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Volume 15 Issue No. 4 Jan. 24-30, 2014

Online at www.QueensPress.com

The City EDC is looking into the possibility of forming a new Business Improvement District in Springfi eld Gardens. By Natalia Kozikowska … Page 3.

BANDING TOGETHER

Calling New York’s Finest RestaurantsYour Best Cooks for a Good Cause

City Harvest forMid-Winter Taste

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New York restaurants are invited to participate in City Harvest’s Mid- Winter Taste event on February 26th. Thirty restaurants will showcase their best dishes to food enthusiasts, while supporting the fight against hunger.

REGISTRATION IS FREE: register by 1/31/14 [email protected] • 718-215-2983 Resorts World Casino New York City110-00 Rockaway Blvd. Jamaica, NY

PRESS of Southeast Queens Jan. 24-30, 2014

News BriefsJamaica Man Confesses To Killing Wife And Infant Children

On Wednesday, Queens DA Rich-ard Brown announced that Miguel Mejia-Ramos, of Jamaica, has been charged with the murder of his wife and two infant daughters and is pres-ently awaiting extradition to New York from Texas, where he was ap-prehended Monday night.

The charges allege that sometime between Jan. 18 and Jan. 19, Mejia-Ra-mos repeatedly stabbed his wife, Deisy Garcia, 21, and his two daughters Dan-iela Mejia, 2, and Yoselin Mejia, 1, thereby causing their deaths.

According to the statement, Mejia-Ramos admitted that after drinking beer at a friend’s house, he returned home on Saturday night at about 11 p.m. and went through the phone and Facebook account of his wife and saw a photo of her with another man and he snapped.

He admitted that he grabbed a knife from the butcher block, which was in the room and stood over Deisy and his daughters. He allegedly said that Deisy woke up and screamed and when he stabbed her, she got out of bed and ran to the front of the room. Mejia-Ramos then grabbed an-other knife and stabbed her again and twisted it in her side and it broke.

He went back to the girls and Danie-la was awake so he picked her up, gave her a hug and a kiss, asked for forgive-ness and put her back on the bed and stabbed her. He then allegedly picked up Yoselin and did the same to her.

“The defendant is accused of a particularly horrific and brutal crime – the murder of his own wife and infant daughters. I was at the crime scene Sunday night and as I said at that time ‘I’ve seen a lot in my 23 years as District Attorney but there is nothing that disturbs me more than seeing young children – in this case mere babies – as homicide victims,” Brown said in a statement.

Mejia-Ramos is being held on six counts of first-degree murder, three counts of second-degree murder and five counts of fourth-degree crimi-nal possession of a weapon. If con-victed, he faces life in prison without possibility of parole. Missing Teen Identified

The remains found along a beach by College Point have been identified as the missing teen Avonte Oquendo, according to the New York City Of-fice of Chief Medical Examiner.

On Jan. 16, the New York Police Department’s harbor unit discovered an arm and a leg along the East River near Powell Cove Boulevard and En-deavor Place in College Point, by a

14-year-old girl who was at the water’s edge trying to take a photograph.

David Perecman, the family’s at-torney, said more recently a skull and teeth were also found by the shore.

Perecman said the family has had a very difficult time throughout this whole process.

“The way it’s coming in, it’s so slow and painful. It’s really quite hard for them to deal with it,” he said.

Oquendo, 14, was last seen on Oct. 4, running out of the Center Boulevard School on 51st Street in Long Island City and since then a massive search including hundreds volunteers and police personnel looking for clues has undergo to find the autistic teen.

“Apparently, the sneakers on his feet and the socks managed to protect his feet enough that they were able to get a footprint and that will help since his mom was able to provide the baby’s footprint from birth and that doesn’t change,” Perecman said.

Civic Group Seeks To Give South Asians One Voice

A civic leader has recently started a new group to bring a louder voice to the South Asian population in Queens.

The South Asians for Empower-ment (SAFE) aims to bring people from every country in the South Asian area, including India, Pakistan, Bangla-desh, Nepal and more, according to its executive director, Jagajit Singh.

Singh said that with the new adminis-tration taking office, there is more of an opportunity for people of South Asian ethnicity to join together and make their voices heard. He said there is a need for elder South Asian people, who were born elsewhere and immigrated to this country as teenagers or adults.

“There has to be some larger um-brella, which acts as a bridge for every-body to come together. That is how I see the role of South Asians for Em-powerment,” he said. “In a democracy, the louder the voice, the more you are heard. If everybody gets together and shouts, we will be heard.”

Singh came to the United States from India in 2001, just nine days be-fore the Sept. 11 attacks. He was in-volved politically in his home country, but came stateside to learn about non-profits and how to run an organization that focuses more on helping people rather than making money. Singh said, unlike the United States, they do not have nonprofit organizations in India.

The group will have a town hall meeting on Sunday, Jan. 26, at the Sikh Cultural Center in Richmond Hill.

The meeting will begin at 11:30 a.m. The Cultural Center is located at 96-30 118th St.

Jan. 24-30, 2014 PRESS of Southeast Queens

Presstime

The City Economic Development Corporation is ex-ploring the concept of bringing a BID into Springfield Gardens.

BY NATALIA KOZIKOWSKA

Forest Hills attorney and Queens Village native Munir Avery an-nounced that he has thrown his hat in the race to replace embattled State Sen. Malcolm Smith (D-Hollis), who is still awaiting trial on corruption charges.

Avery joins challenger Clyde Vanel, a Cambria Heights attorney who fin-ished second to Councilman I. Daneek Miller (D-St. Albans) in last year’s race to replace a term-limited Leroy Com-rie.

Despite facing up to 25 years in prison on charges that he tried to rig the mayoral election, Smith also an-nounced that he will be running for reelection.

As a long-time Southeast Queens resident, Avery, a Democrat, said he always knew he wanted to run for of-fice, representing the district he calls home.

“I’m running because I was born and raised in the district. I love South-east Queens and the people here,” he said. “When I visit the churches, the mosques, the synagogues and the tem-ples, they all tell me we need a person with integrity who will provide honest,

Avery Seeks To Replace An Embattled State Sen. Smithrespectful representation. I am that person.”

Though this is the first time Av-ery is running for office, he is no stranger to the political landscape. He currently serves as counsel to As-semblyman Michael Simanowitz (D-Flushing) and is vice president of the Adlai Stevenson Regular Democratic Club.

Avery has also worked as direc-tor of constituent affairs for former councilwoman Diana Reyna and served as a representative for the 103rd Precinct under Queens DA Richard Brown – experiences he said he believes make him qualified to fill the seat.

“I have worked in legislative of-fices doing constituent services for quite some time and know how to help our constituents navigate the system to make sure they get the ser-vices they need,” he said.

In running for the District 14 Sen-ate seat, Avery said he hopes that Democrats will regain control of the chamber. Although he did not men-tion the Senator by name, in August, Smith joined forces with the Inde-pendent Democratic Conference – a coalition designed to prevent

the Senate Democratic caucus from taking power, even after winning the majority of Senate seats in last year’s elections.

“I would love to see the Demo-crats take over the chamber,” Avery said. “I would love to see the Democrats have their chairmanships and have their seats so we can start pushing a pro-gressive agenda.”

When asked about his thoughts on Smith’s decision to run for re-election in light of his scandal, Avery refrained from criticism.

“I believe that all people are innocent un-til proven guilty. He is still a public servant,” he said. “He has served for many years and all Americans should get involved and run and be a part of the system. That’s what makes Amer-ica great and that’s what makes our democracy strong.”

If elected, Avery said that he will be primarily focused on bringing more resources into his community – especially for the youth.

“We need to make sure our schools

are getting their fair share of funding. We need to end co-locations and the focus on testing. We need to start focus-ing on creating well-rounded, produc-tive members of society and empower-ing young men and women to achieve

their dream,” he said. “We need our children to have universal pre-k edu-cation. Our young people need jobs. We need more services for our young people and we need to get them involved.”

Citing his experience as an elder law attor-ney, Avery said he also believes there are not enough resources avail-able for senior citizens in

the district.“There are many seniors who are

being abused and neglected, so I would like to see more funding for case workers, social workers and home health aides so that we could be more proactive about going out and finding the seniors that need as-sistance,” he said.

Reach Reporter Natalia Kozikowska at (718)357-7400 Ext. 123 or [email protected] or @nkozikowska.

Munir Avery


Earlier this month, the City Eco-nomic Development Corporation announced that it is working with lo-cal businesses, property owners and tenants to explore the concept of an industrial Business Improvement District for the off-airport area in Springfield Gardens.

According to a spokesperson for the EDC, last year, the City agency joined forces with the Port Author-ity and conducted a study that de-termined there was a high demand for a BID near John F. Kennedy Airport.

“During our interactions with local businesses, it seemed like some type of business association was needed to promote the area and address the concerns of the business owners in the area,” the rep said. “EDC has been working with a consultant team and a planning committee made up of residential, commercial and in-dustrial property owners, business tenants and other stakeholders to further explore this concept.”

To date, the EDC has held three organizational meetings to discuss

EDC Pushes For BID In Springfield Gardens

the concept with local residents, members of Community Board 13 and various local organizations – most of which appear to be on board with the project.

“So far the community has been very interested and engaged in the effort,” the spokesperson said. “Busi-ness owners acknowledge the diffi-culty of not having a unified voice that works on their issues and con-cerns.”

Although still in its early stages, State Sen. James Sanders (D-South

Ozone Park) said he is excited at the prospect of bringing a BID to Springfield Gardens.

“I think that we have a real opportu-nity here. We have a very large industrial area that exists around the airport,” Sanders said. “This gives us the opportunity to do some sector-organiz-ing rather than leaving it ad-hoc.”

Because of its close proximity to JFK Airport, Sanders said he believes a BID in Springfield Gardens will help boost economic conditions in his district by netting jobs for residents.

“The largest employers in Queens are the airports. The airports are cur-rently undergoing a boom in employ-ment,” he said. “There is no reason why, with the proper aid from the City, that we cannot create many more jobs to take advantage of the booms in these airports.”

In addition to creating employ-

ment opportunities, BIDs provide supplemental funds for the area to spend on things like enhanced se-curity, signage and snow removal. A BID also provides the local business community with an advocate to rep-resent their needs and concerns.

Currently, there is only one in-dustrial BID in Queens, located on 180th Street in Jamaica. There is also one BID in the planning process for Long Island City.

The BID formation process is overseen by the Dept. of Small Busi-ness Services. Right now, the EDC is working to form a planning committee that will conduct a needs assessment, draw the proposed boundaries of the district and will recommend a budget and property tax assessment level.

The EDC’s proposal will later be presented to the area businesses, property owners and residents and if the community is supportive, it will be reviewed by the City Planning Commission and City Council for approval.

Reach Reporter Natalia Kozikows-ka at (718)357-7400 Ext. 123 or [email protected] or @nkozikowska.

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On Jan. 20, dozens of parents and their children gathered at the St. Albans Presbyterian Church to celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King’s legacy at the fourth annual Dream to R.E.A.D. event.

The celebration, hosted by the Queens Community Parent-Teacher Student Association, sought to stress the importance of parental involve-ment and encourage children to read and write – all while learning about King and his historic relevance in the Civil Rights Movement.

Students from a variety of neigh-borhood schools celebrated the day by reading together and hearing a few words of encouragement from three authors, Guishyloh Boursiquot, DaeQuan Morrison and Tina An-derson Crayton – all of whom were published before they even entered junior high school.

Parents, like James Tatum, took advantage of the day off from work to spend the day with their children and show their support.

“This is all about making sure she continues reading and increasing her vocabulary. I think it’s extremely im-portant,” said Tatum, who attended the event with his daughter Janilla. “I

Parents And Students Embrace MLK’s Legacyam the PTA president at her school, PS 37. I am also president of the fa-ther’s club. Parental involvement in a child’s education is most important thing that you can do because they need that guidance and enlighten-ment.”

In his experience as PTA presi-dent, Tatum said, far too many fa-thers are not involved with their children’s education. This is why he believes it is especially important for dads to attend events like these in the community.

“The most important thing is that we as males need to have more of an influence on our children,” he said. “I’m sad to say that there are a lot of males that are not involved with their families and a lot of women need to be mom and dad.”

In addition to encouraging his daughter to continue reading, Tatum said he was looking forward to shar-ing King’s legacy with his daughter.

“He was a man that was for all the people, but he loved children. Chil-dren are our legacy and he stressed that,” he said. “I heard a lot of speeches growing up, when I was her [Janilla’s] age and I love telling her the stories.”

Following a musical performance by the Angels of Harmony, author and

The Angels of Harmony kick off St. Albans Presbyterian Church’s Martin Lu-ther King Jr. Day celebration with vocal performances. The event was hosted by the Queens Community Parent-Teacher Student Association and was meant to encourage parental involvement and reading and writing for students.

curator for History MEETS Hip Hop, Syreeta Gates, gave her keynote ad-dress in which she shared her success story, encouraging students to pursue their dreams much like she did.

“It feels amazing to be able to share my story,” she said. “My grandmother always said, to whom much is given, much is required. If I have the oppor-tunity to share what I’ve learned in my 25 short years with a host of young people, that’s always phenomenal.”

“It’s necessary to bring things like this in the community, especially when people from the community put on the event,” Gates added. “It’s necessary that young people use platforms like this to demonstrate their talents. It’s a beautiful thing to watch.”

Reach Reporter Natalia Kozikows-ka at (718)357-7400 Ext. 123 or [email protected] or @nkozikowska

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NEWLY CONSTRUCTED APARTMENTS FOR RENT

Rufus King Court Apartments is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for 46 affordable housing rental apartments now under construction at 148-19 90th Avenue in the Jamaica section of Queens. This building is being constructed through the Low Income Housing Credit Program (LIHC) and the NYS Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program (SLIHC) of the New York State Homes and Community Renewal (HCR) and the Inclusionary Housing Program of New York City’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD). The size, rent and targeted income distribution for the 46 apartments are as follows:

# Apts. Available

Apartment Size

Household Size* Monthly Rent** Total Annual Income Range***

Minimum - Maximum

1 Studio 1 $659 $24,515 - $30,100

2 1 Bedroom 1 2 $709 $26,298 - $30,100

$26,298 - $34,400

3 Studio 1 $802 $29,418 - $36,120

12 1 Bedroom 1 2 $863 $31,578 - $36,120

$31,578 - $41,280

23 2 Bedrooms 2 3 4

$1,044 $37,852 - $41,280 $37,852 - $46,440 $37,852 - $51,540

5 3 Bedrooms

3 4 5 6

$1,199

$43,749 - $46,440 $43,749 - $51,540 $43,749 - $55,680 $43,749 - $59,820

* Subject to occupancy criteria ** Includes gas for cooking *** Income guidelines subject to change Qualified Applicants will be required to meet income guidelines and additional selection criteria. Households may elect to submit an application by one of two methods: EITHER online OR by mail. To submit your application online now, please visit NYC Housing Connect at www.nyc.gov/housingconnect and select “Apply for Housing.” All online applications must be submitted by March 6, 2014. To request an application by mail, please mail a self-addressed envelope to: Rufus King Court Apartments, P.O. Box 390, Floral Park, New York 11002. All mailed applications must be returned by regular mail only (no priority, certified, registered, express, overnight or oversized mail will be accepted) to a post office box number that will be listed on the application, and must be postmarked by March 6, 2014. Applications will be selected by lottery; applicants who submit more than one application will be disqualified. Disqualified applications will not be accepted. A general preference will be given to New York City residents. Eligible households that include persons with mobility impairments will receive preference for 5% of the units; eligible persons that include persons with visual and/or hearing impairments will receive preference for 2% of the units. Current and eligible residents of Queens Community Board 12 will receive preference for 50% of the units. Eligible City of New York Municipal Employees will receive a 5% preference of the units. THIS IS A 100% SMOKE FREE BUILDING

No Broker’s Fee. No Application Fee. ANDREW M. CUOMO, Governor BILL DE BLASIO, Mayor

The City of New York Department of Housing Preservation and Development

RUTHANNE VISNAUSKAS, Commissioner New York State Homes and Community Renewal

DARRYL C. TOWNS, Commissioner/CEO www.nyc.gov/housingconnect


By Steven J. Ferrari

The most strident supporters of Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viv-erito were rewarded on Wednesday with key committee chair positions, with several Queens council mem-bers coming up as big winners.

Members of the Council’s Progres-sive Caucus publicly backed Mayor Bill de Blasio’s choice for Council Speaker, with Queens members breaking away from the Queens County Democratic organization, who supported Dan Ga-rodnik (D-Manhattan).

The biggest winner from Queens is likely Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside), who was named Major-ity Leader for the City Council, while also serving as chair of the Council’s Cultural Affairs Committee.

“It has always been my goal to play a meaningful leadership role in this new, Progressive Council,” Van Bramer said. “The opportunity to serve in the second highest position in the Council is one I relish and am truly humbled by.”

Van Bramer was also appointed to co-chair a newly-created budget ne-gotiating team, which is meant to en-sure that critical City programs, proj-ects and organizations are funded in the budget process.

Queens Wins With Committee Chairs “I look forward to working

with all my colleagues to en-sure the adoption of budgets that reflect our progressive agenda,” he said.

Two other vocal supporters of Mark-Viverito, Julissa Ferreras (D-East Elmhurst) and Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights), were named to key chair posi-tions. Ferreras will head the Fi-nance Committee while Dromm will lead Education.

Ferreras, who noted that she will be the first woman and the first minority to chair the Finance Committee, said she was humbled by the opportunity.

“This momentous appointment marks an exciting milestone not only for myself and my colleagues in govern-ment, but for all New Yorkers, all people of color and all young girls who never before thought that they can grow up and shatter glass ceilings,” she said.

Dromm, a former teacher, said he looked forward to addressing educa-tion issues Citywide.

“Education has always been my passion and is what got me involved in politics in the first place,” Dromm said. “I look forward to working with Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito to address education issues such as en-

suring universal pre-kindergarten for all preschoolers, reducing class size, improving teacher morale, ensuring teachers have a role in the decision making process and fighting to cre-ate a safe and supportive environ-ment for all students but especially for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgen-der and questioning students.”

Other Queens Council members to receive prominent committee chair positions include Donovan Richards (D-Laurelton), who will chair the Environmental Protection committee. I. Daneek Miller (D-St. Albans), a former labor leader, will head the Civil Service & Labor Com-mittee. Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park),

who cut a deal to support Mark-Viverito, was named the chair of the Veterans Committee.

One committee that will not see any repre-sentation from Queens is the Rules, Privileges and Elections committee. The committee, headed by Councilman Brad Lander (D-Brooklyn), is charged with setting committee assignments and council member privileges. Mark-Viverito is also a member

of the committee. While Mark-Viverito’s supporters

were given vital positions, Queens council members who sided with the Queens County leader, U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley, spoke graciously of the roles they are set to play in the new Council.

Mark Weprin (D-Fresh Meadows), himself a candidate for speaker, was re-appointed chair of the subcommit-tee on zoning and franchises.

Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Vil-lage) was named chair of the Fire and Criminal Justice Committee, while Karen Koslowitz was named head of the State and Federal Legis-lation Committee.

the Queens delegation was given prominent leadership positions in the City Council, including Councilman Jim-my van Bramer (left) as Majority Leader, Julissa Fer-reras (middle) as the Finance Chair and Daniel Dromm (right) as the education Chair.


OF SOUTHEAST QUEENS150-50 14th Road

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

email [email protected] PRESS of Southeast Queens

Editor-in-Chief:Steven J. Ferrari

Contributing Editor:Marcia Moxam

ComrieProduction Manager: Shiek Mohamed

Queens Today EditorRegina Vogel

Photo Editor: Ira Cohen

Reporters: Natalia Kozikowska

Joe MarvilliLuis Gronda

Trisha Sakhuja

Art Dept:

Rhonda LeefoonLianne Procanyn

Barbara Townsend

Maureen CoppolaAdvertising Director

Alan GoldsherDirector of Marketing

Advertising ExecutivesMerlene Carnegie

Shari StronginBrenda Jones

A Queens Tribune Publica-tion © Copyright 2013

Tribco, LLC

Michael Nussbaum Publisher

Ria McPhersonComptroller

Letters

Op-Ed

Editorial

WRITE ON:

The PRESS of Southeast Queens,

150-50 14th Rd.Whitestone, NY 11357

email [email protected]

fax: (718) 357-9417

LettersBID A Good Idea

Southeast Queens has had a renaissance over the years, as the area has seen a great deal of development. But there is always work that can be done. For each revitalization we see, like in downtown Jamaica, there are areas that still need help.

The news that the City Economic Development Corp. is looking to create a Business Improvement District in Springfield Gardens is wonderful for businesses that may be struggling in the area. An organized BID for the area off of John F. Kennedy International Airport should give those businesses that have been in need of assistance the help they have been looking for.

Too often, we criticize the City for ignoring Queens in general, and certainly Southeast Queens is often overlooked by City govern-ment at large. Hopefully, this is a sign that the times are in fact changing, and Southeast Queens can continue its revitalization in the coming years.

District Manager Should Stay On

To The Editor:Recent articles have de-

scribed the ill-treatment of Mary Ann Carey, District Manager for Community Board 9. She has given many years of dedicated service to the Community.

Great numbers of commu-nity members have benefited

from her leadership. Despite her effectiveness, she is obvi-ously being forced out of her position.

When our community was faced with problems, be it small or huge, she was always available to hear our concerns and help us resolve issues. Her assistance has been invaluable on numer-ous occasions. No matter if it was a speeding problem

on our residential street, or inappropriate development, or graffiti, we could count on her able assist.

No person with such a long record of community service should be treated in such an insulting manner. I hope that she will be spared the political hatchet.

William Herbert,Kew Gardens

Catholic Schools Week Celebrated

To The Editor: National Catholic School

week is being celebrated from Sunday, Jan. 26 through Feb. 1 all across the country. The theme this year is “Catho-lic Schools: Communities of Faith, Knowledge and Service.” I would like to say that I applaud what Catho-lic Schools do for the youth of our country. These schools produce students strongly dedicated to their faith, families and communities by providing an intellectu-ally stimulating environment rich in spirituality, character and moral development. The teachers in these schools

I am told are dedicated to their profession and see this not just a job but an oppor-tunity to enlighten the minds of children and seek to make them the very best they can be. You see these children are the leaders of tomorrow and need what Catholic Schools offer. In closing let me say that I hope God helps us to continue to keep our fine Catholic Schools vibrant and thriving for these schools need to stay open for these children are our nation’s future.

Frederick R. Bedell Jr.,Glen Oaks Village

Driving True Education

To The Editor: The Independent Budget

Office revealed recently that 80 percent of special-needs kindergarteners in New York City’s charter schools leave those schools before they reach third grade. Why? Because the charter schools throw them out. Those pub-licly-funded private schools don’t want to take a chance with data that might make their businesses a harder sell to potential customers. Where do these kids end up? In public schools, where they contribute positively as members of the school family and where the responsibility for nurturing all kids with-out exception is cheerfully accepted. No kid is viewed as a liability there. People who live the life of educators know that. Public schools have double the percentage of special-needs kids that charter schools have and this does nobody any harm. It is a pleasure and a challenge to serve. That’s what drives true educators, not entrepreneurs masquerading as them.

Ron Isaac,Fresh Meadows

By ASSEMBlyWOMAN NIly ROzIC

For too many New York-ers, the economic recovery is an abstraction. Even with recent declarations that the great recession is long gone, I find that Queens homeown-ers are facing many financial hardships. Property taxes remain a huge burden for many families. We must sup-port all struggling to support their families as our economy recovers.

Last year, I partnered with City and State agencies to bring much-needed tax re-lief to local homeowners. Through the STAR (School Tax Relief) exemption pro-gram, many were able to save on average $700 each year on their property taxes. To regis-ter for the program or see if

you qualify for STAR, please contact my office.

Property taxes are calcu-lated by a perplexing formula. We must ensure that property owners are not overcharged in their tax assessment. To explain, property taxes are calculated by determining the property’s market value, its assessed value, its transitional values, and then applying exemptions--resulting in the annual property tax. Sounds complicated, right? This pro-cess often leaves neighbors confused and frustrated.

There is a solution: I am partnering with the Department of Finance to assist homeowners who disagree with their assessed property value and would like to challenge the calculation with the New York City Tax Commission. My office will be hosting a special tax assessment

Property Tax Assistance Available For Homeowners

workshop in February. Please contact my office if you would like to participate. All homeown-ers are welcome.

I am committed to mak-ing sure that government supports the community as we overcome economic chal-lenges together. Although the deadline is not until March 2014, I urge homeowners to file as soon as possible. My office is available to help! If you have any questions, please contact me and my dedicated staff at (718) 820-0241 or [email protected].

Assemblywoman Nily Rozic represents the 25th Assembly District, encompassing the neighborhoods of Flushing, Queensboro Hill, Hillcrest, Fresh Meadows, Oakland Gardens, Bayside Hills and Douglaston.


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By TriSha Sakhuja

Thirty-two federal, State and City elected leaders, clergy and airport workers were arrested on Martin Lu-ther King Jr. Day, after protesting to bring dignity, fairness and economic justice to the contracted employees.

One thousand people marched in unison towards the bridge to La-Guardia Airport with banners that read “MLK: Our Day.” Together they chanted, “The workers united will never be defeated,” and “We want change and we don’t mean pennies.”

The march, organized by 32BJ Service Employees International Union, which represents building service employees, blocked traffic at 94th Street and Ditmars Boulevard, after the workers asked the Port Au-thority of New York and New Jer-sey in December to make the 2014 Martin Luther King Jr. Day a paid holiday for contracted passenger ser-vice workers at LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy and Newark International airports.

According to the union, the air-lines have repeatedly refused to cor-rect the situation. 32BJ SEIU is ask-ing the Port Authority to step in and put systematic solutions in place.

The protesters are among the 12,000 workers at New York City-area airports who are employed by contractors and earn poverty wages without affordable health care ben-efits or paid sick days.

Included among the many elected officials who were arrested after par-ticipating in civil disobedience, the few to represent Queens were Coun-cilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sun-nyside), I. Daneek Miller (D-St. Al-bans) and Ruben Wills (D-Jamaica).

“In New York City, it is impossi-ble to raise a family, put food on the table and send your child to college on a minimum wage salary,” Van Bramer later said in a written state-ment. “My act of civil disobedience on the 94th Street Bridge outside of LaGuardia airport was out of solidar-

ity with airport workers who are be-ing treated unfairly.”

U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel (D-Man-hattan) was also one of the elected officials to participate in the civil disobedience and was later arrested by the police.

“What we have to do is make cer-tain that there is a livable wage for people to be able to send their kids to a decent school,” he said. “No one should be one paycheck away to homelessness. It’s not how we treat each other; it’s how we treat our lesser brothers and sisters.”

Before Rangel was arrested, he said, “I am ready to be put in jail to-day so that everyone will know that we are going to fight for decent wag-es [and] we are going to fight for sick days and pensions.”

Andrew Lloyd, a cabin cleaner contracted by Airway Cleaners, said he makes $8 per hour only because of the New York State’s minimum wage.

“I find it nonsense that I have a full time job, but I have to seek public assistance,” he said. “I have to work overtime just to support my family. I have no sick days. I have no paid vaca-tion days.”

Derick Swaby, an employee for PrimeFlight Airline Services at New-ark Airport, said he started working for the company for merely $7.25 per hour, but this year he said he makes $8.25 per hour, which is solely due to the State’s increase in minimum wage and not his company.

“It’s 46 years after the passing of Dr. Martin Luther King; we are still struggling to get decent wages,” he said. “Today is an important day in a workers’ life and we don’t even get paid for today.”

Public Advocate Letita James stepped up to the podium loudly chanting, “No Justice, No Peace.”

“Dr. King would have been out here demanding fair wages,” she said. “Dr. King would have been here today demanding that we have a paid holiday. Dr. King was against income

By LuiS Gronda

A group of Queens Republicans gathered on Tuesday to condemn comments by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, which they called “hate speech.”

The Queens Village Republican Club called on Gov. Cuomo to apologize and retract statements he made earlier this week about Republicans not belonging in New York.

The Governor has come under fire for saying during a radio inter-view that “extreme conservatives who are right-to-life, pro-assault weapon and anti-gay” do not be-long in New York because “that’s not who New Yorkers are.”

A group of Queens Republi-cans said, at a press conference at Queens Borough Hall on Tuesday, the Governor should apologize for the comments.

Phil Orenstein, a member of the Queens Village Republican Club, was among the ones to express their disapproval of the comments.

“We say no to Governor Cuomo. We will not leave New York State. We were born here, we raised our family here and we’ll continue to live in New York State with our opinions and freely express them,” he said.

Joe Concannon echoed Oren-stein’s sentiment, saying he repre-sents all citizens of New York.

“We don’t need a Governor go-ing out and being derisive and using

language which just doesn’t belong in the public lexicon,” Concannon said. “This isn’t something that he should be doing as the Governor of our state.”

The Queens GOP also sent out a statement, expressing their disap-proval over the controversial com-ments.

“It’s shocking, to say the least, that the Governor thinks he can tell New Yorkers how they should think. That he would actually outline a litmus test for what beliefs he finds accept-able for people in New York to hold,” GOP Chairman Phil Ragusa said.

Following several published re-ports about his comments, the Gov-ernor’s office issued a statement saying Cuomo’s words were miscon-strued and he was not saying that Re-publicans should leave New York.

“It is clear that the Governor was making the observation that an ex-treme right candidate cannot win statewide because this is a political-ly moderate state (either moderate Republican or moderate Democrat-ic),” the statement read in part.

When asked to respond to the statement, Orenstein said they are just trying to save face in light of the backlash and they will push for an apology from the Governor.

He added that they plan on taking a trip to Albany in the near future to protest the comments further.

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

Workers arrested after rallying For Paid holiday

inequality. Dr. King died marching for sanitation workers. Dr. King died because he believed that we should not have a country where people are living with poverty wages.”

She said they urge the Port Au-thority to do what is right because too many airport workers are living on food stamps and public assistance.

SEIU’s president, Hector Figueroa, who started the march after speaking, said the work of Dr.

King is not finished 50 years later because workers in the airport living in this economy are still earning pov-erty wages.

“We stand together to say enough is enough,” he said. “We are living people and we deserve better.”

The Port Authority was unable to comment in time for press.

Reach Reporter Trisha Sakhuja at (718) 357-7400, Ext. 128, [email protected], or @Tsakhuja13.

Queens republicans Protest Gov. Cuomo’s Comments

Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito was one of several council members to rally to make MLk day a paid holiday for airport workers in the new york City-area.

Thousands of people marched chanting “We want change and we don’t mean pennies” on Martin Luther king jr. day.


“CUNY today has a world class faculty, an outstanding repu-tation and the most diverse student body in the nation.”

-James Milliken

James Milliken

BY JOE MARVILLI

A new year, a new chancellor.The City University of New York

has named James Milliken, a New York lawyer and long-serving college administrator, as its next chancellor. He is the successor to Matthew Goldstein, who announced his resignation in April 2013. Milliken is due to start his new job in June.

Milliken previ-ously served as the president of the Uni-versity of Nebraska, a position he has held since 2004. From that system, he will move to the larger challenges of CUNY’s 24 institutions and its 540,000 students.

James Milliken Named As CUNY ChancellorThe CUNY trustee board was

unanimous in its selection, with Mil-liken getting all 14 votes. More than 50 candidates were considered, with a shortlist of about a dozen making

it to the interview process.

Milliken will re-ceive a salary of $670,000, not in-cluding the use of a car and residence.

The new chan-cellor was raised in Fremont, Neb. and graduated from the University of Ne-braska. In 1983, Mil-liken received a law

degree from New York University, which he used while working for the City’s Legal Aid Society. Soon after, he became a litigator specializing in securities and commodities.

Joining the faculty of the Uni-versity of Nebraska in 1988, Mil-liken established research and edu-cation programs in China, India and Brazil as well as an institute that addressed the challenges of clean food and water.

Milliken said he was “honored” by his selection and he plans to build on the school system’s achievements.

“CUNY today has a world class faculty, talented students, an out-standing reputation, rising enroll-ments, increased academic stan-dards and the most diverse student body in the nation,” he said.

Although the vote was undis-puted, the Professional Staff Con-gress, a union representing 25,000 CUNY faculty and staff, was frus-trated that it was left out of the de-cision-making process. However, it did also welcome Milliken and said it hopes to have positive inter-actions with him.

“We hope that the new chancel-lor will be an aggressive advocate for the entire University, and will rededicate CUNY to its bold mis-sion of providing top-quality col-lege education to all New Yorkers,”

BY JOE MARVILLI

A piece of legislation meant to protect the rights of religious individ-uals is on its way to becoming law.

On Jan. 14, the New York State Assembly passed the Religious Garb bill, which would prohibit workplace discrimination against attire worn for a religious purpose. The legislation is being sponsored by Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Fresh Meadows) and co-sponsored by William Scar-borough (D-Jamaica).

Weprin put together the bill in re-sponse to complaints from religious communities that feel their religious garb or facial grooming has led to dis-criminatory practices. The memo for the bill listed the case of a Sikh MTA worker as an example. The employee objected to being told to remove his turban and wear the MTA hat. When the MTA responded that he could wear the turban if he attached an MTA badge to the front of it, he said this was unacceptable as it would not be religiously proper. The bill would seek to prevent these incidents from occurring.

Besides protecting the rights of uniformed employees by amending the civil-rights law, executive law and labor law, the bill would apply to all New Yorkers, protecting them from discrimination for wearing any sort of religiously motivated or mandated garb as long as it does not

pose a hazard to that person or to the public.

The legislation received wide sup-port in the Assembly, passing by a vote of 133-1. The sole vote against the act was by Assemblyman Al Graf (R-Holbrook).

The bill is being sponsored by State Sen. James Sanders (D-South Ozone Park) in the Senate, although it has not yet come to a vote. Weprin’s communications director, Celia Dos-amantes, said that the bill does have bi-partisan support and that Gov. Andrew Cuomo would like to sign the bill, so it has a good chance of becoming law by late February.

“It is an unacceptable that work-ers have faced discrimination for wearing their religious attire or fa-cial hair because it is an infringe-ment on their civil liberties,” Weprin said. “Let us be a state that contin-ues to promote diversity, leadership and service in our communities and businesses.”

Religious leaders throughout the City backed the potential law.

“We urge all of our state law mak-ers to support the Religious Garb bill so that New York State can continue to lead the way for religious and ra-cial tolerance,” Gurdev Kang, presi-dent of the Sikh Cultural Society, said.

Reach Reporter Joe Marvilli at (718) 357-7400, Ext. 125, [email protected], or @Joey788.

Assembly Passes Religious Garb Bill

President Dr. Barbara Bowen said. “We call on the new chancellor to listen to the faculty and respect our knowledge and our experience in the classroom.”



pix Photos by Joe Marvilli

Photo by Luis Gronda

Top: On Jan. 16, the Queens Cham-ber of Commerce honored a number of developers and local organiza-tions at the annual Building Awards and Reception, held at the LaGuar-dia Marriott Hotel. Queens Chamber President Al Pennisi presents repre-sentatives from City Rib in Jamaica with an award.

Right: Emily Lin of Lin and As-sociates Architects with Deputy Borough President Leroy Comrie. Lin was one of six of the architects honored with lifetime achievement awards.

Honoring Dr. King

Councilman Daniel Dromm, center, was the keynote speaker at Elmhurst Hospital’s annual event honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Also pictured are Atiya Butler, EHC director of external affairs, left; Regina Green, EHC labor caucus; Wayne Zimmermann, EHC chief operating officer; Olivia Crum, EHC joint labor management co-chair; Priscilla Carrow, EHC joint labor management assistant co-chair; Bar-bara Jackson, Democratic District Leader; Carlos Cortes, EHC commu-nity advisor board chairman; and Deborah Diggs, dancer.

Convention Wisdom

The first Queens Baseball Convention took place over the weekend at McFadden’s at CitiField. The event included panels, signings and Q&A sessions. Above, former Met Ron Darling signs an autograph for a fan.

Building Award Winners


Police Blotter

CALL CRIME STOPPERS1-800-577-TIPS

Borough Beat

BY JOE MARVILLI

When it comes to traffic fatalities in the City, there is only one number that Mayor Bill de Blasio wants to see: zero.

On Jan. 15, de Blasio outlined his plan for the Vision Zero Initiative, a strategy with a goal of reducing traffic fatalities in the City to zero within 10 years. He announced the interagency group that would be charged with fulfilling that goal. The NYPD, the Dept. of Transportation, the Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene and the Taxi and Limousine Commission are responsible for developing a compre-hensive traffic safety plan.

Although 2014 is less than a month old, 11 New Yorkers have been killed in traffic incidents, seven of them pedestrians. According to the Dept. of Health and Mental Hygiene, being struck by a car is the leading cause of injury-related death for children younger than 14, and the second leading cause of injury-related death for senior citizens.

De Blasio made the announce-ment in Woodside near the intersec-tion of Northern Boulevard and 61st Street, where eight-year-old Noshat Nahian was hit and killed by a truck on Dec. 20.

“We aren’t going to wait and lose a son, a daughter, a parent or a

Mayor Announces Vision Zero Initiative

grandparent in another senseless and painful tragedy. Our top responsibil-ity is protecting the health and safety of our people,” de Blasio said.

The interagency group will report to de Blasio by Feb. 15 with tangible strategies to improve at least 50 dan-gerous corridors and intersections annually, to expand the number of 20 miles per hour zones, to pursue a traffic safety legislative agenda and to dedicate sufficient police resourc-es and personnel to deter dangerous behavior, like speeding and failing to

yield to pedestrians. While these ideas are still being

formulated, de Blasio also announced some immediate measures the City is taking to curb dangerous driving. Speed cameras recently installed on New York City streets will now issue tickets to enforce the law on danger-ous roads. Police Commissioner Bill Bratton announced that the NYPD is increasing the number of highway officers. He has already increased it by 10 percent, with the eventual goal of increasing the staff by 50 percent

to a total of 270 personnel. Steve Scofield, the Queens Activ-

ist Committee co-chair at Transporta-tion Alternatives, praised the Vision Zero Initiative for its thoroughness and its effort to transform traffic safety in the City. He added though that he would like to see engineer-ing solutions to dangerous streets, lower speed limits and a greater fo-cus on publicity and educational campaigns.

“As long as Mayor de Blasio fol-lows through on his initial concen-tration on Vision Zero, I think he will be successful,” he said. “There exists an overwhelming consensus among New Yorkers that our street culture is in need of transformation, especially in light of the recent spate of tragic fatalities. If our elected of-ficials and residents can successfully rally around Vision Zero, our city at large stands to become a safer, more vibrant place to live, work and com-mute.”

State Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria), who was also at the press conference, called for the passage of his legislation that would make it a felony for individuals who drive with a suspended licenses and kill or in-jure someone in the process.


State Sen. Michael Gianaris speaks at Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Vision Zero Ini-tiative press conference. The initiative’s goal is to reduce traffic fatalities in the City to zero within 10 years. Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, Queens Bor-ough President Melinda Katz and other Queens elected officials also showed up in support of the policy.

103rd PrecinctTriple Homicide

At 7:07 p.m. on Jan. 19, police re-sponded to a 911 call of three uncon-scious females inside of an apartment at 90-20 Sutphin Blvd., Jamaica.

Upon arrival, officers discovered three female victims in a bedroom, each with multiple stab wounds. The first victim, identified as Deisy Gar-cia, 21, was stabbed multiple times in the torso. The second victim, iden-tified as Daniela Mejia, 2, was also stabbed multiple times in the torso. The third victim, Yaslin Mejia, 1, was stabbed multiple times in the chest.

EMS also responded to the loca-tion and pronounced all three vic-tims dead at the scene. There have been no arrests and the investigation is ongoing.

104th PrecinctFatal Collision

At 11:20 a.m. on Jan. 18, police responded to a report of a pedestrian struck in the vicinity of Grand Av-enue and 69th Place.

Upon arrival, police ob-served the victim, identi-fied as Angela Hurtado, 68, of Elmhurst, lying on the ground with head and body trauma. EMS also respond-ed and transported Hur-tado to Elmhurst Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

A further investigation determined that the victim was crossing Grand Avenue when she was allegedly struck by a black 2002 Mit-subishi Montero, operated by Abel Tinoco, 28, of Richmond Hill, who was making a left turn onto Grand Avenue.

The driver of the vehicle stayed on the scene and was taken into custody without incident. He was later charged

This suspect is wanted for a forc-ible touching inci-dent within the con-fines of the 115th Precinct.

with aggravated unlicensed operation. HOMICIdE – At 2:10 a.m. on

Jan. 18, police responded to a call of a male stabbed in front of 81-07 Cypress Hills St., in Ridgewood. Upon arrival, police observed Emilliano Llames, 26, of Brooklyn, unconscious and unre-sponsive with multiple stab wounds to the chest. EMS responded and transported the victim to Jamaica Hos-pital, where he was pro-nounced dead.

There are no arrests at this time and the investiga-tion is ongoing.

115th Precinct Forcible Touching

The NYPD is asking the public’s assistance identifying and locating the following suspect wanted for a forcible touching incident that oc-

curred within the confines of the 115th Precinct.

At 8:05 a.m. Jan. 16 on a Manhat-tan-bound 7 train at the 74th Street Roosevelt Avenue station, a male touched a 16-year-old female over her clothing in her groin and buttocks area, then fled on foot. The victim did not sustain any physical injuries as a result of the incident.

The suspect is described as an His-panic male, between 30-35 years, ap-proximately 5-foot-9, last seen wear-ing a tan baseball cap, black hooded sweatshirt, a red turtleneck and sunglasses. Anyone with informa-tion should call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at (800) 577-TIPS, visit www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or text tips to 274637 (CRIMES), then enter TIP577.


A & E

BY JOE MARVILLI

Although Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers are the official performers for Super Bowl XLVIII, Queens College will get its own mu-sical guest as J. Cole will hold a con-cert at the school.

With the divisional playoffs decid-ed, the Seattle Seahawks and Den-ver Broncos are gearing up to visit MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Home to the New York Giants and Jets, the Super Bowl on Feb. 2 has New York abuzz, with celebrations and events being held at bars and venues across the City. In Queens, rapper and St. John’s Uni-versity graduate J. Cole will appear at Queens College on Jan. 27 as part of the VH1 Super Bowl Blitz.

One of six events to be held and broadcast live by VH1, the concert will take place in Colden Auditorium from 11 p.m. to midnight. The doors will open at 9:30 p.m. Besides the

J. Cole To Perform At Queens Collegeheadliner, attendees will also hear from the show’s hosts, Nick Can-non and Stacy Keibler.

“VH1’s Super Bowl Blitz with J. Cole is going to be a fun night with a Grammy nominated art-ist, nationally televised on VH1,” Ninell Silberberg, associate direc-tor of marketing at the Kupferberg Center, said. “It will give students another reason to be proud to be part of the QC community.”

Raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, J. Cole first received rec-ognition as a hip hop artist with his mixtape “The Come Up.” Soon after, he got in touch with Jay-Z, who signed him to his Roc Nation music label. From there, he released his debut album, “Cole World: The Sideline Story,” in Sept. 2011.

The album’s release was part of a successful year for J. Cole. Its lead single, “Work Out,” peaked at 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and hit number three on the U.S. Hot Rap

Songs chart. The record itself went to the top of the Billboard 200 and has been certified gold since then. In June 2013, Cole released his second album, “Born Sinner.”

When it comes to awards, J. Cole was nominated for Best New Artist in 2012, losing to Bon Iver and is up

for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “Power Trip” this year.

The VH1 Super Bowl Blitz will also hold concerts in every other bor-ough in the City, as well as one show in New Jersey. R&B and soul musi-cian Janelle Monáe will play in The Bronx on Jan. 28, rock band Fall Out Boy will perform in Brooklyn on Jan. 29, TLC will appear in Manhattan on Jan. 30, the Goo Goo Dolls will play in Staten Island on Jan. 31 and singer-songwriter Gavin DeGraw will perform in New Jersey on Feb. 1.

The concerts will also be streamed live in the VH1 App, made available on-demand in the app and at SuperBowl.VH1.com

the day after each live concert.Tickets for the concert cost $37.50.

To purchase tickets, visit http://kup-ferbergcenter.org/events/vh1-super-bowl-blitz or call (718) 793-8080.


BY TRIshA sAkhuJA

Eight students from LaGuardia Community College who volun-teered for six weeks at several of the City’s homeless shelters will display their experience through theater.

The students experienced home-lessness on a first-hand basis, which resulted in a theater project titled, “Unpacking Home.”

The play, which is comprised of poetry, scenes, song and dance, will take place on Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. at the

LaGCC students Explore homelessness Through TheaterMainstage Theater. Admission to the play is free of charge.

The students from the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center have collab-orated with LaGuardia’s Humanities Department, Kingsborough Com-munity College’s theater program and the Artists Strive to End Poverty organization to put on this theatrical experience.

Stefanie Sertich, a theater profes-sor for the Humanities Department, said the students who have written and acted in the play realize that they

can make a change through their voices, bodies and stories.

Sertich said the students started the process with a full 24-hour immersion process where they stayed together in lower Manhattan and witnessed what it is like to sit outside on the street and panhandle for half-an-hour.

It is there Sertich said they asked themselves “what does ‘home’ mean and what happens if you lose that ‘home’?”

“We decided that the topic would be homelessness because it is becom-ing more prevalent and the focus is on homeless youth, and little did we know that some of our students have been homeless themselves,” Sertich said.

She said the play can be catego-rized as non-traditional theater be-cause at times, the audience will come on the stage with the students.

“The audience has a reaction to our work, it’s interactive,” Sertich said.

She said she has seen the students change through the play’s planning process because they feel validated through their work on stage.

“They seem more passionate to-wards everybody,” she said. “It’s unique because what they are learn-ing is that theater is not just a form of entertainment, it can promote change in the world.”

Mone’t Fuentes, 24, a second-year theater student at LaGCC, who has personally experienced homelessness before, said feeling invisible and having no voice during their 24-hour immer-

sion on the streets of Manhattan helped her peers embody their characters.

“We were able to put ourselves in other people’s shoes and it was an unbelievable experience,” she said.

From a facilitator and director’s point of view, Sertich said home-lessness is not the sole issue; it is a symptom of larger issues in Ameri-can society.

“It comes from financial crisis, or drug addiction or gay youth or men-tal illness,” she said.

She said the play also touches upon the stereotypes of homeless-ness, while also bringing visibility to homeless people.

“It’s more about how we as a com-munity see these invisible people,” she said. “It’s so easy to just assume that they are drunk and that they chose this. And really what we have come to find is that it’s so much more complicated than that.”

Sertich said the students have been invited to perform at the John F. Ken-nedy Center for Performing Arts dur-ing the America College Theater Festi-val on Jan. 30 in Massachusetts.

To continue their project and to bring their show to other schools and festivals, the students have started an Indiegogo.com campaign, called “Unpacking Home.” To make a do-nation, visit www.indiegogo.com/projects/unpacking-home.

Reach Reporter Trisha Sakhuja at (718) 357-7400, Ext. 128, [email protected], or @Tsakhuja13.

Student work from a Ridgewood high school will be featured at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Kids from Grover Cleveland High School are working on a da-tabase that will be placed in the American wing at the popular art museum in Manhattan.

The project is part of the school’s academy of information technology, which prepares stu-dents for tech-related careers like programming, database adminis-tration and digital networking.

Andrew Woodbridge, a teacher at Grover Cleveland and coordina-tor of the program, said the students will improve on a number of areas as

Work From Grover Cleveland To Be Featured At MoMA

a result of the project, including their interviewing and interaction skills.

“The end result is these students are going to be proficient at build-ing databases, making presenta-tions, interviewing and eventually working with clients once they go into the business world,” he said.

The students have interviewed with officials and toured the mu-seum itself to help them plan for the database and determine what should go into it.

“They worked on the project in groups and it taught them how to depend on one another to develop what is really a very sophisticated project,” Woodbridge said.

hip hop artist J. Cole, a graduate of st. John’s university, will perform at Queens College on Jan. 27 as part of Vh1’s super Bowl Blitz con-cert series.

Queens today

WEDNEsDay 1/29

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[email protected] or mail to:

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SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEKJ. CoLE

saTuRDay 1/25

ALEx BLAkE QuArtEtBass virtuoso Alex Blake will perform at Flushing Town Hall at 8 p.m. A mas-ter of the classical upright

bass and the elec-tric bass, Blake’s classical fingerpick-ing and strumming

of melodic patterns are a must-see for any music fan. Tickets are $15 for gen-eral admission and $10 for students and members. For more information, call (718) 463-7700.

A FuLLish DECkThe Secret Theatre & Queens Secret Improv Club presents “A Fullish Deck.” It’s a fun night with a roster of house-formed and veteran indie im-prov teams from all over the subway map! Six improv comedy sets featur-ing two shows every hour between 7:30-10:30. Tickets are just $7 for the whole night, one show or all six! Current teams are: Butter High, Monster Monster, Per-fect Stranglers, Petting Zoo (musical improv), Sister Sex Wolf, Funkle Todd, Mercury, and Goose.

LA rAtonErAQueens Theatre will present “La Ratonera,” AKA “The Mousetrap,” in Spanish at 8 p.m. This Agatha Christie play takes place in a guest house where eight characters are trapped because of the snow storm outside. All of those individuals were involved in a recent London crime, meaning that each of them can be a suspect or a victim. The show will also occur on Saturday, Jan. 25, at the

same time and Sunday, Jan. 26, at 3 p.m. Tickets are $20. For more information, call (718) 760-0064.

DAtE niGht tErrArium CLAss At LuLuDiLooking for a fun date night? Come enjoy soft music, wine and nibbles while you and your date together create a one-of-a-kind living world. Lu-ludi Frames, located at 23-07 24th Ave., Astoria, will sup-ply one large terrarium, soil, plants, sand, moss, crystals/pebbles/rocks, instructions, care cards and a gift box. You supply your imagina-tion. The class is limited to eight people. Tickets are $80 per couple.

FunDrAisEr For CoLin FLooDConnolly’s Bar and Res-taurant in Maspeth will host a fundraiser for Colin Flood, an 8-year-old boy diagnosed with leukemia. A friend of the Flood family will guest bartend that night and all proceedings from the night will be donated to the fam-ily. It will begin at 9 p.m. Connolly’s is located at 71-17 Grand Ave. in Maspeth.

opEn sEwThe Bayside Historical Society will present a Queens sewing social from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Fort Totten Castle. As this is an open sew, bring some-thing you are working on and join in the camarade-rie of community sewing. Some sewing machines will be available but please bring your own if possible. A pressing station and cutting station will be available at the Castle. For Show and Tell, bring a completed project to share with the group. It costs $10 for meet-up members with a RSVP on the Queens Sewing Social event page, $8 for Bayside Historical Society members and $12 for non-members.

thE ELvis BAshElvis Presley imperson-ators Scot Bruce and Mike Albert will appear at the Queensborough Performing Arts Center to perform a concert of hits from the entirety of The King’s career. Bruce embod-

ies Elvis’ from his early days through his Hollywood fame. Albert covers Presley’s later years, with his reverent voice and famous jumpsuits. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased through www.qcc.cuny.edu/qpac/index.html or by calling the box office at (718) 631-6311.

“thE LEGo moviE” hAnDs-on EvEntBarnes and Noble will hold a hands-on learning event at noon, in support of “The Lego Movie.” Activities, fun and surprises are in store for all who attend. Advance reg-istration is recommended. Barnes and Noble is located at 176-60 Union Tpke., Fresh Meadows. For more informa-tion, call (718) 380-4340.

York CoLLEGE niGhtCityRib, a restaurant in Jamaica, will host York College night at the establishment. The York College music department will provide live music for the event. It will begin at 9 p.m. Ten percent off on food with a valid college ID. CityRib is located at 89-04 Parsons Blvd.

poEtrY niGhtIf you are a poet or are a fan of poetry, come down to Forest Hills Library on Jan. 25. A group of poets from around the Bor-ough will congregate to discuss and critique their work. It is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. The library is located at 108-19 71st Ave.

FLEA mArkEt AnD CrAFt FAir The St. Joan of Arc Church in Jackson Heights invites you to join its Queens Flea Mar-ket and Craft Fair from 8 a.m. till 4 p.m. at the Msgr. Boylan Auditorium.

BuBBLE trouBLELittle Makers at the New York Hall of Science will hold this workshop on creating your very own bubble-blowing tool. Running from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the event will cost $8 per family with paid general admission and $5 per family for members. Ad-vance registration is recom-

As part of VH1’s Super Bowl Blitz, Grammy-nominated rapper J. Cole will perform at Colden Auditorium.

Hosted by Nick Cannon and Stacy Keibler, the hip-hop star’s appearance is one of six events the channel is broadcasting live throughout the New York and New Jersey metropolitan area.

The doors open at 9:30 p.m. with the show kicking off at 11 p.m. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (718) 793-8080.

mended. To do so, call (718) 699-0005 or visit http://nysci.org/little-makers.

LunAr nEw YEAr CELEBrAtionCelebrate this popular Chinese holiday with costumed folk dances, Lion Dance and traditional paper cutting and calligraphy, from 1-4 p.m. at Queens Museum in Flushing Mead-ows Corona Park.

EvEninG oF FinE FooDQueens Centers for Prog-ress will host the annual Evening of Fine Food at 6:30 p.m. at Terrace on the Park in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. The group will hand out “Chef of the Year” awards to individuals who have demonstrated a commitment to community. For information, visit www.queenscp.org.

ConCErtFleetwood Macked, a Fleetwood Mac cover band, will perform a number of hits by the clas-sic rock band live and on stage next to Bar 360 in the casino. It will begin at 8 p.m. The Casino is located at 110-00 Rockaway Blvd. in South Ozone Park.



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Yearly schedules and ad-vanced notices welcome!

QUEENS LIBRARIEScheck local libraries for toddler, pre-school, youth and teen programs.TEENS TUTOREDWeekdays at the central library. register.HW HELPcontact Laurelton, McGol-drick, Bayside and Auburn-dale libraries.TEEN CHESSFriday, January 24 Laurel-ton library at 3.CRAFTSFridays ozone Park library at 3, Briarwood and east Flushing at 4, Pomonok library at 4:30.STORYTIMEFridays Hollis library at 11:15.BOARD/VIDEO GAMESFridays rochdale Village at 4. Grades 1-6.BOARD GAMEFridays Windsor Park at 4. Ages 5-12.GAME DAYFridays 5:30 McGoldrick library.MATH HELPSaturday, Januar y 25 Flushing library at 10.SAT PREPSaturday, Januar y 25 Fresh Meadows library. register.FAMILY STORYTIMEM o n d ay, J a n u a r y 2 7 Woodhaven library at 4:30. Ages 6-12.FAMILY STORYTIMEMonday, January 27 Au-burndale library at 3:30. Pre-K to 2.COMPUTER SKILLSMonday, January 27 roch-dale Village library at 4. Grades 1-6.THE CLUBM o n d ay, J a n u a r y 2 7 Woodhaven library at 4:30. Ages 6-12.GAME DAYMonday, January 27 Mc-Goldrick library at 5:30.TEEN WIIM o n d ay, J a n u a r y 2 7 Queens Village library at 3:30.BALLET LESSONSMonday, January 27 ballet techniques for those 3-7 at the ridgewood library at 4.MANDARIN CHINESEMondays January 27, Feb-ruary 3, 10 richmond Hill library at 5:30.ONLINE UNIVERSITYTuesday, January 28 digi-tal Age education: Attend top Universities for Free online at the Middle Village library at 2:30.GAME DAYTuesday, January 28 Mc-Goldrick library at 5:30.YOUNG MENTuesday, January 28 Lau-relton library. Ages 14-19. 3:30.DRAMA CLUB

Tuesday, January 28 cen-tral library. Grades 7-12. register.TOYS & TOTSTuesday, January 28 pre-schoolers 2-5 McGoldrick library at 11:15.BINGOTuesday, January 28 Pomo-nok library at 4:30.MAMMALSTuesday January 28 Mas-peth library at 3:30. Thurs-day, January 30 rochdale Village library at 4. Satur-day, February 1 Lefferts library at 3.STRAW CRAFTSWednesday, January 29 K-6 Flushing library at 4.LUNAR NEW YEARThursday, January 30 6-12 stories, craft, more central library at 4.FASHION MAVENSThursday, Januar y 30 central library.4:30. Ages 13-18.ARTS & CRAFTSThursday, January 30 4:30 at the Auburndale library.DRAMA POSSEThursday, January 30 Hill-crest library at 4:30.CREATIVE WRITINGThursday, January 30 Au-burndale library at 5. Ages 8-12.CIRCLE OF FRIENDSThursday, January 30 Glen oaks library at 1:30. Ages 3-5.

INTER. POWERPT.Friday, January 24 central library. register.INTRO INTERNETFriday, January 24 Hill-crest library. register.BEGIN COMPUTERSFridays, January 24, 31 Au-burndale library. register.BEGIN POWERPOINTSaturday, January 25 cen-tral library. register.INTER. POWERPOINTSaturday, January 25 cen-tral library. register.INTER. EXCELSunday, January 26 cen-tral library. register.INTRO EMAILMonday, January 27 cen-tral library. register.DIGITAL MEDIA/E-READMonday, January 27 Lef-ferts library. eBooks, Kin-dles and nooks. 6pm.DOWNLOAD E-BOOKSTuesday, January 28 Flush-ing library. register.BEGIN EXCELTuesday, January 28 Flush-ing library. register.TECHNOLOGIST IS INTuesday, January 28 per-sonal instruction on de-vices. Pomonok library. register.BEGIN INTERNETTu e s d ay, J a n u a r y 2 8 Queens Village library. register.BEGINNERSTuesdays Laurelton and rosedale librar y. reg-isterINTRO POWERPOINTWednesday, January 29 Pomonok librar y. reg-ister.BEGIN COMPUTERSWednesday, January 29 Windsor Park library at 11:30.INTRO EMAILWednesday, January 29 central library. register.MASTERING EXCELThursday, January 30 cen-tral library. register.BEGIN COMPUTERSThursday, Januar y 30 ozone Park library.

NETWORKINGFriday, January 24 central library. register.BARRIERS TO JOBSFridays, January 24, 31 overcoming Barrier to em-ployment at the central library. register.KNIT & CROCHETFridays Fresh Meadows library at 11.CHESS CLUBFridays at 3:30 at the Au-burndale library and 4 at the Woodside library.QUILTING CLASSMonday, January 27 St. Albans library. register.BALLROOM DANCINGMonday, January 27 For-est Hills library at 6:30ADULT CHESSMondays and Thursdays Queens Village library at 5:30.RESUMES/COVER LTRTuesday, January 28 cen-tral library. register.ONLINE COLLEGETuesday, January 28 Mid-dle Village library at 2:30. From basic ed to graduate studies.CHESSTuesdays rosedale library at 4.SMALL BUSINESSTuesdays Small Business Workshop at the central library. register.MOCK INTERVIEWSWednesday, January 29 central library. register.MOCK INTERVIEWSThursday, January 30 cen-tral library. register.HOLA!Thursday, January 30 learn Spanish at the central li-brary. register.LEARN CHINESEThursdays north Forest Park library at 6.

DIVAS OF JAZZF r i d a y , J a n u a r y 2 4 rosedale library at 6.GAME DAYFridays 4:30 Woodhaven library.GAME PLAYERS CLUBFridays 2 Hillcrest library.WOMEN COMPOSERSSaturday, January 25 Flush-ing library at 1:30.ANOKO NANTE ENSEM-BLESaturday, January 25 cen-tral library at 3.SINATRA…Saturday, January 25 trib-ute to Sinatra, darin and davis, Jr. at the Jackson Heights library at 3.CHILI COOKOFFSunday, January 25 1-3 at Grace church of Whit-estone, 14-15 clintonville Street.MOVIESunday, January 25 “Battle of the Year” shown at the central library at 2.MUSICA REGINAESaturday, January 25 at 7:30. 551-8244.ELVIS BIRTHDAYSaturday, Januar y 25 Queensborough commu-nity college. 631-6311.B W Y & N I G H T C LU B SONGSMonday, January 27 Mid-dle Village library at 2.CHARLES…Monday, January 27 trib-ute to charles, Wonder and Gaye at the Queens Village library at 3:30.VIOLIST MEYERM o n d ay, J a n u a r y 2 7 Woodside library at 3:30.STEVE BIKOMonday, January 27 dra-matic presentation of the life of the great South Afri-can anti-Apartheid activist Steve Biko at the cambria Heights library at 6.MEDITERRANEN MUSICMonday, January 27 Flush-ing library at 6:30.ROCK MOTOWN DISCOTuesday, January 28 Au-burndale library at 3:30.30s-70s MUSICWednesday, January 29 Bay terrace librar y at 1:30.ROMAN HOLIDAYThursday, January 30 mov-ie at noon at the central library.

SHAPE UP NYCFridays, January 24, 31 Bri-arwood library at 11:30.CALYPSO CARDIOFridays, January 24, 31 Laurelton library at 6:30.CARDIO SCULPTUREFridays through February 28 richmond Hill library at 1.

ZUMBASaturday, Januar y 25 ridgewood librar y at 10:15.DANCE FITNESSM o n d ay, J a n u a r y 2 7 north Forest Park library at 11:30.ZUMBAMondays through June 23 (except holidays) Lic library at 7.IMPROVE MEMORYTuesday, January 28 Forest Hills library at 2:30.ALZHEIMERSTuesday, January 28 care-giver support group in For-est Hills. 592-5757, ext. 237.TAI CHITuesday, January 28 Bay-side library. register.TOTAL WORKOUTTuesday, January 28 Bri-arwood library at 5:30 and

ridgewood library at 6.HI BLOOD PRESSUREWednesday, January 29 Broadway library at 11:30.CHAIR YOGAWednesday, January 29 Jackson Heights library. register.CHANGE HEALTH CAREThursday, January 30 Mc-Goldrick library at 1:30.

KNITTING CLUBFridays, January 24, 31 Glen oaks library at 11.JEWISH VETSSunday, January 26 Jew-ish War Veterans of the U SA m e e t a t K i s s e n a Jewish center in Flush-ing. 463-4742. Korean War Vet Soccer team also meets.QUILTING CLUBMondays Alley Pond envi-ronmental center 2:30. $5. 229-4000.NY CARESMonday, January 27 to re-cruit new volunteers at the Forest Hills library at 3.KNIT & CROCHETMonday, January 27 doug-laston library at 4.KNIT & CROCHETTuesday, January 28 Stein-way library at 5.SE QUEENS CAMERATuesday, January 28 roy Wilkins Family center. 347-7178.CHESS CLUBTuesdays Windsor Park library at 5:30 and Howard Beach library at 4.7:30. 969-2448.CDEC 26Thursday, January 30 pub-lic meeting at 7, business meeting at 8. MS67 in Little neck. 631-6927.KNITTING CLUBFriday, January 31 Queens Village library at 1:30.ACADEMY CHARTERMondays, Februar y 3, March 3, April 7, May 5, June 9 central Queens Academy charter School meeting 7-9:30 at 55-30 Junction Blvd., elmhurst. 261-6200 to register.

STEINWAY M o n d ay, J a n u a r y 2 7 “Astray” discussed at 6:30.BOOK LOVERSThursday, January 30 se-lections and recommenda-tions at 5:30 at the Hollis library.

DEFENSIVE DRIVINGMonday, January 27 Lau-relton library. 479-8914.SNAP OUTREACHThursday, Januar y 30 awareness in SnAP and other food and benefits programs for seniors at the Jackson Heights library at 11.FIRE SAFETYThursday, Januar y 30 Woodside library at 4.

GARDENING CLUBSaturdays in the Steinway library courtyard at 4.ORATORIO SOCIETYMondays temple Beth S h o l o m i n F l u s h i n g . 279-3006. Auditions re-quired.COMMUNITY SINGERSMondays community Sing-ers at Messiah Lutheran in Flushing. 658-1021.SCRABBLE CLUBTuesdays at the east Flush-ing library at 3:30.MEN’S CLUB SOCCERTuesday evenings Forest Hills Jewish center 8-9:30. 263-7000.WOMEN’S GROUPFridays Woman’s Group of Jamaica estates meets at noon. 461-3193.

TEENS & KIDS HEALTH

COMPUTERS

TALKS

WEEKLY MEETINGS

Queens Today

ENTERTAINMENT

SENIORS

EDUCATION

MEETINGS


People

Profile

Local students were named to the Dean’s List for the fall 2013 semester at SUNY Oneonta. They include:

Hollis: Brittany Farmer, Alexandra Windland.

Jamaica: Felicia Magnan, Jamie Piter.

Rosedale: Tiffany Squire. St. Albans: Adia Watts.

North Shore-LIJ Health System recently announced the appointment of Laura S. Peabody, JD, as its new senior vice president of legal affairs and chief legal officer, and Andrew Schulz, JD, as vice president and general counsel.

Carmela Morales of Jamaica was named to the Dean’s List for the fall 2013 semester at Bryant University in Smithfield, R.I.

The New York Army National Guard recently announced the reen-listment of members in recognition of their commitment to serve.

Sergeant Jeremy Lee of Cambria Heights has reenlisted to continue service with the Company A (Distri-bution), 427th Brigade Support Bat-talion.

Specialist Catarina Bowen of Rosedale has reenlisted to continue service with the Company B, 101st Signal Battalion.

Sergeant Edgar Ochoa of Jamaica has reenlisted to continue service with the Headquarters and Head-quarters Company, 1-69th Infantry.

Johnathan Moore of Jamaica re-ceived a degree in psychology during fall 2013 commencement ceremonies at SUNY Potsdam.

Local students were named to the President’s List for the fall 2013 semester at SUNY Oswego. They in-clude:

Ozone Park: Annibel Tejada. Queens Village: Maya Siegel. South Ozone Park: Nadia Misir.

Local students were named to the Deans’ List for the fall 2013 semester at SUNY Oswego. They include:

Hollis: Kathleen Christman. Jamaica: Helen Banjoko. St. Albans: Emmanuel Oziegbe.

Medwin Fontin of St. Albans was named to the Dean’s List for the fall 2013 term at Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford, Conn.

Lindsey Jeanniton of Laurelton was named to the Dean’s List for the


Since 2006, the Association of Women Construction Workers of America has been helping young women break into the male-dominated industry of construction. The Jamai-ca-based nonprofit has continued to expand its efforts to advocate for the advancement of all minority groups looking for a career in the field.

President and founder of AWCWA Herlema Owens began the nonprofit with her friend, the late Joi Beard, in an effort to encourage women to en-ter a career in construction – a rap-idly growing industry. The hands-on duo had already seen their careers flourish and believed that many women did not know about the op-portunities available to them.

“We wanted to gather women to-gether and bring them into the industry so that we could make it better indus-try for ourselves,” Owens said. “This is the ideal job for a woman. There are so many different opportunities and women just need to take a closer look

Free Construction Training Program Comes To Jamaica

at it – not for what they’re used to see-ing, but for what it actually is. There is a place for women in construction.”

As the organization continued to evolve, Owens and Beard decided to open the free educational program to all residents after determining that there was a need for this type of ser-vice in the community.

“No matter what their status is in life, we wanted to be able to help people get to where you want to be in this industry,” she said. “It doesn’t matter if you are a goodie-two-shoes or the worst kid on the block, if this is some-thing they need, we want to provide it for them.”

Although Owens, a self-pro-claimed ‘girly-girl,’ has been a proud member of Labor Union 731 for 27 years, she admits that she never even considered a career in construction until her husband died tragically and found herself struggling financially.

“I was basically forced into con-struction. I was in hair and beauty and fashion. I was a model and going to hair school,” she said. “Construc-tion was definitely not something I was interested in, but when my hus-band was murdered, I had to work.”

Reluctant at first, Owens decided she did not have many other options and gave it a try after a friend gave her a push. And much to her sur-prise, she fell in love with the con-struction industry.

“The first day on the job changed my life,” she said. “I actually loved it and couldn’t believe it. I was making

fall 2013 semester at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.

Latin American Cultural Center of Queens will host an ESL and U.S. Citi-zenship Test preparation courses clos-ing ceremony from 2-3:30 p.m. Jan. 25 at ARROW Community Center, 35-30 35th St., Astoria. The event will include an artistic presentation by Ma-riachi Mexico Lindo. Admission is free and refreshments will be served.

To RSVP, call (718) 261-7664 or email [email protected].

Vietnam Veterans of America Queens Chapter 32 will host a Super Bowl party at 4 p.m. Feb. 2 at 19-12 149th St., Whitestone. Food, water and soft drinks will be provided. Veterans must RSVP by Jan. 28 to [email protected] or [email protected].

good money and I couldn’t imagine doing anything else after that.”

Hoping to give the locals the same opportunity she had, AWCWA has offers a free construction training program for youth and adults in Ja-maica.

The 15-week curriculum features a series of workshops, including the basic essentials of construction and hands-on training in carpen-try, painting, pest control, plumb-ing, electrical and facilities mainte-nance. Graduating students receive a certificate of completion and are often placed by AWCWA at part-nering construction companies. Enrollment for the program is open until Jan. 30. Applicants must be 18 years or older and must provide pho-to ID, a birth certificate and a social security card. Applicants must also have a GED or high school diploma to participate in the pre-construc-tion training program, but if an ap-plicant does not have a diploma, dual enrollment in the Educational Opportunity Center’s GED program is possible.

Classes will take place at the State University of New York Equal Op-portunity Center located at 158-29 Archer Ave. and will be held Tues-days, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

For information, or to register, call (718) 725-3373 or send an e-mail to [email protected].

Reach Reporter Natalia Kozikows-ka at (718)357-7400 Ext. 123 or [email protected] or @nkozikowska.

The Association of Women Construction Workers helps community residents break into the construction industry by offering a free construction training program in Jamaica.

Upon graduating, students of AWCWA construction program receive a certificate of completion and are often placed in affiliated construction companies.


Faith

NotebookCatholic Schools Week

BY JOE MARVILLI

Even though National Catholic Schools Week is a nationwide event, it is meant to be a commemoration of the individual parishes and com-munities that impact the lives of stu-dents every day.

According to some faculty mem-bers who work at Catholic schools in Queens, the week-long celebration allows students, teach-ers, parents, staff and community members to come together in a cel-ebration of the day-to-day achievements of religious education. Running from Jan. 26 to Feb. 1 this year, Catho-lic Schools Week is not just a week of fun but a week of thankfulness for the experiences everyone in the par-ish can share.

“I think Catholic Schools Week is an opportunity to celebrate the fact that we as a parish have such a vibrant and committed Catho-lic school,” Forest Hills’ Our Lady Queen of Martyrs School principal Anne Zuschlag said.

As the annual festivities in sup-port of Catholic schools, the week-

subject to one another in the reverence of Christ.”

“It’s a celebration of who we are and what we do every day. Faith and knowledge are a daily occurrence here,” Barbara DeMaio, principal of Most Precious Blood School in Astoria, said. “As far as service goes, we have service projects that are available on a daily basis. We honor random acts of kindness con-stantly.”

Zuschlag said that Our Lady Queen of Martyrs will put forward this focus on ser-vice by honoring those in the com-munity who work in public service, such as crossing guards, the mainte-nance staff, civil servants, sanitation workers and more.

“We will be celebrating people in our community who are of service to us,” she said. “[Students] also need to recognize the service in others.”

This year’s Catholic Schools Week is also notable because it is the 40th year that the celebration has been held.

According to Zuschlag, Catholic schools were not as prominent in the City’s past as they are today. The

long event is a time for Masses, open houses and reflections on what makes a Catholic education special. Many of students are asked during the week to think about the sacrifices made by their parents, their teachers and the support staff each and every day.

“One of the things we talk to the students about regularly is

sacrifice. It’s not easy for all the parents to send their children to Catholic school,” Zuschlag said.

According to the Na-tional Catholic Educa-tional Association, the

2014 theme for Catholic Schools Week is “Communi-

ties of Faith, Knowledge and Ser-vice.”

“Faith, knowledge and service are three measures by which any Catho-lic school can and should be judged,” the association said.

Given the emphasis on communi-ty and service, the National Catholic Educational Association is asking in-stitutions to mark Catholic Schools Week by pledging 40 hours of ser-vice to their neighborhoods. Service plays a key role in the Catholic faith, as Ephesians 5:21 asks people to “be

40th anniversary is chance for stu-dents and faculty to remember the struggle Catholics had to gain a foot-hold in a Protestant-heavy City as well as to fight to make sure today’s schools remain open.

“Those sacrifices those immi-grants made years and years ago to start Catholic schools in New York City are really remarkable,” she said. “They offer an opportunity for choice in a country that’s based on choice. As more and more of these schools close, we start to lose that choice.”


Catholic Schools Week Praises The Parish

Our Lady Queen of Martyrs parish will reflect on the sacrifice made by parents and faculty as part of Catholic Schools Week.


In an effort to embrace family val-ues and bring community members together, First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica offers a free weekly program featuring play time, Bible study, a wor-ship workshop and dinner.

The nationwide program, spon-sored by the Logos Family Ministry, was adopted by First Church four years ago, after its spiritual leaders de-termined that there was a family ele-ment missing from the community.

“Many of our congregants decided that it was really important that we dig a little deeper and really enrich the lives of our families,” said Rev. Aqueelah Ligonde. “We have quite a few families here and a lot of younger children were starting to come in, so we wanted to reach out not only to the congregants, but to the community.”

“Afterschool programs are great but the one thing that’s missing is the

rest of the family,” she added. “While kids may be learning an instrument or math skills, the one piece that we kind of get around is family relationships.”

With a heavy emphasis on fam-

ily, every Friday evening, church members and resi-dents gather at a dinner table for family time. The participants are mixed with different age groups, giving them an opportunity to bond with people they may not normally have a chance to get to know.

“Family time is very spe-cial. It’s the core of Logos,” Ligonde said. “At one table you can have a four-year-old, a 16-year-old, a 42-year-old and a 79-year-old. They learn to serve each other. Some-one from the table is chosen as the server and they serve the food family-style.”

“We’ve been able to teach them community,” she added. “This way, when a child sees an adult on Sun-day, they just don’t see a regular adult – they see someone they’ve

First Church Brings The Community Together

Every Friday evening, church members and resi-dents gather First Presbyterian Church for a fam-ily-style dinner. The participants are mixed with different age groups, giving them an opportunity to bond with people they may not normally have a chance to get to know.

had dinner with, their ‘table par-ents.’”

According to Ligonde, the pro-gram has been well-received by the Southeast Queens community, with nearly 100 residents attending.

“The young children really loved the idea of being able to play with their friends at the end of the week and the older congregants really loved the idea of building the community and having a place where they can open up and be free. They all start to build a bond with one another,” she said.

The program is held at the church from 6:30-9 p.m. and is free but a family contribution is encouraged. To learn more about the program, or to register, call Rev. Aqueelah Ligonde at (718) 526-4775 ext. 13.

First Presbyterian Church is locat-ed at 89-60 164th St., Jamaica.

Reach Reporter Natalia Kozikowska at (718)357-7400 Ext. 123 or [email protected] or @nkozikowska.


What’s UpJAN. 24Intermediate Microsoft Word

Build on your basic knowledge of Microsoft Word by learning how to format documents and bibliog-raphies and insert tables, charts, headers and footers. Basic computer skills and knowledge of MS Word are required. The workshop is free and will be held at the Queens Central Li-brary at 9:30 a.m. You must prereg-ister online at jobmap.queenslibrary.org. For more information, call (718) 990-8625.

‘Oldies But Goodies’ Dinner Dance

The Queens Chapter of the Na-tional Action Network will host its third annual “Oldies But Goodies” fundraiser. Come celebrate while rais-ing funds for the chapter. For ticket information, call Lois Menyweather at (646) 284-1689. Tickets cost $30 and must be purchased in advance. There will be no tickets sold at the door. The fundraiser will be held at Thomasina’s Catering Hall, located at 205-35 Linden Blvd., St. Albans from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m.

JAN. 25Beginners MicrosoftPowerPoint

Learn how to create presentations and slide shows with PowerPoint 2010 for free at the Queens Central Library. Topics include creating and editing slides, changing designs and colors, inserting pictures and illustra-tions and presenting your slide show. Basic computer skills are required. The workshop will be held at 9:30 a.m. You must preregister online at jobmap.queenslibrary.org. Call (718) 990-8625 for additional information.

Akoko Nante Ensemble This Queens-based Pan African

percussion and vocal ensemble presents music harvested from the continent of Africa and its diaspora from the royal palaces of Ghana to the groves of old Haiti. The free con-cert will be held at Queens Central Library at 3 p.m.

Parents Night Out in NYCParents citywide are taking the

pledge to give themselves a much needed break and celebrate Parents Night Out NYC. Make your pledge to celebrate who you are as a par-ent, whether you are a single parent or parenting with a partner. Fun and exciting things to do include: relax-ing at home, going to dinner, taking in a movie or comedy club, or going dancing. For more things to do, ways to celebrate and participating day-

care providers, visit: www.Parents-NightOutNYC.com. For additional information, call (718) 709-7118.

Introduction to EmailIn this free introductory workshop,

you will learn how to create an email account, log on, navigate the account, send and receive messages and attach documents. Preregister online at job-map.queenslibrary.org or call (718) 990-8625. While this is an introduc-tory class, it is recommended that you have basic mouse and keyboarding skills before the workshop. The work-shop will be held at the Queens Cen-tral Library at 9:30 a.m.

JAN. 26Sunday Movies at Central

Queens Central Library will show a free screening of the movie “Battle of the Year.” With only three months until Battle of the Year, Blake has to use every tactic he knows to get 12 talented individuals to come togeth-er as a team as they try to bring the trophy back to America.

JAN. 27NAN General Chapter Meeting

All are welcome to attend the next general meeting of the Queens Chap-ter of the National Action Network. Rev. Phil Craig will address impor-tant issues concerning the communi-ty and a proposed economic develop-ment plan for Southeast Queens. The meeting will be held at the Greater Springfield Community Church from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Greater Springfield Community Church is located at 177-06 129th Ave., Jamai-ca. For more information, call (718) 949-9500. It is free to attend.

JAN. 29Dietary Approaches To Stop Hypertension

If you are interested in preventing or lowering high blood pressure, then find out why the DASH diet may be good for you. A registered dietitian will give a talk and answer questions about this healthy way to eat. There will also be free health screenings, blood pres-sure and blood glucose, as well as an opportunity to schedule an appoint-ment at the Joseph P. Addabbo Family Health Center. This free workshop will be held at the Queens Central Library from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

ONGOING:Free Pre-Construction Training Program

The Association of Women Con-struction Workers of America has

been helping young women break into the male-dominated industry of construction. The Jamaica-based nonprofit has continued to expand its efforts to advocate for the ad-vancement of all minority groups looking for a career in the field.

The 15-week curriculum features a series of workshops, including the basic essentials of construction and hands-on training in carpentry, painting, pest control, plumbing, electrical and facilities mainte-nance. Graduating students receive a certificate of completion and are often placed by AWCWA at part-nering construction companies. Enrollment for the program is open until Jan. 30. Applicants must be 18 years or older and must provide photo ID, a birth certificate and a social security card. Applicants must also have a GED or high school diploma to participate in the pre-construction training program, but if an applicant does not have a diploma, dual enrollment in the Educational Opportunity Center’s GED program is possible.

The LP Fam’s Youth Basketball

From Jan. 25 to March 29, the Lincoln Park Basketball Associa-tion will hold a winter basketball clinic for boys and girls ages 8-15. The clinic will be held at the Queens Transition Center, located at 142-10 Linden Blvd., South Ozone Park, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Parents or guardians must bring proof of age. Registration fee is $40 and includes insurance, weekly training sessions and t-shirts. For more information, call David Reid (646) 241-4211 or Mike Glasgow at (917) 442-0479.

Homework HelpThe Laurelton Library will pro-

vide free homework help for children in grades 1-6. The library offers af-ter school homework assistance in math, writing and other subjects. The program runs every day after school, from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., ex-cept holidays. The library is located at 134-26 225th St., Laurelton. For more information, call (718) 528-2822 or visit www.queenslibrary.org/branch/Laurelton.

Learn How To Play ChessEvery Thursday, the Rochdale Vil-

lage Library will offer a free program to learn chess for kids and teens. The program is open to beginners, ad-vanced players and everyone else in between. The program is held from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The Rochdale Village Library is lo-cated at 169-09 137th Ave.

Overcoming Barriers To Employment

Every Friday, the Queens Central Library in Jamaica helps residents ex-periencing barriers to employment. A Job Information Center case manager is available on Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. to discuss potential prob-lems you may have regarding child care, housing, immigration, degree evaluation, healthcare, goal and ca-reer planning, former incarceration, education and training and more. To schedule an appointment, call (718) 480-4222 or stop by the Job Informa-tion Center. No registration is required and the service is free.

Forestdale STYA Youth Mentor

Forestdale, Inc., an organization with a great history of supporting families in need and committed to em-powering children in foster care and in the local community, is launching a new mentoring program in January 2014. This new program, called “Fu-ture Prep: Successfully Transitioning Youth to Adolescence,” or STYA, is designed to attract community-minded people who may not be able to commit to foster parenting, but nevertheless want to make a significant investment in the lives of children and their better future. We are looking for mentors (18 or older) to work with children ages 9-12 for one year. Starting in January, there will be four 10-week sessions throughout the year, each running for three hours on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The program will take place at the Hollis Community Center at 203-09 Hollis Ave.

This is an excellent opportunity to truly make a difference in someone’s life, build meaningful relationships and be part of an enthusiastic, compassion-ate and supportive environment, in addition to a great learning experience with the opportunity to learn about a multitude of issues facing underprivi-leged youth in New York City today. For additional information, contact Mirzya Syed, Youth Volunteer Coordi-nator, at [email protected] or (718) 263-0740, ext. 365.

Employment AssistanceAre you experiencing barriers to

employment? A Job Information Center Case manager is available on Fridays, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., to discuss potential problems you may have regarding child care, hous-ing, immigration, degree evaluation, healthcare, goal and career planning, former incarceration, education and training and more. To schedule an appointment, call (718) 480-4222 or stop by the Job Information Center at Queens Central Library.

Brian MurphyActors oF QUEENsQCO

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AL

When every person reaches their late teenage years, they have to make a choice. Do they take the safe path for a career with security and a path forward? Or do they follow their dreams in the hopes of succeeding?

For Brian Murphy, he took a chance and decided to become an actor. He did not do this for fame or fortune, but because he loves the work.

“I have fallen in love with the process. Being in a room work-ing on a great script, collabo-rating with others, searching through the text like a detective to put the puzzle together,” Murphy said. “The opportunity to take a piece of my heart and give it to the world seems like a worthy pursuit.”

Murphy, having recently moved to Sunnyside from Brooklyn, is an u p - a n d -comer who has started to break into a few notable roles in the last couple of years. He just wrapped up his appearance in the film “A Good Marriage,” will soon be shooting on the movie “Back In The Day” and is starring in the Off-Broadway play, “The Clearing.”

“A Good Marriage,” based on the novella by Stephen King, gave Murphy the chance to work with Tony Award-winning actress Joan Allen and the star of “Without a Trace,” Anthony LaPaglia.

“Each had worked on some of my favorite plays so it was exciting to talk to them about what those processes were like,” Murphy said. “I’m looking forward to seeing the finished product.”

For “Back in the Day,”

Slow Start For Bill

Murphy was cast as a boxer, a role that fits him perfectly as he is a two-time Golden Gloves boxing tournament competitor, having taken part in 2012 and 2011.

“They asked me if I could box, I told them about my experience and shadow boxed in the audition. I got the call by week’s end and was in a gym in the Bronx rehearsing the fight choreography the next week,” he said.

While the original shoot dates have been pushed back, Murphy said he is look-ing forward to the role. The other project he said he is excited about is his starring role in “The Clearing.” He said he was drawn in by the characters of Jake Jeppson’s play and thinks the audience will be moved by this tale of two brothers who witnessed a tragic accident that kept it a secret.

“This secret keeps them stuck. The beauty of the play is how they struggle to move forward. I think audiences will leave the theater and be moved to reach out to their parents, siblings or someone in their life that they love or lost,” he said

“The Clearing” will run until Feb. 9 at the Theatre at St. Clement’s, located at 423 West 46th St.

After that show closes, Murphy will be taking an acting workshop with Larry Moss, as well as shooting a short film he wrote about a man who loses the love of his life to addiction. He also hopes to put together an evening of short plays with his friends, called “Shorts: A Happening.”

It looks like the City budget process will get started a little later than usual this year. With Mayor Bill de Blasio slow to name his full staff, it has pushed back an important process, called "putting the City’s budget together." At a recent Community Board 8 meeting, Councilman Rory Lancman said the Mayor asked the City Council if he could let him present his first City budget later than usual while his transition to the new job continues. The Councilman said his colleagues within the City Council agreed to his request to give him more time to put his team together. “I think he’s going to be presenting it in February so that will kind of potentially bump the schedule, although the City will still have to have its budget in place,” Lancman said. He added that meetings that the Community Board would be involved in would probably be pushed back as well. You might want to quicken the pace a little, Mr. Mayor. Getting the City’s budget late could have ripple effects in Queens and the rest of the City.

Life After 5Pointz

We welcomed a new member to the Tribune and PRESS family as 2013 came to an end, as Elizabeth Mance gave birth to a son, Tyler, on Dec. 31.

Months after a war of words led to white-washed walls and hurt feelings, it looks like the artists who worked at the graffiti Mecca of 5Pointz have found a new place to paint.

A number of the artists who had their work displayed on the side of the Long Island City build-ing have moved their brushes to Great Neck. The new showcase,

titled “Wall Works,” can be seen at the Gold Coast Art Center. The work of 5Pointz curator Jonathan Cohen and artists Kid Lew, John Paul O'Grodnick, Veronique Barrillot, Shiro and others will show off their work until March 2.

Proceeds for the show will go towards the art center and its youth program.

Got talent? If you can dance, sing, draw, write or have

any other talents and live in Queens, be sure to e-mail [email protected]

for inclusion in a future edition.

QConf is edited by:

Steven J. Ferrari

Contributors: Luis Gronda, Natalia

Kozikowska, Joe Marvilli, Marcia Moxom

Comrie, Michael Nussbaum, Trisha Sakhuja, Michael

Schenkler.

Follow us on Twitter: @QueensTrib

Like us on Facebookfacebook.com/

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Welcome to the Family

Embattled State Sen. Mal-colm Smith is reaching out to his supporters for help, but not in his ongoing legal and public perception battles.

With new challengers pop-ping up each week, Smith sent out a campaign email last week with the subject, "Please Help..."

As the first filing for the 2014 Senate race approached, Smith put out some last-minute plead to help him reach his goal of $30,000.

"As you know, I have worked very hard and will continue with your help to improve our community, city and state," the email read.

Just one day after his cam-

paign asked for financial help, the Senator sent out an email promoting his appearance in a documentary on gun control.

Done by a UK filmmaker, a clip of an interview with Smith appears in the trailer for "2nd Amendment." Smith used the email to promote his work to-wards ending gun violence, and show off a picture of himself with documentarian James Dann.

Regardless of Smith's guilt or innocence, he certainly has not stopped putting his name out there

We wonder how often Smith will send out self-congratulatory emails as his trial for fraud charges approaches.

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