Tag: queens news

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By Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

Chipotle Mexican Grill will have its grand opening Friday in Jamaica, at 160-02 Jamaica Ave., and its first 25 customers will have a chance to get a T-shirt and get a buy-one-get-one coupon for a future visit.

Not only will the chain restaurant hand out giveaways on Friday, but it will also donate 50 percent of its sales on Monday to Make-A-Wish Metro New York and Western New York from every customer who mentions the fund-raiser at the register.

The non-profit Make-A-Wish foundation tries to bring joy to children with life-threatening illnesses by granting their wishes, according to the organization.

The chain store is a casual restaurant that specializes in tacos and burritos made from natural ingredients, according to a spokeswoman.

The store is located near Jamaica Multiplex Cinemas and is one of several businesses coming to the area through joint economic development efforts by the Jamaica Center Business Improvement District, the 165 Street Mall Improvement Association, and the Greater Jamaica Development Corporation.

Last year a Dallas BBQ, Starbucks, Madrag, House of Hoops, Kicks and many more chain and local businesses opened in the area, according to Karen Massey of JCBID.

Jamaica Now Action Plan, an enterprise created by Mayor Bill de Blasio and Borough President Melinda Katz to engage the community to find ways to build up its assets, has also helped in furthering the development in the area.

“By increasing and diversifying employment and economic opportunities, the Jamaica Now Action Plan lays out a series of short and long-term projects and recommendations that will strengthen Jamaica as a center for growth,” the mayor and the borough president said in a statement.

Jamaica has also received a combined $20 million between 2016 and 2017 through Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative.

“This critical investment in Jamaica’s downtown will help it grow into a major economic hub that boosts small businesses, expands economic opportunity for residents, and draws new residents and visitors to the community,” Cuomo said. “These projects will help transform downtown Jamaica into a bustling neighborhood, spurring economic development and creating a brighter future for residents and workers across the great borough of Queens.”

Chipotle said it is happy to be a part of the renewal.

“We’re always looking for great communities where we can open new restaurants, and the Jamaica Avenue business corridor is the perfect fit,” a Chipotle spokeswoman said. “We’re excited to be a part of the revitalization effort and to see the Jamaica area return to its status as a commercial hub.”

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

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

Police were searching for a man who entered an Astoria mosque earlier this month and was caught on video going through worshiper’s jacket that hung along a wall.

The suspect entered the Majid Al-Iman religious center, located at 24-30 Steinway St., during Friday prayers just before 4 p.m. on Jan. 19. He was caught on surveillance camera rifling through several of the jackets before taking one of them and fleeing in an unknown direction, police said.

The stolen property included a wallet containing a cell phone, a credit card and two identification cards, according to the NYPD.

Police described the suspect as 30 to 40 years old, around 6 feet tall and 180 pounds, clean shaven with a bald head. He was last seen wearing blue jeans and a black jacket.

Anyone with information is asked tocall 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 Gina Martinez

TimesLedger Newspapers

Police were searching for a man suspected of burglary in Flushing.

According to police, on Jan. 18, at 2:30 a.m., a suspect entered Flushing Senior Center, located at 136-82 39th Ave., and stole laptops, cell phones, tables and money. The suspect fled on foot in an unknown direction, police said.

Police described the suspect as a black male who was last seen wearing a black-hooded jacket, a gray hat and blue jeans.

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

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

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

The LaGuardia and Wagner Archives at LaGuardia Community College has added 122 years’ worth of historical documents donated by the Real Estate Board of New York to its on-campus repository in Long Island City.

Established in 1982, the Archives already included the personal papers and official documents of Mayors Fiorello LaGuardia, Robert F. Wagner, Abraham Beame and Ed Koch; the records of the New York City Housing Authority, the Astoria-based piano maker Steinway & Sons, and the City Council; and a Queens Local History Collection.

“REBNY’s decision to contribute this collection to our college’s LaGuardia and Wagner Archives is monumental,” LaGuardia Community College President Gail O. Mellow said. “Researchers seeking understanding about New York City will have more than 125 years of documentation about land use, ownership, design trends, and building codes — revealing the people who have built our city and lived, worked, and visited here, as well as signals about what the future may hold.”

Highlights of the collection include every REBNY Diary and Manual, an annual book that compiles changes in building codes and zoning updates, reflecting major issues facing the industry each year, and tracks REBNY membership comprising the city’s leading real estate professionals. It also features more than 300,000 property cards for houses, buildings and other private properties dating to the 1920s.

“As an educational tool, our students will have the rare privilege of studying from original documentation — an experience that should deepen their understanding of our city’s history, and how it’s linked to their current lives,” Mellow said. “It becomes an intellectually alive process, showing the students that they’re a part of history.”

Assets from the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives’ 14 collections, which total more than 2.3 million documents, are regularly studied by students, journalists, policy makers, and other researchers.

“Having the REBNY collection exist next to the records on both NYCHA and the City Council is entirely apposite,” said Richard Lieberman, professor of history and director of the LaGuardia and Wagner Archives. “Researchers will have a single source from which to access New York City’s public and private real estate history for the past 125 years, and to examine the legislative policies from the City Council that impacted this history. Both NYCHA and REBNY, representing public and private housing, are essential parts on New York City’s story — together revealing how our neighborhoods were shaped, community revitalizations, and much more.”

Reach reporter Bill Parry by email 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

The East Elmhurst man who authorities say was responsible for lifting a rare tortoise from its Douglaston habitat was sentenced to six months behind bars last Friday on charges of fifth-degree criminal possession of stolen property.

Shawn Waters, 37, pleaded guilty last month to that charge, which stems from his sale of the stolen tortoise to a man in Connecticut. Authorities say Waters broke into the Alley Pond Environmental Center in July by creating a hole in the pen holding the 17-year-old tortoise, Millenium.

“Millenium the tortoise’s summer escapade that included crossing state lines has drawn to a close with today’s sentencing of the defendant,” Queens District Attorney Richard Brown said. “The rare reptile is safely ensconced in his habitat, and now the defendant, who admitted to possessing the stolen tortoise, will be confined to Rikers Island for the next six months. This should serve as a warning to everyone that my office will pursue justice for all those in Queens County — whether they are warm- or cold-blooded citizens.”

The African spurred tortoise has a value of $2,500, Brown said.

After the tortoise was stolen, Waters posted on Craigslist that Millenium was for sale, and after some bartering, he exchanged the animal with a man at the Metro-North station in Fairfield, Conn., for $300 plus a musk turtle.

Millenium’s new owner came to believe the tortoise was stolen after seeing news reports. He then alerted the authorities that he had the amphibian they were looking for.

Millenium was turned over to the care of the 111th Precinct, which returned it to the environmental center.

Police tracked Waters by the cellphone number used to arrange the exchange.

The theft of Millenium sparked strong reactions in Queens and beyond. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals even offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to the tortoise’s safe return.

“Millennium was the victim of a brazen kidnapping, and his fate now is unknown,” PETA Vice President of Communications Colleen O’Brien said at the time.

Sasha Sicard, executive assistant at the Alley Pond Environmental Center, expressed grief at the loss of the animal and said many in the community shared her distress.

“We’ve had him for over 10 years,” Sicard said. “He was part of the community. We have some very upset children and adults who miss him. We would just like to have him back.”

Thousands of schoolchildren make the trek to Alley Pond to see Millenium every year, Sicard 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 Gina Martinez

TimesLedger Newspapers

Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D-Flushing) has introduced a bill that aims to increase the number of women on state public boards.

The bill will target all statewide public authorities, local development corporations, and industrial development agencies and would ensure adequate female representation and appointments of commissioners to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Rozic has partnered with the New Jersey State Legislature on the bill, including Assemblywoman Pamela Lampitt (D-Cherry Hill), who will be introducing similar legislation in the New Jersey Assembly.

Rozic said she was inspired to introduce this bill after reading accounts about a lack of diversity on the Port Authority’s Board of Commissioners in 2016. Just last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Council on Women and Girls announced their agenda to increase the number of women on state boards.

“I decided to take an in-depth look into women’s leadership positions across state boards,” she said. “Since then, three women have been appointed to PANYNJ’s board, but New York has a long way to go in closing the gender leadership gap. I applaud Governor Cuomo for including this issue among his priorities this year and look forward to increased diversity on our public boards.”

Rozic’s bill would direct appointing powers, including the governors of New York and New Jersey, to make appointments of commissioners that ensure that women make up 50 percent of appointed commissioners. Data compiled by the state Authorities Budget Office in 2015 showed that although women make up more than half of New York’s population, they constitute only 21.7 percent of positions on local development corporations, 20.26 percent of industrial development agencies, and 20.9 percent of other LDCs and state public authorities.

The Port Authority is led by a board of 12 commissioners, three of them women, and no public state board in New York consists of a majority of women.

Rozic said that while gender-quota directives are more common to increase women’s leadership on corporate boards in the private sector, their enactment has proved successful in closing the leadership gap.

Lampitt, of New Jersey, said more should be done this year to ensure equal representation.

“Since its establishment, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Board of Commissioners has been disproportionately comprised of white males,” she said. “This is unacceptable in this day and age, and we must do more to foster diversity and promote equal representation within our public institutions.”

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

Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas (D-Astoria) secured $1 million in capital funding for three projects at Mount Sinai Queens in Astoria that she nominated for support from the New York State Assembly. The investment helps further the expansion that built a five-story Pavilion with new operating suites, facilities for primary care and an expanded emergency room with an off-street ambulance bay.

“I’m proud to support the hospital’s expansion of treatment resources that will save lives and preserve the health and well-being of western Queens residents,” Simotas said.

The money she secured include $500,000 toward the construction of the Pediatric Emergency Room, which provides a dedicated, family-friendly space for rapid evaluation, stabilization and treatment of babies and children. The space ensures that children don’t have to wait with adults and can be given specialized treatment while their families are accommodated.

Simotas also secured $250,000 toward the construction of the Interventional Radiology Unit, which uses state-of-the-art technology to offer the safest minimally invasive treatment options for cancers, kidney and vascular diseases, and uterine fibroids, among other maladies. Another $250,000 goes toward construction of the Cardiac and Critical Care Resuscitation Unit, which is a key area of the emergency department for life-threatening illnesses and injuries, including complex traumatic injuries and heart attacks.

“It’s wonderful for our community that Mount Sinai Queens is now delivering the same world-class medical care that is available across the river,” Simotas said. “When my father needed vascular surgery many years ago, he had to go to Manhattan, so I know how much it means to families to have their loved ones treated nearby.”

The $125 million expansion began in 2013 behind the original building at Crescent Street and 30th Avenue, site of the original Astoria General Hospital. The closest hospital is more than three miles away.

“Mount Sinai Queens continues to transform health care in our great borough,” Mount Sinai Executive Director Caryn Schwab said. “The expansion of services in our new state-of-the-art Pavilion has allowed us to improve the quality and complexity of health care offered right here in Queens. We couldn’t do this without great partners like Assemblymember Aravella Simotas. The funding she’s helped secure is going to make a real difference in the lives of our residents. We are incredibly grateful for her efforts 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 Naeisha Rose

TimesLedger Newspapers

Councilman I. Daneek Miller (D-St. Albans) has been reappointed as the chairman of the Committee on Civil Service and Labor. He was also appointed to the Committees on Land Use, Public Safety and Immigration and the Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Siting and Maritime Uses.

“When I took office in 2014, a full one-third of the city’s workforce was eligible for retirement within a few years,” Miller said. “We engaged our partners in government and labor to provide Civil Service 101 workshops throughout the city. I am proud to say that today, following years of decline, the municipal workforce has increased by 20 percent.”

One of the ways Miller managed to engage the community in getting careers in civil service was by helping to open a testing center at 118-35 Queens Blvd. in Forest Hills, according to the councilman’s office.

Previously, Queens residents who wanted to work for the city had to travel to Manhattan or Brooklyn, according to the Department of Citywide Administrative Services.

The Civil Service Center in Forest Hills has computerized tests and is open six days a week, according to DCAS. The center also offers vocational training and seminars.

In 2014, the civil exams were decentralized, allowing management more flexibility in the hiring process and online job listings as well as applications, thanks to a push from state and city elected officials, according to Randy Paul Battaglio, the author of “Public Human Resource Management.”

“The opening of a new testing center in Queens, as well as the streamlining of testing processes, has significantly improved the civil service exam experience for everyone,” Miller said.

Worker protection and retentions laws by Miller and several elected officials across the state also helped thousands of jobs in the hotel, bus and grocery industries, by advocating for initiatives like paid sick leave.

“We championed the passage of an ambitious Paid Sick Leave provision that enabled working families to no longer choose between earning a living and caring for either themselves or a loved one,” said Miller said.

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

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Source: Times Ledger

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By Bill Parry

TimesLedger Newspapers

A Long Island City strip joint was closed down last Friday by members of the NYPD vice squad by order of the Queens Supreme Court.

Show Palace, at 45-20 21st St., was shuttered because of alleged prostitution one month after elected officials and community leaders called for action by the NYPD and the Queens District Attorney’s Office under the city’s nuisance abatement laws.

The rally followed a Dec. 1 sweep by police in which five women were arrested on prostitution charges. State Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria), who called the all-nude nightclub “a thorn in our community’s side” and helped lead the fight to close it down for more than half a decade, wants it to stay closed.

“The closure of Show Palace is an important and hard-fought success for our community,” Gianaris said. “Thanks to the NYPD and the Queens district attorney for continuing to protect our neighborhoods. I will remain vigilant in case this establishment attempts to open again.”

The club is owned by the same group that owns Sin City in the South Bronx, which was known for gang activity, shootings and prostitution before losing its liquor license last May. The owners would have to go to court in order to reopen the venue.

“I am pleased to that Show Palace has finally been shut down for good,” City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) said. “For years, this establishment was a blight on a fantastic neighborhood that serves as the gateway to Queens. Show Palace had brought unwanted violence and crime to this community for years, and its closure has finally rid Long Island City of a bad actor that only served to harm an otherwise great neighborhood.”

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