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By Carlotta Mohamed

TimesLedger Newspapers

Just three weeks after the death of 9-year-old Giovanni Ampuero in a hit-and-run on Northern Boulevard in Jackson Heights that prompted the city to implement changes on the congested thoroughfare, a 47-year-old man was struck and killed Monday while crossing the corridor 30 blocks away,

Giovanni died April 30 walking with his mother at 70th Street on Northern Boulevard when he was hit by an 86-year-old driver, who fled the scene and was later charged with leaving the scene of an accident, police said. In Monday’s accident Carlos Gavilanes, 47, was run down by a 24-year-old woman operating a 2003 Honda Civic, traveling westbound in the left travel lane between 100th and 101st streets in Corona at 12:30 p.m., according to an investigation by the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad.

The driver remained at the scene when Gavilanes was struck. There were no arrests and the investigation remained ongoing, police said.

Following Giovanni’s death, the city Department of Transportation moved swiftly to install a Leading Pedestrian Interval at the crash site on 70th Street and Northern Boulevard. The devices give pedestrians a head start to cross the street before vehicles move.

State Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst), state Assemblyman Michael DenDekker (D-East Elmhurst), and other elected officials did a walkthrough along Northern Boulevard checking each intersection with the city Department of Transportation May 11 to determine where one of the devices would be placed. The devices, which give pedestrians a head start to cross the street before vehicles move, were added on more intersections on Northern Boulevard from Queens Plaza to 114th Street after Giovanni was killed.

Peralta said he looks forward to working with the DOT to make the corridor safe for all.

“We need to ensure that what happened to Giovanni does not occur ever again,” said Peralta. “It is insane to think that a boy lost his life as he was crossing the street with a walk green light. It is vital that we not only hold reckless drivers accountable and take them out of the road, but we implement the necessary road and pedestrian safety changes to protect New Yorkers.”

Initial improvements were already made on Northern Boulevard, but safe street advocates said more can be done after the recent deaths.

Since the start of the city’s Vision Zero initiative, the DOT has made numerous safety improvements along Northern Boulevard. According to a DOT spokesman, in addition to installing LPIs, there are safer crosswalks with more than a dozen pedestrian safety islands over 2.4 miles from 61st to 114th Street, and improved visibility at intersections through “daylighting,” which removes some parking space at intersections so drivers can see pedestrians.

The DOT also said it is planning to study potential traffic safety improvements including longer LPIs, “Barnes Dance” signal phases, where no vehicular traffic moves giving pedestrians enough time to cross in any direction and diagonally, and additional pedestrian islands.

“I am glad to see the DOT making these initial changes to improve safety on Northern Boulevard, and look forward to seeing additional improvements being implemented, like installing left turn calming measures and the repainting of all crosswalks,” said DenDekker. “These changes are a step in the right direction.”

Since Raul Ampuero buried his son Giovanni last month and attended a community vigil, he has become involved in community efforts to make the streets safer for everyone. Ampuero had met with Peralta in April requesting speed cameras and more crossing guards at nearby schools, but was told there was no funding.

In response to the DOT’s new safety measures along Northern Boulevard, Ampuero said, “It’s great. The lights are an improvement, but more can be done.”

“If you really want to stop this, you have to hit people’s pockets,” said Ampuero. “If there are cameras, people will reduce their speed because drivers will know if they don’t, they’ll get a ticket like Queens Boulevard.”

According to the New York Times, when Mayor Bill de Blasio took office in 2014, ordered the speed limit on Queens Boulevard to be lowered from 30 miles per hour to 25 miles per hour. The city had invested $400 million redesigning the boulevard adding bike lanes, more crosswalks, and places for pedestrians to wait in the median while crossing; car lanes were also redesigned to reduce conflicts between local and through traffic, and cameras installed to catch speeding drivers.

Ampuero has still not heard from Mayor Bill de Blasio and is hoping to speak with him soon.

“He’s very difficult to get in touch with,” said Ampuero. “He knows he has the funds but doesn’t want to release it for the speed cameras. The least he could do is give half of the cameras, and there can be a discussion about next year’s budget. My son didn’t die for no reason. It’s devastating for the entire community and school because kids are suffering unable to see their friend.”

Ampuero is planning to meet with Peralta to discuss how to get funding for the speed cameras and school crossing guards.

“I’m not trying to do any harm to anyone. I’m just trying to prevent,” said Ampuero.

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 Zach Gewelb

TimesLedger Newspapers

With star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes on the disabled list, the New York Mets were in desperate need for a right-handed power bat and decided to take a flier on veteran outfielder Jose Bautista.

Bautista, recently released from the Atlanta Braves following a mediocre 12-game cameo, does provide some power, but not much else. Nevertheless, it was a move the Mets had to make, especially with Juan Lagares — the club’s other right-handed hitting outfielder — also injured and out for the foreseeable future, possibly the rest of the 2018 season.

Bautista comes to the Mets on a discounted deal — he will make the prorated portion of the industry minimum salary of $545,000 — and should be expected to play against lefty pitchers while Brandon Nimmo, Jay Bruce and Michael Conforto — all lefty swingers — will see the field against right-handed pitchers. Bautista has a history of mashing southpaws, evidenced by his career .859 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) against lefties.

Despite his past success, Bautista has been on the decline for some time now. A noted power hitter with 333 career home runs, Bautista has failed to hit more than 23 since 2015, when he slugged 40. Last season was one of the worst of Bautista’s career, as he hit .203/.308/.366 with 23 home runs and 170 strikeouts, the highest total of his career.

He could not find a major league deal following his abysmal season and latched on with the Braves on a minor league contract. Recalled to the majors on May 4, Bautista struggled at the plate. In 12 games, he managed to bash two home runs and drive in five runs, but hit just .143/.250/.343 with 12 strikeouts, which led to his release.

While it’s clear he’s no longer the player he once was, Bautista can still help the Mets for a short time. His power is real and can still make pitchers tremble. His bat will be an asset in the middle of the Mets’ order, which desperately needs some right-handed thump with Cespedes sidelined.

But once the star outfielder returns from the disabled list, expect the Mets to walk away from Bautista. Yes, he is a versatile player who can take the field at right field, left field, third base and first base, but there won’t be room for him once Cespedes rejoins the lineup.

Plus, the Mets are already an older team, with 10 players on the roster over 30 years old. And Bautista, 37, is the oldest. There simply won’t be room for the 15-year veteran when the Mets get their injured players back from the DL.

Bringing Bautista in is a low-risk, low-reward proposition for the Mets. He’ll provide some power, but don’t expect him to be a savior and carry the team while he’s here. He’s no longer that type of player.

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 Esther Animalu

TimesLedger Newspapers

The World Journalism Preparatory School, located at 34-65 192 St. in Flushing, has been ranked as one of the Top 100 Best Schools nationwide for Financial Literacy Education, according to Working In Support of Education, a national nonprofit organization.

The Financial Literacy Certification Program is implemented by W!SE to develop the financial knowledge of students while also striving to enhance careers and college readiness.

“I am currently in AP macroeconomics, and sometime during the beginning of the school year we started prepping for the Financial Literacy exam,” senior Ivana Pitino said. “This course is very interesting and helpful because I am able to gain knowledge on the world of finance and apply it to my everyday life outside of school.”

Kenneth Mengani, an AP macroeconmics and history teacher at World Journalism, said every year he instructs seniors on the fundamentals and concepts of the Financial Literacy Exam. Students who pass the exam with a score of 65 or higher are granted the certification as economically literate.

“I think that it’s great that passing seniors will get recognized certification as proof of our literacy,” senior Robyn Landolfi said. “Through the knowledge from the Financial Literacy course, we can put our skills to the test while also learning about essential life finances.”

With a composite score of 97, WJPS senior Kevin Cosgrove earned one of the highest recorded scores in the nation. In April 2018, Mengani and Cosgrove attended the annual W!SE awards ceremony held in Manhattan.

“I enjoyed the Financial Literacy Certification course because I was able to learn about mortgage payments, different types of loans, the difference between assets and liabilities and so much more,” Cosgrove said. “I feel like this course prepares students for the real world, and helps us learn about the financial system as a whole.”

The Financial Literacy course is administered to seniors with the aim of strengthening their financial background and life skills in the long run.

Reach reporter Esther Animalu by e-mail at eanimalu@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4574.

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By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

Four alleged members of a Jamaica-based gang have been indicted by the U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn on charges of murdering an MS-13 gang member in Flushing back in February, the authorities said.

Officers from the 107th Precinct responded to a call that Oscar Antonio Blanco-Hernandez, 20, had been assaulted near 85-14 160th St. Feb. 2 and upon arrival discovered he was shot once in the head and once in the groin, according to police at the time.

Blanco-Hernandez has now been officially identified by prosecutors as an MS-13 member who was allegedly eliminated by a rival affiliation known as the 18th Street Gang.

“This indictment is another example of law enforcement working together to eliminate gang violence. The defendants in this case are accused of carrying out the merciless execution of a rival gang member,” Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. “Gang warfare in our city streets puts every man, woman and child in danger. We will not tolerate violent street gangs turning our neighborhoods into killing fields. My office will continue to work diligently with our law enforcement partners to rid our communities of this kind of violence and brutality.”

Suspected Jamaica gang members Yanki Misael Cruz-Mateo, Yoni Alexander Sierra, Jose Jimenez Chacon and Saudi Levy Ramirez were all indicted April 30 on charges of murder and conspiracy, federal authorities said, but Cruz-Mateo also faces firearms offenses.

City, state and federal law enforcement officials joined forces to track the killer of Blanco-Hernandez in what was the third MS-13 related killing in Queens in the past year.

In May 2017, Fernando Gonzalez Chavez, 39, originally from El Salvador, was standing outside a Murray Hill deli on 162nd Street and Northern Boulevard when Roberto Abrego, 23, and Jose Alvarenga, 27, allegedly ambushed him in an attack later attributed to MS-13, according to the Queens DA.

Brown said Chavez’s assailants shot him in the chest, puncturing his lung, which resulted in his death.

Chavez’s murder came just weeks after the mid-May murder of Julio Vasquez, 16, who was found with at least two dozen stab wounds in an Oakland Gardens wetlands preserve — an attack police also determined to have gang ties.

Although the NYPD was hesitant to confirm the gang affiliation of Vasquez at the time, a brick post in front of the teen’s home was found tagged with MS-13 graffiti.

“The magnitude of violence exhibited in this case will not be tolerated,” NYPD Police Commissioner O’Neill said of the indictment of Blanco-Hernadez’s alleged killers.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said the investigation into the death of Blanco-Hernandez was slow-going since identifying the man was difficult, but they were certain MS-13 played a factor.

“Do we think it might still be MS-13? Yes, we do,” Boyce said. “Now, we’re hampered by the fact that we didn’t know who he was for the first two days … We went to his dad’s house. We spoke to his dad. He explained what happened and we were able to get to some telephones, where he’s going through social media. That’s being analyzed right now … So, we’re a long way from determining which gang it was at this point but again the earmarks of it, there’s no question.”

MS-13 had held more ground in Queens until a law enforcement sweep saw eight members arrested as well as the 2013 imprisonment of the leader of their Flushing chapter, Hector Aleman Lemos. But the gang derived from an El Salvadorian band of guerilla fighters is now mostly present in Long Island.

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

Days before the start of the summer swim season, the city announced Monday that an 11-block stretch of Rockaway Beach would be closed for the summer due to beach erosion that has created unsafe conditions for beachgoers. The portion of the beach, from 91st Street to 102nd Street, includes restaurants and bars such as Connolly’s, Community House, Thai Rock, Uma’s and Bungalow Bar which could lose business due to the closure.

Lawmakers voiced outrage over the decision, saying officials were warned about the problem for years and did nothing and now businesses and restaurants would suffer the consequences during this summer season and possibly longer.1

“This is an insult to the thousands of residents who have been tirelessly fighting for sand on our beaches,” City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) said. “It has been more than five years after Superstorm Sandy and parts of the Rockaways are still recovering. It is a disgrace that the Parks Department would rather ignore the problem than work to address the needs of the community. My constituents cannot wait another three years for some sort of remedy. Hurricane season is right around the corner and our coastal communities are still vulnerable. We need a solution now.”

Ulrich sharpened his attack on Twitter.

“Thank you @NYCParks for once again screwing my constituents…Rockaway begged you and @NYCMayor for sand on the beach and you pointed the finger in every other direction,” he tweeted.

State Sen. Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) expressed frustration with the city’s decision, but he singled out the federal government for not doing more to restore the sand from Beach 91st Street to Beach 102nd Street.

“The Army Corps of Engineers knew that this portion of the beach needed attention and should have acted years ago to remedy this situation,” Addabbo said. “Now the people and businesses of Rockaway that depend on the summer season will suffer because of their lack of action,” Addabbo said. “The summer season is supposed to be Rockaway’s shining moment. All we ask is that government agencies do their job so that we can maximize the potential and enjoyment value Rockaway has to offer.”

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) and U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica) demanded action from the Army Corps of Engineers nearly a year ago, saying the Hurricane Sandy Relief Act of 2013 provided the Corps with more than $5 billion to protect the peninsula’s vulnerable areas. Mayor Bill de Blasio said he traveled to Washington to meet with the head of the Army Corps “to come in and restore that part of the beach,” and they agreed to expedite their process, de Blasio said during his weekly appearance on NY1. A timeline for that process is expected over the next few months.

Queens Borough President Melinda Katz blamed both agencies and the city for shortchanging one of the largest tourist attractions in the five boroughs.

“The community had long expressed its concerns about the vulnerable shoreline to the Parks Department for years,” she said. “When the Army Corps last replaced 3.5 million cubic yards of sand on the Rockaway beaches in 2014, the community repeatedly warned the city that without permanent protective measures, the sand would soon need to be replaced again. The consequences of the city’s failure to act earlier will be disproportionately borne by the Rockaway community.”

In the meantime, the city Parks Department said 4.5 miles of beach will remain open for swimming and a section of the beach at 97th Street will be open for recreation, but there will be no access to the water. The boardwalk with its concession stands will also remain open. Parks will post wayfinding signs at subway stops, ferry landings and along the boardwalk directing beachgoers to the nearest accessible beach.

“The rebirth of Rockaway Beach stands as a symbol of this community’s strength and determination to move forward after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, so having to close even just a small portion of it is very difficult for us,” Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver said. “Parks, along with the Mayor’s Office of Resiliency and Recovery, will continue to work with the U.S. Army Corps on the long-term solution to mitigate erosion and protect our coastline, and we are committed to making sure that they see this work through.”

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

Lawmakers across the city and Police Commissioner James O’Neill revealed their intentions last week to overhaul the way they approach low-level marijuana offenses, especially as it pertains to people of color.

“Studies show there is no correlation between low-level marijuana offenses and public safety,” said City Councilman Donovan Richards (D-Far Rockaway). “If the NYPD is going after gangs, I have no problem with that, but if 40 percent of [black] kids who are getting locked up and never had a record beforehand – what is that telling you? White kids smoke the same way – so we’ve got work to do to make sure that there is equity.”

Under the direction of Mayor Bill de Blasio, a spokesman for the NYPD said that the department will create a working group, which would review policies related to marijuana and come up with proposals for how they will proceed in handling low-level offenses in 30 days.

“The NYPD will review our practices to ensure enforcement is consistent with the values of fairness and trust at the root of Neighborhood Policing,” said O’Neill in a statement. “The NYPD has no interest in arresting New Yorkers for marijuana offenses when those arrests have no impact on public safety.”

The day before the May 15 City Hall meeting, City Councilman Rory Lancman (D-Hillcrest), the chair of the Committee on the Justice System, called on the city’s district attorneys to refuse to prosecute low-level possession marijuana cases.

“Declining to prosecute more low-level marijuana cases will make our justice system fairer and help prevent unnecessary and expensive incarceration,” said Lancman.

Shortly after Lancman’s request, Cy Vance and Eric Gonzalez — the district attorneys for Manhattan and Brooklyn, respectively — announced that they will put forth policy changes with respect to marijuana prosecution.

“The dual mission of the Manhattan DA’s Office is a safer New York and a more equal justice system,” Vance said. “The ongoing arrest and criminal prosecution of predominantly black and brown New Yorkers for smoking marijuana serves neither of these goals.”

Richards wants Queens District Attorney Richard Brown to join the other DA’s in their revamped approach to low-level marijuana prosecution.

“I’m hoping the Queens DA will come around to using discretion,” Richards said. “If you are not a violent offender, there is no reason you should be behind bars for smoking marijuana… and I hope all the DAs are really going to come around on this.”

Brown’s office has taken some measures to relegate petty crimes, like marijuana offenses, by sponsoring its first-ever summons warrant forgiveness event in the borough on Oct. 21, 2017, and it will look at the NYPD’s upcoming proposals before taking any further action.

“It is our understanding that Mayor Bill de Blasio has directed the New York City Police Department to review its policy and practices,” said a spokesman for the Queens District Attorney’s office. “We will await the results of that review.”

The mayor did not give any details on how he would implement a new policy in tackling low-level marijuana offenses, but he wants there to be significant change in how justice is doled out.

“We must and we will end unnecessary arrests and end disparity in enforcement — it’s time for those to be a thing of the past in New York City and all over this country.”

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

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