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By Zach Gewelb

TimesLedger Newspapers

The St. John’s baseball team, coming off an impressive 40-17 season, had a school-record six players selected in the 2018 MLB Amateur Draft earlier this month.

Senior Kevin Magee, a left-handed pitcher, was the first Red Storm player off the board. He was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the ninth round on the second day of the draft.

After struggling in 2015 and 2016, Magee turned things around during his junior and senior seasons with the Johnnies. His renaissance began in 2017, when he went 4-1 with a 2.45 ERA, the best mark of his career. He struck out 40 batters in 30 innings and didn’t allow a home run. Magee followed his stellar 2017 campaign with another strong effort in 2018. Appearing in a career-high 15 games, Magee pitched to a 7-3 record with a 2.67 ERA, while striking out 92 batters and walking just 15 in 77.2 innings pitched.

On the third day of the draft, five Johnnies were selected. Junior pitcher Michael LoPresti was selected by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 18th Round; junior infielder Josh Shaw was chosen by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 19th Round; graduate student John Valente, a utility player, went to the Detroit Tigers in the 21st Round; senior outfielder/pitcher Jamie Galazin heard his name called by the Chicago Cubs in the 22nd Round; and senior catcher Robert Boselli III was the last from St. John’s to be selected, going to the Cincinnati Reds in the 37th Round.

This marks the third time in program history that six players have been selected in the same draft class. The 2005 and 2015 Johnnies also had six players selected.

LoPresti’s strong junior year (4-3, 3.16 ERA, 55 strikeouts) made teams take notice, leading to his selection.

Shaw, who never missed a game — he started in 167 consecutive contests — in his three years with St. John’s, hit .316 with 20 extra-base hits and 46 RBI in 57 games in 2018.

Valente hit .360 this season, bringing his career average up to .353 with the Johnnies. He slugged five home runs and recorded 40 RBI as one of the Johnnies’ most reliable offensive weapons.

Galazin batted .329 with 44 RBI in 2018. He was an extra-base hit machine (26), which included a career-high six home runs and helped him build a .419 on-base percentage.

Boselli III hit .285 with 13 doubles, three triples and four dingers while driving in 39 runs during his second year with St. John’s — he had transferred from Mercer Community College ahead of the 2017 season.

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

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Carlotta Mohamed

TimesLedger Newspapers

City Councilman Peter Koo (D-Flushing) introduced two new bills last week that would eliminate street vendor pollution and sidewalk obstructions threatening pedestrians’ safe passage in Flushing and throughout New York City.

Koo’s first bill, Intro 969, would prohibit all sidewalk obstructions in downtown Flushing and stoopline stands in certain areas. The second bill, Intro 970, would prohibit the use of under-fired char broilers at mobile food vending units citywide.

“We are overrun with sidewalk obstructions, and our sidewalks have become an obstacle course,” Koo said June 7. “As a small business owner, I have no objection to people innovating in order to turn a profit, but I wholeheartedly object to those who do so at the expense of their community.” Last year, the completion of a nine-foot-widened sidewalk on Main Street in Flushing gave critical relief to hundreds of thousands of commuters who use the transportation hub’s more than 20 bus lines, subways, and LIRR trains, as well as others who visit Flushing for its restaurants and shopping, said Koo, who owns the Starside pharmacy chain in Flushing.

That pace has now been occupied, however, by illegal street vendors and stoop line stands, where people are selling everything from health insurance, counterfeit handbags, bed sheets, pots and pans, fruits and vegetables, cell phones and even socks, according to Koo.

The Intro 969 bill would prohibit stoopline stands at the following locations: Main Street between Northern Boulevard and Sanford Avenue; Roosevelt Avenue between College Point Boulevard and Union Street; Kissena Boulevard between 41st Avenue and Barclay Avenue; 40th Road between Prince Street and Main Street; 41st Avenue between Main Street and Union Street; and 41st Road between Main Street and Frame Place.

Under the Intro 970 bill, general and food vending would be prohibited within the boundary of Northern Boulevard, east of Union Street, South Sanford Avenue and west of College Point Boulevard.

Licensed veterans and vending protected under the Constitution’s freedom of speech provisions would be exempt from the restrictions, and flat top grills would not be restricted, such as the griddles used in Halal trucks, Koo said.

“The under-fired char broilers used by street vendors are responsible for a significant amount of particulate matter in our air,” Koo said. “Not only are the grillers breathing this in, but it also impacts nearby residents, businesses, and others who must endure the clouds of smoke blowing in their windows and hanging over the street.”

Making the vendors more environmentally safe will reduce particulate matter and significantly improve the air quality in New York City, Koo said.

Reach reporter Carlotta Mohamed by e-mail at cmohamed@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4526.

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

City Councilman Paul Vallone (D-Bayside) is ballyhooing the 4th annual Independence Day Celebration and fireworks show at Fort Totten scheduled for Wednesday, June 27.

As usual, transportation will be provided from designated parking lots by Vallo Transportation to the event space reserved within the confines of the fort with a fireworks show by Grucci.

“There’s no better way to kick off the summer than with a fireworks show and concert in Fort Totten. For a fourth straight year, residents in northeast Queens won’t have to travel far to enjoy world class fireworks with friends, family and neighbors,” Vallone said. “These types of family events really bring the community together in celebration.”

The 15-minute fireworks show will kick off at 9:15 p.m.

Parking will be available at Little Bay Park underneath the Throgs Neck Bridge, Clearview Golf Course after 5 p.m. and at Bay Terrace Shopping Center. Shuttle rides to and from these designated sites will begin at 6 p.m.

“This event keeps getting bigger and better year after year,” Paul DiBenedetto, president of the Bayside Historical Society, said. “BHS at the Castle serves as a cultural destination within the Fort Totten Historic District and hosting an Independence Day Celebration right outside our front door is a great way for the community to link the past with the present.”

Guests are encouraged to bring blankets, food and beverage — although it is an alcohol-free event — and enjoy live music between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Food trucks will also be available on site serving up food and drinks.

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

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

The driver for a College Point pizzeria had his imminent deportation back to Ecuador halted by a federal judge Saturday.

Attorneys from the Legal Aid Society won an emergency stay of deportation of Pablo Villavicencio, 35, based on a habeas corpus petition filed with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Villavicencio, a married father of two American daughters, was detained June 1 while delivering Italian food from Nonna Delia’s to the Fort Hamilton army base in Brooklyn when he could not present proper identification. Base security called Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents after a routine background check showed the undocumented immigrant had been ordered by a judge to leave the country in 2010 but stayed.

The Legal Aid Society discovered late Friday that Villavicencio’s deportation would take place within days, so the attorneys worked through the night and Judge Alison J. Nathan granted the stay until July 20 ordering the government to show why a temporary injunction should not be granted in his case. Villavicencio will remain in ICE custody, but this stay will allow him to pursue a meritorious form of relief from removal — adjustment of status for permanent residency — to remain with his family.

“Although we are disappointed that Pablo will remain detained, today’s stay is a victory for him and his family, and also for due process and the fair administration of justice,” Gregory Copeland, the supervising attorney of Immigration Law Unity at The Legal Aid Society said. “The courts agreed with our argument that Pablo should be afforded a full and fair opportunity to present his case in federal court. This decision is also a reminder that the judiciary can still serve as a powerful check when other branches of the government make hasty, cruel and reckless decisions.”

Copeland said The Legal Aid Society will continue to represent Villavicencio and we work with him toward securing valid status.

Villavicencio had applied for a green card in February.

Watching the case unfold during the last two weeks was City Councilman Francisco Moya (D-Jackson Heights), the first Ecuadorian-American elected to public office in the United States.

“As the son of Ecuadorian immigrants myself, Pablo’s story resonates with me personally. My family came here looking for the equality of opportunity for which this nation is renowned,” Moya said. “Like Pablo did, my family put down roots here, started a family and worked hard to provide for that family. Pablo’s fortitude is everything America claims to value. Here is a man who risked his own well-being so that when he clocked out after a long shift, he could return to his daughters — the youngest suffering from a congenital heart disease defect — safe in the knowledge that he was doing everything he could to provide for them.”

Moya added, “This is a man who should be permitted to return to his family and complete his immigration application. I would be honored to call this man my neighbor and I am saddened I cannot yet call him my fellow American.”

The owners of Nonna Delia’s in College Point could not be reached for comment.

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

The majority vote at Community Board 2’s June 7 meeting went against the city Transportation Department’s revised bike lane proposal for Skillman Avenue and 43rd Avenue in Sunnyside.

But some residents believe the de Blasio administration will move forward with the hotly debated proposal despite the neighborhood advisory action against creating a protected bike lane, which would eliminate about 120 parking spaces.

“Bike people, relax. It’s going to happen. You’re going to get protected bike lanes no matter how you vote, that’s a fact,” Woodside resident William Kregler told attendees at the packed meeting before turning to address the opponents of the proposal. “Now for the rest of you… save some dignity and pride for yourselves, people. Just vote this down, the mayor will disregard you like they did [with other projects]. You know it. And save your face for your neighbors so they don’t have to say, ‘Why did you do this to our neighborhood? You destroyed it.’ Put the black hats on the [city officials].”

The community board rejected the proposal by a vote of 27-8.

But this was not DOT’s first go-around with the community on this proposal.

So far, the city agency has gone back to the drawing board and come back with two revised proposals since November 2017, retaining parking from the original plan and this time eliminating 120 parking spaces compared to the 158 spaces in the original plan.

“That’s 8 percent on 43rd and 7 percent [retained] on Skillman,” Sean Quinn, DOT’s director of the Office of Bicycle and Pedestrian’s Programs, said. “We heard you, went back to the drawing board, we designed a corridor that is appropriate for this neighborhood, we worked to restore as much of the parking from the plan that also allows us to install the safety measures that we need to make this project successful.”

The project area on Skillman and 43rd avenues takes aim at the corridors between Roosevelt Avenue and Queens Boulevard and will pull parking away from the curb, while creating shorter pedestrian islands than originally proposed, which will also make for sharper turns and force motorists to slow down.

The two corridors came under scrutiny by the de Blasio administration and the Vision Zero initiative after cyclist Gelasio Reyes was killed by a drunk driver in April 2017 at 43rd Avenue and 39th Street, which was just one of many incidents in the area.

City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) responded to Reyes’ death by calling for safety improvements for cyclists in a press conference days after his death.

DOT, at a March town hall, said it counted 1,400 bikes at the intersection of Skillman and 43rd Avenue on a single weekday in May 2017, which many audience members scoffed at in disbelief and brought angry disagreement from speakers.

Between 2012 and 2016, 283 people were injured along these two corridors, including 34 bicyclists and 61 pedestrians, according to DOT, with the remainders being motorists.

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

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

State Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) and state Assemblywoman Ari Espinal (D-Jackson Heights) say they believe debates are an integral part of the democratic process in America, provided they are fair and impartial.

“Debates are crucial parts of the Democratic process, and it is imperative for voters to have the chance to hear from their prospective leaders,” Peralta said. “Just as importantly, debates should be organized by unbiased groups and agreed upon by all candidates involved. I am committed to debating my opponents, and I look forward to discussing my record with voters.”

Neither Peralta nor Espinal will be participating in the June 21 debate night at the Jackson Heights Jewish Center.

“Both the assemblywoman and I have day jobs and we commit to events months in advance,” Peralta said. “Sometimes we’ve committed to be the keynote speaker. You can’t just cancel on your constituents and say I’ve got to debate. You sit down and negotiate a date, a time, an impartial location with unbiased organizers. Instead we got an e-mail inviting us to the event without any negotiations. Plus, you know how crazy the last two weeks are in Albany as the legislative session comes to an end”

A similar situation occurred last month at a debate organized by the New Visions Democratic Club and the Lesbian and Gay Democratic Club of Queens when Peralta and Espinal came under criticism for missing the May 10 event due to prior commitments. Peralta’s challenger, Jessica Ramos, accused him of “skipping out” on the year’s first Democratic primary debate and both Peralta and Espinal were slammed on social media.

“It seems like we’re being set up,” Espinal said. “If you don’t show up, it’s on you and then the pack comes after you.”

On May 15, Espinal proposed debating her two challengers, Catalina Cruz and Yonell Letellier Sosa, in July and August in events run by impartial organizations and at neutral locations in Corona, Jackson Heights and Elmhurst.

“It is critical that the people of Queens get to hear the views of all candidates in an impartial setting,” Espinal said. “The 39th District deserves fair debates, and that is why I am committed to organizing a series of three debates with my opponents. My campaign has reached out to my opponents with a list of neutral organizations and locations to host these events so that we can ensure a fair playing field. I am proud of my record, and I am ready to debate my opponents.”

Peralta took issue with the three co-sponsoring organizations of Thursday’s debate night, which include the Interfaith Center of New York, the Jackson Heights Parents for Public Schools and the Jackson Heights Beautification Group.

“These are organizations that may seem neutral, but the Jackson Heights Beautifications Group? Ramos is a board member,” he said.

Ramos campaign spokeswoman Monica Klein fired back.

“Once again, Jose Peralta will find any excuse to get out of debating Jessica Ramos and defending his record to the people of Queens,” Klein said. “It’s no surprise Peralta is planning to dodge another debate, since his years-long allegiance with the senate Republicans is indefensible.”

Interfaith Center of New York’s Community organizer Naureen Akhter, who will host Thursday’s debate night, was surprised by the comments from Peralta and Espinal.

“All of the candidates received their invitations to debate May 23. If they needed to change the date, we could have discussed rescheduling, but there was zero response from either campaign,” Akhter said. “As far as negotiating, ours is just a local neighborhood effort to inform voters about their options. I saw Senator Peralta in Corona over the weekend and tried to discuss his participation, but he just got in his car and drove away.”

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 Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

To help more immigrant students assimilate in the United States while maintaining their cultural identity and become successful in school, the Center for the Integration of New Americans is expanding its Astoria-based elementary after-school program for foreign and refugee children by launching a “Learning for Life” fund-raiser.

The Center for the Integration of New Americans is a nonprofit that was established in 2006 by Emira Habiby Brown, a Palestinian refugee , to help immigrants integrate into American society and become socially and economically sufficient, according to the organization’s website.

CIANA mostly focuses on integrating immigrants from highly traditional societies from the Middle East, North Africa, Latin America and southern Asia, according to spokeswoman Maria Eliades.

The organization, which is located in at 31-09 Newton Ave. in Astoria, provides Adult ESL classes, legal services, civics classes, citizenship workshops, a middle-school, after-school program and the very popular immigrant elementary after-school program it is trying to raise $10,000 for by June 27, according to Program and Administrative Manager Kylen Button.

The Astoria-based tutoring program started in 2012 and wants to serve students from all five boroughs, but because it is hard to reach on public transportation it currently serves 20 students from Queens twice a week, according to Button.

“The students are primarily from Long Island City, Astoria, and a few are from Jackson Heights,” said Button. “We would like to double the amount of students and add more tutoring dates.”

The program only serves students on from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but the organization hopes that it will raise enough money to also be open on Mondays and Wednesdays, too, according to Button.

“That will be ideal, because we have a long list of students who want to join the program,” said Button.

The organization, which has one volunteer tutoring one student, wants to add at least another 20 volunteers for additional students, if not more and hire a program manager to bring more structure to the initiative.

“Ideally we would like to have our own learning center where we dedicate staff and volunteers just to this program in a different location that is bigger than our office space right now…but our immediate goal is to expand with more days,” said Button. “We also want someone who has experience working with children in a teaching capacity and developing lesson plans,” said the administrator, who is volunteering her time to register students and take attendance.

The program manager role will also be administrative, involve skill-building and require the leader to design activities for the children when they do not have homework, said Button.

“We want someone who will be able to focus all their time on this program,” said Button.

The volunteers speak the native languages of the students, according to Eliades, and mostly focus on subjects like reading, math and English.

“The predominant languages are Arabic, Spanish and Bengali,” said Eliades. “We are currently getting these books…children’s books that celebrate their various backgrounds in English.”

The books are from Scholastic, Putnam and a local Astoria bookstore, according to Eliades and Button.

The students who come to the program after struggling in school have their academic progress measured throughout the semester, said Button. The tutors take daily notes on the students’ comprehension skills and they interact with their teachers to see if there are any marked improvements in their report card.

At the moment the program has raised $3,705, according to the CIANA website.

“Sometimes they become isolated because they don’t know English as well as the other students in their class,” said Button. “Being able to enhance their skills so that they can better communicate with their peers is essential and it is also a way for immigrant children to have a group of friends when they are isolated, but don’t know how to vocalize that. I think they enjoy coming here because all their other friends who are going through a similar struggle are here.”

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

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Source: Times Ledger