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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

Eric Schneiderman resigned as the New York attorney general Monday night just three hours after the release of a scandalous exposé in The New Yorker magazine revealed allegations of physical violence against women.

As a rising star in the Progressive wing of the Democratic Party, Schneiderman, 63, became a national leader of the resistance against the Trump administration and advocated for women as a supporter of the #MeToo movement, filing a lawsuit against disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein in February.

The article was based on the accounts of four women with whom Schneiderman had been romantically involved who came forward with allegations of being violently slapped, choked, verbally abused, threatened and spat upon by Schneiderman during private alcohol-fueled encounters during the last several years.

Calls for Schneiderman’s resignation quickly followed, first from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who urged him to resign “for the good of the office.” U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing) also called for his resignation and, just before 10 p.m., Schneiderman complied.

“It’s been my great honor and privilege to serve as attorney general for the people of the State of New York,” Schneiderman said in a statement. “In the last several hours, serious allegations, which I strongly contest, have been made against me. While these allegations are unrelated to my professional conduct or the operations of the office, they will effectively prevent me from leading the office’s work at this critical time. I therefore resign my office, effective at the close of business on May 8, 2018.”

State Solicitor General Barbara Underwood will take over for Schneiderman as the acting attorney general and the state Legislature met in a joint session Tuesday morning to begin the selection process of Schneiderman’s replacement. Among the names being mentioned are state Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria), former U.S. Attorney Preet Bahrara and city Public Advocate Letitia James.

Schneiderman’s successor would serve until the end of his current term. Schneiderman had been running for re-election this fall.

Meanwhile, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office launched a probe into the claims made by the four women.

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

While half a dozen of the borough’s hospitals closed in the last decade, one was plotting its expansion.

Last week, Mount Sinai Queens celebrated the opening of its new $180 million ambulatory Pavilion in Astoria. Leaders of the Mount Sinai Health System joined elected officials and community leaders for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the six-story, 140,000-square foot building that features an expanded emergency department, six new operating rooms and new outpatient services staffed with primary care physicians and medical and surgical specialists, all of whom are on the faculty of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in Manhattan.

“We are so proud of the high quality and depth and breadth of care we provide the Queens community. Providing care close to home and work is a key element of providing excellence in health care,” Mount Sinai Queens Executive Director Caryn A. Schwab said. “This effort to ensure accessible quality health care would not have been possible without the tremendous support from the leadership at Mount Sinai, our elected officials, and our community partners. I’m so grateful to everyone who made the Pavilion a reality.”

The building was constructed behind the original Astoria General Hospital at Crescent Street and 30th Avenue, which was taken over by Mount Sinai in 1999 and is now part of the city’s largest hospital system.

“Mount Sinai Queens is carrying on the 120-year tradition of delivering health care on this site,” Mount Sinai Queens President and Chief Operating Officer Dr. David L. Reich said.

“With these stunning new facilities and state-of-the-art technology, the hospital is attracting top talent to further augment its excellent physician and nursing staff.”

Reich said doctors had already begun to perform more delicate procedures at the hospital, including the removal of a clot that saved the life of a patient who had suffered a debilitating stroke last October.

“This is the first time that delicate procedure was ever performed in Queens,” Reich said, “which is just one instance of the growing complexity of care and procedures performed at Mount Sinai Queens.”

City Councilman Costa Constantinides (D-Astoria) said everyone in the neighborhood, including himself, has a story about how their family was helped at Mount Sinai.

“The investments made by Mt. Sinai to expand our community hospital, like the beautiful new pavilion, are to be applauded and will go further to ensure we can expand great care here in Queens,” he said. “I have always been proud to work with the Queens Delegation to secure funding to further the important work at MSQ. I look forward to more generations of Astoria residents receiving the care they need from Mt. Sinai hospital.”

At the ground-breaking ceremony for the project in August 2013, state Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas (D-Astoria) spoke of how her father had suffered a heart attack years earlier and was told he had to recover in Manhattan, causing an enormous strain on her family.

“This is a wonderful thing for residents of western Queens,” she said. Not only can our community stay in our community to receive world class medical care, families will be able to comfort and visit their hospitalized loved ones without the burden of traveling into Manhattan.”

The project generated at least 460 construction-related jobs and added more than $175 million to the local economy. Approximately 175 staff have been added as a result of the building project.

“While hospitals are closing throughout the city, western Queens is lucky to have one that is growing and providing opportunities for the health-care coverage we need so we do not have to cross the river every time a loved one gets sick.”

Mount Sinai Queens also has the support of one of the neighborhood’s greatest economic engines. The entry to the pavilion was dedicated as the Kaufman Astoria Studios Entrance after George Kaufman, the late chairman of the film studio, donated $700,000 to the project.

“Kaufman Astoria Studios is embedded in our community and believes state-of-the art health care is essential for the neighborhood’s growth and viability,” Kaufman Astoria Studios President and CEO Hal G. Rosenbluth said. “Having Mount Sinai Queens Hospital here and watching their tremendous effort, led by Caryn Shwab, to turn it into one of the finest health care institutions in the city made it an easy decision to join them in the growth of the hospital. It is a great honor to have the Kaufman Astoria Studio’s name greet the neighborhood as they enter.”

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

The MTA announced Tuesday it would begin painting and conducting important structural steel repair work along the elevated 7 train line from 72nd Street in Jackson Heights to 104th Street in Corona beginning next month.

The work will ensure the removal of paint, dirt, grease and grime from the elevated structure, followed by the painting of all structural steel surfaces. The $45 million project is expected to take two years to complete.

“This critical painting and structural work will improve the commuting experience for our riders in the near term, as well as help ensure the long-term safety and reliability of our system,” NYC Transit President Andy Byford said.

U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) and elected officials in western Queens have demanded much-needed repairs on the 101-year-old 7 line for years, particularly to remediate lead paint peeling from the track and falling onto Roosevelt Avenue, creating a health hazard.

“The 7 line is a lifeline for commuters in Queens, but its underlying infrastructure is in need of long overdue repairs and lead paint peeling from the elevated tracks has threatened the health of Queens families for far too long,” Crowley said.

City Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) thanked Crowley for making the issue a top priority.

“Working together we will monitor the progress of the painting schedule and continue to hold the MTA accountable,” he said. “It’s been decades since this trestle was last painted — creating a blight in our community.”

In December, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation authored by state Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) that required the MTA to study lead levels on above-ground subway stations after the District 9 International Union of Painters and Allied Trades tested the paint chips that fall on to Roosevelt Avenue below from the elevated structure and found that they were 48-times more toxic than the federal Environmental Protection Agency’s standard.

“I have been pushing the MTA for many years to paint and repair the elevated structure of the century-old 7 train line as it cuts through our immigrant and hard-working class neighborhoods in the district,” Peralta said. “I worked tirelessly to ensure that the MTA 2015-2019 Capital Program included the project to repaint and repair the elevated 7 train structures. I am glad this is finally coming to a reality since the conditions of the elevated tracks, stations and trestles are dangerously deteriorating. With the contract awarded and my bill requiting the MTA to tackle lead paint from above ground structures signed into law, this project will be vital to start eliminating the hazardous conditions people are exposed to when walking under the 7 train line. Repainting and repairing the elevated structures is a good first step to protecting New Yorkers and improving the subway system for commuters.”

The $45 million dollar contract was awarded to Woodside-based Ahern Painting Contractors, Inc., the company that repainted the crown of the New York State Pavilion its original “American Cheese” yellow in 2015 at no cost to the city. The contract was funded by the Federal Transit Administration and it will be followed by another contract advertisement for similar work along the 7 line in Long Island City, Sunnyside and Woodside by the end of 2018.

“The line is desperately in need of maintenance and repairs that will allow riders to travel safely and quickly across Queens,” City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) said. “I have long been advocating for painting and repair work in my district and I look forward to the MTA announcing contracts for work along this stretch of the line late this year. However, we demand that as the MTA completes this work, they do so without harming the community or local businesses.”

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

After several delays, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the launch of a new online bail payment system that will make it easier for New Yorkers to pay bail.

The initiative was set to launch in the spring of 2017, before it was announced it would be pushed to April 2018. Previously, the only option for New Yorkers trying to pay bail was in person and only during business hours. De Blasio said the process was time-consuming due to travel, security clearances, long lines and wait times. The new online bail system will provide a number of conveniences since now the person paying bail will be able to use multiple credit cards. The current in-person process involves one person paying the entire amount in a single transaction.

De Blasio said this will ease the financial burden on a surety, the person posting bail to release someone else, by allowing payments to be spread across multiple credit cards without worrying about maxing out one credit card. In addition, there will now be no geographic limitation and sureties will no longer need to pay bail in person at a courthouse or DOC facility or wait at a facility. A family member living out of state can now theoretically contribute to the bail amount or pay the full bail amount.

Finally, de Blasio announced that credit card bail payment is no longer limited to a single cardholder. Multiple people can now pay portions of the total bail amount as long as the full amount is paid within a few hours of the first transaction.

According to the mayor, since 2013 New York City’s jail population has dropped more than 20 percent and the number of people held on low bail is down by 60 percent. De Blasio said the city will do everything in its power to make the system as efficient and fair as possible.

“People should not be in jail based on the size of their bank account and no one should stay in jail because a family member was unable to get a day off from work to go to court or a correctional facility,” he said.

Most of the online system will be funded through fees. The mayor said the 2.49 percent fee to sureties will be among the lowest in the nation for a service of its kind and scope. For the initial rollout there will be a cap of $2,500 on the credit card bail amount, but de Blasio said the city is working to lift the cap before the end of the year in order to expand the service to higher bail amounts.

Kiosks will also be installed throughout the boroughs to help people who do not have access to the Internet. They will be available in all courthouses before the end of the year.

To use the new system, sureties can go to nyc.gov/doc/lookup and find the person whose bail is to be paid by entering the person’s first and last name, New York State ID or Book Number.

Councilman Rory Lancman (D-Hillcrest), who has expressed his disappointment in the delays to the system in the past, said he has significant concerns about the new system. His concerns include the lack of options to pay by debit card, pay by phone, as was promised, to pay by e-check or direct electronic transfer from a bank account.

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 NYPD identified a suspect in connection with the brutal attack of a 52-year-old mother of two in Kew Gardens Hills last week.

Investigators identified 21-year-old Ronald Williams as a suspect in the case May 5 and released video of him riding the Q44 bus about an hour before the victim, an Asian woman, was savagely beaten and sexually assaulted before being left at the bottom of an exterior stairwell in the vicinity of Kissena Boulevard and 72nd Road just after 8:30 a.m. on April 30, police said.

Police from the 107th Precinct responded to a 911 call of a possible sexual assault and found the woman unconscious with trauma to the face and body, according to the NYPD. EMS arrived and transported the victim to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Queens, where she remains in serious but stable condition, police said.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Dermot O’Shea said Williams is known to “frequent Queens and the Bronx” in a post on Twitter Saturday. His last known address is unknown, according to police.

The NYPD was offering a $10,000 reward for information on the suspect’s whereabouts and assembled a 40-member special tactical team of investigators to work the case, which they are calling a top priority.

“We very much want to find out who did this to her and get that person off the streets,” Special Victims Unit Captain Elisa Anders told WABC-TV. “It was unusually brutal. We don’t believe she was stalked for a period of time — we believe it was random. A case like this leaving a victim as brutally beaten as she was is extremely troublesome.”

Police released photos of Williams wearing “very distinctive clothing” including a black and red Houston Rockets cap, a black and green jacket and red jeans. Anyone with information is asked to call the 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 Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

ELMHURST — A Middle Village man has been convicted in absentia of sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl as she walked to school in Elmhurst in June 2016 as well as endangering the welfare of a child, the Queens district attorney said.

After a weeklong trial in Queens Supreme Court, Jose Para, 37, of 83rd Place was absent for his own conviction, but attended the trial in which the jury found him guilty on April 27, according to DA Richard Brown.

Para, who was out on bail, fled the court house during jury deliberations, the DA said. He was missing from the courtroom as Supreme Court Justice Richard Buchter issued a bench warrant for the defendant for failing to show up to hear the verdict at his own trial, Brown said.

The DA said Para faces “a considerable amount of time” in prison.

“A child walking to school in broad daylight should never have to worry about a stranger approaching and touching her inappropriately,” he said. “A jury weighed the evidence and found the defendant guilty of violating this young victim.”

According to Brown, Para approached his young victim as she walked to school down Albion Avenue and began attempting to strike up a conversation, asking questions about her name, age, where she lived and what school she attended.

Para began making comments about the girl’s shirt and suddenly grabbed her right breast.

The victim ran to school and told the staff about the stranger touching her, according to trial testimony.

— Mark Hallum

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

It is another year of participatory budget voting success in the district of Councilman Paul Vallone (D-Bayside) with over 8,000 votes cast to fund school, law enforcement and community projects.

Vallone’s district leads the city and Queens in voter turnout for participatory budgeting, which the city introduced four years ago to give communities a direct say in where $1 million is spent.

“These results once again clearly show that our district has overwhelmingly embraced the success of the participatory budgeting process. At a time when voter turnout is at a record low, we have created a way to engage our youth and the youngest voters as to the power and importance of voting,” Vallone said. “The first place finish for NYPD Security Cameras is a clear sign that public safety is a top priority for our neighborhoods. This monumental, eight-month task could not have been possible without the continuous dedication of our delegates, community liaisons, volunteers, staff and especially Vito Tautonico, our director of Constituent Services, who spearheaded the process.”

The 8,000 votes cast this year eclipsed last year’s turnout, which saw about 6,000 and 4,500 in 2016. Participatory voting also engages the youth with a minimum age of 16 to vote for projects.

This year the 111th and 109th precincts received $141,000 for security cameras to be placed at key locations within the two commands as a means of crime prevention.

This year’s recipients thanked Vallone for selecting their projects.

“It is with great police work and crime prevention tools like the NYPD Security Cameras that help the NYPD continue to lower crime rates and keep our city safe,” said Jerry Filippidis, president of the 109th Precinct Community Council.

Bayside High School received $600,000 for music rehearsal resources to convert unused spaces on school grounds into sound-proofed performance rooms and to include storage for musical instruments

“The Bayside High School community is delighted to have our music project selected as a result of the Participatory Budgeting process” said Jonathan Hirata, assistant principal of Bayside High School, who thanked the councilman for giving the students a voice in their community. “This contribution to the school will serve our students for many years to come.”

JHS 194 at 154-60 17 Ave. in Whitestone will get $300,000 to renovate the walls, floors and the safety padding of its gymnasium as well as to replace basketball hoops.

“The gymnasium renovation will be greatly appreciated by all the students and community-based organizations that share our space,” said Ann Lippert, parent coordinator for JHS 194. “We are so grateful to the JHS 194 community, the PTA, our current and former students, their parents, and everyone who participated for their support of this project.”

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