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By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

One Bay Terrace resident raised concerns about the gas infrastructure in her neighborhood as the Fire Department and ConEd were at work repairing the gas main near her home Tuesday for the second time in 12 months.

Maryanne McGowan said she has lived in her World War II-era home at 205th Street and 23rd Avenue for most her life, and she said the infrastructure surrounding the home may be aging faster than the energy service can repair or replace the main.

“This morning, I could smell gas in the house and started venting windows,” McGowan said. “I had this problem last year; January to April, I had to call them six times. The Fire Department had to break into four houses. … I can’t just keep hoping that when I wake up I don’t smell gas, and I can’t leave the house because I have to open all the windows.”

According to a ConEd spokesman, a citywide capital program is in place to replace gas mains that show signs of decline or have repeated issues. But a common reason for gas leaks is not old, cast-iron pipes, as McGowan believed, but shifting soil around the mains, the spokesman explained.

“If there’s been water main breaks or something like that and the ground underneath the main has become less stable, that can make it more susceptible to either fissures, breakage, ruptures,” the spokesman said, adding: “You can have a brand-new plastic main, and if the ground around it had shifted because of street work for whatever reason, that main would be at more risk than a main that’s been sitting with solid ground around it for 100 years.

“If there are areas that seem to be problem areas, we target them for replacement.”

ConEd could not provide background on the specific issues in Bay Terrace before press time, but two FDNY trucks were at the scene Tuesday afternoon along with three ConEd vehicles all going door to door to work with residents to resolve the issue.

As McGowan stood in front of her house, the smell of gas was present.

“I don’t think they’re doing their job,” she said. “I think they’re digging little holes here and there where it’s a 70-year-old main.”

She said that as many as six houses may have been affected by Tuesday’s leak. “It happens when the temperature goes up and the draw from the high-pressure mains slows down. The gas backs up.”

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

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

Jackson Heights resident Jessica Ramos officially launched her campaign to challenge state Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) in the Democratic primary next fall.

Ramos announced her candidacy on the one-year anniversary of Peralta’s defection to the Independent Democratic Conference in an alliance with Senate Republicans allowing the GOP to maintain a majority and block progressive legislation such as the DREAM Act and the Reproductive Health Act.

“One year ago today, the bigot in the White House announced a travel ban on majority Muslim countries, targeting our fellow Queens residents and making them feel unsafe,” Ramos said. “That same day, our senator — who calls himself a Democrat — joined the conference that concedes control of our senate to Republicans. The Senate Republicans have the power because they have his vote. Today, we say it is time for a real Democrat to represent us in the state Senate.”

Ramos, 32, a married mother of two, resigned as Director of Latino Media at City Hall last month to launch her campaign. She is a strong labor advocate with deep experience championing union rights having worked with Build Up NYC to fight for construction, building, hotel and maintenance workers in New York City and served as a Democratic District leader from 2010 to 2014.

“As a mother of two, Queens native, and MTA rider, I know our community needs a real Democrat in Albany to fight for stronger schools, affordable health care, and a subway system that actually works,” Ramos said, surrounded by several dozen supporters in sub-freezing temperatures across from PS 69, where her sons go to school. “Now more than ever, state government should be our defensive line against the Trump White House — but instead, our state senator is siding with Republicans to block single-payer health care, the DREAM Act, and more. I am a real Democrat, and I will vote with my party.”

Meanwhile, Peralta marked the anniversary of his switch to the IDC by calling it a “successful year” in which he secured more than $5 million in state funds for local schools and community based organizations; answered nearly 2,000 constituent calls; and had bills signed into law to combat lead paint chips falling from the 7 train and the alienation of parkland to build a 300-seat pre-K school in Flushing Meadow Corona Park. He also delivered a $10 million legal defense fund to protect immigrants.

“Since I decided to join the Independent Democratic Conference exactly one year ago, I now have a seat at the table that allows me to deliver more and better services for my community,” Peralta said. “Clearly, this was an extremely effective year, both in terms of legislation and bringing much-needed resources to my constituents. My focus is on delivering for my community, whether it’s by bringing state funding for our schools and local organizations, or by passing crucial legislation.”

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

Police from the 115th Precinct in Jackson Heights were searching for a 64-year-old North Corona man who has been missing since Wednesday.

Bernard Fickens was last seen at his home at 32-11 98th Ave., at 12:45 p.m., according to the NYPD.

Police describe him as black with black hair and brown eyes, 5 feet, 6 inches tall and 160 pounds. Fickens was wearing a black sweater, blue jeans and black socks but he was not wearing sneakers, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS.

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 Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

Train service was suspended on the Port Washington line for over two hours on early Thursday morning after a woman was fatally struck by a train.

MTA police are investigating the nature of the incident, but a Long Island Rail Road spokesman said a white female was at the Bayside train station, located at 41st Avenue and Bell Boulevard, at around 12:30 a.m. when she was hit by a Penn Station-bound train, which was not carrying passengers.

The LIRR identified the woman as Courtney Shayna Lee, 27, from Bayside.

Service did not resume until 3:09 a.m., the LIRR spokesman said.

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

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By U.S. Reps. Joseph Crowley, Gregory Meeks and Grace Meng

TimesLedger Newspapers

A letter to Postmaster General Megan J. Brennan:

We write to you regarding the ongoing and serious problems with mail delivery in our congressional districts in Queens.

It has come to our attention from our constituents that mail delivery standards throughout Queens are not meeting even the most basic expectations. Many of our constituents report severely delayed mail, sometimes taking weeks to arrive, significant problems with package delivery, and frequent delivery of incorrect mail addressed to individuals who live many blocks away. In addition, many of our constituents have complained about poor customer service provided by their local post offices. These inadequate delivery standards existed even before Winter Storm Grayson, and they are frankly unacceptable.

As you know, New Yorkers rely on the United States Postal Service as an effective and dependable means of communication. Essential matters, such as Social Security benefits, bills, vital medical prescriptions and equipment, government-issued identifications and financial documents, are processed and delivered by USPS every day. It is critical that USPS maintain reliable mail delivery service. The current mail delivery problems plaguing the residents of Queens must be addressed immediately.

We thank you for your immediate attention to this matter, and we look forward to your response detailing a course of action to mitigate mail delivery issues in Queens. We are happy to answer any questions you may have regarding this matter, and your staff may reach Genevieve Morton of Rep. Meng’s staff at 202-225-2601 or genevieve.morton@mail.house.gov, anytime.

U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley

U.S. Rep Gregory Meeks

U.S. Rep. Grace Meng

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

A unsuccessful City Council candidate went on trial Jan. 10 on charges that she submitted fraudulent campaign contribution reports in order to cash in on the city’s matching-funds program.

Celia Dosamantes, 26, was a Bellerose resident when she and other candidates faced now-Councilman Barry Grodenchik (D-Oakland Gardens) in a primary for a 2015 special election. Grodenchik went on to win Mark Weprin’s former seat. Dosamantes, who was indicted last year, is accused of trying to pocket about $19,000 for 32 fictitious contributions to her campaign.

The New York Post reported that Dosamantes’s lawyer argued that she had no knowledge that the amount on contribution cards had been fudged to show a higher contribution to take advantage of the $6-to-$1 matching program.

“This is about a candidate who wanted control,” Manhattan prosecutor Philip Gary said. “She wanted control so that no one — not a staffer, not an auditor, not a contributor — could get in her way of stealing more than $19,000 from they city’s taxpayers. She’s not a person to play by the rules.”

In order to claim the funds, the authorities said, Dosamantes signed off on dozens of contribution cards filed to the Campaign Finance Board that had been digitally altered between Aug. 6 and 10, 2015. According to the indictment, the filings made it seem as though donors had contributed twice. All confirmed that they had not.

The indictment said that during a CFB visit to Dosamantes’s home in 2015, the candidate hid the additional contribution cards in a file folder on her lap.

Dosamantes said to the CFB multiple times she was only in charge of handling cash contributions, but a majority of the paperwork regarding the campaign’s finances had been kept in her Queens home.

A search warrant was eventually issued, and authorities took computers and documents showing forged contribution cards and other documents filed to the CFB website, which browser history showed had been visited multiple times, according to the indictment.

Before running for office, Dosamantes served as an aid to Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Fresh Meadows) and U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing) and grew up in Eastern Queens. She attended Francis Lewis High School and was trying to finish law school at the time of the campaign.

She campaigned on issues such as senior transportation solutions and school overcrowding.

The Manhattan district attorney’s office is handling the prosecution.

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

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

Nearly a hundred protesters rallied outside the Brooklyn home of U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer on Tuesday night in response to the Senate vote on a budget deal he made to end the three-day government shutdown Monday without protections for young undocumented immigrants known as Dreamers.

Progressives slammed Schumer, the minority leader, for striking a deal with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to fund the government through Feb. 8 after McConnell promised to bring to the Senate floor an immigration bill that codifies the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program into law, provided the government remains open. DACA, which the administration has said will expire on March 5, shields immigrants who entered the country as children from deportation.

The rally was organized by Make the Road New York, an immigrant-rights organization based in Jackson Heights. Ricardo Aca, a Mexican-born DACA recipient from Ridgewood, spoke on behalf of the group’s 23,000 members.

“Senate Democrats have accepted a bad deal that puts our community at risk,” Aca said. “Every day, 122 more Dreamers lose status and face possible deportation. Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell and the extremists in their ranks must not be allowed to move their white nationalist agenda at the expense of a DREAM Act. Immigrant youth and their families will continue to demand a clean DREAM Act that offers us the path to citizenship that we need and deserve.

“We will be in the streets of New York, Washington and around the country until we win justice for ourselves and our families.”

The DREAM Act, a longstanding bill from which the Dreamers name is taken, would grant lawful status to immigrants brought here as children without documentation.

Schumer remained in Washington, where he informed the White House he was pulling back an offer made during negotiations last Friday that would have provided more than $1.6 billion for construction of a border wall along the Mexican border. Schumer told reporters that the offer was contingent on a more comprehensive deal that included DACA.

“The thought was that we could come to an agreement that afternoon, the president would announce his support, and the Senate and House would get it done and it would be on the president’s desk,” Schumer said. “He didn’t do that. So we’re going to have to start on a new basis, and so the wall offer is off the table.”

Schumer had said negotiating with President Trump is like “negotiating with Jell-O.”

Late Tuesday, Trump tweeted: “Cryin Chuck Schumer fully understands, especially after his humiliating defeat, that if there is no Wall, there is no DACA. We must have safety and security, together with a strong Military, for our great people!”

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-Jackson Heights), the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, blasted GOP lawmakers and the president.

“Republicans have proven time and time again that they can not govern,” Crowley said. “President Trump and GOP leaders lack a cohesive vision for this country, and as a result, we’re left lurching from deadline to deadline and crisis to crisis. That isn’t leadership, and it’s doing nothing to help lift up Americans, who deserve a functioning government.”

In Queens, where there are nearly 55,000 Dreamers, according to the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, Crowley offered some words of encouragement.

“Dreamers deserve security, stability, and a pathway to citizenship,” he said. “Democrats won’t stop fighting to bring an end to the chaos President Trump created when he ended the DACA program.”

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

Long Island City is still in the hunt for what is being called one of the biggest economic development deals of the century, making the short list of 20 metropolitan areas out of 238 proposals for e-commerce giant Amazon’s second headquarters.

Known as HQ2, the second Amazon campus in North America is expected to create 50,000 high-paying jobs and more than $5 billion in investment.

“New York’s emerging tech hub — Long Island City, Queens — is ‘primed’ for Amazon,” Queens Borough President Melinda Katz said. “With its projected growth, wealth of local talent and inherent assets to foster innovation, Queens offers a dynamic mixed-use community where workers can live, ideas can synergize, and businesses can flourish. Congratulations to the administration for submitting such a competitive bid and getting us this far.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration chose four neighborhoods to pitch to Amazon out of a field of 23 in all five boroughs: Long Island City, Midtown West, Brooklyn Tech Triangle and Lower Manhattan. Other metro areas that made the short list include Atlanta, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Denver and Washington, D.C.

“Getting from 238 to 20 was very tough — all the proposals showed tremendous enthusiasm and creativity,” Amazon Public Policy Executive Holly Sullivan said. “Through this process, we learned about many new communities across North America that we will consider as locations for future infrastructure investment and job creation.”

In the coming months, Amazon will work with each of the candidate locations to delve deeper into the proposals, request additional information, and evaluate the feasibility of a future partnership that can accommodate the company’s hiring plans as well as benefit its employees and the local community. Amazon expects to make a decision this year.

“We’re excited to be one step closer to landing the 50,000 good-paying jobs in Amazon’s HQ2,” de Blasio tweeted. “No city in the world has the talent New York City can offer.” de Blasio tweeted.

Rob MacKay, director of public relations, marketing and tourism at the Queens Economic Development Corporation, called the choice on Long Island City a no-brainer.

“LIC has everything that Amazon wants: plenty of affordable warehouse and office space, easy access to major airports, and proximity to public transportation,” MacKay said.

“I would add excellent housing stock, culture galore, and the best restaurants in the world. On the other side, the company would have no trouble attracting top-notch talent to LIC, as educated achievers have been moving to this tech bub for years. And on top of that, the neighborhood is one subway stop from Manhattan, which ain’t too shabby.”

Referring to Amazon’s chief executive, MacKay added, “This would be Amazon’s second headquarters, but after a few years, I am confident that Jeff Bezos would switch it and make LIC the main headquarters so he could live there.”

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

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Source: Times Ledger