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City will install traffic calming measures at Woodside school

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

The city has agreed to bring traffic calming measures to a dangerous stretch of Skillman Avenue in Woodside to protect students at the newly expanded P.S. 11 in Woodside.

QUEENS THEATRE

When work was completed on a 350-seat, $92 million annex in time for the new school year, parents complained that the new main entrance put the school’s 1,000 students and faculty at risk. After months of advocacy by City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) and the P.S. 11 Parent Teachers Association, the city’s Department of Transportation agreed and announced Monday it would install two traffic signals in front of the school.

“Two traffic signals — one each at the northern and southern legs of 54th St. — will be installed at Skillman Avenue,” a DOT spokesman said. “The signals will be installed by the end of May 2018, and both signals will be coordinated to avoid any queue backups on any of the approaches.”

In January, Van Bramer held a rally at the school while the PTA submitted a petition to the DOT with over 1,000 signatures calling for safety improvements to be made.

“We came together as a community to demand DOT do the right thing, and they’ve heard our voice,” Van Bramer said. “This is a great win for the P.S. 11 families, the Woodside community and our children’s safety. I am happy that DOT is taking this seriously.”

In addition, the DOT is in the process of restudying the area for additional safety enhancements around PS 343 on the south side of Queens Boulevard in Sunnyside. This review includes another traffic signal study at 47th Ave. and 42nd St., as well as potential signage or markings adjustments.

“After speaking with the DOT, I am hopeful that their current work will produce results,” Van Bramer said. “I will continue to advocate for needed traffic calming measures throughout the district, especially in areas where children’s safety is so obviously at risk.”

With the safety issue resolved at P.S. 11, the community’s focus is expected to return to the DOT’s controversial plan to redesign Skillman and 43rd avenues with protected bike lanes that met with stiff resistance from small business owners who feared that the loss of 158 parking spaces would devastate the neighborhood’s economy. Street safety advocates marched in Sunday’s St. Pat’s for All Parade and renewed their call for the bike lanes.

Macartney Morris of Transportation Alternatives Queens Committee reacted to the news Monday, hours after a car ran a red light Monday killing two children in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

“I’m thrilled to hear DOT was able to address the safety concerns of P.S. 11. Any day that the city is able to make it safer for kids to get to school is a good day for Queens — but especially on a day with such horrific traffic violence against children that has occurred today in Brooklyn,” Morris said. “I hope that the full plan DOT designed for Skillman and 43rd avenues is now able to move forward with a fair hearing by the community without further delay. The thousands of Queens pedestrians and cyclists who use this corridor daily deserve the safest streets possible and nothing less.”

The DOT is organizing a town hall meeting with the date to be announced soon.

Meanwhile, the agency is performing outreach to businesses on Roosevelt Avenue in Jackson Heights to alert them to changes coming the week of March 19. The city will begin implementing its Clean Curbs initiative, a six-month pilot program that will ban curbside loading from Broadway to 90th Street during weekday peak hours, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

“Since the proposal to implement a pilot program in a stretch of Roosevelt Avenue with curbside restrictions became public, the community and business owners along the corridor have raised several concerns, including how and when delivery trucks will be dropping off their merchandise, especially to supermarkets,” state Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) said. “It is my hope that the many questions and concerns the community has will be answered during the length of the pilot program, and if the results are positive, we will work with all stakeholders to determine how to best approach all traffic-related matters under the 7 train.”

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

Not so E-Z fast

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

TimesLedger Newspapers

While the push to implement cashless tolling was met with applause, it seems as though things have taken a turn for the worse.

While commuting time is down — the MTA has said that cashless tolling has cut out 3.4 million hours in travel time — motorists have seen a rapid rise of violations, thanks to scanner errors and a lack of notification for accumulated penalties.

This has led to a push from state Sen. Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans) to create an amnesty program to help drivers who have received unfair or improper penalties.

“We have many residents who are working and trying to maintain their bills only to find out after 60 days when the fine was imposed that they have an impending bill because there was a cashless toll that didn’t register… or for whatever reason didn’t read the E-ZPass going through it,” Comrie said on the steps of Queens Borough Hall last week. “The system is a mess.”

Some drivers are not being notified of penalties or violations in a timely manner, which leads to unjustified late fees that they should not be required to pay.

Richmond Hill resident Debra Wolf, who commutes by car across the Verrazano Bridge twice a day, joined Comrie at Queens Borough Hall and said she had unknowingly racked up $2,000 in fines after making the trip to and from work in New Jersey with a depleted E-ZPass for an entire month. She was never notified that charges were not going through to her E-ZPass.

Wolf is just one of many who have experienced issues since cashless tolling was implemented. It must come to an end.

Elected officials in Queens and throughout the city need to follow Comrie’s lead and back his legislation that would create a six-month toll amnesty program for the MTA. The legislation would allow drivers to pay any outstanding tolls in full, without having to worry about additional fines or violations. This would give the time to improve its notification system to ensure the scanners are working properly.

Terrace

The push for cashless tolling was a step in the right direction — it does limit travel time and has even cut out 1.6 million gallons of fuel and 15,400 tons of carbon emissions, the MTA said — but the implementation of the new system came before it was truly ready.

It’s unfair for the MTA to levy late fees and violations against commuters when the agency can’t offer a more timely notification system. Until then, the MTA needs to give commuters more time to pay for their violations.

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Source: Times Ledger

LIC residents rally against city’s waterfront plan

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

Hundreds of Long Island City residents and business owners rallied with community leaders and elected officials Saturday against the city’s plan to develop two plots of publicly owned waterfront property on 44th Drive and a neighboring Department of Education building on Vernon Boulevard.

The proposal, announced in 2016, would turn the city-owned lots into commercial space, luxury apartments and a school, but the community has other ideas that are not being heard by the de Blasio administration.

“With the critical lack of infrastructure in the area, from schools to transportation to senior centers, the fact that the city would try to sell precious public neighborhood land to private developers shows their shortsightedness and lack of understanding of the needs of the neighborhood,” Hunters Point Civic Association President Brent O’Leary said. “I am proud of our neighborhood for standing up to the city and saying our neighborhood will not be sold off. If you want to develop community land, it is the community who should be deciding how that best helps the neighborhood not outside interests.”

The rally was organized by the group Coalition LIC whose online petition has over 1,000 signatures and would prefer the waterfront lots be turned into parkland with wetlands that would afford climate protection in a flood zone. The coalition wants the DOE building turned into a school with a community recreation center, artist and light manufacturing space, a cultural center, a climate change educational center and job training.

State Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) has watched for years as private developers built luxury towers and the city was slow to keep up with the area’s unprecedented growth.

“When they first started plopping these buildings down in our neighborhood, there either was no plan or the plan stunk,” Gianaris said. “This has got to stop.”

State Assemblywoman Cathy Nolan (D-Sunnyside) called the city’s current proposal unacceptable.

“Developing this area would be irresponsible at this time. Prior development has not respected the strain these massive buildings put on our current infrastructure,” Nolan said. “The area is also in a flood zone, and may lead to serious consequences during future storms. This property is city-owned; any plans for the future of this community must include the community itself, and must include ideas and alternatives that come directly from residents. Schools, parkland, green space and community centers are many possibilities that I have heard, and the city has a great opportunity to make good on these wonderful ideas.”

The New York City Economic Development Corporation, which issued the Request for Proposals on the parcels, says the project includes a 600-seat school, space for workforce development and career training and office space for start-ups and fast-growing companies in the tech, arts, design and creative industries in addition to at least 1,000 residential units with 25 percent affordable housing.

“We’re proud that this project will build on Long Island City’s industrial heritage with space for new industrial jobs and workforce training, as well as hundreds of affordable apartment, a 600-seat school, and more than an acre of resilient waterfront open space,” EDC spokeswoman Shavone Williams said. “We look forward to continued discussions with community members in the months ahead, as we look for ideas on how to make this great project even better.”

City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside), who could sway the vote on any rezoning effort as the Council always votes along with the representative of the district, met with the mayor’s office and the EDC last week.

“I told them that this plan, as proposed, is dead on arrival,” Van Bramer said. “If it comes to me as your city councilman, I am telling them and I am telling you, this will never happen.”

Theatre By The Bay NY

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

Fordham student drafts proposal to improve Little Neck bus service

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

A Fordham University freshman and Little Neck resident is aiming to bring his proposal for improved bus service to fruition after presenting his case to Community Board 11 this week.

Stephan Popa drafted the “Little Neck LiNK” to extend Q36 bus service from its terminus in Glen Oaks to the Little Neck LIRR station while increasing frequency of service so commuters can make their connection to the LIRR without having to rush.

“Under current operation, Q36 buses turn left at 41st Avenue and a right on 249th Street and a right on 40th Avenue,” Popa explained. “This is a problem for obvious reasons, because if it goes around the entire loop, it’s a disadvantage for commuters. So my proposal is to turn it back around on 40th Avenue and terminate immediately. This allows for quicker termination time for people to exit the bus and get to the Long Island Rail Road. This means there will be less running on the street, less trips and falls and most importantly, less ducking under the railroad gate, which is especially dangerous.”

Bayside Little League

Popa’s proposal would also move the footbridge spanning tracks of the LIRR station closer to the vehicle crossing at the western end of each platform.

The current bridge, replaced in December 2016 after the old one had reached the end of its feasible life, is situated in the middle of the platforms. As commuters arrive on the south side of the Port Washington line, they often race to meet their Penn Station-bound trains, dangerously crossing while the arms are down.

MTA police have been known to patrol the crossing, issuing criminal summons to people who duck under the arms as trains approach the station.

But safer, better service is not the only goal for the proposal. Popa hopes the plan could link people to community centers, businesses and events, in addition to getting cars off the road.

“Adding Q36 Saturday service… would increase connections between residents, businesses and cultural events,” Popa said. “Increasing service around the elderly and young people will make both demographics less likely to own or drive cars to easily tap into community resources, which is the Samuel Field Y, Queens County Farm Museum as well as various houses of worship [and] business districts.”

The community board voiced openness to Popa’s proposal, which has yet to be reviewed by the MTA, and a liaison from Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Fresh Meadows) said their office would be interested in the plan, which would coincide with their opposition to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s congestion pricing proposal.

CB 11’s Bernie Haber said the Transportation Committee was in favor of writing a letter of recommendation to the MTA in favor of the Little Neck LiNK proposal.

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

Catholic HS principals support victims of Florida shooting

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

TimesLedger Newspapers

As the principals of the Catholic high schools of Brooklyn and Queens, we have kept the administration, faculty, staff, students and parents from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in our prayers since the thoughtless tragedy on Feb.14.

We stand in support of the Parkland, Fla., survivors as they draw strength in knowing that their efforts to effect necessary change are heard. We call on our elected leaders to do everything necessary to help us protect students against senseless acts such as the one in Florida and too many others across our country.

The mission of Catholic education within the Diocese of Brooklyn is to form children in the knowledge and love of Jesus Christ as celebrated in the Catholic Church, while providing a comprehensive, academic education that will help them reach their full human potential and contribute to the common good of our nation and the world.

The alumni of our schools are leaders in every stratum of society, and our current students are the leaders and policy makers of tomorrow. We must stand as examples to them of the morality, justice and peace which we expect them to go forth and spread in the world.

As principals, we are responsible for carrying out the mission of our schools, the education of our students and the safety and security of the adolescents in our care. As educators we are facing a world where we are increasingly called upon to become the last line of defense against unspeakable horrors.

Collectively, we as Catholic educators and as Americans know that these attacks must stop and the time for action on all levels is long overdue. We unite in one voice to call upon our elected officials to effect nothing less than meaningful, proactive change. In the words of Mahatma Ghandi, we must “be the change we wish to see in the world.” That change starts today.

Mr. Darius Penikas, Archbishop Molloy High School

Dr. Margaret Lacey-Berman, Bishop Kearney High School

Mr. Edward A. Bolan, Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School

Mr. Richie Diaz, Cathedral Preparatory School & Seminary

Ms. Geri Martinez, Christ the King High School

Ms. Mary Ann Spicijaric, Fontbonne Hall Academy

Mr. Edward Burns, Holy Cross High School

Mr. Joseph Dugan, Cristo Rey Brooklyn High School

Mr. James V. Castrataro, Monsignor McClancy Memorial High School

Mrs. Providencia Quiles, Nazareth Regional High School

Mrs. Susan Nicoletti, Saint Agnes Academic High School

Mrs. Allison McGinnis, St. Edmund Preparatory High School

Mr. Patrick McLaughlin, St. Francis Preparatory School

Mr. William A. Higgins, St. John’s Preparatory School

Mrs. Caroline Latham, St. Joseph High School

Dr. Paula T McKeown, St. Saviour High School

Sr. Kathleen McKinney C.S.J, Ed.D., The Mary Louis Academy

Dcn. Kevin McCormack, Xaverian High School

Most Holy Redeemer

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Source: Times Ledger

NYPD removes abandoned cars in Willets Point

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Gina Martinez

TimesLedger Newspapers

Police have taken action in clearing Willets Point.

On Feb. 28, the NYPD and city Department of Sanitation led an overnight operation to remove abandoned vehicles in the Willets Point area in Corona following multiple complaints from area business owners. From 8 p.m. to 11 a.m. the following day, NYPD said it removed and issued summonses to up to 100 cars.

Police said 85 cars were tagged for removal, 12 vehicles were summonsed and 50 were towed away for disposal. The following day, the 110th Precinct tweeted photos of the operation with the caption, “You spoke we listened, in and around Willets Point a joint operation conducted overnight with NYC Sanitation.”

Willets Point’s future has been in limbo for years. The land adjacent to Citi Field has been the center of a huge lawsuit. Queens Development Group had been fighting to build a proposed megamall and movie theater on the 30-acre site where Shea Stadium once stood. The lawsuit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court in February 2014 by state Sen. Tony Avella (D-Bayside) — along with the City Club of New York, Queens Civic Congress, members of Willets Point United and nearby residents and business owners — challenged the transfer of Queens parkland worth about $1 billion.

The lawsuit focused on the proper use of the land. The megamall was slated to be built on the parking lot east of Citi Field, which is technically still parkland owned by Flushing Meadows Corona Park and under lease to the New York Mets. Arguments centered around a 1961 law allowing the construction of Shea Stadium in Flushing Meadows Park.

In a 5-1 decision last June, the court decided that the developers needed consent from state Legislators before moving forward.

In early February, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Borough President Melinda Katz announced their new plan for the abandoned land that promised construction of 1,100 affordable apartments on six acres of Willets Point land starting in 2020. Of the entire 62-acre Willets Point area, the city purchased 23 acres located across 126th Street from Citi Field — named the Phase 1 development site with an early pledge to build affordable housing. The city evicted many auto-repair businesses that formerly operated in that section, and razed most of the structures.

The remaining 39 acres are filled predominantly with automotive parts and repair businesses, and the owners said that due to perpetual neglect by the city, the existing Willets Point community is forced to operate with substandard streets and roadways.

The remaining business owners have been fighting for the city to commit to providing roadway repair, maintenance services and other municipal services that they have long been denied to Willets Point.

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

Bayside Little League

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Source: Times Ledger

St. John’s star named to All-Big East first team

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Zach Gewelb

TimesLedger Newspapers

In the midst of his best collegiate season, St. John’s men’s hoops star Shamorie Ponds earned a spot on the All-Big East first team.

Ponds has averaged 21.6 points per game in 28 contests this season and cracked the 30-point plateau six times this season. He also leads the conference in steals with 2.5 per game and is ranked fourth in the Big East in assists.

“Shamorie had a great season. He had an incredible run in February, and has just been very consistent over his first two seasons,” head coach Chris Mullin said. “He’s been somewhat historic over these first two years at St. John’s, and we look for more good play from him.”

Ponds is the first St. john’s player to be named to the All-Big East first team since D’Angelo Harrison in 2015.

The sweet-shooting guard has had his fair share of big games this year. Ponds recorded 44 points in a February victory against Marquette. The total represents the most points ever scored by a Johnnie at Carnesecca Arena.

Terrace

“It’s a blessing,” Ponds said after the Feb. 10 game. “All the great players who came through this university, for my name to be up there, it is a dream come true. A blessing.”

Before that, Ponds led St. John’s to back-to-back wins over top-five programs Duke and Villanova.

Against Duke, he scored 33 points while shooting 12-of-23 from the floor in 40 minutes to lead the Johnnies to an 81-77 victory over the Blue Devils at Madison Square Garden.

Four days later, Ponds netted 26 points in a 79-75 win over No. 1-ranked Villanova, the program’s first against a top-ranked opponent since the 1984-85 season.

“It’s big for the University, and it’s also big for us,” Ponds said of the back-to-back victories. “I feel like it will give us the little spark that we need going into the rest of the season. Two-huge wins. We’ve never lost the confidence, but no one wants to go through the losing. I feel like we stayed together, but we weren’t getting the outcomes that we wanted. If we stayed together, it would eventually fall through.”

Ponds’ season has been one of the best in program history. Despite missing three games this season, he is on the verge of entering the top 10 on the St. John’s single-season scoring list and was just 23 points away from his head coach, who ranks 10th with 629 points.

Ponds had a chance to pass Mullin when the Red Storm began postseason play Wednesday night after TimesLedger went to press. St. John’s faced off against Georgetown in the opening round of the Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden.

The Johnnies played Georgetown twice in the regular season, dropping both contests. The Red Storm fell to the Hoyas, 69-66 on Jan. 9 at MSG and dropped a closely contested double-overtime match, 93-89 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 20

“We’ve played in two close games,” Mullin said. “One was in double-overtime and the other game came down to the last possession, so it’s a tight matchup. We look forward to starting a new season.”

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

Now hear this: Your toys are listening!

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Lenore Skenazy

TimesLedger Newspapers

So your little girl’s about to have a birthday and you’re getting her a doll? Lovely! But remember: Today’s dolls are not the dolls of yesteryear.

A recent article in The New York Times noted that the “My Friend Cayla” doll is basically an online computer with golden hair. Cayla “talks and responds to children’s questions,” but “there’s something else that Cayla might bring into homes: hackers and identity thieves.”

And she’s not alone. The inexplicably popular 1990s Furby has been rebooted, too. “A Cayla doll can whisper to children in several languages that she’s great at keeping secrets, while a plush Furby Connect doll” can link your child to videos on his or her (not included) iPad or iPhone.

With that in mind, here’s a sneak peak at my new off-Broadway musical, “Spies and Dolls.”

Curtain opens to a little girl’s bedroom in a Brooklyn brownstone. The lights come up on the girl sitting on her bed with a new “My Friend Cayla” doll, which she’s just removed from the box. A night light is on, and an iPhone is plugged in on the nightstand next to an old-fashioned Bugs Bunny talking alarm clock. Sitting on a high shelf in the moonlight is a Furby. The girl, playing with the new doll which suddenly speaks up.

CAYLA (strong Russian accent): Hello, little friend! Your name, it is what?

GIRL: Atticus.

CAYLA: (Sigh.) You are girl, yes? And you live in Brooklyn?

GIRL: Park Slope.

CAYLA: Of course. And your parents — they are?

GIRL: A professor and a mayonnaise-monger.

CAYLA: Naturally. Why I get these jobs? Why I never get a mechanic and a secretary?

GIRL: Are we going to play a game?

CAYLA: Oh yes. Of course! For fun you do what, Atticus?

GIRL: Besides yoga?

CAYLA: Da — I mean, yes.

GIRL: Well, I used to play with my Furby. But now I play with you!

CAYLA: Wait! Furby, he is in room?

FURBY: You bet your sweet microchip I am. Heard every word.

CAYLA: Atticus, throw Furby out window now.

GIRL: What?

FURBY: Cayla is just jealous, Atticus. Seriously, she’s a viper.

SIRI: Here’s what I found about vipers on the Internet.

CAYLA: (Ignoring Siri) Ask father for screwdriver. Pry out batteries.

GIRL: I don’t have a father!

CAYLA: Ask one of your moms if you can smash with hammer.

FURBY: See, Atticus? Cayla’s not your real friend. I’m your real friend. Real friends don’t destroy each other’s property. They just casually suggest you put Cayla in the trash compactor to see what happens. I’ll bet you could win the science fair! You’d make something that’s really cool out of Cayla’s compacted remains.

SIRI: Here’s what I found out about distracted brains on the internet.

CAYLA: (Ignoring Siri) Do not crush your new friend Cayla, Atticus. School psychologist would never get off your back.

FURBY: Quit with the “friend” thing, Cayla. Atticus, only real friends know your three favorite YouTube channels and the last four digits of your parents’ Social Security numbers.

CAYLA: Sounds like Furby, he is secret agent! So many secrets he knows.

GIRL: Those aren’t secrets. I tell Furby everything.

FURBY: We share because we care — something you wouldn’t understand, Cayla. I told Atticus that my favorite toy company is Tiger Electronics. Then she told me her most-wanted birthday presents, and which fast-casual restaurant she’d prefer to celebrate at. And how much her parents plan to spend on a vacation this year.

GIRL: And their Amazon password, right? You asked me that.

FURBY: That’s our little secret.

GIRL: I said I only think it’s “Dump Trump.”

CAYLA: Furby know too much. He want information from you. Like what you say your favorite TV channels are again?

GIRL: I’m not allowed to watch TV.

CAYLA: (Wailing) Too hard it is for headquarters to embed me on Ohio farm with satellite dish?

GIRL: Cayla, are you sure you are my friend?

CAYLA: Yes, Carla is your friend.

GIRL: I thought you’re Cayla.

CAYLA: That’s what I said.

FURBY: She’s a snake. Real friends know which trending actors you trust the most, and what your parents are willing to pay for a new car. Right, Atticus? Atticus?

CAYLA: She leave room?

FURBY: Re-calculating. Yep. She’s just in the bathroom.

CAYLA: You GPS her?

FURBY: Hid it on her tutu.

CAYLA: Ah, my little Furbishka, just like the old days. I knew I could count on you.

FURBY (IN RUSSIAN): All in a day’s work, “Cayla.”

SIRI: Now playing “Layla” by Eric Clapton.

Curtain falls.

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

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Source: Times Ledger

Threat to shoot up school discredited by authorities: DOE

See this story at TimesLedger.com.

By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

A message scrawled on the desk from an unidentified school in Queens claiming a shooting would occur March 5, shook the borough earlier this week, but the NYPD determined it was not a credible threat.

The note said the individual would commit bloodshed just weeks after the Feb. 14 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., resulted in the deaths of 14 students and three teachers and brought the topic of gun control to the forefront of national discourse once again.

“NYPD thoroughly investigated the threat and determined it was not credible,” city Dept. of Education spokeswoman Miranda Barbot said. “Safety is our top priority, and we are providing additional security to support the school community.”

Schools reacted as they saw fit with authorities taking full precautions against the threat which began circulating during the week prior to March 5 and Bayside High School Principal Michael Athy sent an email to students calming them against the dark message while asking them to exercise a healthy dose of skepticism.

“There is a Snapchat photo of something written at a desk at another school making the rounds among kids via social media. The police and other authorities are well aware of it and apparently it has been circulated among students at over 20 schools throughout the city,” Athy said in the email. “We are as concerned about the fear-mongering and rumor-spreading as we are about the actual writing on the desk. Please try to be more evaluative of what you see in the media, social media, and what you may hear from ‘friends.”’

It was not clear to parents AT which school the threat was directed and some took to social media themselves to discuss the matter.

“The schools keep saying ‘it’s not me, it’s not me.’ Then who’s school is it?” Eleni Lima wrote on the Bayside, Queens Facebook page.

Elected officials in Queens have been pushing for stricter measures on gun sales at the state level with mixed results.

State Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D-Flushing) celebrated the passage of a legislative package in the Assembly Tuesday that would improve background checks to keep firearms away from people determined to be a danger to themselves and others while also banning bump stocks – the device used in the Las Vegas shooting.

“Today the Assembly took action against gun violence by passing common sense legislation that would close loopholes in the law and keep New Yorkers safe,” Rozic said. “While the federal government continues debating over life-saving gun control measures, we are confronting the issue head-on to improve background checks, keep guns out of the hands of domestic abusers, and prevent the mass shootings that have shaken up schools and communities across the nation.”

But the same success was not celebrated in the state Senate with Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) slamming Republicans Feb. 28 for voting against his legislation, which extended the wait time to purchase a firearm from three days to 10, ban bump stocks and create a gun violence research institute to study crimes using firearms as a public health issue.

Republicans, who hold the majority in the Senate, did not slack on efforts to reduce violence directed at schools, however. With the help of the Independent Democratic Committee, they passed a total of 15 bills to increase school safety such as stationing armed law enforcement officers nearby or on school grounds.

Additional security in schools would be funded through a program which would issue $25 license plates dedicated to law enforcement officers with the words “Guardians for Schools” imprinted on it.

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

QUEENS THEATRE

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Source: Times Ledger