Monthly Archives: November 2011
Handling hundreds of clients while managing dozens of on-site volunteers from the pre-dawn hours to midday can be enough to overwhelm anyone. Yet, Swami Durga Das, 63, executive director of The River Fund New York, Inc., manages to do it all with the efficiency of an accountant, the speed of a marathon runner and the grace of a party host. The smile on Das’ face was immediate as he was greeted by one of hundreds of people on Saturday’s line being fed … Continue reading
Members of the Occupy Wall Street movement protested outside the 74th Street-Broadway/Roosevelt Avenue Subway station in Jackson Heights on Nov. 17. The crowd of about 50 people spoke out in favor of the movement before heading to downtown Manhattan. “I’m standing here in solidarity with these people,” said Karina Claudio. The Brooklyn native said she is a part of the movement because the “economic system of the U.S. is not beneficial to the people.” A Jackson Heights resident, who gave the … Continue reading
A 74-year-old man from Rockaway, a 31-year-old woman from Maspeth, students, mothers, career activists and more than 100 others were opening their hands above their heads and waggling their fingers Friday night. It was their way of participating in direct democracy. Occupy Queens had its second ever meeting on Nov. 18 at the Jewish Center of Jackson Heights, where a wide range of people gathered. Some came to satisfy their curiosity about the Occupy movement while others came intent on changing … Continue reading
Bob Turner, Queens’ newest congressman, has been in office two months, and in that time he’s come down firmly in support of a balanced budget amendment and New York’s in-house handling of some counter terrorism. But when it comes to more contentious negotiations, Turner is leaving himself plenty of wiggle room. Congressman Turner (R-Queens) spoke to The Forum Monday as part of a round of interviews he did with local media. On the day the Congressional “super committee” sent the message … Continue reading
As we approach yet another holiday season, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, even defeated. It’s hard to see a way to get everything cleaned, prepared, purchased, wrapped, cooked, basted, hung or made on time, especially in an economy like this one. Makes it pretty hard to get excited about the “fun” season of rushing around slated for December. While it may once have been a fairly peaceful, slightly larger than average family meal, Thanksgiving seems to have become the starting … Continue reading
A new Jobs Express web site was recently launched to give New Yorkers an edge in their search for employment, announced Senator Joe Addabbo (D-Queens). The site aggregates thousands of job postings throughout the state and sorts them by region, to make it easier for job seekers to find suitable, permanent employment. The Jobs Express web site features easy-to-use drop-down menus, videos that offer advice to job seekers and an electronic job-matching tool known as “Skills Matching and Referral Technology” … Continue reading
If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. That is the message the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association (WRBA) is sending when it comes to their most recent push to turn the historic Forest Park Carousel into a landmark. Looking to gather support from local groups, WRBA announced last week the formation of a landmarking committee dedicated to preserving the carousel — a goal that has been nearly two decades in the making, according to block association members. At last … Continue reading
Four people were injured on Saturday morning at 5 a.m. when a drunken driver hit a truck on the Long Island Expressway, as reported by the Daily News. Police said John Gillete, 37, was driving a 1998 Jeep Wrangler with four passengers on 48th St. in Maspeth when he swerved in front of a truck, sideswiped the passenger side of the vehicle and slammed into a divider. All five people in the Jeep were taken to the hospital where Gilette … Continue reading
Three men were videoed attacking a man on Nov. 8 around 2 a.m. on the L Train at the Myrtle/Wycoff station in Ridgewood, police said. NYPD officials released a video that shows an argu- ment between two men until the victim pushes the other man’s face away from his. At that point another man enters the frame and punches the victim in the head. The tape shows the original aggressor and another man join in with beating and kicking the … Continue reading
Middle Village got an education in being green and saving cash while saving energy at a “Green Town Hall” sponsored by Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley Wednesday night at P.S. 49, according to a statement from her office. New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) sent a representative to teach Queens residents about rebates and incentives they can cash in on by using solar energy. NYSERDA also offered free energy audits for homeowners, saying 57 percent of a household’s energy … Continue reading
Police are urging residents to stay safe from theft in this holiday season, saying there’s still a large amount of preventable theft happening in Ridgewood, Glendale, Middle Village and Maspeth. At the COP 104 meeting last week at Maspeth Town Hall, Captain Michael Cody, the 104th’s commanding officer, said that grand larceny is up by 28 percent this year to date and that there have been 481 reports this year compared to 375 last year. Cody asked residents to be … Continue reading
While the popular motto of “it’s worth the trip” might be true for Dunkin’ Donuts customers, two Romanian national’s will be serving up to three years in prison for their trips to an ATM machine at a Chase Bank in Queens. According to the office of Queens District Attorney Richard Brown, the defendants, Daniel Gheorghe and Ionel Cristian Popa, both in the United States on journalism visas, were each sentenced for stealing more than $17,700 from the Chase branch in … Continue reading
For residents who live on 92nd Street in Woodhaven, enough is enough. Several residents who live on the street next to M.S. 210 Elizabeth Blackwell School told the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association last week that they were fed up with what they claim have been numerous instances of several school youths damaging private property on their block. Residents who spoke with The Forum after the meeting said that for years, they have experienced problems with different groups of rowdy youths … Continue reading
Community activist and president of the Queens Civic Congress, Patricia Dolan, died Tuesday night after a car struck her while she crossed Hillside Avenue near 198th Street in Hollis at 7:35 p.m. Police said Dolan, 72, was hit by a 1998 Nissan driven by a 51-year-old woman while on her way to a neighborhood meeting. She was rushed to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center where she was pronounced dead on arrival. An investigation is pending, but there does not appear to … Continue reading
The man wanted in connection with a hit-and-run accident that killed a Maspeth bar owner was arrested by a U.S Marshals Regional Fugitive Task Force Tuesday in Connecticut. Peter Rodriguez, 36 of Brooklyn, had been on the run from police for exactly one month after allegedly causing a head-on collision near 58th Street that killed George Gibbons, 37. He was arraigned yesterday morning in Queens Criminal Court and charged with second-degree manslaughter, second- and third-degree assault, criminally negligent homicide and … Continue reading