Author: metanet

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

The NYPD has stepped up enforcement at a dozen of the borough’s busiest intersections as part of a citywide crackdown on motorists who block the box, which was launched Monday during an announcement from Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Drivers who enter intersections without sufficient space on the other side create a cascading effect on traffic and pose a danger to pedestrians, who cannot cross streets safely.

“Late last year, we announced a series of initiatives designed to address congestion issues around New York City, a symptom of the city’s record population and economic vitality,” de Blasio said. “Blocking the box is one area where focused NYPD enforcement can and will make a big difference to keep traffic moving around hot spots in every borough.”

As part of Clear Intersections, the city’s Department of Transportation has installed special markings and updated signage at key intersections to make drivers aware of the increased enforcement. The city chose intersections along major routes leading to river crossings, highway on-ramps, and commercial centers. The NYPD is adding 50 uniformed officers to enforce block the box violations, where violators will face minimum fines of $115 and possible points that can lead to the loss of a driver’s license.

“Drivers who block intersections are contributing to overall congestion, and their disregard of this particular traffic rule comes at the expense of other drivers including emergency vehicles,” NYPD Chief of Transportation Thomas Chan said. “The NYPD’s enforcement efforts will reduce congestion and improve pedestrian safety. Motorists should be advised that officers will be out in force issuing summonses to those who block the box.”

Among the intersections where enforcement will be increased in the borough are Queens Boulevard and Skillman Avenue; Northern Boulevard and Queens Boulevard in Long Island City; 71st Avenue and Austin Street in Forest Hills; Metropolitan Avenue and 60th Street in Ridgewood; and Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue in Flushing.

“Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue is one of the busiest intersections in New York City, and ‘blocking the box’ by cars, trucks, and even buses is one of the largest contributors to traffic congestion,” Councilman Peter Koo (D-Flushing) said. “Cracking down on these violations is a necessary step to unclogging the essential arteries of our city.”

Other intersections in Queens that be under scrutiny are Queens Boulevard and Roosevelt Avenue, Astoria Boulevard and 31st St., 21st St. and 49th Avenue, Laurel Hill Boulevard and 65th Pl., Queens Midtown Expressway and Grand Avenue, 37th Ave. and 138th St., and Queens Plaza South and 28th St.

U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights), whose district includes western Queens and parts of the Bronx, applauded the de Blasio administration’s leadership in keeping the city moving forward.

“Ask any commuter from Queens and the Bronx and they’ll tell you that New York City gridlock is a major impediment to their daily lives,” Crowley said. “Mayor de Blasio’s initiative to increase enforcement of block the box violations will provide tangible relief to New Yorkers who commute in and out of Manhattan every day.”

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

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

Police from the 108th Precinct were searching for a Woodside man who was reported missing Sunday.

Kyoung Jin Kim, 74, was last seen inside his home on 43rd Avenue near 69th Street March 11 at 9:30 a.m., but hasn’t been seen since, according to police.

Authorities described Kim as Asian, 5 feet 6 inches tall and 140 pounds with a medium complexion and a thin build. He has black hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing a brown baseball cap, brown boots and a blue jacket and black pants.

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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Source: Times Ledger

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

A dead man was discovered stuffed inside a donation box in Woodside early last Friday, police said.

Police from the 114th Precinct were responding to a 911 call March 9 at a 7-Eleven located at 61-19 Northern Blvd., when officers found the unidentified man inside the clothing and shoe drop box in the store’s parking lot just after 2:30 a.m.

EMS also responded to the scene and pronounced the man dead at the scene, police said. The man was found with a belt around his neck and had the name “Paola” tattooed across his chest, investigators said.

The investigation was ongoing and the Medical Examiners will determine the cause of death. 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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Source: Times Ledger

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By Gina Martinez

TimesLedger Newspapers

Anti-Semitic incidents recorded the largest increase over the last year in Queens compared to the other boroughs, a new report from the Anti-Defamation League found.

ADL’s yearly “Audit of anti-Semitic incidents” revealed that New York state led the nation with 380 reported cases in 2017. One out of every five anti-Semitic incidents in the United States was reported in New York state.

According to the ADL, more than half of anti-Semitic assaults committed nationwide were reported in New York. These incidents include physical assaults, vandalism, harassment and attacks on Jewish institutions. New York’s 380 incidents in 2017 marked a 90 percent increase from 199 such incidents in 2016.

Evan Bernstein, ADL’s New York regional director, said New Yorkers have to confront the undeniable surge of anti-Semitism and bigotry.

“The dramatic increase in harassment, school-related incidents and against religious institutions cannot be accepted as a ‘new normal,’” he said. “This kind of hate hurts the victim and deeply impacts the Jewish community. We must remain vigilant in denouncing and exposing hate wherever it emerges. We know that when anti-semitism is on the rise, so too are other forms of hate.”

ADL has documented anti-Semitic incidents in the United States since 1979. In 2017 the 380 New York incidents included 236 incidents of vandalism, up 61.6 percent from 2016; 133 incidents of harassment, including 24 bomb threats against Jewish institutions, up from 29 in 2016; and 11 incidents of assault, down 42 percent from 19 in 2016.

The state also saw a doubling of incidents in K-12 schools from 18 incidents in 2016 to 36 in 2017 and a 130 percent increase on college campuses.

New York City experienced a substantial uptick in reported anti-Jewish acts in 2017 with 234 reported incidents in the five boroughs. ADL said Manhattan led the city with 99 reported incidents. According to the report, 75 percent of all New York City incidents occurred in Manhattan and Brooklyn, but Queens saw the largest increase in incidents.

U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing) said the surge in incidents in Queens was troubling.

“It is deeply disturbing to see that the number of anti-Semitic incidents in New York rose by over 90 percent in 2017 compared to 2016,” she said. “Queens, the area that I represent in Congress, saw the largest increase in incidents rising from 11 to 39 from 2016 to 2017. As Americans, we must come together and stop these anti-Semitic attacks.”

ADL included recommendations to address anti-Semitic incidents and behavior in its report. Recommendations included educating youth to prevent these behaviors and working with law enforcement to apprehend the perpetrators. ADL New York said it trained over 550 law enforcement officials last year, and reached students in 175 schools with anti-bias and anti-bullying training.

“ADL’s mission to stop the defamation and secure justice and fair treatment for all must be pursued at all levels,” Bernstein said. “That is why we are redoubling our efforts to educate, advocate and engage schools, law enforcement, elected leaders and community leaders to ensure we are standing together against anti-semitism and bigotry.”

ADL also recommended university administrators, faculty, and staff receive training to effectively respond to hate crimes and extremism on campus and that victims and bystanders report all anti-Semitic incidents and vandalism to the Anti-Defamation League and to local police so that they can be taken more seriously.

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 Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

As the city prepares to convert a second hotel into a temporary shelter for the homeless in the Blissville section of Long Island City, the Department of Homeless Services is organizing a public hearing focused on the new borough-based facility at the Fairfield Inn by Marriott.

With DHS already operating a shelter two blocks away at the City View Inn on Greenpoint Avenue, and a third operating at the former Best Western hotel on the border with Sunnyside, the agency wanted to open a dialogue with the community.

“Every neighborhood across New York City has a part to play in addressing this citywide challenge,” DHS spokesman Isaac McGinn said. “We remain committed to open, ongoing engagement with the community and look forward to discussing how we can most effectively work together to support New Yorkers in need as they get back on their feet.”

If Feb. 28 Community Board 2 monthly meeting was an indication, DHS representatives should be prepared for a long evening. Blissville residents dominated the public comments section of the meeting, describing their neighborhood as too small and isolated to handle the burden of two shelters with a third close by. The neighborhood is primarily industrial with fewer than 500 residents and they are feeling overwhelmed.

“I feel three hotels in Blissville is just too much,” Blissville resident Barry Druss said. “Blissville is a small community. It’s isolated. We can’t be dominated by all this homelessness. I’m sorry, the fear factor is just too high.”

Erika Clooney worked at the Bantry Bay Publick House for 12 years before investing her family’s life savings to buy into the popular restaurant’s ownership team during the summer. Bantry Bay is next door to the City View in which the city was housing 54 families until January, when the families were transferred out to make room for homeless single men.

“I have absolutely no problem with families next door to our facility, but over the course of the last six weeks the demeanor of my business and my neighborhood has completely changed,” she said.

Clooney spoke of an unsettling event that happened recently when two men she claimed were from the City View entered the bar area, asked for two beers and fled without paying.

“What I’m afraid of right now, I’ve never had to have a thought to have a buzzer on my door — that looks really bad,” Clooney said. “My husband and my life savings is in this. The city has just come in with one swift brush and now could completely blow out my future.”

Her business model was further harmed with the conversion at the Fairfield Inn as the hotel has stopped booking guests.

“I get most of our night business from the Marriott hotel,” she said. “We have a lot of tourists, a lot of local businessmen, a lot of people working construction on those bridges that are staying every night and they come to our restaurant.”

The DHS public hearing will take place on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. at St. Raphael’s Church located at 35-20 Greenpoint Ave.

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

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

Students at Bard High School Early College in Long Island City will take part in a national walkout March 14 to protest federal inaction on gun violence following the mass shooting that claimed 17 lives last month at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. Women’s March youth chapters across the country are calling for students to walk out of their schools at 10 a.m. to “protest Congress’ inaction to do more than tweet thoughts and prayers after school shootings,” according to their website.

City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) met with some of the Bard students last Friday to discuss gun control and school safety and how best to effectuate change.

“The shooting in Parkland has activated young people across the country to advocate for their safety and for gun control,” Van Bramer said. “This meeting is one of the positive things to come out of that tragedy. As young people continue to meet with, hold accountable, and inspire lawmakers, we may see progress on this issue. Meeting with the students provided me an amazing opportunity to see the current climate from the unique perspective of these students and left me with a sense of hope about our future.”

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) also met with high schoolers Sunday in Manhattan to launch a new Senate push to require universal gun background checks, rein in assault weapons.

“If there is one thing this movement has declared, it is that we must plug the wide range of loopholes and deficiencies in our gun safety laws,” Schumer said. “We have seen an epidemic of gun violence and mass shootings simply envelope America for too long. Each one reveals new loopholes and gaps in gun safety. Rather than just plugging one leak in response to the last mass shooting, we need a complete approach that improves our gun safety laws from top to bottom and helps prevent future shootings.”

First, Schumer, the Senate minority leader, is urging Congress to pass legislation that closes existing loopholes in the background check system, like the gun show loophole and the internet sales loophole that allow individuals to evade a background check and purchase weapons with cash and no questions asked. Second, Schumer is urging Congress to pass legislation that allows for protective orders to temporarily disarm individuals who have shown credible signs of being a harm to themselves or to others.

And finally, Schumer is calling for a formal debate on assault weapons on the floor of the Senate.

Schumer detailed this plan as part of a new push for a floor vote because he said the pressure on Congress to act is unlike it has ever been and that young people will not stand for gridlock on guns.

“Americans are fed up with the unbending position of the NRA, which is to do nothing now and always, no matter how many lives are lost,” Schumer said. “The coming days will prove whose side the president is on and whose side so many in Congress are on, too. I am hopeful that we are at the beginning of the march towards meaningful legislation and that is why we are making this push with these students in New York City.”

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 Gina Martinez

TimesLedger Newspapers

After months of issuing vague threats, state Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-Flushing) and fellow Korean-American leaders are asking that President Donald Trump tone down his rhetoric and seek peace with North Korean dictator Kim Jung-Un.

Kim and 37 lawmakers signed a letter demanding the White House pursue peace and not war with North Korea last Friday. The letter specifically asks that Trump halt his increasingly reckless actions and statements on the North Korean nuclear issue.

The assemblyman said he was inspired to draft the letter after the president’s State of the Union Address and his announcement of even greater sanctions against North Korea. Kim said his constituents, a large percentage of whom are Korean-Americans, still have ties to family on the Korean peninsula, and he himself has relatives and extended family still living there.

Kim said Korean-Americans desperately want peaceful resolution and emphasized the harrowing reality that millions of lives were at stake. Since his inauguration, Trump’s foreign policy toward North Korea has been described as one of “maximum pressure.” Trump has taken to twitter, his preferred method of communication, to insult and threaten dictator Kim Jung Un. In an outrageous tweet he suggested nuclear warfare on North Korea threatened to release “fire and fury…the likes of which this world has never seen before.”

It was only just this February during the Olympic Games that tensions between South and North Korea appeared to be thawing. Prior to the commencement of the Winter Games in Pyeongchang, leaders from both countries met and negotiated, signaling a potential de-escalation following a year of sanctions and missile tests.

According to Kim and fellow legislators, despite these efforts at defusing tensions, Trump’s foreign policy in the Korean Peninsula threatens to undo any progress being made.

“This president is making the case for war and has been doing so for months,” Kim said. “His campaign of ‘maximum pressure’ has done little to solve the crisis but left millions of Americans in fear of imminent thermo-nuclear conflict. Many in the Korean-American community have expressed frustration with his dangerous statements, fearing they will only bring the two countries closer to war, with millions of Koreans caught in the crossfire. We must make it clear to the president that there are millions of Americans that do not agree with his methods, who want to find a solution that will de-escalate this conflict.”

Several statewide and national Korean American civic organizations, including the Council of Korean Americans, the National Unification Advisory Council and the Korean American Association of Queens, worked with Kim to craft the letter.

“It has become glaringly apparent in recent months that you have been seriously contemplating the use of military options against North Korea, and trying to sell the American people on this issue,” the letter said. “Our fellow Americans are alarmed by the dangerous and reckless words that have marked your presidency. For the sake of the more than 250,000 Americans living in South Korea and Japan, the 75 million Koreans on the peninsula, we ask that you end this destructive and impetuous behavior and rhetoric.”

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

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Source: Times Ledger