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Volume 14 Issue No. 49 Dec. 6 - 12, 2013

Online at www.QueensPress.comOnline at www.QueensPress.com

SHUT DOWNThe Sean Bell Community Center has closed its doors due to a lack of funds. By Natalia Kozikowska Page 3.

Page 2 PRESS of Southeast Queens Dec. 6-12, 2013

News Briefs$50 Million Allocated For Resiliency Project

Millions of dollars from New York State will go towards making Queens coastal areas more resilient from storms such as Superstorm San-dy in the future.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced last week that federal funding has been approved for a resiliency proj-ect on 150 acres along Jamaica Bay and Spring Creek that will protect the homes and businesses in that area from flooding. Fifty million dol-lars will be dedicated to the project.

According to a press release from Cuomos office, out of that money, $3 million will be used towards engi-neering and design work and the rest will be used for the project.

Like several other communities located by water, Howard Beach suf-fered incredible damage from storm surges during Superstorm Sandy, Cuomo said. To strengthen Howard Beach against future flooding and storms, we are moving forward on a major project that improves the natu-ral infrastructure along Spring Creek and the Jamaica Bay coast in Queens, with the approval of federal funding.

Cuomo asked the State Dept. of Environmental Conservation to de-velop a plan for the Jamaica Bay and Howard Beach areas to protect them from future storms. The project will include establishing barriers to re-duce storm damage.

Two of the areas elected repre-sentatives, State Sen. Joe Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) and Assembly-man Phil Goldfeder (D-Ozone Park), released statements praising the an-nouncement.

De Blasio Announces Bratton As NYPD Commissioner

On Dec, 5, Mayor-Elect Bill de Blasio announced his appointment of William Bratton to serve as New York Citys next Police Commissioner.

In selecting Bratton to lead the NYPD, de Blasio emphasized his commitment to proactive policing to protect New Yorkers, while simultane-ously respecting their civil liberties.

De Blasio charged Bratton with using the best technology and tactics to deepen New York Citys historic gains in public safety, to continue innovating approaches that protect New Yorkers from terrorism, and to bring police and communities closer together by ending the overuse and misuse of the Stop and Frisk policy.

Bratton returns to the NYPD as one of the most effective law enforce-ment officials in the nation, having pioneered the CompStat system and

community policing strategies as a former NYPD Commissioner.

He is credited with the largest crime reduction in New York Citys history. Under his leadership in the mid-1990s, felony crime in New York City fell by 39 percent. He proved to be as effective in Los Angeles, where violent crime declined by 26 percent during his first three years as Chief of Police. By 2009, the crime rate was 54 percent lower than it had been during his predecessors final year.

Bill Bratton is a proven crime-fighter. He knows what it takes to keep a city safe, and make communi-ties full partners in the mission. To-gether, we are going to preserve and deepen the historic gains weve made in public safetygains Bill Bratton helped make possible, de Blasio said in a statement. And we will do it by rejecting the false choice between keeping New Yorkers safe and pro-tecting their civil rights. This is an Administration that will do both.

Mayor-Elect de Blasios priorities are my priorities. This is the best police force in the nation, and we are going to ensure our men and women have the best technology, the most innovative tactics and the strong support of the communities they protect, said Brat-ton in a statement. This department will not rest on its laurels. We are going to continue making history as the saf-est big city in America.

JCAL Announces Winners In early September, Jamaica Center

for Arts & Learning released an RFP for The Next Steps Dance Residency. The opportunity served as an invite for dance groups to find a home for their creative expression. Residencies offer artists a chance to create, reflect and research within a community and away from their usual environment and obligations. They provide mean-ingful exchanges and cross cultural artistic opportunities.

As part of The Next Steps Dance Residency, JCAL provides free stu-dio rehearsal space for 40 hours over a twelve-week period. The first resi-dency will begin this month. The sec-ond will start in the March next year. This is the first time JCAL has of-fered a residency specifically focused on dance.

There were over fifteen groups that applied for the residency. After a panel review of all applications there were six groups who were awarded The Next Steps Dance Residency.

The winter session dance resi-dency winners are Afaliah Tribune, Felice Lesser and Nicole Bilbao. The spring session winners are Leeanne G-Bowley, Camille Morgan and Fa-tima Logan.

Dec. 6-12, 2013 PRESS of Southeast Queens Page 3

Presstime

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BY NATALIA KOZIKOWSKA

Just months shy of its three-year anniversary, the Sean Elijah Bell Com-munity Center in South Jamaica has closed its doors due to lack of funds.

The news does not come as a shock to the community residents. Executive director Anthony Ander-son anticipated a closure exactly one year ago, when the PRESS first reported on the centers financial struggles.

As of now, I would have to say we are going to close because we didnt receive enough money to operate, he predicted.

The nonprofit was opened in memory of Sean Bell, who was shot and killed by undercover police offi-cers the day before his wedding on Nov. 25, 2006.

On May 18, 2011, which was also Bells birthday, Jamaica welcomed the new center, the primary goal of which was to help its people. The center of-fered a variety of free services ranging from after school programs and tutor-ing for children, as well as job readi-ness programs for residents.

In an earlier interview, Anderson claimed that the $196,000 block

Sean Bell Community Center Closed

grant it received when the center opened was not enough money to sustain the services it provides.

We dont charge for any services here so we were hoping we would re-ceive donations from the community and possibly some funding from the government, he said. I feel that as a community we could have done more. We support the community so we look to the community to support us.

Last year, the Greater Springfield Community Church sponsored a benefit in a final attempt to collect enough money to prevent a closure, but it was not enough to sustain the centers programs.

Im disappointed its closed, be-cause we dont have centers in that area, especially in Southeast Queens, said the Rev. Phil Craig, who is also president of the Queens National Ac-tion Network. It is a little challenging

to understand why it has closed, espe-cially after having a conversation with the administration, but we did every-thing in our power to keep it going.

This is a very fragile situation be-cause people cant just keep pouring into it. Its a handshaking and the administra-tion needs to be at a point where they can keep it afloat, Craig added. I dont know where the [money] gap was, but there should be responsibility on both ends the administration and the com-munity, to try and keep something like this alive for a generation.

The Sean Bell Community Center, located at 107-52 Sutphin Blvd., of-fered a number of essential after school programs for the children of Southeast Queens. Craigs biggest concern, he said, is the future of the children who are displaced as a result of the closure.

Im praying it doesnt [impact the community negatively], but my biggest question is what is going to happen to the children during the times that they occupied the center? What are going to be the alternatives for them? At this moment, it is going to be up to the par-ents to do their job, he said.

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


In an effort to attract restaurant owners to the Downtown Jamaica area, the Sutphin Boulevard Busi-ness Improvement District and the Jamaica Center Business Improve-ment District hosted their second Jamaica Revealed program for bro-kers and property owners.

The program, held at the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning on Dec. 3, focused on highlighting Ja-maica as a bustling new hotspot with a need and demand for sit-down res-taurants and other eateries.

Ive been here all my life and I can tell you this is a wonderful place to bring your business, said guest speaker Assemblyman William Scar-borough (D-Jamaica).You should know that this community is made up of middle-class, hardworking peo-ple and in this community, there is a lot of disposable income and a lot of this disposable income is going every where else because they cant find the kind of restaurants [and] the kind of eateries that they would like to have.

Justin Rodgers of the Greater Ja-

Jamaica Revealed As Restaurant Hotspotmaica Development Corporation supported Scarboroughs claims, citing the numerous developments coming to the area that the group believes will net in thousands more pedestrians, visitors and locals.

Rodgers highlighted three major projects that GJDC has been work-ing on this year a new department store on 168th Street, a 210-room hotel and a new mixed housing unit on 161st Street, which is expected to construct 100 affordable homes for families and individuals.

Other guest speakers included Kina Thomas of the New York City Business Acceleration Team and Paul Libreros of New York Business Solu-tions, both of which spoke about the free services their respective organi-zations provide for business owners looking to invest.

Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-Ja-maica), who recently was announced as Deputy Borough President come Jan. 1, was also on hand to discuss the growing potential of Downtown Jamaica as a destination area.

There are plenty of young people in the Jamaica area that are looking

for quality restaurants and nightlife to come into the Downtown Jamaica area, Comrie said. I would encour-age you to come [because] the area is doing well. It is starting to build a regular audience.

Jamaica will definitely embrace you because there is opportunity. People dont want to have to go to Manhattan and take three trains and two buses to enjoy nightlife, Comrie added. They are doing it, but they rather do it with one bus or one stop in one location.

As part of their strategy to revi-talize Downtown Jamaica, the Ja-maica BID, GJDC and the Sutphin Boulevard BID also highlighted their research. The groups, which conducted a 1,200-person survey of area shoppers earlier this year, deter-mined there was a large demand for sit-down restaurants in the area.

We got responses from several hundreds of people here not just residents but people who visit here including students and transit work-ers, and we found out that based on their perceptions, we are only captur-ing about 20 percent of business,

analyst Mark Lohbauer said. We found that 46 percent of the people who do not shop regularly in Jamai-ca do not dine here because there are just not enough dining options.

More than a third of the people that live here do not dine here be-cause there are not enough options, he added. They would love to but there arent enough options.


William Bell, Sean Bells father, empties out the Sean Bell Center after it closed due to lack of funds.

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Late last month, Community Board 12 reluctantly voted to ap-prove four variances requested for by the St. Albans Presbyterian Church in order to build a new mixed-hous-ing complex on Farmers Boulevard.

But while CB12 ultimately ap-proved the variances, another com-munity group, the St. Albans Civic Association, is doing everything in its power to block them.

Bernard Harrigen, president of the St. Albans Civic, said that the group was not notified of the proposals and feels insulted that the church did not reach out for feedback, especially considering the Civic organized a trash cleanup at the property.

We cleaned up that place and it seems very disrespectful to the Civic when we are familiar with the proper-ty, we have done things with the prop-erty, and no one took the time out to ask us what our thoughts were, Har-rigen said. We are the homeowners in the area and we should be given an opportunity to respond.

Sharon Johnson, first vice presi-dent of the Civic, who also resides three doors down from the property, echoed similar sentiments, claiming

St. Albans Civic Seeks To Block Variancesthe church did not reach out to resi-dents nearby.

Im up in arms. Ive been a long-time resident and homeowner ap-proximately three doors down from the planned site, she said. One of the main issues is that the church did not reach out to the residents that will be directly impacted.

The church, which owns two prop-erties on Farmers Boulevard, applied for variances pertaining to the floor-area ratio, height, dwelling units and parking required for the proposed fixed-income building, which will in-clude a Cycle of Life facility.

According to Eric Palatnik, a spokesperson for Trinity, the partner-ing development group, the proposed mixed-income housing complex will contain 67 apartments 32 one-bed-room units and 35 two-bedroom units.

Palatnik explained that in order to meet the requirements by the State, they would need to construct a five-story building, which is not compli-ant with the propertys current R3A zoning. In order to be profitable enough to gain the States financial support, he argued, Trinity will need to construct a building that is 55 feet tall 20 feet taller than the permit-ted 35 for the zoning.

Were not here as greedy devel-opers trying to build a glass tower somewhere, Palatnik said at the CB12 meeting.

Johnson and the Civic disagree and believe that constructing a com-plex of that magnitude will overpopu-late the area, adversely impacting the St. Albans community.

Right now there are one and two family homes on Farmers Boulevard. A 67-unit will bring approximately 200 new residents, Johnson said. The church and the developers not one of them live in close proximity to the site. This is a project and the project benefits the church and not the community.

Similarly, Harrigen is concerned that the additional residents will im-pose more students at nearby school PS 36, which is already struggling with overcrowding.

The last variance, a parking vari-ance, aims to reduce the number of required parking spaces for the hous-ing complex. The propertys current zoning requires Trinity to construct a minimum of 62 parking spaces but the group asked for permission to re-duce parking to 23 spaces.

Many CB12 members found the parking variance to be most troubling but Palatnik tried to reassure them

that the reduced parking spots will not gravely impact street parking. He claimed that Trinity hired a traffic con-sultant to go study the area and deter-mined impact would be minimal.

But the Civic does not buy it.Farmers Boulevard is already

dealing with congestion issues. Of-ten I cant find parking there and my neighbors cant find parking there, Johnson said. What every study theyve done, I dont believe it and I would like to challenge that.

Although the Civic has claimed their calls to the church have gone unanswered, a rep for St. Albans Presbyterian claims they have not gotten any messages.

In an effort to block the variances, the St. Albans Civic Association ral-lied outside of Queens Borough Hall on Dec. 5, when Queens Borough President Helen Marshall is sup-posed to give the final approval. Both Johnson and Harrigen said they have been going around to community residents and plan on making their presence, and their stance, known.

Palatnik could not be reached for comment.



Less than a month before she takes office, incoming Borough President Melinda Katz has named Council-man Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans) as her deputy.

Comrie, whose support was vigor-ously sought-after once he dropped out of the Borough President race earlier this year, has been rumored to be a deputy since early this summer. After staying silent for weeks once he dropped out, Comrie finally threw his support behind Katz in Septembers Democratic primary. Comrie said he

was thrilled to serve under Katz. Queens needs Melindas vision

for a more prosperous and equitable borough, he said. Melinda has prov-en herself a tireless and honest public servant with a real plan to move our borough forward.

The release also announced that Jay Bond will serve as Borough Hall Chief of Staff. Bond has served as policy di-rector for the New York Chapter of the American Institute of Architects. He also served as policy advisor to Katz when Katz was in the City Council.

Leroy Comrie Named Deputy Borough President Bond and Comrie will also head

Katzs transition team, as they have started accepting resumes.

For years, Melinda Katz has served our Borough with distinction and achieved tangible results on the issues working families care about, Bond said.

Im excited to build on that prog-ress by helping Melinda assemble the most qualified team possible from every walk of life and every corner of our City, he added.

Interested individuals can send re-sumes and cover letters to [email protected].

By Luis GroNDa

Despite protests and disapproval from parents and community mem-bers, the Panel for Educational Poli-cy approved the closing of the annex of Richmond Hill High School.

The PEP voted 7-4 for the mea-sure, with Mayor Mike Bloombergs appointments all voting for it and the borough representatives, includ-ing Queens Representative Dmytro Fedkowskyj, voting against closing the annex.

richmond Hill Hs annex set For Closure, Per PEPNow that it has been approved,

the annex, which is based a few blocks away from the main building at 95-27 117th St., will be turned into a separate high school. The students at the annex will be moved to the main building.

Fedkowskyj said closing the annex is a negative for the school because it will overcrowd the school and in-crease the class sizes. It will force the high school to use trailers to ac-commodate the higher number of students coming in. He added that,

in the past, the Dept. of Education has promised to stop using trailers in its future capital plans but so far that has not been the case.

Its too bad that something thats working is now being broke, Fed-kowskyj said.

Vishnu Mahadeo, the PTA presi-dent of the high school, said everyone has expressed their dismay about the measure at multiple public meetings, including one held at the high school last month, and it serves as a disser-vice to the children at the school.

According to Mahadeo, atten-dance at the annex is high, around 95 percent in total, and gives the kids placed there a better learning envi-ronment.

Mahadeo said several parents are urging him to take legal action against the DOE to stop the move. Although he has not decided either way yet, he said a decision on that is expected in about one week.

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

Leroy Comrie has been named Deputy Borough President.

Bond Named Chief of staff


OF SOUTHEAST QUEENS

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email [email protected] PRESS of Southeast Queens

Editor-in-Chief:Steven J. Ferrari

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Photo Editor: Ira Cohen

Reporters: Natalia Kozikowska

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11357. email [email protected] Fax: (718) 357-9417

OP-ED

A Personal PerspectiveBy MARCIA MOXAM COMRIE

Last week, we celebrated Thanksgiving and the start of Ha-nukkah, holidays that are marked by families coming together, usually with a great deal of food.

As we continue with this holiday season, with Christmas and Kwanzaa just around the corner, the recent report that one in 10 Queens residents are not sure where they will get their next meal is a sobering reminder that there are too many in this City who live without enough food.

Demand at food pantries is on the rise while cuts to supplemen-tal nutrition programs will guarantee that demand will continue to increase. And still, for too long those in need have been ignored. City officials should be ashamed of themselves for allowing this inequity to continue for as long as it has.

Many are looking forward to the new administration this year to begin a process of change. Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio has spoken of the challenges of his Tale of Two Cities, and we hope he works to bring that division closer together. But it will take more than just civic action.

Historically, food pantries report a higher rate of donations during the holidays, as the giving nature of the season inspires many to bring supplies. But we hope that those donations can be continued and improved upon year-round, giving those in need something to be thankful about beyond the fourth Thursday in November.

For a listing of food banks near you, visit foodbanknyc.org or riverfund-ny.org/pantry.html.

A Time To Think Of Others

By STATE SENATORJOSE PERALTA

I recently introduced legisla-tion to provide undocumented immigrant New Yorkers access to drivers licenses. If enacted, the bill will bring the undocu-mented into the economic mainstream and make New Yorks roads safer.

It will also generate mil-lions of dollars in revenue for the State from license and registration fees. It also could lead to lower auto insurance premiums. In Illinois, for example, it is estimated that auto insurance rates for indi-vidual drivers will decline by $60 a year.

A drivers license would open the door to more em-ployment opportunities for undocumented immigrants. They would be able to make more money to support their families. Once in the economic mainstream, they would be

Time For Licenses For Undocumented Immigrants

less vulnerable to exploitation and fraud.

By ensuring that everyone driving on our roads is prop-erly credentialed, educated and is operating a registered, inspected and insured vehicle, this law would improve safety on our roads.

My bill will permit the New York State Dept. of Motor Vehicles to issue licenses to undocumented immigrants able to provide non-U.S. iden-tification, prove residence in the State and demonstrate they have not been convicted of a felony crime.

And during the recent mayoral campaign, not only did Democrat Bill de Blasio call for passage of my bill, so did the Republican candidate, Joe Lhota.

The next step is to build sup-port for the bill, both within the legislature and out. Advocates such as Make the Road New York will be important allies.

So after all the suspense about who the next NYPD Commissioner would be, Bill de Blasio gives us Bratton.

It is not that there is any-thing wrong with recycling. Bloomberg did it with Ray Kelly who had served under Mayor David Dinkins. It is just that after running on a prom-ise to end the stop and frisk era, as candidate de Blasios son said in his TV commercial, we get someone who has been part of that practice both here and elsewhere.

That being the case, you would think he would have picked a new face such as Phillip Banks, my neighbor from down the block whom Ive never met. Given the TV commercial and campaign speeches about Stop and Frisk, you would have thought de Blasio would move forward with someone who has new ideas.

I guess the old commish has promised to learn new

tricks. We believed candidate de Blasio when he said hed end stop and frisk because looking at his son, you know that he too is a potential can-didate. I worry about mine, too. My son is the same age and complexion as Dante de Blasio, so of course we worry about it.

Nonetheless, New York City is not a one-crime-issue place so the choice of a po-lice commissioner cannot be based on one issue just because its been in the news and helped a candidate get elected. There are illegal weapons and the usual myriad other crime issues.

We are also still living in the age of terrorism and we have benefited from Ray Kellys breadth of experience. Bratton is no less experienced and we, as a City, will be very demand-ing and very critical, just as we have been with Kelly.

Police and schools chancel-lor are perhaps the two most important appointments de Blasio will make; if he doesnt hit the mark with those two, his administration will struggle.

But we thought this so-called progressive would have stayed off the beaten path and pick a qualified African-American or Latino for the job. Instead he gives us a member of the old guard.

But make no mistake about it; Bratton is a seasoned crime adversary. In addition to his beat cop experience and series of administrative positions and NYPD Commissioner cred, he has also served as commis-sioner of another tough big city, Los Angeles, where he was LAPD commissioner.

Like Kelly, his experience has also been sought out by in-ternational governments and police departments. It is for these reasons that de Blasios pick is not that surprising. He respects Bratton so deeply that he was his advisor on matters of law enforcement through-out the mayoral campaign.

This is not necessarily a bad choice, just a predictable one. The mayor-elect felt comfort-able with selecting a commis-sioner who has been tested. We live in an era where we are not just fighting home-grown

petty criminals, gangbangers and domestic abusers. We live in an era where there are unseen forces trying to destroy our city and way of life and are willing to die in the act.

He clearly felt that this is no time to promote from within and on for size. He went with someone who has had bi-coastal leadership expe-rience. At a current age of a reported 66, Bratton shouldnt only do his job to the best of his ability.

He should also be engaged in preparing a successor. There are a lot of talented, intelligent and hardworking men and women in the NYPD who are ready for the kind of mentoring a Bill Bratton can provide. One such as Banks will be able to step in if there is an emergency.

When its all said and done it seems to this writer that de Blasio went status quo on this one. Lets hope that he branches out a little with some of his other appointments or his campaign promises will be as fleeting as his old post-ers.

Mayor de Blasios Commish Pick: Nothing New Here

Stop in at any Queens Library for more information, phone 718-990-0700 or go to www.queenslibrary.org.

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The New York City Coalition Against Hunger reports that one in 10 Queens residents are food insecure.

BY TrisHA sAkHujA

Food insecurity is the reality of one in 10 Queens residents, according to a report, Superstorm of Hunger: Lin-gering Shortfalls Expose a Tale of Two Food Cities, unveiled by the New York City Coalition Against Hunger at the Center of Hope International Church on Nov. 27 in Long Island City.

The report also concludes one in eight children in Queens live in food insecure households.

As of yet, the report does not re-flect the impact of the recent large-scale cuts in the Supplemental Nutri-tion Assistance Program, but Berg said those cuts will make the situa-tion much worse.

Joel Berg, executive director of the Coalition, said low-income peo-ple especially faced a tidal wave of pain after the economic downturn and Superstorm Sandy.

Now that the official recession is over and the flood waters have re-ceded, we can clearly see that New York is still suffering from a tale of two food cities, Berg said. While the wealthy have better gourmet food than ever, one in six of our neighbors are struggling against hunger.

New York Citys food pantries and soup kitchens faced an increased de-mand of 10 percent in 2013, on top

of increases of five percent in 2012. In Queens, 43 percent of feeding

agencies reported not having enough food to meet current demand, while 86 percent of responding agencies re-ported an increase in the number of people they served over the past year.

Abigael Burke, food pantry coor-dinator at Hour Children said, as of Nov. 1, deep cuts in SNAP benefits will affect nearly two million New Yorkers, more than half of them be-ing working families with children.

When it comes to combating hunger, SNAP is our first line of de-fense, Burke said. Emergency food programs like my own should be the last life of defense, however, our lines continue to get longer each week.

Burke said last week, Hour Chil-dren served more than 450 families. Increased numbers means there is a lack of staple food items and fresh produce on the pantry shelves.

Charity cannot do it alone, we need Congress to step up it up and makes sure no American goes hun-gry, Burke added.

Due to the federal sequestration and other cuts, the main source of federal operating funds for such agencies has been cut by nearly half since 2009. Consequently, accord-ing to reports, nearly 45 percent of the food pantries say they lack suf-

ficient resources to meet the growing demand and 46 percent said they were forced to turn people away, re-duce the amount of food distributed per person, or limit their hours of operation because they lacked suffi-cient resources in 2013.

Berg said this data should provide federal, State and City officials with a clarion call to significantly ramp up government efforts to combat poverty and hunger, such as universal pre-K.

If the City were to enact Mayor-elect de Blasios plan to slightly raise taxes on the wealthiest to pay for universal pre-K, not only would that decrease poverty in the long-term, it would also immediately reduce child

hunger because pre-K programs pro-vide nutritious meals funded by the federal government, Berg said.

Elected officials stand with the Coalition, voicing their concerns over the shortage of food supplies at local pantries.

Taking food off the plates of the needy to fatten up the rich is not the American way, State Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) said. We cant allow House Republicans to cut deeper into a program that provides most beneficiaries with little more than $4 a day for food.

The release of this new data fur-ther underscores the critical need for nutrition programs like SNAP, U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) said. Millions of New Yorkers rely on it to put food on their tables, and any cuts to the program would be devastating. As it is, count-less families turn to local organiza-tions like community food banks to meet their needs, but even they are operating with limited resources.

COHIs Bread of Life Food Pantry serves the residents of Queensbridge, Ravenswood and Astoria Houses.

The full report is available at nyc-cah.org/hungersurvey.

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

report: Food insecurity On The rise

BY jOE MArViLLi

This weekend, a holiday tradition will come to Queens for the first time.

Kupferberg Presents will bring the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra to Queens College for its Holiday Pops concert. Taking place on Dec. 8 at 7:30 p.m., the College hopes the performance will bring merriment and yuletide cheer to Colden Audi-torium.

While Americas Orchestra has played at other colleges, such as Long Island University Post in Long Island, they took advantage of an opportunity to perform in the City when Queens College asked, bringing a family tradition to the Borough.

Its great to perform in a New York City venue during the holi-days, conductor Keith Lockhart said. We have some of the greatest arrangements ever made for the or-chestra. In Boston, these concerts have become such a tradition that there are thousands who would not spend Christmas without us.

This performance by the orches-tra will feature their signature tune, Sleigh Ride, along with other holi-

day favorites, new arrangements of classic songs of the season and a chorus. The concert will build up to a fantastical conclusion with an au-

dience-wide sing-along and a visit from Santa himself.

Theres nothing better than getting a couple thou-sand of your closest friends singing along, Lockhart said. I like to make sure that these programs have the au-dience thinking, they must have programmed that for me, thats my favorite Christ-mas song.

For the conductor, a trip to New York brings him back to familiar territory, as he was born and raised upstate in Poughkeepsie.

New York City was The City when I was growing up. I would go to see shows and concerts in New York, he said. Its always fun to go to places you have a connection with.

Lockhart is the 20th con-ductor of the Boston Pops and only the third one since the 1930s. He took over

in 1995 from legendary film com-poser John Williams, who is known for his work on Superman, Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Lock-

Boston Pops Comes To Queens College

Conductor keith Lockhart (right) and the Bos-ton Pops Esplanade Orchestra will bring their annual Holiday Pops concert to Queens for the first time, performing at Queens College on Dec. 8.

hart said that he sees himself as an instinctive performer and uses this skill to connect the audience and the orchestra.

For me, Im a performer at heart. Thats particularly important during the holiday season, he said. The conductor really connects the people to the music. You get to be the Mas-ter of Ceremonies.

Tickets for the Boston Pops con-cert range from $50 to $120. To purchase tickets or for more infor-mation, call (718) 793-8080 or visit www.kupferbergcenter.org.

There isnt a more exciting way to celebrate the season than by shar-ing wonderful music with families and friends, and no better way to do that than by experiencing the joyous sounds of a Holiday Pops concert, Leon Denmark, artistic director of Kupferberg Presents, said.

If you cannot make it to the Queens College show and still want to see the Boston Pops, they will make an appearance that Sunday af-ternoon at the Eisenhower Hall Au-ditorium in West Point.

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


By Luis Gronda

Months after submitting a propos-al for a new stadium, the New York Cosmos are still waiting to hear if their plan will be approved.

The team submitted its stadium proposal in response to a Request for Proposal from the Empire State De-velopment Corporation earlier this year. The Cosmos currently plays its games at Hofstra University and won the league championship in its return season.

The Cosmos defeated the Atlanta Silverbacks 1-0 to win the NASL Soc-cer Bowl. The team finished with the best record in the league, winning nine of the 14 games it played.

According to the Cosmos website dedicated to the proposal, cosmoss-tadium.com, the project would turn sections of Belmont Park into an entertainment complex, including a 25,000-seat soccer stadium and a restaurant row.

The row would consist of nine res-taurants and nearly 250,000-square-feet of retail space. The plan also in-cludes a 175-room hotel and a brand new 4.3-acre public park for the com-munity near the proposed stadium.

The proposal was submitted by the Cosmos and the Mattone Group, a real estate and construction com-pany based in Queens that helped de-sign the potential stadium, before its deadline in January of this year. No

decision on a proposal for the area has been publicly announced yet by the ESDC, almost a year after the deadline passed for the RFP.

The ESDC did not respond to a request for comment asking about the RFPs status before press time.

A Cosmos spokesperson said they have not heard anything new regard-ing the proposal but they remain confident in their idea for the area.

The Request for Proposal issued by the Empire State Development Corporation did not include a timeline for a decision. It is a privately funded mixed-used development, which in-cludes a stadium, that will help create thousands of full time jobs and will

not require tax-payer dollars, the spokesperson said in a statement.

A source fa-miliar with the stadium plans expressed frustra-tion with the lack of an announce-ment, saying it is delaying the potential jobs it would create.

They deserve a yes or a no at this point, the source said.

According to the source, the stadium would

bring more than 2,000 jobs to the community including many construc-tion jobs while the stadium is being built and jobs from the restaurants and other retail stores as well.

That kind of opportunity does not come around every day, the source said.

The stadium would be similar in capacity to Red Bull Arena in Harri-son, NJ, and would be used for other events like college soccer, lacrosse and other community activities.

Its parking capacity would fit about 7,500 cars, which is about the same as Citi Field, according to the source. That would encompass the existing

parking used for the Belmont Stakes and new lots that would be created.

Others have expressed concern for the project and have urged for an alternative plan.

Nassau County legislator Carrie So-lages said the project would damage the quality of life in the Elmont community and urged Gov. Andrew Cuomo to re-ject any proposal for a stadium.

In an era when Big Sports is about big profits and lucrative fran-chise deals, Elmont seeks something other than being the gateway to a mega soccer stadium. The public re-lations blitz currently assaulting our neighborhoods touting the alleged benefits of a stadium fail to acknowl-edge the reality that Elmont would receive minimal benefits from this kind of sports arena, he said.

Other elected officials like U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica) and Assemblywoman Michaelle So-lages (D-Elmont), Carries sister, are also against the proposal.

This project does not have our support. I strongly recommend con-tinued dialogue aimed at reaching a consensus on the kind of develop-ment that will reinvigorate Belmont Park, create jobs, improve infrastruc-ture, and meet community needs, Meeks said in a release earlier this year.


still no Word on Cosmos stadium Proposal

a rendering of the proposed Cosmos stadium in Elmont.

By Trisha sakhuja

Astoria residents will see many more famous faces from Hollywood now that the newly-built outdoor backlot at Kaufman Astoria Studios is complete.

To celebrate the occasion, many local and State officials, community leaders and Grover from Sesame Street gathered on Dec. 3 to cut the ribbon on the block-long backlot with a Hollywood-style entry gate. The backlot marks the latest expan-sion by Kaufman Studios in order to increase its film productions.

George Kaufman, chairman of the studios, began the transforma-tion of the neighborhood when he first leased the property in 1980. Since then, Kaufman has created a full-service production center that helped bring the film and television production industry back to the City, while also reinvigorating the entire neighborhood.

The backlot at Kaufman Astoria

Studios is going to add to the life of the campus and will help us attract more produc-tions to New York, Kaufman said.

Hal Rosenbluth, president of Kaufman Studios, said the studios, in combination with the States film tax credit pro-gram championed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, are the best marketing tools to generate jobs and bring production to the area.

Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside), Chair of the City Councils Cultural Affairs Committee, said the film industry is huge and the heart of it is in Astoria.

Everybody here knows what George Kaufman started 30 years ago has produced literally billions and billions of dollars in revenue for the City of New York, he said. We like to think of it as Hollywood East.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-New York) said the landmarked studio, once the home of Paramount Pictures, is a game changer for New York.

I predict that a few decades from now, Hollywood will be known as New York West when it comes to film production, he said.

The 34,800-square-foot backlot with the Hollwoodesque main entry gate, lo-

cated on 35th Avenue, features a dramatically lit steel truss that rises 40 feet above the street, which also serves as a working catwalk for productions. It tow-ers with blue letters, bearing the Kaufman name.

The backlot, designed by the Rockwell Group, will al-low productions to shoot ex-terior and special effects shots outside in a controlled envi-ronment.

In recent years, Kaufman Studios, which has grown into a vibrant arts and cultural dis-trict, has more than doubled in size and now includes 12 acres

with seven stages, local and national retailers and cultural organizations, such as The Frank Sinatra School of the Arts, Museum of the Moving Im-age, TDF Costume Collection and Queens Council on the Arts.

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

kaufman studios Expands With a Backlot

sesame streets Grover joins elected officials and kaufman studios representatives at the backlots rib-bon cutting on Tuesday.


pixPhoto by Ira C

ohen

Photo by Ira Cohen

At the grand opening of Kaufamn Astoria Studios backlot on Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer was on hand and met with past, present and future officials from the Queens Borough Presidents office: current BP Helen Marshall, former BP Claire Shulman and Borough President-elect Melinda Katz.

Check Presentation

On Dec. 2, the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation presented checks to the Hillside Hurricanes firefighters from Engine Co. 298 and Ladder Co. 127. Each check was for $1,000. James Vaccaro, director of security and quality control for GJDC, and Angela Mohan, manager of the Harvest Room, presented the checks to the firefighters.

Environmental DiscussionState Attorney General Eric Schneiderman speaks at a forum at LaGuardia Community College in Long Island City Monday night. The AG hosted the forum to lead a conversation on environmental protection, labor rights, civil rights, healthcare and consumer fraud and protection.

Helping Hands

State Sen. Malcolm Smith and the Grand Council of Guardians mem-bers of the NYPD, housing police and correction officers joined forces to provide holiday meals to more than 100 people at the Edgemere Com-munity Center in Far Rockaway on Thanksgiving Day. In the Christmas Spirit

With thousands of lights and a huge outdoor display, this house, owned by Dorothy Frankel on 122nd Street in South Ozone Park, is certainly ready for Christmas. Frankel said she hoped people would drive by and see the display.

Kaufman Astoria Gathering

Photos by Walter K

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by Ir

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Borough Beat

Police Blotter

BY JOE MARVILLI

As gridlock continues in Washing-ton D.C. and the immigration reform bill passed by the U.S. Senate collects dust in the House of Representatives, some community leaders have taken to fasting in the hopes of progress on immigration. S.J. Jung is one such community leader.

Jung, the president of the Flush-ing-based MinKwon Center for Com-munity Action, spent the middle of November fasting at the National Mall in support of immigration re-form. Jung, along with many other immigrant rights leaders, abstained from all food, except water, in an at-tempt to touch the hearts and minds of the members of Congress and get them to pass an immigration bill.

While an immigration reform bill passed the Senate in June, it has lan-guished in the House of Representa-tives since then, with little time left

MinKwon Center Pres. Fasts For Immigration Reformin this years session for a vote.

The Senate bill offers undocu-mented immigrants a pathway to citizenship. Young undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children would be able to earn green cards in five years.

Jung started his participation on Nov. 17 as part of the Fast for Fami-lies campaign. Organized by the Ser-vice Employees International Union, participants from various immigrant, labor and faith organizations joined together in tents in front of the Capi-tol building in Washington D.C.

The 47-year-old emigrated from Korea 27 years ago and said he un-derwent his fast as both an immi-grant and as an American.

I was there to protest the political gridlock, but not by raising my voice, but in the more humble way of fast-ing. That was one small way for me to share the pain of the immigrants in our nations broken immigrant sys-

tem. Were talking about the tragedy of family separation, Jung said. I was also there as an American. I be-lieve immigration reform is not only a moral imperative but an economic imperative.

Jung was forced to break his fast after eight days due to severe stom-ach pain.

Many high-ranking elected offi-cials visited the tent where the fasters stayed, including President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-New York) and U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing).

Jung said that many of the elected officials who met with the fasters recommitted to passing immigra-tion reform. The fasters also visited House Speaker John Boehners (R-Ohio) office with a letter asking for a vote on reform. While the Speaker said the immigration bill is not dead and the House is working on it, Jung

said more is needed than just words.They voted to repeal Obamacare

42 times. When it comes to immigra-tion reform, they cant bring it to vote even once? It doesnt make sense to me, he said. We have the votes. If the bill is brought to the floor, it will pass.

The MinKwon Center is encour-aging those in support of immigra-tion reform to call Boehners office at (202) 225-0600, House Majority Leader Eric Cantors (R-Virginia) office at (202) 225-2815 and House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthys (R-California) office at (202) 225-2915.

Each and every poll clearly shows an absolutely majority is very supportive of immigration reform, Jung said. We will continue our campaign. We should end the 21st century Trail of Tears.


103rd PrecinctInvestigation

At approximately 10:40 a.m. on Dec. 3, police responded to Jamaica Hospital, where they were informed that a 38-year-old female had sus-tained a gunshot wound to her head and was taken to the hospital via pri-vate means. The female victim was pronounced dead at the hospital. There are no arrests at the time and the investigation is ongoing.

105th PrecinctPedestrian Struck

At 6:19 a.m. on Nov. 26, police responded to a report of a pedestrian struck at the intersection of Rock-away Boulevard and Farmers Boule-vard. Upon arrival, police discovered a male of unknown age with severe head and body trauma.

EMS arrived and transported the male to Jamaica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

A preliminary investigation re-vealed a 2006 Subaru Impreza trav-eling eastbound on Rockaway Boule-vard struck the pedestrian when he was attempting to cross from north to south at the intersection of Farmers Boulevard. The operator remained on the scene and the investigation is ongoing.

106th PrecinctRobbery

The NYPD is asking the publics assistance identifying and locating the following individuals wanted in connection with a robbery that oc-curred on Nov. 30 at 9:19 p.m.

According to a police report, two individuals entered the La Quinta Hotel, located at 111-26 Van Wyck Expressway, South Ozone Park. The first suspect went to the front desk, pointed a silver shotgun at the man-ager and demanded money.

The second suspect held open a bag as the manager placed $560 in the bag. The suspects f led the location, heading north on the Van Wyck Expressway. There were no reported injuries during this inci-dent.

The first suspect is described as a Black male, 6-foot tall, last seen wear-ing a black ski cap, blue jeans and a blue waist-length jacket. The second suspect is described as a Black male, 6-foot tall, wearing a white waist-length jacket.

FAtAL COLLISIOn At 1 a.m. on Nov. 30, police responded to a 911 call of a motor vehicle accident at the intersection of 159th Avenue and 98th Street. Upon arrival, po-lice discovered a 38-year-old male,

identified as Jimmy Sinisi of Ridge-wood, having sustained severe body trauma after a traffic accident with another motorist. EMS took both drivers to Jamaica Hospital, where Sinisi was pronounced dead on ar-rival.

The operator of the second ve-hicle, identified as James Celauro, 23, of Ozone Park, was later arrest-ed and charged with vehicular man-slaughter and driving while abilities impaired.

108th PrecinctBurglary

The NYPD is asking the publics assistance identifying the following individual wanted for a burglary that took place on Oct. 7 inside of 41-32 44th St., Sunnyside. The suspect en-tered through a balcony door and re-moved jewelry and electronics.

HOMICIdE On Nov. 27, po-lice arrested Rolando Perez, 33, of Elmhurst, and charged him with second-degree murder and criminal use of a firearm. The arrest stemmed from an incident the previous day.

At 1:50 a.m. on Nov. 26, police responded to a 911 call of a female shot inside of 87-36 52nd Ave., Elmhurst. Upon arrival, officers ob-served Carolina Cobena, 29, of the

This individual is wanted in con-nection with a burglary within the confines of the 108th Pre-cinct.

above address, unconscious and un-responsive inside an apartment, with a gunshot wound to the head. EMS also responded and pronounced the victim dead at the scene.

CALL CRIME STOPPERS1-800-577-TIPS


A & E

BY JOE MARVILLI

When it comes to the holidays, a Queens family is aiming to prove that their decorations are among the best in the country.

The Lynch family, from Whites-tone, is one of 20 families appearing in The Great Christmas Light Fight, a decoration competition show pre-miering on ABC on Dec. 9.

In this new program, the first Christmas light show of its kind on television, the families each had 21 days to put together the most spec-tacular, over-the-top designs in an

attempt to impress judges Michael Moloney and Sabrina Soto, both from Extreme Makeover: Home Edi-tion. There will be a grand total of $250,000 in prizes, with $50,000 be-ing won in each episode.

Kevin Lynch, a retired New York firefighter, has been putting up his Christmas display for 16 years. It nor-mally takes him about seven weeks and more than 300 hours to put it all together. His efforts drew the atten-tion of ABC, who thought the house would be a good fit for the competi-tion. The Lynch family agreed to ap-pear and Kevin put in a marathon ef-

fort to get his house fully decorated in less than a month, working until 1 or 2 a.m. every night.

The night of the judging, we had 100 kids outside. The guys from the firehouse came outside and cheered me on, Kevin said. If I win, youll hear me screaming, no matter where you live in New York City.

Having put up elaborate decora-tions for nearly two decades, Kevin said it started as a hobby and grew from there, as his children and neigh-bors kept encouraging him.

With more than 300,000 lights and 350 figures surrounding his house, Kevin said the display has been vis-ited by people from all over the City. One year, he was approached by two individuals who said they were look-ing for his house. While he thought it was because of the display appearing in a newspaper or online, the two said they actually saw it from their plane, as they were pilots flying out of La-Guardia Airport and saw it on the Whitestone climb.

People in the neighborhood look

Queens Family Featured In New ABC Show

CASk1515-11 College Point Blvd., College Point(718) 661-2275HOuRS: Tues-Wed: 4 p.m. to 12 a.m., Thurs: 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., Fri-Sat: 4 p.m. to 4 a.m., Sun: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Credit Card: Yes, all majorPARkINg: Street parkingDELIVERY: No, only takeout

Cask15 has not even been open for two months and it has already gener-ated a lot of buzz for its unique Latin-fusion dishes. Being a big fan of Latin-style dishes, my date and I decided to see what the hype was about.

When we walked in, the first thing we noticed was the cool and relaxed vibe. The dimly-lit cozy environment was perfect for an intimate date and set the mood for an enjoyable meal.

Before we had a chance to order our food, we were treated to a variety of specialty mojitos. Although I am not a fan of rum, the passion fruit and man-go mojitos I tried were absolutely deli-cious. The alcohol did not overwhelm the fruity taste and much to my sur-prise, the drinks were served with real sugarcanes a rare find nowadays.

Already excited by our drinks, we decided to try a few of Cask15s tapas, or appetizers. Our pleasant server, Marti, made a few recom-mendations that did not disappoint. First on our list was the croquetas de mariscos, a unique twist on the popular shrimp croquet. The croque-tas de mariscos, made with shrimp, bacalao, crab and Idaho potato was served with a garlic sauce and spicy sauce both of which complement-ed the fish in different ways.

Our server also suggested the chimi sliders, a popular dish made

with ground meat, onions, shaved cabbage and Cask special sauce. Ive had many sliders in my day, but Ive never had sliders like these. The meat tasted fresh and the shaved cabbage really brought the sliders together. Although great on its own, Casks special sauce gave them an extra zingy taste, coming together beautifully.

My date, a big fan of seafood, thought he would try Casks fresh mussels, made with chorizo, saffron la mancha and tomatoes. Watching him take his first bite, I knew he fell in love. He praised Casks unique spin on the dish, which included sprinkling grounded up Spanish sau-sage, chorizo, on top. He described the tapa as a flavorful combination of sausage and mussel.

Our server brought over one more appetizer the cubanitos Cuban-style sliders made with citrus marinated pork, dry-cured Spanish ham, Swiss cheese, homemade pickles and spicy brown mustard. This was hands down my favorite appetizer. The Cuban take on the original dish was absolutely de-licious and made to perfection.

Though it seemed as though we would not have any room in our stomachs for more food, we knew we could not leave before sampling some entrees. My date went with the ropa vieja, a Cuban-style slow cooked flank steak served with onions and peppers and I went with the grilled churrasco, a marinated Angus beef skirt steak served with chimichurri sauce. The fairly-priced entrees were cooked to perfection and with both dishes under $25, the entrees were a steal. The meats tasted fresher and juicier than dinners Ive had at five-star restaurants.

-Natalia kozikowska

forward to it, Kevin said.The Great Christmas Light Fight

will air on Dec. 9, Dec. 16 and Dec. 23. The Lynch family will be fea-tured in the Dec. 9 episode, going up against the Blount family from La-guna Hills, Ca., the Holt family from Chesapeake, Va. and the Goff family from Canon, Ga.


BY LuIS gRONDA

Queens Baseball fanatics will soon get a chance to attend a Comic Con-like convention centered on Ameri-cas pastime.

The first annual Queens Baseball Convention will be held on Jan. 18 at McFaddens Citi Field, the bar and restaurant adjacent to the Mets home field.

The convention will feature a variety of events, including several panels dis-cussing different topics like the Mets in Popular Culture and a presentation on the most unusual victories in Mets his-tory, hosted by ESPNs Mark Simon.

Earlier this week, Mets legends Ron Darling and Ed Kranepool were added to the conventions itinerary. Darling and Kranepool will each host a one-hour question and answer ses-sion with fans, then spend another hour signing autographs.

The events organizer, Shannon Shark, said they wanted to make it a great event for the strong baseball community in the Borough and orga-nized it like a fan fest or New York City Comic Con.

The spirit of it is lets all get to-gether in room and have fun, said Shark, who also runs a Mets fan blog, metspolice.com.

He said the idea for the convention came after he saw that hundreds of Mets fans would attend similar events in states hosted by other teams in Ma-jor League Baseball and that many of those same people would go to a con-vention if it was held locally.

Having it at McFaddens made a lot of sense, Shark said, because of its proximity to Citi Field and the conve-nience of public transportation.

Shark said adding Darling and Kranepool to the event adds more le-gitimacy because fans will get to see two Mets legends in person.

Just to have them there makes it more than a bunch of folks having a party, he said.

Shark added that he hopes people who attend walk away feeling like they got good value for their money and had a terrific time at the conven-tion. He hopes to make this an annual event but it will depend on how it does this year.

Tickets for the convention are $35 for adults and $10 for children. It is sched-uled to run from noon until 7 p.m.

For more information on the event and to purchase tickets, log onto queensbaseballconvention.com.


Baseball Convention Coming To Queens Bar Next Year

A New Latin Delight

The Lynch family and their home will appear on The great Christmas Light Fight, a holiday decoration competition series starting Dec. 9 on ABC.

Restaurant Review

Queens today

SATURDAY 12/7FRIDAY 12/6

Got EvEnts?Send all information to

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

SATURDAY 12/7

SUNDAY 12/8

THURSDAY 12/12

TUESDAY 12/10

SPOTLIGHT OF THE WEEKCABAREt nIGHt

AyodElE MAAkHERuIf you are a fan of Ragtime, Stride and Boogie Woo-gie, Flushing Town Halls

upcoming performance is the show for you. Starting at 8 p.m., multi-instrumen-

talist Ayodele Maakheru and The Windsong String Ensemble will perform a tribute to these classic styles. General admission tickets are $15 and tickets for students or members are $10. Call (718) 463-7700 for more informa-tion.

BusInEss WoRksHopVerizon Wireless and the Queens Chamber of Com-merce Interactive Panel Workshop are hosting a workshop to amplify your business through mobile technology. Take stock of the newest develop-ments in mobile technol-ogy and learn how to move your business forward with tips and best practices from experts in the industry. The event will take place from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m. at the Queens Chamber of Commerce, located at Bu-lova Center at 75-20 Astoria Blvd., Jackson Heights. For more information, visit www.queenschamber.org or call (718) 898-8500.

Theatre Time Produc-tions will present Holiday Memories, a Christmastime musical spectacular at the Colo-nial Church Of Bayside. Directed by Kevin Vincent and with musical direction by Brett Roelofs, the show will feature seasonal favor-ites such as Jingle Bells, Silent Night and Little Drummer Boy. Take a free photo with Santa during the intermission. The show takes place at 8 p.m., repeats at the same time on Dec. 7 and takes place at 3 p.m. on Dec. 8. Tickets are $17 for general admission, $15 for seniors age 65 and over and $10 for children who are 12

years old or younger. The Colonial Church Of Bayside is located at 54-02 217th St. Call (347) 358-8102 or visit www.theatretime.org for tickets.

3Rd spACE Judith Sloan and War-ren Lehrer will perform excerpts from their work as part of 3rd Space from 7-9 p.m. at Queens Council on the Arts, 37-11 35th Ave., As-toria. The performance fuses the art of theater, radio and poetry. A Q&A will follow. Admission is $5.

CItyvIEW opEn HousEJoin the CityView Rac-quet Club for an Open House, from noon until 2 p.m. The directors of Tennis and Squash will be available to answer questions about their various programming, including adult and junior programs. The courts will be available for play, so feel free to bring your racquet. They will also raffle ten-nis and squash member-ship that day for those who attend! If you have any questions, contact Chris-tina Lenahan at [email protected] or call (718) 389-6252. The Cit-yView Racquet Club Open House is located at 43-34 32nd Place, Penthouse, Long Island City.

WE lovE HolIdAy pop up MARkEtJoin the amazing Astoria designers, artists and vendors for a holiday pop up market. Get the perfect holiday gift or buy yourself those perfect holi-day accessories. The market starts at 1 p.m. and runs till 5 p.m. The shopping will take place at Winegasm Bar & Eatery, located at 31-86 37th St. in Astoria. For more information, visit weheartastoria.com/astoria-events-calendar/#sthash.wb7D0hwq.dpuf.

CElEBRAtIonThe Church of the Resur-rection in Kew Gardens will hold its annual St. Nicho-las Day Celebration. It is a free event, full of fun and enjoyment. It will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a St. Nick Prayer Service and a social with food and music at 7 p.m. St. Nick will also make an appearance with gifts. It will take place at 85-09 118th St. in Kew Gardens. For more infor-mation, please call (718) 847-2649.

lEAf RECyClInGCome to the Glendale Community Garden to dispose of your recycled leaves. The leaves will be taken and composed locally. The event runs from 9 a.m. until noon. The garden is located at 88th Street and 74th Avenue in Glendale. Please do not bring twigs, branches or trash. Bring the leaves in a clear plastic bag. You may also use a brown paper bag. For any questions on the event, please contact the Glendale Community Garden on their Facebook page.

fAMIly ConCERt The Gingerbread Players of Saint Lukes Church, 85 Greenway South in For-est Hills, will perform a family-friendly concert in pageant form, fea-turing original music and traditional carol arrangements by local composer William Ryden. Suggested donation is $12, $10 for students, seniors and groups. For informa-tion and reservations, call (718) 268-7772 or visit www.gingerbreadplayers.com.

WIntER solstICE CElEBRAtIonQueens Botanical Gar-den is hosting a Winter Solstice celebration and tree lighting ceremony from 12:30 to 5 p.m. The day will feature family fun, such as a live musical perfor-mance by a cappella group The Rough Dozen, a winter Garden tour and botanical crafts. The lighting ceremo-ny will start at 4:30 p.m.

fACE tHE MusICFace The Music, Kauf-man Music Centers youth new music en-semble, will perform at the Queens Museum at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. The teen collective is the only one in the U.S. dedicated to the performance of music by living classical composers. Some of the pieces they are scheduled to play include the jazzy Modern Hiero-glyphics, the orchestral Continuing Resolution and covers of songs by the avantpunk jazz group Gut-bucket. For more informa-tion, call (718) 592-9700.

CRAft sAlE Our Lady of Snows RC Church will hold a holiday craft sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the schools Green Room, 258-15 80th Ave., Floral Park. Crafted holiday decorations,

ornaments, wreaths, table runners and more will be available. For information, call (718) 347-6070 or visit www.olsnows.org.

CookIEs & CHEMIstRyThe science department at Martin Luther High School in Maspeth invites people to a night of cookies, cocoa and chemistry with teachers and students in grades 4-8, starting at 7 p.m. Three of the departments teachers, Mr. Fredericksen, Mr. Schu-man & Ms. Aguirre, will demonstrate the excitement of science. Tickets are $5 for the event. The school is lo-cated at 60-02 Maspeth Ave. To purchase tickets, please call (718) 894-4000 x133 or send an email to [email protected].

nEtWoRkInG pARtyThe Forest Hills Cham-ber of Commerce will host a holiday network-ing party, from 6-8:30 p.m. Come network with local businesses and resi-dents in the area. There will be wine and hot appetizers served. The event will take place at Dees Restaurant at 107-23 Metropolitan Ave. in Forest Hills. A $15 dollar contribution is requested per person at the door. For more information, call Mirielle at (718) 268-6565 or email [email protected].

The Bay Terrace Jewish Center is partnering with Theatre By The Bay to present Cabaret Night, an evening of music, comedy and dancing.

Starting at 8 p.m. in the Bay Terrace Jewish Center, the show will star community theater and indie film veteran actress and singer Jean Ann Kump and her partner, singer, impressionist and actor Barry Feterman. There will be a special guest appearance by Theatre By The Bay actress Isabel Robin.

Tickets are $22 in advance and $25 at the door. Call (718) 428-6363 for reservations. The center is located at 13-00 209th St.

HolIdAy MEMoRIEs



Section editor: reGinA VoGeL

Send announcements for your club or or-

ganizations events at least tWo weeks in advance to Queens

today editor, Queens tribune, 150-50 14

road, Whitestone nY 11357. Send faxes to

357-9417, c/o regina or email to

[email protected] Yearly schedules and ad-vanced notices welcome!

JOB SEARCH HELPMondays, December 9, 16, 23, 30 ridgewood and Astoria library. register.OPEN LABMondays 1-5 at the central library.BEGINNERS EXCELTuesdays December 10 Lic library. register.BEGINNERSTuesdays Laurelton and rosedale library. registerINTRO INTERNETTuesday, December 10 Lic library. register.ONE-ON-ONETuesdays, December 10, 17 Woodside library at 5:45.BEGIN INTERNETWednesday, December 11 Windsor Park library at 11:30.TYPING LABWednesdays, December 11, 18 central library at 4:15.TWITTERThursday, December 12 central library. register.LINKEDINThursday, December 12 central library. register.OFFICE SUITEThursdays, December 12, 19 Poppenhusen library at noon.BEGIN COMPUTERSThursdays, December 12, 19, 26 ozone Park library. register.BEGIN COMPUTERSThursdays, December 12, 19 rosedale l ibrary at 5:45.JOB SEARCHFridays, December 6, 13, 20, 27 ridgewood and South Hollis library. register.COMPUTERSWednesday, December 18 Windsor Park library at 11:30.

BARRIER TO EMPLOY.Fridays, december 6, 13 central library. register.IDENTIFY SKILLSFriday, december 6 Lic 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.BARRIER TO EMPLOY.Fridays, december 6, 13 central library. register.IDENTIFY SKILLSFriday, december 6 Lic library. register.MATH FOR ADULTSSaturday, December 7 Lic library at 10.PRE-GED CLASSSaturdays, december 7, 14 cambria Heights library. register.DEFENSIVE DRIVINGMonday, december 9 Hol-lis library. register.BARRIER TO EMPLOY.Fridays, december 6, 13 central library. register.IDENTIFY SKILLSFriday, december 6 Lic library. register.ARTIST WORKSHOPMonday, december 9 rego Park library at 2.POTTERY WORKSHOPMonday, december 9 rosedale library. register.BRIDGEMondays except holidays 12-4 at Pride of Judea in douglaston. Lesson & play $10. Partners arranged. 423-6200.ADULT CHESSMondays and thursdays Queens Village library at 5:30.BEGIN GENEALOGYTuesdays, December 10, 17 Woodside library at 3:30.CHESStuesdays rosedale library at 4.SMALL BUSINESS

DANCE FUSIONThrough December 8 Gold-stein theatre at Queens college. 793-8080.T R E E & P O I N S E T T I A SALEThrough December 24 Queens county Farm Mu-seum, 73-50 Little neck Parkway, Floral Park. 347-FArM.HOLIDAY HOUSE TOURThrough December 31 tours at the Louis Arm-strong House Museum. 478-8274.SLOAN/LEHRERFriday, December 6 per-formances at the Queens council on the Arts, 37-11 35th Avenue, Astoria from 7-9. $5.VIVA LAS VEGAS!Friday, December 6 Whit-estone library at 3.SAM COOK TRIBUTEFriday, December 6 Hollis library at 3:30.CHAMBER MUSICFridays. December 6, 13 at LeFrak concert Hall . 793-8080.GAME FRIDAYSFridays, December 6, 13, 20, 27 rosedale library at 4.COLUMBINUSDecember 6-13 at Queens-borough community col-lege. 631-6311.NU URBAN CAFFridays live jazz and r&b 9-midnight. Free. 188-36 Linden Blvd., St. Albans. 917-817-8653.GAME DAYFridays 4:30 Woodhaven library.GAME PLAYERS CLUBFridays 2 Hillcrest library.MUSICA REGINAESataurday, December 7 church in the Gardens in Forest Hills at 7:30. $20. 894-2178.HOLIDAY CONCERTSaturday, December 7 Flushing library at 1:30.SAM COOKE TRIBUTESatuarday, December 7 Bayside library at 2.PIANO GREATSSaturday, December 7 For-est Hills library at 2:30.HiP HoP And JAZZSaturday, December 7 Langston Hughes library at 2:30.4MODERN JAZZSaturday, December 7 Broadway library at 3.SWINGING BLUESSaturday, December 7 cambria Heights library at 3.CHURCH IN GARDENSSaturday, December 7 Musica reginae presents Making Music with the Marimba at 7:30. Sunday, December 22 Queens oratorio Society presents i ts Hol iday concer t at Queensborough commu-

nity college. 894-2178.WREATH MAKINGSaturday and Sunday, De-cember 7, 8 10, 12 and 2pm. $20. Queens county Farm Museum, 73-50 Little neck Parkway, Floral Park. 347-FArM.HOUSE TOURS u n d ay, D e c e m b e r 8 Annual Holiday Historic House tour (Kingsland Homestead, Voelker orth, Lewis Lat imer, Bowne, Louis Armstrong, Friends Meeting and Bird Sanctu-ary and Victorian Gardens) 1-5. $10. trolly and holiday treats. 939-0647, ext. 17.HOLIDAY CONCERTSunday, December 8 Sa-cred Music choral of rich-mond Hills Holiday con-cert at St. Johns Lutheran church.HOLIDAY POPSSunday, December 8 cold-en Auditorium at 7:30. 793-8080.OPEN MICMonday, December 9 Barnes & noble, 176-60 Union turnp ike , Fresh Meadows at 7:30.MOVIETuesday, December 10 identity thief. Queens Village library at 3.BROADWAY TUNESTiuesday, December 10 douglaston library at 3.BINGOTuesdays 7:15 American Martyrs church in Bayside. 464-4582. Tuesdays 7:15 (doors open 6) rego Park Jewish center. 459-1000. $3 admission includes 12 games. SCRABBLETuesdays Fresh Meadows library at 2 and east Flush-ing library at 3:30.CHESSTuesdays 4 rosedale li-brary.QC ORCHESTRAWednesday and Friday, December 11, 13 LeFrak concert Hall. 793-8080.LIVE JAZZWednesdays (except 3rd Wednesday of month) creative Jazz organiza-tion presents live jazz at the American Legion Post, 204-03 Linden Blvd., cam-bria Heights 6:30-10:00. $7 members, $10 others, $2 musicians.BiG BAndSThursday, December 12 north Hills library at 1:30.SENSATIONAL 60s/70sThursday, December 12 Maspeth library at 2:30.BROADWAY TUNESThursday, December 12 Poppenhusen librry at 5.BRITISH BLUESThursday, December 12 richmond Hill library at 5:30.MODERN JAZZ

Thursday, December 12 Astoria library at 6.FLAMENCOThursday, December 12 Flushing library at 6.

SHAPE UP NYCFr idays , December 6 , 13 Briarwood library at 11:30.BREAST CANCERFriday, December 6 Mc-Goldrick library at 6.SHAPE UP NYCFridays, December 6, 13, 20, 27 richmond Hi l l library at 5:30.ZUMBAFridays, December 6, 13, 20, 27 rosedale library at 6.ZUMBAAFFORDABLE HEALTHDecember 6 through 30 in cambria Heights. call 866-539-0999 for times and dates.Saturday, December 7 For-

est Hills library at 11.INTRO YOGASaturdays, December 7, 14 Steinway library. register.FALL FITNESSSa tu rdays , December 7, 14, 21, 28 cambria Heights. 646-476-1294.SARCOIDOSIS SUPPORTSaturday, December 7 3-4 in cambria Heights. 646-476-1294.WELLNESS FAIRSunday, December 8 10-4 Free Synagogue of Flush-ing, 41-60 Kissena Blvd.MEN/BREAST CANCERMonday, December 9 7-8:30 at Adelphia Univer-sity school of Social Work in Garden city. 516-877-4314.SITTING EXERCISEMondays, December 9, 16, 23, 30 in cambria Heights. 646-476-1294.HEALTH INSURANCEMonday, December 9 Jack-son Heights library at 5.ZUMBAMondays, December 9, 16, 23 Broadway library. register.ZUMBAMondays, December 9, 16 rochdale and east elmhurst library. register.ZUMBAMonday, December 9 Bay-side library. register.MetAStAtic BreAStMondays 1:30-3:00 at Adelphi School of Social Work. 516-877-4314.HEALTH BENEFITSTuesday, December 10 11-6 health benefits ex-plained in cambria Heights. 646-476-1294.LIC WALKTuesday, December 10 Lic library at 9.CPR TRAININGTuesday, December 10 Le-frak city library. register.CHAIR YOGATuesday, December 10 Mitchell Linden l ibrary. register.ZUMBATuesdays, December 10, 17 Briarwood library at 5:30.ALZHEIMERSTuesdays, December 10, 24 caregiver Support Group in Forest Hills. 592-5757, ext. 237.PILATESTuesday, December 10 Queens Vi l lage l ibrary. register.ZUMBAWednesdays, December 11, 18 McGoldrick library. registerYOGA STRETCHWednesdays, December 11, 18 richmond Hill li-brary at 5:30.GENTLE YOGAWednesdays, December 11, 18 Woodside library at 5:45.

tuesdays Small Business Workshop at the central library. register.BELLY DANCINGWednesdays, december 11, 18 Woodside library. register.WATERCOLORWednesdays all techniques and subjects at the national Art League.969-1128.LEARN TO DRAWThursday, December 12 Hillcrest library. register.LEARN CHINESEThursdays north Forest Park library at 6.

HOLIDAY FAIR/FLEASaturday, December 7 our Lady of Hope, eliot Avenue and 71st Street, Middle Village 9-5.XMAS BAZAARSaturday, December 7 9-4 at All Saints church, 114-35 40th Avenue, Bayside.XMAS SALESaturday, December 7 10-4 and Sunday, Decem-ber 8 9-3 at St. Josaphats, 35th Avenue and 210th Street, Bayside.HOLIDAY FAIR/FLEAS u n d ay, D e c e m b e r 8 American Martyrs church, 79-43 Bell Blvd., 9-4.

CATHOLIC VETSMonday, december 9 American Martyrs catholic War Veterans Post 1772 in Bayside. 468-9351,VFW 4787Monday, december 9 Whit-estone VFW community Post meets. 746-0540.QUILTING CLUBMondays Alley Pond envi-ronmental center 2:30. $5. 229-4000.TELEPHONE PION.tuesday, december 10 te lephone Pioneers of America meet in college Point. 463-4535.QHC TOASTMASTERStuesdays, december 10, 24 QHc toastmasters club meets at 82-68 164th Street, Jamaica at 5:15. 5th floor, room A540 883-3498.SE QUEENS CAMERAtuesdays, december 10, 17, 24 at roy Wilkins Family rec. center. 347-528-7178.KNIT & CROCHETWednesdays, december 11, 18 South ozone Park library at 1.JAMAICA KIWANISthursdays, december 12, 26 Kiwanis club of Jamaica meets. 527-3678.

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Vicente Gomez, who also goes by the name Roberto, is a new resident to the Jamaica area and has been studying art seriously since he was 15-years-old. His artwork, he said, is heavily influenced by his cultural roots in Ecuador, as well as his recent experiences in Southeast Queens.

Raised in Ecuador, Gomez said that his ancestral roots are easy to spot in his art, particularly the use of colors and deities in his paintings.

They [my roots] are very strong [in my art], he said. I use my deep investigation of my indigenous roots and the origins of ancient art in Ec-uador its spelling, drawing, original design and symbolism represents ce-lestial and terrestrial deities, as well as scientific astronomical knowledge. My colors come from that source.

Heavily influenced by his roots, it does not come as a surprise to Gomez that when he moved to Ja-

Jamaica Artist Inspired By His Cultural Roots

maica, his paintings would reflect the drastic change.

I am new to the neighborhood but the change of country from Ecuador to the United States was strong and obviously the influence of a strange and distant environment affected my artistic production, he

said. Still, my current work and last work has rooting from my cultural roots as well as roots from the aver-age New Yorker. I find it very diffi-cult to avoid.

I have painted faces of people who represent the diversity of cul-tures that make up Queens and New York, he added. It incorporates the symbolic elements of conflict that I encounter being a migrant, but the landscape remains the same for all youll see the same small details.

Gomez has mastered many differ-ent art forms but is best known for his work in classical, modern, impres-sionist, surreal, abstract, pre-Colum-bian, sacred icon, Buddhist, Persian, Tibetan mandalas and Celtic art all of which are used to help him on his spiritual search.

When asked what he loves most about being an artist, Gomez admit-ted that he finds painting to be in-credibly therapeutic, especially while

facing the many real challenges of life.

It is the only way to free my-self from the jail and the pressure to make money, he said. Painting re-laxes you. Art is the best therapeutic tool, to the extent that it is able to ex-press and release the shadows, which are hidden in the unconscious, hid-den emotion.

Gomezs art will be on display at an exhibition at the 96th Street Public Library in Manhattan, from Dec. 11 through Dec. 15. Fifteen of his paint-ings representing ancient and indig-enous symbols will be on display.

The 96th Street Library is located at 112 East 96th St., and is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The library is closed on Sundays.

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

Vicente (Roberto) Gomez

Tell The PRESS

Send notices of graduation, awards, anniversaries, engagements

and honors to: PRESS of Southeast Queens

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

All announcements will be considered for publication without fee.

Air Force Airman Nigel D. Wil-liams graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas.

The airman completed an inten-sive, eight-week program that in-cluded training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness, and basic warfare principles and skills.

Williams is the son of Shirell Weston of Jamaica.

Air National Guard Airman Ryan A. Jagai graduated from basic mili-tary training at Joint Base San Anto-nio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas.

Jagai is the son of Juliet Jagai of Queens and is a 2008 graduate of Thomas Edison High School in Ja-maica.

Army Reserve Pvt. Khem-nauth Jagroop has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. During the nine weeks of training, the soldier studied the Army mis-sion, history, tradition and core val-ues, physical fitness, and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills.

Jagroop is a 2009 graduate of Mar-tin Van Buren High School, Queens Village.

Air Force Airman Clarence E. Bell graduated from basic military training at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, San Antonio, Texas.

Bell is the son of Deidre Basile of Springfield Gardens and is a 2012 graduate of Cardozo High School in Bayside.

Air Force Airman Aaron S. Jaime graduated from basic military train-ing at Joint Base San Antonio-Lack-land, San Antonio, Texas.

Jaime is the son of Jacqueline Pic-cardo of South Richmond Hill and

Efrain Jaime Jr. of Jamaica. He is a 2012 graduate of Aviation High School in Long Island City.

Lindsey Jeanniton of Laurelton was named treasurer of the Health Professions Organization at the Uni-versity of Scranton for the 2013-14 academic year.

Assemblyman David Weprin will host a holiday toy drive to benefit the autistic children of the Lifeline Center for Child Development, 80-09 Winchester Blvd., Queens Vil-lage. Participants can bring a new unwrapped educational toy, game or

Air Force Airman Nigel D. Williams

book suitable for children ages 12 and younger to Weprins office, 185-06 Union Turnpike, Fresh Meadows.

Donations must be received by Dec. 18. For information, call (718) 454-3027.

Girl Scout Daisy Troop 4360, Brownie Troop 4336 and Junior Troop 4281 hope to collect 200 homemade holiday cards to give to Boots on the Ground NY to send to soldiers stationed overseas. The troops will collect holiday cards from 3-5 p.m. Dec. 13 at PS 56, 86-10 114th St., Richmond Hill and 5-6 pm. Dec. 13 at St. Johns Lutheran Church, 86-20 114th St., Richmond Hill.

Air Force Airman Aaron S. Jaime


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Maintaining a tradition more than 50 years old, the Calvary Bap-tist Church will kick off the Advent season with a special presentation of George F. Handels Messiah, Part One.

The free performance, presented by the B-Sharp Long Island Branch of the National Association of Negro Musicians, is scheduled for Dec.7 at the church.

Anne-Marie Hudley Simmons, president of the B-Sharp L.I. Branch of the NANM and assistant to the music director at the church, said the purpose of the show is to bring mu-sic and culture to the young people in the community.

There is not a lot of music at the public schools, Hudley Simmons said. You dont get young people

Calvary Baptist Kicks Off Xmas Seasongrowing up with the music and we are losing a lot as a result. Our or-ganization tries to preserve and promote this music. It also wants to maintain a high level of classical mu-sic every year.

The performance, she said, is the perfect way for the church to kick off the Christmas season and has been a tradition of the church for many years.

We do this every year to usher in the Advent season, she said. Christ-mas is always so commercialized about buying things and scrambling around the stores to get good things for Christmas. But this show is about joy, peace and love.

According to Hudley Simmons, Messiah, Part One has always been a big success at Calvary Baptist Church. In the past, the show has attracted upwards of 800 attendees

and she anticipates they may see as many as 1,000 this year.

Everyone always thinks we should do our concerts more than one time a year, she said. We practice forev-er to do these concerts. The feedback has always been great [and] we have large audiences, which is wonderful. The choir alone is 40-55 people.

The singers participating in the show are part of various churches in the Metropolitan area. The majority of them, Hudley Simmons said, are under 30 in hopes that a younger crowd will be intrigued to check it out.

We really want to motivate young people to think seriously about the arts and the genre of music, she said. Our focus is really to educate these young people. We even try to supply students with scholarships each year so they can study privately.

As a Christian herself, Hudley Simmons said she believes it is im-portant to embrace God through music and even though the B-Sharp L.I. Branch of the NANM is not a re-ligious organization, a majority of its members come from churches scat-tered across the State.

Many of people do sing in churches, she said. To me, its a God-given gift. Our expression is a way of glorifying Him and returning to Him what He has given to us.

Messiah, Part One, will be held at the church at 5 p.m., with doors open-ing at 4:30 p.m. The concert is free but there will be a free will offering.

Calvary Baptist Church is located at 111-10 Guy R. Brewer Blvd., Ja-maica.


Four creative students at Hillcrest High School operate an innovative virtual class like a real business. Shown are the leaders Forid Alauddin, Malinda Madhoo, Kadeijah Francis and Nicholas Naipaul.

Hillcrest High School students enrolled in the high schools BizTek Institute Virtual Enterprise program are getting creative by operating their new and innovative class like a regu-lar business.

The business, run by four cre-ative students who work as the lead-ing officers, is called the Build Your Future Institute and offers virtual or pretend business courses that are sold online.

Much like any other business, the Virtual Enterprise classroom is fur-nished like a real office, complete with cubicles, computers, a fax ma-chine, phones, a conference room, filing cabinets, a rug, time clocks with time cards and even paintings on the wall. Simulating a real busi-ness model, the students each have certain responsibilities at Build Your Future Institute and their teacher, Michelle Gensler, acts as an advisor.

The class takes part in a number of activities meant to simulate a real business. The students take part in an advertising competition, a busi-ness plan competition and attend trade fairs where they virtually sell their product.

The class also attends workshops in Manhattan, along with other Vir-

tual Enterprise classes in the area, including John Adams and the Busi-ness, Computer Applications and Entrepreneurship High School.

The companys Chief Executive Officer i

Press epaper 120613

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Transcript of Press epaper 120613