within this difficult economic

climate in the city, times have changed."

Reach Intern Jason Banrey at

jbanrey@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-

7400, Ext. 128.

LUPUS?RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS?

Let Us Help Improve Your Life

While Working to Find a Cure

Contact the Program for Autoimmune Diseaseand Clinical Research, part of North Shore-LIJ HealthSystem’s The Feinstein Institute for Medical

Research, for state-of-the-art treatment along withopportunities to participate in clinical researchtrials of new therapies and studies to increase ourunderstanding of these conditions.

We have convenient locations in Manhasset, Queens,the Bronx and now in Manhattan at Lenox Hill

Hospital, the newest member of North Shore-LIJ.

For information about this program, call1-877-33 LUPUS (1-877-335-8787). You can alsovisit us at feinsteininstitute.org/lupusresearch.

Earn an Associate Degree*

in COURT REPORTING!• Job Placement Assistance

• Financial Aid, if you qualify

• Small Classes

• Internship Included

• Accredited by ACCSC

• Court Reporters CanChoose to Work F/T or P/T

CLASSESSTART

JANUARY 10TH!

(Ideally located for Nassau/Queens residents – near the Green Acres Mall)

“Court Reporters…earn an averageof more than $60,000 a year”, according to the NCRA website.

*AOS

Approved by the National Court Reporters

Association (NCRA)

516561-0050134 South Central Avenue • Valley Stream, NY www.thecollegeforbusiness.com

Jan

. 7

-1

3, 2

01

1 P

RE

SS

o

f S

ou

th

ea

st Q

ueen

s P

ag

e 5

BY DOMENICK RAFTER

Citing what he called "the most com-

mon complaint" with the new voting

machines this past election, State Sen.

Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach) is

introducing legislation that would make

the font on the ballots bigger and easier

to read.

"Current election law does not con-

tain any requirements as to ballot read-

ability or usability, and only requires can-

didates' names to appear in all capital

bold-type letters with no minimum type

size, which made many ballots used in

New York City and elsewhere very diffi-

cult and frustrating for voters to read and

to use," Addabbo said.

The bill would require ballots to be

printed in "simple, easy-to-read type," such

Making Ballots Easier To Read

as Arial and Universe style font. It would

also mandate that candidates' names, their

office titles and political designations, as

well as the reading form of all ballot ques-

tions submitted, will be printed in capital

letters followed by lower case letters of at

least 12-point bold type.

The bill would also require that State

and City Board of Elections, as well as

Erie, Nassau, Suffolk and Westchester

Counties, have a full-time staff member

trained in ballot use and design.

"Expertise in ballot design and usability

is lacking within our boards of elections,"

Addabbo said.

During the September primary and No-

vember general elections last year, voters

complained that the font size on the ballot

was too small and cramped, complicating

their ability to read names and discern

BY JESSICA ABLAMSKY

Just in time for those New Year's resolu-

tions, the City Dept.of Health unveiled a

new series of anti-smoking television ads,

directed by Spike Lee, that warn parents of

the short- and long-term health effects of

secondhand smoke on children: asthma,

bronchitis, ear infections and cancer.

"More than half of New York City non-

smokers are still inhaling noxious chemi-

cals from other people's cigarettes," said

Dr. Thomas Farley, New York City Health

Commissioner. "No one should have to

breathe secondhand smoke - whether at

home or in a public recreation area. If you

haven't quit smoking, protect yourself as

well as your loved ones by quitting today.

If you haven't made your home smoke-

free, now is the time. Choose health, for

yourself and your family."

The good news is that fewer adults in

the City are smoking. Between 2002 and

2008, smoking rates fell by nearly 6 per-

cent, or 350,000 fewer smokers, accord-

ing to a new report from the DOH.

When they do smoke, fewer are doing

it at home. Over the same period of time,

smoking at home fell by 9 percent.

The bad news is that more nonsmokers

in the City are exposed to secondhand

smoke than nationally.

In 2004, 57 percent of smokers in the

City, versus 45 percent nationally, had el-

evated levels of a chemical that indicates

recent tobacco exposure, possibly due to

Spike Lee, Health Dept. Urge Quitting

New York City's high housing density.

The DOH estimates that: 1.5 million New

Yorkers allow smoking at home, 150,000

with children in the house - nearly 60 percent

of smokers allow smoking at home;

Female smokers are more likely to al-

low smoking at home, and among them,

65 percent allow smoking in the home,

while only 53 percent of men do the same;

Black smokers are more likely than other

races to allow smoking at home;

U.S.-born smokers are more likely to

allow smoking in the home than foreign-

born residents;

Smokers from Queens are more likely to

disallow-in home smoking - half of all smok-

ers in Queens allow smoking in the house,

compared to 54 percent in Brooklyn and

68 percent in The Bronx and Manhattan;

Our youngest adults are more likely to be

exposed to smoking at home - among 18-24

year-old nonsmokers, 28 percent are ex-

posed to secondhand smoke at home, com-

pared to 16 percent of the 25 and up crowd;

Black and Asian nonsmokers report

more secondhand smoke exposer than

whites, 21 percent versus 15 percent.

Reach Reporter Jessica Ablamsky at

jablamsky@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-

7400, Ext. 124.

between different races. One problem with

the 2010 ballot was the number of races.

There were five statewide races, plus two

state legislative races and any local elec-

tions, as well as ballot issues, which all had

to fit on one ballot.

As a solution, Addabbo said the State

Board of Elections suggested a two-sided

ballot, which Addabbo does not favor be-

cause it could lead to voters missing races

on the reverse side. Instead, his position is

for a longer ballot sheet.

"I want to discuss this in committee and

I want to do it soon," said Addabbo, who

was chair of the Senate Elections Commit-

tee last year until Republicans took con-

trol of the Senate.

Reach Reporter Domenick Rafter at

drafter@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-

7400, Ext. 125.

In Our Opinion:In Our Opinion:

OF SOUTHEAST QUEENS

150-50 14th Road

Whitestone, NY 11357

(voice) (718) 357-7400 fax (718) 357-9417

email news@queenspress.com

The PRESS of Southeast Queens

Associate Publisher

Arnold Thibou

Executive Editor:

Brian Rafferty

Contributing Editor:

Marcia Moxam Comrie

Production Manager:

Shiek Mohamed

Queens Today Editor

Regina Vogel

Photo Editor: Ira Cohen

Reporters:

Harley Benson

Sasha Austrie

Joseph Orovic

Domenick Rafter

Jessica Ablamsky

Editorial Intern:

Angy Altamirano

Jason Banrey

Terry Chao

Art Dept:

Sara Gold

Rhonda Leefoon

Candice Lolier

Barbara Townsend

Advertising Director

Alan J. Goldsher

Sr. Account Executive

Shelly Cookson

Advertising Executives

Merlene Carnegie

A Queens Tribune Publication.

Michael Schenkler,

President & Publisher

Michael Nussbaum,

Vice President,

Associate Publisher

LettersEditorial

Day One, Everything's Mean-Spirited

A Personal Perspective

BY MARCIA MOXAM COMRIE

During the aptly austere inau-

guration of Andrew Cuomo as

governor last week, he warmly

embraced the now-former gover-

nor, David Paterson, and every-

one sort of felt the love.

But the warm embrace grew

cold within a day or two when

Cuomo found out that Paterson

was being given an additional

month of security detail while he

re-adapts to civilian life.

Governor Cuomo II quickly

and unceremoniously cancelled

the initial courtesy. He tersely

announced that his father did not

leave with his security detail 16

years ago.

Are you kidding me?!

Mario Cuomo was not blind

and had no known difficulty navi-

gating his physical world. Ex-

presidents of our country are given

protection for the rest of their

Pa

ge 6

P

RE

SS

o

f S

ou

th

ea

st Q

ueen

s Jan

. 7

-1

3, 2

01

1

Letters

lives and our state cannot afford

to accommodate a visually im-

paired ex-governor for four

weeks?

We all know that the economy

of our state, like everywhere else,

is in the pit. Paterson himself had

been saying it for more than two

years. Cuomo has made the ex-

emplary gesture of cutting his,

the Lt. Governor's and top staff-

ers' salaries by five percent. We

get it. We can't afford to keep two

governors on the tax payers' dime

for security details. But to deny a

visually handicapped outgoing

governor a transitional detail is

really cold-hearted.

The new governor could even

have struck a compromise and

given Paterson two weeks. This

really is no way to start off your

new term, Mr. Cuomo.

Paterson himself said months

ago that due to the perk of having

people help him around all these

years, he has lost much of his

skills of physical independence

in the outside world. He an-

nounced he would have to return

for training at the Brooklyn facil-

ity where he had been trained

years ago.

Paterson was not bemoaning

the loss of his aides. And he

wasn't being arrogant. He was

just being conversational about a

reality of his transition back to

private life. I would have been

willing to see my tax dollars go

toward the funding of at least two

weeks of transitional assistance

for him.

This is a man who dedicated

about 25 years of his life to public

service and to deny him a couple

of weeks of help, given his situa-

tion, seems mean-spirited and

downright ill-mannered.

It says a lot for Cuomo's cam-

paign promise to "clean up Al-

bany," but it says nothing good

about his capacity for empathy.

And since he brought up his fa-

ther as an example, lest we forget,

a lot of what Albany gets criti-

cized for now was also going on

during the f irst Governor

Cuomo's reign in the 80s and

early 90s. Let's not get amnesia

here.

The off icers who would

have protected and assisted the

outgoing governor are still go-

ing to be paid somehow. To the

best of public knowledge, they

are not retiring. They are not

fired. So why couldn't they

have earned their salary help-

ing a fellow-public servant get

his bearings?

Eliot Spitzer, that other para-

gon of empathy, said during the

campaign that he was supporting

Cuomo but in words too crass to

direct quote in this space, he said

he was not a nice person.

Governor, congratulations on

your new job - we know you'll

work hard. But please don't con-

tinue to prove Spitzer right.

There certainly are conflicting reports about what happened to the

clean-up of the snow that fell Dec. 26 and 27 across the City.

In Queens, there are allegations of a deliberate slowdown as a result

of staff layoffs at Sanitation. Some Sanitation employees allegedly con-

fessed to taking direct orders from supervisors to sit and wait rather

than plow.

If this is indeed true, and any loss of life or property can be attrib-

uted to the ordered inaction of the Sanitation Department, criminal

charges should be filed.

However, we cannot rush to judgment of an entire city department

because of the potential misdeeds of what may have been a select few.

There will be investigation at the City Council level, and prosecutors at

the county and federal level are already looking into the situation. Let us

be patient and await review before rushing to hasty criticism.

That said, we’re expecting more snow this weekend. The people of

Queens expect and demand clean streets. It’s time for the Dept. of

Sanitation to step up and show this borough what a good job it can do.

More Snow Coming

Send your thoughts, ideas,

opinions, outrage, praise,

observations

about our community

To the PRESS of Southeast Queens

150-50 14th Rd.

Whitestone, NY 11357

e-mail:news@queenspress.com

fax:

(718) 357-9417

SOUND OFF

An A? Really?

To The Editor:

It is clear from anyone who

lives in Queens that the Sanita-

tion Department failed miserably

in last week’s snow storm and did

not follow its own operating pro-

cedures for snow removal as it

has done in other large snow

storms of the past.

The residents of Queens saw

the absence of snow plows for

two days or more after the storm

ended and now must listen to

Sanitation Commissioner John

Doherty telling the media that he

gives his department an “A” for

snow removal.

It’s unimaginable what a “D”

would be in Doherty’s fantasy

world. We do indeed live in an

“Alice-in-Wonderland” world

where fantasy is reality. Will

Doherty tell us that the sky is red

or the moon is made of cheese?

At least we can be thankful that

Bloomberg did not choose him as

our School Chancellor.

Bob Friedrich,

Glen Oaks

Union’s Fault

To The Editor:

The performance of the Sani-

tation Dept. during the recent

blizzard shows us how greedy

unions and spineless politicians

beholden to those unions have

conspired to saddle the working,

tax-paying citizens of New York

City with an unsustainable pen-

sion system based not on salary

but on overtime.

Perhaps the only way out of

this mess is to let all City-funded

pension plans declare bank-

ruptcy. Then, under court direc-

tion, a system of wages and pen-

sions could be developed in keep-

ing with New York’s shrinking

population and reduced tax base.

If something is not done, and

soon, New York’s population will

be reduced to those who either

are already on welfare or going

on welfare, all feeding at the soon-

to-be-empty public trough.

David Rivkin,

Jamaica

Answers Needed

To The Editor:

If it is indeed true that there

was a deliberate job slowdown by

Sanitation workers during the

recent devastating blizzard be-

cause they were angry about lay-

offs and budget cuts to their de-

partment, there needs to be a

thorough investigation as to why

this was permitted.

Certainly, the workers have a

right to be upset about layoffs and

budget cuts – they have families

to support and bills to pay. How-

ever, we all have to pay bills and

support families in this city. There

is absolutely no valid or logical

reason for the Sanitation workers

to deliberately slow down plow-

ing of streets and roadways.

There were so many streets that

were not plowed right after the

storm, all over the area, and this

caused very serious problems for

the fire department, police de-

partment, emergency services

and the MTA, with hundreds of

buses and other vehicles, includ-

ing ambulances and some fire

trucks trapped in the snow.

Yes, this was a very powerful

storm, with blinding, blowing

snow falling at the rate of 2-3

inches per hour, accompanied by

50-60 mph winds, thunder and

lightning. Certainly it made plow-

ing by the Sanitation Department

very difficult. However, you can-

not take out your frustrations at

the mayor for not doing the job of

plowing the streets and road-

ways, which is your responsibil-

ity. If this was the case, then it is

an absolute disgrace! Commis-

sioner Doherty needs to conduct

an internal investigation as to

why this occurred. What will hap-

pen when the next storm comes

along? After all, this was only the

end of December, and we have

January, February and March to

get through.

John Amato,

Fresh Meadows

© Copyright 2011 Tribco, LLC

Jan

. 7

-1

3, 2

01

1 P

RE

SS

o

f S

ou

th

ea

st Q

ueen

s P

ag

e 7

News BriefsBlock Captains Needed

When the plows didn't come to

Woodhaven after last month's blizzard,

Ed Wendell, president of the Woodhaven

Residents Block Association, talked with

elected officials like Assemblyman Mike

Miller (D-Woodhaven) about cleanup.

When Miller asked Wendell what streets

needed to be plowed, Wendell took to

Facebook to try to get information. It

proved, however, not to be the best

method.

"Although we heard back from many

residents, this was a haphazard and spotty

way of determining just how bad the situ-

ation was in our community," he said.

In response, Wendell is asking resi-

dents in Woodhaven to resurrect a long-

abandoned program aimed at quickly gath-

ering information neighborhood-wide. He

is asking residents to volunteer to become

"block captains."

"An orderly, grassroots gathering of in-

formation will greatly assist our commu-

nity when dealing with the next storm,

whether it be a blizzard, a tornado, or a

blackout," he said.

Also, he said, "block captains" could

assist in quality of life issues like loud late-

night parties, a common problem in

Woodhaven during the summer.

Any Woodhaven resident interested in

becoming a "block captain" should con-

tact the WRBA at info@woodhave-

nyc.org or call (718) 296-3735 or attend

WRBA's monthly meeting on Saturday,

Jan. 8, at 1 p.m. at the Woodhaven-Rich-

mond Hill Volunteer Ambulance Corps,

78-15 Jamaica Ave.

2011's First Babies

Queens parents are boasting their first

born babies as the city's first of 2011.

Two families that call the borough

home may have given birth to the first

babies born in the city this year.

In a special moment, which the family

already believed to be a once-in-a-lifetime

experience for them all, the Wong family

of Fresh Meadows welcomed Selina as

the New Year's first girl.

Entering the world at one minute into the

New Year, the 7-lbs, 12-oz, bundle of joy

greeted her proud parents for the first time

as the borough celebrated a new decade.

After checking into New York Hospi-

tal Queens at around 9 a.m. on Dec. 31,

parents Richard and Ting Li spent just

more than 15 hours in the delivery room

awaiting their first baby.

Despite the exhaustive natural deliv-

ery, both parents retained enough energy

to express their excitement after sharing

an "unbelievable" experience together.

"I never thought I would have one of

the first babies of the New Year," said Ting

Li, who originally hails from South China.

More than eight miles away, in Man-

hattan, Maspeth parents embraced, pos-

sibly what may be Queens' first resident

born in 2011. Born 57 seconds after the

clock struck midnight, Jacek and Marta

Kozlowski, welcomed Kacper, the city's

first-born baby boy as New Year's revelers

kissed 2011 into existence.

Nervously awaiting the arrival of his son

as he watched the clock, Kacper's father

waited outside the delivery room wonder-

ing what year his son would be born in.

"I waiting outside and I was so nervous

and I looking at the watch and what's

going on - is it going to be 2010 or 2011?"

said the new father.

State Pavilion Study

The New York State Pavilion is getting

a once-over by the City.

The Parks Dept. awarded a contract to

study the stability of the foundations of the

borough's iconic structures, as well as an

assessment of the observation towers' sound-

ness. The agency expects work to begin in

March and is expected to last four months.

The results of the study, paired with a 2009

study of the Tent of Tomorrow, will provide

Parks with a better understanding of the work

necessary to stabilize, or perhaps fully restore

the landmark buildings, as well as provide an

estimate for the cost of the work, according

to an agency spokesman.

The study's announcement was met

with open arms by park advocate Greg

Godfrey. Riding the high of two landmark

designations for the Pavilion on the State

and Federal level, Godfrey hopes this study

will be a step towards solidifying the former

World's Fair site's place as a City landmark,

as well as lead to its full restoration.

Traffic Test Ending

Half a year after its implementation,

the trial period for Flushing's revamped

Downtown Traffic Plan will come to an

end Jan. 17, followed by an assessment

of the new traffic f low's effectiveness.

The Dept. of Transportation has spent

the better part of the last six months com-

piling data, including counts of turning

movements, speeding and pedestrian lev-

els, according to spokesman Monty Dean.

The figures will be juxtaposed against pre-

pattern change levels to gauge the effec-

tiveness of the new pattern.

The agency will then provide a report

summarizing the results.

Councilman Peter Koo's (R-Flushing)

office has not received a flurry of com-

plaints about the new plan, according to

his Chief of Staff James McClelland.

Koo will wait until the DOT provides

its final numbers before making any rec-

ommendations going forward.

The relatively hiccup-free transition to

the new f low, and the unusually low num-

ber of complaints, caught the plan's early

naysayers off guard, according to Com-

munity Board 7 Chairman Gene Kelty.

"I should be happy to the point that it

worked, that it proved us wrong," he said.

The plan came as a surprise to mem-

bers of the Board, who had spent an exor-

bitant amount of energy working with the

DOT on a previous project for several

years, a now-defunct dual one-way plan.

Kelty said the early results and lack of

complaints called in to the Community

Board are all welcome signs, but expressed

doubts the good news will be permanent.

With the monolithic Flushing Commons'

construction looming on the horizon, as

well as work on the RKO Keith's theater

site being planned, Kelty imagines the good

vibes may dissipate eventually.

"This is fine and dandy when there's

not construction going on," he said, add-

ing when work begins "all of a sudden

you'll see a lot of things popping up where

they weren't before."

And the chance to voice displeasure

may have passed.

"Those people who haven't said any-

thing until now, it's too late," Kelty said.

Not 4 Publication.com by Dom Nunziato

Henry Stern

Cuomo Takes The Helm Of A Troubled Ship Of State

By HENRY STERNThe flood of personal

criticism leveled at MayorBloomberg because of thecity’s poor response tothe blizzard is somewhatover the top.

Many factors contrib-uted to the city’s failureto clean the streets, andthere is likely to be at leastone invest igation to explore thesequence of events and offer pro-posals to prevent or mitigate arecurrence. Actually, the last twomajor snowfal ls had been wel l-handled, which led to the public’sexpectation that this storm wouldbe dealt with promptly and pro-fessionally.

The Mayor attracted criticismbecause of his init ial attitude to-ward the storm, treating it as anuisance rather than as a seriousblow to others, whose homescould not be reached by ambu-lances or were unable to get towork. As the crisis continued, theMayor changed his stance and tookthe situation much more seriously.

Actually, the MTA response tothe storm appears to have beenfar worse than the Department ofSanitation’s, judging from thelength of t ime that lines were outof service. We have not previouslyassociated the unpopular MTA withfailure to respond to snowstormswhich blocked the tracks, but theysure messed up this time.

With all the city’s faults, webelieve that the concentration ofblame on Mayor Bloomberg isunjustified. It seems to us as if the

media and the peoplefinal ly have found aplausible reason to ex-press their dissatisfac-tion at a number of un-popular decisions madeby the Mayor over thelast few years.

First, and most im-portant, was the 2008reversal of his long-held

public position on his own tenure,when he decided to seek re-elec-tion by using his puppets on theCity Council to rush through a lawextending eligibility from two tothree terms. The unfairness ofchanging the rules in the middleof a confl ict runs up againstpeople’s ideas of fair play.

A number of other mat tershave chewed at the Mayor’sreputation. The repeated indica-tions of pre-Presidential activities,travels and speeches, and the for-mation of nation-wide organiza-tions and coalitions for variousgood cause s, coupled with thesame denials Bloomberg made re-peatedly when he was askedwhether he would run for a thirdterm, tug a bit at the credibility ofthe non-candidate. Of course he isnot running today, but if circum-stances warrant a change of heart,there is no reason why he shouldnot run.

It was once seen as possiblethat he would be a more moderateand effective President than eitherMr. Obama or Ms. Palin,assuming they were to be the ma-jor parties nominees.

On Nov. 9, Mayor Bloomberg

suddenly announced the appoint-ment of Cathie Black as SchoolsChancellor. Ms. Black had abso-lutely no experience in education,but is an engaging and attractivemember of the mayor’s circle ofacquaintances. She required awaiver of State legal requirements,which was obligingly granted by theState Education Commissioner.

Then, on Dec. 12, the Mayorconfessed on NBCs Meet thePress that he want s to goout having a reputation as a verygood, maybe the greatest, mayorever. Although the context of thestatement may have been a denialof President ial ambit ions, thewords were criticized as overly self-referential.

As luck would have it, on Dec.15, the first (and hopefully the last)major scandal of the administra-tion broke, with $80 million re-ported stolen and uncounted mil-l ions wasted in a computerfraud. Although the Mayor was ob-viously unaware of the thieverygoing on, and expressed zero tol-erance for such behavior, the ques-tion at once arises as to who, un-der him, was in charge of theCityTime project.

We hope that the curse of thethird term worked itself out thisyear, and that the remaining threeyears will be happy and peacefulones for the cit y and for it sMayor. The problem is that sub-stantial budget cuts lie ahead, whichwill lead to reduced services andincreased unemployment.

These are hard times for any-one who governs. Mayor

Bloomberg knew that. In fact, hesaid on Oct. 2, 2008 at the pressconference announcing his inten-tion to seek a third term, that han-dling this financial crisis whilestrengthening the essent ial ser-vices such as education and publicsafety is a challenge he wants totake on for the people of NewYork.

As the year 2010 comes to amerciful end, we hope that 2011will be as good as it can be underthe circumstances. Rough times lieahead for all governments, but outof the three sovereignties: federal,state and local, it is the City ofNew York that has been most fi-nancially responsible for the lastdecade.

Bloomberg Beleaguered By Medley of MishapsWe have a decent, honorable

and intelligent mayor. His person-ality appeals to some, and not toothers.

A problem he will face in histenth year in office is that after awhile the people get tired of you.It happened to LaGuardia, Wagnerand Koch, all now highly regardedmayors.

The Mayor should try to doas much good as he can in a cli-mate of reduced sustenance for theCity and lowering clouds for him-self. We par t icularly recommendthat he “be kind to man andbeast.”

We wish all of you good healthand good will in the new year.

StarQuest@NYCivic.org

By MICHAEL SCHENKLERI am writing this as Andrew

Cuomo prepares to take the oathof office as New York State’s 56thgovernor. We anticipate calls forreform, budget restraint, no newtaxes and an attack on the mul-tiple levels of mini governmentsthroughout the state.

And while, l ike most suchspeeches, we expect few specifics,we do expect the ambitious anddriven Governor to make reform-ing the dysfunctional State Gov-ernment a priority. Natural ly, hewill offer to do so in partnershipwith a Legislature which is respon-sible for a continuous decline sinceAndrew first lived in the ExecutiveMansion with his father, GovernorMario.

Corruption, uncontrolledspending, off-the-books debt, per-sonal and patronage excess, mem-ber item abuses and catering tospecial interest s have been theshibboleths by which the legisla-ture has functioned. Cuomo nowhas the near-impossible task ofgoverning with the same legisla-ture that has brought New York tothe brink of bankruptcy while ca-tering to its own needs and thoseof the special interests which sup-port them.

He is not the first to be electedwith the pledge and mission of re-forming State Government. Onlyfour years ago, Eliot Spitzer camecharging in on a white stallion withan overwhelming mandate to re-form State Government. Well, theSpitzer steamroller ran into theBruno buzz saw and it did not takelong for the uncompromisingSherriff of Wall Street to be iso-lated as the a man who could notwork with others. And as soon ashis first misstep occurred, the pow-ers that be pounced upon his per-sonal (and legal) indiscretion andClient 9 was forced from office.

He was followed by a reform-

minded David Paterson, who inspite of years of legislative leader-ship, proved inept at achievingmeaningful reform.

Sheldon Silver’s Assembly andnow Dean Skelos’ Senate havebeen created on a diet of servingthemselves. Insuring their reelec-tion, delivering the bacon to theirsupporters at home, legislating tothe wishes of the special interestswhich support and fund them arepatterns that seem impossible tobreak.

You see, the people have tol-erated it. In spite of the generalacceptance that New York State’sLegislature is the most dysfunc-tional in the nation, the votersrarely if ever blame their local leg-islators for the problem. And yearafter year, the hordes of go-along-to-get-along legislators are returnedto office to continue the patternsof dysfunction.

Andrew Cuomo must bringchange. Cuomo has a state to run.A state buried in debt, mired in dys-function and so ethically challengedthat indictments are more com-monplace than heroics among pub-lic servants. We site for examples

several that made us take note:Alan Hevesi, Pedro Espada, TonySeminario, Joe Bruno, BrianMcLaughlin.

Cuomo also has the legisla-ture to work with. And that will bethe challenge.

He has the mandate for reformbut needs the votes to achieve it.

He can work with the legisla-ture or challenge them. The doubleedged option is likely to woundeven the most skilled politician.

The tests will not be in thisweekend’s speeches but in theearly months to come in 2011.

We look first to the budgetprocess. Will cutbacks be real? Willfiscal prudence trump special inter-ests? Wil l member items be se-verely curtailed, with larger grantsawarded competitively and moni-tored ethically? Will off-the booksauthorities be brought under con-trol and their debts be acknowl-edged by the State? Will a trulybalanced budget be approved andstill allow for effective governance?Will the budget be on time?

Test number two wil l comewhen the redistricting process isdefined. Cuomo and a majority of

the legislators have commit tedthemselves to a non-par tisan, in-dependent redistricting process.Commitment aside, we find it diffi-cult to believe that the legislaturethat has disappointed us so fre-quently in the past will live up tothe commitment they have made.It is just too easy for Skelos’ Re-publicans to draw the Senate lineswhile Silver’s Dems draw the As-sembly lines, insuring ten moreyears of comfort for the incumbentsand a best case scenario for theirpar ties.

A gubernatorial veto – or per-haps the threat of one – could forcethe legislature to do the right thingor throw the entire process to acour t-appointed master. Unlessthere is truly independent and non-par t isan redistr ict ing, AndrewCuomo will never earn his stripesas a good government reformer.

Should he produce an on-time, effective balanced budget andachieve independent redistricting,Andrew will quickly become themost talked-about Democrat onthe national scene.

And become our hero.MSchenkler@QueensPress.com

Pa

ge 8

P

RE

SS

o

f S

ou

th

ea

st Q

ueen

s Jan

. 7

-1

3, 2

01

1

Jan

. 7

-1

3, 2

01

1 P

RE

SS

o

f S

ou

th

ea

st Q

ueen

s P

ag

e 9

Police BlotterCompiled By DOMENICK RAFTER

102nd Precinct

First 2011 Murder

On Saturday, Jan. 1, at approximately

5:34 a.m., police responded to 127th

Street and 94th Avenue in Richmond Hill

after hearing shots fired. Upon arrival,

Dwayne Haughton, 29, of 132-15 156th

St., South Jamaica, was found lying on

the ground with gunshot wounds to his

neck and chest.

EMS responded and transported

Haughton to Jamaica Hospital where he

was pronounced dead on arrival. There

were no arrests and the investigation was

ongoing.

Burglar Sought

Detectives from the 102nd Precinct are

requesting the public’s assistance in lo-

cating a suspect wanted in two residen-

tial burglaries in Woodhaven.

The first incident occurred Aug. 13 be-

tween 7:45 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. at 94-31

Park Lane South in Woodhaven. The sec-

ond incident occurred Sept. 3 between 8

a.m. and 9:45 p.m. at 76-50 85th Dr. in

Woodhaven.

The suspect, Matthew Misla, 32, alleg-

edly entered via the rear of the locations;

once inside he removed money, jewelry

and electronic equipment. He is described

as a Hispanic man, 6-feet, 180 lbs, with

brown eyes, black hair and a goatee.

Anyone with information in regards is

asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers

Hotline at (800) 577-TIPS. The public

can also submit their tips by logging onto

the Crime Stoppers Web site at

nypdcrimestoppers.com or texting their

tips to 274637(CRIMES) then entering

TIP577.

Laundry Thief

Police are asking for the public’s assis-

tance in locating a suspect wanted in con-

nection with a commercial burglary in

Police are looking for Matthew Misla.

Woodhaven. The burglary occurred at

around 5:48 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 5, at

78-07 Jamaica Ave., a laundromat, in

Woodhaven.

The suspect broke the front windows

at the location, entered the building and

unsuccessfully attempted to pry open a

change machine. The establishment was

closed at the time.

He is described as a Hispanic man, 5-

foot-10, 175 lbs, of light complexion and

wearing a hooded sweatshirt.

Anyone with information in regards is

asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers

Hotline at (800) 577-TIPS. The public

can also submit their tips by logging onto

the Crime Stopper s Web site at

nypdcrimestoppers.com or texting their

tips to 274637(CRIMES) then entering

TIP577.

All calls are strictly confidential.

103rd Precinct

Final 2010 Murder?

On Friday, Dec. 31, at approximately

11:36 p.m., police responded to a call of

shots fired at the corner of Merrick Bou-

levard and 109th Avenue in South Ja-

maica.

Upon arrival, responding officers dis-

covered Jamal West, 26, of 160-18 107th

Ave. in South Jamaica, shot numerous

times in the back. EMS also responded

to the scene and pronounced him dead.

YOU DON'T

HAVE TO

REVEAL YOUR

IDENTITY TO

HELP SOLVE

A CRIME.

There were no arrests and the investiga-

tion was ongoing.

104th Precinct

Cops Shoot

On Wednesday Dec. 22, at 9:36 p.m.,

inside of 64-49 Shaler Ave in Ridgewood,

police responded to a 911 call of a man

with a knife. Upon arrival, uniformed po-

lice officers were confronted by Zach

Bingert, 21, armed with a knife.

The officers discharged their firearms,

striking Bingert several times about the

body. EMS responded to the scene and

pronounced him dead at the scene. The

officers were removed to Jamaica Hospi-

tal for trauma and minor injuries.

2010: A Look Back At Our News

YEAR IN REVIEW:

BY PRESS STAFF

A monster tornado, a new casino and

political upheaval were some of the big-

gest stories to dominate the PRESS head-

lines and front pages for 2010. Join us as

we take a look back at the news that

touched our lives and our hearts in 2010.

Casino Royale

In January, after weeks of delay, Gov.

David Paterson chose AEG to operate

video lottery terminals at Aqueduct.

Within weeks, AEG was under criminal

investigation, the lottery called the com-

pany unlicensable and the whole plan was

on the verge of collapse.

In May, promising a more transparent

process, new bidders were sought and,

though six ponied up the $1 million entry

cost to vie for the prize, only one team,

Genting New York, ended up in the race.

In July, Genting came to Community

Board 10 to pitch its merits.

There was a noticeable whiff of skep-

ticism in the room, but local elected offi-

cials, many having been through this pro-

cess before, tried to inject some optimism

into the crowd.

Genting took the opportunity to intro-

duce to the community the Malaysia-based

company and the principals involved in

the bid, including JCJ Construction and

Tutor-Perini contractors, who worked on

the AirTrain and the recent JFK runway

rehabilitation project. Genting’s manage-

ment team, including Michael Speller, who

is a former CEO of Foxwoods and helped

develop the Seneca Niagara Casino in

Niagara Falls, also introduced themselves

to the community members.

“We’re always sensitive to community

issues,” Speller said. “I can assure you

that’s what we’ll do here.”

In August, the New York Lottery made

Genting’s win official, and ground was bro-

ken in October for Resorts World New

York, the casino at Aqueduct Racetrack

that will have 4,500 video lottery terminals.

Political Change

One long-time Southeast Queens pub-

lic servant passed away while another

was ousted by the voters in 2010, as Coun-

cilman Tom White Jr. died and Sen. Frank

Padavan, the 38-year veteran, was de-

feated.

Councilman Tom White Jr. (D-South

Ozone Park) died Aug. 27 at North Shore

LIJ Hospital at the age of 71, after a long

battle with lung cancer.

“He did very well representing his

community,” said Adjoa Gzifa, Commu-

nity Board 12’s chairwoman. “He was very

much a person who cared about his con-

stituents.”

White served a combined 15-year ten-

ure in the City Council, beginning with a

10-year stint in the 1990s. After being

term limited out in 2001, he regained the

28th District’s Councilmanic seat in

2005.

“Today, Southeast Queens lost an

iconic advocate, and I lost a dear friend,”

said State Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-St.

Albans). “City Councilman Thomas

White Jr. served his community with great

pride and distinction for over three de-

cades, fighting to keep our streets safe

and drug free, and improve the quality of

life for seniors, children and small busi-

ness owners.”

“Tom served his community, his con-

stituency and his City with pride and dis-

tinction, and his voice will be sorely

missed in City Hall,” Sanders said. “New

York City has lost a great public servant;

working people have lost a tireless cham-

pion and fearless advocate; and I have

lost a dear friend.”

White is survived by his mother, two

children and two grandchildren.

As chair of the Council’s Economic

Development Committee, White was

praised for his prowess in bringing home

funds to Queens and his district. Smith

said White’s support of women and mi-

nority-owned businesses, along with the

revitalization of economically distressed

areas, have created “countless jobs and

helped families struggling to get by put

food on their tables and pay their bills.”

“He searched for ways to break the

cycle of poverty and violence,” said Coun-

cil Speaker Christine Quinn (D-Manhat-

tan). “He fought for job training and

placement programs, and investments in

long-term economic growth. He had a

particular soft spot for women and mi-

nority business owners, pushing for addi-

tional resources to help them stay af loat

and create good jobs for their neighbors.”

Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St.

Albans) said White championed and se-

cured funds for seniors, educational, so-

cial services, youth programs and eco-

nomic development projects, all while

encouraging beneficial zoning changes.

“His tenure as chair of the Council’s

Economic Development Committee was

marked by his unrelenting pressure on the

City to ensure that minority and women-

owned businesses received

their fair share of contracts,”

he said. “Council Member

Thomas White was a quiet

leader and community ser-

vant who will be missed tre-

mendously. I mourn his pass-

ing and will miss my friend.”

After two consecutive

close races for the seat held

by Sen. Frank Padavan (R-

Bellerose) for the last 38 years,

former Councilman Tony

Avella threw the knock-out

punch, defeating the

borough’s last GOP state leg-

islator 54-46 percent. Cel-

ebrating at Sullivan’s in

Bayside on election night,

Avella was joined by Sen.-elect Mike

Gianaris, who gave up his Assembly seat to

run for the post vacated by retiring George

Onorato (D-Astoria). They were joined by

Sens. Toby Stavisky (D-Flushing) and Jose

Peralta (D-Corona), as well as Assembly-

woman Grace Meng (D-Flushing).

The rhetoric of the “Queens Coali-

tion” was focused on bringing true reform

and transparency to the most dysfunc-

tional state legislature in the country. Later

in the evening, Avella spoke of bringing

“democracy with a lower-case ‘d” back to

New York.

Tornado Alley

It was a typical Thursday afternoon in

Queens on Sept. 16. Rush hour had hit;

the highways were filled with cars carry-

ing people home. Most school buses had

City, state and Genting officials swing hammers to symbolically break ground at the Resorts

World Casino at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Ph

oto

b

y B

ria

n M

. R

afferty

Seen from atop Terrace on the Park, the tornado whips its way across Forest Hills and

toward Flushing.

Counci lman Thomas

White Jr. died of cancer in

August. He was replaced

in a special election by

Ruben Wills.

Pa

ge 1

0 P

RE

SS

o

f S

ou

th

ea

st Q

ueen

s Jan

. 7

-1

3, 2

01

1

PRESS

P

ho

to

b

y Ira C

oh

en

delivered their charges; kids were doing

homework, playing with friends and help-

ing get dinner ready.

The sky turned gray, then black. Wind

swirled, buffeting the commuters, shak-

ing children in their houses. An ominous

sound bore down from overhead as the

sky turned green, lightning dancing across

the sky. Rain seemed to lift from the

ground, trees that had swayed now f lew

across the highway, over cars and into

homes.

And then it was gone.

For about 15 minutes,

this scene played out across

a swath of Queens running

from Ridgewood to Middle

Village and Rego Park, For-

est Hills, Flushing, Fresh

Meadows, Auburndale and

Bayside before exiting at

Little Bay. Each location

felt the force of the storm

for no more than 2 or 3

minutes.

The final verdict: an 80-

mph tornado that started in

Brooklyn cut into

Ridgewood and f lattened

out to a nearly five-mile-

wide “macroburst” as it

slammed into Middle Vil-

lage and Rego Park at 125 mph. From

that burst a new tornado formed, tearing

through the borough at 100 mph, but en-

tire sections of the borough – Astoria and

Jackson Heights in the Northwest, Ja-

maica and Floral Park in the South and

East – never felt it.

In the blink of an eye thousands of

trees were uprooted or ripped apart. In

the first 24 hours alone the Parks Dept.

reported 3,931 residential trees damaged

– that number does not even bear in mind

the ones inside Forest, Juniper Valley,

MacDonald, Flushing Meadows, Kissena,

Bowne or Crocheron parks.

Eventually, President Barack Obama

declared Queens a disaster area, freeing

up millions of federal dollars to help repay

the city – and some home owners – for

their expenses related to the clean-up.

Jan

. 7

-1

3, 2

01

1 P

RE

SS

o

f S

ou

th

ea

st Q

ueen

s P

ag

e 1

1

Borough Beat

BY DOMENICK RAFTER

As the new session of the state legisla-

ture begins, Queens' new representatives

in Albany are getting to work and aiming

to restore the tarnished reputation of an

institution that has become synonymous

with dysfunction.

State Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-

Astoria), who was elected to the Senate

after five terms in the State Assembly, said

there was "no t ime to waste" in

transitioning.

"We're busy right out of the box," he said.

Gianaris said going from the Assembly,

where he was in the majority and one of

150, to the State Senate, where he is in the

minority and one of 62, is "a very different

experience."

"Regardless of who is in control of the

Senate, the majority is so slim, every Sena-

tor counts," he said. "My influence mat-

ters and I'm seeing that already."

His key issue in the first weeks and

months is independent redistricting,

which he championed in the Assembly.

He said 53 of the 62 Senate members

support it, including the Republican lead-

ership.

"It's very rare we have that kind of over-

whelming agreement in the Senate," he

said. "We stand ready to pass it tomorrow."

Assemblyman Francisco Moya (D-Jack-

Newest Servants Head Up To Albanyson Heights), who won the Assembly seat

vacated by State Sen. Jose Peralta (D-

Corona) early last year, said putting to-

gether his staff was the easiest part of

transition; getting office space has proven

more difficult.

"We're waiting to get the office ap-

proved," he said.

If and when that does happen, Moya

will have his office located in the same

Jackson Heights site his predecessor oc-

cupied at 82-11 37th Ave. He said he

hopes to be in the office in the next few

weeks.

Moya said his main focus in that time

would be quality of life issues, including

gang violence, and unemployment, both

of which he described as "major prob-

lems" for his district. He said the state

government is going to have to work with

banks to get them to lend to local small

businesses because that is how the jobs

lost would come back.

"Small businesses employ locally," he said.

Moya said despite the transition and

lack of office space, he and his staff have

made themselves accessible to the com-

munity.

"We haven't stopped working since we

won," he said.

For Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas

(D-Astoria), her job as representative of

her community started the moment her

office doors opened Monday.

"We had a couple of constituents come

in already," she said, including one whom

she spoke to before she took office. Simotas

told the constituent to come in on the first

day her office opened, and she did.

Simotas, who occupies the Assembly

seat vacated by Gianaris, said the first few

days are mostly "administrative stuff," but

vowed to tackle her main issues, including

education and reform, once the session

gets into full swing.

"We need to make sure schools get

adequate funding so school programs are

not cut," she said, calling herself "an advo-

cate for students"

She said her top priority on the educa-

tion front will be to protect arts programs,

which she credited for giving her a leg up

academically as a student growing up in

Astoria.

On reform, Simotas said the state leg-

islature has to rebuild its constituents'

trust and get people to "look up to govern-

ment again." She said she would be a

strong advocate in ethics reform and fair

redistricting.

"We have to surprise people," she said.

With the help of former Assembly-

woman Ann-Margaret Carrozza,

transitioning into office has been a breeze

for Assemblyman Ed Braunstein (D-

Bayside).

"I'm excited about the swearing in," he

said in a phone interview on his way up to

Albany. "I'm looking forward to becoming

'official.'"

With a $9-$10 billion deficit projected

for the next budget cycle, his first month

in office will probably be focused on cut-

ting spending.

"From what I hear, it's going to be a

very painful, difficult budget," he said.

"It's just the reality of the situation. We're

in a terrible economy. I don't think the

state is going to be getting as much federal

money as we have in the past."

Though he was elected to a state-level

position, Braunstein is looking forward to

working on local issues like education and

quality of life.

Despite a tough election season that

saw the ousting of longtime State Sen.

Frank Padavan in favor of Tony Avella, a

former councilman, Braunstein is confi-

dent that he can work with both Republi-

can Councilman Dan Halloran (R-

Whitestone) and Democrat Avella.

"Absolutely, I think I can work with

both of them," Braunstein said. "I think

everybody is going to get together and put

the constituents first."

Jessica Ablamsky contributed.

Reach Reporter Domenick Rafter at

drafter@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-

7400, Ext. 125.

Pa

ge 1

2 P

RE

SS

o

f S

ou

th

ea

st Q

ueen

s Jan

. 7

-1

3, 2

01

1

Southeast Queens Events Edited By Harley Benson

pix

So Long, Frank Padavan

Ph

oto

s b

y I

ra C

oh

en

Bagpipers parade around the room as part of the farewell ceremony.

Queens DA Richard Brown pres-ents a citation to Padavan, thank-ing him for his service.

Mayor Mike Bloomberg greets outgoing 38-year veteran Sen. FrankPadavan at a special farewell party hosted on his behalf at Leonard’s ofGreat Neck last Wednesday.

Wel l -wishers raise a glass toPadavan and thank him for his de-cades of service to the people ofQueens and New York.

The three remaining Republicanofficials from Queens, Council-men Eric Ulrich (l. to r.), Peter Kooand Dan Halloran, thank FrankPadavan for his work.

Rabbi Marc Schneier, President Russell Simmons, Chairman

Amanda Ritz, Executive Director 1 East 93rd Street, New York, NY 10128

www.ffeu.org

Jerry W. Levin, President Alisa R. Doctoroff, Chair of the Board

John S. Ruskay, Executive Vice President & CEO130 East 59th Street, New York, NY 10022

www.ujafedny.org

Alan S. Jaffe, President Michael S. Miller, Executive Vice President & CEO

70 West 36th Street, New York, NY 10018www.jcrcny.org

Thu., Jan. 13, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.Beth Abraham Family of Health ServicesComprehensive Care ManagementMermaid Avenue, BrooklynDr. Martin Luther King Jr. CelebrationStorytelling, Singing, and“I Have a Dream” SpeechFor info: Esfira Polishchuk1.718.954.3200epolishchuk@bethabe.org

Thu., Jan. 13, 12:30 p.m.Rainbow PUSH Wall Street Project at Sheraton New YorkMinisters’ Luncheon Guest Speaker: Rabbi Marc Schneier, President The Foundation for Ethnic UnderstandingFor info: Veronica Black1.212.425.7874vblack@rainbowpush.org

Fri., Jan. 14, 10:00 – 11:30 a.m.Beth Abraham Family of Health ServicesComprehensive Care Management Mermaid Avenue, BrooklynDr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Storytelling, Singing, and “I Have a Dream” SpeechFor info: Esfira Polishchuk1.718.688.0200epolishchuk@bethabe.org

Fri., Jan. 14, 11:00 a.m.Beth Abraham Family of Health ServicesComprehensive Care Management Greenburgh, New YorkA Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.Featuring Vocalist/Musician/Storyteller Jamal RisbrookFor info: Leslie Hoot1.914.289.0400lhoot@bethabe.org

Fri., Jan. 14, to Mon., Jan. 17 Limmud NYWeekend of Jewish Learning:Three Jews at the March on Washington:Unpacking our Multiple Roles in Civil RightsFor info: Limmud NY1.212.908.2525info@limmudny.org

Fri., Jan. 14, EveningCongregation Beth-ElEdison, New JerseyService: What Would Dr. King Say to Bullying?For info: Rabbi Bernhard Rosenberg1.732.985.7272chaimdov@aol.com

Fri., Jan. 14, 6:00 p.m.Coalition for Mutual RespectNew Rochelle, New YorkDr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dinner and ServiceFor info: Rabbi Amiel Wohl1.914.235.1800rabbiwohl@tinr.org

Fri., Jan. 14, 7:00 p.m.Congregation Beit Simchat TorahNew York CityAnnual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Shabbat ServiceGuest Speaker: Idit Klein, Executive Director, KeshetFor info: Alex Weissman1.212.929.9498 ext. 10aweissman@cbst.org

Fri., Jan. 14, 8:00 p.m.Scarsdale Synagogue Temples Tremont and Emanu-ElSounds of Peace: A Shabbat Shira Sermon in SongFor info: Cantor Chanin Becker1.914.725.5175cantorbecker@sstte.org

Fri., Jan. 14, 8:00 p.m.Temple Beth El of Northern WestchesterDr. Martin Luther King Jr. Shabbat ServiceFor info: Rabbi Joshua M. Davidson1.914.238.3928rabbistudy@bethelnw.org

Sat., Jan. 15, 11:00 a.m.The Hampton Synagogue Shabbat Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.Rabbi Marc Schneier will speak on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Jewish community.For info: Rabbi Avraham Bronstein1.631.288.0534 ext. 23avraham@thehamptonsynagogue.org

Sun., Jan. 16, 2:00 – 5:00 p.m.Children’s Galleries for Jewish Culture New York CityCelebrate the Civil Rights MovementFor info: Olivia Gradess1.212.924.4500 ext. 1educator@cgjc.org

Sun., Jan. 16, 4:00 p.m.Temple Israel of LawrenceNinth Annual Greater Long Island Jewish CommunityDr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration Guest Speaker: Rabbi Marc Schneier, President The Foundation for Ethnic UnderstandingFor info: Rabbi Jay H. Rosenbaum1.917.687.9640rabbijay@tmo.blackberry.net

Mon., Jan. 17, 2:30 p.m.Beth Abraham Family of Health ServicesComprehensive Care ManagementAllerton Avenue, BronxThe Man, His Life, The DreamFor info: Angelina Asbery-Holmes1.718.519.4147aholmes@bethabe.org

Mon., Jan. 17, 5:00 p.m. Scarsdale Synagogue Temples Tremont and Emanu-El & Scarsdale Congregational ChurchA Young Children’s Service for Peace and UnderstandingFor info: Jody Glassman1.914.723.3001mazeltots@aol.com

Mon., Jan. 17, 7:00 p.m.Hebrew Institute of RiverdaleTribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.For info: Sara Hurwitz1.718.796.4730 ext. 107sarahurwitz@yahoo.com

Wed., Jan. 19, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.Beth Abraham Family of Health ServicesComprehensive Care Management Cranford Avenue, BronxDr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day EducationFor info: Eunsik Park1.718.653.3806epark@bethabe.org

Thursday, Jan. 20, 12:00 noonTri-Faith Chapels, JFK AirportInterfaith Memorial Service for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.For info: Rabbi Bennett M. Rackman1.718.656.5044brrackman@aol.com

Fri., Jan. 21, 7:45 p.m.Westchester Reform TempleDr. Martin Luther King Jr. Shabbat ServiceFeaturing The Rev. Dr. Dennis V. ProctorFor info: Felicia Block1.914.723.7727felicia.block@wrtemple.org

Fri., Jan. 21, 8:00 p.m.Congregation Beth EmethService of Remembrance: Remember, Reflect, RenewFor info: Rabbi Elliot Skiddell1.516.374.9220rabbi@rcbe.org

Keeping the Dream AliveTogether, we celebrate the vision and honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King’s words and deeds resonate deeply with all New Yorkers. In every neighborhood

and every community throughout our metropolitan area, his legacy of leadership

continues to inspire and hearten us — and to illuminate our efforts to turn his

dream into our reality.

To commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday on January 17th,

many community organizations and houses of worship will have

observance and memorial services. The Foundation for Ethnic

Understanding, UJA-Federation of New York, and the Jewish

Community Relations Council of New York invite you to

honor Dr. King’s legacy.

Jan

. 7

-1

3, 2

01

1 P

RE

SS

o

f S

ou

th

ea

st Q

ueen

s P

ag

e 1

3

Pa

ge 1

4 P

RE

SS

o

f S

ou

th

ea

st Q

ueen

s Jan

. 7

-1

3, 2

01

1

Profile

Gillyard’s Sweet Dreams Coming True

By SASHA AUSTRIE

Sharon Gillyard promises nothing less

than satisfying soulful sweets in her home-

based business Sweets for the Soul.

Gillyard, an officer manager by day,

loves nothing more than the smell of

fresh baked goodies wafting from her

kitchen.

“I’d be in the kitchen

baking all day,” she said.

“It is relaxing.”

Gillyard’s l i felong

dream was not to be a

baker, but a pediatrician.

That dream was derailed

when she saw her first au-

topsy. As a nursing stu-

dent at Hillcrest High

School, she saw the body

of a little boy that was

struck by a bus.

“They were supposed

to put him away and they

didn’t,” she said. Gillyard

also participated in two au-

topsies that day.

“I wasn’t tough enough for that,” she

said.

Though she had never thought of bak-

ing as career, it was nurtured by her grand-

mother, mother and aunt.

In 2004, she finally heeded the ad-

vice of family and friends and started

charging for her treats.

“Basically everyone told me to stop

giving it away,” Gillyard said.

Whether your pleasure is a pineapple

coconut cake, red velvet cake or a batch

of chocolate chip cookies, she promises

delightful treats, which will make you a

repeat customer.

“This happily di -

vorced mom of two chil-

dren is trying to satisfy

people’s soul,” she said.

“Whatever is made is al-

ways made with love.”

Cynthia “Cinderella”

Newman of When We

Were Queens, on Merrick

Boulevard, is an avid cus-

tomer of Gillyards and

swears by the oatmeal

raisin cookies.

A batch of chocolate

chip cookies, three-to-

four dozen, will cost

about $18 and a small

cake can cost as little as

$10.

Her slogan states, “Blending great in-

gredients to make sure your soul is

satisfied…sweetly.”

Contact Gillyard at (917) 822-5865

or e-mail her at sweetsforsoul@aol.com.

Gillyard’s baked goods, including her cup-

cake cakes (above) and a Tiffany-inspired

cupcake and cake combo, have become best

kept secrets.

Sharon Gillyard

Reach Reporter Sasha Austrie at

saustrie@queenspress.com, or (718) 357-

7400, Ext. 123.

A A A A A &&&&& E E E E EJan

. 7

-1

3, 2

01

1 P

RE

SS

o

f S

ou

th

ea

st Q

ueen

s P

ag

e 1

5

Restaurant Review

An Ode To Our ‘Forgotten Borough’

Get A Slice At Fat Boys

BY DOMENICK RAFTER

Nicole Steinberg is a child of Queens.

She grew up in Jackson Heights near Junc-

tion and Northern Bou-

levards, went to school

in Bayside, Whitestone

and Flushing and even

had her first date at Bay

Terrace. But when she

talked to people from

elsewhere about her

home borough, she real-

ized just how little they

knew about Queens.

"People didn't know

anything about the bor-

ough," she said.

That inspired her to put

together a book of stories

that would really tell the

tale of Queens. The result is an anthology

of anecdotes and poems about her home

borough published by SUNY Press with a

title that many borough residents would

agree with, especially after the recent bliz-

zard clean-up: "Forgotten Borough."

"I want to generate interest and ex-

citement in the borough," Steinberg said.

In the book's introduction, Steinberg,

who said she has "a lot of Queens pride,"

opens with the infamous

quote about the 7 train by

former Atlanta Braves

pitcher John Rocker in

2000 that required him

to enter Shea Stadium

with extra security. She

then explains how

Queens, unlike the other

boroughs, does not have

a reputation of its own.

"People tend to for-

get about Queens," she

writes. "They're sur -

prised to hear culture ex-

ists here too, as if some

kind of force field exists

on the right hand side of the East River."

For the next 200 pages, more than

two dozen stories, poems and even

Queens-themed haikus take a reader on a

cultural tour of the borough, stopping in

neighborhoods from Astoria to the

Rockaway Peninsula, giving readers a thor-

ough taste of the densely-populated piece

of land they might only know for being

what's outside their vehicle's windows

when they're stuck in traffic. Some of the

stories revolved around real-life events,

such as the 2003 blackout and the demoli-

tion of the Maspeth gas tanks in 2001.

"I was looking for stories on different

perspectives on living there and on neigh-

borhoods," she said.

That led to some neighborhoods be-

ing the setting for more than one story,

but with a different theme, she said.

Steinberg began working on the book

when she was living in Sunnyside, but

while putting it together, she moved to

Philadelphia, where she currently works

at The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage.

"It was pretty bittersweet," she said

of editing the book after having moved

out of the borough.

A poet by trade, Steinberg said she

found editing the book "rewarding, but very,

very difficult." She said she put her own

poetry on hiatus for the book and hopes

to focus on that in the future, but left often

the possibility of more Queens antholo-

gies if this one proves to be successful.

"There was a lot of stuff I didn't cover that

I could have the first time around," she said.

"Forgotten Borough" will be released

next month, and can be pre-ordered at

s u n y p r e s s . e d u / p - 515 6 - fo r g o t t e n -

borough.aspx

Reach Reporter Domenick Rafter at

drafter@queenstribune.com or (718) 357-

7400, Ext. 125.

FAT BOYS PIZZA

61-07 Utopia Pkwy., Fresh Meadows

(718) 321-0694

CUISINE: Pizzeria

HOURS: Mon-Fri 9 a.m. to 11 p.m., week-

ends 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.

CREDIT CARDS: Yes

DELIVERY: Yes

It’s impossible to live in Queens – or

anywhere in the New York Metro area

for that matter – and not have a favorite

local pizzeria. You don’t have to descend

from a Mediterranean ethnicity to enjoy

a good slice of pizza; just be hungry. In

Fresh Meadows, a new favorite local

pizzeria is serving the traditional Italian

dish with some unusual trimmings.

When one orders pizza, the most

popular toppings are obvious; pep-

peroni, sausage, meatballs, mushrooms

– but the favorites of the customers at

Fat Boys, which opened on Utopia Park-

way, one block south of the Horace

Harding Expressway, in 2009, are not

any of the above. One of their most popu-

lar slices, especially among the local stu-

dents from Francis Lewis High School

who frequent the establishment before

and after their classes, is the Philly

Cheesesteak Pizza. Imagine a pizza

topped with crispy green peppers,

melted cheese, onions and juicy slices

of steak. The recipe for the pizza came

from owner Nick Vorrais’ grandfather

back in Greece, who recently passed.

Another favorite, especially among

Fat Boy’s older crowd, is the Baked Ziti

Pizza. This is Fat Boy’s traditional

cheese pizza topped with a generous

helping of baked ziti pasta cooked to

perfection, or if you’re Italian, the way

your grandmother used to make it, ac-

companied by dollops of ricotta cheese.

If you’re brave enough to tackle spicy

food (and who isn’t up for such a chal-

lenge?) try the Buffalo Chicken Pizza.

One bite and you’ll forget what spicy

Buffalo chicken tastes like when not

piled on top of a pizza.

These slices cannot be eaten the tradi-

tional New York way, folding them in half

like a paper airplane and chomping down,

stuffing your mouth with as much pie as

possible. Instead they must be eaten like

they are in Europe, with a fork and knife,

savored piece by piece. For those who

aren’t that adventurous and prefer tradi-

tional pepperoni or mushroom, Fat Boys

has it, as well as a wide array of more

American-style food like hamburgers,

French fries, and Buffalo wings (not on a

pizza). Fat Boy’s also does not forget its

owners’ Greek heritage; the traditional

Greek gyro is on the menu as well.

Fat Boy’s puts its own personal

touch in their pizzas and nearly every-

thing on their menu. All their dough and

breads are homemade, baked on site.

Until about 6 p.m., Fat Boys caters

to its student crowd. Downstairs from

the main restaurant is a game room, with

two billiards tables frequented by stu-

dents during the day that doubles as a

party room or catering hall. After the

students go home for the evening, Fat

Boys gets its regular locals, who enjoy a

delicious meal.

Don’t feel like going outside? Fat

Boy’s delivers, and also does curbside

pickup, so you don’t have to worry about

finding that parking spot on your way

home from work.

—Domenick Rafter

The New York Mets will host their an-

nual Winter Blood Drive in partnership

with the New York Blood Center this

Thursday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the

Caesar's Club.

On Jan. 6, fans donating blood will

receive a voucher redeemable for one pair

of tickets to a select Mets game in April

2011. In addition, fans can show their

voucher at the Mets Team Store at Citi

Field to receive 15 percent-off regularly-

Mets Fans Give Bloodpriced merchandise.

Season Ticket Holders who give blood

can show their voucher and ID card to

get 20 percent off regularly-priced items.

The discount will only be honored Thurs-

day, Jan. 6.

Fans may park in Lot G on 126th

Street between the Right Field Gate and

Roosevelt Avenue, and enter in the first

base VIP, named for Mets legend Gil

Hodges.

BY ANGY ALTAMIRANO

Romance is in the air this New Year

as the poet Valentinno brings his readers

a book filled with words to soothe our

hearts and spark the romance in all of us.

"A Romantic's Passion: The Tenth

Muse" is a modern-day love story told in

several different styles.

The book is a collection of prose po-

ems, love letters, essays, extended verse

and intimate photos, with quotes under

each photograph to enhance the beauty.

The story is of a poet who is deeply in

love with his muse; she becomes his life's

work and for the rest of his life, his po-

etry is based on her.

Aside from the various styles used in

the book, it also serves as an example of

how a woman should be treated, said the

poet. "The muse is reflected as all women;

they should be loved as God says - the

most beautiful creation," Valentinno said.

After spending time researching and

reading poetry and books written in clas-

sic styles, Valentinno brings his readers

back to the Romantics, getting inspira-

tion from poets Lord Byron, Percy Shelley

and John Keats. He said the language

brings more beauty and meaning rather

than the modern language of contempo-

rary poets.

Valentinno, 36, was born, raised and

still lives in Glendale. He began writing

Love Oozes Its Way

Onto Boro Poet’s Page

poetry at 14 and has not stopped since.

He has won two awards at the CNU Writ-

ers' Conference, has been nominated for

best book award and the Dickinson

Award. He has been credited with more

than 60 literary honors and was inducted

into the "Who's Who of Poets."

Through his years of writing, he has

written a poem for Queen Elizabeth II and

has worked with Tony Blair, former Brit-

ish Prime Minister, in writing and collabo-

rating with 20 authors from 20 different

nations for The Millennium Movement,

fighting against malaria.

"Poet Valentinno is a romantic in the

best sense of the word. He captures the

divine romance of life through his bril-

liant prose," said William McDonald,

President of the American Authors Asso-

ciation. "One can almost feel this inner

joy and 'light' he projects with images

from his words and phrasing."

"I like that when I write something,

the reader could feel the same exact emo-

tions that I feel. They will cry or they will

smile. That's the ultimate thing for a

writer; if you could make that person feel

the same you did, then you have done

your job," said Valentinno.

Set for release later this year, "A

Romantic's Passion: The Tenth Muse"

will be found on Amazon and Barnes &

Noble. For more information on the book

and the poet, visit valentinno.com.

Faith

NotebookStudious Kids

New Manna At Hollis Presbyterian

Mast HS Students

Pursue Science

BY SASHA AUSTRIE

Hollis Presbyterian Church is hosting

additional services during the week for the

faithful.

As of the New Year, the church is host-

ing 9 a.m. manna every third Sunday.

Regularly scheduled services will follow

at 11 a.m.

Including the supplementary Sunday

service, mid-week manna is held every

third Wednesday at 7 p.m. The church is

located at 100-50 196th St.

The services are a chance for mem-

bers of the community to come out and

share praise and worship with Hollis Pres-

byterian Church. It is a chance for songs

and to bear witness to the testimonies of

others. The services will be lead by guest

speakers and preachers, as well as the

church's Pastor Mark Chapman.

Though Chapman had been the in-

terim pastor at the 86-year-old sanctuary

off and on since 2001, he is entering his

second year as Hollis Presbyterian's pas-

tor. An ordained pastor since 1987,

Chapman had spent the

bulk of his career in the

classroom as a profes-

sor.

From 1980 to 1984,

he attended Morehouse

College. He later at-

tended Union Theologi-

cal Seminary to get his

masters, but he was per-

suaded by a professor to

get his Ph.D.

According to

Chapman, his professor

said, "We have enough

pastors, we need more

scholars."

He received his

Ph.D. in systematic the-

ology. He'd settled into the life of a pro-

fessor at Rollins College and later at

Fordham University. A thriving educa-

tional ministry at Sing Sing prison and his

tenure as a professor was not able to en-

tirely sustain him. There was something

missing.

"There was still a gnawing sense God

was calling me to be more engaged,"

Chapman said previously. "Being the pas-

tor of a congregation is even deeper a con-

nection to people beyond a classroom. It is

a much deeper and intimate connection."

Hollis Presbyterian Church will be hosting additional services

every third Sunday.

Pa

ge 1

6 P

RE

SS

o

f S

ou

th

ea

st Q

ueen

s Jan

. 7

-1

3, 2

01

1

Word“Our religious institutions have far too often

become handmaidens of the status quo, while

the genuine religious experience is anything but

that. True religion is by nature disruptive of

what has been, giving birth to the eternally

new.”

Marianne Williamson

Reach Reporter Sasha Austrie at

saustrie@queenspress.com, or (718) 357-

7400, Ext. 123.

Keepin’ The Faith?

Then it’s time to share...The PRESS

wants to hear about the special

programs in your faith community. Send

your thoughts, stories, prayers and photos to: The

PRESS at 150-50 14th Rd., Whitestone, NY

11357. All stories will be considered. Photos

cannot be returned.

BY BOB HARRIS

Three students, Nicole Ximines, Maya

Joseph and Alison Egbon, are typical of

the motivated students in the small Math,

Science Research and Technology HS.

Ximines has an 86 average, is in Arista

and wants to be a Forensic Scientist. She

has been accepted into the Queens Bridge

to Medicine program of York College

where after the regular school day, she will

attend enrichment courses with students

from other Queens high schools. She is a

member of the FDNY Explorers program

which meets in the Campus Magnet Com-

plex. The students attend actual firefighter

training where they act as injury victims

for the paramedics. They also give cloth-

ing and food to the needy, work with Meals

on Wheels and with the program Part of

the Solution.

Joseph is also in the FDNY Explorers

program and has been taking

College Now courses at

Queens College, including ur-

ban studies, college writing and

currently drama. She is think-

ing about a career in early

childhood.

Egbon also is enrolled in the

College Now Program at

Queens College where she took

a Science class during the sum-

mer. She is thinking about be-

ing an environmentalist or a

chemist.

The Principal of the Math,

Science, Research Technology

HS is Jose M. Cruz.

Tracking History

Mary Basile, principal of

St. Clare School in

Rosedale, was very proud

of her seventh grade re-

cently. These students, un-

der the guidance of their

science teacher, Mrs.

Baptiste, attempted to re-

search their genealogy and

present it in a family tree.

Many of them, with the

help of their parents, went

back as far as five genera-

tions, and were awed by

their fascinating discover-

ies. They focused on the

different genotypes and

phenotypes that passed through the gen-

erations in a tangible representation of

dominant and recessive traits. They

learned that many of them emerged from

ancestors that do not share their physi-

cal traits, their culture and their lan-

guage.

One young man, whose parents

were immigrants from Haiti, discovered

that his ancestors were Chinese. The

students were very excited with their

Seventh grade students from the St. Clare School show

their family tree.

Nicole Ximines (l. to r.), Maya Joseph and Alison Egbon

exemplify MAST HS’s more active students.

investigations, and they handled this

complex topic with remarkable matu-

rity.

They interjected their own brand of

humor when one delightful young man

observed that his mother’s red hair was

not a recessive gene after all. He pro-

claimed quite proudly, “Now I know

that my mother’s red hair comes from

a peroxide bottle!” Congratulations sev-

enth grade. You really rock.

What’s UpJan

. 7

-1

3, 2

01

1 P

RE

SS

o

f S

ou

th

ea

st Q

ueen

s P

ag

e 1

7

The First Presbyterian Church in Jamiaca will serve

free lunch on Wednesday.

SATURDAY, JAN. 8

Youth & Tennis

The Youth and Tennis group meets

every Saturday morning at Roy Wilkins

Park Saturday. To learn more, call Bill

Briggs at (718) 658-6728.

Discover Your Career Potential

Take the Career Exploration Inven-

tory, a self-scored, easy-to-use survey guide

to choosing a career based on your inter-

ests and experiences.

This free event will be held at the

Queensborough Public Library’s Central

Branch, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., at 2 p.m.

SUNDAY, JAN. 9

Kaïssa

Known for her unique blend of African,

reggae, jazz, R&B, makossa, and Brazilian

fusion, Kaïssa will perform contemporary

African/World music with Cameroonian

roots sung in Douala, one of Cameroon’s

many languages.

This free event will be held at the

Queensborough Public Library’s Central

Branch, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., at 3 p.m.

MONDAY, JAN. 10

Adult Chess Club

Practice your chess skills weekly, on

Monday and Thursday evenings.

The event is held at 6 p.m. every Mon-

day at Queens Village Library, 94-11 217

St., (718) 776-6800.

Polish Your Resume

Bring a copy of your resume on a flash

drive. Volunteers will guide you through

editing and producing a professional-qual-

ity resume using Cyber Center computers.

Participants must have keyboard and

mouse experience. Pre-registration is re-

quired in the Job Information Center.

This free event will be held at the

Queensborough Public Library’s Central

Branch, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., at 6:30 p.m.

TUESDAY, JAN. 11

Job Club

Every Tuesday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.,

the Jamaica Neighborhood Center offers

a free service to assist people from South-

east Queens with job-readiness skill sets in

writing a professional resume and cover

letter; interviewing practices and tech-

niques; applying on-line procedures; el-

evator pitch and Microsoft Suite 2007.

For additional information, contact Lenin

Gross, Job Coach, at (718) 739-2060, Ext.

18 or lgrossjnc@yahoo.com.

This free event will be held at the Jamaica

Neighborhood Center - 161-06 89th Ave.

Camera Club

The Southeast Queens Camera Club

welcomes photographers, beginners to ad-

vanced. Meetings are held the second,

third and fourth Tuesday every month at

7:30 p.m. at Roy Wilkins Family Life Cen-

ter, 177-01 Baisley Blvd.

Intro to Excel

In this two-session workshop, custom-

ers will learn the basics of how to create

spreadsheets, use formulas, and print tables.

Pre-registration is required in person at

Cyber Center Desk. Participants must

possess basic mouse and keyboarding skills

and must attend both sessions.

This free event will be held at the

Queensborough Public Library’s Central

Branch, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., at 6 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 12

Lunch In Church

Join us for lunch and get refueled, re-

newed and refilled. This free event is held

every Wednesday at noon at the First

Presbyterian Church in Jamaica, 89-60

164th St. For more information, call (718)

526-4775, Ext. 10. Come just as you are.

Create an Email Account

In this single session workshop, cus-

tomers will learn how to set up/open their

own email account. Pre-registration is re-

quired in person at Cyber Center desk.

Participants must possess basic mouse and

keyboarding skills.

This free event will be held at the

Queensborough Public Library’s Central

Branch, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., at 10 a.m.

York vs. Medgar Evers

Now this is going to be a fight to the end.

Be there when the Lady Cardinals take on

the ladies basketball team from Medgar

Evers. For more information, contact John

Scarinci at jscarnci@york.cuny.edu or (718)

262-5104.

This free event will be held at York

College Gymnasium - 160-02 Liberty Ave.

– at 8 p.m.

THURSDAY, JAN. 13

Adult Chess Club

Practice your chess skills weekly, on

Monday and Thursday evenings.

The event is held at 6 p.m. every Thurs-

day at Queens Village Library, 94-11 217

St., (718) 776-6800.

Microsoft Word En Espanol

Three computer classes in Spanish: Pre-

registration in person is required at the

Cyber Center Reference Desk on January

6 starting at 10 a.m.

This free event will be held at the

Queensborough Public Library’s Central

Branch, 89-11 Merrick Blvd., at 6:30 p.m.

FRIDAY, JAN. 14

Senior Theatre Acting Repertory

Calling all older adults: Join our galaxy

of STARs to perform theatrical works at

the library with a great group of people

while brightening your life.

Rehearsals are held at 10:30 a.m. Fri-

days at Queens Village Library, 94-11 217

St., (718) 776-6800.

ONGOING

CPR Training

The FDNY Mobile CPR Training Unit

will hold regularly scheduled free CPR

classes in all five boroughs. The first Tues-

day through the fourth Tuesday and the

fourth Thursday of every month there will

be Borough CPR training sessions in Man-

hattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Staten Island

and Queens.

Training is free to anyone over the age

of 14. The goal of this program is increase

the number of people in New York City

trained in bystander CPR Each class lasts

1 hour and participants in the

class learn basic CPR skills from

a member of the FDNY Emer-

gency Medical Service.

Volunteers for the class follow

along using the CPR Anytime

Personal Learning Kit, which fea-

tures an instructional DVD and

an inflatable mannequin. All par-

ticipants are able take home the

kit at the end of class and asked

to pledge to use the kit to show

five of their family members and

friends how to perform CPR. This

class teaches basic CPR tech-

nique and is not a certification

course.

In Queens, the classes will be

held the fourth Thursday of every

month at EMS Station 54, 222-

15 Merrick Blvd. In addition,

please visit www.nyc.gov/

cprtogo for New York Sports Club

locations offering free CPR

classes starting in January.

Please visit

www.fdnyfoundation.org or call

(718) 999-2413 for more infor-

mation.

Group Sessions

Clergy United for Community

Empowerment, Inc. Group Sessions are

located at 89-31 161st St., 10th Floor,

Jamaica, for the community on various

topics such as Domestic Violence, Mental

Health, Substance Abuse intervention,

Decision Making, Condom Use, High Risk

Behaviors leading to HIV, and self – es-

teem awareness. All group sessions offer

light snacks and beverages. Group ses-

sions are open to the public.

Round-Trip Metro Card reimbursement

is available at the end of each completed

session. For further information call (718)

297-0720. All services are free. Please call

for next group date.

Infant Mortality

Clergy United for Community

Empowerment’s Infant Mortality Reduc-

tion Initiative program provides the fol-

lowing services free of charge: case man-

agement services, parent skills building,

crib care, breast feeding education, health

education, nutritional information/educa-

tion, referral for HIV testing, confidential

one-on-one counseling, workshops, and

women support groups. IMRI provides

referrals for Food stamps, GED, GYN,

Emergency Baby Formula (qualifications

required) and more. Call (718) 297-0720.

Located at 89-31 161 St., 10th floor,

Jamaica. Services are available Tue.-Thurs.

9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

HIV Awareness

Clergy United for Community Empow-

erment provides intervention and curricu-

lum-based prevention education sessions

on HIV/AIDS, to reduce risk behaviors

that lead to HIV transmission. Services are

located at 89-31 161st St., Jamaica. Call

(718) 297-0720 ask about our presenta-

tion to adolescents and men/women of

color. Services are available Tue.-Thurs.,

9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Laurelton Flea Market

A flea market has opened at 221-02

Merrick Blvd. On sale are a wide range of

items, including household items, jewelry

and clothing.

The market is open every Thursday

through Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

CPR Class

Learn to protect yourself and others at

Heron Care Inc. For more information,

please call (718) 291-8788. Heron is lo-

cated at 168-30 89th Ave., Jamaica.

PAL Volunteers

The Police Athletic League (PAL) is

looking for volunteers to continue its mis-

sion of serving New York City’s young

people by donating their time and talents

to help serve Queens youngsters at PAL’s

Redfern Cornerstone and Far Rockaway

Beacon in Arverne-Far Rockaway, PAL’s

Edward Byrne Center in South Jamaica

and PS 214 in Flushing.

PAL Centers in Queens offer a wide

range of opportunities for volunteers of all

talents. PAL’s Redfern Cornerstone and

Far Rockaway Beacon are looking for

people to participate in a center clean-up

day. Volunteers are needed to tutor and

mentor young people during the After

School Program’s daily homework help

sessions. In addition, individuals can also

donate their time assisting the many spe-

cial events held at PAL’s Centers through-

out the year. PAL is also seeking profes-

sionals to give career advice and talk about

their own careers to young people, as well

as guest speakers who can share informa-

tion on a specific hobby of interest to the

youngsters.

To become a volunteer with the Police

Athletic League or to learn more about

volunteer opportunities, please

visit palnyc.org. Volunteers will go through

an application process that includes an

interview, screening and an orientation.

For more information, please contact

PAL’s Volunteer Coordinator, Alexandria

Sumpter-Delves, at (212) 477-9450, Ext.

390 or volunteer@palnyc.org.

Queens TodaySECTION EDITOR: REGINA VOGEL

Send typed announcementsfor your club or

organization’s events atleast TWO weeks in

advance to “Queens Today”Editor, Queens Tribune,174-15 Horace HardingExpressway, Fresh Mead-

ows, NY 11365. Send faxesto 357-9417, c/o Regina.

IF YOUR ORGANIZATIONMEETS ON A REGULARBASIS, SEND ALL DATESFOR THE ENTIRE YEAR.

ENTERTAINMENT EDUCATION/GAMES/CRAFTS

DANCE

ISRAELI FOLKMondays 7:30 -10 :00 a tHillcrest Jewish Center, 182-02 Union Turnpike. $10 ses-sion. 380-4145.LINE DANCINGMondays 6 :30 -9 :30 a tKowal insk i Pos t 4 , 61 -57Maspeth Avenue. $7. Cakeand coffee. 565-2259.

SYMPHONY 101Saturday, January 8 at 1 atthe Forest Hills and at 3 atthe Sunnyside l ibrary. Per-formance/workshop aboutthe different instruments inthe traditional symphonic or-chestra. For the entire fam-ily.KAISSASunday, January 9 African,reggae, jazz, R&B, makossaand Brazilian fusion music byKaissa at 3 at the Central li-brary.MOVIE & TALKMondays the F r iends o fPomonok present a movieand discussion. Bring lunch.1 at the Pomonok library.TROUBLED WATERMonday, January 10 show-ing of the film “Troubled Wa-ter” with English subtitles anddiscussion at 2 at the FreshMeadows library.OPEN MIC POETRYMondays, January 10, Feb-ruary 14, March 14 at 7:30at Barnes & Noble, 176-60Union Turnpike, Fresh Mead-ows.FAMILY GAME NIGHTMonday, January 10 at theSouth Jamaica library at 6.BINGOTuesdays at 7:15 at Ameri-can Martyrs Church, churchbasement , 216 -01 Un ionTurnp ike , Bays ide . 464 -4582. Tuesdays at 7:15(doors open 6) at the RegoPark Jewish Center, 97-30Queens Blvd. 459-1000.$3admis s ion inc ludes 12games.DINO ROSITuesday, January 11 con-cert of international songswi th D ino Ros i a t theAuburndale library at 3.KIDS’ CHOIRThursday, January 13 NYHospital Queens will host theSt. Francis Prep Children’sChoir from 3-4 in the LangAuditorium for a free con-cert. 670-1211 to register.ZOMBIE!Thursday, January 13 use ofzombies in literature, mediaand film at the Pomonok li-brary at 6.MLK JR.Friday, January 14 A Com-munity Conversation aboutthe legacy o f Dr . Mar t inLu the r K ing J r . a t theLangston Hughes library at7 .MLK JR.Saturday, Januar y 15 Tri-Boro Intergenerational Ser-vices of Jamaica invites all toan afternoon of reflectionsand entertainment at theirannual celebration dedicatedto the Life and Legacy of Dr.Martin Luther King, Jr. at 2at the Merrick Park BaptistChurch , 120 -02 B i shopCurtis G. Norton, Sr. Drive(Marsden Street), Jamaica.276-5039 information. Freewill offering.CON BRIO ENSEMBLESaturday, January 15 at theFlushing library at 2.,ASTRONOMYSaturday, January 15 from7-9 at Alley Pond Environ-mental Center. 229-4000 toregister. $12 adult, $7 chil-dren.LAS POSADASSaturday, January 15 Ra-

FM POETSSaturday, January 8 FreshMeadows Poets meet to dis-cuss their work at 10 at theForest Hills library.RESUME WRITINGSaturday, January 8 at theLIC library at 10:30.CAREER POTENTIALSaturday, January 8 at theCentral library at 2.PUBLIC SPEAKINGSaturdays, January 8, 15,29, February 5, 19 learn tocommunicate effectively atElmhurst Hospital. 646-436-7940.SCRABBLE CLUBSaturdays at 10 at CountBasie Jr. HS, 132nd Street andGuy R. Brewer Blvd. 886-5236.PET OWNERSSundays (not on holidays)from 1-4 free workshops onpet behavior at CrocheronPark in Bays ide (weatherpermitting). 454-5800.KNIT & CROCHETMondays at the Douglaston/Little Neck library at 4.ENGLISH CONV.Monday, January 10 EnglishConversation Groups at theBellerose library. Register.ADULT CHESSMondays and Thursdays atthe Queens Village library at5:30.COMPUTER CLASSMonday, January 10 at theFresh Meadows library. Reg-ister.JOB INFO SERVICESMonday, January 10 at theMiddle Village library. Reg-ister.CRAFT CLUBMonday, January 10 at theLIC library at 6.BALLROOM DANCINGMonday, January 10 at theForest Hills library at 6:30.INTRO E-MAILTuesday, January 11 at theQueens Village library. Reg-ister.COMPUTER CLASSTuesday, January 11 at theArverne library at 10.COMPUTER CLASSTuesday, January 11 at theSunnyside library. Register.ADULT SCRABBLETuesday, January 11 at theFresh Meadows library at 1.KNIT & CROCHETTuesdays at the WindsorPark library at 2.SCRABBLE CLUBTuesdays at the East Flush-ing library at 3:30.GET YOUR YARNS OUT!Tuesdays after evening Min-yan at 8, knitters, crochet-ers, needlepointers, and oth-ers meet at the Forest HillsJewish Center . 263-7000,ext. 200.DUPLICATE BRIDGEWednesdays 10:30-3:00 atthe Reform Temple of For-est Hi l l s . $12 sess ion, in -cludes light lunch. 261-2900.WATERCOLOR CLASSWednesdays at 9:30 at NAL.Tradit ional and contempo-rary, all levels. 969-1128.INDOOR SOCCER – DADSWednesday evenings at theForest Hills Jewish Center.263-7000.US CITIZENSHIPThursday, January 13 Path-way to US Citizenship at theElmhurst library at 5:30.

dio Jarocho celebrates LasPosadas at 3 at the Elmhurstlibrary.AMERICAN HEARTLANDSaturday , January 15Claremont Strings presentsMus ic o f the Amer icanHeartland at 3 at the JacksonHeights library.OPEN MICSunday, January 16 at theCentral library at 2.MLK JR.Sunday, January 16 ClergyUnited for Communit y Em-powerment, Inc. presents acelebration service of com-memoration for the Rev. Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. at 5at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church,202-03 Hollis Avenue.CON BRIO ENSEMBLESunday, January 16 at 4:30at Church in the Gardens,50 Ascan Avenue , Fores tHills. $12.GUITAR NIGHTSunday, January 16 Inter-na t iona l Gu i ta r N igh t a tQueens Theatre in the Park.760-0064 tickets.CON BRIO ENSEMBLESaturday, January 22 at 2at the Langston Hughes li -brary.CONCERTISunday, January 23 youngvir tuos i take the stage toper fo rm a p rog ram o fconcerti with orchestra. Allages. 997-3888.GOLDILOCKSSaturday , January 29Goldi locks and the ThreeBears at Queens Theatre inthe Park. 760-0064.BACK TO THE 60SSaturday, January 29 RonDante , Sonny Gerac i andDennis Tufano per form atQueensborough Commu-nity College. 631-6311.COFFEEHOUSEFebruary 5 at the Forest HillsJewish Center. 263-7000.TANGO BUENOS AIRESSunday , February 20 a tQueensborough Commu-nity College. 631-6311.

QUILTING CLASSESThursdays 10-2 at the MariaRose Dol l Museum in S t .Albans. 276-3454 or 917-817-8653 to register.CHESS CLUBThursdays at the East Flush-ing library. Register.KNIT & CROCHETThursdays a t the F reshMeadows library at 6.WRITER’S WORKSHOPThursday, January 13 at theBayside library. Register.SIGN LANGUAGEThursday, January 13 at Al-l ey Pond Env i ronmenta lCenter. 229-4000 to regis-ter. For the entire family.KNITTING CLUBFridays at the Maspeth li-brary at 10.KNIT & CROCHETFridays at the Fresh Mead-ows library at 10:30.COMPUTER CLASSFriday, January 14 at theMiddle Village library. Reg-ister.SCRABBLE

Fridays Bananagrams andScrabble at the Windsor Parklibrary at 2:30.JIC JOB INFOSaturday, January 15 at theCentral library at 11.POETRY WRITINGTuesday, Januar y 18 a tBa rnes & Nob le , 176 -60Union Turnpike, Fresh Mead-ows at 7:30.NOOK NIGHTWednesday, January 19 atBa rnes & Nob le , 176 -60Union Turnpike, Fresh Mead-ows at 7.DEFENSIVE DRIVINGSaturday, January 22 a tWes ley Uni ted Methodis tChurch in Franklin Square.516-872-8062.DEFENSIVE DRIVINGSunday, January 30 from 9-3:30 at the Forest Hills Jew-ish Center. $50. 263-7000to register.JH ART CLUBClasses in all art forms daysand evenings for chi ldrenand adults. 899-0065.

HEALTH

NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS7 days a week. 932-6244.WAITANKUNGSundays at 2. Waitankung isa great total-body workout.Join these ancient Chineseexercise classes in the Flush-ing Hospital/Medical Centerauditorium on 45th Avenuebe tween Pa r sons andBurling. Free. Jimmy 7-10pm347-2156 information.BLOOD DRIVESunday, January 9 blooddr i ve f rom 9 :30 -1 :30 a tTemple Tikvah, 3315 HillsideAvenue, New Hyde Park.OBESITY & AGINGMonday, January 10 Re-serving the #1 Cause of Ill-ness: Obesity & AcceleratedAging at 6 at the Flushing li-brary.ZUMBA EXERCISEMonday, January 10 at theLefrak City library at 6.TAI CHIMondays and Thursdays at11 at the Card iac Heal thCenter in Fresh Meadows.670-1695. $5 a class.CAREGIVERS SUPPORTEver y Tuesday We ste rnQueens Caregiver Networkin Sunnys ide . 5 :30 -6 :30 .784-6173, ext. 431.ALZHEIMERSTuesdays, Januar y 11, 25,February 8, 22, March 8, 22Caregiver Support Group inForest Hills. 592-5757, ext.237.YOGAWednesdays 5:30-6 :30 atthe Cardiac Health Centerin F resh Meadows . 670 -1695. $10 class.CAREGIVERS WORKSHOPWednesday , January 12top ic s i nc lude ca reg ive rburnout, resources, more.Flushing library at 10:30.WELL SPOUSESWednesdays, January 12,February 9, March 9 WellSpouses or Partners of theChronically Ill and Disabledmeet at 7 at St. Charles Re-hab Center, 201 IU WilletsRoad, Albertson. Donation.516-829-8740.

SELF DEFENSEThursday, January 13 SelfDe fense Workshop fo rwomen and G i r l s a t theSunnyside library at 4.OAThursdays a t the HowardBeach library at 10:30.OAFridays 6:30-8:30 at UnityCenter of F lushing, 42-11155 th S t ree t . Saturdays10:30-noon at ResurrectionAscension, Feely Hall, 85-1861st Road, Rego Park. Be-ginners meeting except thelast Friday of each month,which is a writing meeting.CO-DEPENDENTS ANON.Fridays 10-11:45 at Resur-rection Ascension PastoralCente r , 85 -18 61 st Road ,Rego Park. Women only.

FLEA MARKETS

RELIGIOUS

THRIFT SHOPSSaturdays 11-4 at BargainBout ique Th r i f t Shop ,Queens Baptist Church, 93-23 217th Street, Queens Vil-lage.465-2504.

MISCELLANEOUS

CANNED FOOD DRIVEThrough Saturday, January8 at the Hillcrest library.EDUCATOR APPRECIATESaturday , January 15through Sunday, January 23pre-K to grade 12 educatorswill enjoy special discountsat Barnes & Noble, 176-60Union Turnpike, Fresh Mead-ows.

FOREST HILLSSunday, January 9 ShivaMinyan Breakfast at 9, aftermorning Minyan. $10. RSVPby January 6. Thursdays Tal-mud Class following Morn-ing Minyan. $10 non-mem-bers. Forest Hills Jewish Cen-ter. 263-7000, ext. 200.MLK JR.Sunday, January 16 ClergyUnited for Communit y Em-powerment, Inc. presents acelebration service of com-memoration for the Rev. Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. at 5at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church,202-03 Hollis Avenue.

SENIORS

TALKS

AARP 1405Mondays, January 10, 24Flushing AARP Chapter 1405meets at the Bowne StreetCommunity Church, 143-11Roosevelt Avenue at 1. Newmembers welcome.STARSWednesday, January 12 at10:30 at the Hollis library andFriday, January 14 at 10:30at the Queens Village library.Senior Theater Acting Rep-ertory meets.WOMANSPACEWednesdays Womanspace,a discussion group devotedto i s sues concern ingwomen, meets 1 -3 at theGreat Neck Senior Center,80 Grace Avenue . Newmembers welcome.AARP 29Thursdays, January 13, Feb-ruary 10, March 10 AARPChapter 29 meets at GraceHouse, 155-02 90th Avenue,Jamaica at noon.FREE LUNCHSaturdays, January 15, Feb-ruary 19, March 19 at AllSaints Church in RichmondHill. 849-2352 reservations.

WINDSOR PARKMonday, January 10 “Hotelon the Corner of Bitter andSweet” will be discussed at2 at the Windsor Park library.NYS LABOR LAWSMonday, January 10 Under-standing NY State Labor Lawat 6:30 at the Jackson Heightslibrary.SEASIDEMonday, January 10 “IslandBeneath the Sea” will be dis-cussed at 6:30 at the Seasidelibrary.WHITESTONETuesday, January 11 “OliveKitteridge” will be discussedat 1 at the Whitestone l i -brary.HILLCRESTTuesday, January 11 “TheAssistant” will be discussedat 2 at the Hillcrest library.GLENDALEThursday, January 13 “TheAwaken ing” w i l l be d i s -cussed at 6:30 at the Glen-dale library.WINDSOR PARKThursday, January 13 “TheDiscomfort Zone: A PersonalHistory” will be discussed at6:30 at the Windsor Park li-brary.MYSTERY BOOKSaturday, January 15 Para-normal/Mystery Book Clubmeets at the LIC library at3:30.MOVIES & MUSICMonday, January 17 bookdiscussion focused on titleswith strong ties to music andmovies. “Love Is A Mix Tape:Life and Loss, One Song at aTime” wil l be discussed at7:30 at Barnes & Noble, 176-60 Union Turnpike , F reshMeadows.

Pa

ge 1

8 P

RE

SS

o

f S

ou

th

ea

st Q

ueen

s Jan

. 7

-1

3, 2

01

1

Queens Today

MEETINGS

BEREAVEMENTNew bereavement g roupforming at the Forest HillsJewish Center . 263-7000,ext. 223 for information.CATHOLIC VETSMondays, January 10, Feb-ruary 14, March 14 Ameri-can Mart yrs Cathol ic WarVeterans Post 1772 meets inBayside. 468-9351.VFW 4787Mondays, January 10, 24,February 14, 28, March 14,28 Whitestone VFW Com-mun i t y Pos t mee t s . 746 -0540.FRESH MEADOW CAMERATuesdays the Fresh Mead-ows Camera C lub meets .917-612-3463.COMM. BD. 9Tuesday, January 11 Com-muni t y Board 9 meets a tPunjabi Palace. 286-2686.LIONS CLUBTuesdays, January 11, Feb-ruary 8, March 8 the LionsClub of Ravenswood meetsat 6:30 at Riccardo’s by theBridge, 21-01 21st Avenue,Astoria.WOMANSPACEWednesdays Womanspace,a discussion group devotedto i s sues concern ingwomen, meets 1 -3 at theGreat Neck Senior Center,80 Grace Avenue . Newmembers welcome.QUEENS CENTRAL ROTARYThursdays 6:30-8:30 Comelearn i f Rotary is for you.465-2914.UNITED 40SThursday , January 13United Forties Civic Associa-tion, Inc. meets at St. TeresaPar i sh Center , 50 -22 45th

Street, Woodside.ADVANCED TOASTMASTERThursdays, January 13, 27,February 24, March 17, 31learn the art and science ofpublic speaking in Queens.525-6830.CIVIL AIR PATROLFridays 6-10 at Vaughn Col-lege of Aeronautics, 86-0123rd Avenue, East Elmhurst.AcademyWOMAN’S GROUPFridays the Woman’s Groupof Jamaica Estates meets atnoon. Call 461-3193 for in-formation.P-FLAGSundays, January 16, Feb-ruary 20, March 20 PFLAG,a support group for parents,families and friends of lesbi-ans and gays, meet in ForestHills. 271-6663.

YOUTH

QUEENS LIBRARIESMany b ranches o f theQueensborough Library of-fer toddler and pre-schoolprograms. Contact your lo-cal branch for dates.MATH HELPSaturday at the Flushing li-brary.MAD SCIENTISTSaturday, January 8 at Al-l ey Pond Env i ronmenta lCenter for those 8-12. 229-4000 to register.SCIENCE LABSaturdays, January 8, 15 atthe Central library at 11.FOOTPRINTS IN SNOWSaturday , January 8 fo rthose 3 -4 and Saturday ,January 22 for those 5-6 atAl ley Pond EnvironmentalCenter. 229-4000 to regis-ter .SYMPHONY 101Saturday, January 8 at 1 atthe Forest Hills library and at3 at the Sunnyside library.P e r f o r m a n c e / w o r k s h o pabout the dif ferent instru-ments in the traditional sym-phonic orchestra.CHESS CLUBSaturdays at the Flushinglibrary at 2.STORY TIMESSaturdays at 11 and Tues-days at 10:30 weekly storytimes at 7 at Barnes & Noble,176 -60 Un ion Tu rnp ike ,Fresh Meadows.KNIT & CROCHETMondays a t 4 a t theDouglaston/Li t t le Neck l i -b ra r y. B r ing need les andyarn.HOMEWORK HELPMonday-Friday, January 10-14 at the Lefrak City libraryat 3.LITTLE TOT TIMEMonday, January 10 at theHillcrest library at 4.AFTERSCHOOL TIMEMonday, January 10 at 3 atthe Arverne library.TEEN TUTORINGMonday, January 10 at theBayside library at 3:30.WINTER CRAFTMonday, January 10 at theQueens Village library at 4.FAMILY GAME NIGHTMonday, January 10 at theSouth Jamaica library at 6.PJ STORY TIMEMonday, January 10 at thePomonok library at 7.NUTRITION WORKSHOPTuesday, Januar y 11 fo rthose 11-14 at the LIC l i -brary. Register. Also at theL IC l ib ra ry on Thursday ,January 13. Register.ACTING WORKSHOPTuesday, Januar y 11 fo rthose 10-14 at the Peninsulalibrary,. Register.BOOK BUDDIESTuesday, January 11 at 3:30at the Hillcrest library.CHESS & CHECKERSTuesday, January 11 at theLIC library at 4.DUNGEONS & DRAGONSTuesday, January 11 at theBaisley Park library. Register.CHESSWednesdays at the QueensVillage library at 3:30.CRAFTSWednesday, January 12 atthe Steinway library. Regis-ter .GAME DAY

Wednesday, January 12 atthe St. Albans library at 4.STORY TIMEWednesday, January 12 atthe East E lmhurst l ib rary.Register .PRESCHOOL CRAFTWednesday, January 12 atthe Windsor Park l ibrary.Register .PICTURE BOOK TIMEWednesday, January 12 atthe Rego Park library at 3:30.SKATEBOARDWednesday , January 12Personalize your own skate-board at the Lefrak Cit y li-brary at 4.ANNIE THE DOGThursday, January 13 at theQueens Village library at 4.PUZZLE PROJECTSThursday, January 13 at theHillcrest library at 4:30.WII TOURNAMENTThursday, January 13 at theWindsor Park library. Regis-ter .CHESS CLUBFriday, January 14 at thePoppenhusen library at 3:30.GAME DAYFr idays a t 3 :30 a t theQueens Village library.ARTS & CRAFTSFriday, January 14 at the EastFlushing library. Register.GAME PLAYERS CLUBFridays at the Hillcrest libraryat 4.GAME TIMEFridays at the Windsor Parklibrary at 4.CHESS CLUBFridays at the Douglaston/Little Neck library. Register.FAMILY STORYTIMEFriday, January 14 at theSeaside library at 11.MLK JR.F r iday , January 14 ce l -ebrate Martin Luther King,Jr.’s birthday at the Bay Ter-race library. Register.BOOK BUDDIESFriday, January 14 at theBayside library at 4.MLK JR.Friday, January 14 at theEast Elmhurst library at 4.ARTS & CRAFTSFriday, January 14 at thePeninsula library at 4.MLK JR.Friday, January 14 at theLangston Hughes library at7 .TEEN TUTORINGSaturday, January 15 at theBayside library at 10.ANIMAL CARESaturday, January 15 andSunday , January 23 fo rthose 8-12 at Alley Pond En-v i ronmenta l Center . 229 -4000 to register.STORY TIMESaturday, January 15 storyt ime featur ing books thatce leb ra te each pe r son ’ suniqueness and show howimportant it is to be a goodf r iend a t 11 a t Ba rnes &Noble, 176-60 Union Turn-pike, Fresh Meadows.MLK JR.Saturday, January 15 pro-gram at the Central librarybeginning at 11:30.SCIENCE FAIR HOW TOSaturday, January 15 at theRidgewood library at 1.BOY SCOUT 138Thursdays Boy Scout Troop138 meets at 7:30 in the

basement at 192-15C 64th

Circle, Fresh Meadows. Forthose 11 and o lder . 454-2391.CUB SCOUTS 351Fridays at St. Nicholas ofTolentine school cafeteria,Pa r sons B lvd . and Un ionTurnpike. Boys in grades 1-5. 820-0015.CUB/TROOP SCOUTSFridays f rom Septemberthrough June Pack 357 andTroop 357 meet s in t heScout Room, 69 -16 164th

Street, Flushing. 591-9514Cubs, 279-9085 Scouts.SCOUTINGJo in Scout ing in Queens .212-651-2897.SHABBAT SCOUTSSundays Shomer ShabbatBoy Scout Troop 613 meetsfrom 6-7:30 at Young Israelof Windsor Park. 969-1571.

EXHIBIT

QUEENS HISTORICALTuesdays , Sa turdays andSundays 2:30-4:30 new ex-hibit “For Love of the Games:A H i s to ry o f Spor t s i nQueens,” with other exhib-its, “Unraveling History: Us-ing Textiles to Date the Past,”“K ings l and : F rom Home-stead to House Museum,”“Persistence: A Celebrationof Landmarks in Queens –Past, Present, Future,” and“ The C iv i l War ’ s L a s t ingMemory.” Queens HistoricalSociety at Kingsland Home-stead, 144-35 37th avenue,Flushing. 939-0647, ext. 17.$2 seniors and students, $3adults.AMER. CIVIL RIGHTSThrough January “A JourneyI Stone and Wood,” sculp-tures by Gladys ThompsonRoth . February th roughApril “Bindu Masks from theImperato Collection.” Febru-ary through June “QCC ArtGallery: 20 Years of Collect-i ng . ” May through June“Depar tment o f A r t andDesign’s Juried Student Ex-hibition.” QCC Art Gallery.631-6396.AFGHANISTANThrough January 13 “Win-dows and Mirrors: The Warin A fghan i s tan” a t theGodwin-Ternbach Museumat Queens College.NAL STUDENTSJanuary 3-29 National ArtLeague Students’ Art Exhibi-t ion a t the league, 44 -21Douglaston Parkway. Mondaythrough Thursday 1-4 andweekends 1-3. Free.NY REGIONAL AESTHETICSJanuary 29 through June 30“Express : Local/New YorkRegional Aesthetics” at theQueens College Art Center.997-3770.FLUSHING COUNCILThrough September 2011“Within the Emperor’s Gar-den : ” The Ten ThousandSprings Pavilion.” Perma-nent displays include “JazzLive!”, “Flushing Town Hall:”Fact or Folklore,” an histori-cal exhibit ion on FlushingTown Hall and its place inh i s to ry , “Legends o f theQueens Jazz Trail” 463-7700.

TEENS

CHESS CLUBSaturdays at the Flushinglibrary at 2.KNIT & CROCHETMondays at the Douglaston/Little Neck library at 4.MANGA CLUBMonday, January 10 at thePeninsula library at 4.LAPTOPS FOR TEENSMonday-Friday, January 10-14 at the Holl is l ibrary at4:30.TEEN TUTORINGMonday, January 10 at 3:30at the Bayside library.RESUME WRITINGMonday, January 10 at 3:30

at the Broadway library.TEEN ADVISORY BD.Monday, January 10 at theCentral library at 4.CHESS CLUBMonday, January 10 at theBayside library at 6.CRAFT CLUBMonday, January 10 at theLIC library at 6.FAMILY GAME NIGHTMonday, January 10 at theSouth Jamaica library at 6.GRAPHIC NOVELISTTuesday, January 11 at 4 atthe Bay Te r race l ib rar y.Thursday, January 13 at 4at the Richmond Hill library.Meet and learn from graphicnove l i s t and ch i ld ren^ : ’ sbook au thor Ne i lNumberman in this art work-shop.WINTER CRAFTTuesday, January 11 at theQueens Vi l lage l ibrary a t4:30.DRAWING MANGATuesday, January 11 at theSeaside library at 4:30.BOOK BUDDIESTuesday, January 11 at theHillcrest library at 3:30.CHESS & CHECKERSTuesday, January 11 at 4 atthe LIC libraryDUNGEONS & DRAGONSTuesday, January 11 at theBaisley Park library. Register.CHESSWednesdays at 3:30 at theQueens Village library.TEEN GAMESWednesday, January 12 atthe Central library at 4.GAME DAYWednesday, January 12 atthe St. Albans library at 4.TEEN GAME DAYWednesday, January 12 atthe Kew Gardens Hi l l s l i -brary at 4:30.LEARN MAGICWednesday, January 12 atthe Queens Village library at4 .HISTORY OF CINEMAWednesday , January 12History of Cinema for YoungAdults at 4 at the Steinwaylibrary.DRAMA POSSEThursday, January 13 at theHillcrest library. Register.PRACTICE SATThursday, January 13 at theAstoria library at 4.DRUMSThursday, January 13 findyour rhythm at the Leffertslibrary at 4.SELF DEFENSE GIRLSThursday, January 13 at 4at the Sunnyside library.WII TOURNAMENTThursday, January 13 at theWindsor Park library. Regis-ter .ZOMBIE!Thursday, January 13 zom-bies in literature, media andfilm at 6 at the Pomonok li-brary.INTERNET SAFETYThursday, January 13 at theRidgewood library Register.HAPPY HOURFriday, January 14 at theFlushing library at 3.BOOK BUDDIESFriday, January 14 at theFresh Meadows library at 4.GAME PLAYERSFridays at the Hi l lcrest l i -brary at 2.

BOOK BUDDIESFriday, January 14 at theBayside library at 4.MLK JR.Friday, January 14 Honor-ing the Legacy of Dr. MartinLuther King, Jr. – A Commu-nity Conversation at 7 at theLangston Hughes libraryTEEN TUTORINGSaturday, January 15 at theBayside library at 10.SCIENCE FAIR HOW TOSaturday, January 15 at theRidgewood library at 1.MYSTERY BOOK CLUBSaturday, January 15 at theLIC library. Register.OPEN MICSaturday, January 16 at theCentral library at 2.ACQC SUPPORTACQC Teen Peer Suppor tGroup - informat ion, sup-port, skills development train-ing for those “touched byHIV/AIDS.” Ages 14-16. 896-2500.ART CLASSESFr idays t he A l l i ance o fQueens Artists in Forest Hillsoffers teen workshops. 520-9842.BOY SCOUTS 138Thursdays Boy Scout Troop138 meets at 7:30 at 192-15C 64th Circle, basement,Fresh Meadows. For those upto 17. 454-2391.BUKHARIAN LOUNGEBukharian Teen Lounge, forthose 15-18, at the CentralQueens YM-YWHA in ForestHills. 268-5011, ext. 202.CATALPA YMCASaturdays r ec rea t ion ,Weigh t room and f i tnesscenter available. 69-02 64th

S t ree t , R idgewood . 821 -6271.COUNSELINGCall 592-5757 for free coun-se l ing a t the Fores t Hi l l sCommunity House.DROP IN CENTERMondays-Thursday from 4-7 the Queens Rainbow Com-mun i t y Center, 30 -374Steinway Street , 2nd f loor,Astoria, holds a Drop-In Cen-ter for LGBTQQ youth up to22. 204-5955.EMPLOYMENT SERVICESunnyside Community Ser-vices Youth Employment Ser-vices avai lable. 784-6173,ext. 129.GAY GROUPMondays the AIDS Center ofQueens County has a Gay/B i /Lesb ian Yout h Group(ages 16 -21) meet ing de -s i gned to suppor t youngpeople in exploring feelingsabout sexualit y and other is-sues. 896-2500.SCOUTINGThe Rego Park Jewish Cen-ter wi l l offer boy and gir lscouting. 516-526-2492.SCOUTINGJo in Scout ing in Queens .212-651-2897.VAC YOUTH SQUADThe Glen Oaks VolunteerAmbu lance Corps YouthSquad is looking for newmembers 14-18. 347-1637.YOUTH GROUPFr iday s t h e C o m m u n i t yChurch of Litt le Neck wil lh o l d t h e i r C o m m u n i t yYouth Group from 7-9. 46-1 6 L i t t l e N e c k Pa r k way.229-2534.

Jan

. 7

-1

3, 2

01

1 P

RE

SS

o

f S

ou

th

ea

st Q

ueen

s P

ag

e 1

9

People

Verizon has provided a $25,000 grant

to the Queens Library Foundation to un-

derwrite its youth employees and science

and technology programs for children at

Queens Library.

Verizon has been a longtime supporter

of the library, donating more than

$270,000 since 1992. June Jee, Director

of Government and External Affairs for

the Verizon Foundation, presented the

check.

Verizon’s grant supports the Library’s

hiring of young people to work on its Dis-

covery Team project, and serves the dual

purpose of providing local youth with re-

sume-worthy jobs, and providing technol-

ogy education to the youngest library cus-

tomers. Discovery Team members plan

and conduct programs for the popular

Saturday Science Club at Central Library,

as well as many other science-related pro-

grams during the week. Verizon also plans

to underwrite some of the programs in

the Children’s Library Discovery Center,

scheduled to open in spring of 2011.

“We are delighted with Verizon’s sup-

port of our Discovery Team. With this

grant, young people will learn specialized

technology skills and provide computer

assistance and technology guidance to

children visiting our newest library-the

Children’s Library Discovery Center.

From smart boards to robotics, from digi-

tal storytelling to games, Verizon’s sup-

port will enable Discovery Team members

to open the world of learning through

technology to hundreds of young people

every year,” said Diana Chapin, Executive

Director, Queens Library Foundation.

“The Queens Library has always been

ahead of the curve in adopting new tech-

nologies to enhance our children’s learn-

June Jee, Director, Verizon Foundation’s

Director of Government and External Af-

fairs (l. to r.); Diana Chapin, Executive

Director, Queens Library Foundation;

Isabella Persaud & Alexander Persaud,

participants in Queens Library’s BOOST

program.

ing,” said June Jee, Verizon director of

community and external affairs in

Queens. “It’s very rewarding for Verizon

to partner - for almost 20-years — with

the Queens Library to bring new applica-

tions and technologies to the borough’s

residents and students.”

Army Spec. Ariel C. Sanchez has gradu-

ated from basic infantry training at Fort

Benning, Columbus, Ga.

During the nine weeks of training, the

soldier received training in drill and cer-

emonies, weapons, map reading, tactics,

military courtesy, military justice, physi-

cal fitness, first aid, and Army history,

core values and traditions. Additional

training included development of basic

combat skills and battlefield operations

and tactics, and experiencing use of vari-

ous weapons and weapons defenses

available to the infantry crewman.

He is the brother of Adile Sanchez of

Briarwood and Aldo Sanchez of South

Toms River, N.J. Sanchez graduated in

1994 from Thomas A. Edison High

School, Jamaica, and received a

bachelor’s degree in 1999 from St. John’s

University.

Army Pvt. Jeremy A. Solano has gradu-

ated from basic infantry training at Fort

Benning, Columbus, Ga.

During the nine weeks of training, the

soldier received training in drill and cer-

emonies, weapons, map reading, tactics,

military courtesy, military justice, physi-

cal fitness, first aid, and Army history, core

values and traditions. Additional training

included development of basic combat

skills and battlefield operations and tac-

tics, and experiencing use of various weap-

ons and weapons defenses available to

the infantry crewman.

He is the son of Consuelo Solano of

Apopka, Fla., and Abdelhag Yagoub of

Jamaica. Solano graduated in 2007 from

Ocoee High School, Fla.

The following students were named

to the Fall Term 2010 Deans’ List at

Choate Rosemary Hall: Bo-hyun Moon,

daughter of Ju-han Moon and Young-mi

Bae of Flushing; and O’Neil Bahadur, son

of Mrs. Glenderlene R. Bahadur of Queens

Village.

Located in Wall ingford, Conn. ,

Choate Rosemary Hall is an independent

secondary school enrolling 850 board-

ing and day students from 40 states and

45 countries.

Tell The PRESS

Send notices of graduation, awards,

anniversaries,

engagements and honors to:

PRESS of Southeast Queens

150-50 14th Rd.,

Whitestone, NY 11357

All announcements will be consid-

ered for publication without fee.

CLASSIFIEDS

FAX YOUR AD TO US AT718-357-0076

Sewer & Drain Sewer & Drain Roofing Roofing

Wanted To BuyRecords Wanted50’s 60’s & 70s

Original Jazz, Soul,Rock n Roll, Rhythm & Blues.

$$ Will Pay Top Dollar $$Call Joe

718-384-7554917-952-4408

$ $

Old RecordsDoo-Wop - Rock & Roll Soul - 70’s Disco - Lattin

Reggae/Callypsso - Blues - Jazzz - Gospel Blue Grass - Middle Easstern & Other Ethnnic Music

Chaarrlie

516-612-2009

♫ ♪

Wanted To Buy

Tutoring

PrivateHome Tutoring

Cert/Prof. TeachersAll Subjects. Test Prep.

718-423-2549$20 Off 1st Lesson

Contracting Contracting

Tree ServicesExterminating

AFEDERAL EXTERMINATING, LTDComplete Pest Control24 Hours • 7 Days a week

• Termites & Roaches• Ants • Bees• Spiders • Fleas• Bedbugs• Mice • RatsRESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL • FREE ESTIMATES

HONESTY IS OUR POLICYwe are a licensed, insured and

registered company • Lic# 06138

718-259-8799

• Trapping• Squirrels• Racoons • Pigeons • Etc.

ARNOLDO’S TREESERVICE

• Pruning• Stump Grinding

• Planting• City Permits Obtained• Prompt Storm Service

149-57 Beech Ave. • Flushing New York 11355Ph: 718-463-7829 Cell: 917-337-4062

Financial Sevices Financial Sevices

REGION LOANS!!NEED A LOAN!

Bad Credit, Outstanding loan, Credit Cardbills. Borrow what you need. Lowest

available rates. Personal Business. DebtConsolidation. Auto & Home Loans.

No Application Fee. Quick!

1-866-561-4443

Apt for RentOpen House

SPRINGFIELD GARDENSLegal 2 Family. Det. w/garage,

1 BR upstairs, 2 BRs dwnstairs,

finished basement, 3 full baths,

$315K. Call Realty Plush.

718-276-1255 or 347-489-0450

Open House Sundays 11am-2pmCall first

173-21 124th Avenue(Vaswani Ave.)

Newly Renovated 2 Family House2BR/2BA Duplex over potential

studio rental. $449KBroken Commission 5%

Contact 516-633-1640

ALL BOROSRms, Studios, 1, 2, 3 & 4 BR

avail. $650-$2400Section 8 programs

accepted and all others.Universal Journey Homes

718-257-6480

N Carolina Room

NORTH CAROLINAUnfurnished Room $600/mo

Male Pref’d. Own Entry,bath, fridge. Near clinic,

mall, park and more. Suitedfor SSI, SSD, Retirees.

Only serious need apply.

252-208-1144

House for Sale House for Sale

JAMAICA - 3 BR Fully Det.Huge LR, 2.5 Bth., 2 Kit., Prrvt.Drvway, Big Yd. Only 149K.Ask for Agent.347-500-5613

JAMAICA ESTATE/BAYSIDEStudio-$1000 1BR-$12002 BR-$1400 3 BR-$1650Hse Rental-$2000 & upApt. avail all over town.

NY Realtors718-464-0055

Jan

. 7

-1

3, 2

01

1 P

RE

SS

o

f S

ou

th

ea

st Q

ueen

s P

age 2

1

Conf ident ia l ly, New York . . .

Lindsay Curtis fell into model-ing almost by accident. While help-ing her friend Venus with makeupand photo shoots for models, shewas eventually convinced to stepin front of the camera.

The 18-year-old Woodhavencollege student said it isn’t goingto be a career choice for her, butrather a “side project.”

“I actually really enjoy it,” shesaid, “I do plan on continuing tomodel.”

A side project to her desiredcareer, math teacher, Lindsay isstudying at Queens College andhopes to teach math when shegraduates.

“I really enjoy math,” she said.A graduate of George WashingtonCarver High School in SpringfieldGardens, she involved herself inmath classes and math challengeswhile there and was inspired by hermath teacher to become one her-self.

Whatever free time Lindsay has,which she admits isn’t often, shespends with her friends.

“We don’t really do much,” shesaid. “We just sit at home and watchmovies.”

Lately, she said, she’s beenwatching a lot of war movies, buther taste for movies and music isvery eclectic.

“My iPod is very random,” shesaid, with everything from TheBeatles to hip-hop.

Math MajorM

odels Of QueensLindsay CurtisHome: WoodhavenAge: 18Height: 5’ 2"Weight: 135 lbsStats: 34-29-42NYPhotoByNick

Lindsay CurtisHome: WoodhavenAge: 18Height: 5’ 2"Weight: 135 lbsStats: 34-29-42NYPhotoByNick

Snowed InCalling 311 won’t help this situ-

ation.While the rest of the City was

digging their cars out of last week’sblizzard, one unlucky QConf stafferhad to dig the blizzard out of his car.

Armed with ice scraper in hand,he came to find his Jeep Wranglervirtually free of any snow on theoutside. But the poor chump wasnot as lucky as he originally thought. He opened his car to find a nicecoating of snow on the inside. Fortunately, it was on the passenger side.

We’re not sure if the Dept. of Sanitation does car detailing, but afterfour nightmarish years of dealing with this junker, the QConf stafferwished a garbage truck would just plow the damned thing away already.

Say it ain’t so, Joe.

Inside the staffer’s clunker.

Many people think Jerry Seinfeldwalked away from a goldmine when“Seinfeld” ended, but they have no ideathe paper he is commanding now.

The Queens comedian will garner apayday of £1 million ($1.5 million) for a 90minute show in London on June 3.

We know it’s not anything comparedto the sum he pulled for an episode ofSeinfeld, but consider this, there is noGeorge, Kramer, Newman or Elaine withher psychotic dancing.

The only personality he has to dealwith is his own.

Hey Jerr, this is the season of per-petual hope. Why not share?

This Queens College alum

certainly isn’t worried about

his next paycheck.

Still Filthy Rich

Ode To Queens 2010Seth Bornstein, the Executive Director of Queens Economic Devel-

opment, needs a vacation.For many of us, when we have toiled away at our jobs for too long

without a break, we get kinda punchy, and it shows. Seth, with apologiesto every poet who has ever lived, decided to send out an e-mail blastthat we couldn’t help but share with those not fortunate enough to beon his list.

This is his poem, folks – unedited:

As we bid farewell to 2010It’s time to look back and “remember when.”So turn off the computer and take out a penIt’s less techie and provides a few moments of zenHere at QEDC we’ve been busy as beesOur alphabet programs meet so many needs:EAP, WBC and Avenue NYC help small businesses lead,And Restaurant Week is a borough-wide feedThey’re packed in at Citi Field for the Taste,And we’re really in love with the Entrepreneur’s Space.Business Blueprint seminars help all win the raceAnd Discovering Queens – oh, what a place!Gotham Center is making Long Island City look snazzier,And JetBlue’s presence will make Queens Plaza classier.Shop at Skyview Center, drink bubble tea with tapioca latherThe exhibits at NY Sci and MMI help increase your brain matterDowntown Jamaica has Applebee’s and sleek apartments at Moda,In the new Rockaway Stop & Shop there’ll be black cherry soda.At expanded Kaufman Studios you may spy Ray LiottaBut Costco Rego Park toilet-paper packs outsize a Toyota

Seth, why don’t you take a day off?

Google QueensEvery year Google, the do-no-

evil internet giant that is takingover the world, puts together itszeitgeist list of the top searches bycity or region, and this year, forNew York City, the Queens Li-brary made the Top 10 – at No. 10.

Joining the ranks of suchsearches as Streeteasy, CUNYPortal and IKEA Brooklyn (the topthree), our borough’s library as-cended to the chart – the onlylisting that was uniquely Queens.Sure, Hopstop, NYC Weather,MTA and nyc.gov made the list aswell, but we don’t see the NewYork Public Library or the NewYork Yankees on the list either.

It just goes to show, if it’s outthere, it’s in the Queens Library.Congratulations, and let’s shootfor the top next year.

The show must go on… unless Assemblyman Rory Lancman hasanything to say about it.

Perhaps the most highly anticipated disaster in Broadway history,“Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark,” based on the story of our ForestHills web-slinger, has delighted and terrified audiences alikeduring a preview run in which four actors were injured – one witha concussion and another with broken ribs and internal bleeding.

“Several actors have been injured during the show’s shortpreview season, and the danger to actors, theater employees andaudience members seems to have reached unacceptable levels,”said Lancman in a letter to producer Michael Cohl, complete withthreats to hold hearings. “Turn Off The Dark” is feeling pressure

to turn off the lights.

His Spider Sense Is Tingling

Did you lose a bag full of Tiffany merchan-dise in Astoria recently?

If you did, did you think you’d ever get itback? Well someone in Astoria found your bagof Tiffany’s goodies and didn’t sell them oneBay for a nice profit or give their special some-one a free Christmas present. Instead the goodsamaritan posted flyers across the neighbor-hood with a phone number to call to claim thebag. The flyers note that there is jewelry inside.

Depending on who you talk to, the personwho found the bag is either an incrediblysincere, honest and selfless individual, or stu-pid. You decide.

Astoria Tiffany’s

Call the number if

your tiara is missing.

For now, new safety protocolsseem to have satisfied localelecteds.

Nobody say break a leg to thatcast or crew!

Pa

ge 2

2 P

RE

SS

o

f S

ou

th

ea

st Q

ueen

s Jan

. 7

-1

3, 2

01

1

Love a Good Flea Market Find?Find it at The Merrick Flea Market

MerrickFleaMarket.com • 718.341.FLEA (3532)221-02 Merrick Blvd., Springfield Gardens, NY 11413

This is BIG!!!Aqueduct Vendors

now at the

Merrick Flea Market

Featuring:

Indoors&

Heated

FREE ParkingFREE AdmissionNow Open Every: Thurs. & Fri. 10AM – 7PMSat. 9AM – 5PMSun. 10AM – 6PM

• Jewelry• Baby Clothes• Electronics

• Household Products• Leather Products

• Collectibles• Art

• One of a kind finds!!!

The Watermelon

Man withFresh

Produce

BIGSteve’s

Appliances &Generators

NameBrand

Bargains

GAPBananaRepublicMichael

Kors

MerrickFleaMarket.com

The Merrick Flea Market welcomes the new