The following op-ed piece was submitted to The Forum by Alex Blenkinsopp of the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association.

Transportation in southern Queens must be improved. The question is whether the Select Bus Service plan for Woodhaven and Cross Bay boulevards is the right approach. The answer is clear: This plan is foolish, expensive, dangerous, and absolutely wrong for the Boulevard.

That’s why multiple local organizations are hosting a rally this Saturday, Aug. 6, to fight the plan. The rally will be held at noon at the intersection of Woodhaven Boulevard and Jamaica Avenue, at the southeast corner (outside the bank), rain or shine. We hope to see you there.

It’s also why there’s a petition against this plan, which you can sign online at WWW.SAVEOURSTREETS.NYC or by calling (718) 296-3735.

Consider what the SBS plan will do:

First, it will eliminate two lanes of traffic 24/7, allowing only buses to use them. This means the same amount of traffic, squeezed into fewer lanes. It also means tickets for drivers who enter the bus lanes. It promises more congestion.

Second, this plan will move major bus stops off of sidewalks and onto medians. Bus riders will wait on islands with traffic passing by on both sides. Someone running to catch a bus at a median stop will now need to cross traffic, which is dangerous. In the winter, the snow is not currently cleared for pedestrians who rely on these islands for safety, so why should we expect them to be clear when bus riders are waiting there?

Third, this plan will prohibit left turns onto cross streets like Union Turnpike, Rockaway Boulevard, Penelope Avenue, and 101st Avenue. This will hurt nearby businesses. It will also divert drivers down side streets, increasing traffic on residential roads. This will be dangerous to families and detrimental to quality of life, especially because many vehicles diverted down residential streets will be delivery trucks.

Fourth, this will likely reduce parking. The Department of Transportation and MTA, which are guiding this plan, have been evasive about the parking impact. But consider Hoffman Drive by the Queens Center Mall, where the design plans erase more than a dozen parking spots.

Fifth, the proposal will cut half a dozen bus stops from the Q52/Q53 routes. DOT has been unclear about the proposal’s pricetag. DOT initially said a whopping $200 million. Then DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg reportedly testified that it was $400 million. Amid uproar, DOT backpedaled. We taxpayers can’t know how high the cost will climb.

DOT and the de Blasio administration are shoving this plan down our throats. They claim to want community feedback, but they ignored input from residents and local organizations; “feedback sessions” were really just attempts to sell their proposal. DOT fails to provide requested data or to reply to correspondence.

DOT also refuses to examine alternatives to the SBS plan, like running bus service along the inactive Rockaway Branch train tracks. And it won’t try easier solutions first—like extra-long “articulated” buses, off-board fare payment, synchronizing traffic lights, running more buses, a high-occupancy vehicle lane, or better enforcement of traffic laws.

DOT’s track record in our community is dreadful. They’ve taken four years to install a speed bump in Woodhaven. DOT causes traffic jams outside a local school by denying parking to school buses transporting special-needs children. DOT persistently failed to fix its broken lights in Forest Park, even when there was a serial rapist prowling the park. I can go on and on.

We don’t trust DOT, and we doubt their competence. It’s time to scrap this foolish plan and go back to the drawing board, this time with true community input. Until then, we’ll continue to fight.

Blenkinsopp is the director of Communications for the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association.

By Michael V. Cusenza

Crews last week installed long-delayed security cameras around Forest Park, three years after a prolific sexual predator – who remains at large – terrorized the borough green space.

Fourteen high-tech surveillance cameras owned and operated by the City Police Department were posted in several spots on the perimeter of the 544-acre park, including at the intersection of Forest Parkway and Park Lane South; the Carousel; and Woodhaven Boulevard and Park Lane South.

State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) and Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven) secured $250,000 for the equipment in 2013. That same year, detectives released a sketch of the attacker, who they said has struck half a dozen times from March 2011 to August 2013 during daylight hours inside the expansive flagship green space. His last known assault occurred on Aug. 26, 2013, when he used a stun gun to subdue and rape a 69-year-old woman near Myrtle Avenue and Forest Park Road.

The painfully slow wheels of bureaucratic procedure over the past three years only served to heighten the anxiety of park patrons and area residents. Still, many members of the community last week were thrilled at the sight of the new security measures.

“It was terrific finally to see the cameras being installed after years of waiting,” said Alex Blenkinsopp, director of Communications for the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association. “I had to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating!

“Sometimes patience and persistence are rewarded,” he continued. “That was the case here, and now we’ll have a safer park. Thanks to Assemblyman Miller and Senator Addabbo for funding the cameras. And special thanks to Assemblyman Miller for staying on this for so long.”

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Michael V. Cusenza

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, conservative voice of the Nine and proud son of Queens, died last Saturday morning of natural causes while on vacation in Texas. He was 79.

Scalia served on the country’s highest court for 29 years.

“We mourn tonight for the loss of Justice Antonin Scalia,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Saturday. “He grew up in Queens, went to school in Manhattan and became the country’s first Italian American Supreme Court Justice. He was proud to be a New Yorker, and New Yorkers were proud to have one of their own serve as a Supreme Court Justice. The First Lady and I send our thoughts and prayers to his wife, children and other family members.”

Calling it a “mark of respect” for Scalia’s life and legacy, de Blasio ordered all flags lowered immediately until sunset on Feb. 22.

“This is sad news indeed,” said U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.). “While I disagreed with him on so many issues, Justice Scalia was a brilliant man with a probing mind. He was a great son of Queens with a genuine joy for life.”

Antonin “Nino” Scalia was born March 11, 1936 in Trenton, N.J., to Eugene and Catherine. The Scalias moved to Elmhurst, settling on O’Connell Court, when he was about 6 years old.

“A really mishmash sort of New York—a New York cosmopolitan neighborhood,” is how Scalia described his Queens community in 2008, according to a recent New York Times report

Many SCOTUS pundits have posited that Scalia’s City upbringing informed his somewhat brash, no-nonsense style on the bench.

Scalia graduated from St. Francis Xavier military prep school in Manhattan, and subsequently earned a degree in history at Georgetown University.

“Scalia was a giant in the history of the law, a brilliant jurist whose opinions and scholarship profoundly transformed the law,” said Georgetown Law School Dean William Treanor. “Like countless academics, I learned a great deal from his opinions and his scholarship. In the history of the Court, few Justices have had such influence on the way in which the law is understood. On a personal level, I am deeply grateful for his remarkably generous involvement with our community, including his frequent appearances in classes and his memorable lecture to our first year students this past November.”

According to the Supreme Court, Scalia went on to receive his LL. B from Harvard Law School, and was a Sheldon Fellow of Harvard University from 1960–1961. He was in private practice in Cleveland, Ohio from 1961–1967; a professor of law at the University of Virginia from 1967–1971; a professor of law at the University of Chicago from 1977–1982; and a visiting professor of law at Georgetown University and Stanford University.

Scalia was appointed Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in 1982. President Ronald Reagan nominated him as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, and he took his seat Sept. 26, 1986.

Scalia is survived by his wife, Maureen (McCarthy), their nine children, and 36 grandchildren.

By Michael V. Cusenza

A Queens doctor’s midnight run to his native Guyana, purportedly to avoid imminent arrest and prosecution for allegedly selling hundreds of thousands of highly addictive pain pills, was foiled last Sunday when federal agents acting on a tip ordered the flight to return to its terminal at John F. Kennedy International Airport, according to authorities and published reports.

Dr. Noel Blackman, 68, who lives in Far Rockaway but has medical offices in Elmhurst, Brooklyn, and on Long Island, has been charged with conspiracy to distribute oxycodone. Considered a flight risk, he was ordered held by a U.S. Magistrate judge.

Investigators allegedly found $30,000 in Blackman’s luggage after pulling him off the aircraft.

Drug Enforcement Administration records indicate that Blackman wrote 114 prescriptions in 2014 for 3,800 oxycodone pills. However, last year the same statistics skyrocketed: he issued nearly 2,500 prescriptions for about 365,000 pills in 2015.

“This volume of patients is consistent with a doctor’s participation in a conspiracy to illegally distribute oxycodone and not with a legitimate pain management practice,” a federal agent told Newsday.

Blackman is a former minister of Health for Guyana. He’s also chairman of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation Board of Directors.

Earlier this month, President Obama proposed $1.1 billion in new funding to address the prescription opioid abuse and heroin use epidemic. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that opioids—a class of drugs that include prescription pain medications and heroin—were involved in 28,648 deaths in 2014. And between 2002 and 2013, the number of heroin-related deaths in America nearly quadrupled.

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Alan Krawitz

The borough’s first medical marijuana dispensary opened its doors last Friday in Elmhurst to little fanfare but with high hopes of improving the quality of life for those suffering from serious chronic conditions such as HIV/AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease.

Medical marijuana officially became legal in New York on Jan. 7 of this year.

The Elmhurst dispensary, operated by Vireo Health of New York, is located at 89-55 Queens Blvd. and is the second such establishment to open in the city. Vireo is one of five companies to be awarded a license to manufacture and provide pharmaceutical-grade cannabis-based medications in the state. Bloomfield Industries runs the city’s only medical marijuana production facility in Long Island City.

Asked about opening day, Dr. Stephen Dahmer, Vireo’s chief medical officer, said that while it went well, he “wished there were more patients.”

But, he believes that will change with time and further investigational studies of the applications of medical marijuana.

“There is a growing body of evidence that says that cannabis can relieve certain conditions and help alleviate symptoms,” Dahmer said.

Ari Hoffnung, CEO of Vireo Health, told Time Warner Cable News NY1 that “Over 200 physicians have taken four hours of their time to learn about medical cannabis and to become certified by the state so that they can recommend medical cannabis to their patients.”

Under the program, doctors must be certified to prescribe the medications, and patients must have a recognized, severe condition to be eligible.

According to the State Department of Health, as of this week, 292 physicians have registered for the NYS Medical Marijuana Program and 409 patients have been certified by their doctors as having eligible conditions.

While Dahmer acknowledged the fear of people obtaining prescriptions illegitimately, he said they should be allayed by the tight regulations and monitoring that characterize New York’s program.

“Some patients want to try cannabis for their conditions,” Dahmer added, “but are nervous about buying on the street for fear of what it may contain, how it was grown, or otherwise processed, etcetera.”

The Medical Marijuana Program, Dahmer noted, ensures that patients are getting pharmaceutical-grade cannabis-based medications produced under strict guidelines.

State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) said that he voted in favor of medical marijuana In 2014, after “much consideration,” because he believes in the benefits it can bring to people truly suffering from a specific chronic medical condition that few other prescriptions can help ease.

He also added that the Elmhurst dispensary would give more local, convenient access to seriously ill patients.

However, Addabbo also said that the site would need to be closely watched to prevent possible abuses.

“It is critical that this facility is well regulated and held to the highest level of accountability in order to ensure that the Medical Marijuana Program is a success rather than a disaster,” he said. “There are many risks involved in running a facility and a program of this nature, and the only way it can work properly and legally is to make sure that it is monitored and done responsibly.”

Dahmer echoed Addabbo’s sentiment.

“Anytime you deal with controlled substances, there is potential for abuses,” he said.

Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Howard Beach), who also voted in favor of medical marijuana, said, “We will be watching the location, to make sure they’re following every rule.

“We don’t want New York’s program to turn into California’s,” he later added, referring to the Golden State’s loosely regulated medicinal cannabis initiative.

By Michael V. Cusenza

A City police officer is being hailed a Holiday hero with a heart after his efforts saved a distraught man who attempted to jump from a balcony at the Queens Center Mall last week.

Officer Christian Campoverde, who works out of the 40^th Precinct in the Bronx, was actually off-duty and shopping with his family at the Elmhurst mall when he heard the man mumbling that he wanted to kill himself as he pushed his way up the escalator. Sensing something was not right, Campoverde began to follow the man, but did not catch up to him until he had one leg over the balcony railing.

Queens Center Mall. Photo Courtesy of macaulay.cuny.edu

As he reached the balcony area, Campoverde said that he immediately grabbed the man’s waistband and began to speak with him about why he wanted to end his life. As the two began to connect conversationally, Campoverde asked “Is it OK if I give you a hug, do you want a hug?” As the man replied yes, the officer was able to bring him to safety where he was taken by EMS for evaluation.

“I just saw somebody who needed help,” said Campoverde, who just completed the NYPD’s Crisis Intervention Team training the week prior to the incident.

According to the NYPD, CIT training uses mental health consumers, professionals and police officials to train officers on how to recognize signs of mental illness, respond to such calls and empathize with someone in the throes of a crisis. Earlier this summer the NYPD launched a four-day program that will be incorporated into standard training and issued a requirement that officers take annual refresher courses, officials said. Though the department already has a small, highly-trained unit of officers for mental health cases, the training is meant to give more cops a better chance at deescalating crisis situations.

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Michael V. Cusenza

Four Queens elected officials last week delivered emphatic endorsements of a three-day music and technology festival that heavyweight promoters hope to hold next summer in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

U.S. Rep. Joe Crowley (D-Queens and Bronx) and City Councilmembers Julissa Ferreras-Copeland (D-East Elmhurst), Peter Koo (D-Flushing), and Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills) threw their support behind the Panorama Music Festival last Wednesday in a release issued by Goldenvoice, a division of the Anschutz Entertainment Group, one of five promoters vying for permits from the City to produce the massive event.

“The Panorama Music Festival will provide a fantastic opportunity for Queens to take its rightful place as a New York City showcase,” Crowley said. “I am excited to help bring a world-class music, technology, food and art festival to Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.”

Panorama will present three days of “top-tier musical performances, dynamic art installations, and unique technology experiences honoring the park’s history as the site of the innovative and historic 1939 and 1964 World’s Fairs,” according to Goldenvoice.

The promoter also said it has outlined a plan for how Panorama “will enrich the borough beyond the event itself. Panorama will provide a donation per paid ticket to the newly formed Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Alliance, which will be used to assist in their endeavors. Goldenvoice has committed to local hiring for jobs associated with the festival and Panorama will further support area businesses by working with local restaurants and food trucks inside the event to showcase the diverse and exceptional cuisines in Queens.”

Ferreras-Copeland called Goldenvoice “a model partner for a festival in our community. They have been engaging the community for the last two years. Panorama’s producers listened to the community concerns and adjusted their application to reflect the community’s desires.”

However, plans to rent out the expansive park for such events have been a source of contention in Queens.

“While public events of any scale that enhance our borough are encouraged, I take issue when it is at the expense of cutting off public access to our treasured parks like Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, which is enjoyed by thousands of families and residents every week in the summer months,” said Queens Borough President Melinda Katz.

Goldenvoice, which has been under the AEG umbrella since 2001, produces the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, consistently among the most in-demand concert tickets in the world. Additionally, according to a 2012 economic impact study featured in Spin magazine, Coachella brought $254.4 million to the desert region that year.

The City Parks Department has confirmed that it has received permit applications from several organizations interested in producing festivals in FMCP, but has not indicated when a final decision will be made.

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

Jaime Lozano, 58, pleaded guilty on Monday to two counts of promoting a sexual performance by a child.

According to the criminal complaint, on April 18, 2014, Department of Homeland Security agents executed a search warrant at Lozano’s home. A forensic preview of his Dell desktop computer found several videos of young girls engaged in sex acts. Further forensic examinations of the hard drive uncovered 316 videos and 2,665 still images of children as young as 2 being sexually assaulted, Brown said. Lozano has been sharing these images on eMule, a peer-to-peer network, for more than a year prior to his arrest in April 2014. Before his arrest, Brown indicated that Lozano was working as an architect.

Queens Supreme Court Justice Richard Buchter indicated that he will sentence Lozano to consecutive two to four-year terms on July 7. As part of his plea, Brown said, Lozano has waived his right to appeal and will forfeit all electronic media confiscated during the investigation. Lozano will also have to register as a sex offender.

“These images are—for all intents and purposes—crime scenes and the abuse the children endured is very real and will be with them forever,” Brown said. “This case should serve as a clear and unmistakable warning that law enforcement is prepared to apprehend and prosecute those who attempt to engage in illicit activity involving children.”

Simon Property Group has reportedly made a bid for Macerich, the company which operates both Queens Center (above) and the Shops at Atlas Park. Photo Courtesy of Yelp.

Despite the fact that large-scale shopping malls have generally struggled to find customers in recent years, two major Queens retail destinations—the Queens Center Mall in Elmhurst and The Shops at Atlas Park in Glendale; both Macerich Company-owned properties—have maintained a steady rate of progress.

The retail successes have not gone unnoticed.

The Simon Property Group, widely recognized as the top mall owner/operator in the country, with annual retail sales topping $60 billion, last week made an unsolicited, or “hostile” bid, to acquire Macerich for $91.00 per share in cash and stock—about $16 billion. As part of the deal, Simon would also assume $6.4 billion of Macerich’s debt.

In a statement, Macerich Chief Executive Officer Arthur Coppola indicated that the board had rejected Simon’s offer, characterizing it as an “unsolicited, conditional proposal [that] substantially undervalues Macerich and is not in the best interests of Macerich and its stockholders.”

Simon CEO David Simon called the declination “truly disappointing,” in part because Macerich representatives “would not even meet to discuss our proposal.”

In New York, Simon operates Roosevelt Field in Nassau County, Walt Whitman Shops on Long Island and Woodbury Common Premium Outlets in Central Valley.

Macerich also owns the Green Acres Mall in Valley Stream, Kings Plaza Shopping Center in Brooklyn and the Cross County Mall in Yonkers.

Retail analysts have regarded the Simon bid as a way to further expand the company’s national footprint and lure more shoppers to higher-end, lucrative destinations, known in the industry as “Class A” properties, such as Queens Center, one of the most densely populated and highly profitable shopping malls in the country; and Atlas Park.

In a recent letter to Coppola, David Simon sought to outline why the bid would be a win-win for both companies.

“We believe Simon’s cash and stock offer would bring compelling value to shareholders of both companies. Macerich shareholders would receive a significant current cash premium as well as the long-term upside potential of an investment in Simon, which is widely recognized for its high-quality portfolio and industry-leading operating performance,” Simon said.

He added that the group has “consistently delivered outstanding returns to its shareholders and for a decade has outperformed Macerich in virtually every key operating and financial category… We are confident our proposed transaction provides a highly attractive value proposition to Macerich shareholders.”

In addition, Simon, which already owns a 3.6-percent stake in Macerich, said that, as part of the deal, it would also sell “selected Macerich assets” to General Growth Properties, another mall operator. Insiders have speculated that Simon would sell its small stake to avoid possible anti-trust questions that could arise from the bid.

“Simon’s appetite for more Class A malls speaks volumes to the asset class,” D. J. Busch, a senior analyst with Green Street Advisors, told The New York Times. “Simon’s menu of options to allocate its capital are vast. They have opportunities in Europe and Asia. For them to put their weight behind A malls in the U.S. is an indication of where they believe the growth is.”

By Alan Krawitz and Michael V. Cusenza

Luis Paguay, 47, was arraigned on a criminal complaint charging him with second-degree murder, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon and tampering with evidence. Some time between the night of Dec. 3 and just before 6 p.m. on Dec. 4, according to the complaint, Paguay stabbed his wife, Maria, 39, multiple times in the neck and chest with a large kitchen knife inside their 50^th Avenue apartment.

Following the murder, Paguay allegedly wrote a note in his wife’s name, claiming that her death was a suicide. He then went to work at his job at a restaurant in Whitestone, where surveillance footage shows what appears to be Paguay washing his blood-stained shoes in a sink.

Maria Paguay’s body was discovered around 6 p.m. on Dec. 4 by her 19-year-old son who had just come home from school.

Brown called the case “a devastating example of the horrors of domestic abuse.”

If convicted, Paguay faces up to 25 years to life in prison.

State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr., a Democrat, has represented District 15 since 2009. Photo by Michael V. Cusenza

With the midterm elections less than a week away, state Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) is hoping that he can turn his three-term run in the 15^th District into an even four.

Addabbo, 50, who served seven years on the City Council before being elected to the Senate in 2008, has the decided advantage of name recognition over his relatively unknown GOP challenger, Rego Park resident Michael Conigliaro, who was urged to run against Addabbo by City Councilman Eric Ulrich’s (R-Ozone Park) chief of staff.

Conigliaro noted recently at a public forum that if he hadn’t decided to run against Addabbo, then Addabbo would have been running unopposed; a concept that Conigliaro said ran counter to his belief that elections should always have an incumbent and a challenger.

During his three terms in office, Addabbo said he has consistently “been there” for his constituents when it comes to working towards reducing income taxes for the middle class, providing property-tax rebates for homeowners and renters, and passing tax incentives for small businesses to expand their workforce by hiring veterans, seniors and youth.

Addabbo also talked about helping residents and businesses during some of the borough’s darkest days—the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.

“I was there for my constituents immediately after Superstorm Sandy, and I have continually advocated for the storm victims, [and] worked with FEMA, Rapid Repair and Build It Back to ensure residents get the services they need,” said Addabbo, who resides in Tudor Village in Ozone Park with his wife and two daughters. “That is something that will never change—I will always fight for Sandy victims until we are 100 percent whole.”

While Addabbo and his opponent may not see eye to eye on many issues, they do have some positions in common. For example, both the senator and Conigliaro, who manages a law office in Floral Park, agree that the state’s Common Core curriculum is in need of revamping; and both men also oppose the controversial homeless shelter proposed for Cooper Avenue in Glendale.

But when it comes to gay marriage, the two men are not on the same page. Conigliaro has said he opposes marriage equality, while Addabbo has most recently, in 2011, voted for same-sex marriage legislation, despite initially voting against similar legislation in 2009.

“I was there for my constituents during the state budget that cut wasteful spending and made our government more efficient and responsive to the people,” Addabbo added.

As far as other contentious issues, such as hydrofracking, the senator has said that “I have stood against the process of hydraulic fracturing since it was brought to my attention in 2009, and remain opposed to this practice for the detrimental effects are great and numerous in such states as Pennsylvania, which had adopted hydraulic fracturing operations several years prior.”

To that end, Addabbo cosponsored legislation to suspend fracking for the extraction of natural gas or oil, and prohibited the issuance of new permits for the drilling of a well utilizing the practice of fracking.

Additionally, the senator has said he has helped his constituents in working towards improved public transportation, including advocating for a permanent Rockaway ferry and working to find a solution to traffic problems on Woodhaven and Cross Bay boulevards.

Addabbo noted that he has shown his willingness to get involved in issues great and small across the 15^th District, which includes—in whole or in part—Broad Channel, Elmhurst, Forest Hills, Glendale, Hamilton Beach, Howard Beach, Kew Gardens, Kew Gardens Hills, Maspeth, Middle Village, Ozone Park, Rego Park, Richmond Hill, Ridgewood, South Ozone Park, Woodhaven, Woodside and the Rockaways. For example, next month, he is bringing the Mobile Care Clinic to several locations in the district to provide women with low-cost and free mammograms and breast exams.

“With the support of my district, it would be a continued honor to serve them as a full time senator and be there whenever needed,” Addabbo said.

By Alan Krawitz

The suspect was identified on a police video taken at the
scene. Photo courtesy of NYPD

Police this week were still searching for a man they say sexually assaulted two women inside Queens Center Mall last Thursday. Cops said that around 3 p.m. the suspect approached a 25-year-old female employee of a clothing store inside the Elmhurst mall, placed his hand along her legs and grabbed her genital area over her clothing. He then fled the scene, but approximately five minutes later, he approached a 34-year-old female from behind, put his arms around her waist and began rubbing his groin area on her buttocks, over the clothing. The suspect, who was captured on mall security camera footage, is described as a 30- to 35-year old Hispanic man with dark hair, approximately 6-foot-1, 200 to 230 pounds. At the time of the incidents he was wearing a blue varsity jacket with red sleeves, black sunglasses, dark jeans, white sneakers, a black baseball hat, a white scarf while carrying a briefcase. Anyone with information in regards to these incidents is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477). The public can also submit tips by logging onto nypdcrimestoppers.com or by texting 274637 (CRIMES) and entering TIP577. In the 110th Precinct, which covers Corona and Elmhurst, reported rapes and felony assaults are both down 10 percent from last year, according to the latest CompStat numbers.

The suspect was identified on a police video taken at the scene. Photo courtesy of NYPD

By Michael Cusenza

A nomination. Ice water. A bucket. Pat Quinn.

In 2012, 29-year-old former Boston College Eagles baseball team captain Pete Frates was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Just a year later, Howard Beach resident Pat Quinn was also diagnosed.

After his diagnosis, he sought support from Frates. What has arisen from the union of the two men, their disease and their cause, is a social media sensation sweeping the nation.

The challenge has been used before —but Quinn’s idea to introduce it to the ALS fundraising arena has resulted in staggering increases to ALS-related causes and research.

For the same time period in 2013,  late July through early August, donations were recorded around $25,000.  For the same time period this year, the figure has gone wailing past $2 million.

The videos first birthed in the Boston College and New York communities are drawing “viral” audiences across the nation.

The 31-year-old said he did not know much about ALS when he learned of his diagnosis in March 2013, which led him to read up his dismal prognosis.

The odds were against him, but with the support of family, friends and his incredibly strong wife, Jenn, Quinn said he decided early on that he would do all he could to battle this disease. He said he decided putting the Ice Bucket Challenge to good use was a start. The rest is Facebook history.

“In the beginning, I had to force all of my friends to do it. My goal was just to get the word out – to raise ALS awareness and money,” said Quinn. “I wanted to make a change.”

To say he has achieved his goal is an understatement. The movement has since turned into the same kinds of videos recorded over and over of people getting drenched in freezing cold water showing up on Facebook newsfeeds across the globe.

With close ties to Rockaway residents through Iona College, the challenge began to flood the pages of Rockaway, Breezy and Broad Channel Facebookers first. From there, it has gone up and down the east coast, across the country, and internationally.

“From celebrities to athletes, it’s mind-blowing how big this has gotten,” Quinn said.  “I got a message from a woman in Canada with an article from a French newspaper. The only thing I understood on the whole page was my name!”

Quinn tried to put a number on the amount of people who have taken the challenge, but said it has been impossible to keep track.

For Quinn, life has not been easy. Every day gets tougher. He said he hopes the disease progresses slower than expected as his arms and legs have gotten weaker.

“Nothing has changed in ALS research since Lou Gehrig’s farewell speech 75 years ago,” Quinn said. “There is only one drug that has been found to help patients with ALS.”

The drug he was referring to is known as Rilutek, which is not a cure, and is said to increase life expectancy for only three to nine months. ALS has no cure and life expectancy is two to five years, according to statistics.

So why haven’t things changed?

Unlike cancer, the number of people who get ALS each year is in the thousands instead of the millions. And since life expectancy is so short, medical professionals do not have much time to make an impact in the fight for a cure, Quinn said.

“You can’t compare two diseases,” said Quinn. “But when the population who get a disease is small and life expectancy is so short, we have less of a voice.”

The silver lining, Quinn said, was the challenge’s popularity helping to draw much more attention to the condition. But while Facebook has been blowing up, some have criticized the campaign’s effectiveness, questioning peoples’ intentions and debating whether or not pouring water over one’s head is helping the cause.

Quinn was quick to rebut.

“Without a doubt the challenge has brought a new sense of awareness. It doesn’t matter why people are doing it. People were not talking about ALS before and now they are,” he said. “That’s the first step. Next comes the money, which means more research.”

As for the affect the Internet phenomenon has had on ALS patients, Quinn said the ALS community has always been closely knit and this made it even stronger.

“So many people have reached out to me, thanking me and sharing stories of how this has inspired them and given them a sense of hope,” he said.

And the numbers have not lied. Bill Toet, Chairman of the ALS Association said his group has received $2.3 million in donations from July 29 to August 12, compared to $25,000 over the same period last year.

For Quinn, the success of the Ice Bucket Challenge has been so much more than he ever expected and has given him the drive to stay focused on the fight.

“Sometimes, it is easy to question why certain things happen to you, but I believe this hand has been dealt to me for a reason and I’m not giving up,” he said.

By Jamie Pisani

Members of the 102nd Precinct Community Council join with Deputy Inspector Henry Sautner for the National Night Out festivities.
Photo by Phil Corso.

There were parties all over the city Tuesday night and southern Queens came out in big numbers to support the police precincts that patrol the region.

106th Precinct Deputy Inspector Jeffrey Schiff receives a proclamation from Mayor Bill de Blasio’s office at the southern Queens precinct’s National Night Out.
Photo by Phil Corso

The city Police Department hosted its annual National Night Out Against Crime this week with well-attended festivities planned in countless precincts throughout all five boroughs. Central and southern Queens precincts, including the 102^nd, 104^th, 106^th and 112^th, were no exception.

The 102^nd Precinct, which oversees communities like Kew Gardens, Richmond Hill and Woodhaven, kicked off its annual event at the Buddy Memorial Monument, located at Park Lane South and Myrtle Avenue around 6 p.m. Tuesday night. Elected officials made their rounds and shook hands with precinct leaders and Community Council members while enjoying free food and music.

“The important thing is to see a lot of positive energy in the community,” said Maksud Khan, a resident who lives minutes away from the Buddy Memorial Monument in southern Queens. “Everybody here is smiling.”

Latchman Budhai, president of the 102^nd Community Council, introduced Deputy Inspector Henry Sautner as well as several borough elected officials, including U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing), state Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven), state Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz (D-Flushing), city Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills) and more.

“When the deputy inspector is here, everything is good,” Budhai said of Sautner. “He does a great job for our community.”

The 104^th Precinct, which serves central Queens communities like Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village and Ridgewood, hosted its event at Mafera Park and offered plenty of attractions for children. There was even a water slide, regular slide, bounce houses, balloon animals and a dunk tank.

The central Queens 104th Precinct offers up plenty of fun for the whole family with inflatable rides serving as only one attraction at its National Night Out Against Crime on Tuesday. Photo by Michael Florio

The precinct supplied free hot dogs and hamburgers to all in attendance as well as a DJ and dancing. The Ridgewood YMCA, located at 69-02 64^th Street, provided free aerobics, led by one of their instructors, for all those willing to participate.

“Tonight is about everyone getting an opportunity to meet the police officers,” said Mario Matos, President of the 104’s Community Council. “They get to learn what is going on in the precinct, share their stories and more importantly learn how to stay safe.”

The 106^th Precinct of Howard Beach and other southern Queens communities kicked off its own event at Police officer Edward Byrne Park, located at the intersection of North Conduit Avenue and 134^th Street in South Ozone Park Tuesday evening. There, Deputy Inspector Jeffrey Schiff shook hands with residents and elected officials while doling out awards to members of the community.

Vincent Vella also received a community service award for his decades of activism and involvement in the Howard Beach and Ozone Park communities, the 106^th Precinct said.

The 112^th Precinct, which serves Forest Hills and its surrounding central Queens communities, was said to have had one of the biggest turnouts throughout the entire borough, Borough President Melinda Katz said. There, elected officials took up the daunting tasks of easing community tension after last month’s tragic death of Staten Island resident Eric Garner during a controversial arrest.

112th Precinct Community Council President Heidi Chain emcees part of her National Night Out festivities in Forest Hills alongside Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.
Photo by Joseph Randazzao.

Executive Assistant District Attorney Jesse J. Sligh. Sligh vocalized the importance of cooperation between the community and NYPD to ease any angst created by Garner’s death.

“Every little thing that people do in partnership with each other helps to ease tension and build bridges,” Sligh said. “No matter how small it is every little thing we do together is important.”

Koslowitz also spoke of Garner’s death, but took a more critical stance against the officers involved.

“Eric Garner was a tragic thing that happened,” said Koslowitz. “I think we need to have a little more caring for people and people’s lives. They were a little too rough.”

But despite any misfortune the Garner family has been afflicted with, Koslowitz said she believes the Night Out rallies are put in place to remedy any strained relationships between police and the neighborhoods they preside over.

National Night Out Against Crime started in 1984 by the non-profit organization National Association of Town Watch, in an effort to promote crime prevention, neighborhood camaraderie and police-community partnerships. Precincts all over the country participate and gather the first Tuesday in August.

Michael Florio and Joseph Randazzo contributed to this report.

By The Forum staff

The city is treating the northeast parts of Queens after spotting mosquitoes there with West Nile Virus. Communities in the south are safe for now.
Photo courtesy Department of Health

Mosquitoes around parts of northeast Queens were found to be carrying West Nile Virus, the city Health Department reported, but posed no threat to the residents living in the southern part of the borough.

It was the first West Nile detection of the season, the city said, mostly emanating from Douglaston and College Point as well as part of Staten Island. No human cases of the virus were reported, the DOH said, and there was no cause for alarm just yet.

The city spotted West Nile near Alley Creek in northeast Queens, in the footprint of the abandoned Flushing Airport and at Dubois Point near Edgemere Park. But communities like Howard Beach, Ozone Park, Richmond Hill and Woodhaven were still safe from the virus for now, the city said.

“So far, mosquito numbers are near their average for this time of year,” a spokesman for the DOH said. “No mosquitoes have been found in southern Queens with West Nile Virus. The most important thing for New Yorkers to do is avoid getting bitten by using repellant when outside at dawn or dusk, when mosquitoes are most active.”

Health Department officials said they were upping the number of traps for the mosquitoes throughout the borough and treating catch basins in the vulnerable areas, including northeast Queens. The goal, the agency said, was to kill the mosquito larvae before they can attack by spraying larvicide into the city’s catch basins, marshland and areas with standing water.

“Now that West Nile virus has returned to New York City, it is important to take simple precautions to protect you and your family,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett. “During warm weather, mosquitoes can breed in any still water that stands for more than four days, so the most effective way to control mosquitoes is to eliminate standing water. New Yorkers are also encouraged to mosquito-proof their homes, wear mosquito repellent and cover their arms and legs if they’re outside at dawn or dusk. New Yorkers over 50 should be especially cautious, as they are more likely to develop serious illness if they contract the virus.”

The spokesmen said residents should rid their properties of any standing water and try not to leave out any buckets, birdbaths or other receptacles that can hold water, as standing water serves as a virtual magnet for the pesky mosquitoes. Anyone with standing water in their neighborhood can call 311 and the DOH will come out to inspect, the agency said.

Larvicide sprayings were scheduled over non-residential areas of the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island throughout last week between the hours of 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. through Tuesday, the DOH said.

The DOH assured that not all people who become infected with the virus were doomed to severe illness, but other symptoms for West Nile included flu-like symptoms like headaches, fevers, fatigue, weakness or a rash. Anyone who thinks they might have come in contact with West Nile mosquitoes should see a doctor immediately, the agency said.

By Phil Corso

The city has moved about 41 homeless families into the former Pan Am hotel building, causing widespread protest among residents, civic leaders, and elected officials.
Photo by Phil Corso

The people of Elmhurst came out in big numbers Tuesday evening to make sure the Pan American Hotel heard their message.

“No shelter,” was the rally chant as more than 1,000 residents filed in for a protest outside the building, which officials said was being transformed into a homeless shelter on the heels of a hush-hush agreement with the city. People were flooding the sidewalk and street along Queens Boulevard with the sun beating down as a makeshift spotlight for vehicles passing by.

City Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights) said the nonprofit Samaritan Village was considering turning the building into a shelter, spurring the city Department of Homeless Services to start moving in late last week. The decision came just weeks after DHS Assistant Commissioner Lisa Black told residents in Middle Village that Pan Am was not suitable for families and children.

As of Monday night, Dromm said 41 families had already moved into the hotel, all without his office being properly consulted beforehand.

“We feel we were lied to,” Dromm said. “We don’t want this kind of negative impact on our community.”

A spokesman for the DHS said the city was doing whatever it could to address capacity needs while meeting the agency’s legally mandated right to shelter. Samaritan Village did not return requests seeking comment.

About 1,000 people protested the city turning the former Pan Am hotel building into a homeless shelter earlier this month.
Photo by Phil Corso

Roe Daraio, president of the COMET Civic Association, helped organize the rally after she said her group was outraged with the city selecting Pan Am as a homeless shelter – one block away from the Metro Family Residence shelter – without consulting the community. The civic leader said housing 216 families inside the hotel would essentially be human warehousing and a detriment to the neighborhood.

“The city’s decision to warehouse the homeless not only affects their quality of life, but also the community’s quality of life by overburdening their already stressed services such as schools and hospitals,” she shouted into a megaphone with a crowd of protestors around her. “Give people a permanent home. Give them the opportunity to become part of a community. Give them a chance to be independent.”

Joining Dromm in the rally against the DHS was state Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Flushing), who said in a statement she has yet to receive information on the use of Pan Am as a shelter.

“This lack of transparency is very unsettling for local residents who were caught completely off guard about these changes to their community,” she said. “The lack of information from DHS is doing a great disservice both to the community and the Pan Am’s potential new residents.”

But not everyone at the rally was opposed to the site being converted into a shelter. Members of the Young Governors youth organizing program made sure their voices were heard as well, speaking as young members of the Elmhurst community. The protest, they argued, was degrading to the families already housed inside the hotel.

“It is our job to help the community,” said 16-year-old Katherine Chilaca.

Tala Haider, an 18-year-old leader of the youth group, went so far as to say there should be even more shelters in the community to help the neediest families throughout the city and state.

Samaritan Village has already been in the hot seat as it explored another homeless shelter proposal at 78-16 Cooper Ave. in Glendale, which could potentially house 125 families. That site, just like Pan Am, resides within District 24 – one of the most overcrowded school districts in the city.

View a video of the protest by clicking the link below:

Pan American Hotel protest in Elmhurst

By Phil Corso

United Federation of Teacher member announced their support for the re-election bid by state Sen. Toby Stavisky, at podium, this week. Photo courtesy Toby Stavisky’s Campaign Office

State Sen. Toby Stavisky (D-Flushing) accepted key endorsements this week from some of the city’s biggest voices on education representing more than 140,000 teachers and school employees.

The United Federation of Teachers, the New York State United Teachers and the Professional Staff Congress all threw support behind the former teacher and seven-term senator, citing her education background as a motivator for their decision. It was the first time that NYSUT, an umbrella organization for the UFT and PSC, endorsed an elected official in New York City.

“As a former public school teacher, Toby Ann Stavisky understands and respects the vital work our members do every day on behalf of all New Yorkers,” said NYSUT president, Karen Magee. “Her legislative service is distinguished by strong support for public schools, higher education and labor—a stellar record that earned her an early and enthusiastic endorsement by NYSUT.”

Stavisky was first elected into the northeast Queens seat in November 1999. Her most recent reelection bid came in 2012, when she secured more than 70 percent of the vote, records showed. She was the first woman to be elected from Queens into the state Senate in history and also the first woman to chair the Senate Committee on Higher Education.

Educational leaders praised her background at an endorsement announcement last Friday in Flushing.

“Her record of fighting to protect the quality and affordability of a City University of New York education and vocal support of the NY DREAM Act are just part of what makes Toby Ann Stavisky the right person to represent the 16th Senate District,” said Barbara Bowen, president of the Professional Staff Congress, the union representing 25,000 faculty and staff at CUNY. “Sen. Stavisky also has a long history of fighting for jobs, public education, tenants and more progressive taxation.”

Stavisky already collected endorsements from the Queens County Democratic Party as she prepared for a primary run against S.J. Along with the Democratic Party came support from other borough elected officials, including U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing), City Councilwoman Karen Koslowitz (D-Forest Hills), City Councilman Ron Kim (D-Flushing), state Assemblyman Ron Kim (D-Flushing) and several others. Jung, a Flushing activist and businessman. Jung ran for the same Flushing seat back in 2009 but lost by a slim margin.

“As a former high school teacher who has seen city classrooms firsthand, I am honored to have received the endorsement of NYSUT, the UFT and PSC,” Stavisky said. “The future of New York City, and the future of Queens, depends on the education students receive today. I look forward to continuing my work to strengthen schools all across New York.”

Stavisky’s district includes parts of northeastern Queens, including communities like Bayside, Elmhurst, Flushing, Forest Hills and Whitestone.

By Phil Corso

Jacob Worrell, left, and state Sen. Jose Peralta at the Veterans Hall of Fame ceremony in Albany. Photo courtesy NYS Senate

Jacob Worrell put it all on the line for his country, and a state senator in Queens expressed his token of gratitude by inducting him into the Veterans Hall of Fame.

In the spirit of Memorial Day, Worrell was invited to Albany last Tuesday with state Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) for an induction into the state Veterans’ Hall of Fame alongside several other heroes from throughout New York. He retained the rank of sergeant while serving as a team leader in the 172nd Stryker Brigade and finished a 16-month combat deployment in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

His name was one of more than 50 distinguished veterans who served in all branches of the country’s armed forces, including the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Air Force and Marine Corps.

“The freedoms and security we cherish as Americans come at a very high price for those serving in the military in times of conflict. It is fitting and proper that we who are the beneficiaries of those who risk their lives, must never forget the courage with which these men ad women served their country,” the official Senate proclamation read. “Our nation’s veterans deserve to be recognized, commended and thanked by the people of the state of New York for their service and for their dedication to their communities, their state and their nation.”

While in Iraq, he also performed various patrols in some of the military hotspots of Mosul, Baghdad, Rawah and others.

Peralta celebrated the East Elmhurst native as not only a war veteran but also a crucial community leader.

“As an elected official, I have the privilege of honoring some very special people for the extraordinary contributions they have made to our community, our city and our country,” Peralta said in a statement. “Jacob Worrell is a very special person. We are indebted to him not only for his bravery on the battlefield, but also for his service in the community.”

Worrell grew up in New Hampshire and enlisted in the United States Army in 2003. He completed his basic and advanced training at Fort Knox and graduated just five months later.

After leaving active duty, Worrell earned a degree in economics and philosophy from Amherst College and continued working with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, an advocacy group dedicated to supporting the more than 2.4 million U.S. vets from the wars. His name was added to the star-studded list of state veterans in the Hall of Fame, honoring heroes for their service to their country and community and recognizing their contributions to both military and civilian life.

He worked his way up to director of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America’s user experience department, helping lead the development, implementation, monitoring, reporting and evaluation of the group’s member-focused digital products, his biography read.

By Phil Corso

Serphin Maltese, left, state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr., and Maltese’s wife, Constance Maltese. Photos courtesy NYS Senate

Serphin “Serf” Maltese has been many things in his lifetime – including a 10-term state senator and a Queens assistant district attorney, to name just a couple.

But before his career as a politician and an attorney, Maltese served in the Korean War as a member of the U.S. Army, and this service inspired state Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr. (D-Howard Beach) to select Maltese to be inducted into the state Senate Veterans Hall of Fame.

“It’s an honor to recognize Serf in this capacity,” Addabbo said of the longtime Middle Village resident and former Republican legislator. “His dedication to not only the borough of Queens but to the nation is undeniable. He committed his life to public service, in every sense of the word, and took it upon himself to keep his people both safe and happy. People like Serf are few and far between.”

Maltese and his wife, Constance, whom he married in 1955 in Elmhurst, joined Addabbo in Albany, where he officially became a member of the Hall of Fame.

State Sen. Joe Addabbo Jr., left, honors former state Sen. Serphin Maltese in Albany. Maltese was inducted into the New York State Veterans Hall of Fame. Photos courtesy NYS Senate

A Corona native, Maltese enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps when he was 17 years old. When the Korean War began, he volunteered for the U.S. Army and served as corporal in the 45th Infantry Division.

After his service, he went on to attend Manhattan College on a Regents Scholarship and GI Bill and Fordham University, where he earned his LL.B and J.D. degrees.

Maltese was elected to the state Senate in 1988 and was re-elected for the next 10 terms to represent the 15th Senatorial District, which included Forest Hills Gardens, Glendale, Hamilton Beach, Howard Beach, Maspeth, Middle Village, Ridgewood, Woodhaven, and parts of Elmhurst, Forest Hills, Kew Gardens, Ozone Park, Rego Park, Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park, Sunnyside, and Woodside.

He often focused his efforts on supporting Queens’ veterans community, and in 1990 he was the prime sponsor of legislation that authorized the creation of the 250-bed state Veterans Nursing Home at St. Albans. Maltese has also been honored by various local and national veterans groups and is a life member of the American Legion, Catholic War Veterans, Korea War Veterans Association, and the Veterans of Foreign Affairs.

“Serf has been rightfully recognized for his service, both in and out of the armed forces before, and now I’m happy to see him back in Albany,” Addabbo said. “It’s always hard to pick just one person from the district, but it’s only fitting Serf join the other Hall of Fame vets who sacrificed so much.”

By Anna Gustafson