Tag: queens news

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By Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

Competing in Miss New York’s Outstanding Teen on April 7 in upstate New York will be Queens Village resident Cayla Kumar, the local titleholder of Miss Bronx’s Outstanding Teen, which represents downstate New York.

Miss America’s Outstanding Teen is a scholarship-based sister program to the Miss America Organization, according to missny.org.

At just 15, Kumar has clocked more than 4,100 hours in volunteer service in more than four years. She has raised $25,000 in cancer research for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital as its first youth ambassador (in 2012) and is an active student at Archbishop Molloy High School, where she has a full-ride scholarship.

“I’ve always wanted to give back,” Kumar said. “When I was younger, I saw the commercial by St. Jude’s and how the kids were so sick, so I started getting involved when I was about 11 years old.”

Not only was she inspired by the commercial, she has also been personally affected by cancer in her family. When she was 4, a great-grandmother died of breast cancer, and a 7-year-old cousin was recently found to have a brain tumor.

During her spare time, she volunteers by cooking meals for families with Ronald McDonald House charities, a nonprofit that helps sick children.

Besides volunteering, she is also a fundraiser for children’s cancer with her “Gold Ribbon Project: Curing Pediatric Cancer” initiative, in which she sells gold lapel ribbons.

“It’s my way of advocating,” Kumar said. “Gold is the color of pediatric cancer.”

As a first-generation Guyanese-American, she is classically trained in Indian dances from the Sadhanalaya School of Dance and the Natraj Center for the Performing Arts.

“When I was younger, my mom and I watched a lot of Indian movies together,” Kumar said. “I always wanted to dance like the people in the movies.”

In school, she is teased for her naturally thin physique, but since competing in pageants to promote her platform for pediatric cancer, she has found inner confidence performing Bollywood dances on the Miss Teen stage.

“I’m not afraid to share my culture with other people,” she said, “and I can save money for college with the scholarship money, which is very important because I have a single mom.”

As a sophomore, Kumar is a member of the newspaper, photography and broadcasting clubs. In middle school at Our Lady of Lourdes, she was the student government president, a student mentor and a school peer monitor.

As an activist, she lobbied with more than 1,000 people last year outside the White House with the CureFest for Childhood Cancer organization to fight for more funding for pediatric cancer research.

“Kids are worth more than 4 percent” in cancer funding for research, she said, “and that’s why they need our help.”

Kumar hopes to become a dance teacher and to use her passion to pay for medical school at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. Her goal is to become a pediatric oncologist.

“I want to help be a part of the cure for pediatric cancer,” she said.

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

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Gina Martinez

TimesLedger Newspapers

In an effort to nudge people to go to court, New Yorkers will now receive text-message reminders about summonses.

Last week, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the city’s text-reminder program for people who receive summonses. The program, launched by the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice, the Office of Court Administration and NYPD, has proved successful during test runs in encouraging individuals to appear when they have upcoming court dates.

According to the city, the text reminders have been shown to cut failure-to-appear rates by 26 percent, and when paired with a redesigned summons form, the text reminders decreased rates of failure to appear in court by 36 percent. De Blasio said these reminders have the potential to prevent thousands of warrants each year.

“Little reminders can make a big difference,” he said. “These text messages will help people avoid a missed court appearance — and a warrant that could eventually lead to spending a night in jail. We’ve found that these gentle nudges help New Yorkers remember when and where their court appearance is and reduce failure-to-appear rates, and that progress is a great step toward a fairer justice system.”

In 2016 there were 267,763 criminal summonses issued in New York City, but nearly 4 of 10 people who received them failed to appear in court, the mayor’s office said. Among the possible reasons were that people forgot by the time the date came around months later, they did not realize the importance of attending, or they did not make time to do. Whenever someone fails to appear in court, a warrant may be issued for his or her arrest, which can lead to harsher punishment and stretch the resources of the justice system.

In 2014, the city partnered with ideas42, a nonprofit behavioral design lab, to redesign the summons form so that people are more likely to return to court. The new form more prominently displayed the time, date, and location of court appearances as well as consequences for not showing up.

A study of the revised form by the University of Chicago Crime Lab determined that the changes helped decreased the failure-to-appear rate by 13 percent.

The new form also invited recipients to include their phone numbers so they can receive text-message reminders. During 16 months from March 2016 to June 2017, people who provided their phone numbers were randomly selected to receive text messages that encouraged appearing in court. Some messages emphasized that there would be consequences for failure to appear, some encouraged planning in advance for the appearance, and some underscored that failing to appear would be out of step with the norms of their peers.

According to the mayor, these text-message reminders cut failure-to-appear rates by 26 percent, in addition to the 13 percent improvement through the new summons form.

The Office of Court Administration is now sending text reminders to all summons recipients who gave a cellphone number on the summons, which is expected to prevent issuance of thousands of warrants annually.

Council Member Rory I. Lancman (D-Hillcrest), who is also the chairman of the Committee on the Justice System, said improving court attendance of summons recipients will go a long way toward curtailing unnecessary arrest warrants and expensive incarceration.

“As it stands today, New York City’s exorbitant failure-to-appear rate clogs our justice system and wastes valuable taxpayer resources,” he said. “I commend the city for focusing on the failure-to-appear problem and taking action to ensure summons recipients have all the necessary information at their fingertips.”

The mayor said this is just one of the many initiatives the city has taken to prevent minor offenses from snowballing into arrests and detention, which can ruin a person’s job or housing opportunities. The Criminal Justice Reform Act substituted civil tickets for criminal summonses for low-level offenses by more than 90 percent. Summons enforcement has also significantly decreased. According to de Blasio, the number of criminal summonses dropped 50 percent from 2013 to 2017.

The mayor’s office has also worked with four district attorneys to dismiss 644,000 outstanding warrants for minor offenses like drinking alcohol in public or entering a park after hours.

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

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Zach Gewelb

TimesLedger Newspapers

In another move that doesn’t move the needle much, the Mets announced the signing of infielder Jose Reyes to a new deal.

“I’m glad to be back,” Reyes said in a statement. “This is my home. I’m excited to be back with a great group of teammates. I will do everything I can to help us get back to the postseason.”

The one-year contract is worth $2.5 million — including bonuses — and represents good value for a player who can still help provide depth. But as the team is currently constructed, Reyes slots in as a contender for everyday at-bats at second base, which is not the best role for him at this stage of his career.

Reyes has lost a step defensively and is not a high on-base-percentage guy, but he still has a bit of pop and can help the team with his speed and contact skills. He would serve best as a utility player, starting one or two games per week and coming off the bench as a pinch-runner late in games.

Right now, the Mets don’t have a clear everyday option at second base. Asdrubal Cabrera is slated to be the starting third baseman, though that is not set in stone. He could move back to second if the Mets make a move for a third baseman — available options include free agents Todd Frazier and Mike Moustakas — or remain at third if the club finds a trade partner for a second baseman — maybe a Neil Walker reunion or a trade for Josh Harrison.

The Mets are in prime position to take advantage of a slow-moving hot stove season. They’ve already added a reliever (Anthony Swarzak) and brought back Jay Bruce on a team-friendly three-year deal. But adding another versatile infielder whose price has fallen and pushing Reyes into a utility or bench role would make the Mets that much deeper.

Now it’s up to general manager Sandy Alderson to pounce and try to bring in a guy like Frazier or Walker. The Mets already know what Walker brings to the table — he was with the team for all of 2016 and part of 2017 before being dealt to Milwaukee — but Frazier remains an intriguing option.

Frazier is not what he once was with the bat, but he still has some power and a strong glove. While those are nice attributes to have, his most prized quality is his leadership.

He is known for being a good clubhouse guy, and he provided a strong veteran presence on a young Yankees squad that went deep into the playoffs last season. His skills on the field would help the Mets, but his presence in the clubhouse would help bring some much-needed leadership to Queens.

The best-case scenario for the Mets would be to sign Frazier to an affordable short-term contract to play third and shift Cabrera to second base, moving Reyes to the bench. That would improve the Mets on both sides of the ball and give them more depth.

So while Reyes should be a nice signing for the Mets, there needs to be another move coming to move the needle and make the team better.

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

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

Police from the 114th Precinct in Astoria were looking for a man who allegedly assaulted a 45-year-old woman at the 36th Street/Northern Boulevard R subway station in Long Island City last month.

The NYPD released video of the suspect, who approached the woman just before 7 p.m. on Jan. 19, and punched the woman in the head as she was reading a subway map before fleeing, police said. The victim sustained bruising to the back of her head, hand an ear in the attack, according to the NYPD.

Police described the suspect as between 25 to 30 years-old and clean shaven with an average build. He was last seen wearing a knit hat and a scarf.

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 Frederick R. Bedell Jr.

TimesLedger Newspapers

I was watching a most insightful ABC-TV program on fire safety on Saturday. It was called “Operation 7: Save a Life.”

It was reported that many people nationwide have died in fires — 26 in New York City in December alone. There were many helpful tips on what to do to prevent fires and to leave a building safely in the event of a fire.

1. In case of fire, leave your door closed as you leave.

2. Don’t leave open flames unattended.

3. Have working smoke and carbon dioxide detectors, and change their batteries twice a year.

4. Know where the exits are at home or at work.

5. Have a working fire extinguisher.

6. Teach children what to do in case of a fire.

7. For adults or children. have a “go bag” ready for leaving in an emergency. Make sure it has necessities like flashlight, water, medicine etc.

8. Please teach children not to play with flammable items. I know that from experience. When I was a child in Queens Village in the 1950s, my mother caught me playing with matches in the house, and she was almost in tears. I saw the pain on her face, the realization that I could have killed many if the house had caught on fire. I never played with fire again in the house.

The program also pointed out that the FDNY needs exact information when you call 911, like the address and nearby cross streets, and whether anyone needs medical attention.

The bottom line is that we can all save lives if we all do our part in following these safety tips.

Frederick R. Bedell Jr.

Glen Oaks Village

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Mark Hallum

TimesLedger Newspapers

The LaGuardia Airport committee meeting at the Adria Hotel in Bayside on Jan. 25 brought one civic leader’s report that the Federal Aviation Administration may have overlooked rules pertaining to historic districts when creating flight patterns over northeast Queens.

Maria Becce, vice president of the Broadway-Flushing Homeowners Association, said she had corresponded with officials in Washington about a 1966 law protecting historic places and Native American reservations from environmental impacts of airplane noise.

The Broadway-Flushing Historic District, established in 2006, protects the integrity of about 1,300 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places that have stood for more than a century. The neighborhood now sits below the NextGen flight pattern, enacted in 2012, particularly the TNNIS climb for commercial aircraft departing from LaGuardia.

According to a letter issued in November from the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, part of the Office of Federal Agency Programs, to Katherine Andrus, the FAA’s federal preservation officer, stating the agency had issued a categorical exclusion, or CATEX, under the Historic Preservation Act which the FAA seemed to falsely believe gave it immunity from complying with Section 106, which calls for additional studies pertaining to historic districts, the letter stated.

“Issuance of a CATEX is irrelevant to a federal agency’s compliance with Section 106… [which] is an independent statutory requirement and compliance with [National Environmental Policy Act] through a CATEX does not satisfy an agency’s obligations under Section 106 of the NHPA,” the letter stated. “In conclusion, ACHP requests that FAA reanalyze and address the auditory effects of the undertaking on the Broadway-Flushing HD and associated community and continue to respond to these public inquiries related to air traffic noise.”

Becce asked FAA officials at the meeting about the status of the analysis and said she would request elected officials in Queens to follow up the FAA’s progress in studying the effects of the flight patterns over Broadway-Flushing.

Andrew Brooks of the FAA, addressing the matter of the CATEX, said the specific characteristics of the historic district need to be evaluated

“If noise was not necessarily a criteria for listing and there was an increase in noise, it still would not be considered a potential effect to a historic resource because noise was not a contributing factor to its listing,” Brooks said. “I’m not saying that’s the case; I’m just saying there’s a potential there as well. I’m not familiar with what the original factors that went into its listing, so that’s something we would have to look at going forward.”

Becce said the age of the homes and the secluded nature of the neighborhood were two of the reasons for the official recognition 12 years ago.

“Within the city of New York,” Becce said, “we find essentially an oasis of a suburban neighborhood of single-family homes, 95 percent of which are a century old, that were designed to be an open space within the confines of a very, very noisy metropolis. … That was recognized along with the type architecture, age and style of the homes.”

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

Several Queens lawmakers are resuming efforts towards voter reform in Albany with a package of bills that would improve turnout at the polls in New York where it is among the lowest in the country. Less than 22 percent of the city’s 5 million registered voters went to the polls in November.

Last week, state Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) announced a renewed push for two of his bills aimed at improving New Yorker’s access to the ballot box, including his Voter Empowerment Act, which would streamline voter registration systems, and a Constitutional Amendment to eliminate the 10-day advance registration requirement.

“At a time in our country when voting rights are under assault from all corners, New York must live up to its reputation as a progressive leader,” Gianaris said. “Access to the ballot box should be easy and fair. I urge my colleagues to enact these proposals as soon as possible to remove obstacles to voting.”

The Voter Empowerment Act would ensure every eligible citizen is on the voter rolls; reduce unfair deadlines for voter registration and party enrollment; permit the pre-registration of 16 and 17-year-olds; and transfer the registration of eligible citizens over the Internet.

The Constitutional Amendment would eliminate the 10-day voter registration requirement. Once adopted, the Legislature could allow for same-day registration.

State Sen. Joseph Addabbo (D-Howard Beach) is co-sponsoring four of the proposals in the package of bills. One would change the layout of ballots to make them easier to read and understand, another would establish “no fault” absentee balloting by enabling any voter to request and cast a ballot by mail without declaring any reason for doing so. A third bill which would save taxpayer money spent on organizing and holding elections, would require state primary elections and federal primary elections to be held on the same day. In addition he is also co-sponsoring the Voter Empowerment Act.

“Expanding and protecting voter rights here in New York is paramount in making the process easier and more accessible for a larger number of voters,” Addabbo said. “Having one of the lowest voter participation rates in the nation does not reflect well on our state. Voting is the cornerstone of our democracy, and if we want to continue to have a strong democracy, we need to enact sensible measures to allow and encourage more voters to get to the ballot box.”

Additional election and voting reform bills in the legislative package that Addabbo is supporting seek to establish an early voting system, create a crime of voter suppression, and implement uniform poll closing procedures to ensure integrity in the process.

“It’s no secret that we have great challenges ahead in restoring public trust in our electoral system and in our government itself,” Addabbo said. “We obviously require reasonable safeguards to ensure the integrity and veracity of our election process and results. However, it is equally clear that we need to remove unnecessarily burdensome obstacles that cause people to jump through hoops to participate in their democracy and that ultimately discourage people from even bothering to vote.”

State Sen. Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans) introduced a measure that would reduce restrictions on affidavit ballots which are given to voters whose registration cannot be verified at the poll site on Election Day. In order to receive an affidavit ballot, voters — swearing under penalty of perjury — must complete an affidavit that includes the address at which they were previously registered to vote regardless of how long ago it may have been.

“No voter should ever face unnecessary scrutiny at the polls because of errors that are outside their control,” Comrie said. “The requirement that voters disclose the address at which they were previously registered is onerous and unnecessary, especially for seniors in my district, many of whom have lived in the same home for 30, 40, or 50 years.”

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 Gina Martinez

TimesLedger Newspapers

U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica) did not hold back against President Donald Trump at a Saturday town hall event at York College in Jamaica.

Meeks called Trump a “con man” and said he would not attend the president’s State of the Union address this past Tuesday because he does not respect him. Meeks and other Democrats were indeed absent from Trump’s address to Congress.

Meeks, hosting a crowded town hall, spoke to attendees about his opposition to Trump’s immigration policy and what he sees as the president’s lack of leadership skills. Attendees shared Meeks’s displeasure with the president, expressing their dissatisfaction whenever they had opportunities to speak.

Meeks started the event by talking about Trump’s recent reference to El Salvador and African nations as “s—hole” countries, denouncing the remark as an attempt to change who we are as Americans. The blame for last month’s government shutdown, Meeks added, rests solely on Trump, who Meeks said put a chain of events in motion when his administration announced last fall that it would end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals shield against deportation.

The first question came from a fed-up attendee who asked what could be done about impeachment. Realistically, Meeks said, not much, adding that unless the special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s Russia investigation turns up something truly damaging, the focus should be on the midterm elections.

“Impeachment is not likely unless there is a change in the makeup of Congress in the election of 2018,” Meeks said.

He said only a Democratic congress could hold Trump accountable, so 2018 is vitally important.

“My Republican colleagues in particular have forgotten that we are supposed to be a separate but equal branch of government,” he said. “We have a responsibility to protect our Constitution, and they’re not doing that. They’re making all kinds of excuses and protecting him in every way possible, to try to either stop the Mueller investigation or excuse him for any past or present wrongdoing, so realistically we don’t have the votes to impeach him.”

Meeks said he already sees a positive change in terms of increased involvement and conversation. According to Meeks, Trump’s presidency has been a wake-up call. A few weeks ago, he said, in a barber shop, he overheard men in their 20s engaged in conversations not about sports or romance, but, to his surprise, about politics. The young men were talking about Trump and their concerns, and to him, that was a hopeful sign.

“This president happened for a reason,” he said. “There are reasons for everything, My faith encourages me that God is still in charge and that we have been through worse, and he is teaching us a lesson so we do have this kind of response, with everyone getting involved in government and institutions.”

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

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Source: Times Ledger