Author: metanet

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced his support for the Effective Background Checks Act Tuesday, a measure authored by state Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) which would extend the time for a check to be completed from the current three days to 10 days before a firearm could be transferred.

“I am proud to carry the Effective Background Checks Act and I am appreciative of Gov. Cuomo’s support,” Gianaris said. “This common sense proposal would save lives by keeping firearms out of the hands of dangerous individuals. I urge my colleagues to pass this legislation before the end of this session to ensure more preventable tragedies do not occur.”

Cuomo’s announcement came after he signed legislation to remove guns from domestic abusers and close a loophole in state law that will ensure domestic abusers are required to surrender all firearms, not just handguns.

“In a time when gun violence continues to relentlessly torment communities across the country while our federal government refuses to act, New York must lead the charge to end this epidemic once and for all,” Cuomo said. “With this legislation, we can sever the undeniable connection between domestic abuse and deadly gun violence, and continue to build upon the strongest gun laws in the nation.”

New York law had narrowly prohibited the possession of firearms for individuals either convicted of a felony or a limited number of misdemeanor “serious” offenses, excluding many misdemeanor offenses that are undeniably serious. The bill Cuomo signed expands the list of “serious” crimes that require the loss of a gun license and the surrender of all firearms to ensure no domestic abuser in New York retains the ability to possess a firearm once convicted of a disturbing crime.

“We know that individuals with a history of domestic violence are five times more likely to murder an intimate partner when a firearm is in the house,” U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria) said. “This bill, to remove guns from domestic abusers, is just commonsense.”

Meanwhile, Gianaris introduced new legislation Monday mandating the Department of Criminal Justice Services establish a database tracking the state and county of origin of guns used in crimes in New York. This proposal would tackle the so-called “Iron Pipeline,” whereby guns purchased in states with lax gun laws are brought into New York and used in crimes, according to Gianaris.

“Stopping the ‘Iron Pipeline’ is possible if New York leads the way,” he said. “Despite having among the toughest gun laws in the country, our state experiences too many gun-related crimes due to firearms originating elsewhere. While the federal government will not take action to combat gun violence, New York should use data to expose states that are part of the problem.”

State Attorney Eric Schneiderman released a report in 2015 that found 74 percent of all guns used in New York crimes and recovered by police originated out of state, including 86 percent of handguns used in crimes. Gianaris’ new measure drew immediate support from Cuomo.

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

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

U. S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing) and House Democratic Caucus Chairman Joe Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) called the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to end the temporary protected status designation for Nepali immigrants “heartless and senseless” in a joint statement.

“They are abandoning nearly 9,000 Nepalese citizens who have found safety and stability in our country,” the elected officials said in a joint statement.

The April 26 announcement came a day after the deadline by which DHS was to determine if it would extend or terminate TPS for the nearly 9,000 Nepali immigrants who were allowed into the country after surviving two earthquakes in Nepal on April 25, 2015 and May 12, 2015.

The expiration date for the TPS-holders, however, will be extended for 12 months.

Nepali TPS holders would have originally been expected to leave the country June 24 of this year, but DHS wanted the transition out of the United States to be smooth for the immigrants.

“The decision to terminate TPS for Nepal was made after a review of the environmental disaster-related conditions upon which the country’s original designation was based and an assessment of whether those originating conditions continue to exist as required by statute,” said Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen.

Many Nepali individuals live in Jackson Heights, Ridgewood, Sunnyside, and Woodside and are restaurateurs, according to real estate magazine brickunderground.com.

“Nepalese citizens are not a threat but an asset to America, and they should be allowed to stay here,” the officials said. “This decision just further reinforces President Trump’s anti-immigrant agenda and disregard for America’s values.”

The southeast Asian country is in the Himalayan mountain range and in April 2015 it was struck by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake, which was followed by a 7.3 magnitude earthquake 17 days later, according to the Mayor’s office of Immigrant Affairs.

The earthquakes triggered landslides, collapsed buildings, and left hundreds of thousands of Nepali people without shelter, medicine or food, according to Oxfam, a global organization that tackles poverty.

Representatives of Oxfam have slowly been trying to build new latrines, install water systems and provide shelter for the Nepali people that are already displaced.

Weeks ahead of the DHS decision, Mayor Bill de Blasio sent a letter to Nielsen and Acting Secretary of State John Sullivan calling for a December 2019 extension for the Nepali TPS holders.

“Conditions in Nepal have not improved enough for the nation to reabsorb individuals who currently hold TPS status,” de Blasio said. “I urge you to recognize the extraordinary hardships caused by the country’s still incomplete recovery and extend Nepal’s TPS designation for an additional 18 months.”

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

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Tammy Scileppi

TimesLedger Newspapers

They crossed over the Queensboro Bridge from the World’s Borough bearing gifts.

Their destination? New York City’s center for urban folk culture, City Lore Gallery, located at 56 E 1st St. on Manhattan’s Lower East Side.

The 10 Queens-based artists who made the trek to Manhattan are excited about sharing a variety of unique “gifts’ from their homelands with the public, as are the other 21 creatives from New York City’s immigrant communities. Representing 25 countries, these musicians, poets, dancers, chefs, and storytellers are all participants in a special exhibition spotlighting their contributions, called What We Bring: New Immigrant Gifts, on view through Sept. 16.

“There are precious objects, texts, ingredients, tools and musical instruments that originated in their home countries – many (or all) that have now become part of the American patchwork,” said Manhattan resident and local advocate Carol Klenfner, who enjoyed the exhibit and wanted to let TimesLedger readers know about it.

“City Lore is committed to the idea that all cultures matter, especially in this city that has been defined by waves of new immigrants,” said Steve Zeitlin, founder and co-curator of City Lore. “I wanted to remind our city and our nation of the cultural gifts that immigrants bring, focusing on groups who came to this country during the past 50 years as a result the immigration reform act put into law in 1968.

“That is the impetus behind What We Bring: New Immigrant Gifts, an exhibit both of photographs and the precious objects brought by immigrants, who are also New York City-based artists, when they first came to America.”

Each of the artists has enriched our city, and each has a fascinating story to share. A couple of local creatives are highlighted here.

Indian dancer Malini Srinivasan from Sunnyside will feature a pair of leather ankle bells from India in the exhibit.

“This is a symbol of the dance [Bharatanatyam] that me, my (late) mom and my (late) grandma all practiced. It is this object that connects the dancer with the rhythm and music,” she said. “When I practice my art, people see me as an individual practicing a beautiful dance form. But I feel like my work has so much to do with what my mother and grandmother brought with them as teachers and as people. This exhibit puts my art practice into the bigger context of my family history and this country’s history.”

Queens-based Indo-Guyanese dancer Pritha Singh, shared her “gift” of mala prayer beads. While mala beads have traditionally been used in prayer and meditation, anyone can adorn their bodies with these beautiful pieces, which are thought to protect and guide people in their daily lives.

Mexican educator, musician and dancer Paula Sanchez-Kucukozer, from Bayside, brought a Day of the Dead paper mache skull.

“I specialize in Mexican folk traditions, particularly son jarocho, a style of music and dance mainly from the state of Veracruz in the Gulf of Mexico,” Sanchez-Kucukozer said. “Son jarocho represents a blend of musical and cultural elements of indigenous Spanish and African origins. I organize monthly and annual events that educate and entertain audiences on this folk art.”

Describing Queens’ arts community, Sanchez-Kucukozer said she believes it is “the most incredibly inspiring and creative community in New York City.”

“With so many cultures sharing their traditions, with so many artists of different backgrounds expressing themselves in so many different artistic styles, and with so many organizations and groups supporting artistic work, Queens is a fantastic place to explore art and thrive. It is indeed a community that I am proud to be but a small part of it,” she said.

The exhibit is free to attend and open for viewing Fridays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. and on weekends from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Ed Konecnik

TimesLedger Newspapers

America is not just a place but an idea and an ideal and a way of life.

It is a place where immigrants did not renounce their heritage, but celebrated and shared their diverse cultures, protected by the Constitution and inspired by the American ideal of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” This goal and a common language defined the American character and linked our diverse cultures.

The idea that is America, its goodwill and its benevolence has attracted countless refugees and has become a kind of “soup kitchen” for the world. Increased calls for a borderless world, the rise of sanctuary cities and an obsession for diversity is redefining what it means to be an American.

In many neighborhoods, storefronts, signs, and ads are now in a language other than English.

Recently I stood at a once familiar street corner and looked around at the indecipherable signs and posters and I felt excommunicated. A once familiar environment was now alien to me. This is not multiculturalization but multicolonization. Will it be necessary to learn the languages of all the “colonies” in order to communicate with neighbors? If the designation “American” has lost its significance and meaning, then who are we?

My perception of this indecipherable and alien environment is that some of its inhabitants reject the ideals, customs, and traditions we have come to identify as American and which I have come to cherish. It is becoming increasingly unpopular and sometimes even dangerous to identify oneself as “American.” The designation has all but disappeared from our official documents. When responding to questionnaires, we are compelled to select an identity from a plethora of hyphenated subcategories.

It is ironic that I am able to communicate more easily, read more signs, posters, and advertisements in my ancestral homeland than in the beloved land of my birth. Must I emigrate to somewhere else to be finally recognized and accepted simply as an American?

Ed Konecnik

Flushing

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

The Port Authority is considering a new route for the proposed LaGuardia AirTrain after listening to complaints about the project during three meetings in one week last month with Community Board 3 members and civic associations from neighborhoods surrounding the airport, state Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry (D-Corona) said.

Aubry told the CB 3 monthly meeting that officials from the Port Authority and Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office are preparing a new plan that would move the route away from the Grand Central Parkway closer to Flushing Bay and away from residential neighborhoods.

“They’re working on that new route and they’ll get back to us on it and show us what that means,” Aubry said.

State Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) said the community groups should have been involved in the process before Cuomo announced the proposal in January 2015.

“When planning for a major project, in this case the construction of an airtrain between LaGuardia Airport and Willets Point, having the community’s input is vital for it to succeed,” Peralta said. “It is always necessary to listen to the concerns and ideas of the neighbors because, at the end of the day, the project will affect their daily lives. East Elmhurst residents are already suffering from the consequences of heavy traffic, air noise and pollution, and the redevelopment of LaGuardia Airport. Clearly, the community said that they don’t want the airlink on the Grand Central Parkway, and this is why the proposal along the promenade or over Flushing Bay makes sense. I applaud the Port Authority for taking the necessary time and translating the input they received into results.”

The Port Authority was asked to comment but did not reply by press time. Meanwhile, the agency announced new procedures at JFK International Airport during winter storms to avoid the chaos that occurred in early January when incoming flights were unable to get to gates during the “bomb cyclone” known as Grayson.

“We are committed to strengthening JFK airport’s operating procedures during winter storms so that breakdowns experienced last January never happen again,” Port Authority Executive Director Rick Cotton said. “In our continued and ongoing effort to ensure the airport handles winter storms far more effectively, these new measures build on those we announced last January.”

The most significant change will require that during a weather emergency, airlines must certify in advance that a gate will be available when the plane lands. As planes backed up on the runways and taxiways during the storm, the Port Authority was forced to halt all incoming flights, causing thousands of passenger delays.

In the confusion during the storm, airlines lost track of thousands of pieces of luggage. Now every airline serving JFK is required to have in place a baggage service office that meets international best practice standards.

The airport also “will acquire additional high-speed snow removal equipment to improve its performance in future storms,” the Port Authority said.

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

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

Street safety activists from Make Queens Safer and Transportation Alternative Queens Committee have organized a vigil Saturday to honor Giovanni Ampuero, a 9-year-old Fresh Meadows boy who was struck and killed last Saturday by an elderly hit-and-run driver in Jackson Heights.

Ampuero was visiting his mother, Karen Manrique, at her home on 70th Street when both were struck in a crosswalk while trying to cross Northern Boulevard.

The driver, Juan Jimenez, 86, of Manhattan, was traveling northbound on 70th Street in his red Jeep Compass, around 1:20 p.m., when he made a left hand turn onto Northern Boulevard and struck Giovanni Ampuero and his mother, Karen Manrique, in the crosswalk before he drove off only to be located a short distance away where the driver was taken into custody, police said.

Police from the 115th Precinct found Ampuero with severe trauma to the head. EMS transported the boy to Elmhurst Hospital Center where he was pronounced dead, according to the NYPD. Manrique was not seriously injured.

“I’m sorry I hit the kid, I didn’t see him. I was driving home to Manhattan from the casino. I made a left turn onto Northern Boulevard two blocks away from here,” Jimenez told police, according to the criminal complaint. “When I made the turn, a woman jumped in front of my car, but I did not hit her. I kept driving and a cab driver waved me down and told me I hit someone. It was an accident.”

Jimenez was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of and accident, failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care. He was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court and ordered held on $20,000 bond.

When asked why he fled the scene, Jimenez told police “I was scared, some cab driver was threatening me,” according to the criminal complaint.

Jimenez is due back in court May 11.

A rally in honor of Ampuero was slated to begin at 5 p.m. Saturday at IS 230, located at 73-10 34th Ave. to be followed with a march to the boy’s makeshift memorial at the northwest corner of 70th Street and Northern Boulevard for a vigil.

“From where Giovanni was killed, I can see flags waving at IS 145 where Miguel Torres was killed and at PS 152 where Noshat Nahian was killed,” Make Queens Safer Co-founder Cristina Furlong said. “We have lobbied hard for piecemeal fixes that have saved lives — Queens Boulevard is an example. People are alive today because of the design standard that was implemented, sometimes against community board support, but that doesn’t negate the tremendous and endless pain of carrying on through such a tragedy for these parents and loved ones.They have no choice but to brave life with an unbearable loss, but the burden and obligation, if not mandate, should be put on the city, state and DMV to stop the killing of children, which in every case on Northern Boulevard involved a reckless driver and a deadly street design.”

Furlong and fellow Jackson Heights mother Dr. Laura Newman started Make Queens Safer in 2013 after what they called the “street carnage” on Northern Boulevard that took the lives of three children in less than 10 month.

“It pains and infuriates our community that Northern Boulevard may aptly be named ‘Boulevard of Children’s Deaths,” she said. “We insist that our electeds implement the proper infrastructure and enforcement to change that now. We need speed cameras in every school zone, We need immediate crossing light re-engineering so that pedestrians and drivers do not both get the green light simultaneously. And we demand a complete redesign of Northern Boulevard.”

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

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

The New York Taxi Workers Alliance rallied at City Hall last week, pushing for a policy that would solve the crisis of poverty that they said has led to the suicides of four drivers in four months.

The alliance said its plan would stop the financial emergency hurting yellow taxi, green cab, black car, livery and app-dispatched drivers. Following a March protest, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Gov. Cuomo, and Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Manhattan) acknowledged that it was time to look into capping the number of for-hire vehicles that has led to too many drivers flooding the streets. While NYTWA said capping vehicles is an important first step, it is still not enough to solve the crisis FIX drivers are facing. They believe more has to be done to protect full-time incomes and create fair labor standards across the industry.

Earlier in the day, drivers met with individual City Council members to educate them about the policy proposals, which include capping the number of vehicles clogging New York City streets, setting the yellow and green cab meter as the minimum fare rate across the industry in order to establish a wage floor, raising fare rates so drivers have a chance at economic recovery after five years of straight losses and establishing labor standards like caps on driver expenses to end predatory lending in this new market, which has been unregulated for five years and is setting all drivers off on a race to the bottom.

Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the alliance, said this crisis is a result of political failure to regulate Wall Street. “We are demanding immediate changes in legislation and Taxi and Limousine Commission rules to protect NYC’s professional drivers from all sectors,” he said. “Our focus is on protecting full-time work and creating livable incomes. Any changes must be driven by labor standards and the interests of workers not a corporate sector given free reign for five years to enrich themselves from the sweat of drivers and disruption on city streets.”

Four city drivers committed suicide in four months: Queens resident Nicanor Ochisor, a yellow taxi owner-driver; Danilo Corporan Castillo and Alfredo Perez, Bronx livery drivers; and Douglas Schifter, a black car driver.

Ochisor, 64, was the most recent driver pushed to suicide. The father of one emigrated from Romania in 1986 and began working as a yellow taxi cab driver in 1989, when he purchased a NYC taxicab medallion.

According to his GoFundMe page, Ochisor started to help pay off his medallion so his wife can retire, he had hoped to use the medallion to finance their home and retirement, but over the past five years the taxi industry weakened and his income fell nearly 30 percent, making it nearly impossible for him to keep up with operating expenses, let alone medical bills or time to rest. Ochisor’s medallion value dropped from $1 million to $180,000, and he struggled to keep up with cab expenses, with no retirement or relief in sight.

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

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

Roads across the city will get some help from Gov. Andrew Cuomo with the injection of over $100 million in state funds after a particularly rough winter left them in equally rough shape.

Five of the busiest roadways in Queens will see the benefit of about $800,000 of these funds from the Harsh Winter Paving Initiative.

“These investments are critical to our transportation system and essential for community growth and regional economic competitiveness,” Cuomo said. “By infusing more than $100 million in state funds to revitalize our roads, we are enhancing the quality of life for all New Yorkers while ensuring every traveler remains safe throughout the Empire State.”

The eastbound side of the Grand Central Parkway will get $38,000 in concrete repairs from the New York City Transit Authority Bridge to the entrance ramp of Union Turnpike at the Kew Gardens Interchange. The same amount will be applied to the westbound side of the Grand Central Parkway between the same two points.

The Nassau Expressway from Crossbay Boulevard to Farmers Boulevard will see about $324,000 for concrete repairs.

About $426 million will go toward the east and westbound corridors of the Long Island Expressway between Grand Central Parkway to Maurice Avenue and include the service roads between 74th Street to Junction Boulevard south of the freeway and 98th Street to 74th Street on the north side.

There is not yet a start date for the road work to begin.

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

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

City Councilman I. Daneek Miller (D-St. Albans) announced the results of the participatory budget vote for projects in his district last week at the Campus Magnet Complex to more than 200 students in Cambria Heights.

Schools within the district received over $1.675 million in investments, according to Miller.

“Each year a Council member gets $6 million for capital projects, and $1 million goes back to the community to decide how to spend the money,” he said. “Young folks are our future leaders…and if they learn that the process works …they can teach the next generation.”

Members of the community as young as 11 years old spend a year at public meetings proposing projects that they would like their council member to fund, then budget delegates volunteer to make a list of the proposals and work with the city to see which items can realistically be turned into a project before it is put on a ballot. Once the ballot items are selected, the public has a week to vote on up to five measures that they want to see funded.

The Campus Magnet Complex received funding for two initiatives: gymnasium upgrades worth $400,000 and a football field house upgrade worth $500,000.

The complex houses four schools: Math, Science Research and Technology Magnet High School, Humanities and the Arts Magnet High School, the Institute for Health Professions at Cambria Heights and the Benjamin Franklin High School for Finance & Information Technology at 207-01 116th Ave.

Students from the four schools were excited about the announcement and happy to be a part of the process.

“They came to us with the participatory budget during our lunch period when we all would be there and we had to choose [five initiatives],” said Jacob Ross, a senior at Benjamin Franklin. “I voted for the football field, and a new [public address] system.”

Benjamin Franklin Principal Carla Theodorou was happy to see her students being civically engaged.

“Voting and getting active in the community is something that all the schools are focusing on right now,” said Theodorou.

For student leaders George Daniels and Jabare Carroll, the chance to vote for something important for their school meant having their voices heard.

“Normally, urban schools don’t have that much funding,” said George, a student body secretary. “We have a track team and they are really good, they qualify for the Penn Relay, but they don’t have track meets here because our tracks are too small.”

George, who co-captains the volleyball team with Jabare, hopes the funding will showcase the schools sports teams.

“The turf on the school was patchy,” said Jabare, who is a student council president. “I’m glad that he is doing this…the freshman will see that there is always something that could be done if you put your mind to it,” added the senior.

The seniors intend to study neurobiology, criminal justice and theater after they finish their high school studies in June.

The Campus Magnet Bulldogs football coach, Rufus Dunton, who was a student at the school in the ‘70s, was elated that the upgrades included new locker rooms.

“I went to school here a long time ago, and these are the same lockers,” said Dunton. “We want to make our school one of the top schools in the city just like everybody else.”

York Early College Academy, PS 176, PS 360, and PS 37 received $300,000 for mobile laptops carts and laptop computers.

Auditorium upgrades worth $375,000 were allocated to PS 176, PS 37 and IS 8.

Water fountains with bottle refilling stations at PS 15, PS 37, PS/MS 147 and PS 360 worth $120,000.

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

Comment on this story.

Source: Times Ledger