Author: metanet

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TimesLedger Newspapers

As the principals of the Catholic high schools of Brooklyn and Queens, we have kept the administration, faculty, staff, students and parents from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in our prayers since the thoughtless tragedy on Feb.14.

We stand in support of the Parkland, Fla., survivors as they draw strength in knowing that their efforts to effect necessary change are heard. We call on our elected leaders to do everything necessary to help us protect students against senseless acts such as the one in Florida and too many others across our country.

The mission of Catholic education within the Diocese of Brooklyn is to form children in the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ as celebrated in the Catholic Church, while providing a comprehensive, academic education that will help them reach their full human potential and contribute to the common good of our nation and the world.

The alumni of our schools are leaders in every stratum of society, and our current students are the leaders and policy makers of tomorrow. We must stand as examples to them of the morality, justice and peace which we expect them to go forth and spread in the world.

As principals, we are responsible for carrying out the mission of our schools, the education of our students and the safety and security of the adolescents in our care. As educators we are facing a world where we are increasingly called upon to become the last line of defense against unspeakable horrors.

Collectively, we as Catholic educators and as Americans know that these attacks must stop and the time for action on all levels is long overdue. We unite in one voice to call upon our elected officials to effect nothing less than meaningful, proactive change. In the words of Mahatma Ghandi, we must “be the change we wish to see in the world.” That change starts today.

Mr. Darius Penikas, Archbishop Molloy High School

Dr. Margaret Lacey-Berman, Bishop Kearney High School

Mr. Edward A. Bolan, Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School

Mr. Richie Diaz, Cathedral Preparatory School & Seminary

Ms. Geri Martinez, Christ the King High School

Ms. Mary Ann Spicijaric, Fontbonne Hall Academy

Mr. Edward Burns, Holy Cross High School

Mr. Joseph Dugan, Cristo Rey Brooklyn High School

Mr. James V. Castrataro, Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School

Mrs. Providencia Quiles, Nazareth Regional High School

Mrs. Susan Nicoletti, Saint Agnes Academic High School

Mrs. Allison McGinnis, St. Edmund Preparatory High School

Mr. Patrick McLaughlin, St. Francis Preparatory School

Mr. William A. Higgins, St. John’s Preparatory School

Mrs. Caroline Latham, St. Joseph High School

Dr. Paula T McKeown, St. Saviour High School

Sr. Kathleen McKinney C.S.J, Ed.D., The Mary Louis Academy

Dcn. Kevin McCormack, Xaverian High School

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By Gina Martinez

TimesLedger Newspapers

Police have taken action in clearing Willets Point.

On Feb. 28, the NYPD and city Department of Sanitation led an overnight operation to remove abandoned vehicles in the Willets Point area in Corona following multiple complaints from area business owners. From 8 p.m. to 11 a.m. the following day, NYPD said it removed and issued summonses to up to 100 cars.

Police said 85 cars were tagged for removal, 12 vehicles were summonsed and 50 were towed away for disposal. The following day, the 110th Precinct tweeted photos of the operation with the caption, “You spoke we listened, in and around Willets Point a joint operation conducted overnight with NYC Sanitation.”

Willets Point’s future has been in limbo for years. The land adjacent to Citi Field has been the center of a huge lawsuit. Queens Development Group had been fighting to build a proposed megamall and movie theater on the 30-acre site where Shea Stadium once stood. The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court in February 2014 by state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) — along with the City Club of New York, Queens Civic Congress, members of Willets Point United and nearby residents and business owners — challenged the transfer of Queens parkland worth about $1 billion.

The lawsuit focused on the proper use of the land. The megamall was slated to be built on the parking lot east of Citi Field, which is technically still parkland owned by Flushing Meadows Corona Park and under lease to the New York Mets. Arguments centered around a 1961 law allowing the construction of Shea Stadium in Flushing Meadows Park.

In a 5-1 decision last June, the court decided that the developers needed consent from state Legislators before moving forward.

In early February, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Borough President Melinda Katz announced their new plan for the abandoned land that promised construction of 1,100 affordable apartments on six acres of Willets Point land starting in 2020. Of the entire 62-acre Willets Point area, the city purchased 23 acres located across 126th Street from Citi Field — named the Phase 1 development site with an early pledge to build affordable housing. The city evicted many auto-repair businesses that formerly operated in that section, and razed most of the structures.

The remaining 39 acres are filled predominantly with automotive parts and repair businesses, and the owners said that due to perpetual neglect by the city, the existing Willets Point community is forced to operate with substandard streets and roadways.

The remaining business owners have been fighting for the city to commit to providing roadway repair, maintenance services and other municipal services that they have long been denied to Willets Point.

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

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By Zach Gewelb

TimesLedger Newspapers

In the midst of his best collegiate season, St. John’s men’s hoops star Shamorie Ponds earned a spot on the All-Big East first team.

Ponds has averaged 21.6 points per game in 28 contests this season and cracked the 30-point plateau six times this season. He also leads the conference in steals with 2.5 per game and is ranked fourth in the Big East in assists.

“Shamorie had a great season. He had an incredible run in February, and has just been very consistent over his first two seasons,” head coach Chris Mullin said. “He’s been somewhat historic over these first two years at St. John’s, and we look for more good play from him.”

Ponds is the first St. john’s player to be named to the All-Big East first team since D’Angelo Harrison in 2015.

The sweet-shooting guard has had his fair share of big games this year. Ponds recorded 44 points in a February victory against Marquette. The total represents the most points ever scored by a Johnnie at Carnesecca Arena.

“It’s a blessing,” Ponds said after the Feb. 10 game. “All the great players who came through this university, for my name to be up there, it is a dream come true. A blessing.”

Before that, Ponds led St. John’s to back-to-back wins over top-five programs Duke and Villanova.

Against Duke, he scored 33 points while shooting 12-of-23 from the floor in 40 minutes to lead the Johnnies to an 81-77 victory over the Blue Devils at Madison Square Garden.

Four days later, Ponds netted 26 points in a 79-75 win over No. 1-ranked Villanova, the program’s first against a top-ranked opponent since the 1984-85 season.

“It’s big for the University, and it’s also big for us,” Ponds said of the back-to-back victories. “I feel like it will give us the little spark that we need going into the rest of the season. Two-huge wins. We’ve never lost the confidence, but no one wants to go through the losing. I feel like we stayed together, but we weren’t getting the outcomes that we wanted. If we stayed together, it would eventually fall through.”

Ponds’ season has been one of the best in program history. Despite missing three games this season, he is on the verge of entering the top 10 on the St. John’s single-season scoring list and was just 23 points away from his head coach, who ranks 10th with 629 points.

Ponds had a chance to pass Mullin when the Red Storm began postseason play Wednesday night after TimesLedger went to press. St. John’s faced off against Georgetown in the opening round of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden.

The Johnnies played Georgetown twice in the regular season, dropping both contests. The Red Storm fell to the Hoyas, 69-66 on Jan. 9 at MSG and dropped a closely contested double-overtime match, 93-89 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20

“We’ve played in two close games,” Mullin said. “One was in double-overtime and the other game came down to the last possession, so it’s a tight matchup. We look forward to starting a new season.”

Reach reporter Zach Gewelb by e-mail at zgewelb@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4539.

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By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

The city’s office of Emergency Management issued a weather advisory Wednesday as another nor’easter prepared to wreak havoc in New York City just one week after a stormed downed trees and power lines across Queens.

Although the weather advisory took effect Tuesday evening for snow, New Yorkers woke up to wet streets. But the expected six to 10 inches of snow is expected to begin falling Wednesday afternoon and continue into the evening, Emergency Management said.

“Mother Nature’s March madness continues as another nor’easter is forecast to bring snow that will make travel dangerous on Wednesday,” Emergency Management Commissioner Joseph Esposito said. “New Yorkers should take mass transit if possible and allow for extra travel time.”

John F. Kennedy Airport announced on Twitter that approximately 467 Wednesday flights have been canceled due to the nor’easter. LaGuardia Airport said on Twitter approximately 587 flights scheduled for today have been canceled

The Department of Education announced Tuesday night that schools would be in session despite the expected storm. After school-programs are going to continue as planned, though PSAL games, public hearings, and field trips using yellow bus service were canceled, the DOE said in a release.

With wind up to 15 mph to 25 mph and gusts up to 40 mph, the city warned residents to take public transit and allow for longer travel time.

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

Pastor Kehinde Oyetunde has denied reports by the Daily News that Celestial Church of Christ in Jamaica is closing after four men from a group home assaulted a congregant in July 2017.

Seven months ago a 50-year-old mother of two was robbed at gunpoint and sexually assaulted at night as she left the church, located at 150-08 on Liberty Ave., and then taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center, where she was in stable condition, according to police.

The four men were arrested within days, charged with sexual assault and armed robbery, and could face up to 25 years in prison if convicted, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.

The four men are to appear in court March 5, the DA’s office said.

Despite a sharp drop in the number of church members from from its average of 150 over the course of nearly a decade to slightly above 20 on Feb. 19, as reported by the Daily News, Oyetunde maintains that the recent low attendance has been the result of a bitter cold winter.

Oyetunde does concede that after the July assault, there was an initial decline in churchgoers, but he said they have been streaming back to the church since the attack and police have been patrolling the area more since the incident.

“The cops have been doing a great job,” Oyetunde said. “We have recovered and people have been coming back gradually.”

Oyetunde said that not only have congregants returned to the church, except for days where it snowed or was brutally cold, but the church had been making plans to relocate to a bigger space either in St. Albans or Queens Village since before the incident.

Pastor Oyetunde also said the woman who was assaulted returned to church two months ago.

“The church is moving forward,” said Oyetunde. “We are looking for a better place.”

The pastor said the church, which is surrounded by auto shops and a wholesale store, is around 2,000 to 3,000 square feet, and that he as well as many church members have been longing to have a spot that they can own with its own parking instead of renting a space monthly.

Celestial Church has been in Jamaica for eight years, the pastor said as he greeted a congregant and her toddler.

According to Oyetunde, the incident has galvanized him and his parishioners to work harder in raising more funds for a new facility, especially since 60 percent of them are women.

“We want to have our own sanctuary,” said the pastor. “We want to have our own church.”

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 Flatbush man has been convicted of the 2015 stabbing death of his girlfriend at Kissena Corridor Park, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.

Following a three-week trial, 28-year-old Christopher Sobers was found guilty of second-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property.

According to Brown, the “horribly mangled” body of 28-year-old Elmhurst resident Qing Qing Kiemde was found by a homeless man off a pathway in Kissena Corridor Park, near Colden Street and Laburnum Avenue on Oct. 11, 2015.

Brown said Kiemde, who worked in a Queens bakery, met Sobers in a group meeting at Elmhurst Hospital and began dating him.

According to Brown, Sobers violently stabbed Kiemde to death on Oct. 10, 2015.

Brown said when Sobers was taken in for questioning by police, he was in possession of Kiemde’s cell phone, which he had wiped clean of all all her personal information substituted his own. Kiemde was also known for owning a very distinctive handbag in which she carried all her personal belongings, Brown said.

After she disappeared, Sobers was seen carrying a bag with the exact features of Kiemde’s shoulder bag.

Brown said Kiemde’s stabbing was a brutal killing.

“The crime scene was seeped in blood and the victim’s body mutilated and disemboweled,” he said.

“After thoroughly reviewing the evidence, the jury found the defendant guilty and he now faces a very long term of incarceration – to protect others from harm and to punish him for this heinous crime.”

Queens Supreme Court Justice Deborah Stevens Modica set sentencing for March 14 at which time Sobers faces 25 years to life in prison.

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

The city’s Department of Education has reversed course on a plan that would have sent kindergarten students from overcrowded PS 78 in Long Island City to a school in Woodside, and instead are offering parents a new school site at Court Square.

After intense scrutiny from angry residents and civic groups like the Gantry Parents Association, the LIC Coalition and the Hunters Point Civic Association during two public meetings, the DOE is now offering a new location at the Jackson Avenue pre-K center, instead of using St. Teresa’s school on 50th Avenue in Woodside.

Kindergartners will use the “incubator site” located at 27-35 Jackson Ave. until construction on the new PS 375 elementary school on 57th Avenue, which is expected to open in 2021.

“Community engagement is a critical part of this process, and after listening to families and local elected officials, we developed a proposal to ensure students attending PS 384 next year can remain within their zone in District 30,” a DOE spokesman said.

State Assemblywoman Catherine Nolan (D-Long Island City) called the DOE’s decision a “step in the right direction.” and said she would continue to advocate for the trailers that are currently near PS 78 to remain as a short-term solution to the overcrowding at the school. Nolan also called for more support from developers who have “personally benefitted from the construction in LIC” and more attention from city government to solve the overcrowding problem that has resulted from the unprecedented growth in the area.

“The long-term issues must be addressed by investing in our infrastructure, so that we can responsibly plan for additional schools, hospitals, public transit, adequate roads and green space as additional residents continue to move into our communities,” Nolan said. “My thanks again for the progress that has been made and I look forward to hearing feedback from parents.”

Meanwhile, state Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) is calling on the State Liquor Authority to reject the application of Armazen, Inc. to open a liquor store near Q972, the pre-K center and new home of the incubator site at 27-35 Jackson Ave. In his letter, sent to the SLA Monday, Gianaris highlighted the concerns of neighborhood parents who send their children to the pre-K at the site.

Last July, the SLA rejected an application by the same operator to open a liquor store at the same location.

“Our youngest children and their families should not be subject to the flow of traffic coming in and out of a liquor store during the school day,” Gianaris said. “I urge the SLA to listen to our community and reject this application again.”

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

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By Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

Frantz Petion, an emergency medical technician for the FDNY was arraigned Monday on charges of first-degree rape and endangering the welfare of a 10-year-old girl in Kew Gardens at Queens Criminal Court, the Queens district attorney said.

Petion is accused of forcibly sexually assaulting the girl while she was sleeping in an attic bedroom during a house party in Hollis on Saturday evening, according to the DA’s office.

“The defendant, who attended a birthday celebration while off-duty is alleged to have turned it into a nightmare for this 10-year-old girl and her family,” DA Richard Brown said.

Petion allegedly held the girl by her neck as he raped her, and she started to scream as he put his hand over her mouth and threatened to hit her, according to the DA’s office.

Petion’s voice alerted a male family friend to his presence as he went upstairs to check on the victim in her bedroom, the DA said.

Once the family friend opened the door, he saw the defendant next to the partially clothed victim,

If convicted Petion, could face up to 25 years in prison, Criminal Court Judge Scott Dunn said.

“He will be vigorously prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Brown said.

Dunn set Petion’s bond at $500,000 and cash bail at $400,000.

Petion was ordered to return to court March 23.

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 new report from state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli shows that job growth in New York City has outpaced New York state and the rest of the country since the end of the 2008 recession.

According to the report, the city added a total of 702,200 jobs between 2009 and 2017, an 18.9 percent increase. In comparison, New York state had job gains of 11.5 percent over the same eight-year period.

The rate of job growth in New York City is especially impressive considering nearly 5 percent of the jobs added in the nation since 2009 have been in the five boroughs, even though the city accounts for just 3 percent of the nation’s jobs.

The high numbers are coming from jobs outside of Manhattan. The study found the four boroughs outside of Manhattan contributed to 47 percent of the job gains. Brooklyn had the fastest rate of private sector job growth since 2009 with 38 percent, followed by Queens with 24 percent, then Manhattan with 20 percent, Bronx with 15 percent and Staten Island with 14 percent.

The study revealed that the job growth was driven by health care, business services and tourism-related businesses. Health care is the only sector in the city that has experienced gains every year since 1990, adding 21,400 jobs in 2017 and bringing total employment to 519,000, 28 percent more than in 2009. The business services sector was the largest source of new jobs during the expansion, adding 174,400 jobs from 2009 to 2017 and the leisure and hospitality sector accounted for one-fifth of the gains between 2009 and 2017 with 139,400 jobs. More than three-quarters of the gains were in bars and restaurants.

The report added that the revitalization of neighborhoods throughout the city have contributed to strong job growth, with 10 neighborhoods that had growth that exceeded 40 percent, including the Queens neighborhoods of Bay Ridge, Howard Beach and South Ozone Park. No neighborhood in the city lost jobs between 2009 and 2017.

The unemployment rate in the city hit its peak in October 2009 during the Great Recession, rising to 10.2 percent. In March 2017, the unemployment rate reached its lowest level in 41 years down to just 4 percent. The report said since March, it rose slightly to 4.3 percent in December 2017 due to more people entering the work force, encouraged by the strong economy.

The report also noted that the 2017 unemployment rate for African-Americans in the city was 5.6 percent and 5.9 percent for Hispanics, higher than for the 3.1 percent unemployment rate for whites and 3.7 percent for Asians. Despite the city’s unemployment rate for African-Americans being significantly lower than the 7.7 percent national average, the unemployment rate for Hispanics was moderately higher than the 5.1 percent national average, the report said.

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

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