Howard Beach was rocked by tragedy when Salvatore Polizzi, an eighth grade student at M.S 207 was killed while on a holiday getaway with his dad for the Memorial Day weekend in Pennsylvania. The fatal accident involved a dirt bike.
The 13-year-old is the son of Lysa King, former manager at Carosello Restaurant, now managing Bruno’s Ristorante, and Sal Polizzi, the owner of Trackside Auto Repair and Collision.
VFW Bernard J. Coleman Post No. 2565 honored Commander Patrick G. Connolly
for his service to country and the United States Marine Corps, and was named the Howard Beach parade Grand Marshal. A crowd packed Coleman Square, for the annual event organized by Connolly.
Residents of Woodhaven and Richmond Hill protested outside of Engine 294 against Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s plan to close 20 fire companies, including the one based in Woodhaven. It was revealed that 20 companies would be on the chopping block in the $68.7 billion executive budget for the 2013 fiscal year. (Photo 3)
The NYPD and Queens DA arrested 45 people connected to two notorious gangs that made over $15,000 a week slinging drugs on the streets of southeast Queens.
Twenty-six members of two gangs and 19 customers were slapped with weapons charges and drug charges for dealing coke, heroin and marijuana. . (Photo 4)
Firefighters discovered the badly burned body of a man when responding to a brush fire in Forest Park. Police opened an investigation to determine how the man died and why the body was involved in the grisly incident.
Engine 305, a firehouse on Queens Boulevard, has been nominated for landmark status by the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). The building that houses New York’s bravest in Forest Hills could be added to the list of New York City landmarks if it gets the approval of a city agency and the City Council. The facility was built between 1922 and 1924, and was intended to serve the population boom of the neighborhood during that time.
Massive cuts were proposed to the Queens Library when Mayor Michael Bloomberg released his executive budget. it contained a proposed $26.7 million cut to the Queens Library— a 31 percent reduction from last year’s budget.
The cuts would change the face of the library system as the public knows it. Eighteen libraries would be shut down completely; 600 jobs would be cut; 30 libraries would be open only four or five days a week; only the Jamaica branch would be open on Saturday; and no libraries would be open on Sunday.
City’s teachers union and principals union are suing to stall the turnaround plan that was approved to close 24 schools citywide and seven in Queens. On May 7, the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) and Council of School Supervisors and Administrators (CSA) went to New York Supreme Court seeking a temporary restraining order and injunction that would send the issue to arbitration.
The Archives at the Queens Library celebrated its 100th birthday. Since it started in 1912, the Archives has taken on the task of preserving documents, books, photos and maps from the history and environment of Queens, along with Brooklyn and Nassau and Suffolk Counties on Long Island.
The Archives collection includes about 36,000 books, 2,500 cubic feet of manuscripts, which date back to the 17th century, 4,500 maps and broad slides and 105,000 photographs. Among the photos it has are depictions of the blizzard of 1888 and tornadoes of 2010. It also has subscriptions to 49 journals and 28 newspapers.
Richmond Hill South Civic Association reached its lofty $1 million goal for collecting manufacturer’s coupons to help enlisted men and women in the armed forces to pay their grocery bills at commissaries.
