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By Gina Martinez

TimesLedger Newspapers

The FDNY is mourning the death of two Queens-based firefighters who were among the casualties of an Iraqi helicopter crash.

Lt. Christopher J. Raguso, of Division 13 in Richmond Hill, and Fire Marshal Christopher T. “Tripp” Zanetis, of Long Island City died in an American military helicopter crash in Iraq March 15 that claimed seven lives.

Raguso was a 13-year veteran of the department and Zanetis was a 10-year veteran, serving his third tour of duty. The helicopter, a HH-60 Pave Hawk, went down in the Western Iraq city of Qaim. According to reports, the helicopter may have had a technical malfunction or struck overhead power lines.

There are currently 62 FDNY personnel on extended military orders in the branches of the U.S. Armed Forces around the world and more than 1,400 FDNY members are military reservists or veterans.

Before Raguso and Zanetis, the last FDNY member to die while in active military service was Firefighter Christian P. Engledrum, who was killed in action on Nov. 29, 2004, in Iraq.

Both men were well respected career firefighters. According to FDNY, Raguso became a firefighter in March 2005 and assigned to Ladder Company 113 in Flatbush. In September 2016, he was promoted to lieutenant and assigned to Battalion 50 in Jamaica. Raguso was cited for bravery and life-saving actions on six different occasions.

Zanetis was appointed a firefighter in September 2004 and assigned to Engine Company 28 on the Lower East Side. In 2007, he transferred to Ladder Company 11 in Manhattan and in April 2013 he was promoted to fire marshal and assigned to the Bureau of Fire Investigation’s Citywide South in Brooklyn. He was recognized for his bravery as part of an investigative unit in 2014.

FDNY Commissioner DanielNigro commended the men for their bravery and offered his condolences to their families.

“Lt. Raguso and Fire Marshal Zanetis bravely wore two uniforms in their extraordinary lives of service – as New York City firefighters and as members of the United States Armed Forces,” he said “The hearts and prayers of the entire department are with their loved ones and with the families of their five fellow service members who lost their lives defending our country.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio also offered condolences on behalf of all New Yorkers.

“They are truly two of New York City’s Bravest – running into danger to protect and defend others, both in New York City and in combat overseas,” he said.

Among the others who died in the crash were Long Island residents, Staff Sgt. Dashan Briggs, 30, of Port Jefferson Station, and Capt. Andreas O’Keeffe, 37, of Center Moriches.

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 Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

Several alleged members of the Wildmeda Crips Gang of Far Rockaway were arraigned last week on 52 counts of attempted murder, conspiracy, assault, criminal possession of a weapon, reckless endangerment and criminal use of a weapon, Queens DA Richard Brown said.

The nine suspected gang members were accused of trying to shoot, intimidate or injure rivals from the 70Gs, SOS Bloods, Edgemere Bloods, Flammers and other gangs, according to the district attorney.

Police within the Violence Reduction Task Force of the Gun Violence Suppression Division were able to gather evidence against the crew by tracking phone conversations of incarcerated gang members and posts made on social media.

According to Brown, there were four separate instances when the Wildmeda Crips allegedly tried to murder rivals: June 2015, July 2015, December 2015 and July 2016.

The defendants were also accused of using code words on social media to coordinate hits on rivals, according to the DA.

The crew allegedly used code words like “spanked,” “popped his cherry,” “lit,” and “got busy,” as a referencing for shooting someone, the DA’s office said.

“Situation,” “jawn,” “thoty,” “whoopty” and the B-word were allegedly used as references for purchasing and using guns to off rivals.

“The defendants are accused of turning neighborhood streets into war zones by acting in concert with one another to carry out targeted hits on their enemies,” said Brown. “A long-term investigation, which included deciphering social media postings, allegedly uncovered four separate plots by members of the Wildmeda Crips to kill rival gang members.”

According to the DA’s office, the accused range in age from 20 to 29.

Tyrell Durham, Remon Newsom, Kamel Caldwell, Freddie Lawson, Dashawn Young, Kavaun Harper, Michael Brown, Matthew Llorente and a ninth unnamed person who is being sought could face 15 to 25 years in prison if convicted on the attempted murder, weapons and conspiracy charges.

Caldwell, 29, was accused of shooting a 70Gs gang member on June 1, 2015 and surveillance allegedly depicts him, Durham and a third co-conspirator firing guns at a SOS Bloods member on Dec. 16, 2015, the DA said. Brown allegedly shot and injured a Flammers gang member on July 11, 2015, prosecutors said.

Young and Lawson allegedly acted together on July 3, 2016 and shot a rival who later sustained life-threatening injuries and was in the hospital for critical condition.

The yearlong investigation of the Wildmeda crew started on July 2016.

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

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By Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has agreed to expedite coastal resilience projects in the Rockaways a year earlier than the initial 2020 timeline after U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) secured $730 million in federal funds with the help of Mayor Bill de Blasio.

The funds for the Sandy Supplemental Appropriation of 2013 will help to finish the long-delayed Rockaway Reformulation Study that dates back to 2003, which was research meant to come up with long-term erosion control ideas for the coastal protection projects along the Atlantic Shorefront consisting of the East Rockaway Inlet, the Rockaway Inlet and Jamaica Bay, according to Schumer’s office.

The funds will also be put towards securing the shorelines of Staten Island, Long Island and Southern Brooklyn.

“The residents of the Rockaways and Southern Brooklyn need better protections ASAP, and they are justifiably scared and tired of waiting,” said Schumer. “In addition to the hundreds of millions we secured by reprogramming hundreds of millions in vital construction funds for this project, this agreement will mean that we can greatly accelerate the actual building of vital protections like a sea wall on the bay side, jetties and groins and more to protect every resident of the Rockaways from future storms and flooding.”

Initially after the Sandy relief bill was signed only 65 percent of the project was meant to be covered by the federal government, but after Schumer worked with the Army Corps and the Office of Management and Budget to re-categorize the initiative as an“ongoing construction” making it eligible for full federal funding.

To expedite the research and construction of the project Schumer and de Blasio met earlier this month and in January with Colonel Thomas Asbery, the head of the New York U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s commanding general, Todd Semonite.

After these personal meetings the Army Corps of Engineers agreed to the construction projects for the Atlantic Shorefront and Jamaica Bay for 2019, and they will be releasing a draft report in August for residents and business owners to review and provide public comment.

“New York City’s shoreline is our first line of defense against climate change,” said de Blasio. “By working with communities and local leaders, we are continuing to deliver on our commitment to build a more sustainable, more resilient, and more equitable city.”

After the Army Corps receives feedback from the affected communities, a final report should be released in November.

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

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

Mayor Bill de Blasio last week urged lawmakers in Albany to put aside politics and pass tougher state laws to keep dangerous drivers off the streets after two children were killed in a crash in Park Slope earlier this month.

De Blasio used the success of his Vision Zero initiative on Queens Boulevard as an example. In the three years since the implementation of the initiative’snew street design, there have been no fatalities along the thoroughfare once known as the Boulevard of Death. In 1997, its worst year, Queens Boulevard had 18 fatalities.

“I want to say to everyone in Albany this cannot be about politics. Everyone at this point has to recognize it’s a matter of life and death,” de Blasio said. “And I’ll tell you one thing we learned from Vision Zero, a lot of people said in the beginning that it you lower the speed limit, you’d get a lot of political opposition. If you redesign the streets, you’ll get a lot of political opposition; if you put bike lanes on Queens Boulevard you’ll get a lot of political opposition. We can listen to communities, we can work with communities, but this is about saving lives.”

The city is seeking to extend and expand its speed enforcement camera program, escalate fines and suspend the vehicle registrations of repeat offenders, and require physicians to notify the Department of Motor Vehicles following medical events that could cause a driver to lose control of a vehicle. To implement all three programs, state laws would need to be changed.

“In the wrong hands a car can be a deadly weapon,” de Blasio said. “We are fighting on every front to make our streets safer, but we need Albany’s help to keep dangerous drivers off the road, before we lose another life.”

City Councilman Donovan Richards (D-Laurelton), the chairman of the Council’s Committee on Public Safety, said every lost life on the street is a tragedy and “we must do everything in our power” to make sure dangerous drivers do not get behind the wheel.

“Having safe streets for our families is one of the most important elements of public safety, so we must take action now to protect New Yorkers and support law enforcement to ensure this never happens again.”

State Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) introduced legislation last year that would add 610 speed cameras in school zones, up from the current 140 citywide. Speed cameras have been proven to reduce speeding in school zones by 63 percent, but Peralta’s bill stalled in the Senate during the last legislative session in Albany.

“Speeding and reckless drivers put New Yorkers’ lives in danger every day, and we must ensure we all work together to keep our streets safe,” Peralta said. “As part of my efforts to protect children, pedestrians and cyclists, I have worked tirelessly to pass my proposal to expand and extend the school zone speed camera program. With more than one million schoolchildren traveling to and from school every day, we have the responsibility to protect them, Unquestionably, the safety of our children and all New Yorkers should come first. The time for excuses is over.”

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 Ed Konecnik

TimesLedger Newspapers

The tragic school shootings and the growing number of mindless acts of mayhem have stirred emotions and provoked debates about the root causes of these events. The most contentious aspects of the debates are the accessibility and the kinds of weapons used.

What is never mentioned or discussed are the principles and policies of the educational establishment that nurture an antipathy to making moral judgments and foster a mindset of inflated opinions and moral relativism. Students are taught that all lifestyles are equal even if they disagree with them and they should not discriminate between them. In other words “Do your own thing” and “Don’t judge me”.

Incorporated into the school curriculum is the dogma that students should be constantly praised how good they are regardless of whether their ideas or actions are praiseworthy or not. Awards for Excellence in competitive activities have been replaced by Certificates of Participation. This overabundance of juvenile “self-love” implants in the students an unjustifiable high opinion of themselves. They tend to become aggressive and even violent when confronted with criticism, disapproval or teasing.

There is a correlation of the escalation of school violence with the rise of “progressive” theories of education. Progressive education de-emphasizes learning a body of pre-established facts and information and replaces that with a child-centered approach that fosters a child’s self-expression and spontaneous impulses.

This theory holds that children do not learn by thinking but by feeling and doing. Teachers should not be authoritarian but facilitators and always praise students regardless whether they are right or wrong. As a result, students are dissuaded from making moral distinctions, fed a daily diet of an “I’m OK, you’re OK” philosophy, denied knowledge, and left with nothing but their “feelings” and “emotions.” Why are we surprised when they respond with acts of violence when things don’t go their way?

Guns and ignorance are a lethal combination. If we want to stop school violence and turn our schools into serious places of learning, we should restore a curriculum that emphasizes reason over emotions, knowledge over feelings, moral judgment over moral agnosticism and self-control over self-expression.

Ed Konecnik

Flushing

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Gina Martinez

TimesLedger Newspapers

Police were searching for a man suspected of multiple purse snatching incidents in northeast Queens.

Authorities said that over the last four months, a black man between the ages of 20 and 30 who is about 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds has been forcibly removing women’s purses and fleeing in a getaway car driven by an unknown person.

According to police, the first incident took place Dec. 16 at 8:45 p.m. near Oak Avenue and Parsons Boulevard. Authorities said a 46-year-old woman was walking home when the suspect approached her from behind, grabbed her by the neck and forcibly removed her purse — which contained the victim’s wallet and cellphone — from her arm. The suspect then fled in a waiting white sedan driven by another person and fled eastbound on Oak Avenue, the NYPD said. According to police, the victim was uninjured and refused medical attention at the scene.

Police said the second incident took place Dec. 21 at 6:50 p.m. near Burling Street and Oak Avenue. Authorities said a 26-year-old woman was walking home when the suspect approached her from behind and forcibly removed her purse from her arm. Police said the suspect fled on foot with the purse containing the victim’s wallet and personal effects. The victim was uninjured and refused medical attention at the scene.

Four similar mugging incidents followed with the women left uninjured as the suspect drove away in a white sedan.

The third incident took place Jan. 11, at 11:30 p.m. near New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital and 150th Street as a 39-year-old woman was walking home, police said.

A fourth incident occurred Jan. 23 at about 4:50 p.m. near the hospital and 150th Street as a 44-year-old woman was walking home, according to authorities.

Police said the fifth incident took place Jan. 25 at 6:20 p.m. near Manor Road and Martling Avenue as a 56-year-old woman was walking home.

Authorities said the sixth incident occurred Feb. 15, at 6 p.m. near 181st Street and Union Turnpike when a 50-year-old woman was walking home.

The final incident, according to authorities, took place March 5, at 4:45 p.m. near 41st Avenue and College Point Boulevard and involved a 59-year-old woman who was walking home. But in this case, when the suspect removed the purse from her arm, she fell to the ground. She sustained minor cuts and bruising, police said, and was taken to New York-Presbyterian Queens for treatment of non-threatening injuries.

Officials said the suspect was last seen wearing gray baseball cap, black hoodie, red jacket and black pants.

Anyone with information about these incidents is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477)

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

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Source: Times Ledger