Paul Ragusa, a long-time associate of the Bonanno and Gambino families, at one time was No. 1 on the FBI’s Most Wanted list.

By Michael V. Cusenza
Earlier this month, three indictments were unsealed in Brooklyn federal court charging four men with narcotics trafficking, loansharking, and firearms offenses, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
And the name of at least one of those four defendants is going to sound quite familiar to longtime residents of Ridgewood, Maspeth, Middle Village, Glendale, and Rego Park.
Damiano Zummo, an acting captain in the Bonanno crime family; Salvatore Russo, an associate of the Bonanno crime family; Paul Semplice, a member of the Gambino crime family; and Paulie Ragusa, an associate of the Bonanno and Gambino crime families, were arrested and arraigned on Wednesday, Nov. 8.
Ragusa, 46, was once a leader of the infamous Giannini Crew (named for the defunct Ridgewood café in which they congregated), a tight-knit group of up-and-coming La Cosa Nostra talent that the feds dismantled in the late ’90s after they terrorized Queens via mob staples like loan-sharking, extortion, and arson; as well as a series of armed robberies, assaults, and murder.
Ragusa and 13 other members were indicted in June 1996. But he went on the lam before authorities could cuff him. Months later, Ragusa, then 26, shot to the Number 1 spot on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Most Wanted list, where he remained for roughly a year until agents finally caught up to him.
Ragusa pleaded guilty to racketeering in 1998 and was sent to prison for 19 years. He had nearly completed his bid – he was living in a halfway house in Brooklyn when he was taken into custody a couple of weeks ago. According to noted American mafia expert and Gang Land News founder Jerry Capeci, an old Giannini Crew cohort recorded Ragusa, among other offenses, “buying a small arsenal of weapons…”
Ragusa is charged with being a felon in possession of nine firearms, including three automatic assault rifles and one silencer. As alleged in the indictment, Ragusa transported the firearms in exchange for $2,000 in cash. He now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment under the Armed Career Criminal Act.
“Criminal enterprises, both national and international, contribute to the breakdown of a lawful society,” said FBI New York Assistant Director-in-Charge Bill Sweeney. “And yet, the allure of this gangland culture is often embraced and glamorized in movies and on television, where the threats posed to our economic and national security are seldom displayed.”

By Michael V. Cusenza

The acrid odor of spent gun powder filled the heavy, humid air, while muzzle smoke cast a pallid cloak over each county.

It was a wildly violent holiday weekend in the big city – a blood-and-bullets crime story featuring no less than a dozen shootings spanning each of the five boroughs, claiming one young life and injuring 16 others.

In Queens, the World’s Borough, six people were shot in three separate incidents. On Saturday night, around 11 p.m., a driver, 25, was shot twice in the arm by a man on a motorcycle on the Long Island Expressway in Maspeth.

On Sunday, around 10:45 p.m., three people were shot in a dispute in South Jamaica. Later that same night, two men were shot in Richmond Hill and rushed to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center.

“A series of shootings across the city last night, including in my South Jamaica and Richmond Hill district, have bloodied a weekend in which we honor the sacrifices of our armed service members, and many families enjoy the start of summer. There is simply no justification for such senseless acts of violence, and they will not be tolerated,” said City Councilman Ruben Wills (D-Jamaica). “Police Commissioner Bratton is to be commended for working with the City Council to implement policies that recognize each community’s identity, but more support is needed for proven violence prevention programs that help to establish stronger partnerships between the Department and local residents, deliver at-risk youths from the despair a life in poverty can bring, and encourage positive social development. June is Gun Violence Awareness Month in New York. I ask everyone to wear orange on June 2nd to show solidarity for nationwide efforts to promote unity and peaceful alternatives to resolving conflicts. Gun-violence has finally gained long deserved recognition as a public health crisis, and improving access to mental health services is equally essential to addressing its root causes. We must value our own lives in order to value the lives of others, and be accountable for the choices we make as individuals. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims of these terrible incidents. I wish them all a complete recovery.”

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Michael V. Cusenza

The extended Finest Family on Monday found itself among the bereaved, again, as members helped lay to rest fellow NYPD Officer Patrick Winberry, who suddenly died last Wednesday after suffering a heart attack at his home. He was 30.

Winberry joined the city Police Department in July 2012 and served the 75^th Precinct in East New York for nearly two years before being transferred to the 104^th in Ridgewood.

According to 104^th Precinct Community Affairs Det. Tommy Bell, Winberry also was a Levittown Fire Department captain, protecting his hometown as a volunteer smoke-eater since he was 16 years old.

Winberry died less than a week after Capt. Matthew Hanrahan, executive officer of the 100^th Precinct in Rockaway Beach, passed away, also from a cardiac event.

PO Patrick Winberry is survived by his partner, Carmela, his parents, and sister.

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

By Michael V. Cusenza

Two vital sections of the M Line will soon be getting long-overdue makeovers, according to Metropolitan Transportation Authority New York City Transit.

The agency is set to rebuild two decades-old deteriorating overpasses in Queens and Brooklyn: a metal bridge between the Fresh Pond Road and Middle Village-Metropolitan Avenue stations will require a two-month shutdown. The work will begin in summer 2017 in order to cause the least possible disruption for students at nearby Christ the King Regional High School, according to the MTA.

The second section of construction will occur at the century-old concrete viaduct that carries the M Line between the Myrtle Avenue and Central Avenue stations. That section will be shut down for 10 months beginning in summer 2017.

The MTA indicated that it will offer a shuttle bus and subway service changes to customers affected by the closures.

In the first phase of work during summer 2017, there will be no M service between Myrtle Avenue and Middle Village-Metropolitan Avenue for two months.

Two new shuttle bus routes will serve closed stations along the line, while a third shuttle bus route will operate between the Flushing Avenue JM station and the Middle Village-Metropolitan Avenue M station with an intermediate stop at the Jefferson Street L station.

When the metal bridge has been replaced, the second phase of work will start for eight more months until spring 2018. During this phase, an M shuttle will run between Middle Village-Metropolitan Avenue and Myrtle-Wyckoff avenues, where customers can transfer to the L train. The Knickerbocker Avenue and Central Avenue stations on the M Line will remain closed during this period, and will be served by a shuttle bus between Myrtle Avenue and Myrtle-Wyckoff avenues. Those stations are also within a 10-minute walk of alternate subway stations on the L and JZ lines, the agency pointed out.

During the shutdown, M trains to and from Manhattan will be rerouted along the J and Z tracks from Marcy Avenue to Broadway Junction, though peak hour frequency will be reduced by 25 percent. To accommodate displaced M customers, J and Z trains will make all stops between Marcy Avenue and Broadway Junction, while L trains will operate at peak frequency for extended durations each day.

“Both of these structures have deteriorated to the point that there is simply no other option than complete replacement, and undergoing this step will ensure a safe, more reliable experience for customers for decades to come. We will work closely with the affected communities, their elected officials and other representatives to minimize the disruption and address their concerns, and we will do our utmost to complete this work as quickly as possible,” said NYC Transit President Veronique ‘Ronnie’ Hakim.

By Forum Staff

A congressional committee on Monday convened a rare field hearing in Forest Hills to probe how the U.S. Small Business Administration can make international trade work for borough establishments.

The House Small Business Subcommittee on Agriculture, Energy and Trade, the panel that oversees U.S. policy on exports, conducted “Overcoming Challenges to Exporting for Small Businesses” at Bramson ORT College. The hearing, led by U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Flushing), the top Democrat on the panel, examined how the SBA can better help local small business owners export their products abroad.

Area companies, Meng said, could be missing out on valuable exporting opportunities that are worth millions of dollars.

“Promoting more trade opportunities for small businesses in Queens and New York City is critical,” Meng said. “The New York metropolitan area is the second largest exporting market in the United States with over $105 billion in exports. As a result, exporting is essential to job creation and key to our region’s growth. But many entrepreneurs still face challenges in accessing foreign markets including complexities associated with exporting, a lack of financing and confusing federal trade programs. We must do all we can to knock down these barriers so that we can build on our area’s exporting success, and make it easier for area businesses to sell their goods abroad. The SBA can play a critical role in facilitating this and I look forward to that happening. When small businesses succeed, America succeeds!”

Rep. Nydia Velázquez (D-Queens/Brooklyn/Manhattan), ranking member, and Rep. Steve Chabot (R-Ohio), Small Business Committee chairman, also participated in the hearing.

Witnesses who testified before the panel included Pascual Castaño, business advisor at the New York State Small Business Development Center; and Toni Corsini, New York/New Jersey regional manager of the U.S. Export Assistance Center, a division of the SBA.

More than 70 percent of the world’s purchasing power is located outside the U.S., according to Meng’s office, and over 95 percent of the world’s consumers reside abroad. Companies that export their products grow faster and mitigate risk during economic downturns. Some of the top New York export locations include Korea, China, Israel, Canada and Mexico.

By Forum Staff

As state lawmakers kick off another round of legislative work in Albany this month, State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) has outlined some of his key priorities he hopes to help the legislature tackle over the next several months, including ethics reforms, paid family leave, and education reforms.

In 2015, New Yorkers watched leaders of both houses of state government be convicted on federal corruption charges including bribery, extortion, and conspiracy. As Addabbo returns to work in Albany this month, he expressed an interest in fighting for serious change to existing ethics policies, like outside income and influential campaign donations.

“Since 2000, 33 state elected officials have been removed from office in New York after being either investigated or convicted of ethical violations,” Addabbo said, citing a recent study by the good government group Citizens Union. “That number is outrageous and shameful, and it is time to send a strong message. Talk alone is not enough when it comes to ethics reform. We must take action and show New Yorkers that corrupt elected officials who abuse their power and take advantage of their jobs will not be tolerated.”

In addition, the Senator’s bill (S3004) to create Paid Family Leave in New York seeks to fund partial wage benefits for individuals who need time off from work to care for an ill relative or a new baby, while providing businesses with more productive employees.

“It is unfair and irresponsible for us to continue forcing workers to choose between their paychecks and their families at a time of need,” Addabbo said. “Enacting a Paid Family Leave bill into law will be a milestone for working-class families and businesses, and I look forward to being the lead advocate on this journey.”

Further, Addabbo prioritized the issue of raising minimum wage state-wide, along with improving senior health care, establishing more reliable veterans programs, and renewing mayoral control of city schools.

In addition, Addabbo restated a commitment to supporting reforms to Common Core, including altering a testing process that falls far short of credibly evaluating our children and their teachers.

“It is time to stop pretending that the success of students and educators can be properly measured simply by scores on standardized exams,” said Addabbo. “This process unfairly labels a students’ progress over an entire school year based on their performance on a few state tests, while also subjecting teachers to unreasonable evaluations.” The Senator gave credit to the teachers, administrators, parents, and students for speaking out on the Common Core issues and working with elected officials to effectuate the changes already implemented with the state tests.

Improved transportation in southern Queens, with an emphasis on public transportation, will be a major issue throughout the budget process and legislative session, according to Addabbo. Finally, other issues the Senator wants to promote during the session are assisting seniors and veterans, along with the need to create job growth.

By Alan Krawitz

As we approach year’s end and the de Blasio administration prepares to close out its second year in City Hall, The Forum reached out to borough community organizations to get a sense of the working relationship between the mayor and his agencies, and the Queens neighborhoods under their purview.

Their assessment:  Needs improvement.

“The city agencies get low grades for communication and follow-up. They could still improve, and I hope that’s what they do, but I’m not optimistic,” said Martin Colberg, president of the Woodhaven Residents’ Block Association.

Colberg added that the WRBA needs to constantly “follow up” with agencies, and that tends to create a false impression that they’re interested in community input.

“These departments,” said Colberg, “are dealing with issues that they should know are problems, but there’s little proactive effort on their part to solve them. They seem to have their own agenda, and that’s all they focus on.”

In the past year, the WRBA said it has had several interactions with city agencies that were challenging. For example, in October 2014, the civic asked the Sanitation Department to end what the WRBA characterized as its unfair practice of issuing tickets to property owners in the middle of the night for garbage dumped on their properties.

In a release, the organization said it had become a common nighttime occurrence for people to leave trash outside Jamaica Avenue storefronts, and for Sanitation enforcement agents to write Notices of Violation in the middle of the night, fining property owners for failing to dispose of trash they didn’t know was there.

The WRBA said this was costing struggling business owners hundreds of dollars.

And although Bill de Blasio wrote DSNY when he was Public Advocate, asking the agency to end the practice, nothing has been done on the issue since he became mayor, the Woodhaven civic noted.

In another report earlier this year, the WRBA called out the Department of Transportation for failure to correct inadequate and “dangerous” lighting in Forest Park, to “years’ long” delays in installing needed speed bumps in Woodhaven.

Asked about the mayor’s interaction with civic groups, some leaders said he needs to engage more with the borough organizations that are the voice of residents.

“Mayor de Blasio is not as active with community groups as previous mayors,” said Joann Ariola, president of the Howard Beach-Lindenwood Civic.

Bob Holden, president of the Juniper Park Civic Association, was blunt when asked about accessibility.

“We write letters and fill out online forms and we NEVER get a response,” Holden said, adding that when de Blasio was Public Advocate, his office reached out to the JPCA often.

“Since he’s been mayor, nothing,” Holden said, noting that while some city agencies are better than others when it comes to responsiveness, he noted that the Mayor’s Office is “totally unresponsive.”

Dan Mundy, Jr., president of the Broad Channel Civic Association, said that his organization’s access to City Hall has been helped due to a close relationship with elected officials, including Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Howard Beach).

Mundy added that agencies such as the Department of Environmental Protection, the NYPD and the Build it Back program have been helpful in the past couple of years.

With Veterans Day – Nov. 11 – on the horizon, Queens communities will once again take the opportunity to honor military service members and cherish the freedoms for which they fought.

Here are just some of the Veterans Day ceremonies taking place in neighborhoods across the World’s Borough.

On Friday, Nov. 6, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., Queens Borough President Melinda Katz will host the Veterans Day Observance Ceremony in the Veterans Memorial Garden at Borough Hall. This year’s event will feature three special veteran honorees commemorating the 70^th anniversary of the end of World War II.

On Sunday, Nov. 8, at 12 p.m., the Queens Veterans Day Parade Committee will host its annual veterans parade in Middle Village. The festivities kick off at the intersection of Metropolitan Avenue and 80^th Street, and run down Metro to 69^th Street.

The Grand Marshal of this year’s parade will be New York Guard Commander Stephen A. Bucaria, Brigadier General in the New York Guard. The parade is also being held in memory of Private First Class Le Ron A. Wilson, who was killed in 2007 while serving in the U.S. Army in Baghdad, Iraq.

“I greatly appreciate the efforts of the Queens Veterans Day Parade Committee and the respect they show our veterans. An event such as this annual veterans parade is just one small way we can attempt to show our appreciation for the unthinkable sacrifices our military service members have made throughout the years,” said state Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) the ranking member of the Senate Committee for Veterans, Homeland Security and Military Affairs.

On Tuesday, Nov. 10, 9:30 a.m., Queensborough Community College will host a Remembrance and Reflection Ceremony at the Charles F. Bova Veterans Memorial Grove, located inside the main Bayside campus gate on 56^th Avenue.

By Michael V. Cusenza

michael@theforumnewsgroup.com

State Sen. Joe Addabbo, Jr. (D-Howard Beach) and Assemblyman Mike Miller (D-Woodhaven) announced this week that that their April community recycling event in Forest Park hauled in more than 30,000 pounds of paper and electronic waste from area residents, and filled two Salvation Army trucks with reusable household items.

In addition to the 24,673 pounds of e-waste that were collected, and the roughly 7,300 pounds of paper that were shredded, two Salvation Army box trucks were filled to capacity with reusable household items.

Addabbo and Miller thanked their constituents for participating, and expressed gratitude to TD Bank, Data-Struction, E-Green Management/PK Metals, and the Salvation Army for their assistance with the event. The volunteer efforts of area Boy Scouts and the Maspeth High School Green Club were also noted by the state lawmakers.

“Since Mike and I began organizing these free recycling events five years ago, we have helped our constituents remove a grand total of 262,500 pounds of paper and electronics alone from our waste stream,” said Addabbo, a member of the Senate Environmental Conservation Committee. “That translates into more than 131 tons of waste that hasn’t been dumped in landfills, and still doesn’t include the many more tons of clothing, books, eyeglasses, curtains and other housewares that we have been able to recycle or donate to the Salvation Army and other charitable organizations.”

Addabbo and Miller have been organizing the biannual community recycling events since 2010, enabling area residents and business owners to dispose of unwanted clothing, electronics, glassware, books, eyeglasses and a variety of other household goods in an environmentally responsible manner.

The next free recycling event is scheduled for September.

By Forum Staff

Randolph Ardila, 30, who has been held on Rikers Island in lieu of $150,000 bail since his arrest in February, formally entered a guilty plea last Thursday. His next court court date is Feb. 13, at which time Ardila will be sentenced to six years in prison and five years’ post-release supervision.

According to the charges, Ardila acted as a lookout between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Feb. 21, 2014, while two other unapprehended individuals allegedly attempted to burglarize residences on 77th Avenue in Glendale. Pry marks made with a tool like a screwdriver were observed on the front doors.

At approximately 4:50 p.m. on the same day, police allegedly saw two people enter an apartment building on 103rd Avenue in Ozone Park and Ardila park a gray BMW near the same building before exiting the vehicle and acting as a lookout. A few minutes later, three people exited the building, two of whom were carrying bags, Brown said. One of the bags was placed in the gray BMW that Ardila was driving. Police then observed Ardila entering the BMW on the driver’s side and saw what appeared to be a container on or with the bag. The other suspects allegedly entered a blue Honda and the two vehicles then drove away.

At the time of Ardila’s arrest, he was carrying a blue plastic container filled with change and a twenty-dollar bill—which had been reported missing from an apartment at the Ozone Park location—and had a screwdriver in his possession. Police also recovered a box containing the cremated ashes of a tenant’s mother—which had been reported stolen from a second apartment at the Ozone Park location in the other vehicle.

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

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

National Night Out Against Crime festivities are scheduled for Tuesday evening across the borough. File Photo

Central and southern Queens police precincts rolled out their plans for this year’s National Night Out against crime, scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 5.

Area precincts, including the 100^th, 102^nd, 104^th,  106^th and 112^th, all announced unique events in their respective beats across the borough as the Police Department continued its summer celebration tradition. Precincts and their respective community councils citywide have been coming together for years once a year in recognition of the Night Out festivities with events featuring barbecues, games and other family activities.

The 100^th Precinct, which serves the Rockaway Peninsula, announced its National Night Out event for Aug. 5 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the hockey rink located at Beach 108^th Street and Shore Front Parkway. Some of the highlights for this year included Kings of the DJ’s Eddy Pastore, free popcorn, cotton candy, ices, face painting, caricature portraits, carnival games and even a karate show. Copy of the year awards for the precinct will also be doled out, the precinct said.

Parking for the 100^th Precinct’s National Night Out will be offered at Martin De Porres High School on Beach 111^th Street, the precinct said.

The 102^nd Precinct, which patrols communities like Kew Gardens, Richmond Hill and Woodhaven, said it would be hosting its annual event at the Buddy memorial Monument, located at Park Lane South and Myrtle Avenue from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. That event will feature live music, soda, hot dogs and family friendly games.

The 104^th Precinct, which serves central Queens communities like Glendale, Maspeth, Middle Village and Ridgewood, said it would be hosting its National Night Out Against Crime at 5:30 p.m. at Mafera Park, located at 65^th Place and 68^th Avenue. There, the 104^th Precinct Community Council will be offering family fun events like food, music, dancing, raffle prizes, face painting and more. There will also be health screenings and public safety information at the ready, the precinct said.

The 106^th Precinct of Howard Beach and other southern Queens communities said its annual event would be held at Police officer Edward Byrne Park, located at the intersection of North Conduit Avenue and 134^th Street in South Ozone Park from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. That event, the precinct said, would be offering the same kinds of family-friendly fun it offers each year, including public safety information, giveaways, rides and more.

The 112^th Precinct, which serves Forest Hills and its surrounding central Queens communities, announced its Night Out event would be held at 6 p.m. on Aug. 5 at McDonald Park near Queens Boulevard and Yellowstone Boulevard. Some events on the list there included safety information, barbecue food, kosher food, a DJ, singing, dancing, tennis, karate, face panting, games, raffles and more.

By The Forum staff

Photo courtesy Councilwoman Crowley’s office

Local politicians, residents and community activists alike agree that keeping main thoroughfares, such as Myrtle Avenue in Glendale and Grand Avenue in Maspeth, clean and tidy, is no easy task.

But, thanks to Council Member Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village), help is on the way.

Crowley secured $61,800 in discretionary funding in this year’s budget to pay for The Doe Fund’s Ready, Willing and Able Program’s street cleaning crews.  The crews will pick up trash on Myrtle Avenue from Cooper Avenue to Fresh Pond Road and on Grand Avenue from 61^st to 74^th Streets, three days a week, until June of next year.

The street cleaning program began on Myrtle Avenue July 15 and on Grand Avenue earlier this week.

The Doe Fund program’s crews are made up of formerly homeless and/or recently incarcerated men and women undergoing a yearlong program of transitional work, education, housing, and career development.

“Myrtle and Grand Avenues have been sources of sanitation complaints for years,” Crowley said.  “However, the funds to hire The Doe Fund cleaning crews in District 30 have only recently been made available thanks to new member item budget reforms enacted by the Council this year.”

A spokesperson for the Doe Fund said that a four man crew has been assigned to District 30 and on a regular basis, the crews, easily recognized by their trademark blue uniforms, will change as trainees move from street cleaning to their chosen career track in the fund’s program.

“Cleaning the streets is the first regular job many of our trainees have had in years; certainly since the time they became homeless,” said Alexander Horwitz, spokesman for the Doe Fund.  “Participating in neighborhood beautification allows our trainees to acquire the soft skills necessary for full time employment and, ultimately, permanent self-sufficiency.”

The organization also said that each day its crews clean about 150 miles of New York City streets. In Queens, the Doe Fund crews currently work in Astoria.

In addition, on Tuesday, Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer announced aggressive street cleaning initiatives involving Doe Fund crews for Long Island City, Dutch Kills and throughout District 26.

Vincent Arcuri, chairman of Community Board 5, said that the program is needed.

Arcuri said that there were numerous and ongoing complaints from residents along Myrtle Avenue from Fresh Pond Road to Woodhaven Blvd. about debris and garbage being left on street corners and existing litter baskets overflowing due to lack of service.

He said that the community board and Council member Crowley have been working with the city’s Department of Sanitation for improved basket pick-up schedules and more enforcement by DOS Police.

“The temporary Doe fund cleanup is good until such time as NYCDOS implements stronger enforcement and better litter basket pick-up schedules,” Arcuri said.  “We thank the Councilmember for funding this program.”

Crowley called the program a “win-win,” by keeping the community clean while simultaneously providing jobs, education, and career development services for New Yorkers trying to turn their lives around.

“By choosing the ‘men in blue’ to service Myrtle Avenue and the surrounding area, Ms. Crowley is leading by example, providing our men the opportunity and work they need to transform their lives while improving the cleanliness and safety of the district’s streets”, said George T. McDonald, founder and president of The Doe Fund, in an emailed statement.

Roe Daraio, president of COMET or communities of Maspeth and Elmhurst Together, was also pleased about the partnership.

“Grand Avenue is an extremely busy commercial strip that is heavily trafficked by pedestrians as well as motorists,” Daraio said.

“We have several major bus lines which include the Q58, Q59, Q18 as well as others. In addition, we have three schools at the northern end and two schools in close proximity to Grand Avenue at the west end. All this traffic generates garbage.”

Daraio added that the garbage often blows onto sidewalks and into tree pits.

“Some people use City trash cans to dispose of their household garbage and the trash bins are overflowing. Left unchecked, Grand Avenue would be a mess. We commend Council Member Crowley for obtaining these funds for us!”

Kathy Masi, a member of the Glendale Civic Association, also praised the partnership.

“It is a wonderful program, the Doe fund,” Masi said. “It helps many men get back on their feet and they do a wonderful service for the communities fortunate to have them.  I just wish that the program would be able to extend further up Myrtle Avenue.”

By Alan Krawitz

Though the Maspeth firehouse has been supported by Community Board 9 as a potential historic landmark, the city Landmarks Preservation Commission said it cannot honor the request to designate the fire house. Photo by Ashley Helms

The city Landmarks Preservation Commission ruled that the Maspeth firehouse does not meet the criteria to be a designated landmark, despite a great deal of community support on the matter, a letter from the commission said. It was the second time the commission rejected the application for historic designation.

Brother and sister Maspeth natives Steve and Maxine Fisher have been leading the charge to preserve the fire house and urged the commission to make the fire house a historic landmark after 19 first responders from the station died in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. LPC Director of Research Mary Beth Betts said designating the firehouse would not be permitted under the Landmarks Law.

“A site must be greater than 30 years old, and the [Sept. 11] monument does not meet this eligibility criteria,” Betts said.

After the Fishers presented their reasons for wanting the fire house, located at 59-29 68 St., made into a landmark in front of Community Board 5 members in September, the board agreed to send a letter in June to the LPC to confirm that the firehouse turned 100 this year. The historical location now houses the Squad 288 and Hazmat 1.

After they received the commission’s response, dated July 16, the Fishers wrote a follow-up letter to Betts, stating the agency must be mistaken because they are not trying to designate a Sept. 11 monument. The building itself is 100-years-old, making it well past the 30-year mark for landmark designation, and framing their cause around the responders lost in the terrorist attacks is just to highlight its continued significance.

“While I can accept your position that the building is not architecturally worthy of designation, since I don’t have a battery of experts to refute that view, I vehemently object to the LPC’s rejection that it is not historically significant,” Fisher said.

Though he thanked the LPC for the role it plays in the city, Fisher urged Betts and the LPC to take another look at all the supporting documentation that has been submitted regarding the Maspeth firehouse.

“You work is imperative to protect our historic structures from those who would profit from their demise,” Mr. Fisher said. “This is exactly why the Maspeth Fire House needs your protection now, not 17 years from now.”

The first application the brother and sister duo submitted to the LPC was rejected as well, but they said their next step in pushing for the firehouse’s designation would be to ask elected officials to urge the agency to support the structure.

By Ashley Helms

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

Tom Ognibene (l.) with borough Republican leaders, including (L to R): Craig Caruana, mayoral candidate Joe Lhota, Councilman Eric Ulrich and former congressman, Bob Turner. Photo courtesy Craig Caruana

State Sen. Joseph Addabbo may have a Republican challenger later this year.

Former City Councilman Tom Ognibene has had his name appear on petitions circulating throughout the southern Queens 15^th Senate District, which includes Howard Beach, Maspeth, Middle Village, Ozone Park, the Rockaway Peninsula, Woodhaven and more. He did not return calls seeking comment.

Though he has yet to file a campaign committee with the state Board of Elections, Ognibene still has until July 10 to submit petitions in time for the Sept. 9 primary, the BOE said. If he does end up filing, the Senate run would be his latest run for public office since 2010, when he lost his run for lieutenant governor as a running mate for Carl Paladino. He also tried to win back his Council seat in 2009 before ultimately losing to City Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Maspeth).

Addabbo did not comment on the possibility of having Ognibene as a Republican challenger come November.

Ognibene, an attorney from Middle Village, represented communities in central Queens from 1992 to 2001 as a member of the City council. His name first started showing up on petitions over recent weeks, just as the Queens Republican Party met in Forest Hills to discuss ways to get more candidates into public office.

Robert Hornak, a leader within the Queens Republican Party, said different factions within the party were working to find a common ground to ensure more of its members make it into public office. The party has been riddled by a divisive split for years, with names like Ognibene’s and City Councilman Eric Ulrich (R-Ozone Park) on one side and late GOP leader Phil Ragusa on the other, who died late last month after a short battle with Leukemia.

If he does file his petitions by the July 10 deadline, the BOE would then take several days to mull over signatures and make sure they come from the southern Queens district, a rep said. He would have until July 14 to opt out of a Sept. 9 primary or until July 18 to pass the baton to another candidate, the BOE said.

By Phil Corso