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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

In the wake of several protests in response the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Fla., New York State Republicans Wednesday rejected four proposals aimed at improving gun safety.

State Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) blasted his colleagues for blocking his Effective Background Checks Act, which would extend the time after which a firearm can be obtained without a background check from the current three days to 10.

“More responsible gun laws will make our communities safer, keep firearms away from dangerous people and ensure preventable tragedies do not happen,” Gianaris said. “I am appalled Senate Republicans voted down the common sense measures we proposed today, including my Enhanced Background Checks Act. Senate Republicans’ twisted values put the NRA first and schoolchildren last. Senate Democrats will not stop fighting for a safer future for New York families.”

The other proposals would enable courts to remove firearms from people judged to be a danger to themselves or others, ban bump stocks, and establish a firearm violence research institute to effectively study gun crime as a public health issue.

Meanwhile, the de Blasio administration is working on a date and a location for a town hall event for high school students from all five boroughs to discuss gun violence and mobilize against it. Survivors of the mass shooting have led a nationwide campaign protesting federal lawmakers’ failure to act on the issue of gun control after 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz allegedly shot and killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School more than two weeks ago.

“I’m going to have a town hall meeting as early as next week where I invite New York City high school students to come in and talk about what they’re feeling about this moment in history, what they want to do about it, the leadership they’re going to provide to make sure we’re all safe going forward,” de Blasio said during his weekly appearance on NY1.

“And this is something I think we have to do all over the country now. There’s a call for nationwide action next month. I can’t remember anything like that — certainly you’d have to go back to the ‘60s or the ‘70s to remember anything where high school students all over the country were talking about a coordinated effort on an issue. This is powerful and exciting and I think we have to support it.”

Last week, the mayor unveiled a plan for random security screenings and metal detectors in every middle and high school for at least a day, regular active shooter drills and unannounced weapons checks to better protect New York City’s 1.1 million public school students. That announcement came a day after a student was arrested in the Bronx for threatening to shoot up his school.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a new multi-state coalition, now representing 35 million Americans, that will share information, trace and intercept the flow of out-of-state guns, and establish the nation’s first regional gun violence research consortium. This multi-state partnership includes New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

“It’s time for the horrifying mass shootings that have plagued this country for far too long to spur real action and real policy change,” Cuomo said. “Our states collectively already have better gun safety laws than the federal government, and by working together to share information and bolster enforcement, we will keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals and better protect our communities.”

In the nation’s capital, U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-Astoria) announced Tuesday that she would introduce legislation to reinstate the Obama-era mental health background check for gun purchases. President Trump repealed this rule, which would keep individuals with severe mental illnesses from purchasing firearms.

“One step we can take is to make sure deadly firearms don’t end up in the hands of those with severe mental illness,” Maloney said. “Honestly, we shouldn’t even need to introduce this bill — it was taken care of in 2016, but the Republican Majority and President Trump repealed the process before it could ever be fully implemented. So, here we are, redoubling our efforts to keep guns out of the hands of individuals who have no business owning them. I challenge my Republican colleagues to explain why they can’t support this bill.”

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

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

The borough will be awash in green this weekend. The traditional Queens County St. Patrick’s Day Parade steps off in Rockaway Saturday at 1 p.m.

Trade unionism will be honored this year with Steamfitters Local Union 638 president Patrick Dolan Jr. serving as Grand Marshall. The Rockaway resident was born and raised in Middle Village.

On Sunday the Saint Pat’s for All Parade gets underway at 1 p.m., beginning at 43rd Street on Skillman Avenue in Sunnyside. The parade will come to an end at 58th Street and Woodside Avenue. More than 100 marching groups reflecting the diversity of Queens are expected to march in the parade, including Irish organizations, pipe bands, Girl Scouts, and immigrant and LGBT groups.

Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and author Dan Barry and disarmament educator and anti-nuclear educator and activist Dr. Kathleen Sullivan will serve as grand marshals of the all-inclusive parade, now in its 19th year.

The parade’s co-founder, Astoria resident Brendan Fay, said the focus of this year’s march is the immigrant communities of Queens.

“At the parade we will carry signs of support for immigrants, our neighbors, friends and family who await the DACA decision,” he said. “St. Pat’s for All brings us together in solidarity and support.”

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

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

The judge presiding over the Karina Vetrano murder trial will allow all evidence, including DNA and a videotaped confession by the Brooklyn man accused of killing her, after his lawyers argued police had racially profiled their client.

The ruling Monday by Queens Supreme Court Judge Gregory Lasak in the case of 21-year-old Chanel Lewis will allow all evidence to be admitted when he goes on trial on charges that he killed the 30-year-old Vetrano as she jogged in Spring Creek Park near her Howard Beach home on the afternoon of Aug. 2, 2016.

The complaint said Lewis punched Vetrano repeatedly and strangled her, causing her death. Vetrano fought back furiously against her attacker, whose DNA was found on her cell phone, under her fingernails, and her neck.

Lewis allegedly confessed to killing her after telling investigators he strangled and beat Vetrano because he “just lost it.” If convicted, Lewis faces 25 years to life in prison, according to Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.

Lewis’s Legal Aid Society defense attorneys argued an initial police stop two months before the killing was improper, according to court papers. The NYPD said Lewis had exhibited suspicious behavior when he was stopped, while his attorneys argued he was stopped because he was a black man walking in a white neighborhood.

During the stop on May 13, 2016, police asked for his name and address, information that was later used to get Lewis’s DNA sample. Prosecutors said the stop and questioning was permissible because it was based on a 911 call about a trespasser.

In his ruling, Judge Lasak said Supreme Court precedent holds that the identity of a defendant is never suppressible, even if preceded by an unlawful arrest, search or interrogation.

“We are pleased with the court’s decision and the case will proceed accordingly,” a spokeswoman for the Queens District Attorney said.

The Legal Aid Society disagrees with the court’s suppression ruling and its legal reasoning.

“The police had no probable cause to stop Mr. Lewis and then search his name through private sources to obtain his address and other personal information not open to the public,” The Legal Aid Society said in a statement. “This decision does not at all affect Mr. Lewis’s presumption of innocence. The defense team will continue to challenge the accuracy and reliability of Mr. Lewis’s statements to the police, as well as the DNA evidence that purports to connect Mr. Lewis, in preparation for trial.”

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

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By Tammy Scileppi

TimesLedger Newspapers

Imagine a mind-blowing musical tableau featuring an unexpected mix of classical music juxtaposed against a canvas of expressionistic dance moves. What would that look and sound like? You can bet the end result will be nothing short of mesmerizing.

Manhattan-based dance group RIOULT Dance NY has become Queens’ newest of its kind. The popular troupe will be returning to the Queens Theatre stage for a limited run this weekend – before officially calling the World’s Borough home, when they move to their new location in Astoria this summer.

Whatever your taste in music and dance, you shouldn’t miss this eclectic program, featuring founder and artistic director Pascal Rioult’s sensual, articulate and exquisitely musical works.

“We are thrilled to have the opportunity to present RIOULT NY at such an exciting time for the company as they open their new center in Astoria,” Queens Theatre Executive Director Taryn Sacramone said. “The fact that this extraordinary company is making its home in Queens is something to celebrate. This is an opportunity for people in the community to see the work of their new neighbors.”

A very spiritual piece, the first offering in Rioult’s “triple threat” repertoire is performed to the sounds of Estonian composer P?rt, whose classical and religious music is inspired at times by Gregorian chant.

“Te Deum,” one of Rioult’s earliest works that has stood the test of time, is based on the journey of a man at the crossroads of two careers. It’s a personal story. “When I finished my career, I embarked on a new one, not knowing what that was and where that would take me,” he said. “The central character is a man, who has to let go of his young self… a dancer. And that’s why there’s a beautiful and touching duet between two men: the older self and the younger self, as a choreographer and artistic director for many years. It is a journey in a spiritual sense.”

The second work provides the audience with a different, darker experience. Titled “Wien,” which means Vienna in German, it brings to life an image of a decaying society that remains eerily relevant today. A very strong modern dance expressionistic piece inspired by events that happened in Vienna right before World War II and the rise of Nazism, it is performed to the music of Ravel (who is probably most famous for his Boléro). This interpretative dance depicts a group of people who are sucked into that whirlpool of violence against each other, which was prevalent worldwide at the time, according to Rioult.

“It is very powerful and disturbing at the same time, and very exciting,” said the artistic director, who founded his dance troupe in 1994. Ranging from joyfully energetic to breathtakingly tragic, Tchaikovsky’s captivating melodies and vivid orchestration seem to possess an enchanting power, especially when accompanied by an extraordinary performance.

Keeping in mind that the most popular Russian composer of all time forever changed the world of ballet with “Swan Lake” and “The Nutcracker”, it seems likely that the audience will appreciate Rioult’s choice of music and his unique mix of modern movement and classical vibes in this third piece, aptly named “Dream Suite.” The truly colorful work is inspired by the surreal world of artist Marc Chagall and, according to its creator, is “full of whimsy and mystery.”

After the March 4 matinee, theatre-goers are invited to stick around to toast RIOULT Dance NY’s move to a new second floor studio and performance space at 34-01 Steinway St. in Astoria.

“Building a dance center is a longtime goal for us,” said Rioult, whose troupe will be transforming from its well-recognized dance company status in Manhattan to a friendly, community-oriented neighborhood dance school in Astoria, offering classes for kids from ages six and up.

Students will be given different types of dance instruction, including some ballet, but mostly a form of modern dance. And at the end of the year, recitals for young dancers will take place at the theater. Rioult said teachers are already lined up and ready to go.

The newly constructed Rioult Dance Center will boast five studios, which will be used by the dance community as rental spaces. One of these, the big studio, will transform into a 110-seat black box theatre, fully equipped so that young choreographers will also be able to rent space for their works. Part of the floor space will also be used by Rioult’s dance troupe, which will perform there as well. In addition, adult dancers can enjoy African, Indian, and hip-hop classes, and even Zumba.

“We’re in the process of building our own type of dance exercise for adults. At the core, we’re going to build a high level of professional dance training, mostly based on American modern dance,” said Rioult, who will take part in training new dancers to become professionals. The company also has an important outreach program for schools, including after school programs here in Queens.

“We’re starting construction this week and it’s very exciting,” Rioult said.

The dance center is scheduled to have its grand opening on or around July 1, as well as an open house; free classes will be offered then as well. Student dance classes should be filled by September, and performances will hopefully begin around December or January 2019,

RIOULT Dance, which is made up of 10 dancers and 2 apprentices, will be moving to Queens for two reasons, according to Rioult: “Because Manhattan has become too insane for artists to live and work in; it has become a place of money. It’s the rents and the whole attitude,” he said. “Unless you do Broadway shows, it’s very hard to survive there. And most dancers live outside of Manhattan.”

He also wants to be a part of the Queens community.

“We felt since we’re starting a school apart from training professionals, in terms of reaching a new community, we picked Astoria,” he noted. “The whole place is transforming, and we’ve been welcomed by the Kaufman Arts District. … It’s going to be very vibrant and great for us to move into a new community and see how we can immerse ourselves into it and what we can give to it and build something new and exciting.”

The new location is right across from the Steinway Street subway station and it will boast floor to ceiling windows, so there will be a lot of natural light and passersby can see the dancers.

Shows are set for Saturday, March 3, at 2 p.m., and again at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, March 4, at 3 p.m. Tickets range in price from $20-$42, and can be purchased by calling the Queens Theatre Box Office at (718) 760-0064, or visiting www.queenstheatre.org.

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Merle Exit

TimesLedger Newspapers

Friends of Maple Grove Cemetery will be presenting a piano concert and talk on Saturday, March 3. It’s a concert of romantic classical and modern music performed by Grammy-nominated master pianist and modern music specialist David Holzman, who will also share stories of his career as a hearing-impaired musician. This event coincides with World Hearing Day.

The cemetery actually has some very famous classical musicians “in residence.”

“We have a strong connection to the world of classical music with Josef (1874–1944) and Rosina Lhevinne (1880–1976) buried at Maple Grove,” said Helen Day, Friends of Maple Grove Cemetery Senior Vice President. “They were both world class pianists and prize-winning students from the Moscow Conservatory who performed around the world and taught at the Juilliard School after moving to New York City in 1919. They lived in Kew Gardens for many years, and Rosina taught a number of contemporary pianists such as Van Cliburn and John Williams. We honor their memory each year with one or more classical concerts.”

Holzman is Professor of Piano at the C. W. Post Center of Long Island University. He became known to Maple Grove through other performers that have had concerts at the cemetery, according to Day.

“David was one of many performers at our Winter Waltz concert on Feb. 10,” Day said. “He received a Grammy nomination in 2002 and won the Indie Award in 2003 for best classical album, both for ‘Stefan Wolpe: Compositions for Piano (Bridge)’. At the March 13 performance, David will perform several Classical/Romantic pieces and a short 20th-century piece by Wolpe.”

Holzman will be playing short pieces of Brahms written when he struggled with hearing aids, as well as “Bland,” a virtuoso piece that he is recording at the event, and “Messiaen,” a religious piece.

Holzman will speak in between the pieces about having a cochlear implant in one ear and a hearing aide in the other. On World Hearing Day 2018, the World Health Organization aims to draw attention to the rise in the number of people with hearing loss across the world with the theme “Hear the future.”

A wine and cheese reception will follow the concert, which is scheduled for 4–5:30 p.m. at the Center of Maple Grove Cemetery, located at 127-15 Kew Gardens Rd. in Kew Gardens. Admission is free to those that RSVP to info@friendsofmaplegrove.org. Otherwise, there is a $5 fee for walk-in attendees.

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

The city will begin sheltering adult homeless families at the Fairfield Inn by Marriott in the Blissville section of Long Island City later this month.

The Department of Homeless Services notified Community Board 2 and elected officials on Feb. 13 that priority would be given to families with roots in the district.

“This high-quality facility will be the first of its kind in this community district, offering 154 adult families from Queens the opportunity to be sheltered in their home borough, closer to their support networks and communities they called home as they get back on their feet,” DHS spokesman Isaac McGinn said. “Working together with neighbors and nonprofit service provider Home/Life, we’re confident that these families will be warmly welcomed — and through collaborative support and compassion, we will make this the best experience it can be for these individuals as they get back on their feet.”

Programming at the facility, located at 52-34 Van Dam St., will include case management, housing-placement assistance, health and mental services, and on-site employment counseling. Home/Life will provide around-the-clock security with four guards per shift, and 95 security cameras have been installed throughout the building and across the grounds of the shelter, where there will be a 10 p.m. curfew for residents, according to DHS.

Once local pol applauded the city’s most recent effort to provide a safe space for residents without homes, but demanded officials look beyond the Blissville area and Queens itself for shelters because he argued both are already at capacity.

“It’s important that the city provide individuals and families who are experiencing homelessness with shelter and resources, ensuring opportunities for them to find work and permanent, affordable housing,” City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) said. “However, DHS has been reckless in their use of commercial hotels as temporary shelters throughout Queens and especially in this district. We already house many more homeless individuals than come from the district so we are doing more than our fair share in being a part of the solution to this crisis.”

Last summer, DHS began using the City View Inn — just around the block from the Fairfield Inn — as a shelter, before it claimed space in September inside the Best Western hotel at 38-05 Hunters Point Blvd. and the Quality Inn on Queens Boulevard in Woodside.

And Van Bramer said the trend of transforming commercial inns into hubs for the homeless must stop.

“There comes a time when DHS’ over-reliance on hotels must be called out,” Van Bramer said. “The Mayor’s Turning the Tide plan on getting out of hotels as shelters and bringing balance to each community board is simply not working. This proposal is yet another commercial hotel being repurposed as a shelter. The Mayor and the Department of Homeless Services are failing us here.”

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

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By Gina Martinez

TimesLedger Newspapers

A Brooklyn woman was indicted on a charge of poisoning the cheesecake of her Forest Hills look alike, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said.

According to Brown, on Aug. 28, 2016, Sheepshead Bay resident Viktoria Nasyrova, 42, visited the Forest Hills home of the 35 year-old victim, presenting her a slice of cheesecake as a gift. Nasyrova strongly resembled the victim. Both had dark hair, the same skin complexion and could speak Russian.

According to Brown, after the Queens woman ate the cheesecake, she began to feel sick and laid down. The victim’s last memory before passing out was Nasyrova sitting beside her inside her home, Brown said.

According to Brown, the victim’s friend found her unconscious in her bed the next day, dressed in lingerie with pills scattered around her body, set up to look as if she tried to kill herself. The victim was taken to a hospital for treatment.

When the woman was discharged from the hospital and returned home, she realized that her passport and employment authorization card were missing, along with a gold ring and cash, the DA said. Homeland Security tested pieces of cheesecake that remained in its container and confirmed that the sweet treat was laced with the drug phenazepam, a tranquilizer. The pills found on the floor were tested by the FBI and was confirmed to be phenazepam, Brown said.

When the defendant was arrested on March 20 last year, police found the victim’s ring, passport and employment card.

Brown called this crime bizarre and twisted.

“This crime could have resulted in the death of a Queens woman, whose only fault was that she shared similar features with the defendant,” he said. “Offering a gift of a cheesecake, the defendant is alleged to have laced the dessert with a Russian drug and presented it to the unsuspecting victim. Luckily, the Queens woman survived the poisoning. The defendant has been apprehended and now faces a long term of incarceration.”

Viktoria Nasyrova, was arraigned last Wednesday in Queens Supreme Court on a 10-count indictment charging her with second-degree attempted murder, first-degree burglary, first-degree attempted assault, second-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, first-degree unlawful imprisonment, third-degree grand larceny, petit larceny and fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property, Brown said. She is currently being held without bail.

Nasyrova’s next court date is May 25. If convicted, she faces up to 25 years in prison.

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

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

A 22-year-old man was fatally stabbed across the street from LeFrak City in Corona Wednesday night, according to the NYPD.

Officers from the 110th Precinct were on patrol in the vicinity of 57th Avenue and 92nd Street when they heard a man yell out in distress and then fall to the ground, police said.

When the officers went over to investigate, they found the unresponsive victim with stab wounds to his neck and torso, according to authorities. EMS were called to the scene and the victim was transported to Elmhurst Hospital Center, where he was pronounced deceased.

A police spokesman said the trouble began as a dispute between the 22-year-old and another man. There were no witnesses and detectives are studying surveillance footage. The spokesman would not confirm that a machete was used in the attack.

There have been no arrests made and the investigation was ongoing. The name of the deceased is being withheld, pending family notification, police said.

By midday Thursday, a makeshift memorial was growing on the spot where the stabbing took place, in front of Vinny’s Pizza & Pasta and New Star Chinese Food.

Two young women approached and added two lit candles — next to dozens of others — flowers and a red sign saying “RIP KEEM.”

The women said they knew the victim well, but would not say who he was or where he lived.

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 Merle Exit

TimesLedger Newspapers

Theatre By The Bay will celebrate its 15th anniversary with a production of the romantic comedy “Beau Jest” from new artistic director Cathy Chimenti.

Chimenti is new to staff, having joined after one of the directors retired about a year and a half ago. One of her responsibilities and goals as artistic director is making sure many of the technical aspects of the productions are taken care of.

“Knowing a great many people in the theatre, people from the outside are willing to offer assistance that may include props and costumes,” she said.

Chimenti said that with lack of publicity that the theatre receives, she wanted to draw audiences that include people outside Queens, which led to a new production. She reached out to Patrice Valenti to serve as a guest director after working with her as an actress in the company last year and with that, “Beau Jest” was born.

“We’re thrilled to have Patrice making her directorial debut on our stage with this production of ‘Beau Jest,’” Chimenti said.

“Beau Jest” revolves around Sarah, a “nice Jewish girl” whose parents want her married to a “nice Jewish boy.” They are about to meet her boyfriend, a WASP executive named Chris Kringle, although Sarah tells them that he is a Jewish Doctor.

She plans a dinner party and employs an escort service to send her a Jewish date to play “Dr. Steinberg.” Instead, they send Bob Schroeder, an aspiring actor who agrees to perform the impersonation. Bob is so convincing that Sarah’s parents are enraptured. Will Sarah stay with Chris, or fall for Bob?

Valenti selected Nili Resnick to portraying the main character, Sarah Goldman. She said it was an easy choice to make.

“As soon as she walked into the waiting area I heard her voice and realized the vision I had in my head,” Valenti said. “When she auditioned, I knew that she fit the role as well as having a personality that fit the stage.”

Valenti made another easy casting choice, selecting Kyle T. Cheng to portray Chris Kringle.

“He just blew me away with his presence on stage that just takes command,” she said.

Stephen Kalogeres plays his romantic rival, Bob Schroeder, and brings a “lovely innocence” to the character, Valenti said.

Valenti said her experience as an actress played a huge role in how she directed the production.

“I’m now partial and sensitive to actors’ needs and believe that it is always good to know both sides of a performance,” Valenti said.

“Beau Jest” opens Sunday afternoon with a 4 p.m. show. The production will be on stage on Saturday, March 10, and March 17, at 8 p.m. and Sunday March 11, and March 18 at 3 p.m.

The show will be held at Bay Terrace Garden Jewish Center, located at 13-00 209th St., in Bayside.

Tickets are available for $22 for adults and $20 for seniors ages 62 and over and children ages 12 and under.

For more information or to purchase your seats, call (718) 428-6363, or visit theatrebythebayny.com.

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Source: Times Ledger