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By Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights) held a town hall at East Elmhurst Community Library Saturday where community members raised their concerns about gun reform in Congress.

Following the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla, the national gun debate has been at the forefront. Seventeen people — 14 teenagers and three adults — were killed and 17 more were wounded during the shooting by a former student. Surviving students took to social media and challenged lawmakers on gun reform, eventually organizing the March 24 rally “March for our Lives” in support of stricter gun control in Washington, D.C., as well as sister rallies in major cities across the country.

About 50 attendees at the 95-06 Astoria Blvd. library event discussed mental health, annual inspections and access to guns, among other topics.

One attendee said she was frustrated with the focus on mental health, which she called a popular way to divert attention from the real issue of there being too many guns available.

“Mental health is so far from being understood,” she told Crowley. “If we deflect our interest from trying to stop the sale of dangerous assault weapons to this psychological issue, we’re going to just going to get boggled down.”

Crowley agreed, but said better understanding of mental health issues is necessary in general. He said that in the meantime, the only safe way to prevent people with mental health problems from getting their hands on guns is by making it harder for everyone to get one.

“When we look at these shootings we look at motive, what drives someone to do something, ” he said. “Is it criminal intent to rob someone as opposed to someone who walks in randomly to shoot everyone in front of them because of angst? We don’t know what is driving that. What I’m suggesting is putting that aside and reducing access to weapons to everyone, which reduces the ability of someone who has that cognitive problem to also not get a weapon to do what they want to do.”

Another attendee suggested that the gun control issue could be moved along if there were annual inspections.

“If you do have a gun nut who has some weird plan, he is not going to bring his gun to an annual inspection,” he said. “If you have to bring your car to an annual inspection, you should be able to bring your gun to be inspected, too.”

He also suggested a law that encourages whistleblowing without fear of retaliation.

“There is a problem where sometimes if people see something, people don’t say something, whether it’s because someone is afraid of getting fired or getting sued,” he said. “So I think we have to have reform on that so people aren’t afraid.”

Crowley said that he made some provocative but reasonable points.

“There needs to be a way in terms of the right of individuals,” Crowley said. “Whistleblower laws or Good Samaritan laws, there is a balance we have to find. There has to be appropriate chains that people can work through in place of employment where things will be kept confidential.”

Crowley said that he believes the broader gun issue is about easy access. He mentioned U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D), who represents the south side of Chicago. She has been vocal about the high rate of gun violence that affects mostly blacks and Latinos in her state and other urban areas. Crowley said one thing that frustrates him is that certain kinds of gun violence seem to be ignored, but he said it’s all part of the access issue, particularly in cases involving handguns.

Crowley said New York City has the same problem with gun violence, though not at the same rate as Chicago, and people need to understand mass shootings are not the only kind of gun violence that hurts Americans.

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

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By Gina Martinez

TimesLedger Newspapers

RIDGEWOOD — A Ridgewood middle school teacher has admitted to sexting a student and faces a jail sentence, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.

Michael Cognato, 35, of Bethpage, L.I., pleaded guilty in the attempted use of a child in a sexual performance and second-degree criminal contempt in Queens Criminal Court last week, according to Brown.

Cognato, a math teacher at IS 93, engaged in sexually explicit communications with a 15-year-old girl who had once been his student, receiving sexually explicit photos and videos of her, Brown said.

“He preyed on this young student whom he had once been entrusted to teach,” he said. “This case should serve as a clear and unmistakable warning that parents must be mindful of the people their children communicate with online. And let this be a warning to sexual predators that law enforcement is prepared to pursue you just as diligently as you go after young, innocent children.”

As part of his plea agreement, Cognato has resigned from the New York City Department of Education, surrendered his New York state teaching license and must successfully complete a sex offender program. He will also be subject to the Sexual Offender Registration Act.

Cognato admitted that from July 2017 to September 2017, he engaged in sexually explicit conversations with the victim — who was 15 years-old at the time — and convinced her to send him sexually explicit videos of herself, Brow said.

He also admitted to violating the order of protection by contacting the victim following his arrest, according to Brown.

Cognato faces six months in jail and 10 years probation at his May 3 sentencing.

— Gina Martinez

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By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

City Comptroller Scott Stringer issued a report on the subways that shows how the agency has failed to adjust to the needs of a modern city where residents no longer abide by the 9-to-5 workday.

Since 2010, ridership between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. began to rise with little response from the MTA to accommodate straphangers in the growing health-care, hospitality, retail, food services, and entertainment industries, according to Stringer.

While the traditional peak hours have become increasingly overcrowded, those working outside the 9-to-5 routine have been left with sparse train service, the report said.

“During rush hour, we’re packed into subway cars like sardines. But outside traditional 9-to-5 travel, off-peak service is fundamentally failing to meet demand. It’s a crisis within a crisis, because over the past decade, the nature of our economy has changed and ridership late nights and early mornings has risen while actual service to match it has not. That means that those who need service to get to work during non-traditional hours are stuck with a crisis not of overcrowding, but of infrequency,” Stringer said.

These types of jobs comprise about 40 percent of private sector employment, according to the report, a 57 percent increase over the past decade while the state agency still runs 60 percent fewer trains during the hours most utilized by these demographics.

In 1985, about half of subway ridership into Manhattan’s central business district was between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m., but these numbers had dropped by 28 percent by 2015.

“We’ve looked at the human impacts of delays, the economic cost of slowdowns, and the crisis above ground with our bus system,” Stringer continued. “Now we’re showing how immigrants, New Yorkers of color, and lower-income neighbors are disproportionately affected by the off-peak subway crisis. The time for action is now. We need more service in the early morning and evening and we need to immediately fund the Lhota emergency plan to ensure those trains are actually running on time. Now more than ever, New York City needs to step up to support the MTA in this time of crisis.”

Under the state budget for 2019, passed on March 30, the city will be required to pay up half the cost of the Subway Action Plan, MTA Chair Joe Lhota’s $836 million strategy for stabilizing the failing transit system until a more comprehensive overhaul can be funded and completed.

During the early morning and late evening hours, only about 10 percent of trains run with five minute wait times and only 43 percent have wait times less than 10 minutes.

Stringer has been a proponent of sharing the cost of Subway Action Plan, some $800 million, to stabilize the system while more aggressive upgrades are made to the aging infrastructure, something that was not lost on the MTA in itsresponse to the report.

“We appreciate the comptroller’s continued calls for the city to fund its half of the Subway Action Plan,” MTA spokesman Jon Weinstein said. “The challenges of running of a system 24/7, 365 days a year are well known — and not done anywhere else in the world. We balance round-the-clock service, safety and critical repair work towards the singular goal of a better subway system for all New Yorkers.”

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

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

City Hall is denying that a master planner has been selected to design the massive Sunnyside Yards project that would deck over 180 acres of the yards in order to build as many as 24,000 apartments with parkland, commercial, retail and cultural venues costing $19 billion.

Crain’s New York reported that Practice for Architecture and Urbanism, a studio founded by Vishaan Chakrabarti, had been chosen through a request for proposals to develop a plan during the next two years. But the city Economic Development Corporation says no team has been chosen yet.

“NYCEDC has not designated a team to oversee master planning for Sunnyside Yard, and we are looking forward to engaging community stakeholders before beginning any master plan process,” NYCEDC spokesman Anthony Hogebe said.

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration is also denying its $2.5 billion Brooklyn Queens Connector project is on the verge of being shelved over its financial structure. The Daily News reported Tuesday that the city “may back off” the streetcar project that would run for 16 miles from Astoria to Sunset Park, Brooklyn, after Deputy Mayor Alicia Glen said, “Assuming that it does not pay for itself, then we have to decide whether or not this is the right use of capital money for a transportation project.”

Last year, Glen suggested in a confidential memo that the project might not be financially feasible, yet the city continues to examine the project.

“The BQX can bring jobs and a green transportation system — a street car — to a series of transit-hungry Brooklyn and Queens waterfront neighborhoods,” City Hall spokeswoman Melissa Grace said. “As we wrap up a block-by-block study, we are determining if increased tax revenue created by the project will pay for it or if we need a city subsidy to make it work, and ultimately if we can move forward with this project.”

The de Blasio administration had hoped to begin construction in 2019 with service scheduled to begin in 2024. The advocacy group Friends of the BQX, which unveiled a sleek $100,000 prototype of a streetcar at the Brooklyn Navy Yards last fall to boost support for the project, hopes the city makes the system a reality.

The de Blasio administration had hoped to begin construction in 2019 with service scheduled to begin in 2024.

“Few proposed projects match the potential of the BQX to create jobs, spur inclusive economic growth and leverage city resources to expand opportunity,” a Friends of the BQX spokesman said. “Now is the time for the city to capitalize on a real moment to take our transit destiny into our hands and move the BQX forward by unveiling the next steps for the project.”

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

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By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s state budget for 2019 set the ball in motion to reclaim the failing transit system in the city through short-term funding of projects in the outer boroughs and a requirement that the city pay up its half of the $836 million Subway Action Plan.

But the $168.3 billion budget failed to resonate with transit advocates, who claimed commuters would continue to feel the pain of widespread delays and meltdowns without a dedicated and comprehensive revenue stream for the MTA to set the subways back on track.

Transit advocates groups, led by Riders Alliance and including Transportation Alternatives, The Straphangers Campaign and StreetsPAC, issued a joint statement calling for the implementation of FixNYC’s congestion pricing proposal, which made no appearance in the budget released March 30.

“Our transit system is on life support. Fixing our transit system should have been Albany’s first priority this year; unfortunately, the final budget does not offer a credible plan to modernize the MTA, nor provide a sufficient revenue stream to make it possible. The crisis in our subways and on our streets will continue, and New Yorkers will continue to demand action from Gov. Cuomo and state lawmakers,” the joint statement read. “First, Gov. Cuomo must use a portion of the new revenue to help implement comprehensive congestion pricing… and addressing needs in transit deserts around the city. Then the governor must establish, and commit to, a timeline to make congestion pricing a reality in New York.”

The FixNYC proposal released in January would place an EZPass charge of $11.52 on cars entering Manhattan during peak hours and a $25.34 fee for trucks to encourage overnight deliveries to businesses.

The plan would keep all East River bridges, which have been toll free for over a century, as they have been. But upon entering Manhattan, cars going south into the central business district would be charged a premium.

The plan has also seen opposition from Queens elected officials who represent the east side of the borough, as the charge could affect up to 5 percent of these residents.

The MTA will begin receiving the funds for the Subway Action Plan in April, and will be handed the full $836 million by the end of 2018.

Camera enforcement of bus lanes will take effect to improve service and raise money for the state while the budget amends the law to redirect funds collected from the Payroll Mobility Tax to the MTA.

Instead of a full launch of congestion pricing, however, the governor will enact a surcharge in the meantime of $2.75 on all for-hire vehicles entering Manhattan below 96th Street, which the Citizens Budget Commission said dodges creating meaningful change.

“New surcharges will be placed on trips made by taxis and for-hire vehicles in New York City’s central business district, but the can will be kicked down the road on a fuller congestion pricing plan to reduce traffic and provide a significant long-term revenue source,” the CBC statement said. “Instead, to increase short-term revenues, the city of New York will be forced to provide $418 million for the Subway Action Plan or have its sales tax revenues withheld–even though New York City taxpayers pay the overwhelming majority of MTA taxes and subsidies.”

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

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By Gina Martinez

TimesLedger Newspapers

More than 15,000 city Uber and Lyft drivers have signed a petition calling on the city to pass a law raising the minimum wage in New York City by 37 percent, according to the Independent Drivers Guild.

The IDG, which represents over 60,000 drivers, submitted its proposal to the Taxi and Limousine Commissions last week asking for a raise for drivers and a cap on new drivers. The guild said they settled on the 37 percent because as of now the average work day for drivers is 11 hours a day and the guild’s goal is for workers to be able to make a living in an eight-hour day. In addition to a raise, the Guild is seeking a cap on new TLC-licensed drivers. The number of drivers has outpaced demand, forcing drivers to work longer and longer shifts and increasing unpaid downtime between fares. The cap will help current drivers make a better living while reducing traffic congestion, according to the IDG.

The guilt said a cap on drivers is the labor-friendly way to address the overcrowded streets and improve the ability for all for-hire drivers to make a living.

IDG cited an MIT study that found that a significant portion of Uber and Lyft Drivers make less than minimum wage after expenses. The study said that in New York City, where nine out of 10 drivers are their household’s main source of income, many drivers make less than minimum wage after expenses.

IDG founder Jim Conigliaro, Jr. said after years of pay cuts and exploitation, city ride-hail drivers can’t make ends meet and many are earning less than minimum wage after they pay expenses.

“We are calling on the city to close this minimum wage loophole and enact a livable minimum pay rate for app-based drivers,” he said. “We cannot allow multibillion-dollar corporations to profit off the labor of New York workers without paying them a fair rate.”

IDG member Aziz Bah is an immigrant from Senegal working as a driver to support his two children.

“We are making much less than we were just a few years ago — and companies like Uber and Lyft are pocketing more,” he said. “To try to make up the difference, drivers are forced to work longer and longer hours, but we are still unable to make ends meet.”

The city is required to respond to rule petitions within 60 days, either agreeing to grant the petition and initiate rule making by a specific date or denying the request.

Last year, IDG members petitioned for and won a New York City law and a TLC rule that forced Uber and Via to add a tipping option to their apps. Guild members and the TLC have had ongoing discussions on the need for pay protection rules since shortly after the IDG’s launch in 2016.

“Uber is always working to improve the driver experience, most recently through our 180 Days of Change Campaign, which included improvements to earnings like fees for returned lost items, extra POOL pick-up fares, and tipping,” an Uber spokeswoman said. “We have regular meetings with the Independent Drivers Guild to listen to and discuss issues that matter most to them.”

The New York Taxi Workers Alliance were not so happy with this new petition. They called IDG “Uber’s company-financed pseudo union” and said the guild wants to regulate app-based drivers separately, creating divisions between workers and giving Uber a free pass to continue destroying taxi drivers full-time profession.

“We reiterate to the mayor and Taxi and Limousine Commission that we need a livable income and a halt to the race to the bottom, not proposals aimed at protecting Uber’s bottom line,” the group said in a statement. “NYTWA is calling for the yellow and green cab regulated meter to be the minimum rate across the industry to establish a wage floor for all drivers. Uber and Lyft already charge rates to passengers higher than the rate by which they compensate drivers. So requiring the regulated taxi meter rate as the floor protects drivers from being undercut.”

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

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By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

The city Department of Environmental Protection announced the completion of extensive infrastructure upgrades in Flushing to combat flooding in a $71 million project.

Elected officials from the surrounding neighborhoods praised the city’s effort to upgrade the aging storm sewer system with over 7,700 feet of pipes and a 53 catch basin on the western edge of Flushing.

“This $71 million investment in Flushing will significantly upgrade the sewer system, improve drainage, reduce flooding, and provide a reliable supply of water,” DEP Commissioner Vincent Sapienza said.

State Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) has been a longtime opponent of DEP’s bioswale program in east Flushing, a green installation concept that absorbs rainwater into the ground as opposed to washing it out to sea via storm sewers, in favor of more traditional methods controlling water runoff. He expressed gratitude for the effort to bring more conventional flood mitigation solutions.

“The sewers and water mains in Flushing, College Point, and Whitestone have been significantly upgraded thanks to this $71 million investment, which will also help alleviate flooding,” Avella said. “I’m happy to see these neighborhoods benefitting from such a large-scale, multi-phase infrastructure project and look forward to the relief and improved quality of life it will bring residents.”

The new storm sewers are situated along the Whitestone Expressway Service Road between 25th Avenue and Flushing Creek, as well as in the neighboring communities on 144th Street, Union Street, 25th Road, Farrington Street and Higgins Street.

“This project is an example of the quality-of-life improvements that our community needs. The flooding induced by heavy rainstorms has forced many businesses in the area to temporarily close their doors when they could be serving customers,” state Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-Flushing) said. “These infrastructure improvements will benefit the residents and businesses here in Flushing. As the representative of a rapidly developing community, I look forward to more projects that will continue to strengthen our infrastructure.”

Along with an additional 1,800 linear feet of sanitary sewers, the project should improve water supply reliability to the surrounding communities. In addition, 22 new fire hydrants have been installed.

“These infrastructure upgrades are an important investment in our borough’s future and will do a great deal to improve roadway drainage and mitigate flooding,” Queens Borough President Melinda Katz said.

As the project wrapped, roads were repaved with new curbs, sidewalks, pedestrian ramps, streetlights and traffic signals along with 166 trees planted.

“Improving drainage and reducing flooding are critical infrastructure needs in Flushing, and I thank the city for working to make sure our community is equipped with these basic necessities,” said City Councilman Peter Koo (D-Flushing). “Flushing and its surrounding communities still have a long way to go until our waterways are able to meet federal standards of cleanliness, and I will continue working with the DEP and every advocate in our community until the day we can make our waterways truly fishable and swimmable.”

According to DEP, this is only the first phase of a larger project. A total of $130 million combined will be going to the next phase — set to begin this year — and Phase III, which has a 2020 start date.

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

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By Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

Police were searching for a Rochdale woman was reported missing Saturday.

Ingrid Wallace, 65, was last seen April 7 at 4 p.m. at her Rochdale residence between 157 Street and North Conduit Avenue, according to the NYPD.

Police described Wallace as approximately 5 feet, 2 inches tall and 160 pounds with a dark complexion, dark hair and brown eyes.

She was last seen wearing blue jeans and sneakers and a green blouse.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime stoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.

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

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By Gina Martinez

TimesLedger Newspapers

The state Legislature has reached an agreement on a series of policy changes to protect workers against sexual harassment as part of the fiscal year 2019 state budget.

State Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D-Flushing) serves as chair of the Assembly’s Task Force on Women’s Issues, a workgroup on sexual harassment put together earlier this year by Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx). The group is made up of 14 assembly members – 10 of whom are women.

Over the last few months, the work group reviewed policy proposals — including non-disclosure agreements, sexual harassment prevention training initiatives and settlement payouts that would cover both private and public employees.

Rozic said that from the start of session, it was made clear that this year’s budget would not only address pressing fiscal challenges, but effective measures to combat sexual harassment in the workplace.

“I am proud of the efforts led by the Assembly’s majority working with colleagues to ensure that this is the first step toward ending the culture of sexual harassment that has been ingrained in so many industries,” she said.

Lawmakers reached an agreement that the state Division of Human Rights will create and publish a guidance policy to prevent sexual harassment. New policies will be required to be distributed to employees and include examples of prohibited conduct that would be considered unlawful sexual harassment, a procedure outlining the timely and confidential investigation of complaints, and information on all available paths of recourse for those coming forward with complaints of sexual harassment, Rozic said.

The state budget also includes provisions to protect those who fall outside of the definition of “employee.” The provisions make it an unlawful discriminatory practice for an employer to allow the sexual harassment of non-employees in its workplace. A non-employee includes independent contractors, subcontractors, vendors or consultants.

Rozic plans to host a series of discussions in an effort to inform New Yorkers about the provisions in the enacted budget. She said the discussions will build on her efforts that began in October when she introduced the “Models Harassment Protection Act,” legislation that would provide models with protections against sexual and other forms of harassment in the industry.

Rozic said the state finally took action because of women who came forward and broke their silence during last year’s growing “Me Too” movement.

“While the state budget includes overdue legislation to prevent sexual harassment in various workplaces, the next step is ensuring that these measures are enforced and that we continue to meet with advocates and discuss the next steps to further strengthen New York’s sexual harassment policies,” she said.

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

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