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Memories of Willets Point

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Vincent Tomeo

TimesLedger Newspapers

The transportation system in New York City is typically abominable.

It is in dire need of repair. The overhauling, updating, and upgrading of the city’s infrastructure would significantly improve the situation.

I was recently riding the subway on the No. 7 line going from Flushing to Grand Central Station in Manhattan. The Main Street stop in Flushing is either the first stop or the last depending on which way you are going. As usual, the No. 7 train came to a complete stop. The voice on the PA system was muffled and masked by static, so I could not understand what the MTA worker was announcing.

As it turns out, we were stalled for over 20 minutes; stuck between Main Street, and the Citi Field-Willets Point area over the smelly Flushing Creek. It was a warm spring day, so the smell of the creek wafted throughout the train.

Willets Point is between Flushing and Corona. My mind began to wonder. I was standing at the window looking out over the desolate area and began to flash back to another time.

Yes, another era of Queens passing into history. I remember as a teenager working for my uncle in the junk yards for less than minimum wage in the Sixties. I was 16 years old then, and I worked there after school, on holidays and weekends until I was 18.

We were a destitute family living in a basement below the floor level in a building on 48th Avenue and 108th Street in Corona. Mama was the only breadwinner in the household of four, including me and my two brothers.

We had no TV or air-conditioning, nor did we have a telephone, washing machine, dryer or automobile. Every time it rained heavily, our basement apartment flooded.

Looking at Willets Point today brought my memories from the past screaming back to the surface. I knew then that I had to go to school to better myself. I remember the junk yard dogs that roamed the streets, the potholes and my uncles, who owned several junk yards that collected metal and cloth. I remember working on my days off from school at my uncle’s scrap metal junk yard. I worked alongside African Americans who could not find a job anywhere else.

I also remember the diner, a rundown place that made the best heroes that you would ever want to eat — sausage and eggs, meatballs, eggplants and all sorts of sandwiches. I remember the truckers — lines and lines of trucks waiting to go into this rundown diner. Strange!

I remember the rooster running around the place like a chicken does when it loses its head. I always found it fascinating.

One particular memory I have is the Sunday when Lee Harvey Oswald shot President John F. Kennedy on national television. I remember wanting to watch TV and not unload the trucks that were coming in with tons of scrap metals. I remember my brother, Richard, and how he worked so hard. And for what?

Yes, looking back at Willets Point stirs up old memories of a different time and a different world. Some good and some bad. I knew then how important education was. I knew then that I had to get out of that place.

If I were to write my memoirs, nobody would believe me. But, oh, what a story I could tell.

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Source: Times Ledger

New York Taxi Workers Alliance pushes plan to solve poverty crisis

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By Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

The New York Taxi Workers Alliance rallied at City Hall last week, pushing for a policy that would solve the crisis of poverty that they said has led to the suicides of four drivers in four months.

The alliance said its plan would stop the financial emergency hurting yellow taxi, green cab, black car, livery and app-dispatched drivers. Following a March protest, Mayor Bill de Blasio, Gov. Cuomo, and Council Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Manhattan) acknowledged that it was time to look into capping the number of for-hire vehicles that has led to too many drivers flooding the streets. While NYTWA said capping vehicles is an important first step, it is still not enough to solve the crisis FIX drivers are facing. They believe more has to be done to protect full-time incomes and create fair labor standards across the industry.

Earlier in the day, drivers met with individual City Council members to educate them about the policy proposals, which include capping the number of vehicles clogging New York City streets, setting the yellow and green cab meter as the minimum fare rate across the industry in order to establish a wage floor, raising fare rates so drivers have a chance at economic recovery after five years of straight losses and establishing labor standards like caps on driver expenses to end predatory lending in this new market, which has been unregulated for five years and is setting all drivers off on a race to the bottom.

Bhairavi Desai, executive director of the alliance, said this crisis is a result of political failure to regulate Wall Street. “We are demanding immediate changes in legislation and Taxi and Limousine Commission rules to protect NYC’s professional drivers from all sectors,” he said. “Our focus is on protecting full-time work and creating livable incomes. Any changes must be driven by labor standards and the interests of workers not a corporate sector given free reign for five years to enrich themselves from the sweat of drivers and disruption on city streets.”

Four city drivers committed suicide in four months: Queens resident Nicanor Ochisor, a yellow taxi owner-driver; Danilo Corporan Castillo and Alfredo Perez, Bronx livery drivers; and Douglas Schifter, a black car driver.

Ochisor, 64, was the most recent driver pushed to suicide. The father of one emigrated from Romania in 1986 and began working as a yellow taxi cab driver in 1989, when he purchased a NYC taxicab medallion.

According to his GoFundMe page, Ochisor started to help pay off his medallion so his wife can retire, he had hoped to use the medallion to finance their home and retirement, but over the past five years the taxi industry weakened and his income fell nearly 30 percent, making it nearly impossible for him to keep up with operating expenses, let alone medical bills or time to rest. Ochisor’s medallion value dropped from $1 million to $180,000, and he struggled to keep up with cab expenses, with no retirement or relief in sight.

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

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Source: Times Ledger

Cuomo allocates funds to fix decimated roads

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By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

Roads across the city will get some help from Gov. Andrew Cuomo with the injection of over $100 million in state funds after a particularly rough winter left them in equally rough shape.

Five of the busiest roadways in Queens will see the benefit of about $800,000 of these funds from the Harsh Winter Paving Initiative.

“These investments are critical to our transportation system and essential for community growth and regional economic competitiveness,” Cuomo said. “By infusing more than $100 million in state funds to revitalize our roads, we are enhancing the quality of life for all New Yorkers while ensuring every traveler remains safe throughout the Empire State.”

The eastbound side of the Grand Central Parkway will get $38,000 in concrete repairs from the New York City Transit Authority Bridge to the entrance ramp of Union Turnpike at the Kew Gardens Interchange. The same amount will be applied to the westbound side of the Grand Central Parkway between the same two points.

The Nassau Expressway from Crossbay Boulevard to Farmers Boulevard will see about $324,000 for concrete repairs.

About $426 million will go toward the east and westbound corridors of the Long Island Expressway between Grand Central Parkway to Maurice Avenue and include the service roads between 74th Street to Junction Boulevard south of the freeway and 98th Street to 74th Street on the north side.

There is not yet a start date for the road work to begin.

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

MTA reinstates service on M train in Ridgewood

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By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

The MTA’s celebration of the reopening of the M train with reconstruction of the Myrtle Viaduct was not without its snags Monday as a switch malfunction stalled service for over an hour and a half just hours after the line was once again made available.

With New York City Transit President Andy Byford greeting Manhattan commuters at the Fresh Pond Road station at around 8 a.m., touting the agency’s accomplishment of finishing the project within the budget and on time, the MTA said the completion of the project would brace L train riders for the impending tunnel closure.

“It is imperative that M train service operates as efficiently as possible for all our customers who rely on it,” Byford said. “When we couple the long-term fortification work on this line with the smoother ride and quieter tracks, we can be sure we’re on our way to building the world-class transit system we’ve pledged to deliver.”

Vital for about 60,000 daily commuters, the 310-foot Myrtle Viaduct was closed for much of 2017 to revitalize the high line structure which has withstood 100 years of 24/7 service.

About $168 million was spent on the two-phase project, which included the reconstruction of the Fresh Pond Bridge during the summer months.

“Completing this project on time and on budget was critical to show how serious we are about minimizing impacts on our customers as we perform this important work,” MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota said. “This is a major win for our customers and the surrounding community. We promised to modernize and stabilize the subway system, and we thank our customers for their continued patience as we take the necessary steps to do so.”

The strengthening of M line service will provide relief to L train riders who will be affected by the Canarsie Tunnel shutdown for 15 months starting in April 2019.

A joint open house in Ridgewood between the MTA and the city Department of Transportation April 12 outlined an ambitious plan to move up to 200,000 daily commuters from Brooklyn and Queens into Manhattan during the 15-month period in which a portion of the L train will be shut down for tunnel repairs.

The Canarsie Tunnel was one of nine underwater right-of-ways flooded during Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and sustained the most amount of damage to tracks, signals, signal lines, power cables, communication lines, lighting and ducts along the over 7,000-foot stretch.

The MTA said it also factored in capacity on the No. 7 line, which should be able to support an overflow of people from Brooklyn alongside the M.

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

Queens officials sponsor book giveaway at Jackie Robinson School

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By Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

The Jackie Robinson School (PS 15) in St. Albans will be the site of a major book giveaway Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for individuals of all ages. State Assemblywoman Alicia Hyndman (D-Springfield Gardens), state Sen. Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans), other Queens officials, the American Federation of Teachers, the NAACP and the United Federation of Teachers will give away 40,000 brand new books to students, families, and educators, according to Comrie.

“Our book giveaway will allow parents to begin or build upon home libraries as well as enable teachers to select books that will further enrich the minds of their students,” said Comrie. “I thank the individuals of the UFT Queens Borough Office and our fantastic co-sponsors for their commitment to our communities.”

The May 5 event, which will be located at 121-15 Lucas St. (entrance 121st Avenue), will have a range of books for toddlers to seniors, according to Hyndman’s office.

Families can receive up to 20 books and educators 50, according to the assemblywoman’s office.

First Book, a nonprofit that provides books to underserved schools and students, will be providing the children literature that the elected officials will giveaway.

Participants who want to attend the event, however, will have to fill out a book registration form prior to the Saturday event, which must be signed and scanned to an email, according to Hyndman.

Individuals can find out about the form and where to send it by contacting Hyndman’s office at (718)-723-5412.

The Queens-elected officials are also asking for volunteers to help unload and organize the books from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday and anyone interested should call Hyndman’s office for details.

“Education doesn’t end when a child leaves the classroom,” said the United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew. “As teachers, we know that reading at home plays a huge role in a child’s development, which is why we are proud to partner with First Book to provide students with age-appropriate materials inside and outside the classroom.”

The other sponsors of the event include Borough President Melinda Katz, City Councilman I. Daneek Miller (D-St. Albans) and Assemblyman Clyde Vanel (D-Queens Village).

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

Annual St. Mary’s walk raises $92,000 for pediatric charity

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By Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

More than 500 people throughout New York came out to support the 13th annual “Big Hearts Walk for St. Mary’s Kids” Sunday morning at Crocheron Park in Bayside.

The walk-a-thon, received $92,000 in funds, according to a St. Mary’s spokesman.

The proceeds from the charity will support vital programs and services at St. Mary’s Healthcare System for Children, the only provider of pediatric long-term and rehabilitative care in the region, according to CEO Edwin Simpser.

“We take care of some of New York’s sickest kids,” Simpser said. “We take of kids who have been in the hospital but are not yet perfect when they come out of the hospital. We are there to help the kids and their families out.”

The Bayside branch of the hospital is located at 29-01 216th St., and has beds for 103 kids.

“We teach the parents how to take care of them and then we take them home,” Simpser said. “We also have a homecare agency that serves over 1,200 kids throughout the New York Metropolitan area providing nursing services and rehab services in the kids’ homes.”

St. Mary’s also has case management services for parents to help find any additional resources they may need.

One of the beneficiaries of St. Mary’s was Merritt Riley, a Massapequa resident whose 16-year-old son Aiden has cerebral palsy.

Aiden, who served as one of the grand marshals, kicked off the walk-a-thon and had his wheelchair transformed into a police car.

“We’ve had one-on-one care from St. Mary’s with home equipment,” Riley said. “The nurses have been there to help us with all of his needs since he was an infant.”

Aiden has received speech therapy to improve his verbal communication, he is on a special diet to help maintain his health and his cognitive function has improved, according to Riley.

Queens Village nurse Arianna Lyseight was one of the staff members who volunteered at the event.

Despite Sunday being her day off, Lyseight was excited to give back to her former pediatric patients, even though she switched to the homecare division of St. Mary’s.

“I’ve been with the hospital three years, and I’ve been with the program for two,” Lyseight said. “I love these kids. This is not a job, they’re family.”

Lyseight’s friend Monique Huggins, a co-worker from Brooklyn, took time off of from her lunch break to be there.

“If I didn’t have to go back to work later, I would have brought my daughter, too,” Huggins said.

Although Huggins did not get a chance to take part in Sunday’s event, Lyseight participated in the one-mile walk. There was also a half-mile route to accommodate children and those who have trouble with mobility, and a two-mile walk.

Three MTA bus operators of the Q44 bus line — Vinny Stone and Freddie Marrero from the Bronx, and Andy Algarin from Jackson Heights — also participated in the walk and were all happy to give back.

“It was for a good cause,” Algarin said.

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

Jackson Heights woman ordered to counseling after hoarding 67 pets in filthy conditions: DA

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

A Jackson Heights woman will not serve time in prison for hoarding 67 pets in her filthy 82nd Street apartment, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown announced Monday.

Elizabeth Grant, 50, was sentenced to three years probation under stringent conditions that she receive mental health counseling and not own any animals for at least 10 years.

Grant was convicted during a bench trial last month of 108 counts of animal cruelty and other charges for failing to provide adequate care for 54 cats and dogs she housed in a urine- and feces-filled home. The pets, 67 in all, were rescued in January 2016, and many of the animals had extreme health problems, including malnutrition and infections. Twelve animals were in such poor health they had to be euthanized.

“The defendant collected cats and dogs and did little else to provide a safe, loving home for them,” Brown said. “Sadly, the animals suffered while living in a home where the floors and furnishings were covered in feces, fur and urine. No one should live in such squalor, including the furry four-legged residents of Queens County.”

On Monday, Queens Supreme Court Justice Stephanie Zaro, who presided at the trial, ruled Grant must also register with the New York City Department of Health as an animal abuser and consent to unannounced visits to make sure she does not possess any animals. The animal abuser registration will prevent city shelters, rescue groups and pet stores from allowing Grant to purchase or adopt a pet.

“The sentence imposed by the court today will ensure the defendant receives mental health counseling and restricts her from having any animals in her possession for many years to come,” Brown said.

The animals were discovered when a police officer went to Grant’s home in January 2016 to visit with her mother, who was a crime victim. No one answered at the time, however, the officer could see past the opened door and noticed the interior appeared to be filthy with numerous pets inside. The officer left, but returned later that month with members of the ASPCA and rescued 55 cats, 12 dogs and two turtles, according to trial testimony.

“The ASPCA commends the NYPD for working with us to rescue these animals from a dangerous situation and the Queens County district attorney’s office for securing justice in this case,” Stacy Wolf, the senior vice president of the ASPCA’s Anti-Cruelty Group, said. “Fortunately, the ASPCA’s team was able to provide the medical and behavioral treatment necessary to nurse the majority of the animals back to health and find them loving, safe homes.”

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

Annual pediatric cancer fund-raiser returns to Forest Park

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By Esther Animalu

TimesLedger Newspapers

Registration is now open for the 26th Annual Forest Park 4-Mile Classic, organized by the Forest Park Runners Club.

The race is scheduled for Sunday, June 3, at 10 a.m., and all proceeds will be donated to local charities that are involved in the fight against pediatric cancer.

The race will begin and end on the Victory Field track in Forest Park in central Queens. Split times will be displayed for each mile and there will be various water stations located along the Forest Park course to hydrate the runners.

“For over a quarter century, runners throughout Queens have come to this race to experience the natural beauty of our home, Forest Park, while joining our efforts in the battle against pediatric cancer,” said Frank Gallo, president of Forest Park Runners.

The Forest Park Runners, based in Woodhaven, has been advancing the practice of running for neighborhood sprinters throughout central Queens since 1980. The club holds end-of-the-week runs Saturday and Sunday mornings, beginning at the upper east corner of Forest Park Drive and Woodhaven Boulevard at 8 a.m.

The top three male and female finishers in the 4-Mile Classic will be awarded prize money and trophies will also be distributed to winners in varying age groups.

Participants in the 4-mile trail race will get a unique race shirt (while supplies last) and a certificate to honor their accomplishment in the wake of their completion. Online race applications can be found at www.forestparkrunners.org.

Many are welcome to participate in the trail race or watch the event unfold in action as a means of supporting the fund-raising efforts for a notable cause.

Free parking is available across Woodhaven Boulevard at the George Seuffert Bandshell.

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

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Source: Times Ledger

When was the first time you spanked your child?

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By Lenore Skenazy

TimesLedger Newspapers

Babies haven’t changed much in about a million years.

But how we view them, what we expect of them, and how we raise them is changing all the time and, in the process, changing us, says Janet Golden, a professor of history at Rutgers University and author of the new book, “Babies Made Us Modern: How Infants Brought America into the 20th Century.”

At the dawn of the 1900s, infant mortality was still so common that photographers routinely took pictures of babies in their coffins — eyes open — as a keepsake for the parents. It was only as mortality rates fell (and Kodak’s Brownie camera brought photography to the masses) that another kind of picture became popular: snapshots of babies very much alive, even giggly.

This was such a new notion that Kodak actually had to tell parents: “It makes no difference how often the baby goes to the photographer… the record of his days is incomplete unless there are home pictures to supplement the more formal studio photographs.”

And that, my friends, is the first dawning of our Facebook culture. You’ll find it in baby books — diaries for moms to fill in with baby’s first word, first tooth, etc. — which started including a page where parents were told to paste a baby photo.

These baby books proved a treasure trove for Golden, who pored over hundreds of them (strangely enough, collected by one obsessed librarian at UCLA) to see what parents considered good childrearing.

“I really didn’t know what I was going to find,” Golden said in a phone interview. “But the thing that jumped out at me was that they used to have places where you wrote down, ‘Baby’s first accident.’ ”

One such book from Red Bud, Ill., recorded the early life of a boy named Charlie Flood, born in 1914. At four months old, he suffered a burn to his face. Four months later he pulled off part of his tongue with a button hook – a common device in the days before zippers. By toddlerhood, he’d gotten a nail in his foot and later glass in his hand from holding a bottle while he fell.

“Charlie’s mother dutifully recorded each accident… and he was hardly the only infant to have his calamities written down,” writes Golden. “Babies fell down stairs, off porches, and out of high chairs and cribs. Some baby books even had places designed for writing down ‘First Tumble.’ ”

Today, of course, babies still take tumbles, “But the standard of parental expectations have changed,” Golden says. Accidents have gone from an ordinary part of childhood to something almost too shameful to admit. “And the same thing happened with discipline,” says Golden. Some of the baby books have a page for “Baby’s First Discipline,” with moms filling in, “I spanked baby for ________.” You wouldn’t find a page like that today.

In fact, you wouldn’t find a lot of the practices considered prudent 100 years ago. The U.S. Children’s Bureau, a department of the government roughly akin to the Dept. of Agriculture in that it instructed Americans on how to raise a healthy crop (of kids), published pamphlets giving parents all sorts of “good” advice including:

“Don’t kiss babies. Let them cry. Make sure they get a healthy tan. Don’t give them pacifiers. Don’t get them in the habit of being held,” Golden synopsizes. Some of these strange-sounding tips made sense back then. Kissing spread germs which, before antibiotics, could have proven deadly. It was an era of tuberculosis, too. If crying possibly made lungs stronger, let those babies wail! And a tan? Before industry started adding Vitamin D to foods, kids got the bone-softening ailment called rickets. Sunshine prevented it.

In that era, too, moms routinely started toilet training their babies before age one, sometimes as early as two months. Why? No washing machines! How many dirty diapers did anyone want to scrub against a washboard? I’d have hurried up and trained my kids, too.

Parental norms really started changing after World War II. Not only were there more home conveniences, this was also a more permissive era. Instead of rigid rules, parents turned to Dr. Spock, who famously told moms, “You know more than you think you do” — so just trust your gut. No need for a feeding schedule or anything like that.

But as loosey-goosey as the parenting style became, the standards of safety kept going up. The more babies that survived, the more Americans began to believe they could — and must — obliterate any childhood adversity.

Which brings us to today: the safest times in human history, when parents are nonetheless encouraged to buy things like devices that can monitor their babies’ heart rate every single second, as if they’re in constant peril. As safety has reached a new level, so has fear.

It doesn’t get more modern than that.

Lenore Skenazy is the president of Let Grow and founder of Free-Range Kids.

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Source: Times Ledger

St. John’s baseball continues its strong play

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TimesLedger Newspapers

The St. John’s baseball team extended its winning streak to four games, defeating Iona 9-1 Tuesday night at Jack Kaiser Stadium in Queens.

The Johnnies, who have not lost since April 27 in the first game of a three-game set at Xavier, improved to 29-11 on the season with the May 1 victory. Iona fell to 12-29.

St. John’s scored in each of the first two innings before putting the game out of reach with a five-run sixth.

Sam Lara started on the mound for the Red Storm and didn’t disappoint, tossing four scoreless innings before giving way to the bullpen. Joe LaSorsa surrendered the only run of the game in the sixth, but aside from that blip, the St. John’s bullpen tossed five strong innings in relief of Lara.

Jamie Galazin led the Johnnies at the plate, notching two hits and a walk, while driving in three runs in four plate appearances. John Valente scored three times and drove in a run. He has now reached base in 55 straight games dating back to last season. Pinch-hitter Brandon Miller recorded a two-run single off the bench with bases loaded in the sixth inning.

After a scoreless top of the first inning, the St. John’s offense got to work in the bottom of the frame.

Valente drew a lead-off walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. He moved to third base on a grounder and scored on a Galazin grounder to give the Johnnies a 1-0 advantage heading into the second inning.

St. John’s added to its lead, scoring the three runs in the bottom half of the stanza. The Johnnies used two hit-by-pitches and a single to load the bases for Valente, who drove in a run with a single to right. Galazin followed with a two-run single to center, giving the Red Storm a 4-0 lead.

The score would remain 4-0 until the sixth inning, when the Iona offense came to life, putting together a rally to score its only run of the game off LaSora, who was in his second inning of work in relief of Lara.

Still leading 4-1, St. John’s exploded for five runs in the bottom of the sixth. Galazin recorded another RBI hit, driving in Jordan Gillerman and advancing Valente to second with one out. Valente moved to third on a fly ball to right field the following at-bat, Galazin caught the Iona pitcher napping, breaking to second after the pitcher got the ball back. That led to an errant throw into center field, which allowed both Valente and Galazin to score.

St. John’s then loaded the bases following a hit-by-pitch, a base hit and a walk, setting he stage for Miller, who drove in two with a single to right to wrap up the scoring.

The season is starting to wind down for No. 20 St. John’s. The club is hosting a three-game set against Liberty at home this weekend before traveling to New Jersey for a three-game series at Seton Hall.

The Johnnies will wrap up their regular season with four home games — one against Minnesota and three against Butler — before the Big East Baseball Championship, which is slated to begin May 24.

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