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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

Police from the 114th Precinct in Astoria were searching for a 28-year-old Roosevelt Island man who was reported missing on Thursday, Jan. 11.

Robert Lawrence was last seen Wednesday, Jan. 3, leaving his Main Street home at 7 p.m., according to the NYPD.

Lawrence is 6 feet, 4 inches tall and weighs 180 pounds with a thin build, a dark complexion, brown eyes and black hair, police said. He was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt, black sweatpants and black sandals.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.

Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4538.

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By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

The Douglaston Civic Association is aiming to sue the city over its launch of bike lanes on Northern Boulevard between Bayside and Little Neck, contending that the layout of the plan will cause more accidents than it prevents.

DCA President Sean Walsh announced the decision at Monday’s Community Board 11 meeting and said he would like to see Gov. Andrew Cuomo remove the city’s right to manage state highways within its limits.

“The city is failing in a number of ways on Northern Boulevard,” Walsh said. “We have a bike lane situation where they’ve put no reflectors up, no signs until after the seventh accident.”

CB 11 meetings have been the scene of turbulent discourse over the city DOT’s disregard for the advisory board’s proposal to safeguard bicyclists along the corridor in favor of its own plan, which in September took away a lane of westbound traffic for a Jersey-barrier-protected path and lowered the speed limit.

“The city has aggregated its responsibility to produce safe highways and streets,” Walsh said. “They don’t care what they do. They don’t know what they’re doing. They are quite ignorant and stupid in their procedures.”

The death of Flushing resident Michael Schenkman, 78, in the summer of 2016 motivated DOT to create a protected bike lane on Northern Boulevard, which is a Vision Zero priority.

Schenkman, an avid bike advocate, was struck by a motorist, and his demise spurred activism from organizations such as Transportation Alternatives.

A spokesman for the city agency could not directly respond to the claim that a lawsuit was heading its way, with meager details coming from Walsh, who would not expand further on the grounds, but the spokesman defended the need for the bike lane.

“The impetus for these safety enhancements was the death of a cyclist on this high-crash stretch of the corridor, which saw 15 vehicle passengers, pedestrians and cyclists injured in 2016 alone,” the spokesman said. “Given the NYPD’s crash stats, and given that none of the recent incidents Senator Avella and Assembly Member Braunstein cite has resulted in injuries, it is important to give roadway users time to acclimate to the new traffic-calming measures. We remain committed to working with the community, monitoring the project and making adjustments, if needed.” The spokesman referred to state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) and Assemblyman Edward Braunstein (D-Bayside).

DOT unveiled the bike lane proposal at the June CB 11 meeting, where it was approved by a vote and later rescinded at the September meeting after he summer recess. The board voted in favor of an in-house proposal to widen the sideway on the north side of the road instead, but DOT forced the proposal through.

A contentious protest led by Avella was met with counter-protests from bike advocates in favor of the lanes, and Braunstein came out against the installment in an early December release.

In the Jan. 8 meeting, the community board also voted unanimously in favor of co-naming 210th Street between 58th Avenue and Horace Harding Expressway as Armenia Way, paying homage to the Armenian community in Bayside.

The Rev. Abraham Malkhasyan, of the Armenian Church of the Holy Martyrs, brought up the request at the meeting, saying that about 2,000 Armenians call the area home, having settled there since the 1950s.

Community Board Chairwoman Christine Haider voiced her own support for the effort, saying her son had been welcome to attend day care at the church despite being from a different background and religion.

Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhallum@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4564.

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By Greater Astoria Historical Society

TimesLedger Newspapers

In conjunction with the Greater Astoria Historical Society, TimesLedger Newspapers presents noteworthy events in the borough’s history.

Retired National Football League tight end Marco Antonio Battaglia was born on Jan. 25, 1973, and raised in Howard Beach, Queens. After capping a stellar football career at Rutgers University as a consensus first-team All-American in 1995, Battaglia played for five pro teams in eight seasons. He retired from the NFL after playing for the Carolina Panthers team that reached Super Bowl XXXVIII. The former football star still resides in Queens with his wife and two children and works in the athletics department at his alma mater in New Jersey. Battaglia is a friend and personal trainer of fellow Queens native and radio “shock jock” Howard Stern.

Hard work was instilled in the NFL veteran from an early age.

“Growing up, my late father would constantly tell me: ‘Books, books, books. You have to study to be a doctor or a lawyer,” Battaglia said. “When I got my scholarship letter from Rutgers and my mother and I told him that school would be paid for, his response in his Italian accent was, ‘Maria, this football thing might not be such a bad idea.’”

As a gridiron standout at St. Francis Prep in Fresh Meadows, Battaglia earned a football scholarship to Rutgers to play tight end for the Scarlet Knights. After his senior campaign in 1995, the Queens native was recognized as a consensus All-American and the Big East Conference offensive player of the year. When he graduated, he ranked in the top two in Rutgers football history in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

In 1996, the Cincinnati Bengals selected the shy kid from Howard Beach in the second round of the NFL draft. After playing in Cincinnati for six seasons, Battaglia had brief stops with the Washington Redskins in the second half of the 2001 season, the Steelers and Buccaneers in 2002 and the NFC champion Panthers the following year. As a backup for Carolina, Battaglia was one of three former Queens residents on the Super Bowl XXXVIII roster, joined by lineman Tutan Reyes and offensive coordinator Dan Henning, also a St. Francis Prep graduate.

Marco Battaglia retired after the 2003 season after amassing 71 receptions and 660 receiving yards and scoring two touchdowns in 96 games. Throughout his pro career, Battaglia stayed true to his roots, often returning to Queens to give inspirational speeches to the Terriers football squad at his high school.

Accolades continued to pour in even after he left the game he loved. In 2007, the record-setting tight end was inducted into the Rutgers Athletic Hall of Fame. The following year, the 6-foot-3 Battaglia was recognized by Sports Illustrated as the best at his position in college football in the 1990s.

In 2014, the tough Italian kid from Howard Beach returned to Rutgers to work in fundraising for the athletic department, where he was reunited with high school teammate and then Rutgers football head coach Kyle Flood. In 2017, Rutgers returned the favor when it unveiled the $8.5 million Marco Battaglia Practice Complex for the Scarlet Knights football team.

For further information, contact the Greater Astoria Historical Society at 718-278-0700 or visit our website at www.astorialic.org.

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

A cease-and-desist list targeting unwanted real estate solicitations went into effect with the new year, allowing residents of northeast Queens to opt out of receiving fliers and door-to-door visits.

State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside), who fought to have at least part of an expired cease-and-desist zone restored, reminded residents of Auburndale, Bayside, College Point, Malba, Murray Hill, North Flushing, and Whitestone to add their addresses to the list on the Department of State website.

“There may be 1,033 houses already on the list, but there is always room for more,” Avella said. “The Department of State will continue to accept new submissions and will update the list monthly.”

The cease-and-desist list established by the Department of State emulates a zone covering all of Queens County that was established in 1989 and expired in 2014. At three public hearings, residents and civic associations blasted the real estate industry for tactics they considered aggressive and complained of fliers littering their communities.

According to the Department of State, “no licensed real estate broker or salesperson shall solicit the sale, lease or the listing for sale or lease of residential property from an owner of residential property located in a designated cease-and-desist zone if such owner has filed a cease-and-desist notice with the Department of State indicating that such owner or owners do not desire to sell, lease or list their residential property and do not desire to be solicited to sell, lease or list their residential property.”

The new list will expire in 2022, but the IDC senator is hoping to get a law passed in the state to ban real estate solicitations in Queens indefinitely.

Avella claimed that an April 2016 hearing was overrun with real estate brokers, agents and salespeople posing as residents against cease-and-desist zones. Of the 38 people who testified, 11 were non-Realtors, all of whom described real estate solicitation as extreme, Avella said in a news release after the event. One of the residents giving testimony against cease-and-desist was a former president of the Long Island Board of Realtors. Avella said she testified as one of his own constituents.

At a July press conference organized by Avella, Auburndale Improvement Association President Terri Pouymari, North Flushing Senior Center Director Betty Faraone and Bay Terrace resident Phil Konigsberg complained of litter from fliers and junk mail becoming commonplace in their neighborhoods. People who wish to sell will seek out a real estate agent on their own terms, they said.

Pouymari also expressed concern that real estate developers could be turning homes in single-family zones into illegal conversions.

“Though I wish that the cease-and-desist zone covered the entire borough of Queens, I think we have taken a very big step towards protecting homeowners from the predatory tactics of real estate agents that became a norm in our neighborhoods,” Avella said in July 2017.

“These new zones will also help to promote a better relationship between homeowners and real estate agents who work and live in the community. The creation of these zones is a common-sense solution to the aggressive real estate industry campaign to bully homeowners into thinking it is time to sell their home. I thank the Department of State for realizing that the solicitation residents faced was intense and unending, and for taking action to put an end to this.”

Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhallum@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4564.

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By Gina Martinez

TimesLedger Newspapers

A Whitestone restaurant is hosting a fundraiser Tuesday to help a local baby with a rare genetic condition.

Luigi Forte, who just last month opened his Italian restaurant, Buona Forchetta, at 168-68 Ninth Ave., reached out to the family of 7-month-old Stevie Skaats and offered help as soon as he saw Stevie’s story on a We Love Whitestone Facebook page.

“When I read about the situation with the baby, I thought, everybody deserves a chance to live,” Forte said.

Forte spoke to Stevie’s mother, Ann, who said she was more than happy for Forte to hold an event.

“After I met the mother, we set everything up,” Forte said. “I’ve been passing around fliers and spreading the word on Facebook. We’re not exactly sure how many people are coming; 20 people have confirmed, but we’re expecting at least 40.”

Stevie Skaats was born with a rare, debilitating genetic disease that has forced him to spend almost 150 days in the hospital. Parents Ann and Steve, lifelong Whitestone residents, were able to bring Stevie home, but according to Stevie’s grandmother Maria Cotty, the family is preparing for another trip to the hospital in the coming weeks.

In November, Stevie’s aunt April Leavy started a GoFundMe page that has raised has already raised more than $20,000 of its $50,000 goal. On the fundraising page, Leavy wrote that the family is thrilled to have Stevie home again, but expenses are piling up.

“Along with Stevie came a host of medical equipment for breathing and eating as well as the requirement for in-home care by a registered nurse for 20 hours per day,” she wrote. “Ann had to stop working to keep up with Stevie’s care and coordination of an upcoming medical stay in Canada.”

Stevie’s grandmother said the outpouring of support from the community since the page went up has been incredible. Over the holidays, Ann wanted Stevie to see Santa, and the community immediately helped them with getting a Santa suit for her husband to dress up in. The grandmother said that Stevie especially took to the white beard and that it was uplifting for the family to have that moment.

The fundraising is greatly helping with medical costs, she said. Stevie is set to travel for an evaluation in about two weeks.

The restaurant will donate 75 percent of its earnings to the family. The fundraiser will offer a four-course meal with live music for $100 per person. To RSVP for the event, call (718) 767-2000.

Reach Gina Martinez by e-mail at gmartinez@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4566.

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

When work was completed on a 350-seat, $92 million annex at PS 11 in Woodside in time for the new school year, it didn’t take long to notice the new main entrance of the school put students and faculty at risk. Traffic safety is now a main concern for parents at the school as the 1,000 children at the school empty out at 54th Street and Skillman Avenue where motorists come off Roosevelt Avenue driving fast.

The PS 11 Parent Teachers Association recently sent the city’s Department of Transportation a petition with more than 1,000 signatures requesting the installation of an additional crosswalk, a traffic light at the intersection and additional traffic-calming measures, such as speed bumps, at the location. The DOT rejected the request.

“They have not said to me a good and acceptable answer as to why they won’t do this, why this doesn’t work for them,” City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) told anxious parents and students, PS 11 PTA President Mindy Bichler-Greene and PS 11 Principal Elizabeth Pena-Jorge on Tuesday at rally in front of the school.

“It is absolutely clear to me that the streets at PS 11 are a clear danger to the hundreds of children that walk to school every single day,” Van Bramer said. “These streets, especially crossing Skillman Avenue, are a crash waiting to happen. We cannot wait for a child to be injured or lose their life before we act.”

The DOT said it has been engaged with the community.

“Following several meetings with PS 11, the PTA, the community board and Council Member Van Bramer’s office, DOT is reviewing the location for a signal or all-way stop sign,” a department spokesman said.

Compounding the problem is concern over the DOT’s plan to install a protected bike lane directly in front of the school as part of a larger proposal to redesign Skillman and 43rd Avenues after cyclist Gelacio Reyes, a married father of three, was struck and killed at the intersection of 39th Street and 43rd Avenue last spring. Van Bramer demanded the protected bike lanes soon afterward, but DOT’s initial proposal met with stiff resistance from area business owners who feared that the loss of 158 parking spaces would devastate the neighborhood’s economy.

A public meeting last month was canceled as the DOT worked at revising the plan. It has not yet been rescheduled.

“DOT is working with the council member’s office and the community board to select a new date for a community meeting on this project,” the DOT spokesman said.

Van Bramer was a proponent of Vision Zero before Mayor Bill de Blasio took office and made it a top priority.

“We have made great strides on Vision Zero as a city — reducing crashes and fatalities across the city — but until no child dies tragically on our streets, we can and we must do better,” Van Bramer said. “I stand firmly with the parents, students, and teachers at PS 11 in demanding that the Department of Transportation act now and save lives in the process.”

Reach reporter Bill Parry by e-mail at bparry@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4538.

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

A series of indictments from the Queens district attorney’s office accused seven male individuals of grand larceny and conspiracy, among other charges, for what it said was their involvement in a motorcycle theft ring.

Between March 2016 and February 2017, the people who were arraigned Jan. 9 may have stolen high-end bikes from streets and private garages throughout Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Nassau County, DA Richard Brown said.

“The indictments are the result of a long-term joint investigation by the New York City Police Department’s Queens South Auto Larceny Unit, its Auto Crime Division and my office’s Auto Crime and Insurance Fraud Unit,” Brown said “The defendants charged in this case are alleged to have worked together — and sometimes separately — stealing and then selling the snatched motorcycles on the black market.”

One of the accused, identified by the DA as Brooklyn resident Craig Williams, 39, was said to have staked out locations in pricey neighborhoods where valuable motorcycles could be found, tracked police activity and been the getaway driver.

The DA said the group sometimes intentionally broke traffic laws to draw police away from an area.

The group allegedly took as many as 11 motorcycles, favoring Yamahas, Hondas and a Suzuki. The stolen motorcycles were commonly hot-wired or wheeled into a van, according to Brown.

Jose Rosa, 25, of Queens, could face seven years in prison on charges of burglary, larceny, possession of stolen property and conspiracy stick. Hector Zamot, 31, another Queens resident, faces similar charges.

Six of the defendants are being held on bail, save for one who is awaiting extradition from another state, and will return to court on Feb. 6 and 7.

The estimated value of the thefts is $75,000, the DA said.

Brown touted his record as a prosecutor, saying that under his watch, auto thefts have fallen sharply.

“In Queens County, auto theft has long been a benchmark in measuring my office’s effectiveness in combating crime,” Brown said. “My office has devoted significant resources to hunting down criminal organizations that profit from the illicit trafficking of stolen autos, auto parts and insurance fraud — and with great success. As a result, in the 26 years since I became the district attorney, we have had a 96.4 percent drop in auto thefts.

“We are committed to aggressively investigating and prosecuting such conduct in Queens County. Those who make the mistake of setting up shop here will face serious felony charges and prison sentences.”

Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhallum@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4564.

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By Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

Two emergency medical technicians for the New York Fire Department were celebrated Saturday for saving four lives from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Zache Cox from Springfield Gardens and Frantzi Honore of Rosedale, of EMS Station 54 in Springfield Gardens, received New York State Senate Liberty Medals for saving four people on a call in November, according to the FDNY. They also received city and state proclamations.

The celebration took place at Station 54, 22-15 Merrick Blvd. in Springfield Gardens. State Sen. Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans), Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman (D-Springfield Gardens), Councilmen Donovan Richards (D-Far Rockaway) and I. Daneek Miller (D-St. Albans), and representatives of the FDNY were expected to attend.

On the night of Nov. 24, the two EMTs responded to a sick call at a two-family home on 192nd Street in Jamaica and noticed that the residents’ carbon monoxide meter read 600 parts CO per million, a high concentration, according to the FDNY. Carbon monoxide can cause throbbing headaches, difficulty breathing, confusion, loss of consciousness and heart problems, according to the department. There are no acceptable levels in a home, the FDNY said.

Cox and Honore immediately evacuated the four individuals and administered life-saving medical care to them outside the building.

“A tragedy and potential disaster was avoided by the quick reactions of these EMS technicians,” said Oren Barzilay, president of Local 2507, the EMS union.

The technicians cited the training they received in helping them to respond to the situation, Barzilay said.

A defective boiler was later determined to have been the cause of the potentially deadly leak.

Carbon monoxide is known as the silent killer. It is colorless, tasteless and odorless and therefore undetectable to the human senses, according to the FDNY.

The gas can enter your blood system when you breathe, and it will displace the oxygen in your blood, which is enough to suffocate an individual, according to the FDNY Smart website.

A general rule for detecting carbon monoxide is that if more than one person or animal becomes ill, but recovers after being away from home, then the gas might be there, according to the website.

Reach reporter Naeisha Rose by e-mail at nrose@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4573.

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By Gina Martinez

TimesLedger Newspapers

A GoFundMe page in support of the family of a slain Richmond Hill mother has taken in more than $6,000 within a few days.

Stacy Singh, 26, was stabbed to death in her home on Jan. 1 in an apparent murder-suicide, police said, leaving two small children without parents. Her death was the city’s first murder of 2018.

Officers responded to a 911 call of an unconscious female inside a residence at 112th Street near 103rd Avenue. When police arrived, they discovered the young mother’s body unresponsive with multiple stab wounds to her torso. Police said she was pronounced dead on the scene.

According to police, hours later, Singh’s 46 year-old husband, Vinny Loknath, was discovered hanging from a tree a mile away in Forest Park. The Guyanese couple, who shared a 5-year-old son and a 1-year-old daughter, were in an abusive relationship.

Police said Loknath was charged with assault in September for repeatedly striking his wife in the back of the head with his fist. After that assault, a judge reportedly granted a protection order barring him from seeing his wife until October 2019.

The Daily News reported that the couple were thrown out of a New Year’s Eve celebration at a local club for arguing.

Romain Shaw, Singh’s brother-in-law, told the Daily News that Loknath was abusive.

“She stayed with him no matter what because they had two kids together,” he said. “She was hoping for him to change, but he never did.”

The newspaper also reported that Loknath made a bizarre call to his mother after the alleged killing, asking to be cremated instead of buried.

The GoFundMe page — started by family friend Shivie Sukhdeo on Jan. 4 with the support of Singh’s family, she said — is collecting money to pay for Singh’s funeral and to provide for the parentless children.

“All the funds donated will be put towards the funeral expenses of Stacy and support of the two children,” Sukhdeo wrote. “Any additional donations after the goal is reached will be placed into a fund that is set up by the family and will be used to provide for the two children left behind.”

As of Wednesday the petition had exceeded its $10,000 goal, raising $12,921.

On the page, many expressed their condolences and shock following the murder. Vijai Kublall said it was difficult to begin a new year like this.

“This makes me really sad that two beautiful children have to endure this unfortunate event for the rest of their life,” she wrote. “I pray that they are given the strength to survive this tragic loss in their lives.”

Aminta Kilawan-Narine also expressed concern for the children.

“Stacy Singh’s death has shaken me to my core,” she wrote. “May her family, especially her two precious little children, now orphaned, find a way to heal. She is in my thoughts every hour since her passing. May her soul rest in eternal peace. Thank you for coordinating this memorial fund in her remembrance.”

Signh’s death represents the second year in a row that the city’s first murder took place in Richmond Hill. Last year, Guyanese native Ricky Kalisaran was shot to death following an attempted robbery. State Sen. James Sanders Jr. (D-Jamaica) said he is deeply saddened and alarmed and plans on continuing his efforts and advocacy to pass legislation to protect all New Yorkers from domestic violence and all other forms of violent crime.

“This year a married couple is gone as the result of an alleged murder-suicide, leaving their two young children orphaned,” he said. “Domestic violence has no place in New York state, and is especially tragic when it ends with the loss of life. We in state government have a responsibility to end this unacceptable scourge and provide assistance and support to those impacted by this horrible crime.”

Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation was ongoing.

Reach Gina Martinez by e-mail at gmartinez@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4566.

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Source: Times Ledger

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By F.E. Scanlon

TimesLedger Newspapers

During the December tree lightings and related festivities, it was so seemingly easy for the NYC Parks Department to ignore the advocacy of Sen. Tony Avella and Dr. Charles Lombardi, urging department not to plant a tree right outside Lombardi’s medical facility on Francis Lewis Boulevard.

It’s such a woeful irony that although Parks personnel’s intentions are sound, in this case, they truly run afoul of aging residents’ need to step out and step up in advancing their well-being by visiting their podiatrist and other medical specialists.

Truly one would think that even if this now-planted tree bed is precisely within Parks guidelines, a reasonable accommodation ought be considered that would bring into alignment the enjoyment of an emerging tree with a need for access to medical care. Surely these are not adversarial goals but rather sympatico ends that will resoundingly enhance all passers-by’ well-being if the nascent tree is more thoughtfully positioned.

The safety and security of all neighborhood residents and visitors warrant a rerooting of this tree bed to another sidewalk on Francis Lewis Boulevard. As William Blake once opined: “The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way.” Surely a tree can flourish elsewhere on Francis Lewis Boulevard and redound to the benefit of all.

F.E. Scanlon

Flushing

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